Today in Music History for Aug. 22:
In 1741, George Frederic Handel began composing "The Messiah." He finished the work on Sept. 14.
In 1831, William Cummings, a leading English musicologist, was born. In 1855, he adapted a theme from Mendelssohn’s "Festgesang," which afterward became the melody of the Christmas carol, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing."
In 1862, French composer Claude Debussy was born.
In 1906, the Victor Talking Machine Company received a patent for its Victrola phonograph. The Victrola was the first phonograph designed to be a fine piece of furniture, as well as a means for reproducing music. The mahogany cabinet hid the flared horn, the turntable and the tone arm from sight. Despite the then-unheard-of price of $200, Victor could not keep up with orders for the Victrola.
In 1917, bluesman John Lee Hooker, whose boogie rhythms provided a link with rock 'n' roll, was born in Clarksdale, Miss. He moved to Detroit in 1943, and began recording towards the end of the decade. Hooker's first record, "Boogie Chillun," and his 1951 recording of "I'm In the Mood" -- not to be confused with the Glenn Miller tune -- are reputed to have sold one million copies each. Many rock bands covered his songs, and in 1970 Hooker recorded an album with "Canned Heat." He also made a brief appearance in "The Blues Brothers" movie in 1980. He died on June 21, 2001.
In 1936, rockabilly singer Dale Hawkins was born in Goldmine, La. His brief moment in the national spotlight came in 1957 when"Suzie Q" made it to No. 27 on the Billboard pop chart. It was revived with great success in 1968 by "Creedence Clearwater Revival." He died Feb. 13, 2010.
In 1956, "The Five Satins" made their debut on the R&B charts with “In the Still of the Night.”
In 1959, "The New York Philharmonic Orchestra," led by conductor Leonard Bernstein, opened a concert tour of the Soviet Union with a program in Moscow featuring works by Samuel Barber, Mozart and Shostakovich.
In 1964, "The Beatles" played Empire Stadium in Vancouver. Top ticket price was $5.25. Legendary Vancouver DJ Red Robinson was the MC. The 20,000 fans caused such pandemonium that police cut the concert short after 27 minutes. They feared the fans were about to riot and rush the stage. The concert was carried live on radio station CKNW, and a tape of the show has been widely bootlegged on records and compact discs.
In 1966, Jerry Lee Lewis was signed to play Iago in “Catch My Soul,” a rock version of Shakespeare’s “Othello.”
In 1968, Cynthia Lennon filed for divorce from John, one day short of the couple's sixth anniversary. They had one child, Julian, in 1963. John had already begun seeing Yoko Ono, whom he would marry on March 20, 1969.
In 1970, Elvis Presley announced his first tour since 1958. It lasted six dates.
In 1975, "The Carpenters" fired Neil Sedaka as their opening act in Las Vegas. There was speculation that "The Carpenters" were upset because Sedaka had upstaged them.
In 1977, Layne Staley, the lead singer and guitarist for the grunge band "Alice in Chains," was born in Kirkland, Wash. "Alice in Chains" was one of the most prominent Seattle grunge bands of the early 1990s. They were known for their dark, menacing sound, which combined grunge and heavy metal, and often wrote about heroin. Staley, who struggled with a heroin addiction, was found dead in his Seattle apartment on April 19, 2002.
In 1986, the family of a man killed at a "Rolling Stones" concert in Houston in 1981 was awarded US$4.7 million. Wesley Allen Shelton, 22, was stabbed near a concession stand at the Astrodome. Shelton's family claimed in their suit that security at the concert was inadequate.
In 1986, the "Musicfest" rock extravaganza opened at a Montreal park. When it closed 11 days later, only 160,000 people had attended, a far cry from the 270,000 needed to break even. The festival cost more than $2 million to produce, and offered tickets for as little as $8 each. But bad weather, temperamental artists and acts ill-suited to the Quebec market combined to make the event a financial disaster. James Brown showed up five hours late for his concert because he didn't like the limousine sent to pick him up at the airport. James El De Barge cancelled his headline show at the last minute when a truck showed up with the wrong equipment. Some critics said that acts such as Brown, "Kid Creole and the Coconuts" and "The Miami Sound Machine" were wrong for Montreal. The hits of "Musicfest" were "Huey Lewis and the News," Elton John and the "Eurythmics."
In 1994, the mother and brother of "The Beach Boys'" founder Brian Wilson sued publisher Harper-Collins and Wilson's former therapist for $15 million. Wilson's mother, Audree, and brother Carl, another member of "The Beach Boys," claimed they were libelled in Brian Wilson's 1991 autobiography.
In 1996, a handwritten draft of a song by Jimi Hendrix was sold for almost US$17,000 at an auction in London. The Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando, Fla., bought the draft of "Ain't No Telling," which Hendrix penned on a piece of London hotel stationery in 1966.
In 2008, former glam rocker Gary Glitter finally arrived in Britain after being deported from a prison in Vietnam on Aug. 19. He tried unsuccessfully to enter Thailand and Hong Kong after his release. Glitter was convicted of obscene acts with children in March 2006 and sentenced to three years in prison.
In 2009, "Louisiana Hayride" was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. The show ran from 1948-60. It was hosted by Jimmie Davis, Floyd Cramer, Webb Pierce and Faron Young. They were regularly joined by top artists from Texas to Tennessee, including Hank Williams, Kitty Wells, George Jones, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley.
In 2011, Nick Ashford, one-half of the legendary Motown songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson, died of throat cancer at age 69. Ashford and his wife Valerie Simpson wrote some of Motown's biggest hits like "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Reach Out And Touch Somebody's Hand" by Diana Ross, "You're All I Need To Get By" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and "I'm Every Woman" by Chaka Khan. Ashford & Simpson also had success writing for themselves. Perhaps the best-known song they sang was the 1980s hit "Solid as a Rock."
In 2011, Jerry Leiber, who with longtime partner Mike Stoller wrote "Hound Dog," ''Jailhouse Rock," ''Yakety Yak," "Charlie Brown," and "Stand By Me," and other hit songs that came to define early rock 'n' roll, died unexpectedly of cardiopulmonary failure. He was 78.
In 2012, rapper-actor LL Cool J struggled with and subdued a suspected burglar at his L.A.-area home, breaking the intruder's jaw, nose and ribs in the process. LL and his family were unharmed during the break-in.
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The Canadian Press