1648 – Composer John Blow was born.

1685 – Composer George Frideric Handel was born.

1730 – Composer Christian Joseph Lidarti was born.

1792 – Joseph Haydn’s 94th Symphony in G was premiered.

1811 – Composer George Washington Hewitt was born.

1848 – Composer Thomas Paine Westendorf was born.

1873 – Composer Dmitri Arakishvili was born.

1876 – Composer Wadi’ Sabra was born.

1876 – Composer Edgar Istel was born.

1886 – Tsjaikovski’s symphony “Manfred” premiered.

1886 – Composer Albert Edward Sammons was born.

1887 – Composer Oskar Frederik Lindberg was born.

1924 – Composer Lejaren Hiller was born.

1927 – Composer Ivan Hrusovsky was born.

1937 – Bing Crosby sang with Lani McIntyre and his band as “Sweet Leilani” was recorded.

1963 – The Chiffons’ “He’s So Fine” was released.

1970 – Ringo Starr guest starred on “Laugh-In.” It was his first solo TV appearance.

1972 – Elvis and Priscilla Presley seperated.

1974 – Columbia Records released Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.”

1979 – Dire Straits began their first U.S./Canada tour in Boston.

1993 – Little Richard received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy.

1994 – The ground breaking ceremony for the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas occurred.

1995 – Melvin Franklin (Temptations) died of heart failure.

1998 – Nine people were killed and more than 40 injured when a truck veered out of control during the annual carnival in Port-au-Prince. The Haitian band Ram was performing on the truck. None of the band members were hurt.

1999 – Garth Brooks attended spring training camp with the San Diego Padres as a non-roster player. The Padres Foundation agreed to contribute to the Touch ‘Em All Foundation in lieu of a salary to Brooks.

1999 – Plastic People Of The Universe began their first North American tour in Boston.

2000 – Sean “Puffy” Combs was indicted on charges of bribing a witness. According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, Combs offered money and jewelry to his driver, and asked him to claim ownership of a gun that police recovered from the Comb’s car following a Dec. 27, 1999, shooting at a New York nightclub.

2000 – At the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Carlos Santana received a record-tying eight Grammy’s. Michael Jackson set the record back in 1984 when he won awards for “Thriller.”

2000 – A cover of the Led Zeppelin classic “What Is And What Should Never Be” by Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes became available for free download exclusively from Musicmaker.com.

http://www.on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/music/feb23.htm