bmusic - Newsletter No. 255

In 1786, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's comic opera "The Marriage of Figaro" had its world premiere in Vienna. Reaction was lukewarm and it wasn't until the work was presented in Prague later that year that it was a success.

In 1962, Jerry Lee Lewis returned successfully to Britain. He had been hounded out of the country four years earlier after it was revealed he had married his 13-year-old cousin, Myra Gale Brown.

In 1963, Andrew Loog Oldham saw the Rolling Stones perform for the first time. Oldham, who became the group's manager, had been told by the Beatles that he should catch the Stones at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, England.

In 1965, Bob Dylan began a British tour backed by the Band. The tour was filmed for the documentary "Don't Look Back."

In 1967, Gary Lewis and the Playboys received their only gold record - for "This Diamond Ring."

In 1967, Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. The wedding cake alone cost $3,500.
Priscilla was the teenage daughter of a US Army officer whom Elvis had met in Germany. She had lived at Presley's Graceland Mansion since 1961, ostensibly under the supervision of Presley's father and stepmother. On February 1st, 1968, their only child, Lisa Marie, was born.
Four years later, the couple separated, and in 1973, Elvis filed for divorce.

In 1968, Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" was released.

In 1968, the Beatles refused to perform for the Queen at a benefit for the British Olympic team. In Ringo Starr's words, "We don't do benefits."

In 1968, the rock musical "Hair" opened at the Biltmore Theatre on Broadway.
"Hair," the first musical to successfully adapt rock music to the stage, had already played in an off-Broadway version, which opened in October 1967.

In 1970, Twiggs Lyndon, the road manager for the Allman Brothers Band, was arrested for murder. He stabbed a club manager after an argument over a contract.

In 1970, Elton John's first North American album, a self-titled effort, was released. From it came the hit single "Your Song."

In 1977, the Temptations, the most successful male vocal group of the 1960's and early '70s, left Motown Records after 17 years. They signed with Atlantic, but after recording two unsuccessful disco albums, the Temptations were lured back to Motown by Berry Gordy Junior.

In 1977, the Clash began their first British tour with a concert in London. The political punk rockers shared the bill with the Jam, the Slits, the Buzzcocks and the Subway Sect in what was billed as the White Riot tour.

In 1981, Ringo Starr married actress Barbara Bach. Paul McCartney and George Harrison attended the ceremony. It was Starr's second marriage, and again ended in divorce.

In 1982, Stiv and Anastasia Bators were married in a white magic ceremony with a high priest and priestess and 13 witnesses dressed in black. Bators, lead singer of the punk rock band the Dead Boys, said everybody then went back to his London flat and got drunk.

In 1982, singer Rod Stewart was robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight on Los Angeles's Sunset Boulevard. The British Safety Council applauded Stewart for not struggling with the bandit.

In 1983, the original lineup of the 1960's British group Manfred Mann reunited to celebrate the 25th anniversary of London's Marquee Club.

In 1984, singer Melissa Manchester made her acting debut in an episode of the TV series "Fame." She also co-wrote the script.

In 1986, Van Halen's first album with new singer Sammy Hagar, 5150, debuted and started it's first of four weeks at the top of the US chart.

In 1988, Eric Clapton and his wife, Patti Boyd, filed divorce papers in London. Boyd blamed Clapton's affair with an Italian TV personality, who bore Clapton's child. Clapton and Boyd had been married nine years. She had previously been married to George Harrison.

In 1988, Celine Dion won the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland with her performance of the ballad "Don't Leave Without Me (Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi)." Dublin was host of the contest, watched by an estimated 600-million TV viewers.

In 1988, a judge in Minneapolis dismissed a plagiarism suit brought against Prince by his sister Lorna Nelson. She claimed he stole the lyrics for his 1987 hit "U Got the Look."

In 1989, police were called to a jewellery store in Simi Valley, California after employees reported a suspicious person. He turned out to be Michael Jackson, who had donned a wig, fake moustache, false teeth and eyelashes to go shopping. Officers had him remove his disguise and show his identification.

In 1990, the Fender Stratocaster guitar used by Jimi Hendrix to perform the "Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock was auctioned for a then-record US$295,000.

In 1990, Broadway's longest-running show, "A Chorus Line," closed after 6,137 performances.

In 1990, Guns N' Roses lead singer W. Axl Rose married Erin Everly, daughter of Don Everly of the Everly Brothers, at the Cupid Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. A limousine chauffeur served as witness. The marriage would last only three weeks.

