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Ο δίσκος έγινε 129 χρονων το 2016. Η υπεραιωνόβια εφεύρεση του Emile Berliner, που τότε θεωρήθηκε «θαύμα», αναπτύχθηκε πέρα από κάθε προσδοκία. Ο περιορισμένων δυνατοτήτων κύλινδρος έγινε επίπεδος δίσκος, που έτρεχε με 78 στροφές, με 33, με 45 και μετά με την ψηφιακή τεχνολογία έγινε ακόμα μικρότερος, ως CD ή ως MD.
Ήταν μόλις 19 χρονών ο Berliner, όταν μετανάστευσε από το Αννόβερο της Γερμανίας. Έφθασε απένταρος στη Νέα Υόρκη, όπως, άλλωστε, και οι περισσότεροι μετανάστες της εποχής και για τρία χρόνια εργάστηκε ως υπάλληλος σε κατάστημα της Ουάσιγκτον.
Αναποφάσιστος για το μέλλον του, εγκατέλειψε την δουλειά του κι άρχισε να ταξιδεύει στις ΗΠΑ για τα επόμενα τρία χρόνια. Για να ζήσει δεχόταν οποιαδήποτε εργασία. Σε μια από αυτές έπλενε μπουκάλια για το εργαστήριο του Constantine Fahlberg, τον άνθρωπο που αργότερα θα παρασκεύαζε την σακχαρίνη.
Το περιβάλλον του εργαστηρίου τον ενέπνευσε πιθανότατα να σπουδάσει χημεία και φυσική. Επέστρεψε στην Ουάσιγκτον, ξαναβρήκε την παλιά δουλειά του στο ίδιο κατάστημα υφασμάτων να τον περιμένει και παράλληλα δημιούργησε εργαστήριο, στο σπίτι του, όπου άρχισε να πειραματίζεται στον χώρο του ηλεκτρισμού και της ακουστικής.
Η πρώτη επιτυχία του Berliner ήταν η προσπάθεια του να βελτιώσει το τηλέφωνο του Alexander Bell, που πούλησε στην τηλεφωνική εταιρεία “Bell”. Μετά επέστρεψε στην Γερμανία για να ανοίξει μια τηλεφωνική επιχείρηση με τον αδερφό του Joseph. Κερδίζει πολλά χρήματα που του επιτρέπουν να μετακομίσει στην Ουάσιγκτον και ν’ αρχίσει πειράματα στην ηχογράφηση του ήχου.
Στις 26 Σεπτεμβρίου 1887 έκανε αίτηση στην υπηρεσία ευρεσιτεχνίας για ένα μηχάνημα που χρησιμοποιούσε γυάλινο δίσκο ο οποίος γύριζε πάνω σε μια περιστρεφόμενη επιφάνεια και χαραζόταν από μια βελόνα που στηριζόταν σε έναν βραχίονα. Κατοχύρωσε το όνομα «γραμμόφωνο» για την εφεύρεση του.
Ο σκληρός δίσκος του Berliner ήταν εντυπωσιακός αλλά δεν ήταν σοβαρός αντίπαλος για τον κύλινδρο – το δημοφιλέστερο μηχανικό μέσο ακρόασης μουσικής την εποχή εκείνη. Πέρασαν έξι χρόνια πριν ο Berliner προχώρησε στην βελτίωση της εφεύρεσης του που θα επέτρεπε την καθιέρωση του δίσκου. Ήταν όταν συνέλαβε την ιδέα να κατασκευάσει μια εφεδρική μεταλλική μήτρα της αρχικής ηχογράφησης, προκειμένου να δημιουργήσει μια στάμπα ή καλούπι για την εκτύπωση χιλιάδων δίσκων από ένα ειδικό, πλαστικό υλικό. Έως τότε μερικοί δημοφιλείς τραγουδιστές ηχογραφούσαν χιλιάδες φορές το ίδιο κομμάτι αφού δεν υπήρχε τρόπος δημιουργίας αντιγραφων.
Αυτό ήταν ένα σημαντικό βήμα και μολονότι ο Edison και άλλοι εφευρέτες της εποχής μπορούσαν να δημιουργήσουν αντίγραφα κυλίνδρων σε προσιτή τιμή χρησιμοποιώντας φυγοκεντρωτή, η μεγάλη ευκολία εκτύπωσης επίπεδων δίσκων έδωσε το προβάδισμα στο νέο προϊόν.
Οι πρώτοι δίσκοι κατασκευάζονταν από σκληρό λάστιχο ή εβονίτη, αλλά η ηχογράφηση δεν ήταν μόνιμη κι έτσι ο Berliner απευθύνθηκε στην Durinoid Button Company, που το νέο υλικό τους βασισμένο στο βερνίκι γομμαλάκκας αποδείχθηκε πολύ πιο επιτυχημένο.
Το υλικό αυτό συνέχισε ν’ αποτελεί την βάση για όλους τους δίσκους γραμμοφώνου στα επόμενα πενήντα χρόνια – έως την εμφάνιση των δίσκων βινυλίου κατά την διάρκεια του Β’ Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου.
Τα μηχανήματα που έπαιζαν τους δίσκους ή γραμμόφωνα (gramophones) κουρδίζονταν με το χέρι σε μια ταχύτητα 70 rpm (στροφών ανά λεπτό) και κατασκευάζονταν μετά από παραγγελία του Berliner από έναν Γερμανό κατασκευαστή παιχνιδιών – άλλωστε εκείνη την εποχή θεωρούσαν τους δίσκους κάτι περισσότερο από παιχνίδι.
Παρ’ όλα αυτά ο Berliner δεν είχε το μονοπώλιο. Οι κύλινδροι πουλούσαν ακόμα. Οι δίσκοι με κατακόρυφη κοπή του Berliner είχαν ανταγωνισμό από δίσκους με κοπή πλευρική. Το 1910 φαίνεται καθαρά ότι ο Berliner προηγείται, ενώ οι δύο άλλες φόρμες ηχογράφησης παρέμειναν στην αγορά για 10-15 χρόνια ακόμα.
Το πρώτο γραμμόφωνο που δούλευε με μηχανισμό ρολογιού εμφανίστηκε το 1895. Εφευρέτης του ήταν ο Eldridge R. Johnson, ένας μηχανικός ραπτομηχανών από το Κάμντεν της Νέας Υερσεης.
Οι πρώτες βελτιώσεις του γραμμοφώνου περιλάμβαναν αλλαγές στην απόδοση του ήχου. Ένας Ιταλός μετανάστης στη Νέα Υόρκη, ο Gianni Bettini, που ο «μικροφωνογράφος» του περιείχε μια «αράχνη» η οποία άγγιζε το διάφραγμα σε αρκετά σημεία και έδινε καλύτερο ήχο – πιο μαλακό – απ’ ότι η απευθείας σύνδεση βελόνας με το διάφραγμα. Στον Bettini επίσης αποδίδεται η ανέλιξη του φωνογράφου, όταν έπεισε τα μεγάλα αστέρια της όπερας να ηχογραφήσουν δίσκους. Η Berliner Gramophone Company είχε επιτυχία, επίσης, με το «βελτιωμένο γραμμόφωνο» το 1897, που διέθετε και νέο ηχείο και μηχανισμό.
Έγινε παγκόσμια γνωστό ως θέμα του έργου ζωγραφικής “His Master’s Voice” που παρουσιάζει έναν σκύλο, τον Nipper, ν’ ακούει την «φωνή του κυρίου» του από ένα χωνί φωνογράφου. Το έργο αυτό έγινε σήμα κατατεθέν για την Victor Talking Machine Company, την φωνογραφική εταιρία HMV και (σε ορισμένες χώρες) την RCA Victor.
Σύμφωνα με τον οδηγό ρεκόρ Guiness, ο πρώτος ευρωπαϊκός κατάλογος γραμμοφώνων εκδόθηκε στις 16 Νοεμβρίου 1898, για να μοιραστεί στους καταστηματάρχες που πουλούσαν φωνογράφους και δίσκους.
Παρ’ όλα αυτά οι δίσκοι είχαν περιορισμούς στην απόδοση τους, λόγω της πρωτόγονης ακουστικής μεθόδου ηχογράφησης. Στις αρχές της δεκαετίας του ’20 το γραμμόφωνο και οι δίσκοι πρωταγωνιστούσαν στην κοινωνική ζωή – σε Ευρώπη και Αμερική. Τότε εμφανίζεται το ραδιόφωνο, που ήταν ένα νέο μέσο ψυχαγωγίας με βελτιωμένη ηχητική ποιότητα, σε σύγκριση με το γραμμόφωνο. Οι πωλήσεις των δίσκων άρχισαν να μειώνονται επικίνδυνα και, ακόμα και η γιγαντιαία φωνογραφική εταιρία Columbia αντιμετώπισε οικονομικά προβλήματα.
Οι κανονικές εκπομπές άρχισαν όταν ο σταθμός KDKA του Πίτσμπουργκ πήρε άδεια λειτουργίας το 1920 για να λειτουργεί μια ώρα κάθε μέρα στα 360 μέτρα (στα μεσαία). Στην Αγγλία οι σποραδικές εκπομπές σε τακτικό πρόγραμμα άρχισαν το 1922 με την δημιουργία της British Broadcasting Company (που έγινε δημόσιος οργανισμός επτά χρόνια αργότερα), όταν ήδη 500 ραδιοφωνικοί σταθμοί είχαν άδεια λειτουργίας στις ΗΠΑ.
Μολονότι το συνόδευαν σφυρίγματα και παράσιτα, η ηχητική ποιότητα αυτών των πρώτων ραδιοφωνικών συσκευών ήταν σαφώς ανώτερη από τα περισσότερα γραμμόφωνα.
Η μουσική βιομηχανία παρ’ όλα αυτά επέζησε, χάρη στη νέα τεχνολογία που έκανε το ραδιόφωνο τόσο αποτελεσματικό στην μέθοδο αναπαραγωγής των ήχων της μουσικής.
Τα μικρόφωνα που χρησιμοποιούσαν για το ραδιόφωνο μετέτρεπαν τα ηχητικά σήματα σε ηλεκτρικό ρεύμα που μπορούσε να περάσει από σύρματα χωρίς σοβαρές απώλειες ώσπου να φθάσει στον ακροατή. Χρησιμοποιώντας μια θερμιονική βαλβίδα, αυτή η λειτουργία μπορούσε να εφαρμοστεί για την βελτίωση της εγγραφής της μήτρας.
Η εμφάνιση του μικροφώνου και της ηλεκτρικής ηχογράφησης βοήθησε στην ανάπτυξη της δισκογραφικής βιομηχανίας. Η πρώτη εταιρία που κυκλοφόρησε ηλεκτρικές ηχογραφήσεις στην αγορά των ΗΠΑ ήταν η Marsh Recording Laboratories του Σικάγου, το φθινόπωρο του 1924, με την ετικέτα “Autograph”.
Περίπου την ίδια εποχή η Bell Telephone Laboratories έκανε σημαντικές προόδους στην ηλεκτρική ηχογράφηση κι έδωσε την άδεια στις εταιρίες Victor και Columbia να εκδώσουν – με το δικό της σύστημα – τους πρώτους ηλεκτρικούς δίσκους το 1925.
Ο πρώτος δίσκος της Columbia είχε το τραγούδι “John Peel”, που ηχογραφήθηκε στην Metropolitan Opera της Νέας Υόρκης, από 850 χορωδούς. «Ήταν πιο δυνατός από έναν συνηθισμένο ακουστικό δίσκο. Η κλίμακα συχνοτήτων είχε επεκταθεί και προς τα κάτω και προς τα πάνω, περίπου σε 100 – 5000 Hertz, δίνοντας συμπαγή ήχο στα μπάσα και καθαρότητα στα πρίμα, που δυστυχώς οι παλιότερες ηχογραφήσεις δεν είχαν». Έτσι περιέγραφε τον δίσκο ο John Borwick, εμπειρογνώμων σε θέματα ήχου, στο περιοδικό “The Gramophone”.
Με τον εξηλεκτρισμό των ηχογραφήσεων άρχισε η ραγδαία άνοδος των πωλήσεων για φωνογράφους, γραμμόφωνα ή, γενικά, τα μηχανήματα που αναπαραγάγουν το περιεχόμενο των «ραδιογραμμάτων» (ραδιοφωνικών συσκευών).
Το μηχάνημα που δεχόταν πολλούς δίσκους, οι οποίοι αυτόματα άλλαζαν, έκανε την εμφάνιση του το 1927 από την Victor και το πρώτο ανάλογο αυτόματο μηχάνημα παρουσιάσθηκε στην Αγγλία, το 1932, από την Garrard.
