This Day In Music - May 16

 This Day In Music - May 16

1913 - Woody Herman, jazz clarinettist and saxophonist, is born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1919 - Liberace is born Władziu Valentino Liberace in West Allis, Wisconsin, along with a twin who dies at birth.

1936 - Doo wop singer Corinthian "Kripp" Johnson (of The Dell-Vikings) is born in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1938 - R&B singer Pervis Jackson (of The Spinners) is born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1945 - Nicky Chinn, who penned hits with songwriting partner Mike Chapman throughout the '60s and '70s, is born in London, England.

1946 - Roger Earl (drummer for Foghat, Savoy Brown) is born in Hampton Court Palace, London, England.

1947 - '60s singer Barbara Lee (of The Chiffons) is born in The Bronx, New York.

1947 - Darrell Sweet (drummer for Nazareth) is born in Bournemouth, England.

1949 - Rock guitarist William "Sputnik" Spooner (of Grateful Dead, The Tubes) is born in Phoenix, Arizona.

1951 - Jonathan Richman (frontman for The Modern Lovers) is born in Natick, Massachusetts.

1953 - Richard Page (lead singer of Mr. Mister) is born in Keokuk, Iowa.

1956 - Doris Day introduces her signature song, "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)," in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much.

1959 - Wayne Newton, 16 years old, makes his Las Vegas debut, performing with his brother, Jerry, at the Freemont Hotel downtown. A few years later, he becomes a Vegas Star and a regular on the Strip.

1963 - At the fifth annual Grammy Awards, Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" wins Record Of The Year and Best Male Vocal, Ray Charles' "I Can't Stop Loving You" gets Best R&B Recording, and Bent Fabric's instrumental "Alley Cat" takes Best Rock and Roll Record.

1964 - Mary Wells' "My Guy" hits #1 (US) for the first of two weeks.

1965 - Krist Novoselic (bass guitarist for Nirvana) is born in Compton, California.

1965 - The Rolling Stones appeared with Chuck Berry on the television show "Hollywood A-GO-GO."

1968 - Tony Joe White records "Polk Salad Annie."

1966 - The Beach Boys release their landmark album Pet Sounds, produced with great ingenuity by their bass player, Brian Wilson. Standout tracks include "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows." - https://youtu.be/CWPo5SC3zik

1966 - Janet Jackson is born Janet Damita Jo Jackson in Gary, Indiana.

1969 - During The Who's set at the Fillmore East in New York, a plainclothes policeman rushes the stage to tell the audience that a fire has broken out, but guitarist Pete Townshend, figuring him for a rabid fan, kicks him off. Literally. The guitarist is arrested onstage and later charged $30.

1970 - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young land their first US #1 album when Deja Vu hits the top spot. Tracks include "Teach Your Children," "Our House" and "Woodstock," a song written about the festival by Joni Mitchell.

1970 - Randy Bachman leaves The Guess Who to produce an album for Winnipeg band Brave Belt, which he eventually joins. At the suggestion of Neil Young, Bachman recruits fellow Winnipeg bassist and vocalist C.F. Turner, and the band Bachman-Turner Overdrive is born.

1974 - Queen cut their first US tour short when guitarist Brian May comes down with hepatitis. They return to action November 30, touring behind their third album, Sheer Heart Attack.

1981 - Ernie Freeman, a pianist known for R&B and pop arrangements from the '50s through the '70s, dies at a heart attack at age 58. Won Grammy awards for his arrangements of Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night" and Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

1983 - Michael Jackson does the Moonwalk for the first time on TV when he breaks out the move on the Motown 25th anniversary TV special.

1986 - Caitlin O'Riordan of The Pogues marries Elvis Costello in Dublin, Ireland. They divorce in 2002.

1987 - David Crosby marries his longtime girlfriend Jan Dance in Los Angeles, with bandmate Stephen Stills giving away the bride and Graham Nash renewing his vows with wife Susan.

1987 - U2 break big in America with their first #1 hit in that country, "With Or Without You," from the album The Joshua Tree. Their next single, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," follows to #1, cementing their superstar status.

1990 - Muppets creator Jim Henson dies of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome at 53. Henson made music a key component of The Muppet Show, which featured a gnarly house band (The Electric Mayhem) and welcomed many superstars eager to interact with his creatures. Elton John, Julie Andrews, John Denver and Loretta Lynn all appeared on the show.

1990 - Sammy Davis Jr. dies of complications from throat cancer at age 64.

1993 - R&B singer Marv Johnson, Motown's earliest performer, dies of a stroke at age 54.

1998 - Five years after it was first released (in Danish), "Torn" goes to #1 on the US Airplay chart with a version by the Australian actress Natalie Imbruglia.

2010 - Black Sabbath singer Ronnie James Dio succumbs to stomach cancer at age 68.