Today in Music History for May 2:
In 1908, the original version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," with music by Albert Von Tilzer and lyrics by Jack Norworth, was copyrighted by Von Tilzer's York Music Company.
In 1929, Link Wray, one of the more influential rock guitarists of the '50s, was born in Fort Bragg, N.C. He introduced the distorted fuzz-tone guitar sound on his 1958 single "Rumble." His playing was a tremendous influence on such British rock stars as Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend and John Lennon. He died on Nov. 5, 2005.
In 1936, "Peter and the Wolf," a symphonic tale for children by Sergei Prokofiev, had its world premiere in Moscow.
In 1946, 1960s teen star Lesley Gore was born in Tenafly, N.J. She was only 16 when she signed with Mercury records, and became a top star with such hits as "It's My Party" and "Judy's Turn to Cry." She died of cancer on Feb. 16, 2015.
In 1950, Lou Gramm, former lead vocalist with "Foreigner," was born in Rochester, N.Y. By the beginning of the 1980s, their hard rock music had gained them worldwide sales of more than 21 million records. Their 1977 debut album yielded three hit singles -- "Feels Like the First Time," "Cold as Ice" and "Long, Long Way From Home." Their subsequent million-sellers included "Hot-Blooded," "Waiting For a Girl Like You" and "I Want to Know What Love Is." Gramm left "Foreigner" in 1990, but returned in 1992 only to leave the band again in 2003.
In 1957, Elvis Presley recorded "Jailhouse Rock," a Leiber and Stoller song that would become the title of Presley's next movie. In the film, Elvis choreographed the dance sequence that accompanied the song.
In 1960, Ben E. King ended his association with "The Drifters" by signing a solo contract with Atlantic Records. King was the lead on such hits as "There Goes My Baby," "Save the Last Dance For Me" and "This Magic Moment." King's first hit on his own was "Spanish Harlem," written by Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector and produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
In 1978, Canadian jazz cornetist and bandleader Jimmy (Trump) Davidson died in his hometown of Sudbury, Ont. He was 69. He was a pioneer in making jazz popular in Canada, beginning with the 1925 formation of his "Melody Five," perhaps Canada's first jazz-styled group. Davidson led a Dixieland big band at Toronto's Palace Pier, one of the country's foremost dance halls, from 1944 to '61 and his Dixieland sextet broadcast regularly on CBC Radio for two decades.
In 1979, "Quadrophenia," a film based on "The Who's" album and starring Sting, opened in London.
In 1979, "The Who" played their first concert with new drummer Kenny Jones, formerly of "Faces." Jones replaced Keith Moon, who had died of a sedative overdose the previous September.
In 1980, the South African government banned "Pink Floyd's" song "Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two)." The song, which includes children chanting the chorus, "We don't need no education," had been adopted as the anthem for black children who boycotted schools because of inferior education standards.
In 1982, the British New Romantic band "Adam and the Ants" disbanded after the departure of bassist Gary Tibbs and drummer Terry Lee Miall. Lead singer Adam Ant, born Stuart Goddard, went on to even greater success as a solo artist.
In 1987, more than 3,000 international jetsetters paid as much as $1,000 to hear tenor Placido Domingo perform Verdi's opera "Aida" in its original setting -- a 3,200-year-old temple of the pharoahs at Luxor, Egypt. Most of the opera fans felt it was worth the money, despite sound problems in the vast outdoor theatre. "Aida" had never been staged where it was set -- the former capital of the Egyptian pharaohs.
In 1997, a concert on CBC Radio's "Morningside" raised about $450,000 for victims of a flood in Manitoba. The concert included performances broadcast from every province except Saskatchewan. Among the performers were Murray McLauchlan, who sang his 1970s ballad "Red River Valley," and Valdy, who composed a new song, "As the Waters Fall."
In 2009, country superstar LeAnn Rimes started a new tradition at the Kentucky Derby by being the first national recording artist to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Churchill Downs.
In 2010, singer Frankie Valli and musicians Les Paul and Count Basie were among a group inducted into the New Jersey Hall in Newark.
In 2010, "The Rolling Stones" debuted a lost song, "So Divine (Aladdin Story)," on the CBS crime show "Cold Case." The track was included in the deluxe version of "Exile on Main Street" that was released two weeks later.
In 2010, 50,000 people rallied in Los Angeles where Cuban-born singer Gloria Estefan kicked off a massive downtown march to protest the controversial immigration law passed in Arizona in April.
In 2011, a California appeals court rejected music producer Phil Spector's bid to have his second-degree murder conviction thrown out in the shooting of actress Lana Clarkson.
In 2013, guitarist Jeff Hanneman, founding member of the heavy metal band "Slayer," died of alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver. He was 49. Hanneman and guitarist Kerry King formed "Slayer" in 1982. He was one of the primary songwriters in the band and wrote or co-wrote such classics as "Seasons in the Abyss," ''War Ensemble" and "Angel of Death."
In 2015, legendary New Orleans R&B group The Neville Brothers - Aaron, Art, Charles and Cyril - reunited for a star-studded farewell/tribute concert in their hometown at the Saenger Theatre.
In 2016, Beyonce charted all 12 songs off her new album, "Lemonade," on the Billboard Hot 100, the most at the same time by a female artist, breaking the record of 11 set by Taylor Swift in 2010.
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The Canadian Press
