Today in Music History for Feb. 5:
In 1887, Verdi's opera "Otello" premiered at the La Scala opera house.
In 1940, Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded "Tuxedo Junction" for RCA Victor's Bluebird label.
In 1942, Cory Wells, vocalist with "Three Dog Night," was born in Buffalo, N.Y. "Three Dog Night," one of the most commercially successful American rock bands of the 1970s, was formed by Danny Hutton. He recruited two other vocalists -- Wells and Chuck Negron -- and a four-man backing band. "One," a single from their debut album in 1969, became the first of their several million-sellers. The group disbanded in 1976, but the three original singers reunited in 1981.
In 1944, guitarist and keyboard player Al Kooper, a major figure in the blues-rock movement of the 1960s, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. In 1965, he helped form "The Blues Project." And two years later, he and Steve Katz put together "Blood, Sweat and Tears," but Kooper left the group before it achieved commercial success. By the '70s, Kooper was involved more in producing than recording. He discovered the groups "Lynyrd Skynyrd" and "The Tubes."
In 1957, "Bill Haley and the Comets" arrived in London for their first British tour. Haley's popularity was already beginning to decline in North America, but he continued to tour regularly in Britain and Europe through the mid-1970's.
In 1966, Sgt. Barry Sadler's "Ballad of the Green Berets" entered the U.S. charts on its way to No. 1. Released at the height of the Vietnam War, it became one of the fastest sellers in the modern record business. The song was originally recorded for distribution to American troops, but RCA had Sadler record it with a full complement of studio musicians. Sadler soon resumed his military career, and was not heard from again until 1978 when he shot dead his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend and served 30 days in prison. In 1988, he suffered permanent brain damage when he shot himself -- apparently accidentally -- while riding in a taxi to his home in Guatemala. He was 49 when he died of heart failure Nov. 5, 1989.
In 1972, Paul Simon released "Mother and Child Reunion," his first solo single following his breakup with Art Garfunkel. Recorded in Jamaica, it reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1981, Anne Murray won four Juno awards. Her "Can I Have This Dance" tied for best single with "Echo Beach" by "Martha and the Muffins." Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau inducted Joni Mitchell into the Juno Hall of Fame.
In 1998, Tim Kelly, guitarist for the hard-rock band "Slaughter," died after his car collided with a tractor-trailer which had jackknifed near Baghdad, Ariz. He was 35. The group was formed in Los Angeles by vocalist Mark Slaughter and bassist Dana Strum who recruited Kelly and drummer Blas Elias. Their 1990 debut album, "Stick It to Ya," was a million seller and spawned two hits -- "Up All Night" and "Fly to the Angels."
In 1998, guitarist Nick Webb, co-founder of the contemporary jazz duo "Acoustic Alchemy" died in London of pancreatic cancer at age 43. He had been working on "Acoustic Alchemy's" 10th album, "Positive Thinking," which was released three months after his death. Like many of the duo's releases, it made the contemporary jazz airplay and sales charts.
In 2008, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a guru to "The Beatles" who introduced the West to transcendental meditation, died at his home in the Dutch town of Vlodrop. He was thought to be 91.
In 2009, Manhattan State Supreme Court Justice Carol Edmead dismissed a $50 million lawsuit filed by 50 Cent's ex-girlfriend, Shaniqua Tompkins, who said the rapper promised to take care of her for life.
In 2010, Grammy and Emmy award winner Justin Timberlake received Harvard's Hasty Pudding Man of the Year award. Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the U.S.'s oldest undergraduate drama troupe, called Timberlake "one of pop culture's most influential entertainers."
In 2012, in yet another Super Bowl halftime show marred by controversy, Madonna's extravaganza was upstaged by British hip-hop artist M.I.A. when she clearly flipped the bird at the end of her spotlight moment while performing with the pop legend.
In 2013, Ontario-based Mood Media announced it was merging Muzak - synonymous in pop culture with "elevator music" - and DMX into one company, Mood, spelling the end of the Muzak brand stamped in 1934.
In 2013, country music giant Tim McGraw released "Two Lanes of Freedom," his first Big Machine Records album since leaving Curb Records after drawn out litigation over a breach of contract dispute was resolved in May 2012. He had been under contract with Curb for nearly two decades and was one of the most successful partnership's in country music history, with 40 million in albums sales, 32 No. 1 singles and multiple awards.
In 2015, a jury in Britain found former glam rock singer Gary Glitter guilty of a string of sex abuse offences against three young girls in the 1970s. The 70-year-old Glitter - whose real name is Paul Gadd - was later sentenced to 16 years prison.
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(The Canadian Press)
The Canadian Press
