Category Archives: Music

January 23, 1947: Four Held for Trial in ‘Red Hibiscus Murder’

Posted on January 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 23, 1947: Four youths are held in the ‘Red Hibuscus Murder” of Naomi Tullis Cook, who was found in a clump of hibiscus bushes next to the men’s restroom in Lincoln Park. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Comics, Crime and Courts, Music | Tagged 1947, comics, crime and courts, quote of the day, Red Hibiscus Murder | Leave a comment

January 19, 1907: A Conductor Throws Caution to the Winds

Posted on January 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 19, 1907: At great risk to his health and finances, Harley Hamilton will conduct his Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra in the West Coast premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. The orchestra, which eventually disbanded, was a competitor with the later Los Angeles Philharmonic. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, LAPD, Music, Streetcars, Theaters | Leave a comment

January 16, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on January 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 16, 1959: Matt Weinstock recounts the war story of a wounded sailor, expected to die, who was revived by a glass of brandy from a nurse. Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Matt Weinstock, Music | Comments Off

January 7, 1947: Man Uses Same Coffee Cup for 27 Years

Posted on January 7, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 7, 1947: Truman B. Carl of Whittier has used the same coffee cup for 27 years. That’s it. That’s the story. Really. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Comics, Music, Obituaries | Tagged #William Heirens, 1947, coffee, coffee cups, crime and courts, quote of the day, Truman B. Carl | Comments Off

December 28, 1958: Movie stars to watch in the new year, tribute to Archie Moore

Posted on December 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 28, 1958: Hedda Hopper’s predictions for the next crop of movie stars bypasses the cast of the 7th Voyage of Sinbad. Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Music | Comments Off

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Drinking Guide: The Harvey Wallbanger

Posted on December 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

Young persons: This is what grandma and grandpa used to drink (along with the Tequila Sunrise) when they went out in the 1970s. Continue reading →

Posted in 1971, Food and Drink, Music | Tagged 1971, food and drink | Comments Off

December 21, 1947: ‘Tubby the Tuba’ and Music for Children

Posted on December 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 21, 1947: An ad for children’s records, including Victor Jory reading “Tubby the Tuba.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Music | Tagged 1947, Grumpy Shark, Music, Tubby the Tuba | Comments Off

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘White Christmas’ Soothes the Home Front in 1942

Posted on December 16, 2025 by lmharnisch

Recognized today as one of the top selling singles and pieces of sheet music of all time, Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” was just one of eleven songs in the 1942 holiday classic, “Holiday Inn.” First put to paper by Berlin in 1940, the tune evolved over time before becoming the beloved hit sung by the dulcet tones of baritone Bing Crosby. Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Music | Tagged film, hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, White Christmas | Comments Off

December 14, 1908: Mahler’s farewell concert with the New York Philharmonic

Posted on December 14, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 14, 1908: Gustav Mahler conducts his final concert with the New York Philharmonic with music by Wagner and Beethoven. Mahler was much applauded and his reading was “masculine” and “even rude!” But there was “untunefulness” in the wood winds and “overemphasis of the brass.” Continue reading →

Posted in @news, classical music, Front Pages, Music | Comments Off

December 14, 1907: L.A. Schools Ban Mention of Christ at Christmas (Uh-Oh)

Posted on December 14, 2025 by lmharnisch

Dec. 14, 1907: Los Angeles residents are furious after the school superintendent bans the mention of Christ at Christmas. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Education, Music, Religion | Tagged #Christmas, 1907, education, LAUSD, religion | Comments Off

December 13, 1907: The Annual Rite of ‘Messiah’ at Cold, Drafty Shrine Auditorium

Posted on December 13, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 13, 1907: An unidentified Times critic attends a performance of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ at Shrine Auditorium. An exercise in decrypting a music review of another era. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Music, Religion, Streetcars | Tagged 1907, Handel, Messiah, Music, Shrine Auditorium | Comments Off

November 21, 1959: Matt Weinstock, Nov. 21, 1959

Posted on November 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 21, 1959: Matt Weinstock has the story of a man who keeps getting tickets for not having a front plate on his French Panhard. The problem is there’s no place for a license plate. Continue reading →

Posted in #gays and lesbians, Columnists, Comics, Matt Weinstock, Music, Rock 'n' Roll | Comments Off

November 20, 1947: Contralto Carol Brice to Perform in L.A.

Posted on November 20, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 20, 1947: Carol Brice, contralto, is performing at Philharmonic Auditorium on December 7. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Music | Tagged 1947, African Americans, Music, Philharmonic Auditorium | Comments Off

Black L.A. November 13, 1947: Little Miss Cornshucks; St. Paul Baptist Church Plans a New Building

Posted on November 13, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 13, 1947: Little Miss Cornshucks is at the Last Word, 4206 Central Ave. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Architecture, Music, Religion | Tagged 1947, African Americans, Little Miss Cornshucks, Los Angeles Sentinel, Rev. John L. Branham, St. Paul Baptist Church | Comments Off

1944 on the Radio — NBC Symphony Orchestra, November 5, 1944

Posted on November 5, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 5, 1944: Arturo Toscanini conducts the NBC Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3. Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Music, Radio | Tagged 1944, Music, radio, Toscanini | Comments Off

November 5, 1907: Bride Travels From Scotland to Marry Fiance Seeking Better Life in L.A.

Posted on November 5, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 5, 1907: John Richie led the bass section of the choir at St. Machar’s Cathedral in Aberdeen, Scotland, while Testristina Adams was a contralto. They sang in the choir for about 10 years, and fell in love.
Two years ago, John left Scotland and came to Los Angeles, but not before asking Testristina to marry him. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, Immigration, Music | Tagged 1907, immigration, Music, Scotland | Comments Off

November 3, 1941: Wingy Manone Puts the Swing in Swing Shift

Posted on November 3, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 3, 1941: Tom Treanor goes to a dance at the Glendale Civic Auditorium for swing shift workers, about 5,000 of them, from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Most of the couples are married, he says, and the wives are 18 or 19. Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Dance, Film, Hollywood, Music, Obituaries, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged #Lockheed, #Swing Shift, #Wingy Manone, Tom Treanor | Comments Off

October 29, 1907: ‘Oh, God, The Bassoon!’ Musicians Union Dispute Becomes Operatic

Posted on October 29, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 29, 1907: A labor dispute forces an opera company’s performance of “Mignon” to use local players, almost entirely unrehearsed, leading the conductor to exclaim: “Oh, God, the bassoon!” Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Labor, Music | Tagged #opera, 1907, labor, Mignon, Music, musicians union | Comments Off

October 21, 1957: Paul V. Coates–Confidential File

Posted on October 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 21, 1957: Comedy writer Sy Miller writes a serious song, throws it in a drawer, but his daughters want to sing it at camp, so he agrees. The song: “Let there be peace on Earth,” Paul Coates says. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Music, Paul Coates | Tagged 1957, Let There Be Peace on Earth, Paul Coates | Comments Off

1944 on the Radio – NBC Symphony With Marian Anderson, October 15, 1944

Posted on October 15, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 15, 1944: Marian Anderson performs with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Music, Radio | Tagged 1944, Music, radio | Comments Off