Οι πωλήσεις των δίσκων άρχισαν να πολλαπλασιάζονται και τα θεμέλια των σημερινών μεγάλων εταιριών άρχισαν να εμφανίζονται: ο Eldridge Johnson πούλησε την Victor Company. Την αγόρασε η Radio Corporation of America και την ονόμασε RCA Victor. Η Gramophone Company και η Columbia Gramophone Company στην Αγγλία συγχωνεύθηκαν για να δημιουργήσουν την Electrical & Musical Industries (EMI) και το 1938 η Columbia Αμερικής αγοράστηκε από την Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS).
O Emil Berliner πέθανε το 1929 και την ίδια χρονιά το μεγάλο κραχ της Ουώλλ Στρητ προκάλεσε τεράστιες ζημιές στην δισκογραφική βιομηχανία, καθώς οι δίσκοι και τα γραμμόφωνα έγιναν είδη πολυτελείας.
Στην δεκαετία του ’30 οι απαιτήσεις για την ποιότητα είχαν αυξηθεί, γεγονός που υπογραμμίζεται από την ευρεία χρήση του όρου «υψηλή ποιότητα» (high fidelity), που επέβαλε την κατασκευή μηχανημάτων αναπαραγωγής δίσκων υψηλής ποιότητας.
Τον όρο “high fidelity” φαίνεται ότι τον καθιέρωσε ο Harold Hartley, ένας μηχανικός που εργαζόταν στην εταιρία English Electric, ως περιγραφή των βελτιωμένων ραδιοφωνικών συσκευών και ηλεκτρικών γραμμοφώνων , αλλά η ευρεία χρήση του καθιερώθηκε όταν υιοθετήθηκε από τους σταθμούς των ΗΠΑ το 1934.
Στην δεκαετία του ’30 η εξάπλωση των τζουκ μπόξ στις ΗΠΑ έδωσε νέα πνοή στην δισκογραφική βιομηχανία αφού παρακινούσε τον κόσμο να αγοράσει τους δίσκους που ακούγονταν στα μπαρ, τα ζαχαροπλαστεία και τις λέσχες. Ήταν αυτό το ανανεωμένο ενδιαφέρον για τους δίσκους που οδήγησε το 1940 το περιοδικό Billboard στην καθιέρωση της δημοσίευσης ενός εβδομαδιαίου καταλόγου με τα πιο εμπορικά τραγούδια.
Τόσο στην δεκαετία του ’30 όσο και του ’40 αναπτύχθηκαν διάφορες τεχνικές βελτίωσης του ήχου στους δίσκους 78 στροφών από γομμαλάκα, συμπεριλαμβανομένων των δίσκων “ffrr” (ηχογράφηση σε κλίμακα πλήρους συχνότητας) της Decca, αλλά ήταν αδύνατον να ξεπεραστούν οι βασικοί περιορισμοί – ο δίσκος ήταν βαρύς, εύθραυστος και η κάθε πλευρά είχε διάρκεια μόλις 4,30 λεπτών.
Αργότερα ήρθε ή εμφανίστηκε η βελτίωση που άλλαξε το σκηνικό – ο δίσκος μακράς διαρκείας 33⅓ στροφών (LP), εφεύρεση της αμερικανικής Columbia, η οποία εμφανίστηκε τον Ιούνιο 1948. Γρήγορα ακολούθησε ο δίσκος 45 στροφών και 7 ιντσών από την RCA Victor. Η ΕΜΙ αντιστάθηκε στην πρόσκληση των 33⅓ στροφών έως το 1952.
Το λανσάρισμα των LP έδινε εμφάνιση στο κύριο προτέρημα τους. Την εκτενή ηχογράφηση – αναπαραγωγή τραγουδιών μακράς διαρκείας. Ακόμα ήταν εμφανής η απουσία θορύβων και ξεχώριζε ο ήχος υψηλής πιστότητας, χάρη στο ήσυχο, απαλό, άθραυστο υλικό από βινύλιο. Άλλο προτέρημα ήταν η ελαφριά κεφαλή ανάγνωσης μόλις 6 γραμμαρίων.
Εκτός από την ανάγκη δημιουργίας ενός νέου μηχανήματος – για την αναπαραγωγή του περιεχομένου των δίσκων – που να διαθέτει τη νέα ταχύτητα 33½ στροφών, το άλμπουμ έφερε νέους τύπους βελόνας ή κεφαλής. Πιο πριν χρησιμοποιούνταν βελόνες, που μετά από μερικές χρήσεις η μυτερή άκρη γινόταν επίπεδη από την τριβή, την φθορά και έπρεπε να αντικατασταθούν.
Οι νέες συνθήκες επέβαλαν να κατασκευάζεται η γραφίδα ανάγνωσης (ή βελόνα) με μεγάλη ακρίβεια στην ακτίνα της άκρης της και με όσο το δυνατόν πιο σκληρό υλικό – από ζαφείρι ή διαμάντι, για να διατηρεί τις κατάλληλες διαστάσεις για την αναπαραγωγή πολλών δίσκων – άνω των 100 ωρών.
Ήταν τότε που τα μηχανήματα είχαν τρεις ταχύτητες: 33½ για τα άλμπουμ, 45 στροφές για τους νέους μικρούς δίσκους των επτά ιντσών και 78 στροφές για τους παλιούς δίσκους.
Η εμφάνιση του LP (ή άλμπουμ όπως το ονόμασαν οι Αμερικανοί) προκάλεσε την δημιουργία εξωφυλλων με έγχρωμες φωτογραφίες ή σχέδια στο μπροστινό μέρος και, συνήθως, κειμένων στο πίσω. Ο σχεδιασμός των εξώφυλλων του LP τώρα αναγνωρίζεται ως είδος τέχνης με τα δικά της βραβεία κι εκθέσεις.
Δέκα χρόνια μετά την εμφάνιση του LP στην τεχνική της ηχογράφησης προστέθηκε ο στερεοφωνικός ήχος. Η ιδέα του στερεοφωνικού ήχου δεν ήταν νέα (όπως π.χ. η εταιρία Neophone είχε εφεύρει ένα δίσκο 500 χιλιοστομετρων το 1940 και ο Edison είχε γράψει 40 λεπτά μουσικής σε ένα μόνο δίσκο το 1927) αφού ο Γάλλος μηχανικός Clement Ader προτρέχοντας τον είχε παρουσιάσει 75 χρόνια πριν.
Ο Ader είχε στήσει «μικρόφωνα» πάνω σε βέργες στο αριστερό και δεξιό μέρος της σκηνής στην Όπερα των Παρισίων για την έκθεση της γαλλικής πρωτεύουσας το 1881 και τα συνέδεσε με τηλεφωνικές γραμμές. Στις άκρες υπήρχαν ακουστικά. Φορώντας τα ακουστικά οι επισκέπτες άκουγαν με έκπληξη ότι μπορούσαν να παρακολουθήσουν τις κινήσεις των τραγουδιστών προς τα αριστερά ή δεξιά και να απολαμβάνουν πιο φυσικούς ήχους.
Πενήντα χρόνια αργότερα, ένας Βρετανός μηχανικός, ο A. D. Brumlein κατοχύρωσε με δίπλωμα ευρεσιτεχνίας μια μέθοδο στερεοφωνικής ηχογράφησης, 25 χρόνια πριν η δισκογραφική βιομηχανία ετοιμαστεί να αγκαλιάσει την τεχνολογία “stereo”.
Οι στερεοφωνικές μαγνητοταινίες εμφανίσθηκαν στην αγορά στα μέσα της δεκαετίας του ’50 αλλά μόλις τον Μάρτιο του 1958 η RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) συνέστησε το σύστημα Westrex 45/45 ως το παγκόσμιο στάνταρντ. Οι στερεοφωνικοί δίσκοι έγιναν για πρώτη φορά ευρέως διαθέσιμοι στο εμπόριο στις ΗΠΑ και Αγγλία το καλοκαίρι του 1958.
Για ένα διάστημα οι στερεοφωνικοί και μονοφωνικοί δίσκοι συμβίωσαν αλλά με την έκρηξη της μουσικής στα μέσα της δεκαετίας του ’60 και την εμφάνιση φθηνών στερεοφωνικών φορητών μαγνητοφώνων, άρχισε η πτώση της μονοφωνίας. Έτσι το 1968 η ΕΜΙ αρχίζει να εκδίδει όλους τους δίσκους κλασικής μουσικής σε στέρεο.
Αυτή την περίοδο παρουσιάζεται ένα ακόμα σύστημα ήχου – το τετραφωνικό (“quadraphonic”). Στάθηκε αδύνατο να συμφωνήσουν οι εταιρείες δίσκων σε ένα στάνταρντ και το κοινό αρνούνταν να προσθέσει άλλα δύο ηχεία και ν’ ακούει δίσκους από τέσσερις πηγές μόνο με δύο… αυτιά.
Εκεί που απέτυχε το τετραφωνικό, πέτυχε η Philips με την επινόηση του φορητού κασετοφώνου – πρώτα με άγραφες και μετά με προηχογραφημένες κασέτες. Για πρώτη φορά το κασετόφωνο της Philips εμφανίστηκε στο Berlin Radio Show (1963), γρήγορα καθιερώθηκε κι εξαφάνισε το αντίπαλο και πιο ογκώδες 8 track cartridge. Βέβαια η ευκολία ηχογράφησης στο κασετόφωνο προκάλεσε πονοκέφαλο στις δισκογραφικές εταιρίες αφού οι νέοι προτιμούσαν να δανείζονται δίσκους και να τους αντιγράφουν ή να γράφουν ότι καινούριο άκουγαν από το ραδιόφωνο.
Αλλά το πιο σημαντικό βήμα στην εξέλιξη του ηχογραφημένου δίσκου ήρθε με την ψηφιακή τεχνολογία, ενισχύοντας ριζικά και ανυπέρβλητα την ποιότητα του ήχου της μουσικής και ανοίγοντας το δρόμο στον δίσκο compact, που όπως υποστηρίζεται έσωσε τις μονογραφικές εταιρίες στην δεκαετία του ’80.
Η χρήση της ψηφιακής τεχνικής άρχισε στις αρχές της δεκαετίας του ’70 όταν η γιαπωνέζικη εταιρία Nippon Columbia υιοθέτησε τον παλμικό κώδικα διαμόρφωσης στις ηχογραφήσεις. Αμέσως ακολούθησαν άλλες εταιρίες που αναγνώρισαν τα πλεονεκτήματα της ψηφιακής ηχογράφησης. Εκτός από τον περιορισμό των θορύβων ή παραμορφώσεων τα ηχογραφημένα «μαστερ» ή μίτρες εξασφάλιζαν ανώτερο στερεοφωνικό διαχωρισμό, ηχητική διαύγεια, δυναμική κλίμακα και σταθερότητα στην ταχύτητα.
Ήδη το 1980 πολλά άλμπουμ έφεραν την λέξη «ψηφιακός» και οι εταιρίες υποστήριζαν τις αρετές της νέας τεχνικής στις ηχογραφήσεις. Αλλά στην πραγματικότητα ήταν αναλογικοί δίσκοι από ψηφιακές μήτρες. Η λύση βρέθηκε με την εφεύρεση του ψηφιακού δίσκου compact, πρώτα από την Philips και αργότερα σε συνεργασία με την Sony, που επιτρέπει την αποθήκευση, ψηφιακά, πληροφοριών στην επιφάνεια ενός πλαστικού δίσκου με διάμετρο 120 χιλιοστομετρων ο οποίος έχει επικάλυψη από ανακλαστικό αλουμίνιο. Με την σειρά του το αλουμίνιο καλύπτεται από ένα καθαρό πλαστικό, που χρησιμεύει ως προστατευτική επίστρωση. Η επιφάνεια δεν φθείρεται και δεν υπάρχουν θόρυβοι ή παράσιτα διότι δεν υπάρχει επαφή μεταξύ του δίσκου και οποιαδήποτε μορφή βελόνας. Η ψηφιακή πληροφορία αποθηκεύεται σε “pits” στον δίσκο και διαβάζεται από μιαν ακτίνα λέιζερ. Χρησιμοποιώντας μια σταθερή ταχύτητα 125 εκ. το δευτερόλεπτο, έτσι ο δίσκος τρέχει με περίπου 500 στροφές το λεπτό στο κέντρο και υποχωρεί στις 215 στροφές προς το χείλος.
Αλλά η επανάσταση του CD μόλις τώρα αρχίζει. Καθώς και όλα τα παράγωγά του. Όπως το CD-R, το MD (mini disc) ή το DVD (digital video disc), που αρχίζουν να κατακτούν τους φίλους του ήχου, αλλά και της εικόνας σε όλα τα πλάτη και τα μήκη του πλανήτη μας. Λίγο μετά το 2000 είναι αδύνατον πλέον η φαντασία να συλλάβει το μέσο με το οποίο ο ακροατής του 21ου αιώνα θα απολαμβάνει την αγαπημένη του μουσική. Το πιθανότερο είναι ότι ένα σύστημα θα επιτρέπει στον χρήστη να βλέπει, να ακούει και να διαλέγει από ένα ατελείωτο ρεπερτόριο επιλογών.

