Music History for
March 17




1839 - Composer Josef Gabriel Rheinberger was born.

1926 - "The Girl Friend" opened in New York City. The musical ran for 409 performances.

1956 - Carl Perkins appeared on "Ozark Jubilee." It was his first television appearance.

1958 - The Coasters recorded "Yakety Yak."

1962 - Billboards reported that Ray Charles had started Tangerine, his own record label.

1967 - Bobby Vee recorded "Come Back When You Grow Up".

1968 - The Bee Gees made their U.S. television debut on the "Ed Sullivan Show." They performed "To Love Somebody" and "Words."

1982 - Samuel George Jr. of the Capitols was stabbed to death during a family argument. He was 39 years old.

1990 - Whitney Houston headlined an AIDS benefit concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

1990 - In Paris, the Bastille opera opened with a performance of Berlioz' "Les Troyens".

1995 - Suzanne Vega married Mitchell Froom.

1995 - Madonna premiered the "Bedtime Stories" video. The gathering was 1,500 guests that were in pajamas and had teddy bears.

1997 - The RIAA announced that the Eagles' "Greatest Hits" album had tied Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as the all-time best-selling album in the U.S.

1998 - Van Halen released "Van Halen 3." It was the bands first album with lead singer Gary Cherone (of Extreme).