Today in Music History for Dec. 1:
In 1884, Saskatoon’s first concert was presented by the Pioneer Society. It featured solos, duets, choruses, readings and recitations.
In 1913, Broadway musical star Mary Martin was born in Weatherford, Texas. Her most famous roles were in South Pacific in 1949, Peter Pan in 1954 and The Sound of Music in 1959. She also performed in a series of movie musicals in the 1940’s, but was never a major film star. She died of cancer on Nov. 3, 1990.
In 1920, Maurice Bolyer, billed as the “King of the Banjo,” was born in Edmundston, N.B. He played with Hank Snow in the early 1940s, and later in the decade was heard on the CKNX Barn Dance from Wingham, Ont. Bolyer also performed on Main Street Jamboree from CHML in Hamilton, and later became a regular on Tommy Hunter’s radio and TV shows on the CBC. He died on Aug. 18, 1978.
In 1933, Lou Rawls was born in Chicago, Ill. The velvet-voiced singer started as a church choir boy and went on to record such classic tunes as "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine." He died of cancer on Jan. 6, 2006. He was 72.
In 1950, Sam Cooke joined the gospel group "The Soul Stirrers."
In 1954, Fred Rose, one of the most influential songwriters and publishers in country music history, died in Nashville of a heart attack at age 57. Rose set up the Acuff-Rose Music Publishing Company with Roy Acuff in 1942. The company joined the newly formed Broadcast Music Incorporated licensing agency, a move that helped break the virtual monopoly held by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Rose handed over the management of Acuff-Rose to his son, Wesley, in 1945. The elder Rose turned his attention to establishing the career of Hank Williams, who was just beginning to make his mark. As a songwriter, Fred Rose was responsible for such country standards as "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," "Tears on My Pillow" and "Kaw-Liga." He was among the first three inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961.
In 1956, the Leonard Bernstein musical "Candide," based on the story by Voltaire, opened on Broadway.
In 1957, The Ed Sullivan Show featured the TV debut of three acts -- Buddy Holly, Sam Cooke and "The Silhouettes." In 1958, RCA Records signed singer Neil Sedaka.
In 1960, Paul McCartney and Pete Best were deported from West Germany on suspicion of arson after their hotel room mysteriously caught fire.
In 1966, bluegrass singer and guitarist Carter Stanley died in Bristol, Va., at the age of 41.
In 1969, blues singer Magic Sam, whose real name was Sam Maghett, died in Chicago at the age of 32. Magic Sam’s best known recordings are "All Your Love" and "High Heel Sneakers."
In 1976, after taunting from a BBC interviewer, "Sex Pistols" bassist Glen Matlock used a four-letter word during the group’s appearance on a TV show. The resulting furor led to the cancellation of all but five dates on the band's first national tour. And the "Sex Pistols’" record label, EMI, withdrew the group’s first single, "Anarchy in the UK," and cancelled their contract.
In 1985, the American Bandstand 33 1/3 Anniversary Special aired on ABC television in the U.S. Bandstand began as a local show in Philadelphia in 1952. Dick Clark became the host in 1956, and the program began its network run on ABC the following year.
In 1986, R&B singer Lee Dorsey, who had top-10 hits in the 1960s with “Ya-Ya” and “Working in the Coal Mine,” died in New Orleans of complications from emphysema. He was 59.
In 1991, George Harrison, backed by Eric Clapton and his band, opened a 12-date Japanese tour with a show before 12,000 people in Yokohama. Harrison had last appeared in Japan with "The Beatles" in 1966.
In 1993, the famous Vancouver recording studio Little Mountain Sound closed, 20 years to the day after it opened. Top producers Bob Rock and Bruce Fairbairn worked out of Little Mountain, attracting bands like "Aerosmith," "Motley Crue," "Bon Jovi" and "Metallica."
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In 1994, rapper Tupac Shakur was convicted of sexually abusing a woman in his New York hotel room in November 1993. But he was acquitted of sodomy and weapons charges. Shakur’s conviction came one day after he was shot five times in an apparent robbery attempt. He had faced criminal charges five times since March 1993, including a gunfight with two off-duty officers in Atlanta. Charges in that case were eventually dropped.
In 1994, the manuscript of the second symphony by Robert Schumann was auctioned in London for US$2.3 million. Sotheby’s said the price was a record for a 19th-century musical score.
In 1996, songwriter Irving Gordon, who wrote "Unforgettable" and "Prelude to a Kiss," died in Los Angeles of cancer. He was 81.
In 1997, French jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli died in Paris following a hernia operation. He was 89. Grappelli was one of the few non-American jazz musicians to become known around the world.
In 1997, Kenny G held an E-flat note for 45 minutes and 47 seconds on his soprano saxophone. The feat was enshrined in the Guinness Book of Records.
In 1997, a Princess Diana tribute album featuring 36 of the world’s leading music stars went on sale in Britain. It was released in North America a week later. Among those contributing songs were Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand and Luciano Pavarotti. All artist and record company profits went to the favourite charities of Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris the previous August.
In 1997, Celine Dion sang for the Queen and Prince Philip at the 69th annual Royal Variety Performance in London. Also on the bill for the fundraising concert -- the "Spice Girls," Michael Bolton, Enya and the cast of the musical Chicago.
In 2008, 28 titles were added to the Grammy Hall of Fame. Among them: "Sam the Sham and The Pharoah's" "Wooly Bully," "Lynyrd Skynyrd's" "Sweet Home Alabama," "Ohio" by "Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young" and "We Will Rock You/We are the Champions" by "Queen." The entire "Synchronicity" album from "The Police" made the cut, as did Jimi Hendrix's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "For Once in My Life" by Stevie Wonder.
In 2008, Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" was crowned the year's hottest iTunes album download, while "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis was named the top-selling single.
In 2009, Juno Award-winning group "Jacksoul" released its album, "SOULmate." Frontman Haydain Neale died on Nov. 22 after a seven-month battle with cancer. He was also recovering from serious injuries he sustained after being hit by a car while driving his Vespa motor scooter in Toronto on Aug. 3, 2007.
In 2010, soprano Helen Boatwright, famed for her pioneering performances of the songs of American composer Charles Ives, died in upstate New York. She was 94. In 1954, she became the first person to record a full-length album of the songs of Ives, "24 Songs" with pianist John Kirkpatrick. She worked during her career with luminaries in the world of music, including conductors Leopold Stokowski, Erich Leinsdorf, Seiji Ozawa and Zubin Mehta.
In 2010, Elton John turned newspaper editor, overseeing an edition of Britain's "The Independent" to mark World AIDS Day. It featured more than a dozen pages of stories related to the fight against HIV, including contributions from some of John's famous friends, including Elizabeth Taylor, Stephen Fry and Bill Clinton.
In 2010, for the first time, a Grammy nominee for the Record of the Year had a broadcast-unfriendly word in the title. It was Cee-Lo Green's song -- what the Recording Academy called "the record otherwise known as "Forget You."" (He lost to Lady Antebellum's "Need You Know.")
In 2012, country music superstar Shania Twain roared into her first live show in more than eight years perched atop a glistening motorcycle, dangling on wires at least three metres in the air in a sequined black catsuit. It began her two-year residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas with her show "Shania: Still the One." (The run concluded on Dec. 13, 2014.)
In 2015, music streaming service Spotify released its end-of-the-year list and Toronto rapper Drake was the most streamed artist in the world, with 1.8 billion streams. "Beauty Behind the Madness," by Canadian R&B singer The Weeknd, was the most streamed album of the year, edging out Drake's "If You're Reading This It's Too Late."
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The Canadian Press