Hi everyone and welcome to the October 2026 Pianotes! I hope this finds you well and enjoying early Fall! For the trivia this month, I decided to go back into the archives and found some interesting odds and ends. I updated a few items while I was at it and hope you enjoy them all!
For his 1988 world tour, Michael Jackson ordered enough Evian water to take hot baths in and a huge plastic shield to protect him from fans' germs.
“Summertime,” composed in 1935 by George Gershwin for the opera "Porgy and Bess," has amassed more than 67,000 recorded versions across jazz, blues, and classical genres.
“Yesterday,” written by Paul McCartney and recorded in 1965 by The Beatles, has historically held the official Guinness recognition as the pop song with the most cover versions with more than 2,200 verified covers.
New Reviews: As usual, there is a varied group of new reviews for you this month. Quite a few of the artists are new to MainlyPiano.com, but we also have music from several longtime favorites who have released new music. I also have a review of a mysterious new book by Leona Francombe. You can find them all
here.
I have written reviews of two new films by pianist/composers Lesley Spencer (
Katie Keeps Going) and Anne Trennning (
Faith and the Christmas Star) and will be posting them as soon as I get the go-ahead from the artists. It’s been inspiring to see another side of their artistry and I look forward to sharing with those reviews as well as new interviews with both artists soon.
The Beatles' "Yesterday" was originally called "Scrambled Eggs." After writing the melody, Paul McCartney couldn't think of any words.
In 1959, a series of record albums was released called "Oldies But Goodies." Due to superstition, there was no Volume 13. Volume 14 came after Volume 12.
Barry Gordy, president of Motown Records, labeled The Jacksons' music "Soul Bubblegum.”
New Interviews: As promised, I have two interviews for you this month. The first is with
Marc Enfroy, an artist I’ve been reviewing and interviewing for many years. We spoke quite a bit about his new album,
Threads Across Time, as well as doing an update since our last interview. The second is with
Marcia Wells, a sheet music arranger and pianist I’ve been doing proof-reading for since 2018. She does a great job and I wanted to get the word out about her.
I should have my interview with Lesley Spencer ready to post around mid-October and am also working on one with Anne Trenning plus a couple of surprises! Stay tuned!
About twelve miles outside of Jerusalem, an American couple established "The Elvis Inn” in about 1989 It is a restaurant and "petrol station,” and serves as an Elvis Presley museum. Visitors to the Holy Land are greeted by a 30-40' tall statue of Elvis outside the inn.
It is claimed that 200,000 barbers lost their jobs as soon as The Beatles became popular in the early ’60's.
During Operation Desert Storm, the British government sent a memo to 37 local radio stations suggesting that they use caution in airing seventeen songs. They included: "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" by Cher, "Give Peace a Chance" and "Imagine" by John Lennon, "Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins,"Killer Queen" by Queen, "(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight" by Cutting Crew, "I Shot the Sheriff" by Eric Clapton, "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" by Paper Lace, "Under Attack" by ABBA, "Killing Me Softly With His Song" by Roberta Flack, "Light My Fire" by the Doors, "Atomic" by Blondie, "Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar, "War" by Edwin Starr, "Walk Like An Egyptian" by the Bangles, and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" by Elton John.
October Holidays and Celebrations: Here are some music-related observances in October:
October is Country Music Month
October 4-10 is National Carry a Tune Week
1st: International Music Day, World Ballet Day and CD Player Day,
2nd: Kids Music Day
4th: International Toot Your Flute Day
10th: Universal Music Day and Hug a Drummer Day
17th: International Cassette Store Day(!!!)
23rd: National iPod Day
24th: Record Store Day
25th: Punk For a Day Day
Michael Jackson was eleven when the Jackson 5 released their first record, "I Want You Back.” It came out in November 1969, and sold two million copies in its first six weeks.
Artist Andy Warhol designed the jeans-with-zipper album cover for The Rolling Stones' 1971 album, "Sticky Fingers.”
