Today in Music History for June 17:
In 1872, composer Johann Strauss conducted a 987-piece orchestra and a 20,000-member choir in a performance of "The Blue Danube" in Boston.
In 1882, composer Igor Stravinsky, considered by many to be the greatest composer of the 20th century, was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He died in 1971.
In 1910, country music star Red Foley was born in Bluelick, Ky. Foley, elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1967, was the first country star to have a network radio show. He died in 1968.
In 1935, Ted Kowalski, original tenor of the Canadian vocal quartet "The Diamonds," was born. Formed in Toronto in 1953, "The Diamonds" had a series of hits in the late '50s and early '60s, many of which were covers of songs originally sung by black R&B artists. Their first hit was "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" in 1956, a traditional doo-wop version of the "Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers" song that reached No. 12 on the U.S. charts. The group received three gold records for "Little Darlin'," "Silhouettes" and "The Stroll." He left the group after five years in 1958 to pursue an engineering degree at the University of Toronto. The band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the 1984 Juno Awards. They were also inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Doo-Wop Hall of Fame. He died Aug. 8, 2010, after a battle with heart disease.
In 1946, singer-songwriter Barry Manilow was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. He has sold more than 50 million records around the world, and had five albums on the chart at once in 1977 -- a record surpassed only by Johnny Mathis and Frank Sinatra. In 1972, Manilow became Bette Midler's arranger and pianist. His debut album came out the next year, and it and Manilow's next seven albums each sold one million copies. Manilow also had No. 1 hit singles with "Mandy" in '75 and "I Write the Songs" in '76. In 1980, he produced Dionne Warwick's comeback LP, which contained the hit "I'll Never Love This Way Again." From the mid-'80s on, he experimented with swing, pop standards, and Broadway show tunes. His 2002 greatest hits CD, "Ultimate Manilow" debuted on the charts at No. 3. His latest CDs were remakes of classic songs from the '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s.
In 1959, England's "Daily Mirror" paid 8,000 pounds in libel damages to Liberace. One of the newspaper's columnists implied the pianist was a homosexual when he wrote that Liberace was a "fruit-flavoured, mincing, ice-covered heap of Mother Love." Liberace had denied under oath -- falsely, it turned out -- that he was gay. When the truth surfaced after his death in 1987, the newspaper suggested it wanted its money back.
In 1965, "The Kinks" arrived in New York for their first U.S. tour.
In 1968, the studio bubblegum group "Ohio Express" received a gold record for their single "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy."
In 1972, keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan played his final gig with the "Grateful Dead" at the Hollywood Bowl. He would die the following March of alcohol-induced liver failure and internal bleeding.
In 1977, guitarist Michael Schenker of the British hard-rock band "U.F.O." went into hiding for six months rather than tell the band that he wanted to leave. Schenker, a German, later said he didn't speak English well enough to explain how he felt. He eventually split with "U.F.O." in 1979 to form his own group.
In 1978, Grace Slick's alcoholism prevented her from going on stage with "Jefferson Starship" at a concert in St. Goarhausen, West Germany. Fans rioted, causing more than $1 million in damage. Two days later, Slick left "Jefferson Starship," and Marty Balin took over as lead vocalist.
In 1986, Stevie Wonder opened his first North American tour in five years in Seattle. The tour, which played 64 cities in the U.S. and Canada, carried the same name as Wonder's "In Square Circle" album. It was a tribute to a new U.S. holiday in honour of Martin Luther King.
In 1986, singer Kate Smith, whose rendition of "God Bless America" made her a symbol of American patriotism, died in Raleigh, N.C., at age 79. She was not buried for nearly a year-and-a-half because of a dispute over the size of her pink granite mausoleum in Lake Placid, N.Y. Smith was one of the most popular entertainers on radio during the 1930s and '40s.
In 1986, singer and pianist Bert Pearl, the founder of "The Happy Gang" musical troupe, died in Los Angeles at age 73. The Winnipeg native began "The Happy Gang" show on CBC radio in 1937, and its 22 years on the air made it Canada's longest-running radio show. After the show ended, Bert Pearl moved to California and became musical director for the Jimmy Durante and Gisele MacKenzie TV shows. The "Happy Gang" reunited for a 1975 concert at Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition.
In 1987, Vittoria Holman, a St. Petersburg, Fla., real estate agent, sued "Motley Crue" and a concert promoter for hearing loss allegedly incurred at a 1985 concert. Holman and her daughter had front-row seats less than three metres from a wall of speakers. The case was settled when the band's insurance company paid more than $30,000.
In 1988, Jamaican street vendor Dennis Lobban was sentenced to hang after being found guilty for the 1987 murder of reggae star Peter Tosh and two of his friends. Lobban, who had a long police record, was on parole when the murders were committed.
In 1988, Jack Leonard, the star vocalist for the "Tommy Dorsey Orchestra" from 1935-39, died of cancer in Los Angeles at age 73. He was the singer on two of Tommy Dorsey's biggest hits -- "Marie" and "All the Things You Are."
In 1992, Dewey Balfa, the Louisiana fiddler who took Cajun music from the bayous to a national audience, died at age 65 in Eunice, La. Balfa was described as the premier ambassador for Cajun music and culture throughout the world.
In 1994, Latin pop singer Jon Secada fell through the rostrum as he was approaching the stage to perform before an estimated one billion television viewers during the opening ceremonies of the World Cup soccer tournament in Chicago. Secada could not pull himself out, and since the band was already playing, he began singing with only his head above stage level. He was eventually pulled from the hole, and moved to centre stage to finish his performance. Secada was later diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder.
In 1995, British pop star Cliff Richard became Sir Cliff after being awarded a knighthood.
In 1997, Ozzy Osbourne cancelled his solo set and his reunion with "Black Sabbath" scheduled for an "Ozzfest" tour stop near Columbus, Ohio. Osbourne claimed he had lost his voice. Other groups on the bill performed as scheduled, but disappointed fans set fires and damaged the outdoor facility. Twenty-three people were arrested and three were slightly hurt. Osbourne and "Black Sabbath" played a makeup date two weeks later.
In 2005, "Soul Asylum" bassist Karl Mueller died of throat cancer in Minneapolis. He was 41.
In 2009, "The Black Eyed Peas" new CD, "The E.N.D." debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart on sales of 304,000 copies. "The Peas" also held the top two spots of the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with "Boom Boom Pow" followed by "I Gotta Feeling." Those two singles help set a record for most consecutive weeks at No. 1 by an artist with 26.
In 2009, Rene Angelil, the husband and manager of pop icon Celine Dion, was inducted into the Order of Quebec, the province's highest honour and is given for meritorious service.
In 2010, Canadians Leonard Cohen and David Foster as well as "Earth, Wind & Fire's" Maurice White, Philip Bailey and Verdine White were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Also inducted were Jackie DeShannon, Johnny Mandel Larry Dunn and Al McKay. Phil Collins received the Johnny Mercer Award for his body of work in songwriting. Country music starlet Taylor Swift received the Hal David Starlight Award.
In 2012, Carly Rae Jepsen of Mission, B.C., was the big winner at the MuchMusic Video Awards, taking home three trophies including Video of the Year for "Call Me Maybe." Justin Bieber, "Marianas Trench" and Katy Perry were double winners.
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The Canadian Press