Music History on March 20

  • 1885 Yiddish theater opens in New York City with an operetta by Abraham Goldfaden
  • 1888 Premiere of the very first Romani language operetta staged in Moscow, Russia

1st Live Televised Symphony

1948 First live televised symphony performances: Eugene Ormandy leads Philadelphia Orchestra on CBS, followed 90 minutes later by Arturo Toscanini leading the NBC Orchestra on NBC

  • 1954 Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's musical "The King and I", starring Yul Brynner, closes at the St James Theater, NYC, after 1,246 performances
  • 1965 10th Eurovision Song Contest: France Gall of Luxembourg wins singing "Poupee de cire, poupee de son" written by Serge Gainsbourg in Naples, Italy

The Happening

1967 The Supremes release single "The Happening"

  • 1982 Joan Jett & Blackhearts' "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" goes #1 for 7 weeks

Music History

1990 Singer Gloria Estefan fractures her spine when a truck hits her tour bus near Scranton, Pennsylvania

Music History

1991 Court awards singer-songwriter Peggy Lee $3 million in suit against Disney regarding home video royalties

Music History

1991 Michael Jackson signs $65 million deal with Sony Records to produce six albums

  • 1994 "Cyrano - The Musical" closes at Neil Simon NYC after 137 performances
  • 1994 "Flowering Peach" opens at Lyceum Theater NYC for 41 performances
  • 1994 "No Man's Land" closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 61 performances

Baby It's You

1995 Beatles release single, a cover of Shirelles song, "Baby It's You" (written by Burt Bacharach & Mack David), with late John Lennon as lead singer; 1st Fab Four single in nearly 10 years

  • 1996 "Love Thy Neighbor" opens at Booth Theater NYC

Play On!

1997 Cheryl L. West and Shelden Epp's musical "Play On!", an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" set in 1940s Harlem, featuring music of Duke Ellington, opens at Brooks Atkinson Theatre, NYC; runs for 61 performances

Gershwin Prize

2024 British singer-songwriter Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin receive Library of Congress Gershwin Prize at the White House in Washington, D.C.