Today in Music History for April 1:
In 1917, Scott Joplin, the ``King of Ragtime,'' died in a mental institution in New York City. Joplin fell into a deep depression -- which eventually led to insanity -- after the failure of his opera ``Treemonisha.'' His most famous composition is ``Maple Leaf Rag,'' named for the tavern where Joplin wrote the tune and has nothing to do with Canada. Ragtime enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in the 1970s after its use in the soundtrack of the movie ``The Sting.''
In 1927, RCA in Germany introduced the first automatic record changer.
In 1946, bassist Ronnie ``Plonk'' Lane of ``The Faces'' was born in London. Lane and Steve Marriott formed the group, at first called ``The Small Faces,'' in 1966. They had hits with ``Itchycoo Park'' and ``Lazy Sunday'' before singer Rod Stewart joined in 1970. Ronnie Lane died of multiple sclerosis on June 4, 1997.
In 1966, David Bowie's first single, ``Do Anything You Say'' backed with ``Good Morning Girl,'' was released in Britain.
In 1967, the Country Music Association Hall of Fame opened in Nashville.
In 1968, the Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium opened with a performance by the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra.
In 1969, ``The Beach Boys'' announced a lawsuit against Capitol Records. The band was asking for more than $2 million in royalties and producer's fees. They also announced the formation of a new record label, called Brother Records.
In 1976, Tickets for a British tour by ``The Rolling Stones'' drew more than one million ticket applications. The tickets, moved by security men to specially guarded vaults, were awarded by a lottery.
In 1983, guitarist Dave Mustaine left ``Metallica.'' He went on to form ``Megadeth.''
In 1984, 44-year-old singer Marvin Gaye was shot to death by his father in Los Angeles. Gaye was best known for his hits, ``I Heard It Through the Grapevine'' and his 1983 Grammy winning ``Sexual Healing.'' Marvin P. Gay, who received five years' probation, died in 1998 at age 84.
In 1985, singer David Lee Roth left ``Van Halen'' to pursue a solo career. (He briefly returned in 1996 to add two new songs to a compilation album and began his second stint with the band in 2006.)
In 1999, Jesse Stone, a major force in the development of R&B and rock 'n' roll, died in Altamonte Springs, Fla., at age 97. He helped build Atlantic Records into a top R&B label in the late '40s and early '50s, working with such artists as Ray Charles,``The Drifters'' and ``The Clovers.'' He wrote early rock classics such as ``Shake, Rattle and Roll,'' ``Money Honey,'' ``Flip, Flop and Fly'' and ``Don't Let Go.''
In 2007, show host Nelly Furtado won five Juno awards, including Best Single, Best Album and Best Artist. Toronto-based rock band ``Billy Talent'' was the only other multiple winner, taking trophies for Group of the Year and Rock Album of the Year.
In 2009, Darius Rucker's single, ``It Won't Be Like This For Long,'' topped the Billboard country singles chart for a third straight week, making him the first debut country artist to achieve that feat. Rucker is also the lead singer for the rock group ``Hootie and the Blowfish.''
In 2011, Leonard Cohen was the ninth recipient of the Glenn Gould Prize, which is awarded for a lifetime contribution to the arts. The prize, which is sometimes called ``The Nobel Prize of the Arts,'' is handed out in memory of the Canadian pianist.
In 2012, shaggy-haired southern-rock throwbacks ``The Sheepdogs'' (Single of the Year, ``I Don't Know'') and indie songstress Feist (Artist of the Year) picked up another Juno Award to go along with the two they each won at the previous night's untelevised gala. Pop/country rock band ``Blue Rodeo'' was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
In 2012, country music starlett Taylor Swift won her second ACM Entertainer of the Year award. Miranda Lambert won her third Female Vocalist of the Year award while her then-husband Blake Shelton wrested away the Male Vocalist award from Brad Paisley after a five-year reign. Lambert also won Album of the Year (``Four the Record'') for a record-tying third time.
In 2016, Burton Cummings was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in recognition of his 40-year solo career, and was the first artist to join the Hall of Fame's new home at the National Music Centre in Calgary. Cummings was inducted into the Hall in 1987 as part of The Guess Who.
In 2016, Guns N' Roses, featuring Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan, played a surprise reunion gig at the famed Troubadour in Los Angeles ahead of their upcoming Not In This Lifetime Tour.
In 2016, the Recording Industry Association of America announced country music duo Florida Georgia Line's hit song ``Cruise'' reached diamond status (10 million units - combining copies sold/online streaming), the first country song to achieve that feat.
In 2017, at the non-broadcast Juno Awards gala dinner, veteran rockers The Tragically Hip won the rock album award for ``Man Machine Poem.'' The band's frontman, Gord Downie, won two awards for his solo multimedia project ``Secret Path'' - adult alternative album and recording package of the year. The Strumbellas won single of the year for their rousing hit ``Spirits'' and the late Leonard Cohen won artist of the year.
In 2017, singer-songwriter Bob Dylan finally received his Nobel Prize in literature at a small private ceremony during a concert stop in Stockholm. Dylan skipped the traditional Nobel ceremony in December because of other commitments.
In 2023, the family of Vancouver radio personality Red Robinson says he died after a brief illness. Robinson began his radio career in 1954 at Vancouver's CJOR, and his website credits him as the first DJ in Canada to play rock 'n' roll music on a regular basis. He was 86.
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The Canadian Press