Today in Music History for Jan. 21:
In 1891, Calixa Lavallee, the composer of ``O Canada,'' died from tubercular laryngitis at his home in Boston. He was 48.
In 1902, ``The Ode to Newfoundland'' was first performed during the intermission of a play at a St. John's theatre.
In 1936, Malka Himel-Cohen, of the 1960s Canadian folk duo of ``Malka and Joso,'' was born in Israel. She met her singing partner, Joso Spralja, in the early '60s at a Toronto coffeehouse -- Yorkville 71. The couple toured Canada, and in 1966 appeared at Carnegie Hall in New York. The following year, ``Malka and Joso'' appeared before Princess Margaret in England. But 1967 also marked the end of their partnership. Malka Cohen began a second career as an independent radio interviewer.
In 1942, ``Count Basie and His Orchestra'' recorded ``One O'Clock Jump'' in New York.
In 1957, country singer Patsy Cline won an Arthur Godfrey's ``Talent Scout'' show, singing ``Walking After Midnight.''
In 1965, ``The Animals'' cancelled a show in New York after U.S. immigration officials forced the band to leave the theatre.
In 1965, ``The Rolling Stones'' arrived in Sydney, Australia, for a tour with Roy Orbison. Thousands of fans rioted at the airport.
In 1965, Jam Master Jay was born Jason William Mizell in Brooklyn, N.Y. One of the forefathers of rap, he worked the turntables for the hip-hop trio ``Run-D.M.C.'' and created a new style and sound that was copied by endless DJs. The band introduced rap and hip-hop to the MTV generation through hits such as ``Rock Box,'' ``King of Rock'' and a collaboration with ``Aerosmith'' on ``Walk This Way.'' He was shot and killed at a Queens recording studio on Oct. 30, 2002.
In 1966, George Harrison of ``The Beatles'' married Patricia Ann Boyd. They met during the filming of ``A Hard Day's Night.'' Patti Boyd later left Harrison to marry his close friend, Eric Clapton.
In 1967, the avant-garde rock group ``Velvet Underground'' and singer Nico began a week of performances at Expo 67 in Montreal.
In 1974, Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter invited Bob Dylan to a barbecue at his mansion.
In 1975, the Cleveland-based funk band, ``The Ohio Players,'' began their first tour of Europe on the strength of their hits ``Fire'' and ``Skin Tight.''
In 1977, British singer-songwriter Al Stewart was menaced on stage in Bellingham, Wash., by a fan who claimed he was a character from one of Stewart's songs.
In 1982, bluesman B.B. King donated 7,000 rare records to the University of Mississippi Centre for Southern Culture. The collection included rare records he played as a DJ in the 1940s.
In 1984, Johnny Rivers played a 20th anniversary show at the Whisky-A-Go-Go in Los Angeles.
In 1984, Jackie Wilson, one of the premier black vocalists of the late 1950s and '60s, died in hospital at age 49. He had been in a coma since Sept. 25, 1975, when he had a heart attack and collapsed on stage at a Dick Clark revue at the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, N.J. Born in 1934 in Detroit, his first love was boxing, but his mother persuaded him to pursue a more stable career -- singing. Wilson greatly admired ``The Dominoes,'' and when lead vocalist Clyde McPhatter left the group in 1953 to form ``The Drifters,'' Wilson replaced him. Four years later, Wilson began his solo career with a hit called ``Reet Petite,'' written by a then-unknown Berry Gordy, who in the coming decade would head the giant Motown Records empire. Jackie Wilson's biggest hit was his double-sided smash, ``Doggin' Around'' and ``Night'' in 1960.
In 1986, former teen idols Fabian, Frankie Avalon and Bobby Rydell were the hosts for the ``Miss Teen America'' pageant.
In 1987, the second group of rock 'n' roll pioneers was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a ceremony in New York. Among the 15 performers honoured were Aretha Franklin, Bo Diddley, Marvin Gaye, Bill Haley, Carl Perkins and Smokey Robinson.
In 1989, heavy-metal rocker Ted Nugent married former radio traffic reporter Shemane Deziel on a casino showroom stage in Reno, Nev.
