Music History: April 3
2014 Arthur Smith, one of postwar country music's finest guitar pickers, dies at age 93 of natural causes. His 1949 instrumental "Guitar Boogie" was one of the first to showcase the electric guitar and as such had a major influence on the development of rockabilly and rock in general.
2007 During an Season 6 episode of American Idol, Ryan Seacrest announces the American Idol Songwriter Competition. The entry fee is $10, and the winning song gets to be the winner's first single. After judges cull the 25,000 entries to 20 finalists, it's put to an online vote and the winner is "This is My Now." The song is indeed released as winner Jordin Sparks' first single, but without marketing push of previous Idol songs like Taylor Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud?," which debuted at #1. "This is My Now" reaches just #15 and drops off the chart after four weeks. The contest runs for one more year, with "The Time of My Life " winning Season 7 and released as the first single for David Cook.
1999 British composer Lionel Bart, known for the Broadway smash Oliver!, dies at age 68 of cancer.
1990 Jazz singer Sarah Vaughan dies at age 66 of lung cancer.
1989 23 people are arrested when they try to crash a Grateful Dead concert (along with several thousand others).
1987 Composer Johannes Brahms is born in Hamburg, Germany.
1985 Pop/R&B singer Leona Lewis is born in Islington, London, England.
1983 Danny Rapp (Danny & the Juniors) dies at age 41 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He's discovered in a hotel room in Quartzsite, Arizona.
1976 Johnnie Taylor's "Disco Lady" hits #1 on the Hot 100, becoming the first chart-topper with the word "disco" in the title.
1974 Guitarist Drew Shirley (Switchfoot) is born in Key West, Florida.
1971 The Temptations' "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.
1968 Heavy metal singer Sebastian Bach (Skid Row) is born Sebastian Philip Bierk is born in Freeport, Bahamas.
1963 Elvis Presley's It Happened At The World's Fair movie opens in Los Angeles (it opens nationally a week later).
1961 Paul Anka appears on CBS-TV's Make Room For Daddy.
1960 Elvis Presley records "It's Now or Never."
1956 Elvis Presley sings "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Blue Suede Shoes" on Milton Berle's NBC-TV show (live from the deck of the U.S.S. Hancock in San Diego).
1949 Guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson (Fairport Convention) is born in Notting Hill Gate, London, England.
1944 Pop singer Tony Orlando is born Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis in New York City.
1943 Richard Manuel (lead singer of The Band) is born in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.
1942 "Down In The Boondocks" singer Billy Joe Royal is born in Valdosta, Georgia.
1942 Wayne Newton is born Carson Wayne Newton in Norfolk, Virginia.
1941 Surf rocker Jan Berry (Jan & Dean) is born William Jan Berry in Los Angeles, California.
1938 Songwriter Jeff Barry is born Joel Adelberg in Brooklyn, New York. In 1964, 17 songs he co-wrote make the Hot 100, including three chart-toppers: "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," "Chapel Of Love" and "Leader of the Pack."
1928 Country singer-songwriter Don Gibson ("Sweet Dreams," "I Can't Stop Loving You") is born in Shelby, North Carolina.
1924 The married Beulah Annan murders her lover Harry Kalstedt then sits drinking cocktails and playing "Hula Lou" over and over again while he dies.
1902 The first series of Alessandro Moreschi's solo recordings is made; he is the only castrato to be recorded solo.
Jay Z Gets His Own Record Label
2008Jay Z joins Madonna and U2 and signs a huge contract with Live Nation; he scores a 360 deal that includes his own label.
1964 "The Times They Are A Changin'" puts Bob Dylan on the UK singles chart for the first time.
1959 Because of its references to bad behavior in school (writing on the wall, throwing spitballs), The British Broadcasting Corporation bans The Coasters song "Charlie Brown." The ban is lifted two weeks later.
1924 Actress and singer Doris Day is born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff in Cincinnati, Ohio. She'll turn to singing when a car accident wrecks her dreams of becoming a professional dancer.
Featured Events
1964 "The Times They Are A Changin'" puts Bob Dylan on the UK singles chart for the first time.
1959 Because of its references to bad behavior in school (writing on the wall, throwing spitballs), The British Broadcasting Corporation bans The Coasters song "Charlie Brown." The ban is lifted two weeks later.
1924 Actress and singer Doris Day is born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff in Cincinnati, Ohio. She'll turn to singing when a car accident wrecks her dreams of becoming a professional dancer.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments Are Moderated And Saved