Music History on May 8

  • 1823 "Home! Sweet Home!" by John Howard Payne is 1st sung in London

Pacifica 231

1924 Arthur Honegger's orchestral tribute to steam locomotives "Pacifica 231" premieres

  • 1952 Revival of Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle's musical "Shuffle Along" opens at Broadway Theater, NYC; runs for 4 performances

Of Thee I Sing

1952 Revival of George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind's musical political satire "Of Thee I Sing", directed by Kaufman, opens at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC; runs for 72 performances

  • 1960 1st performance of Ferde Grofé's "San Francisco Suite", with Grofé conducting, in San Francisco

A Funny Thing Happened

1962 Stephen Sondheim's musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" starring Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford, and directed by George Abbott, opens at Alvin Theater, NYC; runs for 965 performances, and wins 6 Tony Awards

  • 1970 Beatles release 12th, and final, studio album, "Let It Be", in conjunction with the film of the same name
  • 1971 Courtney, Courtney, and Link's musical "Earl of Ruston" closes at Billy Rose Theater, NYC, after 5 performances

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

1976 Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner's musical "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" closes at Mark Hellinger, NYC, after 7 performances

Three Imaginary Boys

1979 The Cure release their debut album "Three Imaginary Boys" (Boys Don't Cry in US, Australia)

  • 1988 Brazilian musical revue "Oba Oba" closes at Ambassador Theater, NYC, after 46 performances

Sports History

1989 Paul McCartney releases remake of "Ferry Cross the Mersey" in aid of those affected by the Hillsborough disaster, which claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool football fans

  • 1994 Jim Cartwright's play "The Rise & Fall of Little Voice" closes at Neil Simon Theater, NYC after 9 performances

Music Concert

2008 Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert held at Carnegie Hall, NYC; performers include: Sting, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Brian Wilson, Chris Botti, Feist, Roberto Alagna, and Natalie Clein

The Little Mermaid

2023 Disney live-action film musical "The Little Mermaid" starring Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, directed by Robb Marshall, premieres in the US [1]