What happened on October 6
-
1600426 yrs ago
Peri's Euridice, oldest surviving opera, premieres in Florence
It was staged at the Palazzo Pitti for the wedding of Henry IV of France and Maria de' Medici. Peri, the composer, sang the role of Orfeo himself.
-
192799 yrs ago
The Jazz Singer premieres and movies start to talk
Al Jolson's spoken lines stunned audiences who had never heard dialogue in a feature film. He sings six songs in the movie, including "Toot, Toot, Tootsie".
-
196957 yrs ago
"Something" becomes George Harrison's first Beatles A-side
It came out in the US as a double A-side with "Come Together". Frank Sinatra later called it the greatest love song of the past 50 years.
-
197452 yrs ago
King Crimson release Red after already breaking up
Robert Fripp had disbanded the group about two weeks before the album came out, so Red ended up as the band's farewell record. It was the last studio album with both John Wetton and Bill Bruford.
-
199036 yrs ago
Metallica begin recording the Black Album
The sessions started at One on One Studios in Los Angeles and ran for about eight months. The result was the album with "Enter Sandman".
-
1820206 yrs ago
Jenny Lind, the 'Swedish Nightingale,' is born
P. T. Barnum brought her to the US in 1850 for 93 concerts, and the press called the craze 'Lind mania'. She gave most of what she earned to charity.
-
194779 yrs ago
Millie Small of "My Boy Lollipop" is born in Jamaica
At 17 she had Island Records' first big hit, which sold over seven million copies and introduced many listeners to Jamaican bluebeat, a forerunner of reggae.
-
195175 yrs ago
REO Speedwagon frontman Kevin Cronin is born
Cronin wrote both of the band's Hot 100 No. 1s, "Keep On Loving You" and "Can't Fight This Feeling". The album Hi Infidelity sold more than 10 million copies.
-
20197 yrs ago
Cream drummer Ginger Baker dies at 80
He is often called rock's first superstar drummer and helped bring the double bass drum into rock. He played in both Cream and Blind Faith.
-
20206 yrs ago
Guitar innovator Eddie Van Halen dies at 65
He popularized two-handed tapping, and his 1978 solo "Eruption" is one of the most famous guitar showcases in rock. Guitar World readers voted him the greatest guitarist of all time.
Nothing matches these filters on October 6.