This week in music history: July 18-24

July 18

1821 - Carl Maria von Weber's opera "Der Freischutz" was first performed in Berlin.

1948 - Columbia Records publicly unveiled its new long-playing phonograph record, the 33 1/3, in New York City.

1967 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience made its debut performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in California.

1987 - A woman sued Motley Crue for $5,000 claiming that she lost her hearing because a concert was too loud.

July 19

1942 – Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony was performed for the 1st time in the U.S. by Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra.

1954 - Elvis Presley's first single was released by Sun Records. It was "That's All Right" b/w "Blue Moon of Kentucky."

1966 - Frank Sinatra, at the age of 50, married the 20-year-old actress Mia Farrow.

1976 - Rock group Deep Purple disbanded

1991 - Former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler filed a lawsuit against the band. He claimed the other members had forced him to use heroin, then made him quit the band when he entered a rehabilitation program.

This week in Music History: May 23-29

May 23
1910 - Artie Shaw, [Arthur Arshawsky], bandleader, born in NYC
1969 - The Who release rock opera "Tommy"
1970 - The Grateful Dead played its first British concert at the Hollywood Rock Festival. It was also their first show outside of the U.S.
1974 - Jewel [Kilcher], folk/rock vocalist, born in Alaska
1979 - "The Kids Are Alright," Jeff Stein's documentary compilation of film clips detailing the history of the Who, debuted in New York.
1994 - Joe Pass, US jazz guitarist (The Trio), dies at 65

May 24
1944 - Patti LaBelle, [Holt], born in Philadelphia
1974 - Duke Ellington, blues singer, dies of cancer at 75
1986 - Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, and Peter Tork reunited as The Monkees.
1998 - Philadelphia mayor Ed Rendell proclaimed May 24th "Van Halen Day" in Philadelphia.
2000 - Chuck D testified to the U.S. Congress about the benefits of Napster and online music distribution.

May 25
1878 – Gilbert and Sullivan’s opera "HMS Pinafore," premieres in London
1934 - Gustav Theodore Holst, English composer, dies at 59
1969 - Led Zeppelin and The Who appeared together in concert at the Merriweather Post Pavilion.
1973 - Carole King performed in New York's Central Park to an audience of 100,000.
1996 - Bradley Nowell (Sublime) was found dead in his San Francisco motel room of a drug overdose at the age of 26.
1997 - Bob Dylan was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital with chest pains. As a result, his European tour was canceled.

This week in Music History: May 16-22

May 16
1946 - The Irving Berlin musical, "Annie Get Your Gun," opened at New York’s Imperial Theatre for the first of 1,147 performances.
1983 - The television special "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever" aired. It was a taping of the first time that Michael Jackson performed the moonwalk for a live audience. 

May 17
1840 - Niccolo Paganini, composer, died at 57

1866 - Composer Erik Alfred-Leslie Satie born.

1918 – Operatic soprano Birgit Nilsson, born in Karup Sweden

1935 - Paul A Dukas, French composer/tutor of Messiaen, died at 69

1961 - Enya, [Eithne N¡ Bhraon in], born in Gweedore Ireland

1965 - Trent Reznor (NIN) born in Mercer, PA

1971 - The musical "Godspell" opened in New York City and ran for 2,124 performances.

1975 - Elton John’s "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" album was released. It was the first album to be certified a million-seller on its first day of release.

1980 - Peter Criss left KISS to pursue a solo career. 

May 18

1911 – Composer Gustav Mahler died at age 50. His last word was "Mozart." He had conducted his last concert on February 21.

2003 - "Les Miserables" closed after 6,680 shows and 16 years on Broadway.