Οι πιο σημαντικοί σταθμοί στην ιστορία του δίσκου
1877: Ο Thomas Edison κάνει αίτηση ευρεσιτεχνίας για τον φωνογράφο – μεταλλικός κύλινδρος
1887: Τον πρώτο επίπεδο δίσκο (από τσίγκο) παρουσιάζει στις ΗΠΑ ο Emile Berliner, ο οποίος δέκα χρόνια πριν είχε εφεύρει το μικρόφωνο
1891: Η Columbia Phonograph Co της Ουάσιγκτον εκδίδει τον πρώτο κατάλογο δίσκων
1897: Ο Berliner ιδρύει την Gramophone Company στο Λονδίνο
1897: Το πρώτο στούντιο ηχογραφήσεων ανοίγει στην Φιλαδέλφεια από τον Fred Gaisberg
1898: Ο αδερφός του Berliner, Joseph, δημιουργεί το εργοστάσιο παραγωγής δίσκων Deutsche Grammophon στο Αννόβερο της Γερμανίας
1899: Η Clara But είναι η πρώτη διεθνώς γνωστή τραγουδίστρια που ηχογραφεί δίσκο
1902: Οι πρώτες ηχογραφήσεις του Enrico Caruso για την Gramophone Company στο Μιλάνο
1903: Κυκλοφορούν οι πρώτοι δίσκοι 12 ιντσών και οι πρώτοι δίσκοι με ηχογραφημένες και τις δύο πλευρές
1920: Το “Dardanella” του Ben Selvin είναι ο πρώτος δίσκος που πούλησε πάνω από τρία εκατομμύρια αντίτυπα
1925: Εφαρμόζονται οι ηλεκτρικές ηχογραφήσεις και καταργούνται οι ακουστικές
1931: Ο Alan Blumlein της Gramophone Company κατοχυρώνει τα δικαιώματα του για την στερεοφωνική ηχογράφηση
1933: Τα τζουκ μποξ κατακλύζουν τα μπαρ και άλλους δημόσιους χώρους στις ΗΠΑ. Έως το 1939 ο αριθμός τους θα φθάσει τις 225.000
1940: Η ταινία κινουμένων σχεδίων του Walt Disney “Fantasia” είναι η πρώτη σημαντική προσπάθεια στην εφαρμογή στερεοφωνικού ήχου στον κινηματογράφο
1948: Ο πρώτος δίσκος μακράς διαρκείας εκδίδεται από την Columbia στις ΗΠΑ
1949: Η RCA Victor παρουσιάζει τον δίσκο 45 στροφών στις ΗΠΑ
1950: Τα πρώτα LP εκδίδονται στην Αγγλία, από την Decca και στην Γαλλία από την L’ Oiseau Lyre
1950: Τα πρώτα μαγνητόφωνα (open reel) κυκλοφορούν στο ελεύθερο εμπόριο
1952: Η DGG παρουσιάζει τα LP στην γερμανική αγορά και η ΕΜΙ στην Αγγλία
1953: Κυκλοφορούν οι πρώτοι δίσκοι ΕP (extended play) των 45 στροφών και 7 ιντσών με τρία έως πέντε τραγούδια
1954: Το πρώτο τραγούδι του ροκ’ ν’ ρολλ “Rock around the clock” κάνει τον γύρο του κόσμου, αλλάζοντας για πάντα την μουσική
1958: Οι εταιρίες των ΗΠΑ και Αγγλίας αρχίζουν την εκτύπωση στερεοφωνικών δίσκων
1962: Η ΕΜΙ της Αγγλίας διακόπτει την παραγωγή δίσκων 78 στροφών
1963: Κυκλοφορούν τα φορητά κασετόφωνα της Philips
1970: Εμφανίζεται ο τετρακαναλικός ήχος
1979: Ο δίσκος compact (CD) παρουσιάζεται στα ΜΜΕ από την Philips
1982: CD και μηχανήματα αναπαραγωγής τους λανσάρονται στην Ιαπωνία από τις CBS / Sony, Toshiba / EMI, Hitachi και Sharp
1983: Ευρωπαϊκή παρουσίαση του CD από την Polygram και του CD player από τις εταιρίες Philips / Sony / Hitachi και από την Marantz

