Today in Music History for March 6:
In 1853, Giuseppe Verdi's opera "La Traviata" premiered in Venice, Italy.
In 1905, Bob Wills, the man who originated the style of music known as western swing, was born near Kosse, Texas. Wills and his "Texas Playboys," a swing band with country overtones, were a fixture for nearly 25 years on station KVOO in Tulsa, Okla., beginning in 1933. Wills's band played a mixture of country ballads, blues and jazz, with horns and fiddles figuring prominently in the arrangements. In April 1940, when Wills recorded his own composition, "San Antonio Rose," featuring the vocal talents of Tommy Duncan, the disc sold a million copies. Another version by Bing Crosby was also a million-seller. More hits followed, but the Second World War caused the breakup of "The Texas Playboys." When Wills re-formed the group after the war, it was a much smaller band in which fiddles predominated. Wills' health began to suffer in the 1960s, and he suffered two heart attacks and a stroke. In December 1973, he attended his last recording session. Many of the original "Texas Playboys" and Merle Haggard were there, but during the session, Wills suffered a second stroke. He never regained consciousness, and died in May 1975.
In 1913, a San Francisco newspaper used the word "jazz" for the first time in print. The first style of music known as jazz was the New Orleans style, later called Dixieland, in which a small group would improvise collectively on a well-known tune. In the 1920s, Louis Armstrong and other musicians became the first jazz soloists.
In 1937, steel guitarist Ben Keith was born in Fort Riley, Texas. He played on Patsy Cline’s 1961 hit "I Fall to Pieces" before appearing on several Neil Young albums. He met Young in 1971 in Nashville, where the rocker was working on what would become his commercial breakthrough album, "Harvest." Their association ran through such Young albums as "Tonight’s the Night," "Comes a Time," "Harvest Moon," "Greendale" and "Chrome Dreams II." Keith played live or in the studio with artists including Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Ringo Starr and "Crosby, Stills and Nash." He also produced singer-songwriter Jewel’s 1995 debut album, "Pieces of You." He died July 27, 2010.
In 1947, David Gilmour, lead guitarist and vocalist with "Pink Floyd," was born in Cambridge, England. Gilmour joined the group in 1967 after their first album, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn," had been released. He replaced Syd Barrett, whose behaviour was becoming increasingly erratic, some said because of excessive experimenting with LSD. "Pink Floyd's" commercial breakthrough came in 1973 with "The Dark Side of the Moon." It became the longest-charting LP in Billboard's history - as of mid-February 2018, 937 weeks on the Billboard 200 and 1,201 weeks on the Top Pop Catalogue Albums Chart.
In 1966, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson received a 5,000-name petition from "Beatles" fans asking that the Cavern Club in Liverpool be re-opened.
In 1967, singer Nelson Eddy, whose operatic-style duets with Jeanette MacDonald were big favourites in movies and on records in the 1930s, died at 66.
In 1970, Charles Manson released an LP called "Lie" to finance his defence in the Sharon Tate murder trial. The album cover showed the cover of "Life" magazine, on which Manson had appeared, but the "F" was edited out to form the word "Lie."
In 1972, John Lennon's temporary visa was revoked by the U.S. Department of Immigration. The department wanted Lennon deported because of a drug arrest and his involvement with the radical left.
In 1978, Billy Joel was awarded a rare platinum single for "Just The Way You Are."
In 1987, Bernie Leadon, a founding member of the "Eagles," joined "The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band" for the first time at a concert in Aspen, Colo.
In 1989, an all-star Greenpeace benefit album, featuring such stars as the "The Pretenders," "U2," the "Grateful Dead," Peter Gabriel, "Huey Lewis and the News" and Bryan Adams, was released in the Soviet Union.
In 1994, Frank Sinatra collapsed during a concert in Richmond, Va. The 78-year-old performer fell face down on stage while singing "My Way," his trademark song.
In 1996, musicians Johnny and Edgar Winter sued D.C. Comics over a horror comic with two characters called Johnny and Edgar Autumn. The case went all the way to the California Supreme Court. The Winters' lost.
In 1998, "Oasis" lead singer Liam Gallagher was charged with assault causing bodily harm after head-butting a fan outside a hotel in Brisbane, Australia. The fan, who apparently snapped a picture of the British pop star, suffered a broken nose. The "Oasis" show that night went on as scheduled although guitarist Noel Gallagher later apologized for the band's poor performance. The group apparently sounded terrible, bickered on stage and refused to do an encore.
In 1998, Madonna granted a rare television interview to MuchMusic as part of the promotion for her album "Ray of Light."
In 1999, country singer George Jones was seriously injured when he smashed his sport-utility vehicle into a bridge near his home in Franklin, Tenn. He suffered a collapsed lung, ruptured his liver and had internal bleeding. He later pleaded guilty to drunk driving.
In 1999, Courtney Love stalked off the stage in Portland, Ore., after about 45 minutes. Love was apparently upset by the lukewarm reception she and her band "Hole" received.
In 2000, all the original members of "Earth, Wind and Fire" played together for the first time in 20 years as they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Maurice White had announced the previous week he had Parkinson's disease. Eric Clapton also became the first person inducted into the Rock Hall three times.
In 2004, musician, broadcaster and teacher Eugene Kash died at age 91 in Toronto. He took up the violin at five and went on to study in the U.S. and Europe. Later, he performed as a soloist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and, in 1942, became music director of the National Film Board. From 1950-57, he led the Ottawa Philharmonic and later produced special programs for CBC and BBC television. In time, he turned to full-time teaching and, in 1974, joined the faculty of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. In 1957, he married contralto Maureen Forrester, with whom he had five children.
In 2009, "Phish" reunited for their first concert in five years at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Va. The venue was where they recorded their six-CD live album, "Hampton Comes Alive," in 1998.
In 2010, Mark Linkous, the singer-songwriter who released his music under the band name "Sparklehorse," committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest with his own rifle. He was 47.
In 2012, Canadian rock trio "Rush" was among a group announced as the latest recipients of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.
In 2012, country music superstar Garth Brooks, singer Connie Smith and keyboard player Hargus "Pig" Robbins were announced as the newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
In 2012, pop star Lady Gaga became the first person to have 20 million Twitter followers.
In 2013, Canadian country-folk legend Stompin' Tom Connors, whose toe-tapping musical spirit and fierce patriotism established him as one of Canada's strongest cultural icons, died at age 77.
In 2013, Alvin Lee, the founder of "Ten Years After," died in Spain from complication from a routine surgical procedure. The band released ten albums during their career and Lee left the group to go solo in 1975.
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The Canadian Press