Today in Music History for Feb. 2:
In 1594, Giovanni da Palestrina, one of the most gifted composers of Renaissance church music, died.
In 1901, violinist Jascha Heifetz was born in Vilna, Russia. He had his first violin lessons from his father, then studied under Leopold Auer at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Heifetz gave his first public concert when he was only 10 years old. After great success as a child prodigy in Europe, he emigrated to the U.S. in 1917, making his debut at Carnegie Hall in New York. Within two years of his American debut, Heifetz was the highest paid violinist in history, getting US$2,500 for a concert. Heifetz became an even greater artist in his mature years, and was among those handful of concert soloists whose name was recognized by those who did not listen to classical music. He died on Dec. 10, 1987 in Los Angeles.
In 1927, tenor saxophonist Stan Getz was born in Philadelphia. In the '60s, he fused jazz and Latin American music and came up with the hits ``Desafinado'' and ``The Girl From Ipanema,'' both of which made the pop charts. He died of cancer on June 6, 1991.
In 1957, Fats Domino appeared on the Perry Como TV show, performing ``Blue Monday'' and ``Blueberry Hill''''
In 1963, ``The Beatles'' began a tour with singer Helen Shapiro in Bradford, England. On the same day, ``The Beatles''' single ``Please, Please Me'' entered the British chart.
In 1968, Jethro Tull performed under that name for the first time, at the Marquee Club in London.
In 1969, Canadian pianist Marek Jablonski made his debut in London at Wigmore Hall in a recital devoted to Chopin.
In 1973, NBC's rock TV show, ``Midnight Special,'' debuted with Helen Reddy as hostess.
In 1974, Keith Emerson of ``Emerson, Lake and Palmer'' sustained several minor cuts when a rigged piano exploded prematurely during a concert in San Francisco.
In 1979, punk rocker Sid Vicious, born John Ritchie, died of a heroin overdose in a New York City jail. He had just embarked on a solo career after the demise of the ``Sex Pistols'' when he was arrested on charges of murdering his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen.
In 1984, ``Duran Duran'' began its first major U.S. tour in Seattle.
In 1985, contemporary Canadian composer Micheline Coulombe Saint-Marcoux died in Montreal at the age of 46.
In 1987, Alfred Lion, the founder of Blue Note records, died in Los Angeles at the age of 78. Blue Note was one of the leading jazz record labels following the Second World War, and almost every major jazz player of the last 50 years has recorded for the label at one time or another. Among the artists who made some of their greatest recordings for Blue Note were pianists Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk and Herbie Hancock, saxophonists Wayne Shorter and Dexter Gordon, guitarist Kenny Burrell, organist Jimmy Smith and trumpeters Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard.
In 1987, Bruce Springsteen's multi-record live set was certified triple platinum in the U.S. -- six million copies sold.
In 1988, Frank Zappa opened his ``Broadway the Hardway'' tour before a sold-out house of 3,000 in Albany, N.Y.
In 1989, relatives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. ``Big Bopper'' Richardson gathered in Richardson's hometown of Port Arthur, Texas, for the unveiling of life-size statues of the rock 'n' roll stars. It was the eve of the 30th anniversary of the plane crash in Iowa which killed the three as they were travelling to a concert.
In 1990, jazz drummer and orchestra leader Mel Lewis died of cancer in New York. He was 60.
In 1993, a judge in New York dropped gun charges against singer Harry Connick Jr. He had been arrested when he tried to bring a pistol on board a flight at Kennedy Airport.
In 1993, Willie Nelson's lawyer announced the U.S. Internal Revenue Service would accept $9 million from the singer to settle his $17 million tax debt. Under the agreement, the IRS said it would take proceeds from sales of Nelson's ``The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?'' plus any judgment the singer might win in a lawsuit against his former accountant.
In 1996, singer Phyllis Marshall, a star of Canadian television during the 1950s and '60s, died in Toronto at the age of 74. She sang in a variety show the night CBC-TV first went on the air in 1952.
In 1996, dancer, actor and singer Gene Kelly died in Los Angeles of complications from several strokes. He was 83. Although Kelly was best known for his groundbreaking athletic dancing, he was a pretty good singer as well. He starred in two of the best musical films ever made -- 1951's ``An American in Paris'' and ``Singin' in the Rain,'' -- released the following year. Kelly's duet with Judy Garland on ``For Me and My Gal,'' the title song from his first film, was a big hit in 1943.
In 2009, Dolly Parton, Michael W. Smith, Dr. Bobby Jones and ``The Dixie Hummingbirds'' were inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame.
In 2009, rocker Jon Bon Jovi was among a group named to the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
In 2011, ``Mission Bell'' by Amos Lee debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Album chart selling only 40,000 copies, a record low for a No. 1 album since the chart's inception in 1991. It broke the previous record of 44,000 held by ``Showroom of Compassion'' by alt-rockers ``Cake,'' set only two weeks earlier.
In 2011, ``The White Stripes'' announced their breakup after more than a decade and six albums together. The Grammy-winning, platinum-selling band, made up of Jack White and Meg White, helped revive and reshape a stale rock scene with their scorching, guitar-fuelled, blues-tinged songs.
In 2014, William (Bunny Rugs) Clarke, the husky-voiced lead singer of internationally popular reggae band Third World, died of leukemia at his home in Florida. He was 65.
In 2015, ``To Sir With Love,'' the signature hit for Scottish singer Lulu that was No. 1 for five weeks in 1967, was the latest entry into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Montreal-raised composer Mark London wrote the sweeping tune with lyrics by Don Black. Another bit of trivia: Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones provided the string arrangement.
In 2017, The Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie gave what turned out to be his last public performance, invited onstage at the last minute to take part in Blue Rodeo's encore (``Lost Together'') to end a concert at Toronto's Massey Hall. Downie died on Oct. 17 after a nearly two-year battle with incurable brain cancer.
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The Canadian Press