Today in Music History for May 13:
In 1919, the first Manitoba Music Competition Festival opened in Winnipeg. About 2,500 performers took part in the first festival, sponsored by the Men's Musical Club. The club has continued to organize the festival, now called the Winnipeg Music Competition Festival.
In 1941, '50s rock 'n' roll singer Ritchie Valens was born in Pacoima, Calif. He was signed by Del-Fi Records in 1958, and had three big hits that year with "Come On, Let's Go," "Donna" and "La Bamba." Valens was killed in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper in February, 1959. There was a resurgence of interest in Valens' music in 1987 with the release of the movie biography "La Bamba." Valens was voted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
In 1950, Stevie Wonder was born Steveland Morris Hardaway in Saginaw, Mich. He sang and played the harmonica so well that Ronnie White of "The Miracles" brought him to Motown Records, where Berry Gordy signed him on the spot at the age of 12. Wonder's third single, "Fingertips - Part 2," shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in mid-1963. Stevie Wonder is one of the greatest pop composers and vocalists of our time. His songs, such as "For Once in My Life," "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours" and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," appeal to a wide range of public taste. His numerous awards include a 1984 Oscar for the song "I Just Called to Say I Love You," from the movie "The Woman in Red."
In 1955, Elvis Presley's performance in Jacksonville, Fla., caused a riot -- the first reported incident of trouble at an Elvis show.
In 1960, fiddler Gid Tanner, leader of the pioneer country music band, "The Skillet Lickers," died in Winder, Ga., at age 74. "The Skillet Lickers" were an extremely popular and influential string band of the 1920s and '30s. The fiddle breakdown "Down Yonder" is probably the tune most closely associated with them.
In 1966, "The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band" played their first professional gig at the Paradox Club in Orange, Calif.
In 1971, Grace Slick was injured when she smashed her Mercedes into a wall in San Francisco. "Jefferson Airplane" was forced to postpone recording sessions for the album "Bark."
In 1974, more than 50 people were injured when fans who couldn't get tickets rioted outside a "Jackson Five" concert in Washington, D.C.
In 1975, Bob Wills, originator of the western swing style of country music, died at age 70 after suffering a stroke in December, 1973. He never regained consciousness. "Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys," a swing band with country overtones, played country ballads, blues and jazz tunes. When the band and vocalist Tommy Duncan recorded Wills' composition "San Antonio Rose" in 1940, the disc became a million-seller. A version by Bing Crosby also passed the million mark.
In 1977, "The Beatles" released their first live album, "The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl."
In 1981, Joan Weber, who had a No. 1 hit in 1955 with "Let Me Go Lover," died at age 45 in Winslow, N.J. The song became popular after it was used as background for a CBS-TV Studio One drama. It was Weber's only hit, and she retired from music after her chart-topping success.
In 1985, rock star Bruce Springsteen married actress Julianne Phillips at ten minutes past midnight in a secret ceremony in Oregon. Their marriage fell apart in 1988.
In 1985, Stevie Wonder was honoured by the United Nations for his efforts against apartheid.
In 1987, Vancouver songwriter David Foster was named Songwriter of the Year during the annual Broadcast Music Inc. dinner in Los Angeles. Foster was honoured for "Glory of Love" from "The Karate Kid, Part Two," the "Love Theme" and "Man in Motion" from "St. Elmo's Fire" and "Now and Forever (You and Me)."
In 1988, pioneer rock 'n' roll DJ Alan Freed and big band leader Benny Goodman were among the first 18 inductees into the Radio Hall of Fame in New York.
In 1988, "Iron Maiden" opened a world tour in Moncton, N.B.
In 1988, jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, famed for his 1950s appearances with baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, died in a fall from the third storey of an Amsterdam hotel. He was 58. Police said Baker had been using heroin shortly before his fatal plunge. Baker set the standard for the cool school of jazz with his trumpet playing, but his career suffered from a series of narcotics arrests.
In 1992, guitarist John Frusciante quit the "Red Hot Chili Peppers." He rejoined the band six years later.
In 1997, members of "Midnight Oil" purposely blocked traffic in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to protest the city's air quality. They sat in arm chairs and sofas in the middle of a normally busy street for an hour.
In 2011, Jack Richardson, an influential Canadian producer best-known for helming "The Guess Who's" biggest hits, died at age 81. He also produced for Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, "Badfinger," "Moxy," "Poco" and "Rough Trade." He was a multiple Juno award winner, a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and a member of the Order of Canada.
In 2011, Lloyd Knibb, an influential Jamaican drummer who was an original member of "The Skatalites" and helped develop the ska beat, died of liver cancer. He was 80.
In 2012, Donald "Duck" Dunn, the bassist who helped create the gritty Memphis soul sound at Stax Records in the 1960s as part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group "Booker T. and the MGs" and contributed to such classics as "In the Midnight Hour," ''Hold On I'm Coming" and "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," died while on tour in Tokyo. He was 70.
In 2015, Nick Fradiani, the 29-year-old rock performer from Connecticut, was picked as the new "American Idol" in the 14th and penultimate edition of Fox TV's once-blockbuster singing contest.
In 2019, Doris Day, the honey-voiced singer and actress whose film dramas, musicals and innocent sex comedies made her a top star in the 1950s and '60s and among the most popular screen actresses in history, has died. She was 97. The Doris Day Animal Foundation confirmed Day died at her Carmel Valley, California, home surrounded by close friends. With her lilting contralto, wholesome blonde beauty and glowing smile, she was a top box office draw and recording artist known for such films as "Pillow Talk" and "That Touch of Mink" and for such songs as "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" from the Alfred Hitchcock film "The Man Who Knew Too Much."
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The Canadian Press