Today in Music History for Oct. 6:
In 1908, Canadian composer and musicologist Francois Brassard was born in St. Jerome, Que. He is best known for his work in research, compilation, editing and harmonizing of French-Canadian folk songs. Brassard died in 1976.
In 1927, the era of sound motion pictures was ushered in when "The Jazz Singer," starring Al Jolson, opened in New York City. There had been previous experiments with adding sound to movies, but "The Jazz Singer" was the first full-length film to use synchronized dialogue sequences. Jolson was already the king of the American musical when "The Jazz Singer" was released, but by the 1930s his career had begun to decline. "My Mammy" and "Mother of Mine, I Still Have You" were two of the most popular songs from "The Jazz Singer."
In 1946, singer Millie Small, whose "My Boy Lollipop" made No. 2 in both the U.S. and Britain in 1964, was born in Jamaica. "My Boy Lollipop" was one of the first records using the ska rhythm to become popular outside Jamaica. Ska was a forerunner to today's reggae music. "My Boy Lollipop" was Millie Small's only major hit.
In 1951, Kevin Cronin, lead singer with "REO Speedwagon," was born in Evanston, Ill. He joined the rock band after their first album in 1971. But he left the following year, rejoining the group in 1975. "REO Speedwagon's" eighth album, 1978's "You Can Tune a Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish," was the first to sell a million copies. But the group's ticket to superstardom was 1980's "Hi-Infidelity," an LP which sold six-million copies and included the No. 1 single "Keep On Lovin' You."
In 1964, the Confederation Centre of the Arts was officially opened in Charlottetown by Queen Elizabeth. It's the home of the annual Charlottetown Festival, devoted primarily to Canadian musical theatre.
In 1969, a George Harrison song became the A-side of a "Beatles" single for the first time, when "The Beatles" released "Something" backed with "Come Together."
In 1973, Canadian music educator and administrator Arnold Walter died in Toronto at the age of 71. He became one of the country's most influential music educators, establishing in 1946 a degree program at the Toronto Conservatory of Music to prepare music teachers for positions in elementary and secondary schools. It was the first program of its kind in Canada. Walter headed the University of Toronto's music faculty from 1952-68, during which time the faculty attained international stature.
In 1976, Herman Geiger-Torel, general director of the Canadian Opera Company since 1959, died in Toronto at the age of 69.
In 1976, "Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots" received a gold record for the novelty single "Disco Duck." The single eventually went platinum.
In 1978, Mick Jagger apologized to the Reverend Jesse Jackson for the lyrics in "Some Girls," the title song from "The Rolling Stones" LP. But Jagger refused to grant Jackson's request that the song be changed to exclude a line about the sexual appetites of black women.
In 1980, the "Bee Gees" sued their manager, Robert Stigwood, and Polygram Records, for $200 million. The suit, which alleged misrepresentation, fraud and what was termed unfair enrichment, was settled out of court the following year.
In 1985, orchestra leader Nelson Riddle died of a heart attack and kidney failure at the age of 64. He was famous for his arrangements for such vocalists as Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. And Riddle had a million-seller of his own in 1956 with "Lisbon Antigua." In the 1980s, he collaborated with Linda Ronstadt on three albums of big band standards.
In 1990, Garth Brooks joined the Grand Ole Opry.
In 1995, Waylon Jennings returned to the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, for the first time in 36 years. The last time he was there was Feb. 3, 1959, when he performed with Buddy Holly. Later that night, Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper were killed in a plane crash. Jennings was supposed to be on the plane, but he gave up his seat.
In 1996, country singers Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were married in Rayville, La.
In 1996, country songwriter-bandleader Ted Daffan died at his home in Houston, Texas. He was 84. Among Daffan's best-known songs are "Born to Lose" and "No Letter Today," which became a double-sided million-seller for him in 1944. Daffan also wrote the country standard "Worried Mind," and penned what is reputed to be the first truck-driving song, "Truck Driver's Blues," in 1939.
In 2006, "The Rolling Stones" came to Saskatchewan for their first-time ever performance, in Regina, in what was billed as the city's biggest-ever concert.
In 2009, "KISS" released "Sonic Boom," their first CD of new music in 11 years. The three-disc package included a CD of new music, re-recorded versions of their famous hits and a live DVD.
In 2010, the cast of "Glee," the Fox TV musical series about a high school glee club, overtook "The Beatles" for the most appearances by a non-solo act on the Billboard Hot 100. Six more songs debuted on the chart, giving them a total of 75 songs to the Beatles' 71. (The show went on to overtake Elvis Presley (108) for the most appearances on the chart with 207.).
In 2010, rapper Lil Wayne became the first artist in 15 years to release a No. 1 album ("I Am Not a Human Being") on the Billboard 200 chart while serving a sentence. He pleaded guilty in October 2009 to attempted criminal possession of a weapon, admitting he had a loaded semiautomatic gun on his bus in 2007.
In 2015, "Down in the Boondocks" singer Billy Joe Royal died at age 73. The song hit No. 9 in 1965. He struggled to match its success with his subsequent records and in the late 1980s reinvented himself as a country singer with hits like "I'll Pin a Note on Your Pillow," ''Tell it Like it is," and "Till I Can't Take it Anymore." He was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1988.
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(The Canadian Press)
The Canadian Press