In 1989, Steve Wahrer, the drummer who helped lift ``The Trashmen'' and their hit single ``Surfin' Bird'' to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964, died in Robbinsdale, Minn., of throat cancer. He was 47. It was Wahrer who snarled out ``The Bird is the Word'' on the record.
In 1990, the British band ``Squeeze'' was in the spotlight as ``MTV Unplugged'' debuted on the U.S. cable channel. The group's frontmen, Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford, seemed a little confused about the show's intent -- they showed up with electric guitars.
In 1992, New Orleans-born Champion Jack Dupree, who described himself as the last of the barrelhouse piano players, died in Hamburg, Germany. Dupree, who had lived in Europe for more than 30 years, was 81.
In 1996, EMI announced that ``Spaceman'' by the hitherto unknown techno-dance group ``Babylon Zoo'' had become the fastest-selling debut single in British history.
In 1996, country singer Wynonna Judd and yacht salesman Arch Kelley were married in a Nashville church. They later divorced.
In 1996, singer Francisco Garcia, the leader of ``Cannibal and the Headhunters,'' died after a long illness. He was 49. The group was best known for the song ``Land of 1,000 Dances.''
In 1997, Irwin J. Levine, who co-wrote the hit ``Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree'' died. He was 57.
In 1997, Colonel Tom Parker, the domineering manager who turned Elvis Presley into a music phenomenon, died in Las Vegas of complications from a stroke. He was 87. Parker became Presley's manager in 1955 when Elvis was on the verge of becoming a rock 'n' roll star. He had firm control over Elvis' career until Presley's death in 1977, taking between 25 and 50 per cent of the singer's earnings. But the courts ruled that Parker had no legal rights to Presley's estate.
In 1999, blues pianist, singer and composer Charles Brown died of heart failure in Oakland, Calif. His death at age 76 came two months before he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 1999, Montreal-based Seagram Company began the largest corporate restructuring in music industry history, cutting about 500 jobs at Universal Music Group in Los Angeles and New York.
In 2004, the recording industry sued 532 computer users it said were illegally distributing songs over the Internet.
In 2009, John Landis, the acclaimed director who co-wrote and shot the video ``Thriller,'' sued Michael Jackson for unspecified damages, claiming the pop star failed to pay him royalties for the project for the past four years.
In 2010, Robert (Squirrel) Lester of ``The Chi-Lites'' died of cancer in a Chicago hospital. He was 67. Their hits included ``Oh Girl'' and ``Have You Seen Her.''
In 2013, pop diva Beyonce sang the U.S. national anthem at President Barack Obama's public inauguration ceremony. Her critically praised performance came under scrutiny less than a day later, and she later admitted she lip-synched to a pre-recorded track because she didn't have time to practice with the orchestra.
In 2016, YouTube announced that Adele's music video for ``Hello'' greeted its 1 billionth view in 87 days, breaking the 158-day record held by Psy's ``Gangnam Style.''
In 2017, Crystal Gayle was formally inducted into the Grand Ole Opry by her older sister, country music icon Loretta Lynn. Gayle made her Opry debut nearly 50 years earlier at the age of 16 when she filled in for Lynn.
In 2021, country star Dolly Parton said her brother and singing partner Randy died of cancer. Parton says her brother sang, played guitar and bass in her band, as well as hosted his own show at her theme park, Dollywood. She says that her duet with him on ``Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle To You'' would be a highlight of her own career. He was 67.
In 2023, the second off-duty officer who was caught in an avalanche in the British Columbia Interior earlier this month died. The City of Nelson said Const. Mathieu Nolet suffered severe internal injuries when he was caught in the avalanche, and was unable to recover. The officers were backcountry skiing near Kaslo, B.C., in a mountain pass 60 kilometres north of Nelson when they were swept down the mountain in a large avalanche.
In 2023, a man police identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran shot and killed 10 people in a California dance club before later killing himself. Police say the man shot himself as officers closed in on the van he used to flee the scene of an attempted second shooting. Ten others were wounded in the shooting, which happened during Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park.
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The Canadian Press