Today in Music History for Dec. 31:
In 1776, the earliest cantata to be mentioned in Canadian historical documents was performed in Quebec City to mark the first anniversary of the repulsion of U.S. invaders. Its composer's name was not reported and the music has not been found.
In 1929, "Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians" began a New Year's Eve tradition. They played "Auld Lang Syne" to usher in the new year as CBS Radio broadcast the band's first annual New Year's Eve Party in New York. "Auld Lang Syne" had been the theme song for the band, which was formed 13 years earlier by Lombardo and his brother Carmen. Their New Year's Eve Party moved to television in 1954. Guy Lombardo was born in London, Ont., in 1902 and died in 1977.
In 1947, Canadian rock star Burton Cummings was born in Winnipeg. He was the lead singer of "The Guess Who" during the 1960s and early '70s, when they had such million-selling hits as "These Eyes," "Laughing," "Undun" and "American Woman." He joined the group in 1965, shortly after they had their first hit, "Shakin' All Over." When "The Guess Who" disbanded in 1975, Cummings began a successful solo career. His singles "Stand Tall" and "I'm Scared" were hits in both Canada and the U.S., and in both 1977 and '79 he received the Juno Award for top male vocalist. "The Guess Who" reunited for highly-successful Canadian tours in 2000 and 2001. He released a solo album, "Above the Ground," in December 2008, his first solo album in 19 years.
In 1947, singing cowboy Roy Rogers married Dale Evans.
In 1960, the National Youth Orchestra made its debut at Massey Hall in Toronto.
In 1961, "The Beach Boys" played their first concert under that name at the Richie Valens Memorial Centre in Long Beach, Calif. They earned $300. The group was previously known under several names -- "The Pendletones," "Kenny and the Cadets" or "Carl and the Passions."
In 1969, Jimi Hendrix's "Band of Gypsys," with Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on drums, made their debut at the Fillmore East in New York City. The "Band of Gypsys" was the successor to the guitarist's first group, "The Jimi Hendrix Experience."
In 1970, Elvis Presley visited FBI headquarters. On the advice of an underling, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover declined to meet Presley. In documents released by the bureau in 1998, Presley was reported by an agency official to have said "The Beatles" had "laid the groundwork for many of the problems we are having with young people by their filthy unkempt appearances and suggestive music."
In 1970, Paul McCartney filed suit in London seeking the legal dissolution of "The Beatles'" partnership. The move came six months after the release of the "Let It Be" album.
In 1972, "MC5" played its last gig, in Detroit. They were paid $200.
In 1973, "AC/DC" made their concert debut in Sydney, Australia.
In 1973, "KISS," whose flash-and-thrash stage shows would influence two decades of heavy metal bands, made their debut at the Academy of Music in New York. They shared the bill with "Blue Oyster Cult," Iggy Pop and "Teenage Lust."
In 1974, Mick Fleetwood telephoned Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham and invited them to join "Fleetwood Mac." Nicks and Buckingham completed the lineup that would record the four-million-selling "Fleetwood Mac" album in 1975 and "Rumours" two years later that went on to sell over 40 million worldwide.
In 1976, "The Cars" played their first show, in New Hampshire. The new wave group would not release its first album until 1978. It would sell a million copies.
In 1978, promoter Bill Graham closed his legendary Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco with a concert by the "Grateful Dead" and "The Blues Brothers."
In 1982, Little Steven Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen's "E Street Band" married Maureen Santora in Asbury Park, N.J. Springsteen was best man, and Little Richard performed the ceremony. Richard and Percy Sledge performed Sledge's hit "When a Man Loves a Woman" at the reception.
In 1984, Rick Allen, drummer for the rock group "Def Leppard," lost an arm in a car crash. He rejoined the band after his recovery, playing a specially designed drum kit.
In 1985, singer Connie Francis was taken to the Miami Health Centre after creating a disturbance at a resort hotel. On Dec. 3, she had been removed from a plane in Atlanta after refusing to put out her cigarette during refuelling.
In 1985, singer Rick Nelson, his fiancee and five members of his Stone Canyon band were killed when their private plane crashed near Dekalb in northeastern Texas. They were on their way to perform at a New Year's Eve concert in Dallas. He was 45. Nelson gained teen-idol status in the 1950s after appearing with his parents and brother David on television's "Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet." Rick Nelson's hit songs included "Hello, Mary Lou," "Travelin' Man," "Poor Little Fool" and "Garden Party."
In 1991, guitarist Liona Boyd became the first Canadian artist to appear at the Kremlin, performing at a New Year's Eve party celebrating the end of the Soviet Union. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ceased to exist at the stroke of midnight.
In 1991, Gilbert O'Sullivan won his lawsuit against rapper Biz Markie for using a sample of his song "Alone Again (Naturally)" for Markie's song "Alone Again." The case changed the rules of sampling by requiring that all samples be cleared before releasing them on another record.