Monty Python once recorded a 3-sided LP called "Matching Tie and Handkerchief." One side had parallel grooves. Depending on where you put the phonograph needle, you would hear one of two completely different recordings.
October Birthdays: Here are some musical birthdays to celebrate this month:
10/1: Vladimir Horowitz (1903-89), Julie Andrews
10/2: Sting, Groucho Marx (1890-1977)
10/3: Lindy Kerby, Gwen Stefani, Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954-1990), Keb Mo, Lindsey Buckingham, Chubby Checker
10/5: Bob Geldof, Steve Miller
10/7: Peter Sterling, Yo-Yo Ma, Toni Braxton, John Mellencamp
10/8: Laura Sullivan, Bruno Mars, CeCe Winans, Robert “Kool” Bell
10/9: Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921), John Lennon (1940-80),
Frank Huang, Darlene Koldenhoven, Sean Lennon, Jackson Browne
10/10: Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), Tanya Tucker, David Lee Roth, Thelonious Monk (1917-82)
10/11: Cardi B, Daryl Hall
10/12: Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), Chris Botti
10/13: Art Tatum (1909-1956), Marie Osmond, Sammy Hagar, Paul Simon, Pharoah Sanders (1940-2022)
10/14: Usher, Natalie Maines, Thomas Dolby, Justin Hayward, Cliff Richard
10/15: Richard Carpenter
10/16: John Mayer
10/17: Robert Linton, Eminem, Wyclef Jean, Ziggy Marley, Alan Jackson
10/18: Chuck Berry (1926-2017), Wynton Marsalis, Zac Efron
10/19: Lesley Spencer, Emil Gilels (1916-1985)
10/20: Jelly Roll Morton (1885-1941), David Vito Gregoli, Snoop Dogg, Tom Petty (1950-2017)
10/21: Elvin Bishop, Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993), Manfred Mann
10/22: Franz Liszt (1811-1886), Annette Funicello (1942-2013)
10/23: Weird Al Yankovic, Dwight Yoakim
10/24: Doug Hammer, Michael Stribling, Bill Wyman, JP “Big Bopper” Richardson (1930-1959)
10/25: Johann Strauss II (1825-1899), Georges Bizet (1838-1875), Matt Johnson, Katy Perry
10/26: Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757), Mahalia Jackson (1911-72),
Keith Urban, Natalie Merchant, Bootsy Collins, Mahalia Jackson (1911-1972)
10/27: Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840), Antonio Simone, Floyd Cramer (1933-97)
10/28: Charles Denler, Brad Paisley, Charlie Daniels (1936-2020)
10/29: Christel Veraart
10/30: Judson Hurd, Lucas Kirby, Marge Adler, Grace Slick
10/31: Ethel Waters (1896-1977), Vanilla Ice
Happy Birthday to all!!!
Michael Jackson was crowned an African king on February 15, 1992. In the eastern village of Krinjabo, he was crowned king of the Agni tribe. He was given a robe of heavy purple cloth, traditional sandals, and a crown of black and gold. He thanked them, and then removed the garments as soon as the ceremony was over, offending many of the tribesmen.
Elvis Presley got a C in Music in the 8th grade. Some of his other grades include a C in Speech, an F in Typing, and B's and C's in Woodshop.
When Moody Blues singer, Justin Hayward experienced sudden hearing loss at a ‘93 concert in Connecticut, a medic in the house removed a large Japanese beetle from his aural cavity.
That should bring us up-to-date for this month! The photos below are some "October images" that include our front porch a few years ago, my cuddly black cat (Thackery Binx), our goofy Pepper trying to figure out what to do with his trick or treat bag and a resident crow. Have a great month and Happy Halloween!
Kathy
Roy Clark was the first US country artist to tour Russia.
The Who were entered in the 1976 Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s loudest rock band.
New York City’s Joffrey Ballet once performed a ballet set entirely to the music of The Beach Boys.
To the best of my knowledge, the "trivia" items are true, but I can't guarantee it.