In 1990, 13 people were hospitalized after thousands of fans tried to get into a soldout New Kids on the Block Show in Brighton, England. More than 350 people, most of them teenage girls, needed treatment for hysteria and hyperventilation.

In 1992, singer Paula Abdul and actor Emilio Estevez were married in a judge's chambers in Santa Monica, California. One of Abdul's managers and Estevez's mother witnessed the ceremony. Abdul filed for divorce two years later.

In 1993, Prince announced he wouldn't make any more new recordings. To fulfill his contract with Warner Brothers he would release material from his stockpile of some 500 unreleased recordings.

In 1993, Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist Gilby Clark broke his wrist in a motorcycle accident in Castaic Lake, California. Clark was practising for a celebrity charity race. The injury forced the band to cancel four shows on its US tour. Former Guns N' Roses member Izzy Stradlin filled in for several European dates.

In 1994, singer Michael Bolton said there was "a bit of racial inference" in a Los Angeles jury's decision that he swiped an Isley Brothers song for his 1991 hit, "Love Is a Wonderful Thing." The jury awarded the Isleys 2/3 of the royalties from the single and 28 per cent of the royalties form Bolton's album "Time, Love and Tenderness." Estimates of the value of the award ranged from U.S. 5 million to 15 million dollars.

In 1995, rapper Tupac Shakur, serving 4.5 years on a sex abuse conviction, was married in a New York state prison to his longtime girlfriend, Keisha Morris.

In 1997, the US House of Representatives voted to bestow Congress's highest civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal, on Frank Sinatra. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan had presented the singer with the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the US.

In 1997, police in Beverly Hills, California said "no" to a planned auction of the bullet-riddled door from the pickup truck in which rapper Notorious BIG was gunned down the previous month. Budget Rent a Car had said it wanted to auction the door and give the money to charity.

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Births In 1899, jazz musician, composer and bandleader Edward Kennedy (Duke) Ellington was born in Washington, DC.
He made his first professional appearance as a jazz pianist in 1916, and two years later formed his first band. After appearances in Harlem nightclubs, Duke Ellington's orchestra became one of the most famous jazz bands, and remained so for more than 50 years.

In 1904, singer and actor Bing Crosby was born in Tacoma, Washington.

In 1919, folk musician and singer Pete Seeger was born in New York City. In the 1940's, he performed with Woody Guthrie, before forming the Weavers, who had hits with such folk tunes as "On Top of Old Smokey" and "Goodnight Irene." Seeger was blacklisted by the US government during the '50s. In the following decade, he became a father figure to many younger folk and rock musicians. The Byrds, for example, had a number-one hit with Seeger's "Turn, Turn, Turn."

In 1927, r'n'b tenor saxophonist Big Jay McNeely.

In 1929, country singer Johnny Horton was born in Tyler, Texas. His "Battle of New Orleans" sold a million copies in 1959 as did his 1960 recording of "North to Alaska," the title song from a John Wayne movie. Horton was killed in a car crash in Milano, Texas on November 5th, 1960.

In 1930, blues harmonica player Little Walter, real name Marion Walter Jacobs, was born in Marksville, Louisiana. He was a pioneer in the use of a microphone to amplify the mouth harp, and his techniques were widely copied, particularly by white blues musicians in England. Little Walter died in 1968 after being stabbed in a street fight in Chicago.

In 1931, British skiffle musician Lonnie Donegan, whose biggest hit was 1961's "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor (On the Bedpost Over Night)."

In 1933, country superstar Willie Nelson was born in Abbott, Texas.

In 1935, Link Wray, one of the more influential rock guitarists of the 1950's, was born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

In 1936, singer Englebert Humperdinck.

In 1941, actress-singer Ann-Margaret.

In 1945, Creedence Clearwater Revival bass player Stu Cook.

In 1949, Francis Rossi, lead singer of the British group Status Quo.

In 1951, Ace Frehley, the guitarist much maligned by his former bandmates from KISS, was born in New York.

In 1951, singer Fergie Frederiksen of Toto.

In 1952, David Byrne, lead vocalist for the new wave band Talking Heads, was born in Dunbartin, Scotland. Byrne formed the Talking Heads as a trio in 1975 in New York with Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth. Jerry Harrison completed the band in 1977.

In 1953, Merrill Osmond of the Osmonds.

In 1953, rock singer and songwriter Tom Cochrane was born in Lynn Lake, Manitoba.

