Today in Music History for May 12:
In 1910, composer, arranger and conductor Gordon Jenkins was born in Webster Groves, Mo. He is the man responsible for bringing the ground-breaking folk group "The Weavers" to a mass audience. He died May 1, 1984.
In 1928, pop composer Burt Bacharach was born in Kansas City. His songs, many featuring lyrics by Hal David, played a major role in 1960s pop music. They wrote nearly 40 hits for Dionne Warwick including "Walk on By," "I Say a Little Prayer" and "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?"
In 1948, rock guitarist and keyboards player Steve Winwood was born in Birmingham, England. He burst on the British pop music scene as the 16-year-old lead vocalist and organist with "The Spencer Davis Group," who had hits with "I'm a Man" and "Gimme Some Lovin'." In 1967, Winwood formed "Traffic" with Dave Mason, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi and led that band to the top of the British charts. A year later, Winwood joined "Blind Faith," the first rock supergroup which lasted only one album. After "Traffic" re-formed for a couple of albums in the '70s, Winwood pursued a solo career. His 1986 album "Back in the High Life" won Grammy awards for record of the year and top male vocal performance. In 1998, Winwood appeared in the film "Blues Brothers 2000."
In 1956, the Sun Record Co. in Memphis ran an ad in the music trade papers announcing the first record by what was termed "one of the truly great talent finds." The artist was Johnny Cash, and the record was "I Walk the Line."
In 1960, Elvis Presley appeared on Frank Sinatra's "Timex Spectacular" on ABC TV. Presley sang one of Sinatra's hits, "Witchcraft," while Sinatra tackled "Love Me Tender."
In 1963, Bob Dylan walked off "The Ed Sullivan Show" when CBS censors wouldn't let him perform the "Talking John Birch Society Blues."
In 1964, "Peter, Paul and Mary" won a Grammy Award for the song "Blowin' in the Wind." "Deep Purple" by Nino Tempo and April Stevens won the Best Rock and Roll Recording award.
In 1965, "The Rolling Stones" began a two-day recording session at Chess Studios in Chicago, laying down the basic tracks for "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."
In 1965, Canadian songwriter-music publisher Gordon V. Thompson died in Toronto at age 76. During the First World War, his patriotic tunes included such titles as "Red Cross Nell and Khaki Jim," "When We Wind Up the Watch on the Rhine" and "Back to the Farm with a Farmerette."
In 1967, the psychedelic sound and light show of "Pink Floyd" graced the stage of the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. The concert, called "Games For May," was the first to feature quadraphonic sound.
In 1968, Jimi Hendrix was arrested at the U.S.-Canada border for possession of heroin and hashish. Hendrix, on his way to a concert in Toronto, claimed the drugs were planted. He was later cleared of the charges.
In 1971, Mick Jagger of "The Rolling Stones" married Nicaraguan fashion model Bianca Perez Morena de Macias in the town hall of St. Tropez on the French Riviera. Besides other members of band," guests included Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Stephen Stills. They divorced in February 1979.
In 1974, Ottawa's Morning Music Club presented its last concert after 82 years of activities. The club had been in existence since 1892, presenting chamber music and solo recitals by internationally-renowned artists. The group initially held its recitals in the morning, but by 1946, all concerts were in the evening.
In 1975, "Jefferson Starship" gave a free concert in New York's Central Park. The event cost the group and a local radio station $14,000 in cleanup and damages.
In 1979, the new "Jefferson Starship," with Mickey Thomas replacing Grace Slick as lead vocalist, debuted at a free concert in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Thomas had been the lead singer on Elvin Bishop's 1976 hit "Fooled Around and Fell in Love."
In 1981, "The Who's" first album without Keith Moon, "Face Dances," went gold, but was considered a disappointment, even to the band itself.
In 1987, jazz pianist and percussionist Victor Feldman died of a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles. He was 53. Feldman played with such jazz greats as Woody Herman, Benny Goodman and Miles Davis. Feldman also performed on the soundtrack for the popular late 1950s, early '60s TV series, “Peter Gunn.”
In 1987, all 40,000 tickets for three September concerts in Montreal by "Pink Floyd" sold out in less than five hours. Residents around the Montreal Forum complained that police failed to protect their property from rowdy fans.
In 1991, Chris De Burgh, Peter Gabriel, MC Hammer and Tom Jones were among the performers at a concert at Wembley Stadium in London to raise money for Iraq's Kurdish refugees.
In 1998, after criticism from Jewish groups, the album "Da Holocaust" by the rap collective "Concentration Camp," was released under the revised title "Da Halocaust." But the group's label, Priority Records, said the name change had nothing to do with Jewish concerns. It said the printers made a mistake -- and no one noticed until it was too late.
In 1998, the media reported that Elton John had split with his manager of 30 years, John Reid. Reports said the two had argued over John's career and financial affairs. Reid was credited with transforming shy teenager Reginald Dwight into the flamboyant star who had more than 40 top-40 hits since 1970.
In 2001, crooner Perry Como died at age 87.
In 2002, singer Dionne Warwick was arrested at Miami's airport after baggage screeners said they found marijuana in her lipstick container. The charges were dropped after Warwick agreed to a drug treatment program.
In 2003, Noel Redding, bass player for the legendary "Jimi Hendrix Experience" from its formation in 1966 through its dissolution three years later, died at age 57 at his home in the town of Clonakilty in southern Ireland.
In 2009, "Depeche Mode" cancelled an Athens concert when lead singer David Gahan fell ill with a severe bout of gastroenteritis and had to be hospitalized. Doctors eventually discovered a low-grade malignant tumour in his bladder and performed surgery to successfully remove it, interrupting the tour for almost one month.
In 2010, rapper Eminem's single "Not Afraid" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the 16th title to do so on the nearly 52-year old chart.
In 2010, Rapper Gucci Mane was released from an Atlanta jail after serving six months for violating his probation on an assault charge.
In 2011, "Kings of Leon" singer Caleb Followill married model Lily Aldrige in Montecito, Calif.
In 2011, file-sharing software company LimeWire reached a US$105 million out-of-court settlement with major U.S. record labels for copyright infringement. (In March, LimeWire settled with music publishers who had also sued.)
In 2012, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra performed the world premiere of its take on the classic Canuck story "The Hockey Sweater." It was hosted by famed Montreal Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden and narrated by the original author himself, Roch Carrier. The musical piece was written by Dora Award-winning composer Abigail Richardson.
In 2013, in what is believed to be the first music video made in space, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield bid a memorable farewell to the International Space Station by releasing his version of David Bowie's "Space Oddity." The next day, Hadfield touched down in Kazakhstan aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule, ending a five-month mission.
In 2017, "Kickin' Child: The Lost Album 1965," which sat on a shelf since Dion recorded it in 1965, was finally released. The album includes 10 original songs, three Bob Dylan covers and two other remakes. Dion's label at the time, Columbia Records, had put out a few of the songs as singles but never released the entire album. Dion left Columbia shortly after and signed with ABC Records.
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The Canadian Press
