The Day of the Musical Birthdays...

Three people were born today (in different years) who have made music that I like very much. So, instead of belaboring the crappy political news of the day, I decided that the sane thing to do is to share some of that music and at the same time say "Happy Birthday" to those who made that music. And so...

Happy Birthday, first of all, to Don McLean, who was born on October 2, 1945. McLean is probably most famous for "American Pie", he also wrote and recorded the lovely "Vincent" (1971), which as far as I'm concerned doesn't get nearly the airplay that it deserves. Here is a live performance by McLean, with Chet Atkins on guitar. Like I said, lovely:



It is also Mike Rutherford's birthday today; he was born on this day in 1950. Perhaps best known for his work with Genesis, I'm partial to one of the songs he did with his own band, Mike + the Mechanics. It's "Silent Running", a sort of science-fictional, post-apocalyptic song that I've liked ever since it was released in 1985:



Today is also Sting's birthday; he was born on this day in 1951. He made a lot of good music with The Police and also on his own. Of all his work, I think this is my favorite, "Moon Over Bourbon Street" (1986), from his solo album, "Dream of the Blue Turtles". He has said that he was inspired to write this song after reading Anne Rice's "Interview With the Vampire". This live performance comes from 2010, in Berlin with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Watch and listen for the theremin. I like theremins:



I hope these songs improve the quality of your day as much as they've improved mine.