Today in Music History for Aug. 19:
In 1912, Jimmie Shields, one of the most popular Irish tenors in Canada during the 1930s, was born in St. Catharines, Ont. He rose to further fame in the U.S. from 1937-41 when he appeared with the orchestras of Eddie Duchin and Morton Gould. He also appeared on several leading radio shows, and in 1939 had his own weekly program on NBC, "Enna-Jettick Melodies." Shields was a regular performer on the CBC from 1948 until his retirement in 1964. He died May 9, 1982.
In 1928, Canadian pop singer Norman Brooks was born in Montreal. He is best known for singing in the style of Al Jolson. Brooks played Jolson in the 1956 film "The Best Things in Life Are Free" and also starred in "The Magic of Jolson" on Broadway in 1975. His 1953 recording of "Hello Sunshine" was a substantial hit. He died Sept. 14, 2006.
In 1939, Ginger Baker, whom many consider to be rock's greatest drummer, was born in Lewisham, England. Baker started with the "Graham Bond Organization," then formed the group "Cream" with guitarist Eric Clapton. When "Cream" split up in 1968, Baker was part of the short-lived supergroup "Blind Faith." In 1970, he started "Ginger Baker's Air Force," a group which had three fulltime drummers. Baker moved to Nigeria in 1971, building the first 16-track recording studio in West Africa. He re-emerged in 1974 with a jazz-rock group, "The Baker-Gurvitz Army." Baker became one of England's numerous tax refugees, fleeing to Italy in 1982 to avoid debts reported to be more than 100,000 pounds.
In 1939, Canadian composer Achille Fourier died in Montreal at age 75. In 1885, he became the first Canadian to attend regular composition classes at the Paris Conservatory.
In 1943, singer Billy J. Kramer was born William Ashton in Bootle, England. It was "The Beatles'" manager Brian Epstein who brought Kramer together with a Manchester band, "The Dakotas," and introduced them to the songs of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. "Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas" had their first hit in 1963 with Lennon and McCartney's "Do You Want to Know a Secret." Kramer's other chart records included "Little Children" and "Trains and Boats and Planes." Kramer and "The Dakotas" parted company in 1966, with Kramer turning to performing in small English clubs.
In 1963, renowned Canadian violinist Kathleen Parlow, a native of Calgary, died in Oakville, Ont., at the age of 72. Parlow was known throughout North America and Europe as a brilliant soloist and a musician with a wide repertoire. She founded "The Parlow String Quartet," which from 1943-58 was Canada's best-known string quartet.
In 1964, "The Beatles" opened their first U.S. tour at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Other acts on the bill included "The Righteous Brothers" and Jackie DeShannon.
In 1967, “All You Need is Love” by "The Beatles" hit No. 1 on the pop charts. That same day, "Beatles" drummer Ringo Starr and his wife Maureen had another child, a boy named Jason.
In 1969, trumpeter Miles Davis began recording sessions in New York for what would eventually become the ground-breaking jazz-rock fusion album "Bitches Brew." Among the musicians taking part were Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul. There were no rehearsals and Davis gave the musicians only minimal directions.
In 1973, singers Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge were married in Los Angeles. They were divorced six years later.
In 1979, singer Dorsey Burnette died of a heart attack at age 46. He began as the bass player in his brother Johnny's "Rock 'n' Roll Trio" in 1955. But Dorsey Burnette's real success came as a ballad singer. His biggest record was "Hey Little One," a top-30 hit in 1960. Like many other former rockers, he later turned to country music. Dorsey Burnette's son, Billy, led his father's band during Burnette's country period, and later began singing old-time rock 'n' roll on his own.
In 1979, Canadian composer-arranger-conductor Morris Surdin died in Toronto at age 65. He was best known for his many compositions for CBC radio and television productions. He also scored the 1971 film "Hospital," starring George C. Scott.
In 1980, rock star Alice Cooper cancelled a concert at the last minute, touching off a riot by fans at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. Thirty-one people were arrested and damage to the CNE stadium was estimated at $25,000. There were a number of complaints about the way police handled the incident. When a few fans started hurling debris towards the stage, officers were reported to have rushed into the crowd with night sticks.