In 1953, multi-instrumentalist and composer Mike Oldfield was born in Reading, England. His 1973 LP, "Tubular Bells," went to number three on the Billboard chart, staying there more than a year and selling over a million copies. In 1974, the album won a Grammy Award as Best Pop Instrumental LP after excerpts were used in the soundtrack of the film "The Exorcist."

In 1954, singer Ray Parker, Junior.

In 1955, Nick Feldman, bassist and keyboardist with British group Wang Chung.

In 1955, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols.

In 1955, country singer Kix Brooks of Brooks and Dunn.

In 1955, Mark Herndon, drummer with the country band Alabama.

In 1957, Mark Kendall, guitarist with the heavy metal band Great White.

In 1959, David Ball of Soft Cell.

In 1959, Marco Pirroni of the Adam Ant band.

In 1959, singer Sheena Easton.

In 1959, Billy Duffy, guitarist with the British hard-rock band, The Cult.

In 1960, Roger Taylor, drummer with Duran Duran.

In 1961, singer Roland Gift of Fine Young Cannibals.

In 1961, Irish singer Enya. (Don't ask me what her last name is!)

In 1962, Ian Astbury, ex-vocalist with the British hard-rock band the Cult.

In 1967, country singer Tim McGraw.

In 1968, Johnny Colt, bass guitarist with the Black Crowes.

In 1969, Danny Wood of New Kids on the Block.

In 1970, Jordan Knight of New Kids on the Block.

In 1973, Mike Hogan, bass guitarist with the Irish pop band the Cranberries.

In 1978, Chris (Mack Daddy) Kelly of the rap duo Kriss Kross.

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Deaths In 1935, blues singer and pianist Leroy Carr died at age 30 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He drank himself to death.

In 1966, folk singer and songwriter Richard Farina died in a motorcycle crash in Carmel, California following a party to launch his book, "Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me." He was 30. Farina recorded several albums with his wife Mimi, who is Joan Baez's sister.

In 1967, blues singer J.B. Lenoir died of a heart attack after being hit by a car in Urbana, Illinois. He was 38. Lenoir heavily influenced British bluesman John Mayall, who recorded a tribute to him on one of his albums.

In 1968, Frankie Lymon, lead singer of the '50s "doo-wop" group The Teenagers, was found dead of a drug overdose in a friend's apartment in Harlem. He was 25 years old. Lymon was only 12 when the group was formed in 1955.

In 1968, George D. Hay, the originator of the Grand Ole Opry broadcasts over station WSM in Nashville, died in Virginia Beach, Virginia at age 72. The program, originally called the "Barn Dance," was first broadcast on November 28th, 1925.

In 1972, Phil King of Blue Oyster Cult was murdered during a gambling fight in New York City. He was shot three times in the head. His death came before the heavy metal group achieved major success.

In 1972, Stone the Crow lead guitarist Les Harvey was electrocuted on stage at a show in Swansea, Wales. The 25 year old was thrown into the air after touching a poorly connected microphone and died in a hospital a few hours later.

In 1972, blues and folk singer, the Reverend Gary Davis, died of a heart attack in Hammonton, New Jersey at the age of 76.

In 1974, Pam Morrison, Jim Morrison's widow, died in her Hollywood apartment at the age of 27. Police speculated that Pam Morrison died of a heroin overdose after became appparent she had been using for around a year before her death.

In 1974, Graham Bond, a pioneer British rhythm-and-blues musician, died after jumping in front of a London underground train. With drummer Ginger Baker and guitarist Jack Bruce, he formed the Graham Bond Organization in 1963. Baker and Bruce were later members of the super-group Cream. Fusion guitarist John McLaughlin is another famous alumni of the Graham Bond Organization.

In 1980, Tommy Caldwell, bass player and vocalist with the Marshall Tucker Band, died in Spartanburg, South Carolina of injuries suffered in a car accident six days earlier.

In 1981, reggae musician Bob Marley died in Miami of brain and lung cancer. He was 36. Seven months earlier, he had collapsed on stage during a concert in the US. Marley and his band, the Wailers, were practically national heroes in their native Jamaica, and they helped spread reggae music around the world. Marley was wounded in an assassination attempt in 1976. "Legend," a greatest hits compilation issued in 1984, was estimated to have sold more than 12 million copies worldwide by the late 1990's and was still selling about 50,000 copies a month in the US.

In 1982, Neil Bogart, former head of Casablanca Records, died of cancer at age 39. A prime music industry mover during the disco era of the 1970's, Bogart guided the careers of Donna Summers and Kiss among others. He later formed Boardwalk Enterprises which helped give former Runaway Joan Jett solo success.