[edit]

495 BC – A newly constructed temple in honour of the god Mercury was dedicated in ancient Rome on the Circus Maximus, between the Aventine and Palatine hills. To spite the senate and the consuls, the people awarded the dedication to a senior military officer, Marcus Laetorius.
221 – Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty.
392 – Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbogast. He is found hanging in his residence at Vienne.
589 – King Authari marries Theodelinda, daughter of the Bavarian duke Garibald I. A Catholic, she has great influence among the Lombard nobility.
1252 – Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad extirpanda, which authorizes, but also limits, the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition.
1525 – Insurgent peasants led by Anabaptist pastor Thomas Müntzer were defeated at the Battle of Frankenhausen, ending the German Peasants' War in the Holy Roman Empire.
1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, stands trial in London on charges of treason, adultery and incest. She is condemned to death by a specially-selected jury.
1567 – Mary, Queen of Scots marries James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, her third husband.
1602 – Bartholomew Gosnold becomes the first recorded European to see Cape Cod.
1618 – Johannes Kepler confirms his previously rejected discovery of the third law of planetary motion (he first discovered it on March 8 but soon rejected the idea after some initial calculations were made).
1648 – The Treaty of Westphalia is signed.
1718 – James Puckle, a London lawyer, patents the world's first machine gun.
1730 – Robert Walpole effectively became the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
1755 – Laredo, Texas is established by the Spaniards.
1776 – American Revolution: The Virginia Convention instructs its Continental Congress delegation to propose a resolution of independence from Great Britain, paving the way for the United States Declaration of Independence.
1791 – French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre proposes the Self-denying Ordinance.
1792 – War of the First Coalition: France declares war on Kingdom of Sardinia.
1793 – Diego Marín Aguilera flies a glider for "about 360 meters", at a height of 5–6 meters, during one of the first attempted manned flights.
1796 – War of the First Coalition: Napoleon enters Milan in triumph.
1800 – King George III of the United Kingdom survives an assassination attempt by James Hadfield, who is later acquitted by reason of insanity.
1811 – Paraguay declares independence from Spain.
1817 – Opening of the first private mental health hospital in the United States, the Asylum for the Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason (now Friends Hospital) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1836 – Francis Baily observes "Baily's beads" during an annular eclipse.
1848 – Serfdom is abolished in the Habsburg Galicia, as a result of the 1848 revolutions. The rest of monarchy followed later in the year.
1849 – Troops of the Two Sicilies take Palermo and crush the republican government of Sicily.
1850 – The Bloody Island Massacre takes place in Lake County, California, in which a large number of Pomo Indians in Lake County are slaughtered by a regiment of the United States Cavalry, led by Nathaniel Lyon.
1850 – The Arana-Southern Treaty is ratified, ending "the existing differences" between Great Britain and Argentina.
1851 – The first Australian gold rush is proclaimed, although the discovery had been made three months earlier.
1858 – Opening of the present Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London.
1862 – President Abraham Lincoln signs a bill into law creating the United States Bureau of Agriculture. It is later renamed the United States Department of Agriculture.
1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Resaca, Georgia ends.
1864 – American Civil War: Battle of New Market, Virginia: Students from the Virginia Military Institute fight alongside the Confederate Army to force Union General Franz Sigel out of the Shenandoah Valley.
1869 – Women's suffrage: In New York, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton form the National Woman Suffrage Association.
1891 – Pope Leo XIII defends workers' rights and property rights in the encyclical Rerum novarum, the beginning of modern Catholic social teaching.
1904 – Russo-Japanese War: The Russian minelayer Amur lays a minefield about 15 miles off Port Arthur and sinks Japan's battleships Hatsuse, 15,000 tons, with 496 crew and Yashima.
1905 – Las Vegas, is founded when 110 acres (0.45 km²), in what later would become downtown, are auctioned off.
1911 – In Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States, the United States Supreme Court declares Standard Oil to be an "unreasonable" monopoly under the Sherman Antitrust Act and orders the company to be broken up.
1911 – Three hundred three Chinese and five Japanese immigrants are killed in the Torreón massacre when the forces of the Mexican Revolution led by Francisco I. Madero's brother Emilio Madero take the city of Torreón from the Federales.
1919 – The Winnipeg General Strike begins. By 11:00, almost the whole working population of Winnipeg had walked off the job.
1919 – Greek occupation of Smyrna. During the occupation, the Greek army kills or wounds 350 Turks. Those responsible are punished by the Greek commander Aristides Stergiades.
1925 – Al-Insaniyyah, the first Arabic communist newspaper, is founded.
1928 – Walt Disney character Mickey Mouse premieres in his first cartoon, Plane Crazy.
1929 – A fire at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio kills 123.
1932 – In an attempted coup d'état, the Prime Minister of Japan Inukai Tsuyoshi is assassinated.
1934 – Kārlis Ulmanis establishes an authoritarian government in Latvia.
1935 – The Moscow Metro is opened to the public.
1940 – USS Sailfish is recommissioned. It was originally the USS Squalus.
1940 – World War II: After fierce fighting, the poorly trained and equipped Dutch troops surrender to Germany, marking the beginning of five years of occupation.
1940 – McDonald's opens its first restaurant in San Bernardino, California.
1941 – First flight of the Gloster E.28/39 the first British and Allied jet aircraft.
1941 – Joe DiMaggio begins a 56-game hitting streak.
1942 – World War II: In the United States, a bill creating the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) is signed into law.
1943 – Joseph Stalin dissolves the Comintern (or Third International).
1945 – World War II: The Battle of Poljana, the final skirmish in Europe is fought near Prevalje, Slovenia.
1948 – Following the expiration of The British Mandate for Palestine, the Kingdom of Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia invade Israel thus starting the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
1951 – The Polish cultural attaché in Paris, Czesław Miłosz, asks the French government for political asylum.
1953 – Cubmaster Don Murphy organized the first pinewood derby, in Manhattan Beach, California, by Pack 280c.
1957 – At Malden Island in the Pacific Ocean, Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb in Operation Grapple.
1958 – The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 3.
1960 – The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 4.
1963 – Project Mercury: The launch of the final Mercury mission, Mercury-Atlas 9 with astronaut Gordon Cooper on board. He becomes the first American to spend more than a day in space, and the last American to go into space alone.
1966 – After a policy dispute, Prime Minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ of South Vietnam's ruling junta launches a military attack on the forces of General Tôn Thất Đính, forcing him to abandon his command.
1969 – People's Park: California Governor Ronald Reagan has an impromptu student park owned by University of California at Berkeley fenced off from student anti-war protestors, sparking a riot called Bloody Thursday.
1970 – President Richard Nixon appoints Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington the first female United States Army Generals.
1970 – Philip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green are killed at Jackson State University by police during student protests.
1972 – Okinawa, under U.S. military governance since its conquest in 1945, reverts to Japanese control.
1972 – In Laurel, Maryland, Arthur Bremer shoots and paralyzes Alabama Governor George Wallace while he is campaigning to become President.
1974 – Ma'alot massacre: Members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine attack and take hostages at an Israeli school; a total of 31 people are killed, including 22 schoolchildren.
1986 – Elio de Angelis, was killed while testing the Brabham BT55 at the Paul Ricard circuit at Le Castellet.
1987 – The Soviet Union launches the Polyus prototype orbital weapons platform. It fails to reach orbit.
1988 – Soviet war in Afghanistan: After more than eight years of fighting, the Soviet Army begins to withdrawal 115,000 troops from Afghanistan.
1991 – Édith Cresson becomes France's first female premier.
1997 – The United States government acknowledges the existence of the "Secret War" in Laos and dedicates the Laos Memorial in honor of Hmong and other "Secret War" veterans.
2004 – Arsenal F.C. become the first team in English First Division history to go an entire league campaign unbeaten.
2006 – Cloud Gate was formally dedicated in Chicago's Millennium Park.
2008 – California becomes the second U.S. state after Massachusetts in 2004 to legalize same-sex marriage after the state's own Supreme Court rules a previous ban unconstitutional.
2010 – Jessica Watson becomes the youngest person to sail, non-stop and unassisted around the world solo.
2011 – The first protest of the Anti-austerity movement in Spain (also known as the Indignádos or 15-May Movement) begins in 58 Spanish cities.
2013 – An upsurge in violence in Iraq leaves more than 389 people dead over three days.

Births[edit]

