Today in Music History for Jan. 1:
In 1936, jazz guitarist Sonny Greenwich was born in Hamilton, Ont. Influenced by tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, Greenwich developed a unique saxophone-like tone on the guitar. He played extensively in the Toronto area in the 1960s, and spent more than a year with U.S. saxophonist John Handy. Greenwich performed only sporadically after that, partly because of his religious convictions and partly because of poor health.
In 1941, all songs represented by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers were taken off the air by radio stations in a dispute over royalties.
In 1950, Sam Phillips opened his first recording studio, the Memphis Recording Service.
In 1953, Hank Williams, one of the most charismatic figures in country music, died of a heart attack brought on by excessive drinking. He and his band, "The Drifting Cowboys," had been booked to play in Canton, Ohio, and Williams hired a limousine to take him to the gig. Williams is said to have fallen asleep during the trip from Knoxville, Tenn., and when the driver tried to wake him in Oak Hill, Va., the singer was dead. Some researchers believe Williams was already dead when he was put in the Cadillac by two hotel workers on New Year's Eve. The controversy was fuelled by the hasty autopsy performed at a funeral home in Oak Hill. Though he was an alcoholic for most of his working life, Williams nonetheless became the most influential figure in modern country music. He was fired from the Grand Old Opry in 1952 because of his drinking. Many of his compositions -- such as "Your Cheatin' Heart," "Jambalaya" and "Cold, Cold Heart" -- have been recorded by rock, folk and R&B acts. He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961.
In 1959, the Canadian Music Centre, a central library and information centre for serious music, was established in Toronto by the Canadian Music Council.
In 1960, Johnny Cash played his first concert for inmates, at a show at San Quentin Prison in California. Future country star Merle Haggard was in the audience, serving time for burglary.
In 1962, "The Beatles" failed their first record company audition in London. Their manager, Brian Epstein, was advised to take them back to Liverpool. Signed instead were "Brian Poole and the Tremeloes," who auditioned on the same day.
In 1967, country singer and pianist Aubrey (Moon) Mullican died of a heart attack in Beaumont, Texas. He was 58.
In 1980, Queen Elizabeth made singer Cliff Richard a member of the Order of the British Empire.
In 1985, VH1 went on the air. Its first video was Marvin Gaye's version of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
In 1986, a daughter, Alexa Ray, was born to singer Billy Joel and then-wife Christie Brinkley.
In 1987, Elton John announced he was cancelling all performances for a year to undergo throat surgery at a private hospital in Sydney, Australia.
In 1988, the Grand Ole Opry's first road segment in 35 years took place in Tampa, Fla., as part of the festivities for the Hall of Fame football game.
In 1988, Jimmy Somerville, lead singer for the British group "The Communards," was treated in a London hospital after being slashed in the face with a broken beer glass.
In 1992, at noon hour local time, radio stations across Canada played one of two new versions of "O Canada" recorded at the instigation of Orangeville, Ont., disc jockey Ross Carlin. There was a symphonic recording, but the most widely played was the contemporary version featuring the talents of dozens of the country's top artists, including Rita MacNeil, Alannah Myles, Patsy Gallant and Tommy Hunter. Recording sessions were held in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.
In 1992, Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadians played for perhaps their smallest New Year's crowd ever -- 100 people on a sidewalk in Hickory, N.C. Their concert at a local hall had been cancelled due to poor ticket sales.
In 1994, Bob Dylan's words and music were used for a commercial for the first time. A one-minute ad for the Coopers and Lybrand accounting firm, featuring Richie Havens singing Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'," was broadcast during TV coverage of the Orange Bowl football game.
In 1995, the New Country Network video channel began broadcasting, knocking the U.S.-owned Country Music Television off Canadian cable systems. The first video aired was Garth Brooks's "We Shall Be Free."
In 1995, pianist Jess Stacy, one of the most influential musicians of the swing era, died in Los Angeles at age 90. He rose to fame as a member of Benny Goodman's orchestra from 1935-39.
