Slim Dusty born this day in 1927. He, the archetypal cowboy singer from Australia. Didja even know they had any type of cowboy singers from there, much less archetypal ones, huh? huh?
Today in musical history
Famous composers' birthdays and fantastic facts about them (molto emphasis on fantastic, non troppo emphasis on facts). If you want to know something worthwhile about your favorite composer, well then, you're on-line--go look them up. Otherwise, if you just want to kill time, click away here.
Igor Stravinsky born this day in 1882 (although it was then known as June 5th) in a town called Lomonosov (although it was then known as Oranienbaum) in Russia (although it was then known as Russia). His given name was Ivan Doe, but he changed it to "something flashier" when he was 3 1/2, the precocious little tyke!
Birthday of uber-popstar, Paul "Paul" McCartney. His claim to fame? Joined the skiffle band "The Quarrymen" and with fellow musician John Lennon, proceeded to run skiffle music into the ground. (How many skiffle songs can you name?) Oh, well. Paul and John and a few other band mates went off to do other musical projects, but the memory of skiffle music? Will it ever be forgotten? (Um, huh?)
Jacques Offenbach born this day in 1819, in Prussia no less! (Not many composers these days can claim to be born in Prussia, at least not honestly.) Besides having a pretty cool name (with internal rhyme), he was a prolific composer, meaning he wrote a lot--without an iPad, imagine!
Bob Fosse, a theatrical legend (at least by his standards), born this day in 1927. He was born in Chicago as were other great visionaries who unveiled entire worlds of fantasy to audiences world-wide (Walt Disney and Raquel Welch spring to mind).
Leroy Anderson born in 1908. July is right around the corner (see it up ahead, peeking around that building?) so now is a perfect to mention Anderson's famous "Sleigh Ride" piece--so I will: [mention]"Sleigh Ride"[/mention].
Today is the birthday of uber-composer Franz Josef "Mama" Haydn. From all accounts, a really nice guy even if he did play the occasional prank like, f'rinstance, his Symphony #94, which, if played authentically with period instruments must include a bunch of baroque damsels in fetching habits and wimples jumping out of a large cake (Bavarian chocolate, of course!) at the correct moment--which I can't reveal what it is or then it would not be a surprise, now would it?
What a day for music in movies! Max Steiner and Dmitri Tiomkin BOTH born today, but not in the same hospital bed. Both superstar movie composers. Tiomkin will always be remembered for his "pock pocka pock pocka-pocka-pocka" score to the movie Pock Pocka (released in Kansas as High Noon)