1397 – Sejong the Great, Korean king (d. 1450)
1531 – Maria of Austria, Duchess of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (d. 1581)
1567 – Claudio Monteverdi, Italian priest and composer (d. 1643)
1608 – René Goupil, French-American missionary and saint (d. 1642)
1689 – Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, English author and playwright (d. 1762)
1720 – Maximilian Hell, Hungarian priest and astronomer (d. 1792)
1749 – Levi Lincoln, Sr., American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Attorney General (d. 1820)
1759 – Maria Theresia von Paradis, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1824)
1764 – Johann Nepomuk Kalcher, German organist and composer (d. 1827)
1767 – Ezekiel Hart, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1843)
1773 – Klemens von Metternich, German-Austrian politician, 1st State Chancellor of the Austrian Empire (d. 1859)
1786 – Dimitris Plapoutas, Greek general and politician (d. 1864)
1808 – Michael William Balfe, Irish composer and conductor (d. 1870)
1817 – Debendranath Tagore, Indian philosopher and author (d. 1905)
1841 – Clarence Dutton, American commander and geologist (d. 1912)
1848 – Viktor Vasnetsov, Russian painter and illustrator (d. 1926)
1854 – Ioannis Psycharis, Ukrainian-French philologist and author (d. 1929)
1856 – L. Frank Baum, American journalist and author (d. 1919)
1856 – Matthias Zurbriggen, Swiss mountaineer (d. 1917)
1857 – Williamina Fleming, Scottish-American astronomer and academic (d. 1911)
1859 – Pierre Curie, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1906)
1862 – Arthur Schnitzler, Austrian author and playwright (d. 1931)
1863 – Frank Hornby, English businessman and politician, invented Meccano (d. 1936)
1869 – Paul Probst, Swiss target shooter (d. 1945)
1870 – Eddie Morton, American singer (d. 1930)
1874 – Polaire, French singer and actress (d. 1939)
1890 – Katherine Anne Porter, American journalist and author (d. 1980)
1891 – Mikhail Bulgakov, Russian author and playwright (d. 1940)
1891 – Fritz Feigl, Austrian-Brazilian chemist and academic (d. 1971)
1892 – Charles E. Rosendahl, American admiral (d. 1977)
1892 – Jimmy Wilde, Welsh boxer (d. 1969)
1894 – Feg Murray, American hurdler and cartoonist (d. 1973)
1895 – Prescott Bush, American captain, banker, and politician (d. 1972)
1895 – William D. Byron, American lieutenant and politician (d. 1941)
1898 – Arletty, French model, actress, and singer (d. 1992)
1899 – Jean-Étienne Valluy, French general (d. 1970)
1901 – Xavier Herbert, Australian author (d. 1984)
1901 – Luis Monti, Argentinian-Italian footballer and manager (d. 1983)
1902 – Richard J. Daley, American lawyer and politician, 48th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1976)
1903 – Maria Reiche, German mathematician and archaeologist (d. 1998)
1904 – Clifton Fadiman, American game show host and author (d. 1999)
1905 – Joseph Cotten, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1994)
1905 – Abraham Zapruder, American businessman, filmed the Zapruder film (d. 1970)
1907 – Sukhdev Thapar, Indian activist (d. 1931)
1909 – James Mason, English actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1984)
1909 – Clara Solovera, Chilean singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
1910 – Constance Cummings, American-English actress (d. 2005)
1911 – Max Frisch, Swiss author and playwright (d. 1991)
1911 – Herta Oberheuser, German physician (d. 1978)
1912 – Arthur Berger, American composer and educator (d. 2003)
1914 – Turk Broda, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1972)
1914 – Angus MacLean, Canadian farmer and politician, 25th Premier of Prince Edward Island (d. 2000)
1914 – Norrie Paramor, English composer, producer, and conductor (d. 1979)
1915 – Hilda Bernstein, English-South African author and activist (d. 2006)
1915 – Paul Samuelson, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
1915 – Henrik Sandberg, Danish production manager and producer (d. 1993)
1915 – Gus Viseur, Belgian-French accordion player (Quintette du Hot Club de France) (d. 1974)
1916 – Vera Gebuhr, Danish actress (d. 2014)
1918 – Eddy Arnold, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2008)
1918 – Arthur Jackson, American lieutenant and target shooter (d. 2015)
1918 – Joseph Wiseman, Canadian-American actor (d. 2009)
1920 – Michel Audiard, French director and screenwriter (d. 1985)
1920 – Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, Lebanese patriarch
1920 – Louis Siminovitch, Canadian biologist and academic
1922 – Sigurd Ottovich Schmidt, Russian historian and ethnographer (d. 2013)
1922 – Jakucho Setouchi, Japanese nun and author
1923 – Richard Avedon, American sailor and photographer (d. 2004)
1923 – John Lanchbery, English-Australian composer and conductor (d. 2003)
1924 – Maria Koepcke, German-Peruvian ornithologist and zoologist (d. 1971)
1925 – Bert Bolin, Swedish meteorologist and academic (d. 2007)
1925 – Andrei Eshpai, Russian pianist and composer (d. 2015)
1925 – Mary F. Lyon, English geneticist and biologist (d. 2014)
1925 – Carl Sanders, American soldier, pilot, and politician, 74th Governor of Georgia (d. 2014)
1925 – Roy Stewart, Jamaican-English actor and stuntman (d. 2008)
1926 – Clermont Pépin, Canadian pianist, composer, and educator (d. 2006)
1926 – Anthony Shaffer, English author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
1926 – Peter Shaffer, English playwright and screenwriter
1929 – George Selden, American author (d. 1989)
1930 – Jasper Johns, American painter and sculptor
1931 – Ken Venturi, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 2013)
1932 – John Barnes, English saxophonist and clarinet player
1935 – Don Bragg, American pole vaulter
1935 – Ted Dexter, Italian-English cricketer
1935 – Akihiro Miwa, Japanese singer, actor, director, composer, and author
1935 – Utah Phillips, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2008)
1936 – Anna Maria Alberghetti, Italian-American actress and singer
1936 – Wavy Gravy, American clown and activist
1936 – Mart Laga, Estonian basketball player (d. 1977)
1936 – Ralph Steadman, English painter and illustrator
1936 – Paul Zindel, American author, playwright, and educator (d. 2003)
1937 – Madeleine Albright, Czech-American politician and diplomat, 64th United States Secretary of State
1937 – Karin Krog, Norwegian singer
1937 – Trini Lopez, American singer, guitarist, and actor
1937 – Joe Tait, American sportscaster
1938 – Mireille Darc, French actress, director, and screenwriter
1938 – Nancy Garden, American author (d. 2014)
1938 – Diane Nash, American educator and activist
1939 – Dorothy Shirley, English high jumper and educator
1940 – Roger Ailes, American businessman
1940 – Lainie Kazan, American actress and singer
1940 – Don Nelson, American basketball player and coach
1941 – Jaxon, American illustrator and publisher, co-founded the Rip Off Press (d. 2006)
1942 – Lois Johnson, American singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
1942 – Jusuf Kalla, Indonesian businessman and politician, 10th Vice President of Indonesia
1942 – Doug Lowe, Australian politician, 35th Premier of Tasmania
1942 – K. T. Oslin, American singer-songwriter and actress
1943 – Paul Bégin, Canadian lawyer and politician
1943 – Freddie Perren, American songwriter, producer, and conductor (d. 2004)
1944 – Bill Alter, American police officer and politician
1944 – Ulrich Beck, German sociologist and academic (d. 2015)
1945 – Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza
1945 – Michael Dexter, English hematologist and academic
1945 – Jerry Quarry, American boxer (d. 1999)
1946 – Kenichi Mikawa, Japanese singer and television personality
1946 – Thadeus Nguyễn Văn Lý, Vietnamese priest and activist
1947 – Graeham Goble, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Little River Band)
1948 – Yutaka Enatsu, Japanese baseball player
1948 – Brian Eno, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (Roxy Music and 801)
1948 – Valentina Gerasimova, Kazakhstani runner
1948 – Kathleen Sebelius, American politician, 44th Governor of Kansas
1949 – Frank L. Culbertson, Jr., American captain, pilot, and astronaut
1949 – Robert Stephen John Sparks, English geologist and academic
1950 – Nicholas Hammond, American-Australian actor and singer
1951 – Dennis Frederiksen, American singer-songwriter (Toto, Angel, and Le Roux) (d. 2014)
1951 – Chris Ham, English political scientist and academic
1951 – Frank Wilczek, American mathematician and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
1952 – Chazz Palminteri, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
1952 – Phil Seymour, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1993)
1953 – George Brett, American baseball player and coach
1953 – Athene Donald, English physicist and academic
1953 – Mike Oldfield, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (The Sallyangie)
1954 – Suzanne Basso, American murderer (d. 2014)
1954 – Diana Liverman, English-American geographer and academic
1954 – Caroline Thomson, English journalist and broadcaster
1955 – Mohamed Brahmi, Tunisian politician (d. 2013)
1955 – Lee Horsley, American actor
1955 – Lia Vissi, Cypriot singer-songwriter and politician
1956 – Andreas Loverdos, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Labour
1956 – Dan Patrick, American sportscaster and actor
1956 – Peter Salmon, English television producer
1957 – Meg Gardiner, American-English author and academic
1957 – Juan José Ibarretxe, Spanish politician
1957 – Kevin Von Erich, American football player and wrestler
1958 – Ron Simmons, American football player and wrestler
1959 – Andrew Eldritch, English singer-songwriter (The Sisters of Mercy, The Sisterhood, and SSV)
1959 – Khaosai Galaxy, Thai boxer and politician
1959 – Luis Pérez-Sala, Spanish race car driver
1959 – Beverly Jo Scott, American-Belgian singer-songwriter
1960 – Rob Bowman, American director and producer
1960 – Rhonda Burchmore, Australian actress, singer, and dancer
1960 – R. Kuhaneswaran, Sri Lankan politician
1960 – Rimas Kurtinaitis, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
1960 – Greg Wise, English actor and producer
1961 – Katrin Cartlidge, English actress (d. 2002)
1961 – Melle Mel, American rapper (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
1962 – Lisa Curry, Australian swimmer
1963 – Brenda Bakke, American actress
1964 – Digna Ochoa, Mexican lawyer (d. 2001)
1964 – Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Danish lawyer and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Denmark
1965 – Raí, Brazilian footballer
1965 – André Abujamra, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (Karnak)
1967 – Laura Hillenbrand, American journalist and author
1967 – John Smoltz, American baseball player and sportscaster
1967 – Orlando Zapata, Cuban plumber and activist (d. 2010)
1968 – Cecilia Malmström, Swedish academic and politician, 15th European Commissioner for Trade
1968 – Seth Putnam, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Anal Cunt, Post Mortem, and Siege) (d. 2011)
1968 – Sophie Raworth, English journalist and actress
1969 – Hideki Irabu, Japanese-American baseball player (d. 2011)
1969 – Holly McPeak, American beach volleyball player
1969 – Emmitt Smith, American football player and sportscaster
1970 – Frank de Boer, Dutch footballer and manager
1970 – Ronald de Boer, Dutch footballer and manager
1970 – Desmond Howard, American football player and sportscaster
1970 – Alison Jackson, English photographer, director, and screenwriter
1970 – Anne Akiko Meyers, American violinist and educator
1970 – Martin Rossiter, Welsh singer-songwriter (Gene)
1970 – Rod Smith, American football player
1970 – Ben Wallace, English captain and politician
1971 – Karin Lušnic, Slovenian tennis player
1971 – Phil Pfister, American weightlifter and strongman
1972 – Danny Alexander, Scottish politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
1972 – David Charvet, French actor and singer
1973 – Emilia Tsoulfa, Greek sailor
1974 – Vassilis Kikilias, Greek basketball player and politician
1974 – Matthew Sadler, English chess player and author
1974 – Marko Tredup, German footballer and manager
1974 – Ahmet Zappa, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
1975 – Peter Iwers, Swedish bass player (In Flames)
1975 – Ray Lewis, American football player and sportscaster
1975 – Ales Michalevic, Belarusian lawyer and politician
1976 – Torraye Braggs, American basketball player
1976 – Jacek Krzynówek, Polish footballer
1976 – Ryan Leaf, American football player and coach
1976 – Tyler Walker, American baseball player
1978 – Amy Chow, American gymnast and pediatrician
1978 – Dwayne De Rosario, Canadian soccer player
1978 – Caroline Dhavernas, Canadian actress
1978 – Edu Gaspar, Brazilian footballer
1978 – David Krumholtz, American actor
1979 – Adolfo Bautista, Mexican footballer
1979 – Daniel Caines, English sprinter
1979 – Chris Masoe, New Zealand rugby player
1979 – Ryan Max Riley, American skier
1979 – Robert Royal, American football player
1979 – Li Yanfeng, Chinese discus thrower
1980 – Josh Beckett, American baseball player
1981 – Patrice Evra, French footballer
1981 – Justin Morneau, Canadian baseball player
1981 – Zara Phillips, English horse rider
1981 – Jamie-Lynn Sigler, American actress and singer
1982 – Alexandra Breckenridge, American actress and photographer
1982 – Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jamaican sprinter
1982 – Segundo Castillo, Ecuadorian footballer
1982 – Bradford Cox, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Deerhunter)
1982 – Tatsuya Fujiwara, Japanese actor
1982 – Rafael Pérez, Dominican baseball player
1982 – Jessica Sutta, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress (The Pussycat Dolls)
1984 – Jeff Deslauriers, Canadian ice hockey player
1984 – Sérgio Jimenez, Brazilian race car driver
1984 – Samantha Noble, Australian actress
1984 – Mr Probz, Dutch singer-songwriter and producer
1985 – Cristiane, Brazilian footballer
1985 – Tania Cagnotto, Italian diver
1985 – Justine Robbeson, South African javelin thrower
1986 – Thomas Brown, American football player
1986 – Matías Fernández, Chilean footballer
1986 – Adam Moffat, Scottish footballer
1987 – Doruk Çetin, Turkish actor, director, and producer
1987 – Kévin Constant, French-Guinean footballer
1987 – Mark Fayne, American ice hockey player
1987 – Ersan İlyasova, Turkish basketball player
1987 – Leonardo Mayer, Argentinian tennis player
1987 – Jennylyn Mercado, Filipino singer-songwriter and actress
1987 – Andy Murray, Scottish tennis player
1987 – Michael Brantley, American baseball player
1987 – Brian Dozier, American baseball player
1987 – David Adams, American baseball player
1988 – Indrek Kajupank, Estonian basketball player
1988 – Nemanja Nešić, Serbian rower (d. 2012)
1989 – Akina Minami, Japanese model
1989 – Sunny, American-South Korean singer, dancer, and actress (Girls' Generation)
1989 – Kiki Vidis, Australian porn actress
1990 – Jordan Eberle, Canadian ice hockey player
1990 – Lee Jong-hyun, South Korean singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (CNBLUE)
1992 – Clark Beckham, American singer-songwriter
1993 – Mahfizur Rahman Sagor, Bangladeshi swimmer
1995 – Ryosuke Yamamoto, Japanese actor and model

Deaths[edit]

