Today in Music History for Sept. 5:
In 1899, Canadian folk song collector Helen Creighton was born in Dartmouth, N.S. During her career, she collected and recorded for the Library of Congress and the National Museum of Canada more than 4,000 songs from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. She died Dec. 12, 1989.
In 1946, rock drummer Buddy Miles was born in Omaha, Neb. He is best known for his work with Jimi Hendrix's "Band of Gypsies," and for his 1970 hit album "Them Changes." But before that he played with Wilson Pickett and "The Electric Flag." From the remnants of "The Electric Flag," he formed "The Buddy Miles Express" in 1968. Miles hit hard times in 1978 when he served a jail term for grand theft. In 1987, he was one of the musicians appearing on "The California Raisins" novelty album featuring remakes of classic soul tunes. He died Feb. 26, 2008.
In 1946, Freddie Mercury, lead singer for the British band "Queen," was born in Zanzibar. "Queen" was formed in 1971 by Mercury and two former members of a band called "Smile," guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. They were joined later by bass guitarist John Deacon. The band's debut album was released in 1973 and showcased their highly produced mixture of heavy metal and intricate vocal harmonies, which were achieved by multi-tracking Mercury's voice. The group's commercial breakthrough came in 1974 with the album "Sheer Heart Attack" and the hit single "Killer Queen." Most of their LPs that followed were big sellers, and there were a fair number of hit singles as well. "Queen's" sound began to change, too. Their biggest hits came with 1979's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," done in a rockabilly style, and 1980's disco-flavoured "Another One Bites the Dust." Freddie Mercury died of AIDS-related pneumonia on Nov. 24, 1991.
In 1958, the Country Music Association was chartered by the State of Tennessee. Dedicated to furthering the cause of country music, the association established the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961. The CMA also has an annual televised awards show and sponsors seminars for broadcasters and scholarships for country music research.
In 1960, George's Spaghetti House in Toronto, the longest-running jazz club in Canada, began offering jazz six nights a week. The club had opened in 1956 but featured jazz only on weekends after hours. Flutist and saxophonist Moe Koffman, the club's booking agent had performed there regularly. The club closed in 1994. Koffman died of cancer in March 2001.
In 1965, "The Rolling Stones" flew to Los Angeles for a recording session. Among the songs laid down was "Get Off My Cloud."
In 1969, folksinger Josh White died in Long Island, N.Y. following open heart surgery. He was 61. A native of North Carolina, White, like Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly before him, found a new audience for his music in the northern U.S. But unlike Leadbelly, White achieved success in his own lifetime, performing authentic folk songs and blues for nightclub audiences. Among the songs associated with Josh White were "Strange Fruit," "Jim Crow Train," "See See Rider" and "One Meat Ball."
In 1976, guitarist Garry Rossington of "Lynyrd Skynyrd" lost several teeth and broke a kneecap in a car accident in Florida. His car hit a telephone pole, a tree and a house.
In 1988, trombonist Lawrence Brown, who played for decades with "The Duke Ellington Orchestra," died following a stroke at his Los Angeles home. He was 81.
In 1990, guitar great B.B. King got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 1991, "R.E.M." won six MTV video music awards, including Video of the Year for "Losing My Religion."
In 1992, rock star John Mellencamp married model Elaine Irwin in an outdoor ceremony at his cabin near Seymour, Ind. The couple met earlier in the year while filming the video for Mellencamp's single "Get a Leg Up." (They divorced in 2011.)
In 1993, Tom Cochrane, Alex Lifeson of "Rush," Randy Bachman and Murray McLauchlan were among the stars that performed in an AIDS benefit at the Ontario Place Forum in Toronto. The event was telecast live on MuchMusic. More than $200,000 was raised for AIDS hospices across Canada.
In 1993, former "Jane's Addiction" guitarist Dave Navarro joined the "Red Hot Chili Peppers." He lasted for only one album, 1995's "One Hot Minute."
In 1994, pop group "Barenaked Ladies" refused to accept the key to the city from Toronto Mayor June Rowlands. Three years earlier, the city had banned the group from playing at the New Year's Eve party held outside Toronto city hall because their band name "objectified women."
In 1995, Yusaf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, emerged from retirement with his first album in 18 years. Music fans were disappointed, because the album "Life of the Last Prophet" was 80 per cent talk.
In 1997, world renowned conductor Sir Georg Solti died in Antibes, France, at age 85. Solti, known for his athletic conducting, spent 22 years at the helm of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He was knighted in 1972.
In 2003, singer-actress Gisele MacKenzie, who was once known as Canada’s first lady of song, died of colon cancer in a California hospital at age 76. Born in Winnipeg, Mackenzie had her own CBC radio show before becoming one of early television’s biggest stars. After moving to Los Angeles in 1950, Mackenzie toured with Jack Benny, who recommended her for a spot on NBC’s "Your Hit Parade." There, she sang the week’s top hits from 1953-57. She returned to weekly television in 1963 on "The Sid Caesar Show." MacKenzie’s regular TV appearance continued into the ’90s, on such shows as "Studio One," "The Hollywood Squares," "Murder, She Wrote," "MacGyver" and "Boy Meets World."
In 2008, the multi-network "Stand Up to Cancer" telethon raised over $100 million. All money raised went toward funding research programs. Some 100 stars from music, sports, TV and film came together for the live telethon, simulcast on ABC, CBS and NBC, cable's E! Entertainment channel, as well as Canada's big three CBC, CTV and Global.
In 2009, New Brunswick university student Katherine Teresa Hooper filed a lawsuit against R&B singer Akon, claiming she was badly injured during a September 2007 concert in Saint John when the singer's security detail pushed their way through the crowd at Harbour Station. The suit also named Harbour Station and Gillett Entertainment Group, which promoted the concert.
In 2009, country singer Barbara Mandrell was the first woman to be inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in St. Louis.
In 2011, Salvatore Licitra, a tenor known in his Italian homeland as the "new Pavarotti" for his potent voice and considerable stamina, died at age 43 after spending nine days in a coma following an Aug. 27 motorscooter accident in Sicily.
In 2011, a 36-year-old man was arrested at Celine Dion's home near Montreal after he allegedly broke in and raided the fridge and even took the time to pour himself a bath.
In 2012, singer-songwriter Joe South (born Joseph Souter), who penned hits like "Games People Play," and "Down in the Boondocks" in the 1960s and '70s, died at age 72. South also wrote the Grammy-nominated "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden" for Lynn Anderson. He was an inductee in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. He played guitar on Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools" and Bob Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde."
In 2012, "Call Me Maybe," B.C.-native Carly Rae Jepsen's infectious pop song about infatuation love, topped Billboard Songs of Summer chart. It had spent nine consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 2019, Rod Coneybeare, who was the puppeteer and provided the voices of Rusty the Rooster and Jerome the Giraffe on the CBC-TV children's series "The Friendly Giant," died at age 89. His son, filmmaker Wilson Coneybeare, said his father died in Lindsay, Ontario, surrounded by family. He'd been suffering from pneumonia. Coneybeare, who was born in Belleville, Ont., also produced, wrote and acted in CBC Radio's horror-fantasy series "Out of This World" in the 1950s.
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The Canadian Press