Today in Music History for May 30:
In 1903, songwriter Alex Kramer was born in Montreal. With his wife, Joan Whitney, Kramer was among the first songwriters to join BMI when the ban on broadcasting the music of ASCAP composers began in 1941. Among the couple's hit compositions in the 1940s were "High on a Windy Hill," "It's Love, Love, Love" and "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens." Kramer died in Fairfield, Conn., on Feb. 10, 1998.
In 1909, jazz clarinetist and big band leader Benny Goodman was born in Chicago. He played for a while in his home town before heading for New York City in 1928. There, in 1934, he organized his own orchestra. The band's engagement at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles in August, 1935 signalled the start of the "Swing Era," and marked the start of Goodman's rise to fame. After his famous 1938 Carnegie Hall jazz concert, captured on record, Goodman became known as "The King of Swing." While continuing to lead his orchestra, Goodman also performed in a trio with pianist Teddy Wilson and drummer Gene Krupa. The trio became a quartet with the addition of vibes player Lionel Hampton in 1936. Beginning in the 1950s, Goodman's many tours abroad gained him international esteem. In 1962, the Goodman orchestra was the first U.S. jazz outfit invited to the Soviet Union. A Hollywood interpretation of his life, "The Benny Goodman Story," was released in 1955. He died June 13, 1986.
In 1948, the St. Catharines Civic Orchestra, which later became the St. Catharines Symphony, gave its first concert.
In 1955, drummer Nicky (Topper) Headon of "The Clash" was born in Dover, England. "The Clash" was the most influential band to come out of the punk movement in England in the late '70s. Headon joined the group in 1977, just in time for its first headline tour of Britain. The tour ended at a London concert where the audience ripped the seats out of the floor. He left "The Clash" in 1982 because of what were termed political differences. Later that year, the group had a top-10 single with "Rock the Casbah."
In 1966, future superstar Anne Murray signed a contract with CBC's "Singalong Jubilee." She would be paid $71.50 for each appearance on the TV show, and $99 if she soloed.
In 1968, "The Beatles" began recording what became known as the "White Album," a two LP set whose official title was simply "The Beatles." The album was packaged in a plain white jacket.
In 1971, 36 people were treated after unwittingly drinking apple cider laced with LSD at a "Grateful Dead" concert at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.
In 1977, Paul Desmond, the alto saxophonist with the "Dave Brubeck Quartet" until it broke up in 1967, died in New York City of lung cancer. He was 52. The quartet was one of the most popular jazz combos of the 1950s and '60s. Desmond wrote the group's biggest hit, "Take Five," which made No. 25 on the Billboard pop chart in 1961.
In 1978, "Led Zeppelin" began work on their final album, "In Through the Out Door." There was another album after that -- "Coda," -- but it was composed of early recordings and outtakes.
In 1986, (Papa) Joe Brown, leader of the Canadian country group, "The Family Brown," died of a heart attack after a performance in Chesley, Ont. He was 60. "The Family Brown" won the 1985 Juno award for best country group.
In 1987, David Bowie opened his "Glass Spider" world tour in Rotterdam before 100,000 fans. Reviewers called the event a "travelling rock 'n' roll Broadway show." It took a 150-member crew to set up the equipment, which included two sound systems, 260 speaker cabinets, 1,000 lights and three computers.
In 1987, four fans were arrested and five were injured during a melee at a Liverpool concert by the "Beastie Boys." Bottles and other objects were thrown after the group left the stage 10 minutes into their performance.
In 1987, trombonist Turk Murphy, a leading exponent of traditional or Dixieland jazz, died in San Francisco of cancer at age 71. Among Murphy's fans was Woody Allen, who wrote the score for the movie "Sleeper" after being inspired by his music.
In 1990, the band "Midnight Oil" gave a free concert on flatbed trucks outside of an Exxon building in response to the oil spill of the "Exxon Valdez" in Alaska.
In 1992, singers Paul Simon and Edie Brickell were married in suburban New York City.
In 1993, ground-breaking pianist and orchestra leader Sun Ra died in Birmingham, Ala., at age 79. His music encompassed everything from bop and gospel to blues and electronic sounds. He encouraged his soloists to play so-called free jazz years before experimentation became the norm in the late 1960s. Starting in 1956, Ra travelled with his "Arkestra," a multi-media ensemble which included musicians and dancers in extravagant costumes. He said his songs carried a message to save the world. Ra was a native of Birmingham -- his original name was Herman (Sonny) Blount -- but liked to say he was born on Saturn and was about 5,000 years old.
In 1996, John Tesh made his last appearance as host of "Entertainment Tonight." He stepped down after 10 years to pursue his music career.
In 1997, new age musician Yanni became the first Western artist to perform in Beijing's "Forbidden City." In March, he had played at the Taj Mahal in India. But before the concert could take place, five farmers had to be compensated because their crops were destroyed to build the stage. The farmers had threatened to set themselves on fire in protest.
In 1997, singer Mariah Carey and her husband, Sony Music Entertainment president Tommy Mottola, announced they were separating after nearly four years of marriage.
In 2009, Susan Boyle, the dowdy 48-year-old internet sensation, settled for a second-place finish in "Britain's Got Talent," an ending that didn't fit the fairy tale. Instead, an exuberant dance troupe called "Diversity" took the US$159,000 prize and performed for Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Variety Show. Boyle literally became an overnight sensation when her first performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" surprised and wowed the judges and viewers. The YouTube video of the performance has been viewed over 200 million times.
In 2009, comedian-actor-musician Steve Martin made his Grand Ole Opry debut. He performed songs from his first musical album, "The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo." Martin has been playing banjo since he was 17 and wrote or co-wrote all the songs on the album.
In 2010, after a widely reported miscarriage and several unsuccessful in-vitro fertilization procedures, the publicist for Celine Dion confirmed the singer was pregnant with twins. Dion gave birth to premature twin boys on Oct. 23.
In 2010, Ali-Ollie Woodson, who led the legendary Motown quintet "The Temptations" in the 1980s and '90s and helped restore them to their hit-making glory with songs including "Treat Her Like a Lady," "Sail Away," and "Lady Soul," died after battling cancer. He was 58.
In 2012, Justin Bieber's free mini-concert in Olso caused a frenzy, injuring 49 fans. The Canadian teen pop sensation was in the midst of a series of free concerts to promote his upcoming album "Believe" and filming his "Around the World" TV special.
In 2012, Pete Cosey, an innovative guitarist who brought his distinctive distorted sound to recordings with Miles Davis, Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters, died at age 68. In the 1960s, he was a member of the studio band at Chess Records in Chicago, where he played on Waters' "Electric Mud" and Howlin' Wolf's "Howlin' Wolf Album." Cosey also worked with Etta James and Chuck Berry.
In 2014, "Gangnam Style" by South Korean rapper PSY became the first YouTube video to surpass two billion views.
In 2019, Canadian country songwriter Ralph Murphy, who penned lyrics for Shania Twain and Randy Travis while earning a reputation as a Nashville mentor, died at age 75. The England-born musician, who also produced for Canadian rock act April Wine, had been hospitalized after suffering numerous health issues. He died with his two children and wife by his side. Murphy was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
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The Canadian Press