In 1983, one of the greatest-ever blues singers, Muddy Waters, died in Chicago of a heart attack. He was 68.
His rough, direct urban blues were an immense influence on many of the 1960's British groups, including the Rolling Stones, who took their name from one of his songs. The Stones also included "I Can't Be Satisfied," a hit for Waters in 1948, on their second album.

In 1984, rhythm-and-blues singer Z.Z. Hill died at the age of 49 of a heart attack stemming from phlebitis and a broken leg.

In 1987, Chicago bluesman Paul Butterfield, who brought the blues to a generation of rock fans in the 1960's, was found dead in his Los Angeles home. He was 44. An autopsy showed he died of an overdose of several drugs, including heroin.

In 1988, singer and songwriter B. W. Stevenson died following heart surgery. He was 38. Stevenson wrote Three Dog Night's 1973 hit "Shambala," and also had a hit of his own that year with "My Maria."

In 1989, country singer Keith Whitley died of alcohol abuse at age 33. He was found dead in bed at his Nashville- area home. The coroner said he had a blood-alcohol content five times the legal limit. At the time of his death, Whitley had just had three straight number-one singles - "Don't Close Your Eyes," "When You Say Nothing At All" and "I'm No Stranger to the Rain."

In 1992, screen legend Marlene Dietrich died in Paris at age 90. Her interpretation of the melancholy song "Lili Marlene" is one of the most remembered songs of the Second World War. Dietrich not only sang for the US Army but recorded songs containing coded messages for American spy teams.

In 1992, Sylvia Syms, whom Frank Sinatra called "the world's greatest saloon singer," collapsed and died while performing a Sinatra tribute in New York. She was 73. Syms's 1956 recording of "I Could Have Danced All Night" from "My Fair Lady" was a Top-20 hit.

In 1993, glam rock guitarist and record producer Mick Ronson died in London of liver cancer. He was 47. Ronson helped forge the glam rock sound as part of David Bowie's early 1970's backing band, Spiders from Mars.

In 1995, Doug Phillips, lead singer of the 1960s California rock group the Dartells, died at age 50. The Dartells reached Number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963 with "Hot Pastrami," which was a reworked version of "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes," a 1960 recording by Nat Kendrick and the Swans. (Note for trivia buffs: Nat Kendrick and the Swans was a pseudonym for James Brown's backing band, known at the time as the JB's. Brown played piano on the record.)

In 1996, yodelling cowgirl Patsy Montana died in Nashville at age 87. Montana's 1935 recording of "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" is often cited as the first million-seller by a female country artist.

In 1997, Narciso Yepes, one of Spain's most acclaimed classical guitarists, died of cancer in Murcia, Spain. He was 69. Yepes was especially noted for his interpretation of Rodrigo's "Concerto de Aranjuez."

In 1997, r'n'b bandleader Ernie Fields died at the age of 91. His rocked-up version of Glenn Miller's 1939 chart-topper "In the Mood" was a Top-10 hit in 1959.

In 1999, Darrell Sweet, drummer for rock group Nazareth, died of cardiac arrest at the age of 51.

In 2001 actress and singer Jennifer Stahl was shot and killed during a robbery. Stahl released the CD "Pro-Bitchin'" under the moniker Ganja Woman. She also ran a small recording studio. Her acting credits include the movies "Dirty Dancing" and "Neocropolis".

In 2002, member of all-girl R & B group TLC, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. was killed in a car accident. Lopes was 30 years old.

In 2002, folk singer/guitarist Dick Campbell died from complications following lung transplant surgery. Campbell wrote close to 400 songs and also worked for RCA Records.

In 2002, Cesar Diaz (The Amp Doctor) passed away. Dias was a restorer of vintage tube amplifiers and built his own line of boutique valve amps. Before entering the amp building game Dias was a guitar tech for Stevie Ray Vaughan and technical advisor for Eric Clapton. He was also a well respected blues and rock musician and had worked with Bob Dylan and Patti Smith, amongst others.

In 2003, guitar amp manufacturer and accordion player Ray Butts died. Butts had made amplifiers for Chet Atkins, Carl Perkins, Scotty Moore and Roy Orbison.

In 2003, jazz drummer Nigel Hammond, who had worked with PJ Proby and Billy Fury, drowned while rescuing his wife and their dog from the same fate.

In 2003, guitarist Martin Jenner, after a career working with Cliff Richard and The Everly Brothers among others, died of cancer in Western Australia.

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