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Birthdays on the Tube: 7-13 February

Gene Vincent, Sergio Mendes, Alban Berg, Carole King and Leopold Godowsky

by Peter CulshawSaturday, 6 February 2010

This week's birthday musicians include Gene Vincent singing "Be Bop A Lula" in his first TV appearance, Sergio Mendes with "Mas Que Nada", soul balladry from Roberta Flack, Carole King and a couple of composers - Alban Berg and Leopold Godowsky. Some seriously groovy videos, below.

11 February 1935: Gene Vincent in what is probably his first ever TV appearance on a programme called Town Hall Party.

11 February 1941: Sergio Mendes sings Jorge Ben's song "Mas Que Nada", 40 years before the Black Eyed Peas remade it as a huge hit.

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13 February 1870: Leopold Godowsky is probably best known these days for his fiendish variations of the Chopin piano Etudes. Here Boris Berezovsky plays Chopin's op 10 no 4 with Godowsky's variations on it.

9 February 1942: Carole King wrote numerous hits in the Sixties with her husband Gerry Goffin before having great success in the Seventies as a singer-songwriter. Here's one of their earliest hits from 1961, "The Locomotion" by Little Eva (King is on backing vocals).

7 February 1934: King Curtis, born Curtis Oisley had one of the funkiest bands of the 60s - here with his hit "Memphis Soul Stew".

10 February 1939: Susan Boyle has re-introduced millions to "Killing Me Softly" - Roberta Flack shows us how it should be done.

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8 February 1885: Gidon Kremer plays Alban Berg's soulful Violin Concerto with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis.

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