392 – Valentinian II, Roman emperor (b. 371)
884 – Pope Marinus I
913 – Hatto I, German archbishop (b. 850)
1036 – Emperor Go-Ichijō of Japan (b. 1008)
1157 – Yuri Dolgorukiy, Russian prince (b. 1099)
1174 – Nur ad-Din, atabeg of Aleppo, Syrian ruler (b. 1118)
1268 – Peter II, Count of Savoy (b. 1203)
1381 – Eppelein von Gailingen, German warrior (b. 1315)
1585 – Niwa Nagahide, Japanese samurai (b. 1535)
1591 – Dmitry of Uglich (b. 1582)
1609 – Giovanni Croce, Italian composer and educator (b. 1557)
1634 – Hendrick Avercamp, Dutch painter (b. 1585)
1698 – Marie Champmeslé, French actress (b. 1642)
1699 – Sir Edward Petre, 3rd Baronet, English politician (b. 1631)
1700 – John Hale, American minister (b. 1636)
1740 – Ephraim Chambers, English publisher (b. 1680)
1773 – Alban Butler, English priest and hagiographer (b. 1710)
1845 – Braulio Carrillo Colina, Costa Rican lawyer and politician, Head of State of Costa Rica (b. 1800)
1879 – Gottfried Semper, German architect and educator, designed the Semper Opera House (b. 1803)
1886 – Emily Dickinson, American poet and author (b. 1830)
1919 – Hasan Tahsin, Turkish journalist (b. 1888)
1924 – Paul-Henri-Benjamin d'Estournelles de Constant, French diplomat and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
1928 – Umegatani Tōtarō I, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 15th Yokozuna (b. 1845)
1935 – Kazimir Malevich, Ukrainian-Russian painter and theoretician (b. 1878)
1937 – Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1864)
1945 – Charles Williams, English author, poet, and critic (b. 1886)
1948 – Edward J. Flanagan, Irish-American priest, founded Boys Town (b. 1886)
1954 – William March, American soldier and author (b. 1893)
1956 – Austin Osman Spare, English painter and magician (b. 1886)
1957 – Keith Andrews, American racing driver (b. 1920)
1957 – Dick Irvin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1892)
1963 – John Aglionby, English born Bishop of Accra and soldier (b. 1884)
1964 – Vladko Maček, Croatian lawyer and politician (b. 1879)
1965 – Pio Pion, Italian businessman (b. 1887)
1966 – Titien Sumarni, Indonesian actress (b. 1932)
1967 – Edward Hopper, American painter (b. 1882)
1967 – Italo Mus, Italian painter (b. 1892)
1969 – Joe Malone, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1890)
1971 – Tyrone Guthrie, English director, producer, and playwright (b. 1900)
1974 – Paul Gonsalves, American jazz saxiphonist (b.1920)
1978 – Robert Menzies, Australian lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894)
1980 – Gordon Prange, American historian and author (b. 1910)
1982 – Gordon Smiley, American race car driver (b. 1946)
1984 – Francis Schaeffer, American pastor, theologian, and philosopher (b. 1912)
1985 – Jackie Curtis, American actress and writer (b. 1947)
1986 – Elio de Angelis, Italian race car driver (b. 1958)
1986 – Theodore H. White, American historian, journalist, and author (b. 1915)
1989 – Johnny Green, American composer and conductor (b. 1908)
1989 – Luc Lacourcière, Canadian ethnographer and author (b. 1910)
1991 – Andreas Floer, German mathematician and academic (b. 1956)
1991 – Amadou Hampâté Bâ, Malian ethnologist and author (b. 1901)
1991 – Fritz Riess, German race car driver (b. 1922)
1992 – Barbara Lee, American singer (The Chiffons) (b. 1947)
1992 – Jovy Marcelo, Filipino race car driver (b. 1965)
1993 – Salah Ahmed Ibrahim, Sudanese poet and diplomat (b. 1933)
1994 – Gilbert Roland, Mexican-American actor (b. 1905)
1995 – Eric Porter, English actor (b. 1928)
1996 – Charles B. Fulton, American lawyer and judge (b. 1910)
1998 – Earl Manigault, American basketball player (b. 1944)
1998 – Naim Talu, Turkish economist, banker, politician, 15th Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1919)
2003 – June Carter Cash, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (Carter Family and The Carter Sisters) (b. 1929)
2005 – Alan B. Gold, Canadian lawyer and jurist (b. 1917)
2006 – Nizar Abdul Zahra, Iraqi footballer (b. 1961)
2007 – Jerry Falwell, American pastor, founded Liberty University (b. 1933)
2007 – Yolanda King, American actress and activist (b. 1955)
2008 – Tommy Burns, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1956)
2008 – Alexander Courage, American composer and conductor (b. 1919)
2008 – Robert Dunlop, Northern Irish motorcycle racer (b. 1960)
2009 – Rodger McFarlane, American soldier, therapist, and activist (b. 1955)
2009 – Bud Tingwell, Australian actor, director, and producer (b. 1923)
2009 – Wayman Tisdale, American basketball player and bass player (b. 1964)
2010 – Besian Idrizaj, Austrian footballer (b. 1987)
2010 – Loris Kessel, Swiss race car driver (b. 1950)
2011 – Barbara Stuart, American actress (b. 1930)
2012 – Carlos Fuentes, Mexican novelist and essayist(b. 1928)
2012 – Jean Craighead George, American author (b. 1919)
2012 – Arno Lustiger, German historian and author (b. 1924)
2012 – Zakaria Mohieddin, Egyptian soldier and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1918)
2012 – John Murray, 11th Duke of Atholl, South African surveyor (b. 1929)
2012 – George Wyllie, Scottish sculptor (b. 1921)
2013 – Paddy Buggy, Irish hurdler (b. 1929)
2013 – Linden Chiles, American actor (b. 1933)
2013 – Robert Hunt, English police officer (b. 1935)
2013 – Albert Lance, Australian-French tenor and actor (b. 1925)
2013 – Billy Raymond, Scottish-Australian television host (b. 1938)
2013 – Henrique Rosa, Bissau-Guinean politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1946)
2014 – Jean-Luc Dehaene, French-Belgian politician, 63rd Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1940)
2014 – Robert J. Flynn, American soldier, pilot, and navigator (b. 1937)
2014 – Greg Hughes, Irish footballer and manager (b. 1939)
2014 – Michael Mence, English cricketer (b. 1944)
2014 – Noribumi Suzuki, Japanese director and screenwriter (b. 1933)
2015 – Elisabeth Bing, German-American physical therapist and author (b. 1914)
2015 – Jackie Brookner, American sculptor and educator (b. 1945)
2015 – Corey Hill, American mixed martial artist (b. 1978)
2015 – John Stephenson, American actor (b. 1923)
2015 – Garo Yepremian, Cypriot-American football player (b. 1944)

May 13th: On this Day

1957, Guy Mitchell was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Rock-A-Billy', the singers fourth and final UK No.1. The Song gave its name to a music style - a mix of rock and country.

1967, The Monkees second album 'More Of The Monkees', went to No.1 on the UK charts. In 1967 only four albums reached No.1; 'The Sound Of Music' which spent 17 weeks at No.1, The Beatles Sgt. Pepper, 25 weeks at No.1 and The Monkees first and second albums spent 9 weeks at No.1.

1967, The Supremes scored their 10th US No.1 single with 'The Happening'; it made No.6 in the UK. It was the last single to be released as the Supremes, from now on they were known as Diana Ross and the Supremes.

1968, John Lennon and Paul McCartney gave a series of interviews to help launch Apple Corps in the US.

1969, Led Zeppelin became the first major British rock group to appear in Hawaii, when they appeared at The Civic Auditorium, Honolulu. A review in the Honolulu Advertiser stated: 'The showmanship exceeded any rock performance here to date. I wondered before the concert if Led Zeppelin could sound as good as their Atlantic album – they sounded better'.

1970, The world premiere of The Beatles film 'Let It Be' took place in New York City. The film which was originally planned as a television documentary features an unannounced rooftop concert by the group, their last performance in public. Released just after the album, it was the final original Beatles release.

1971, On his twenty-first birthday Stevie Wonder received all his childhood earnings. Despite having earned $30 million so far, he received only $1 million.

1971, Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane crashed her Mercedes into a wall near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and was hospitalised.

1974, Forty-three people were arrested and more than fifty were injured after youths started throwing bottles outside a Jackson Five concert at RFK stadium in Washington DC.

1978, Boney M were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Rivers of Babylon'. The single which stayed at the top of the charts for five weeks was originally by the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians, whose version of the song appeared in the sound track to the 1972 movie The Harder They Come.

1978, Yvonne Elliman went to No.1 on the US singles chart with the Gibb brothers song 'If I Can't Have You'. The song was featured in the film 'Saturday Night Fever'; a No.4 hit in the UK.

1985, Bruce Springsteen married Julianne Phillips at Lake Oswego, Oregon. Julianne filed for divorce on Aug 30th 1988.

1988, Scottish band Fairground Attraction were at No.1 on the UK singles with 'Perfect'. The group featured Eddi Reader who had previously worked as a backing singer with the Eurythmics and Sandie Shaw. 'Perfect' won the award for Best Single at the 1989 BRIT Awards.

1988,

1989, Bon Jovi went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I'll Be There For You', the group's fourth US No.1, a No.18 hit in the UK.

1989, Kylie Minogue was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with her second solo No.1 'Hand On Your Heart.' The song was written and produced by Stock, Aitken & Waterman.

1989, Simple Minds went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Street Fighting Years', their fourth No.1 album. The album featured 'Mandela Day', 'Belfast Child' and 'Biko'.

1996, Oasis became the fastest selling group in UK history after all 330,000 tickets for their summer shows sold out in just nine hours, the tickets for shows at Knebworth and Loch Lomand were priced at £22.50.

2000, Shaun Ryder's Volkswagen Corrado was found abandoned after being used as the getaway car. The former Happy Mondays singer's car, was used in an armed robbery on Harry Ramsden's fish and chip restaurant in Manchester. £7,000 cash was taken in the robbery.

2002, Dionne Warwick was arrested at Miami International Airport for possession of marijuana after authorities found 11 joints in a lipstick case in the singer's hand luggage. The charges were dropped after she completed a drug program and made a contribution to charity.

2003, Michael Jackson launched a court case suing Motown Records. Jacko filed the lawsuit in LA, saying he hadn't been paid royalties due for the music he did with the Jackson Five in the 60s and 70s. The singer also claimed his music has been used in TV ads without his permission.

2006, Godsmack were at No.1 on the US album chart with 'IV' the American heavy metal bands second No.1 album.

2007, Brian May was under 24-hour security watch after a deranged man announced he was setting off to murder him - then disappeared. Police were hunting for a schizophrenic who left a letter behind at his home blaming the Queen guitarist for his illness. In it the man - said May was an "impostor" and that HE was the real rock star. He signed the letter "Brian May."

2007, Ne-Yo was at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Because of You' the US R&B singers second No.1. The album featured the title track, a US No.2 and UK No.4 hit single.

2008, Babyshambles appeared at The Forum in London, the bands first gig since singer Pete Doherty was released from Wormwood Scrubs jail.

