Today in Music History for Feb. 4:
In 1894, Belgian musician and inventor Adolphe Sax died at age 79. He gave the world the saxophone, the saxtromba and the sax horn.
In 1928, "Les Disciples de Massenet," a 65-voice mixed choir, was founded in Montreal by Charles Goulet. By 1979, its 51st anniversary, the choir was estimated to have given 1,500 performances, including several tours of Europe.
In 1948, Vincent Fournier, better known as Alice Cooper, was born in Detroit. His rock 'n' roll horror show in the 1970s featured chicken-killing and snake-fondling while singing such songs as "Refrigerator Heaven" and "I'm Eighteen." Cooper went into semi-retirement in 1977, when alcohol problems forced him to undergo hospital treatment. He later returned to performing. He released his 25th studio album, "Along Came a Spider," in July, 2008. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.
In 1969, Columbia Records signed Johnny Winter to a five-year, $300,000 contract, which was unprecedented for a new artist.
In 1971, "The Osmonds" received their first gold record, for "One Bad Apple."
In 1977, "American Bandstand" ran a special 25th anniversary show on ABC television. Among the highlights were Chuck Berry. An all-star band, including Charlie Daniels, "The Pointer Sisters" and Gregg Allman, jammed on "Roll Over Beethoven."
In 1982, British rocker Alex Harvey died, one day short of his 47th birthday.
In 1983, singer Karen Carpenter died at her parents' home in Los Angeles of a heart attack brought on by her running battle with anorexia nervosa. She was 32. Her death brought about more public awareness of the disease, characterized by a loss of appetite brought on by mental illness. "The Carpenters" -- Karen and her brother Richard -- first gained notice in 1970 with their soft-rock cover version of "The Beatles" "Ticket to Ride." Later that year came their first chart-topping record, "Close to You." That was followed by a dozen other hits, including two other No. 1s, "Top of the World" in 1973 and "Please Mr. Postman" in 1975.
In 1987, Liberace, the flashy entertainer who earned the title "Mr. Showmanship," died at his home in Palm Springs, Calif., at age 67. His doctor said Liberace had been gravely ill for weeks from a combination of anemia, emphysema and heart disease. But a later autopsy revealed that Liberace died from a form of pneumonia caused by AIDS. Liberace dazzled audiences for four decades with his romantic piano flourishes and outrageous costumes. His trademark was candelebras adorning his pianos.
In 1989, Jethro Burns, the mandolin-playing half of the country music duo "Homer and Jethro," died in Evanston, Ill., of cancer. He was 69.
In 1989, Australian Trevor Lucas, a veteran of the British folk-rock bands "Fotheringay" and "Fairport Convention," died in Sydney of a heart attack. He was 45.
In 1995, "The Rolling Stones" played before the largest crowd on their "Voodoo Lounge" tour, 100,000 people at a soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
In 1996, Rob Pilatus, of the defunct pop duo "Milli Vanilli," was clobbered with a baseball bat after he tried to break into a car and a house in Los Angeles. Residents held him until police arrived. He was sentenced to a total of 90 days in jail for that incident and two other violent confrontations. Pilatus and partner Fabrice Moran were stripped of their 1990 Grammy for Best New Artist after it was revealed that they hadn't sung a note on their hit album "Girl, You Know It's True." Pilatus was found dead in Frankfurt, Germany, on April 4, 1998.
In 2001, J.J. Johnson, the most influential trombonist in postwar jazz, committed suicide in Indianapolis at age 77. He translated the fast, linear style of bebop to the trombone in the late 1940s. His career included leading his own band, playing with legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, and composing.
In 2003, Charles Biddle, a bassist who played in the first Montreal International Jazz Festival and launched his own club, died at age 76.
In 2008, NASA beamed "The Beatles'" "Across the Universe" into the cosmos to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the song as well as to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the launch of Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite, and the founding 45 years ago of the Deep Space Network.
In 2009, the Country Music Hall of Fame announced three newly elected inductees - Barbara Mandrell, Roy Clark and Charlie McCoy. The induction ceremony was held on May 17.
In 2009, Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Shakira dedicated a $6 million school sponsored by her foundation, Pies Descalzos, to the humble La Playa district in her hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia. The school caters to 1,800 students and is the fifth her foundation has built.
In 2009, Lux Interior (born Erick Lee Purkhiser), co-founder and lead singer of the pioneering horror-punk band "The Cramps," died at age 62. The group was a part of the late '70s early punk scene centred at Manhattan clubs like CBGB, alongside acts like The Ramones and Patti Smith. The band's breakthrough debut EP was 1979's "Gravest Hits."
In 2010, a Federal Court in Sydney ruled that the Australian band "Men at Work" stole the flute melody from their hit 1982 song "Down Under," the country's unofficial anthem, from the children's song "Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree" which was written by teacher Marion Sinclair for the Girl Guides in 1935. Sinclair died in 1988, and publishing company Larrikin Music sued in 2009 over the song. On Feb. 25, the band's record company, EMI, appealed the decision. On July 6, a judge ordered EMI, and songwriters Colin Hay and Ron Strykert, to pay five per cent of royalties earned from the song since 2002 and from its future earnings. EMI appealed again and on Oct. 7, 2011, the band lost their final court bid.
In 2013, rock star Reg Presley, lead singer of "The Troggs" on hit songs including "Wild Thing," died after a year-long battle with lung cancer. He was 71.
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(The Canadian Press)
The Canadian Press
