British concert pianist Dame Moura Lympany was born Mary Gertrude Johnstone today, August 18, 1916, in Saltash, Cornwall. She later took the stage name “Moura” as a Russian version of the name “Mary,” and the last name from her mother’s maiden name, “Limpenny.” She played her first concert at the age of twelve, playing the only …
Category: Music
Jun 24 2022
June 24th Birthday Love: Colin Blunstone
Singer and songwriter Colin Blunstone was born on June 24, 1945, in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. In the 1960’s, Blunstone rose to fame as the lead singer for The Zombies, and has also had a successful solo career, making music for over 50 years now. The band formed in 1962 in St. Albans, England, with Colin …
Jun 15 2022
June 15th Birthday Love: Erroll Garner
“Every time he played piano, you could hear the smile in his touch, you could hear the smile in his rhythmic approach.” – Jazz Pianist George Shearing Jazz/swing pianist and composer Erroll Garner was born on this day, June 15, 1923, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Garner is well known for his excellent keyboard skills, being a mostly …
May 20 2022
May 20th Birthday Love: Zbigniew Preisner
Feb 25 2022
February 25th Birthday Love: George Harrison
Happy birthday to “the quiet Beatle,” George Harrison, born February 25, 1943 at 12 Arnold Grove in Liverpool, England. Here is Harrison’s 1970 hit “My Sweet Lord” from the triple album All Things Must Pass. “‘My Sweet Lord’ has got a mantra in there and mantras are – well, they call it a mystical sound vibration encased in …
Jan 02 2022
January 2nd Birthday Love: Roger Miller
Today is the birthday of the beloved, affable country western legend, Roger Miller, born on this day in Fort Worth, Texas. Miller grew up plowing the land and picking cotton on a farm in Erick, Oklahoma. Erick is located on Oklahoma’s Route 66 and has a Roger Miller Museum in his honor, as well as …
May 27 2021
May 27th Birthday Love: Neil Finn
Happy birthday to Crowded House frontman Neil Finn, born on this day May 27, 1958 in Te Awamutu, New Zealand. Finn’s rock beginnings may have started in late 1974, when Neil’s brother Tim formed the band Split Enz, and Neil eventually became co-frontman of the band along with his brother. He proved to be an excellent addition …
Jan 09 2021
Louie Zong Samples Sea Shanties for “All We Got”
Musician and painter Louie Zong just shared “All We Got,” a song made with samples from Smithsonian Folkway-found sea shanties. And the result is really joyous. all we got by Louie Zong
Jan 06 2021
Kumi Takahara Reveals “Tide” from Debut Album, See-through
Kumi Takahara just shared a song from her new modern classical album See-through via Bandcamp, where the album is described as “a swirl of raw strings, found sound and glistening piano: part private diary, part daydream.” You can listen to “Tide” now, and the album will be released February 24th, 2021. Tide by Kumi Takahara
Jan 01 2021