2008, The US Postal Service issued a 42-cent postage stamp in honour of Frank Sinatra. The design showed a 1950s-vintage image of Sinatra, wearing a hat.

2011, Like A Rolling Stone was voted as Bob Dylan's best-ever song by Rolling Stone Magazine, who had asked the opinions of a panel of writers, academics and musicians to compile a poll to mark Dylan's 70th birthday on 24th May. Like A Rolling Stone, was described by U2's Bono as 'a black eye of a pop song', while Mick Jagger praised the simplicity of Desolation Row. Keith Richards argued that the original 1963 solo version of Girl From The North Country, ranked 30th, was superior to Dylan's 1969 duet of the same song with Johnny Cash.

2012, Donald Dunn, bassist with Booker T and the MG's died in his sleep after playing a show at the Blue Note night club in Tokyo the night before. He had been in the country as part of an ongoing tour with Steve Cropper and Eddie Floyd. Booker T and the MG's scored the 1962 US No.3 single 'Green Onions', and the 1969 UK No.4 single 'Time Is Tight'.


May 13th: Born on this day

1941, Born on this day, Joe Brown, UK singer, actor, (1962 UK No.2 single 'A Picture Of You').

1941, Born on this day, Ritchie Valens, US singer, (1958 US No.2 and 1959 UK No.29 single 'Donna'). Valens died on 3rd February 1959.

1943, Born on this day, Mary Wells, US singer, (1964 US No.1 & UK No.5 single 'My Guy', written by Smokey Robinson). Wells died of cancer on 26th July 1992.

1945, Born on this day, Magic Dick, harmonica, The J Geils Band, (1982 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'Centerfold').

1946, Born on this day, Daniel Klein, bass, J Geils Band, (1982 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'Centrefold').

1947, Born on this day, Overend Watts, bass, Mott The Hoople, (1972 UK No.3 and US No. 37 single 'All The Young Dudes').

1950, Born on this day, Danny Kirwan, Fleetwood Mac, (1969 UK No.1 single 'Albatross', left the band in 1972).

1950, Born on this day, Johnny Logan, Irish singer, (1980 UK No.1 single 'What's Another Year').

1950, Born on this day, Stevie Wonder singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. A child prodigy who developed into one of the most creative musical figures of the late 20th century. Wonder who has been blind from shortly after birth, signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of eleven and continues to perform and record for Motown to this day. Wonder has scored over 40 other US & UK Top 40 singles.

1951, Born on this day, Paul Thompson, drums, Roxy Music, (1972 UK No.4 single 'Virginia Plain' plus 15 other UK Top 40 singles).

1963, Born on this day, Julian Brookhouse, Curiosity Killed The Cat, (1989 UK No.14 single 'Name And Number').

1964, Born on this day, Lorraine McIntosh, vocals, Deacon Blue, (1988 UK No.8 single 'Real Gone Kid' plus over 15 other UK Top singles).

1966, Born on this day, Darius Rucker, Hootie & The Blowfish, (1995 US No.1 album 'Cracked Rear View' sold over 15m copies. 1995 UK No.50 single 'Hold My Hand').

1966, Born on this day, Alison Goldfrapp, English singer-songwriter, (2008 UK No.2 album ‘Seventh Tree’).

1979, Born on this day, Michael Madden, bass, Maroon 5, who had the 2004 UK No.1 album ‘Songs About Jane’, the 2004 US No.1 & UK No.4 single ‘She Will Be Loved’ and the 2014 US No.1 album V.

May 14th: On this Day

1957, Elvis Presley was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital after swallowing a porcelain cap from one of his front teeth, which then lodged its-self in one of his lungs.

1960, The Silver Beats (John Lennon, Paul McCartney George Harrison, Stu Sutcliffe, and Tommy Moore) performed at Lathom Hall, Seaforth, Liverpool. They played a few songs during the "interval" to audition for promoter Brian Kelly. Also appearing are Cliff Roberts & the Rockers, The Deltones, and Kingsize Taylor & the Dominoes. This is the only occasion on which the group uses the name "Silver Beats", quickly changing it back to "Silver Beetles".

1968, John Lennon and Paul McCartney appeared on NBC-TV's Tonight Show with guest-host Joe Garagiola sitting in for Johnny Carson. The conversation included some light hearted banter about meditation, the forming of Apple Corps. and song writing.

1969, During a UK tour, Fairport Conventions van crashed on the M1 motorway on the way home from a gig in Birmingham killing the group's 19 year-old drummer Martin Lamble and Richard Thompson's girlfriend Jeannie Franklyn.

1976, 33 year-old Keith Relf, former lead singer for The Yardbirds, was electrocuted while tuning a guitar which was not properly earthed. The accident happened in his West London home where he was found by his eight year old son, still holding the plugged-in electric guitar. The Yardbirds had the hits 'For Your Love', 'Heart Full of Soul', and 'Shapes of Things'.

1977, During a UK tour, Talking Heads played a gig at The Rock Garden in London where Brian Eno who was in the audience saw the band, who then went on to produce them.

1977, Leo Sayer went to No.1 on the US singles chart with the Albert Hammond and Carole Bayer Sager song 'When I Need You', the singers second US No.1, also No.1 in the UK.

1983, Spandau Ballet scored their first and only UK No.1 album with 'True.' The title track from the album spent four weeks at No.1 on the UK singles charts and reached No.2 in the US. Other singles from the album included 'Gold' (a No.2 UK hit and a Top 30 hit in the U.S.), 'Lifeline', and 'Communication'.

1988, Led Zeppelin reunited for the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary party at Madison Square Garden, New York, appearing with Jason Bonham the son of John Bonham on drums. Other acts performing included Foreigner, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Genesis, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Wilson Pickett and Ben E. King.

1993, During an auction at Christies in London the acoustic guitar that Elvis Presley used to make his first recordings in 1954, 'That's All Right Mama' and 'Blue Moon of Kentucky', sold for £130,285, ($152,000). And four 'Super Hero', Costumes worn by the group KISS sold for £20,000, ($35,385).

1994, Scottish band Stiltskin were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Inside'. The song had been used on a Levi's TV Jeans commercial. The bands only No.1 and only Top 30 hit.

1997, Mark Morrison was jailed for three months after threatening a police officer with an electric stun gun, he was also ordered to pay £350 costs.

1998, American singer and actor Frank Sinatra died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles aged 82, after suffering a heart attack. Sinatra had his first hit in 1940, working in the Swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1953 film 'From Here to Eternity'. He went on to score over 25 Top 40 singles including the 1966 No.1 'Strangers In The Night'. His 1969 single 'My Way', re-entered the UK charts eight times and spent a total of 165 weeks on the UK chart.

1998, George Michael was fined £500 after being convicted of a "lewd act" in a Los Angeles lavatory. The Los Angeles court also ordered him to undergo psychological counselling and carry out 80 hours community service.

1998,

2000, Madison Avenue went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with, 'Don't Call Me Baby'. They were the first Australian group to have a UK No.1 since Men At Work in 1983.

2000, Tom Jones was at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Reload' making the singer the oldest artist to score a UK No.1 album with new material.

2002, The musical We Will Rock You opened in the West End of London, England at the Dominion Theatre. The musical was written by British comedian and author Ben Elton in collaboration with Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor. The musical tells the story of a group of Bohemians who struggle to restore the free exchange of thought, fashion, and live music in a distant future where everyone dresses, thinks and does the same. Musical instruments and composers are forbidden, and rock music is all but unknown. WWRY has since become the longest-running musical at the Dominion Theatre.

2003, Lawyers for Britney Spears and the Skechers footwear company settled a dispute over a deal for the pop star to market a line of roller skates and accessories. Spears had filed a $1.5 million breach of agreement lawsuit against Skechers in December, claiming the company failed to pay her adequately. Skechers had responded with a $10 million lawsuit, accusing Spears of fraud and breach of the three-year licensing agreement she signed in January 2002.

2004, Phil Spector was arrested after getting into a scuffle with his chauffeur at his California mansion. The 64 year old record producer was taken into custody and later released after a court date was set.

2005, A judge in Springfield, Massachusetts, ordered rapper 50 Cent to stay clean of drugs and take an anger management course to avoid spending time in jail. The rapper appeared in court charged with assaulting three women at a concert in 2004 after leaping into the crowd.

2006, Red Hot Chili Peppers started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Stadium Arcadium' the bands ninth studio album, also a US No.1.

2008, Metallica kicked off a 26-date North American and European tour at the Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, California.

2013, It was reported that KISS planned to open over 100 restaurants in North America. The band who had just opened the third branch of Rock & Brews in the greater Los Angeles area said that they wished to open 100 more in the next five years. The band planned to open new branches at LAX airport in Los Angeles, Maui in Hawaii and Kansas City in Missouri over the coming year.

2015, Blues singer, songwriter and guitarist B.B. King died in his sleep aged 89 from a series of small strokes caused by type 2 diabetes. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential blues guitarists of all time, Rolling Stone magazine placed him behind only Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.


May 14th: Born on this day

1936, Born on this day, Bobby Darin, (1959 US & UK No.1 single 'Mack The Knife', plus 20 other US Top 40 hits). He died on 20th December 1973.

1943, Born on this day, Jack Bruce, bass, vocals, Graham Bond Organization, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Manfred Mann, Cream, (1967 UK No.11 single 'I Feel Free', 1968 US No.5 single 'Sunshine Of Your Love'). West, Bruce and Laing. Bruce died on 25 October 2014 from liver disease in Suffolk, England, aged 71.

1946, Born on this day, Gene Cornish, The Young Rascals, (1967 US No.1 and UK No.8 single 'Groovin').

1946, Born on this day, Lek LecKenby, guitar, Herman's Hermits, (1964 UK No.1 single 'I'm Into Something Good', 1965 US No.1 single 'Mrs Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter'). He died on 4th June 1994.

1947, Born on this day, Al Ciner, American Breed, (1967 US No.5 & UK No. 24 single 'Bend Me, Shape Me'). Three Dog Night, (1970 UK No.3 & US No.1 single 'Mama Told Me Not To Come').

1950, Born on this day, Arthur Grant, drums, Edgar Broughton Band, (1970 UK No.39 single 'Out Demons Out').

1952, Born on this day, David Byrne, guitar, vocals, Talking Heads, (1983 US No.9 single 'Burning Down The House', 1985 UK No.6 single 'Road To Nowhere'), Solo (2002 UK No. 2 single with X-Press, 'Lazy').

1953, Born on this day, John Rutsey, drummer and founding member of Rush. Died May 11, 2008.

1956, Born on this day, Steve Hogarth, Marillion, (1985 UK No.2 single 'Kayleigh').

