Music History on January 16

  • 1922 Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Pastoral Symphony" premieres in London, with Adrian Boult conducting

Carnegie Hall's First Jazz Concert

1938 First jazz concert held at Carnegie Hall, performed by Benny Goodman and his band

"The Rape of Lucretia"

1949 Benjamin Britten's chamber opera "The Rape of Lucretia" closes at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC, after 23 performances

"South Pacific"

1954 Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's musical "South Pacific", starring Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza, closes at the Majestic Theater, NYC, after 1928 performances;, winning 10 Tony Awards and Pulitzer Prize

  • 1957 Cavern Club opens on Matthews Street in Liverpool, England, home of many performances by The Beatles
  • 1961 "Conquering Hero" opens at ANTA Theater NYC for 8 performances
  • 1963 Los Angeles night club and music venue The Whiskey A-Go-Go opens (inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2006)
  • 1964 Jerry Herman's musical "Hello, Dolly!", starring Carol Channing, opens at St James Theatre, NYC; runs for 2,844 performances and wins 10 Tony Awards
  • 1965 "Oh What a Lovely War" closes at Broadhurst NYC after 125 performances
  • 1965 The Searchers' "Love Potion Number 9" peaks at #3
  • 1976 "Donny & Marie" [Osmond] musical variety show premieres on ABC TV

McCartney Arrested for Marijuana

1980 Paul McCartney is arrested at Tokyo International Airport for possession of marijuana; he is sent to jail for nine days before being deported

"Woman"

1981 John Lennon's single "Woman" is posthumously released in the UK

11th American Music Awards

1984 11th American Music Awards: Pat Benatar and Michael Jackson win

Paul and Linda McCartney Arrested

1984 Paul & Linda McCartney arrested in Barbados for possession of cannabis

"Got My Mind Set On You"

1988 George Harrison's single "Got My Mind Set On You" tops the Billboard charts; the cover song was written by Rudy Clark and originally recorded by James Ray in 1962

6th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

1991 6th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: LaVern Baker; The Byrds; John Lee Hooker; The Impressions; Wilson Pickett; Jimmy Reed; Ike and Tina Turner; Howlin' Wolf; Dave Bartholomew; and Ralph Bass

  • 1992 "Two Shakespearean Actors" opens at Cort Theater NYC for 29 performances

Eric Clapton "Unplugged"

1992 Eric Clapton performs for an episode of MTV "Unplugged" at Bray Film Studios in Windsor, England. Recording won six Grammy Awards, and became Clapton's bestselling album, and the bestselling live album of all time