Today in Music History for March 15:
In 1927, Carl Smith, a country music hitmaker of the 1950s and 1960s, was born in Tennessee. Known for his dynamic voice and good looks, he had 41 chart singles during the 1950s, including the hits "Are You Teasing Me," "Back Up Buddy," and "Hey Joe!" He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry but left in 1956 to try his hand at acting. He appeared in two westerns, "The Badge of Marshal Brennan" and "Buffalo Gun." From 1964 to 1969, he hosted 190 episodes of "Carl Smith's Country Music Hall" on Canadian television. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003. He died on Jan 16, 2010.
In 1941, Mike Love of "The Beach Boys" was born in Los Angeles. Love is a cousin of the three Wilson Brothers -- Brian, Carl and Dennis. With their friend, Al Jardine, they formed a high school group which played under such names as "The Pendletones," "Kenny and the Cadets" and "Carl and the Passions." Mike Love and Brian Wilson wrote "Surfin'," which was a California hit in 1961 for the group, now called "The Beach Boys." Murray Wilson, the father of Brian, Dennis and Carl, got "The Beach Boys" a contract with Capitol Records. Their hits began -- "Surfin' Safari," "Surfin' U-S-A" and "Surfer Girl." These were the songs that launched the surf music fad.
In 1945, Billboard magazine's first album chart put "The King Cole Trio” at the top of the list.
In 1945, "Going My Way" won the best picture Oscar. Bing Crosby won the best actor award for his role in that movie.
In 1956, the musical "My Fair Lady," an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion," opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on Broadway. Its 2,717 performances over six-and-a-half years made it, at the time, Broadway's longest-running musical. "My Fair Lady" made a star of English actress Julie Andrews, who was chosen for the part of Eliza Doolittle while playing in New York in "The Boy Friend." Lyricist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe began working on "My Fair Lady" in 1952, at the suggestion of producer Gabriel Pascal. CBS put up the $360,000 necessary to stage the show, which also starred Rex Harrison and Stanley Holloway. The original cast album of "My Fair Lady" spent 480 weeks on the Billboard chart, longer than other Broadway cast album during the rock 'n' roll era.
In 1956, Elvis Presley signed with Colonel Tom Parker for management. Presley's previous manager was Memphis disc jockey Bob Neal. Under the agreement, Parker received one-quarter of Presley's earnings, a pact that continued in force even after the singer's death in 1977.
In 1959, tenor saxophonist Lester (Prez) Young, a prime link between pre-war jazz and the bebop movement of the late 1940s, died in New York at the age of 50.
In 1966, Roger Miller won six Grammy Awards, giving him a total of 11 Grammys in two years.
In 1967, Frank Sinatra won the Record of the Year Grammy for "Strangers in the Night" and Album of the Year for "Sinatra: A Man and His Music." John Lennon and Paul McCartney pulled an upset by winning for Song of the Year for "Michelle."
In 1968, the Diocese of Rome gave its OK to rock music masses in the Roman Catholic Church.
In 1972, police were called to Los Angeles radio station KHJ by listeners who thought something was wrong when deejay Robert W. Morgan played Donny Osmond's "Puppy Love" non-stop for 90 minutes.
In 1975, the country music opera "Cruel Tears," written by Regina playwright Ken Mitchell and a country-and-western band known as "Humphrey and the Dumptrucks," premiered at the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon.
In 1978, the film "American Hot Wax," a somewhat inaccurate depiction of a week in the life of pioneer rock 'n' roll disc jockey Alan Freed, premiered. Tim McIntyre received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Freed. The movie co-starred Fran Drescher and future "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno.
In 1986, the "Electric Light Orchestra" performed live for the first time in four years. Former "Beatle" George Harrison and Denny Laine of "Wings" joined them on stage in Birmingham, England.
In 1987, Boy George and 100 other stars re-recorded "Let It Be" by "The Beatles" to raise money for the victims of a ferry disaster off Belgium.
In 1991, tenor saxophonist Bud Freeman, who helped develop the Chicago style of traditional jazz, died in Chicago at age 84. He was considered the first great white jazz tenor sax player.
In 1994, husband and wife Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston performed together for the first time at the Soul Train Awards in Los Angeles.
In 1999, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and Dusty Springfield were among the inductees at the 14th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in New York.
In 1999, relatives of Buddy Holly sued MCA Records, alleging that the company hoarded royalty payments, forged contracts and illegally produced albums without the family's consent. The suit didn't specify damages but a lawyer for the family described it as a multi-million-dollar case. Holly died in a plane crash in 1959.
In 2004, Prince, Bob Seger, "ZZ Top" and Jackson Browne were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The late George Harrison became the third ex-"Beatle" inducted for his solo work. British jam band "Traffic" and the '50s harmony group "The Dells" were also honoured. "Rolling Stone" magazine founder Jann Wenner also received a lifetime achievement award.
In 2004, it was announced Grammy-winning pop singer Whitney Houston had entered a drug rehabilitation facility. Houston, 40, admitted in a December 2002 television interview that she had abused drugs in the past, but told interviewer Diane Sawyer on ABC's Primetime that she had managed to get beyond that time through prayer. Houston died on Feb. 11, 2012.
In 2010, "ABBA," "Genesis," Jimmy Cliff, "The Hollies" and "The Stooges" were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2010, Dan Achen, former lead guitarist for the Hamilton rock band "Junkhouse" and the owner of the Catherine North recording studio in downtown Hamilton, died in Oakville, Ont., at age 51. During the '90s, Achen was a key part of "Junkhouse" which scored international success with the hit "Out of My Head." In 2008, he co-produced the Juno-winning album "Bring Me Your Love," a solo project by Dallas Green of "Alexisonfire."
In 2011, Celine Dion's new Las Vegas show premiered at The Colosseum at Ceasars Palace. The production this time around paid tribute to Old Hollywood as opposed to her Cirque du Soleil-style run of sold-out shows there from 2003-2007.
In 2011, singer Nate Dogg (born Nathaniel D. Hale), whose near monotone crooning anchored some of rap's most seminal songs and helped define the sound of West coast hip-hop, died of complications from multiple strokes. He was 41. He made his debut on Dr. Dre's classic album "The Chronic," and was featured on songs ranging from Ludacris' "Area Codes" to Tupac Shakur's "All About U" to Eminem's "Shake That" and to 50 Cent's "21 Questions."
In 2015, 80-year-old Leonard Cohen snagged Album of the Year (Popular Problems) at the Juno Awards in Hamilton while Kiesza won three awards, including Breakthrough Artist of the Year. The Arkells took Rock Album of the Year (High Noon) and Group of the Year and The Weeknd won Artist of the Year. Reggae-tinged quartet Magic! won Single of the Year (Rude) and Breakthrough Group of the Year; Alanis Morissette was ushered into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
In 2015, Mike Porcaro, bass player for the Grammy-winning pop group Toto, died at age 59. He had suffered from ALS for several years. He left the group in 2007 because of declining health.
In 2016, Michael Jackson's estate announced it agreed to sell its half-stake in the Sony/ATV Music Publishing catalogue to Sony Corp. for $750 million. It gave Sony sole ownership of works by The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Eminem and Taylor Swift, but does not include rights to Jackson's master recordings or songs that he wrote.
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The Canadian Press