Birthdays on the Tube: 10-16 April

Dusty Springfield, Herbie Hancock, Mikhail Pletnev, Joel Grey and Bessie Smith

share this article

Dusty Springfield: she had soul power
Dusty Springfield: she had soul power
This week's birthday musicians include Dusty Springfield singing “Son of a Preacher Man”, Joel Grey advocating polygamy, Mikhail Pletnev playing Rachmaninov, early hip hop from Herbie Hancock and Afrika Bambaataa, Henry Mancini and Bessie Smith. Videos below.

16 April 1939: Dusty Springfield in her Southern soul phase singing “Son of a Preacher Man”.

{youtube}dp4339EbVn8 {/youtube}

11 April 1932: Joel Grey has two ladies in arguably the best song from the film Cabaret.

{youtube}oPOiaAU_vJg {/youtube}

12 April 1940: Herbie Hancock had one of the earliest hip-hop-influenced hits “Rockit”, from his 1983 album Future Shock, which he said was inspired by Malcolm McLaren’s Duck Rock.

{youtube}nK0Pi4wC8Hk {/youtube}

10 April 1957: Afrika Bambaataa, born Kevin Donovan, had an earlier hit in 1982 with "Planet Rock". His first mainstream gig outside the Bronx was playing with Bow Wow Wow at the invitation of Malcolm McLaren.

{youtube}9lDCYjb8RHk {/youtube}

15 April 1894: The Queen of the Blues, Bessie Smith, sings “Nobody Loves You When You Are Down and Out”.

{youtube}FX8ptPn3P9I {/youtube}

14 April 1957: Superb pianist Mikhail Pletnev plays a Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.

{youtube}D5bP1CdfM-8 {/youtube}

16 April 1924: Henry Mancini’s best-known tune – “The Theme from Pink Panther”.



Add comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Name that you would like to appear as the author of the comment

rating

0

explore topics

share this article

Help secure the future of arts journalism

In this era of algorithmic recommendation, opaquely sponsored content and AI slop, theartsdesk’s mission to preserve real journalistic and critical values has never been more important.

If you like what you see here, please join us 
in this mission.

Subscribing to the site will help us in our coming 
redesign and expansion.


If you do this before the 31st August this will be at our guaranteed founder’s rate: 
your subs will never increase again.

Subscribe now for £5 per month. 
or yearly for just £40.

Or if you simply want to support us with a one-off donation, you can do so here.

more new music

The welcome return of a foundational album of electronic minimalism
Surrealism, social observation and more muscular sound from the Leeds quartet
A powerful personal outpouring of joy and pain - with a great beat
The London quartet have taken to playing large venues with ease, as this career-spanning set showed
The Philadelphia punk rockers continue to impress
A partial account of how Brit-punk absorbed an aspect of reggae
The Fez Festival Of World Sacred Music and the Fes Gathering bring the world together
Bristol band aren't happy but offer up the occasional sing-along
A new album is unveiled and old tunes are played for the last time