Politics

Lily Mae Ledford is born in Pilot, Kentucky, USA. She will become the leader of The Coon Creek Girls, the first all-female stringband, and the first country act to perform at the White House in Washington DC.

Ernest Krenek's opera Johnny Strikes Up The Band [Jonny Spielt Auf] has its premiere at The Stadttheater, Leipzig, Germany, Europe. It will outrage Germany's emerging Nazi right wing because the central character, Johnny, is an American negro jazz fiddler who emerges as the winner in a combat between traditional and modern music.

Outspoken liberal poet and dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca is shot dead by Fascist militia near Alfacar, Granada, Spain, Europe. Lorca will become a lifelong hero to Leonard Cohen, whose 1986 song Take This Waltz is a translation of the Lorca poem Pequeno vals vienes. The story of Lorca's death will provide inspiration for The Pogues' 1990 song Lorca's Novena, and in 2012 songwriter Joe Wilkes will release a song, Looking For The Grave Of Garcia Lorca, on an album of the same title.

In response to popular demand, Paul Robeson gives a repeat performance of Ballad For Americans on CBS Radio and shortly afterwards records the cantata with The American People's Chorus for Victor Records.

The National Barber Shop Quartet Contest is held at the New York World's Fair, in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA. The winners are an Oklahoma police department quartet, The Flat Foot Four, singing Shine, Annie Laurie and Roll Dem Bones. The prize is awarded by New York's Mayor La Guardia.

Georgia State Governor Eugene Talmadge forces the University of Georgia, to dismiss Walter Cocking, Dean of the College of Education. Talmadge had previously accused Cocking of supporting racial integration and now used his influence as an ex-officio member of The Board Of Regents to have Cocking removed. This and other Talmadge racist activities will inspire the 1942 song Governor Talmadge Blues, made popular by Helen Humes.

Work on carving the four massive heads of US Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln is completed at Mount Rushmore, near Keystone, South Dakota, USA. The work will become an iconic American National Monument, recorgnised throughout the world, and it will inspire a number of music-related tributes. In 2011, musical comedy artist Jesse Goldberg will co-write and sing the novelty song Mount Rushmore Rocks - complete with an animated video in which the stone heads sing the song. A similar idea by The Mount Rushmore Singers, features the presidents performing a medley of Sing A Song/I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing. Other Rushmore-oriented music trivia include a 1967 psychedelic rock band from San Francisco named Mount Rushmore, and the fact that the cover of Deep Purple's 1970 album Deep Purple In Rock was inspired by Mount Rushmore, depicting the five band members' faces instead of the four presidents.

In response to a request by singer Paul Robeson

The Irving Berlin musical comedy Call Me Madam is presented on Broadway at The Imperial Theatre, New York City, USA, during a run of 644 performances.

Bulee Gaillard (aka Slim Gaillard) And His Southern Fried Orchestra record St. Louis Blues, I Know What To Do, Tax Payer's Blues and Eatin' With The Boogie for Mercury Records in New York City, USA.

Paul Robeson performs a concert at a People's Party Rally in Weaver High School Auditorium, Hartford, Connecticut, USA. The show attracts some controversy when some local figures object because the venue had been let to the People's Party before it was known that racial equality campaigner Robeson would sing.

Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow and Lew Childre are entertaining American troops in Korea, Asia, during a tour that lasts 28 days.

Garry Marshall Shider is born in Plainfield, New Jersey, USA. He will find success as guitarist and musical arranger Garry Shider [also spelled Gary Shider], the right hand man to George Clinton on numerous P-Funk, Parliament and Funkadelic projects.

Joe Cole is born. He will become a roadie for Black Flag and The Rollins Band, as well as a close friend of Henry Rollins. His book, Planet Joe, will document his experiences tourng with Black Flag and the Rollins Band.

Louis Armstrong and the All Stars record They Say I Look Like God, The Real Ambassadors and other tracks in New York City, USA, for Columbia Records. Piano player on the session is Dave Brubeck, and vocalist is Annie Ross.

The Kingston Trio and Barbra Streisand play a benefit concert for mayoral candidate John F. Shelley at the Masonic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, USA.

In the face of obscenity charges levelled by State Governor Welsh against The Kingsmen's hit Louie Louie, The Indianapolis Star runs an editorial, stating, "As a music critic, Governor Matthew E. Welsh is probably a good lawyer.

The Fugs play the fourth of five consecutive Saturday gigs at The Bridge Theatre, New York City, USA.