1960, Born on this day, Shelley Preston, Bucks Fizz, (1981 UK No.1 single 'Making Your Mind Up', plus 12 other UK Top 40 singles).

1962, Born on this day, C.C. Deville, Poison, (1988 US No.1 & 1989 UK No.13 single 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn').

1962, Born on this day was Ian Astbury, English singer with Southern Death Cult, who became The Cult. In 2002 he became lead singer of The Doors of the 21st Century, featuring original Doors members Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek.

1963, Born on this day, Fabrice Morvan, vocals, Milli Vanilli, (1989 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'Girl I'm Gonna Miss You').

1966, Born on this day, Mike Inez, Alice In Chains, (1993 UK No.19 single 'Would').

1969, Born on this day, Steve Hellier, Dubstar, (1996 UK No.15 single 'Stars').

1969, Born on this day, American producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin who has worked with Adele, Beck, Ben Harper, Kelly Clarkson and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In 2009 he won three Ivor Novello awards for his work with Lily Allen, and he also co-wrote Adele's 2015 worldwide hit single 'Hello'.

1971, Born on this day, Danny Wood, New Kids On The Block, (1989 UK No.1 single 'You Got It, The Right Stuff', 1990 US No.1 single 'Step By Step').

1973, Born on this day, Natalie Appleton, singer, All Saints, (1998 UK No.1 and US No.4 single 'Never Ever' and 2003 UK No. 5 single as Appleton, 'Don't Worry').

1973, Born on this day, Shanice, US female singer, (1992 US & UK No.2 single 'I Love Your Smile').

1976, Born on this day, Martine McCutcheon, singer, actress, (1999, UK No.1 single 'Perfect Moment').

1979, Born on this day, Dan Auerbach, American guitarist and vocalist for The Black Keys who had the 2014 US No.1 album Turn Blue.

1984, Born on this day, English singer-songwriter, musician, Olly Murs who was the runner-up in the sixth series of The X Factor in 2009. Scored the 2010 UK No.1 hit single 'Please Don't Let Me Go',

May 15th: On this Day

1959, Elvis Presley scored his fourth No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'A Fool Such As I / I Need Your Love Tonight.' His first ballad to hit No.1.

1961, Floyd Cramer was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'On The Rebound.' The US singer's only UK No.1. The Nashville pianist played on many Elvis Presley hits.

1963, During a UK tour, The Beatles performed at the Royalty Theatre in Chester. The set list was: ‘Some Other Guy’, ‘Thank You Girl’, ‘Do You Want to Know a Secret’, ‘Please Please Me’, ‘You Really Got a Hold on Me’, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, and ‘From Me To You’.

1965, Bob Dylan's single Subterranean Homesick Blues peaked at No.39 in the US charts, giving Dylan his first US top 40 hit. John Lennon was reported to find the song so captivating that he didn't know how he'd be able to write a song that could compete with it.

1967, Paul McCartney met American photographer Linda Eastman for the first time, during a Georgie Fame concert at the Bag O'Nails nightclub in London, England. They married on March 12, 1969.

1968, George Harrison and Ringo Starr attended the premiere of 'Wonderwall' at the Cannes Film Festival. The 1968 film by first-time director Joe Massot starred Jack MacGowran and Jane Birkin, and featured cameos by Anita Pallenberg. The soundtrack was composed by then-Beatle George Harrison. The film provides the name for the Oasis track 'Wonderwall', which was inspired by George Harrison's score.

1969, John Lennon's 'Life With The Lions' was released on Apple's avant-garde imprint Zapple. One side of the album was recorded on a cassette player at London's Queen Charlotte Hospital during Yoko Ono's pregnancy which ended in a miscarriage.

1971, Crosby Stills Nash & Young scored their second US No.1 album with '4 Way Street.' The live album featured recordings from shows at The Fillmore East, New York, and The Forum, Los Angeles.

1974, Frank Zappa and his wife announced the birth of their third child, a boy named Ahmet Rodan, after the Japanese movie monster that lived of a steady diet of 707 planes.

1976, The Rolling Stones went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Black And Blue', the group's sixth US No.1 album. The band's first studio album released with Ronnie Wood as the replacement for Mick Taylor featured the hit 'Fool To Cry'.

1981, Former Sex Pistol John Lydon's band Public Image Ltd performed a show at New York's Ritz Club posing behind a video screen while the music was played from tapes. They were showered with missiles and eventually booed off stage.

1982, Asia went to No.1 on the US album chart with their self-titled album. It spent a total of nine weeks at No.1 and became the best-selling album in the US for the year 1982. The supergroup included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely bassist/vocalist John Wetton (formerly in Mogul Thrash, Family, King Crimson, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, U.K. and Wishbone Ash), guitarist Steve Howe (formerly in Yes), keyboardist Geoff Downes (of Yes and The Buggles) and drummer Carl Palmer (formerly in The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Atomic Rooster and Emerson, Lake & Palmer).

1982, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney started a seven week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Ebony And Ivory'. The song gave McCartney his 24th US No.1 as a songwriter. The title was inspired by McCartney hearing Spike Milligan say "black notes, white notes, and you need to play the two to make harmony folks!". It was later named as the tenth worst song of all time by Blender magazine and in 2007 was named the worst duet in history by BBC 6 Music listeners.

1991, Manic Street Preacher guitarist Richey Edwards carved '4 real' into his arm with a razor blade while being interviewed by music paper The NME.

1992, Barbara Lee of the Chiffons died from a heart attack the day before her 45th birthday. Had the 1963 US No.1 single 'He's So Fine.'

1993, Janet Jackson started a eight week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'That's The Way Love Goes', her sixth US No.1, a No.2 hit in the UK.

1994, Blur scored their first UK No.1 album with ‘Parklife’, which went on to spend over two years on the chart. The album featured four UK hit singles: 'Girls & Boys', 'End of a Century', 'Parklife' and 'To the End'. In the year following its release the album came to define the emerging Britpop scene. The album cover for Parklife was among the ten chosen by the Royal Mail for a set of "Classic Album Cover" postage stamps issued in January 2010.

1994,

1995, Supergrass released their debut studio album 'I Should Coco'. The album which peaked at No.1 on the UK chart featured their No.2 hit single 'Alright'. The album title is Cockney rhyming slang for "I should think so".

1997, Courtney Love sold the Seattle mansion she shared with Kurt Cobain. A local family purchased the house in the salubrious Denny Blaine area for $3m.

1997, Oasis became one of the first artists to attempt to exert censorship over the Internet. The group were working with Sony to put an end to unofficial websites carrying lyrics, sound files and photographs of the band.

1999, Rob Gretton manager of Joy Division and New Order died aged 46. He was also a partner in Factory Records, proprietor of the Rob's Records label and a co-founder along with Tony Wilson of The Hacienda nightclub in Manchester, England.

2000, Songwriter Geoff Goddard died aged 62. Wrote 'Johnny Remember Me', and played keyboards on The Tornadoes 1962 No.1 hit 'Telstar'. Wrote songs for Heinz, Mike Berry, The Outlaws, Freddie Starr and Screaming Lord Sutch.

2000, It was reported that Britney Spears had been crowned the queen of America's fastest growing youth movement, the teenage celibates. Spears told a German magazine that she intended to abstain from sex until her wedding night.

2001, Brian Pendleton of The Pretty Things died of cancer aged 57, (1964 UK No.10 single 'Don't Bring Me Down'). The bands 1974 album Silk Torpedo was the first album release on Led Zeppelin's own label Swan Song.

2002, Jamiroquai singer Jay Kay claimed he was assaulted at the premiere of 'Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones' in London. The singer suffered facial injuries after an incident with a photographer after the star-studded event.

2003, Country singer June Carter Cash, the second wife of Johnny Cash died in Nashville, Tennessee, of complications following heart valve replacement surgery, aged 73. She was a member of the Carter Family, and had hits with Johnny Cash, including the Grammy Award winning songs, 'Jackson', 'Ring Of Fire', (which she co-wrote about their courtship), and 'If I Were A Carpenter.'

2008, Neil Diamond reached the top of the US Billboard album chart for the first time in his career with ‘Home Before Dark’ the 67-year-old's 29th studio album. His previous highest chart position was in 1973 when the soundtrack to the film Jonathan Livingston Seagull peaked at No.2. At the age of 67, Diamond became the oldest artist to have a US number one, the record was previously held by Bob Dylan in 2006 with ‘Modern Times’ released when he was 65.

2015, R&B and jazz singer Ortheia Barnes-Kennerly died from heart failure in the US Virgin Islands, where she was visiting for a performance, she was 70 years old. Ortheia spent much of her career touring with and opening for some of Motown's biggest acts, including Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Gladys Knight.


May 15th: Born on this day

1918, Born on this day, Eddy Arnold, US country singer, (1965 US No.6 single, 'Make The World Go Away').

1932, Born on this day, Baba Oje, Arrested Development, (1992 UK No.2 and US No. 8 single 'People Everyday').

1937, Born on this day, Trini Lopez, singer, songwriter, (1963 US No.3 & UK No.4 single 'If I Had A Hammer').

1938, Born on this day, Lenny Welch, US singer, (1963 US No.4 single 'Since I Fell For You').

1944, Born on this day, Ian Amey, (Tich), Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, (1968 UK No.1 single, 'Legend Of Xanadu').

1947, Born on this day, Graham Goble, Little River Band, Australian group, (1978 US No.3 single 'Reminiscing' plus 12 other US Top 40 singles).

1948, Born on this day, Brian Eno, synthesisers, Roxy Music, (1972 UK No.4 single 'Virginia Plain'). Member of The Winkies, produced U2, Talking Heads, David Bowie,John Cale and released solo albums.

1948, Born on this day, Gary Thain, bassist with Keef Hartley Band and then Uriah Heep. Had a hit with ‘Easy Livin' from the 1972 album Demons and Wizards. Died of a drug overdose December 8, 1975.

1951, Born on this day, Dennis Fredericksen, vocals, Toto, (1983 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'Africa').

1953, Born on this day, Mike Oldfield, UK composer, multi-instrumentalist, 'Tubular Bells' was the first album released on the Virgin record label in 1973 and went on to sell over 10 million copies world-wide. 1976 UK No. 3 single 'Portsmouth' plus 20 other UK Top 40 albums.

1959, Born on this day, Andrew Eldritch, vocals, The Sisters Of Mercy, (1992 UK No.3 single 'Temple Of Love').

1965, Born on this day, Jon Sevink, violin, The Levellers, (1995 UK No.12 single 'Just The One').

1965, Born on this day, Mark Colwill, bass, Tindersticks, (1993 album 'Tindersticks').

1966, Born on this day, Pete Wiggs, Saint Etienne, (1993 UK No.12 single 'You're In A Bad Way').

1983, Born on this day, Devin Bronson, guitarist with Avril Lavigne, Kelly Osbourne and Black List Club.

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