Today in Music History for May 14:
In 1936, singer Bobby Darin, whose real name was Walden Robert Cassotto, was born in New York City. Darin's big break came in 1958 when he wrote and recorded "Splish Splash," which reached No. 3 on the U.S. charts and sold a million copies. His other hits included "Queen of the Hop" and "Mack the Knife." At the beginning of the '60s, he made the transition from teen idol to a more mature star who performed in Vegas nightclubs. He died on Dec. 20, 1973, after heart surgery.
In 1943, Jack Bruce, one of the most influential bass guitarists in rock, was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland. His bass playing and tenor vocals with the group "Cream" in the 1960s were a great influence on the heavy metal groups that followed. He formed "Cream" with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker in 1966, and they virtually invented the hard-rock trio style, before breaking up in '68. Bruce later played in a variety of styles with several groups such as "West, Bruce and Laing," "Jack Bruce and Friends," "BLT" and "Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band."
In 1952, David Byrne, lead vocalist for the new wave band "Talking Heads," was born in Dunbartin, Scotland. Byrne formed the "Talking Heads" in 1975, and their first single hit was a cover of gospel singer Al Green's "Take Me to the River" three years later. Band members turned to solo projects in the '80's, with Byrne making a name as a filmmaker with such flicks as "True Stories."
In 1953, Canadian rock singer-songwriter Tom Cochrane was born in Lynn Lake, Man. Cochrane joined a Toronto rock group, "Red Rider," in 1976, and the band's debut album, "Don't Fight It," came out in 1980. In 1992, his "Life is a Highway" was a top-selling single in both the U.S. and Canada. Cochrane has won seven Juno Awards. He performed his song "Just Like Ali," from his album "Trapeze," about his father's struggle with Parkinson's disease, during a ceremony for Muhammad Ali in 2002 in Toronto.
In 1956, Mercury Records released the first LP by "The Platters." They had just scored on the charts with "Only You" and "The Great Pretender."
In 1969, the 13-piece Canadian rock band "Lighthouse" made its debut at the Rock Pile in Toronto. The group was formed by drummer and singer Skip Prokop and keyboardist and vibraphonist Paul Hoffert. Among "Lighthouse's" hits in the early 1970s were "Hats Off (to the Stranger)," "One Fine Morning" and "Pretty Lady."
In 1970, "Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young" announced their breakup before a performance in Chicago. The band, minus Neil Young, would regroup several times during the next dozen years. All four members would get together again in 1988 for the hit single and album "American Dream."
In 1972, the Canadian country group, "The Good Brothers," first performed together under that name at the Riverboat club in Toronto. Younger brother Larry had just joined twins Brian and Bruce, replacing James Ackroyd in a group that was known as "James and the Good Brothers." "The Good Brothers" became one of Canada's leading country bands.
In 1976, "The Yardbirds" former vocalist Keith Relf was electrocuted while tuning a guitar at his home in London. He was 33. The band's blues-based rock in the mid-1960s set the stage for heavy metal. "The Yardbirds" at one time or another contained three major rock guitar stylists -- Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck.
In 1982, guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clark left "Motorhead" in the middle of the band's U.S. tour. Brian Robertson, formerly of "Thin Lizzy," was his replacement.
In 1985, singer Marie Osmond was divorced from former Brigham Young University basketball star Stephen Craig after three years of marriage. Osmond married again in 1986 -- to record producer Brian Blosil. They divorced in 1997. In 2011, Osmond remarried Craig.
In 1988, Atlantic Records celebrated its 40th anniversary with an 11-hour concert at Madison Square Garden in New York. Performers included Wilson Pickett, surviving members of "Led Zeppelin," the "Bee Gees," "Booker T. and the MGs" and Phil Collins. The lone sour note was David Crosby's failure to show up for a reunion with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.
In 1991, Bushwick Bill, the leader of the rap group the "Geto Boys," had surgery to remove his right eye after his girlfriend shot him in the face. Bill, a dwarf whose real name is Richard Shaw, later had a glass eye implanted. Bill said he was drunk and suicidal when he dared his girlfriend to shoot him at their Houston apartment.
In 1993, the acoustic guitar that Elvis Presley used to make his first recordings -- "That's All Right Mama" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky" in 1954 sold for US$152,000 at an auction in London. Christie's auction house said the price was a record, both for a piece of Elvis memorabilia and for an acoustic guitar.
In 1994, B.B. King helped open China's first Hard Rock Cafe by playing a two-hour set for 300 people in Beijing.
In 1994, "The Rolling Stones" sold out two New York-area stadium shows in 81 minutes -- an average of 1,400 tickets every 60 seconds.
In 1997, legendary producer Phil Spector failed to show up to accept an award as co-composer of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'." The song had logged seven million plays on the radio, surpassing the six million tally of "Yesterday" by "The Beatles." Spector had his people phone just hours before the ceremony to say he wouldn't be there.
In 1998, Frank Sinatra, possibly the best-ever interpreter of classic pop songs, died in Los Angeles of a heart attack at age 82. He had not been seen in public since suffering a previous heart attack in January 1997. Known as "Ol' Blue Eyes" and the "Chairman of the Board," Sinatra led the evolution from the Big Band era of the 1930s and '40s to the era of the solo vocalist. Among his best-known recordings are "Night and Day," "Come Fly With Me," "Strangers in the Night," "New York, New York" and his signature song, "My Way" written by Ottawa native Paul Anka. When his singing career seemed to stall in the 1950s, Sinatra came back with an Oscar-winning movie performance in "From Here to Eternity." In 1993, he recorded his biggest selling album "Duets," joined by such other singers as Tony Bennett and Bono of "U2." Its followup a year later, "Duets II," took the 1995 Grammy Award for Traditional Pop Performance.
In 2009, Carrie Underwood became the first country artist in history to nab 10 No. 1 singles (all charts) from their first two albums when her single "I Told You So" reached No. 1.
In 2011, country music power couple Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, reigning CMA male and female vocalists of the year, were married at the Don Strange Ranch just north of San Antonio, Texas. (They announced their divorce in July 2015.)
In 2011, musician Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly was sworn in as president of the impoverished earthquake-ravaged country of Haiti. The inauguration marked the first time that a president of Haiti turned over power to a member of the opposition in a country marred by a long history of dictatorship, coups and political turmoil.
In 2012, "Poison" frontman Bret Michaels and organizers of the Tony Awards settled a lawsuit filed by the rocker claiming a 2009 incident in which he was hit in the head with a set piece and suffered injuries that contributed to a brain hemorrhage that nearly killed him.
In 2012, 77-year-old troubadour Leonard Cohen humbly accepted the Glenn Gould Prize, but not the $50,000 prize that accompanied it, instead donating the cash to the Canada Council for the Arts. The award is given for unique lifetime contribution to the arts.
In 2015, B.B. King, whose scorching guitar licks and heartfelt vocals made him the idol of generations of musicians and fans while earning him the nickname King of the Blues, died at age 89. He played a Gibson guitar he affectionately called Lucille with a style that included beautifully crafted single-string runs punctuated by loud chords, subtle vibratos and bent notes. He sold millions of records worldwide, won 15 Grammys and was a member of both the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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The Canadian Press
