Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Today in Music History for May 17: In 1893, the Arion Male Voice Choir gave its first concert at Institution Hall in Victoria.

Celebrity Birthdays for May 17: Actor Peter Gerety is 84. Singer Taj Mahal is 82. Drummer Bill Bruford of Yes and King Crimson is 75. Singer-guitarist George Johnson of The Brothers Johnson is 71. TV personality Kathleen Sullivan is 71.

Today in History for May 17: In 1630, the belts of the planet Jupiter were first observed.

Celebrity Birthdays for May 16: Jazz drummer Billy Cobham is 80. Actor Danny Trejo is 80. Rock guitarist and composer Robert Fripp, founder of King Crimson, is 78. Actor Bill Smitrovich is 77. Rock singer-songwriter Jonathan Richman is 73.

Today in History for May 16: In 587, Irish monk St. Bredan died. He's known for setting out in the Atlantic with two other monks in a skin boat and possibly travelling as far as North America.

Today in Music History for May 16: In 1896, violinist Frantz Jehin-Prume, the first musician of international reputation to choose Canada as his home, gave his final concert in Montreal with pianist Victoria Cartier.

Celebrity Birthdays for May 15: Actress-singer Anna Maria Alberghetti is 88. Counterculture icon Wavy Gravy is 88. Actress-singer Lainie Kazan is 84. Actress Gunilla Hutton ("Petticoat Junction," ''Hee Haw") is 82.

Today in Music History for May 15: In 1918, country crooner Eddy Arnold was born at a farm near Henderson, Tenn.

Today in History for May 15: In 1248, Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden laid the cornerstone for a cathedral in Cologne, Germany.

Celebrity Birthdays for May 14: Photo-realist artist Richard Estes is 92. Actress Dame Sian Phillips is 91. Movie director-producer George Lucas is 80. Singer-actress Catherine McKinnon is 80.