Today in Music History for Jan. 25:
In 1899, (Sleepy) John Estes, an important early bluesman, was born in Ripley, Tenn. He played on the streets of Memphis in the 1920s, supporting himself by working the night shift at a trainyard. His tendency to doze off on the job earned him his nickname. He returned to Brownsville, Tenn., in the 1940s, where he remained in obscurity for more than 15 years. Estes was rediscovered by a documentary filmmaker. He signed a recording contract and appeared at folk festivals in the U.S. and Europe. One of Estes' LPs included a guest spot by guitarist Mike Bloomfield, and Estes later appeared on an LP by Ry Cooder. The rock group "Joy of Cooking" had a minor hit in 1971 with a song written by Estes, "Going to Brownsville." Sleepy John Estes died of a stroke in 1977, just as he was about to begin a tour of Europe.
In 1907, U.S. social reformer and author Julia Ward Howe, composer of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," became the first woman elected to the National Institute of Arts & Letters.
In 1909, the opera "Elektra" by Richard Strauss premiered in Dresden, Germany.
In 1958, Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock" became the first single ever to enter the U.K. pop chart at No. 1.
In 1962, "Twistin' the Night Away" by Sam Cooke was released.
In 1971, a baby girl was born to Grace Slick and Paul Kantner of the "Jefferson Airplane" in a San Francisco hospital. They originally wanted to name her God, but finally decided on China.
In 1976, New Orleans R&B singer Chris Kenner died of a heart attack at age 46. His "I Like It Like That" made No. 2 on the Billboard pop chart in 1961.
In 1980, former "Beatle" Paul McCartney was released from a Japanese jail where he had been held for nine days on charges of smuggling marijuana into the country. He was immediately deported.
In 1986, Albert Grossman, who managed the careers of Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan, died on a flight from the U.S. to Britain.
In 1986, Dionne Warwick's single "That's What Friends Are For" topped the RPM magazine singles chart in Canada. Profits from the sale of the disc were donated to AIDS research.
In 1992, singer Emmylou Harris joined the Grand Ole Opry.
In 1993, Michael Bolton, "Boyz II Men," Garth Brooks, Mariah Carey and Reba McEntire were among the winners at the 20th annual American Music Awards.
In 1993, Elizabeth Taylor presented Michael Jackson with a career achievement award at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles. It was Taylor's first public appearance after being confined to her home for three months because of a respiratory infection.
In 1994, lawyers for Michael Jackson and a 14-year-old boy announced a multi-million-dollar settlement of a civil lawsuit. The boy had accused Jackson of sexually molesting him; the superstar denied it. Reports put the settlement at anywhere from US$5 million to $24 million. Jackson's lawyers denied the settlement was an admission of guilt. And lawyers for the boy said it did not prevent their client from testifying in any criminal proceedings against Jackson.
In 1994, singer Marky Mark was sued by a Portland, Maine, woman, who said she was trampled during one of his shows. She said he invited the crowd to rush the stage after he stripped down to his underwear.
In 1994, "Alice in Chains" released the EP "Jar of Flies." It became the first EP to hit No. 1 on the Billboard album chart.
In 1994, more than 4,000 fans showed up at midnight at a Boston record store for the first public appearance of "NKOTB" -- formerly "New Kids On The Block." The grown-up teenybopper stars were there to promote their "Face the Music" album.
In 1997, Princeton University music historian Peter Jeffery attended what he said was his first rock concert -- a show by the "Smashing Pumpkins" in New Haven, Conn. More than two years later, Jeffery sued the band, the city and New Haven Coliseum, claiming the excessive noise level damaged his hearing.
In 1999, Paul McCartney took out ads in British newspapers to ridicule a "parental guidance" warning that was slapped on his late wife's last album, "Wide Prairie." The warning was affixed to the album because of an obscenity in one song, "The Light Comes from Within." Linda McCartney recorded the song in March 1998, a month before she died of breast cancer.
In 1999, conductor Robert Shaw, who did much to popularize the art of choral singing in North America, died in Atlanta at age 82. Several albums by the Robert Shaw Chorale were pop hits, including a 1957 Christmas LP and "Deep River and Other Spirituals," released two years later. Shaw won 14 Grammy awards and conducted the Atlanta Symphony for 21 years.
In 2001, singer Celine Dion gave birth to a boy, Rene-Charles, in Florida, the result of in vitro fertilization. Her efforts to have a child had been well-publicized as she and her husband Rene Angelil battled infertility. In 2010, Dion gave birth to twin boys, also born through IVF.
In 2018, Tommy Banks, a renowned Edmonton jazz pianist and former senator, died at the age of 81. Banks' long and impressive musical resume, which began with his professional debut in 1950, covered virtually every aspect of Canadian entertainment through the years. He won both a Juno and Gemini award, hosted "The Tommy Banks Show" from 1968-83 and numerous other TV programs, and performed throughout North America and around the world. Banks was a member of the senate from 2000 until his term ended in 2011.
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The Canadian Press