In 1992, the New York Post reported Michael Jackson chose a white boy over a black one to portray him as a youngster in a Pepsi commercial. Jackson, who had undergone extensive plastic surgery and a skin-bleaching makeover, denied the story.
In 1993, entertainer Barbra Streisand performed her first paid concert in 22 years, singing to a sellout crowd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
In 1994, Rod Stewart set the record for a concert audience, drawing 3.5 million people to a free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janiero.
In 1995, "U2" frontman Bono celebrated New Year's Eve and peace in Bosnia at a restaurant in the country's war-torn capital, Sarajevo. Among his companions was the Bosnian foreign minister.
In 1996, Paul McCartney received a knighthood for his "services to music." Also named in the Queen's New Year's honours list was composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who became a life peer and member of the House of Lords.
In 1996, a reported backstage argument at a concert in St. John's, Nfld., led to the departure of John Broderick from "The Irish Descendants," one of Canada's leading Celtic music bands.
In 1997, pianist Floyd Cramer, who helped develop the smooth Nashville Sound of the 1960s, died in Nashville of cancer. He was 64. Cramer was known for his "slip note" style -- in which one note blended with the next. He played with many of the giants of country and pop, among them Elvis Presley, "The Everly Brothers" and Patsy Cline.
In 1997, Elton John was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth for his services to music and charities.
In 1998, fiddler Eleanor Townsend died after she set fire to her home in Barrie, Ont. She was 54. Her five-year-old granddaughter also died in the blaze. Townsend's death came less than a month after her husband Graham died of colon cancer. Both had been inducted into the National Fiddling Hall of Fame the previous October. Eleanor Townsend won the North American Fiddle Championship in 1979, the only woman ever to do so.
In 1998, a judge in New York ruled producer Sean (Puffy) Combs and rapper Heavy D were 50 per cent responsible for a stampede at a celebrity basketball game that left nine people dead in 1991.
In 1999, blues singer Richard (The Hock) Walsh, a founding member of Canada's legendary "Downchild Blues Band," died at his Toronto home at age 51. Walsh was the younger brother of "Downchild" leader Donnie Walsh. He performed with "Downchild" from its formation in 1969 through 1976. He recorded the hits "Flip, Flop And Fly," "Got Everything I Need (Almost)" and "Shotgun Blues," which he co-wrote with his brother.
In 2000, "The Black Crowes" singer Chris Robinson married actress Kate Hudson in Aspen, Colo. They later divorced.
In 2004, singer Natalie Imbruglia married "Silverchair" singer Daniel Johns in an exclusive resort in Australia. They have since divorced.
In 2004, "Rush" guitarist Alex Lifeson was arrested after he and his son got into a fight with police during a New Year's Eve celebration in Naples, Fla.
In 2005, Dick Clark returned to his "New Year's Rockin' Eve" telecast after missing the previous year because he had suffered a stroke. He was hoarse and sometimes hard to understand, but he said he "wouldn't have missed this for the world."
In 2010, former "Eurythmics" singer Annie Lennox was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for her work with charities fighting AIDS and poverty in Africa. (She received the award from Queen Elizabeth in June 2011.)
In 2015, glam-metal rockers Motley Crue performed their final concert, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, concluding a two-year farewell tour. The quartet formed in the early 1980s and were renown for bad behaviour, hard partying and famous girlfriends as hits including "Girls, Girls, Girls" and "Dr. Feelgood."
In 2015, swing band leader Dal Richards, who helped Vancouverites bring in the New Year for the past 79 consecutive years, died just minutes before the stroke of midnight. He was 97. Richards received the Order of Canada in 1994, and is also on the 小蓝视频 Lions Wall of Fame in acknowledgment of his many years as musical director of half-time shows.
In 2015, Grammy award-winning singer Natalie Cole, the daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, died at age 65. She had battled drug problems and hepatitis that forced her to undergo a kidney transplant in May 2009. She carved out her own considerable success with R&B hits like "Our Love" and "This Will Be" before triumphantly intertwining their legacies to make his "Unforgettable" their signature hit through technological wizardry.
In 2016, headliner Mariah Carey poorly lip-synced through her problem-plagued mini set at the annual New Year's Eve special at Times Square in New York City. At many points she stopped singing, even while a pre-recorded vocal track played in the background. She later cited technical difficulties but Dick Clark Productions rebutted her claim that it had sabotaged her live performance.
In 2020, Silver Bullet Band saxophonist Alto Reed died of colon cancer at the age of 72. Born Thomas Cartmell, Reed played with Bob Seger for nearly 50 years, and was behind the sax solos on "Turn the Page'' and "Old Time Rock and Roll.'' In a Facebook post, Seger writes that Reed could play nearly anything, and was also bolder than him. Seger says while most people would feed seagulls, he once found Reed feeding manatees.
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The Canadian Press