In Detroit, Michigan, USA, The Supremes record Bob Dylan's song Blowin' In the Wind for Motown Records but the track is not released until 1969 on their album Cream Of The Crop.

Country Joe And The Fish play the fourth of five nights at the Jabberwock, Berkeley, California, USA.

The first Czechoslovak National Festival Of Rock Music begins in Lucerna Hall, Prague, Czechoslovakia, Europe. The three-day event attracts 12,000 fans to see bands including the psychedelic Prague-based band The Primitives.

Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs (aka Flatt And Scruggs) release a new album, Changin' Times, on Columbia Records in the USA. The album includes their versions of several Bob Dylan songs, plus folk oriented songs by Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Bobbie Gentry.

Love, Congress of Wonders, and The Sons of Champlin play the second of three nights at The Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, California, USA.

Over 300 Vietnamese people, mostly women, children, infants and elderly people, are killed in The My Lai Massacre. The killings are carried out by United States Army soldiers of "Charlie" Company of 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade of the Americal Division. 26 soldiers will be charged with criminal offenses for their actions at My Lai, but only one, Platoon Leader Second Lieutenant William Calley, will be convicted. Found guilty of killing 22 people, he will serve just three and a half years under house arrest. This atrocity inspires several songs, both for and against Calley. Tragically, the best-remembered is perhaps the fiercely patriotic Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley by Shelby Singleton.

Ella Fitzgerald plays at The Rainbow Grill, New York City, USA. During the show she performs her own newly-written song, He Had A Dream, about Black Human Richts leader Martin Luther King.

Stevie Wonder makes a speech supporting the Martin Luther King Holiday bill, in Washington DC, USA. Wonder also uses the occasion to premiere his new song, Happy Birthday, written in honour of Dr Kng.

Conflict play at The Hummingbird, Birmingham, England, UK, Europe.

In Sokolow, Czechoslovakia, Europe, a concert scheduled for the next day by folksy Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn, is cancelled by East German government officials. It is stated that after seeing a publicity photograph of Cockburn wearing an earring, the officials decided he was too 'subversive' to be allowed to perform.

At Tiger Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, USA, in front of 50,000 people, Nelson Mandela celebrates his freedom by quoting lines from the song What's Going On by Marvin Gaye.

The United States Congress honours Ray Charles by dedicating and renaming the former West Adams Station post office in Los Angeles, California, USA, the 'Ray Charles Station'. The Post Office stands on the site of the former legendary jazz and supper club The Parisian Room.

John Legend performs at President Barack Obama's Moving America Forward rally at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.

Legendary folk musician Pete Seeger is the special honoree at the Local 802 AFM 90th Anniversary Benefit Gala in Roseland Ballroom, New York City, USA.

North Vietnamese police arrest songwriter Viet Khang and place him in pre-trial detention at No.4 Phan Dang Luu prison in Ho Chi Minh City. His crime was to have written a song criticising the Vietnamese authorities' response to China's territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea. He is charged with conducting anti-state propaganda under Article 88 of Viet Nam's Criminal Code and could face a jail sentence of up to two decades.

In a series of irate Tweets, Cyndi Lauper expresses her anger at having had her song True Colors used, without permission, in an online advertisement discrediting Republican US Presidential candidate Mitt Romney. The ad is taken down shortly after.

When asked how he intends to deal with pop group Take That's tax avoidance strategies, British Prime Minister David Cameron states in Parliament in London, UK, that, "I couldn't have been clearer that I condemn all of these aggressive tax avoidance schemes ... we want your money back for good."

In a Twitter posting, popular British singer Rebecca Ferguson reveals that she has been asked to sing at the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump but will only agree to perform if she can sing Strange Fruit, the 1939 song about the lynching of black men, made famous by Billie Holiday.

Alicia Keys and Janelle Monae are among the artists performing at the Women's March on Washington, in Washington DC, USA. Also in attandance are Katy Perry and Madonna. Dozens of other 'sister-marches' take place across the world in protest at the election of Donald Trump as President Of The USA.

On their DCX MMXVI World Tour, The Dixie Chicks play at Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia, Oceania, supported by Avalanche City.

On their DCX MMXVI World Tour, The Dixie Chicks play at The Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, supported by Smooth Hound Smith.

At the BRIT Awards event in The O2 Arena, London, England, UK, Europe, double-award-winning grime star Stormzy uses his appearance to criticise UK Prime Minister Theresa May by rapping, "Yo, Theresa May where's that money for Grenfell? What you thought we just forgot about Grenfell?"