Today in Music History for Oct. 19:
In 1889, recording industry pioneer Art Satherly was born in Bristol, England. He was responsible for building Columbia Records into a major force in country music in the 1930s and '40s by signing such artists as Gene Autry, Lefty Frizzell, Marty Robbins and Bill Monroe. He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1971 and died Feb. 10, 1986.
In 1934, Dave Guard, one of the original members of "The Kingston Trio," was born in Honolulu. "The Kingston Trio" projected a more cleancut image than many 1950s folksingers. The trio topped the Billboard pop chart in 1958 with "Tom Dooley," a traditional ballad about a man hanged for the murder of his girlfriend. Guard died of cancer on March 22, 1991.
In 1944, reggae singer and songwriter Peter Tosh, whose real name is Winston Hubert MacIntosh, was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Tosh first became known as the baritone vocalist with "The Wailers," Bob Marley's trio, and contributed such songs as "Get Up, Stand Up," "One Foundation" and "400 Years" to "The Wailers" repertoire. On Sept. 11, 1987, he was shot to death in his Kingston home after refusing to hand over money to three robbers.
In 1953, singer Julias La Rosa, a regular on the CBS television program "Arthur Godfrey Time," was fired on the air by Godfrey. La Rosa, a semi-operatic style pop singer, disappeared from the charts with the advent of rock 'n' roll, and later became a New York City disc jockey.
In 1955, Jim Reeves joined the Grand Ole Opry on the recommendation of Ernest Tubb and Hank Snow. Reeves had already recorded two million-sellers -- "Mexican Joe" and "Bimbo." His successful career was cut short when he died in a 1964 plane crash.
In 1966, "The Yardbirds" arrived in New York for their first North American tour. After only two dates, guitarist Jeff Beck left the band.
In 1967, "Smokey Robinson and The Miracles" released "I Second That Emotion."
In 1973, the "Grateful Dead" left Warner Brothers Records after seven years to form their own record company.
In 1984, Bryan Adams's single "Run to You," from the album "Reckless," was released.
In 1986, 40-year-old Swedish King Karl Gustav the 16th, was the host of a post-concert party for the British band "Saxon" at Stockholm's Royal Palace. The palace staff dressed in "Saxon" tee-shirts and heavy-metal gear.
In 1988, Mississippi Delta bluesman Son House died in Detroit at age 86. Musicians as diverse as Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt cited him as an influence. His guitar and vocal styles helped lay the groundwork for rock 'n' roll.
In 1991, Grant Turner, the voice of the Grand Ole Opry, died. He was 79.
In 1992, Quebec country singer Willie Lamothe died in St-Hyacinthe, Que., at age 72. He had been ill since he collapsed on stage in 1978. Lamothe's hits included "Je suis un cowboy canadien (I'm a Canadian Cowboy)," "Je chante a cheval (I Sing on Horseback)" and "Allo! Allo! Petit Michel." He once performed in French at the Grand Ole Opry.
In 1993, "Pearl Jam's" second album, "Vs.," was released, selling nearly one million copies in five days. The album had to share chart space with the band's debut, "Ten," which was still in the top-25 nearly two years after its release.
In 1994, Martha Raye, who entertained generations of moviegoers and U.S. servicemen with her singing and comedy, died in Los Angeles at age 78. Her first movie, in 1935, was a Bing Crosby musical, "Rhythm on the Range," in which she had a show-stopping number, "Mr. Paganini." Raye's only hit record, "Melancholy Mood," on which she was backed by the orchestra of then-husband David Rose, came in 1939. She was one of the first Hollywood figures to entertain U.S. troops during the Second World War. Raye continued her service in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
In 2008, songs about curling, a Winnipeg bus driver and Big Foot helped "The Weakerthans" dominate the Western Canadian Music Awards. The indy pop recording darlings were honoured for outstanding independent album and songwriters of the year.
In 2008, Gianni Raimondi, a tenor with a pure and powerful voice, who sang many times with opera star Maria Callas, died at his home near Bologna. He was 85.
In 2009, J.D. Souther was honoured with the ASCAP Golden Note Award at the ASCAP Country Music Awards at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Souther is best known as the behind-the-scenes guy who co-wrote a lot of "Eagles" hits, including "Best of My Love," "Heartache Tonight." And, his songs have been recorded by Linda Ronstadt, George Strait, "The Dixie Chicks," Glen Campbell and others.
In 2010, the hurricane Igor relief benefit concert took place at Mile One Centre in St. John’s featuring some of Newfoundland’s best-known artists including "Hey Rosetta!," Kim Stockwood, Damhnait Doyle, Tara Oram and Amelia Curran. In September, hurricane Igor was estimated to have caused tens of millions of dollars in damage when it pounded the province with heavy rains and wind.
In 2011, Newfoundlander Mary Lou Farrell, an acclaimed singer and actor who appeared on Broadway and the Lawrence Welk Show, died at her home in Tampa, Fla., after a long battle with cancer. She was 68.
In 2011, rocker Jon Bon Jovi opened his charity restaurant, "The Soul Kitchen," in Red Bank, N.J. It served gourmet meals to customers who earned vouchers through community volunteer hours or for paying customers that left whatever they wanted to in envelopes on each table as there were no prices on the menu.
In 2011, singer/former supermodel/French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy gave birth to a baby girl, the first infant born to a sitting president of modern-day France.
In 2012, singer Justin Timberlake married actress Jessica Biel at a seaside resort in Italy.
In 2013, musician Noel Harrison, who won the best-song Oscar for "The Windmills of Your Mind," the theme to the 1968 movie "The Thomas Crown Affair," died at age 79. He suffered a heart attack after a performance in Devon, southwest England, and died later in a hospital.
In 2016, country music star Shania Twain, the genre's most successful female singer, was given the Artist of the Lifetime Award at the CMT Artists of the Year show.
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(The Canadian Press)
The Canadian Press
