Today in Music History for Feb. 21:
In 1893, classical guitarist Andres Segovia was born in Spain. Through concerts and recordings, he was largely responsible for the resurgence of interest in classical guitar in the 20th century. Segovia died in 1987.
In 1933, jazz singer Nina Simone, whose real name is Eunice Waymon, was born in Tryon, N.C. She got her first gig in an Atlantic City nightclub, changing her name to avoid embarrassing her deeply religious mother. Simone earned a gold record in 1959 for her recording of Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy." By the late 1960s, she had become deeply involved in the black-power movement, alienating white audiences with such songs as "Mississippi Goddamn" and "Four Women," both of which were banned on radio. Nina Simone quit the music business in 1974, making a comeback album four years later. She died April 21, 2003.
In 1943, record company executive David Geffen was born in New York City. He founded Asylum Records in 1971 with $400,000, selling the company the following year to Warner Brothers for $5 million.
In 1963, "The Rolling Stones" played Adelaide, Australia. Five-thousand fans clashed with police.
In 1964, "The Beatles" returned to London following their first U.S. visit, which included two appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
In 1975, record company executive Clive Davis became the first non-performing host of the television show "Midnight Special." Featured acts were Barry Manilow and Melissa Manchester -- both from Davis' Arista label.
In 1975, NBC "Nightly News" ran a story on kung-fu dancing, a short-lived fad inspired by Carl Douglas's No. 1 record, "Kung Fu Fighting."
In 1980, Janet Vogel, a member of the 1950s vocal group "The Skyliners," committed suicide in Pittsburgh. She was 38. "Since I Don't Have You," in 1959, was "The Skyliners" biggest hit.
In 1982, rock 'n' roll disc jockey Murray (the K) Kaufman, the self-proclaimed "fifth Beatle," died of cancer in Los Angeles. He was one of the most popular and influential deejays in New York City from 1958-65 on WINS. In 1964, when "The Beatles" became famous and hit North America, Murray the K dubbed himself the "fifth Beatle" and tried to do as many interviews with the quartet as possible. He also played a small role in a fictitious film about the band's arrival in New York, and was an adviser on "Beatlemania," a live show featuring "Beatle" lookalikes. Murray the K's last gig was as the host of a syndicated radio series featuring music of the '60s.
In 1986, Montreal-born folk singer and poet Leonard Cohen appeared in an episode of the TV series "Miami Vice."
In 1990, "Milli Vanilli" won a Grammy for Best New Artist. The duo later gave up the award in connection with a lip-synching scandal.
In 1992, the "Run-D.M.C." rape trial came to an abrupt end in Cleveland when the judge threw out the case. The woman who accused "Run" of raping her admitted she had no evidence to support her claim.
In 1995, Kenny Rogers proved the ultimate substitute at the Imperial Palace hotel and casino in Las Vegas. He filled in for impersonator Mark Hinds on "The Gambler" and "Ruby," then teamed with Dolly Parton impersonator Sandy Anderson on "Islands in the Stream." The audience wasn't told that the real Rogers was appearing.
In 1995, Bruce Springsteen played with former members of his "E-Street Band" for the first time since 1988. The brief reunion took place at a New York club, and was arranged to record a video for Springsteen's single "Murder, Incorporated." But he and his old bandmates also ran through several favourites, such as "Prove It All Night," "Backstreets" and "Thunder Road."
In 1996, award-winning composer and conductor Morton Gould died in Orlando, Fla., at age 82. Gould won a Pulitzer Prize in 1995 for "Stringmusic" and a Grammy Award in 1966 for Best Classical Recording. But he's perhaps best known for his albums of light classical and easy listening music recorded for Columbia and RCA Victor in the 1950s and '60s.
In 2001, British crooner Ronnie Hilton died at age 75. His 1950s hits included "No Other Love" and "A Windmill in Old Amsterdam."
In 2004, Bart Howard, a songwriter and pianist best known for his composition "Fly Me to the Moon," died in Carmel, N.Y., at age 88 of complications from a stroke. Born in Burlington, Iowa, Howard moved to Los Angeles in 1934 with dreams of writing music for movies. He later relocated to New York, where singer Mabel Mercer added his song "If You Leave Paris" to her repertoire. From 1941-45, he served as a musician in the army. "Fly Me to the Moon" -- also known as "In Other Words" -- first gained fame in 1960, when Peggy Lee sang it on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Two years later, it was a hit in instrumental form for conductor Joe Harnell. His other well-known songs included "Let Me Love You" and "Don't Dream of Anybody But Me." Howard was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999.
In 2010, a fire on the third floor of the Philadelphia International Records building, where the "Sound of Philadelphia" was born, melted gold and platinum records and destroyed memorabilia but spared the recording studio. The company produced many R&B classics of the 1960s and 1970s and the 10,000 master recordings are stored in an underground vault. A 27-year-old man was charged with arson.
In 2012, Kingston, Ont., city councillors voted in favour to name a block of Barrack Street after the 12-time Juno Award-winning hometown band "The Tragically Hip."
In 2012, Pierre Juneau, who had the Juno music awards named after him after a career spent championing Canadian performers as head of the CRTC and CBC, died at age 89. He received the Order of Canada in 1975 and was elected a member of the Royal Society of Canada.
In 2013, Cleotha Staples, the eldest sibling in the highly influential gospel group "The Staple Singers" that her father Roebuck "Pops" Staples started in the 1940s, died at her Chicago home after struggling with Alzheimer's disease for the last decade. She was 78.
In 2015, Grammy Award-winning jazz trumpeter Clark Terry, who played in the orchestras of both Count Basie and Duke Ellington and on "The Tonight Show,"died at age 94.
In 2019, musician and actor Peter Tork, best known as the keyboard player and bassist of The Monkees, died at the age of 77.
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The Canadian Press
