Today in Music History for Oct. 3:
In 1938, '50s rock 'n' roller Eddie Cochran was born in Oklahoma City. His career was brief, lasting just over three years from his first hit "Sittin' in the Balcony" in 1957 to his death in a car crash near London on April 17, 1960. But Cochran made a lasting imprint on rock with the classic "Summertime Blues," a worldwide hit in 1958.
In 1941, Chubby Checker, the world's foremost exponent of The Twist, was born in Philadelphia. Checker didn't originate "The Twist." That honour belongs to Hank Ballard, who recorded the song on the B-side of one of his records in 1958. But it was Checker who made "The Twist" the dance sensation of the early 1960s. In fact, Checker's recording of "The Twist" topped the Billboard chart twice -- in 1960 and again in '62. Checker had a whole slew of other dance hits, such as "Limbo Rock," "Pony Time" and "Popeye the Hitchhiker," but nothing to quite rival "The Twist."
In 1945, a 10-year-old Elvis Presley made his first public performance. He entered a singing contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show and finished in second place. He received $5.
In 1947, Lindsey Buckingham, guitarist and vocalist with "Fleetwood Mac," was born in Palo Alto, Calif. He joined "Fleetwood Mac" in 1974, along with Stevie Nicks. He and Nicks had recorded an album together, and had also performed as part of a San Francisco rock group called "Fritz." Buckingham was a craftsman in the recording studio and Nicks became "Fleetwood Mac's" on-stage sex symbol. The combination helped the group's 1975 self-titled album rack up sales of more than four-million copies. And the follow-up, 1977's "Rumours," became one of the best-selling rock albums of all time -- 40-million copies worldwide. Buckingham left "Fleetwood Mac" in 1986. The classic lineup reunited for a nostalgia tour and live album in the late 1990s. The group got back together, minus Christine McVie, in the spring of 2003, and made a new album, "Say You Will," the first project with all-new material since 1987. In 2014, McVie rejoined the band.
In 1961, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams and Fred Rose became the first artists inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
In 1967, Woody Guthrie, probably the western world's most famous folk singer, died in New York at age 55. Guthrie was in hospital for most of his last decade due to Huntington's disease, a genetically transmitted disorder that gradually destroys the nervous system. Guthrie wrote hundreds of songs about America and its peoples, and was largely responsible for reinventing the folk song as a vehicle for social comment and protest. He laid the groundwork for the music of such artists as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Ritchie Havens in the 1960s. Among Guthrie's songs are "This Land is Your Land," "So Long, It's Been Good to Know You" and "This Train is Bound for Glory." "Bound for Glory" was also the title of Guthrie's autobiography, which was made into a film, starring David Carradine in 1976. Woody Guthrie's son, Arlo, also became a folk singer of some note.
In 1969, singer/actress/fashion designer Gwen Stefani was born in Fullerton, Calif. Her brother Eric and his friend John Spence started the band "No Doubt" in 1987 and she was asked to sing background vocals. She later became the lead singer of the ska band after Spence committed suicide. "No Doubt’s" 1995 album "Tragic Kingdom" shot the band to stardom. Her first solo album, recorded in 2004, was "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." and her second solo album "The Sweet Escape" came out in 2006. Stefani also has her own clothing line, "L.A.M.B." She also played actress Jean Harlow opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in the Oscar-nominated 2004 film "The Aviator." She married Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale in 2002 in London and they have two sons together, Kingston and Zuma. (They announced their separation in 2015). In May 2009, a reunited "No Doubt" embarked on a North American tour.
In 1969, country blues singer and guitarist Nehemiah "Skip" James died in Philadelphia after a long illness. He was 67. James made a series of 78s for Paramount in 1931 which became highly sought after by collectors. But James virtually abandoned music until he was rediscovered in 1965 by John Fahey of Takoma Records. James performed at folk festivals throughout North America and recorded albums for half a dozen labels in the four years before his death.
In 1989, Del Wood, the ragtime pianist whose 1951 recording of "Down Yonder" sold more than three-million copies, died in Nashville of a stroke. She was 69. Although "Down Yonder" was her only hit, Wood was a regular performer on the Grand Ole Opry for 36 years. She also played five songs in the movie "Rhinestone," starring Dolly Parton and Sylvester Stallone.
In 1992, Irish singer Sinead O'Connor provoked a furor by ripping up a picture of Pope John Paul on "Saturday Night Live" and calling him "the real enemy." The gesture came at the end of O'Connor's performance of the Bob Marley protest song, "War." The incident left the studio audience stunned and NBC's switchboard jammed with nearly 500 protest calls.
In 1994, the "Eagles" were forced to postpone the remaining 17 dates on their first concert tour in 14 years after guitarist Glenn Frey became ill with an intestinal disorder. He underwent surgery three days later.
In 2000, Benjamin Orr, former singer and bassist for the popular Boston-based new-wave band "The Cars," died of pancreatic cancer at age 53.
In 2011, ESPN pulled Hank Williams Jr.'s classic intro song "Are You Ready For Some Football?" from its "Monday Night Football" broadcast after the country singer used an analogy to Adolf Hitler in discussing President Barack Obama. He apologized for the comment but on Oct. 6 Williams and ESPN announced they had parted ways. The song, which had been part of "MNF" since 1989, was based on Williams' hit "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight." The lyrics were changed each week to reflect the night's game. (ESPN brought it back in September 2017.)
In 2016, Canadian teen pop star Shawn Mendes earned his second No. 1 Billboard 200 album ("Illuminate"), becoming just the fifth artist to score two chart toppers by the age of 18. (The others: fellow Canadian Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Hilary Duff and LeAnn Rimes)
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(The Canadian Press)
The Canadian Press
