Today in Music History for May 29:
In 1837, Charles W. Fry, the English musician who, along with his three sons, formed the first Salvation Army brass band, was born. Fry also authored the hymn, "Lily of the Valley."
In 1894, comedienne and singer Beatrice Lillie was born in Toronto. She moved to England at the age of 16, and later became a star in London's West End and on Broadway. Lillie began recording as early as 1915, and was still making records in the 1950s. She died at her home in England in 1989.
In 1899, violinist Frantz Jehin-Prume, the first musician of international reputation to choose Canada as his home, died in Montreal at age 60. Belgian by birth, Jehin-Prume settled in Montreal in 1871 after a successful concert career in Europe, Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. He and his wife, singer Rosita del Vecchio, sang at the White House in 1867. Jehin-Prume played an important role in the development of Montreal's musical life, forming Quebec's first professional chamber music society in 1891.
In 1932, "The Alouette Vocal Quartet," whose repertoire consisted entirely of French and French-Canadian folk songs, gave its first concert in Montreal. In 1934, the group was Canada's official delegate to France for the celebrations marking the fourth centenary of the discovery of Canada. The quartet performed for more than 30 years before breaking up in the mid-1960s.
In 1941, Canadian pianist, music critic and composer Leo-Paul Morin died in an accident near Lac Marois, Que., north of Montreal. He was 48. Morin spent much of his career in France, but returned to Quebec frequently. He was a champion of French music, giving Canadian premieres of works by such composers as Ravel, Debussy and Faure.
In 1942, Bing Crosby recorded the world's biggest-selling record -- "White Christmas." It is estimated to have sold more than 50 million copies worldwide and is still considered to be the best-selling traditional vinyl single. "White Christmas" was written by Irving Berlin, and was featured in the films "Holiday Inn" and "White Christmas." In 1974, it was among the first eight records named to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame.
In 1942, the Conservatory of Quebec Music, the first entirely state-subsidized institution of higher learning for music in North America, was established by an act of the province's Legislative Assembly. A budget of $30,000 was provided, and the new institution began offering courses in Montreal in January, 1943. Several branches of the conservatory have been established throughout the province.
In 1945, Gary Brooker, vocalist, pianist and founder of "Procul Harum," was born in London. Brooker got together with lyricist Keith Reid in 1966 to form the band, said to have been named after a friend's cat. In 1967, it had a worldwide No. 1 hit with "A Whiter Shade of Pale. It sold six million copies and has been covered by soul, jazz and country artists. The organ line of the song was lifted directly from Bach's "Suite Number Three in D Major." The band never matched that success again, although a live recording with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in 1972 yielded the hit single, "Conquistador," a remake of one of their earlier songs. "Procul Harum" broke up at the end of the '70s but reformed in 1991.
In 1952, country singer Hank Williams was divorced by his wife, Audrey Shepherd. Williams, who had less than a year to live, soon married Billie Jean Jones.
In 1959, one of rock's first outdoor festivals took place in Atlanta, featuring Ray Charles, B.B. King, Ruth Brown, Jimmy Reed and "The Drifters." It attracted 9,000 people.
In 1960, "Cathy's Clown" by "The Everly Brothers" reached the top of Billboard's Hot 100 chart. It was their most successful single, selling more than two million copies.
In 1971, Paul McCartney released "Mary Had a Little Lamb." It was one of McCartney's least successful songs, but still cracked the top-30.
In 1973, Roger McGuinn gave his first solo performance after the breakup of "The Byrds." The concert took place at the New York Academy of Music.
In 1977, Columbia Records president Goddard Lieberson died of cancer at age 66. He was responsible for the introduction of the LP record and for popularizing soundtracks and original cast albums.
In 1977, Elvis Presley walked off stage in the middle of a concert in Baltimore. It was the first time in his 23-year career that he did so, aside from when he was sick.
In 1989, Italian opera conductor Giuseppe Patane collapsed and died on stage in Munich at age 57. He suffered a heart attack as he conducted "The Barber of Seville." Patane appeared with orchestras all over the world, and was said to have memorized 1,500 musical scores.
In 1989, guitarist John Cipollina, a founder of the 1960s San Francisco band "Quicksilver Messenger Service," died in Greenbrae, Calif., of emphysema at age 45. "Quicksilver" was renowned for its instrumental jams. Cipollina left "Quicksilver" in 1970 and later played with "The Dinosaurs," a band composed of former members of "Jefferson Airplane," "Country Joe and the Fish," and "Big Brother and the Holding Company."
In 1992, "Procul Harum" and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra got together for the first of two reunion concerts. Twenty-one years earlier, the British rock group and the orchestra performed a legendary show that resulted in a million-selling album and a hit single, "Conquistador."
In 1994, "Napoleon," the biggest homegrown musical ever produced in Canada, closed at Toronto's Elgin Theatre after completing only half of its six-month run. The $4.5-million show had opened to lukewarm reviews in late March. A spokesman for the producers blamed "Napoleon's" demise at least in part on the attitudes of Canadians who "look for the negative" when something different comes along.
In 1995, a guard at Madonna's Los Angeles mansion shot and wounded an intruder who was carrying a wooden heart that read -- "Love to my wife, Madonna." Madonna was not at home at the time of the incident. Police said 37-year-old Robert Dewey Hoskins had earlier threatened either to marry or kill the pop star. She at first refused to testify at his trial but did so after the judge threatened her with a $5 million arrest warrant. Hoskins was convicted of stalking, assault and making terrorist threats and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
In 1997, Tom Cochrane performed a private concert for the students of Burnsview Secondary School in the Vancouver suburb of North Delta. The singer's performance honoured the students for their fundraising efforts for World Vision, a Christian humanitarian relief organization. Cochrane's hit, "Life Is a Highway," was inspired by a trip he took to World Vision projects in Mozambique.
In 1998, Orlando Anderson, a man considered the prime suspect in the murder two years earlier of rapper Tupac Shakur, was shot to death in a gang battle in Compton, Calif. Anderson was never charged in Shakur's September 1996 death in Las Vegas, but Shakur's mother had filed a wrongful death suit against him.
In 1998, country star Shania Twain opened her long-awaited first concert tour in Sudbury, one of several Ontario communities where she spent her youth. She had sold 12 million copies of her 1993 album, "The Woman in Me," and had just released new CD, "Come on Over." Some critics suggested Twain had put off touring because she couldn't cut it on stage. She proved her detractors wrong.
In 1999, the remains of "Iron Butterfly" bassist Phil "Taylor" Kramer were found inside a van in a ravine near Malibu, Calif. He had disappeared four years earlier while driving to the airport to pick up a friend.
In 2004, gunmen in the Congo attacked a group of unarmed military observers who were escorting "Sum 41." The band had to be evacuated to Uganda. They were in the Congo to film a documentary for a Canadian charity.
In 2009, eccentric music producer Phil Spector was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson in 2003.
In 2011, hip-hop singer Sean Kingston and a female passenger were hospitalized after he crashed a personal watercraft into the Palm Island Bridge in Miami. The female passenger was treated and released while Kingston suffered a fractured wrist and broken jaw along with water in the lungs and remained in hospital for close to a month.
In 2012, blind Grammy-award winning folk musician Doc Watson died at a North Carolina hospital where he had been hospitalized after a recent fall at his home in Deep Gap. He was 89. His mountain-rooted sound was embraced by generations and his lightning-fast style of flatpicking influenced guitarists around the world.
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The Canadian Press
