Music History on May 1

Marriage of Figaro

1786 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera "Marriage of Figaro" premieres in Vienna with Mozart himself directing

1931 Singer Kate Smith begins her long-running association with CBS radio, various programs continue until 1945
1950 Pulitzer prize awarded to Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II for musical "South Pacific"
1966 Last British concert by the Beatles at Empire Pool in Wembley, London
1968 Mark Sandrich and Sidney Michaels' musical "Ben Franklin in Paris", starring Robert Preston, closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, NYC, after 215 performances

1969 Reprise Records releases "Clouds", Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell's 2nd studio album

1971 Rolling Stones release single "Brown Sugar"
1972 Michael Brown's musical "Different Times" opens at the ANTA Theater, NYC; runs for 24 performances

1979 British pop superstar Elton John performs for 1st time in Israel, kicking off a mini-tour of 5 shows in six nights

1980 15th Academy of Country Music Awards: Larry Gatlin and Crystal Gayle win

1980 Frank Lazarus and Dick Vosburgh's musical double feature "A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine." opens at the John Golden Theatre, NYC; runs for 588 performances
1983 Musical "My One and Only", incorporating songs by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, opens at St James Theater, NYC; runs for 767 performances

1984 Mick Fleetwood, drummer and leader of Fleetwood Mac, files for bankruptcy

1988 Keith Herrmann and Barry Harman's musical "Romance/Romance" opens at the Helen Hayes Theatre, NYC; runs for 297 performances
1990 Craig Lucas' stage drama "Prelude to a Kiss" moves to the Helen Hayes Theatre, NYC; runs for 440 performances
1991 Cy Coleman, Betty Comden and Adolph Green' s musical "The Will Rogers Follies" opens at The Palace Theater, NYC; runs for 981 performances, winning 6 Tonty Awards
1994 Jim Cartwright's play "The Rise & Fall of Little Voice" opens at Neil Simon Theater, NYC; runs for 9 performances

1994 Revival of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's musical "My Fair Lady" closes at Virginia Theater, NYC, after 165 performances

1995 "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)" single released by John Michael Montgomery (Billboard Song of the Year 1995)
1995 Revival of Budd Schulberg's stage drama "On the Waterfront", adapted from his screenplay for the 1954 film, opens at Atkinson Theater, NYC; runs for 8 performances [1]
1996 Revival of Oscar Wilde's stage play "An Ideal Husband" opens at Ethel Barrymore Theatre, NYC; runs for 308 performances