Today in Music History for May 28: In 1878, Canadian soprano Louise Edvina was born in Montreal. She spent much of her career in London, and became one of the city's favourite artists in the early 1900s.
Today in Music History for May 28:
In 1878, Canadian soprano Louise Edvina was born in Montreal. She spent much of her career in London, and became one of the city's favourite artists in the early 1900s. Her most admired portrayals were in the operas Louise and Tosca. Louise Edvina died in 1948.
In 1910, Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker, the man who brought the electric guitar to prominence in the blues, was born in Linden, Texas. He developed a style that had a great influence on such later bluesmen as B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Albert Collins. His biggest hit was his 1943 recording of "Call It Stormy Monday," which has become one of the most-often recorded blues songs under the title "Stormy Monday Blues" or simply "Stormy Monday." He died on March 16, 1975, of bronchial pneumonia.
In 1913, Igor Stravinsky's ballet "The Rite of Spring" premiered in Paris to a mostly-hostile reception. Audiences were not used to the Russian composer's use of irregular, primitive rhythms and harsh dissonances. But it became one of the 20th century's most influential works.
In 1925, Canadian impressario Louis-Honore Bouchard organized a benefit concert for soprano Emma Albani at the St. Denis Theatre in Montreal. Albani, the first Canadian-born artist to achieve international fame, was suffering from financial problems after the death of her husband. The concert, as well as a similar benefit at Covent Garden in London and a public subscription, raised about $4,000 and Albani was able to end her days in relative comfort. She died in 1930.
In 1930, Canadian tenor Raoul Jobin made his professional debut in Liszt's oratorio "Christus" at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris. Jobin went on to become one of the greatest French-tradition tenors of the 1930s and '40s. He was born in Quebec in 1906 and died Jan. 13, 1974. He was awarded the Companion of the Order of Canada.
In 1944, Gladys Knight, lead singer of "Gladys Knight and the Pips," was born in Atlanta. The group began with Brunswick Records, where "Every Beat of My Heart" entered the R&B top-20 in 1961. Signed to Motown in the mid-'60s, "Gladys Knight and the Pips" went to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967 with a cover version of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." The group left Motown in 1973, and their first LP for the Buddah label yielded the singles "Midnight Train to Georgia," "I've Got to Use My Imagination" and "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me." The group's popularity waned at the end of the '70s, when they were unable to record for several years because of legal problems. But they were back in a big way in 1987 and '88 when "Love Overboard" and "Lovin' On Next to Nothin'" hit the charts. The group broke up in 1989, three years after they were named to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. Knight's solo work, before and after the breakup, included the James Bond movie theme "Licence to Kill" and the AIDS benefit song "That's What Friends Are For."
In 1945, John Fogerty, lead singer of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band "Creedence Clearwater Revival," was born in Berkeley, Calif. "CCR," which mixed R&B with such southern music forms as Cajun, had more than a dozen hits beginning with 1968's "Suzie Q." After the group broke up in 1972, Fogerty began a successful solo career with hit songs including "The Old Man Down the Road," and "Center Field," which was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010.
In 1966, Ike and Tina Turner released "River Deep, Mountain High."
In 1976, "The Allman Brothers Band" broke up after Greg Allman testified against Scooter Herring, his personal road manager, who was charged with drug trafficking. Herring was subsequently sentenced to 75 years in prison. The other members of the band vowed never to work with Greg Allman again. Nonetheless, "The Allman Brothers Band" regrouped in 1978.
In 1977, Bruce Springsteen and his manager, Mike Appel, settled their lawsuit out of court. Springsteen had sued Appel, alleging fraud, undue influence and breach of trust. Because of the legal proceedings, Springsteen was unable to record for nearly a year. With the suit settled, he began work on the LP "Darkness on the Edge of Town."
In 1982, a benefit concert for Vietnam veterans in San Francisco raised US$175,000. Among the performers were "Starship," "Grateful Dead," Boz Scaggs and Country Joe McDonald.
In 1983, the U.S. Festival opened in San Bernardino, Calif. Bankrolled by Apple Computers founder Steve Wozniak, it lost millions, largely because of astronomical fees -- over $1 million each -- paid to such performers as David Bowie and "Van Halen." There were two deaths at the festival site, one of them a murder.
In 1986, viewers participating in Dick Clark's "America Picks the No. 1 Songs" chose Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock," "Simon and Garfunkel's" "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "All Night Long (All Night)" by Lionel Richie as the greatest hits of the rock era. Barbara Mandrell was the hostess of the show.
In 1988, Sy Oliver, one of the big band era's most influential and imitated arrangers, died in New York of lung cancer at age 77.
In 1996, David Gahan, lead singer of the British band "Depeche Mode," was arrested in West Hollywood, Calif., after allegedly overdosing on drugs. He was charged with possession and being under the influence of cocaine but the charges were dropped after he completed a drug treatment program.
In 2010, former "Guns N' Roses" and "Rock Star Supernova" guitarist Gilby Clarke performed at the Brixton South Bay in Redondo Beach, Calif., marking his comeback from a hit-and-run accident in January. He was hit by a pickup truck while he was riding his motorcycle. He suffered three broken bones in his left foot and one in his right.
In 2010, bandleader Kevin Eubanks bid farewell to "The Tonight Show" after 18 years. He had been aboard since Jay Leno took over as host in 1992. He became musical director when Branford Marsalis left in 1995.
In 2011, Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin performed in front of a standing-room only audience at Seneca Niagara in Niagara Falls, N.Y., in her first performance since she cancelled a string of dates late the previous year and had surgery for an undisclosed ailment.
In 2012, musical legend Bob Dylan was among a group that was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest U.S. civilian award.
In 2014, Australian rapper Iggy Azalea joined "The Beatles" as the only acts to rank at Nos. 1 and 2 simultaneously with their first two Billboard Hot 100 hits. Her debut, "Fancy" (featuring Charli XCX), topped the chart followed by Ariana Grande's "Problem," where Azalea was the featured guest. The Fab Four's "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You" were No. 1 and No. 2 respectively on the Feb. 22, 1964, chart.
In 2018, South Korean boy band BTS became the first K-pop group to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and "Love Yourself: Tear" was also the first primarily foreign language album to top the charts since the classical crossover quartet Il Divo did it with "Ancora" in 2006.
In 2018, Darius Rucker and Kane Brown became the first two solo acts who are also minorities to follow each other at No. 1 on Billboard Country Airplay chart, which began in 1990. Rucker, who is black, took over No. 1 with "For The First Time" after Brown, who is biracial, had a two-week run with "Heaven."
In 2019, Canadian country songwriter Ralph Murphy, who penned lyrics for Shania Twain and Randy Travis while earning a reputation as a Nashville mentor, died at age 75. The England-born musician, who also produced for Canadian rock act April Wine, had been hospitalized after suffering numerous health issues. He died with his two children and wife by his side. Murphy was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
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The Canadian Press