In 1997, songwriter and singer Townes Van Zandt died of a heart attack at his home in Smyrna, Tenn. He was 52.
In 1997, Canadian vibraphonist and composer Hagood Hardy died in Hamilton, Ont., of cancer. He was 59. Hardy was best known for his 1975 international hit, "The Homecoming."
In 1999, about 100,000 British music fans taking part in a phone poll chose Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as the best pop video ever made. Runners-up in the poll conducted by the VH1 music channel were Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Take On Me" by "A-Ha."
In 2002, Eric Clapton married Melia McEnery at a church in suburban London. The marriage of the 56-year-old rock star and his 25-year-old American girlfriend was a surprise to the guests -- they were expecting only the baptism of the couple's six-month-old daughter.
In 2005, "Motley Crue" singer Vince Neil dropped an expletive while wishing drummer Tommy Lee a happy New Year shortly after midnight during a live broadcast of NBC's "The Tonight Show." "Motley Crue" later sued NBC, claiming the network banned them to placate the FCC.
In 2010, globally acclaimed singer-songwriter Lhasa de Sela, who grew up as a semi-nomad in a travelling school bus and ultimately made Montreal her home, died at age 37. The Mexican-American musician was known for her trilingual lyrics and folk songs infused with fantasy, magic and fairy tales. In her brief career, the singer was named best artist of the Americas by the BBC's World Music Awards in 2005, and she received a slew of Quebec and Canadian awards.
In 2010, country music singer Jimmy Wayne began a 2,600-km charity walk from Nashville, Tenn., to Phoenix. He walked, without a support crew, to raise money and awareness for young adults who were leaving the foster-care system with nowhere to go and no help. Wayne spent some years in foster-care and group homes in North Carolina and occasionally was homeless before being taken in at age 17 by foster parents who gave him a safe environment. (He completed the interval walk on Aug. 1.).
In 2010, thousands of fans cheered on country music superstar Shania Twain as she carried the Olympic Flame into Hollinger Park in her home town of Timmins, Ont. She donated her Olympic torch and clothing to the town's Shania Twain Centre.
In 2011, country music superstar Shania Twain and businessman Frederic Thiebaud wed in a small ceremony in Rincon, Puerto Rico, with 40 close family and friends in attendance. In 2009, Twain broke up with husband Robert "Mutt" Lange amid reports that he had an affair with Twain’s best friend and Thiebaud’s then-wife, Marie-Ann.
In 2011, the white two-piece suit John Lennon wore on the cover of the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album was sold at auction in Connecticut for US$46,000 to an online bidder who wished to remain anonymous.
In 2012, singer Fred Milano, who became part of rock and roll history as an original member of "Dion and the Belmonts," died at age 72. Weeks earlier, he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. "The Belmonts" rose from the streets of the Bronx to become a leading vocal group of the late 1950s. Their hits included "A Teenager in Love" and "Where or When."
In 2013, Patti Page, who sang "Tennessee Waltz" and "(How Much is That) Doggie in the Window," died at age 85. She was going to be honoured at the Grammys in February with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The "Singing Rage" was the top-selling female singer in history with more than 100 million record sales.
In 2014, Nova Scotia award-winning singer-songwriter Dave Gunning's "A Game Goin' On" beat out hundreds of entries from across the country in CBC's Hockey Night in Canada Song Quest.
In 2020, masked rapper M-F Doom, known for his intricate wordplay, died at the age of 49. The British-born performer -- whose real name was Daniel Dumile (DOO'-mil-lay) -- began his rap career in the late 1980s under the name Zev Love X as part of the group K-M-D, returning in the late 1990s under his M-F Doom persona. He released six studio albums under different stage names including King Geedorah and Viktor Vaughn. A cause of death was not released, but his wife said in a statement that her husband died on October 31st 2020.
----
The Canadian Press
