Notable Births
- 1948: Johnny Ramone (John Cummings), the pioneering, aggressive rhythm guitarist and founding member of the legendary punk rock band The Ramones, was born in Queens, New York.
- 1965: C.J. Ramone (Christopher Joseph Ward), who later joined The Ramones as their bassist and vocalist, sharing a birthday with his bandmate Johnny, was born.
- 1967: Teddy Riley, the highly influential singer, songwriter, and producer credited with the creation of the New Jack Swing genre, was born in New York City.
- 1985: Bruno Mars (Peter Gene Hernandez), the chart-topping, multi-Grammy-winning pop, R&B, and funk superstar, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii.
🎵 Major Events & Releases
- 1964: Working at London’s Abbey Road Studios, The Beatles recorded their upcoming single “She’s a Woman” in just seven takes, finishing the entire recording in five hours.
- 1966: Legendary Cream drummer Ginger Baker dramatically collapsed on stage during a gig at Sussex University in England after playing an exhausting 20-minute drum solo.
- 1982: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s blockbuster musical Cats officially opened on Broadway. It would go on to run for nearly 18 years, becoming one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history.
- 1992: The United States Postal Service issued a highly anticipated set of commemorative stamps celebrating rock and pop music legends, honoring icons like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Otis Redding, and Ritchie Valens.
Bio-Musik Feature: Austin’s Live Music Pioneers
Continuing the focus on the venues that sustain the Texas music ecosystem, today we head straight to the University of Texas campus to spotlight an absolute dive-bar legend.
- Hole in the Wall: Located right on the drag at 2538 Guadalupe Street, the Hole in the Wall is a gritty, beloved Austin institution that has been serving cheap drinks and loud music since 1974. Unpretentious and fiercely independent, this tiny venue has served as a critical launching pad for countless Austin artists. Everyone from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Townes Van Zandt to Spoon and Fastball has squeezed onto its famously small stage. It remains a vital, surviving anchor of old-school Austin on the MusicWayATX calendar—a true rite of passage for local musicians and the perfect, sweaty room to catch raw, unfiltered Sonidos Frescos.