In 1980, Christopher Cross’ self-titled debut album went platinum.
In 1983, radio station KFJC in Los Altos, Calif., began a 63-hour "Louie, Louie" marathon, airing more than 800 versions of the party classic.
In 1989, authorities from four European countries boarded the offshore rock station "Radio Caroline" in international waters in the North Sea and forced it to close. There had been complaints the station disrupted ship-to-shore radio communications. The station was shut down in the middle of a broadcast, with a disc jockey saying "It's the saddest day of my life."
In 1990, Leonard Bernstein conducted what turned out to be the last concert of his career at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass. with the Boston Symphony Orchestra; the program ended with Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. He died on Oct. 14.
In 1991, bandleader Richard Maltby, who had a top-20 hit in 1956 with "(Themes From) The Man With the Golden Arm," died in Santa Monica, Calif., at age 77. He also had several hits during the short-lived mambo craze in the early '50s.
In 1998, singer and guitarist George Benson recorded "My Father, My Son" and "I Will Keep You in My Heart (Diana)," tributes to Dodi Al-Fayed and Princess Diana. The couple died in a Paris car crash the previous year. Al Fayed's father, billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed, commissioned the songs after meeting Benson at Al Fayed's London department store, Harrod's.
In 2001, singer Betty Everett, best known for 1964 top-10 hit "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)," died at age 61.
In 2008, LeRoi Moore, a versatile saxophonist with the Dave Matthews Band, died in Los Angeles of complications from an ATV accident two months earlier. He was 46.
In 2008, former glam rocker Gary Glitter was deported back to Britain after being released from a prison in Vietnam. He was convicted of obscene acts with children in March 2006 and sentenced to three years in prison.
In 2009, Jason Mraz's song "I'm Yours" entered its 70th week on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart surpassing LeAnn Rimes' 69-week run with her signature hit "How Do I Live." "I'm Yours" debuted on the May 3rd, 2008, chart and peaked at No. 6. It stayed on the chart for another six weeks before dropping out of the top 100. (In early 2014, two songs surpassed the record. "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons went on to spend 87 weeks on the chart, while AWOLNATION's "Sail" lasted 79 weeks.)
In 2009, "The Black Eyed Peas" topped Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart for an unprecedented 20th consecutive week. "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling" had been on top of the singles chart for 12 weeks and eight weeks, respectively. They surpassed Usher's run of 19 consecutive weeks, achieved in 2004 with "Yeah!" and "Burn." "I Gotta Feeling" remained No. 1 for another six weeks until it was replaced by "Down" by Jay Sean on Oct. 7.
In 2009, Cuban-American rapper Pitbull (born Armando Christian Perez), whose chart-climbing songs have made him a bilingual favourite, was honoured with the key to Miami — an accomplishment he said officially cemented his title as "Mr. 305."
In 2010, "The Swell Season" was playing an outdoor show in Saratoga, Calif., when a man jumped from the roof that covered the stage and landed near the band's lead singer, Glen Hansard. The jumper was pronounced dead by a doctor who spent an hour trying to revive him.
In 2010, Michael Been, frontman for the U.S. group "The Call," died of an apparent heart attack at the Pukkelpop festival in Hasselt, Belgium. The 60-year-old was working as the soundman for his son's band, "Black Rebel Motorcycle Club."
In 2011, a Polish judge found the frontman for the death metal band "Behemoth" innocent of offending religious feeling, ruling that his ripping up of a Bible during a show in 2007 was a form of artistic expression consistent with the style of his band.
In 2013, four summer concerts in Canada featuring Chris Brown were cancelled when the singer was dropped as the headliner after an outpouring of anger because of his past brushes with the law, including the 2009 assault of fellow R&B star and ex-girlfriend Rihanna.
In 2016, Lou Pearlman, 62, credited for starting the boy-band craze and launching the careers of the Backstreet Boys, 'NSync and O-Town, died in prison from an infection of the inner lining of the heart. He was serving a 25-year sentence for a $300-million Ponzi scheme.
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The Canadian Press