Today in Music History for Sept. 23:
In 1926, jazz saxophonist John Coltrane was born in Hamlet, N.C. His albums "Giant Steps," "Live at the Village Vanguard" and "A Love Supreme" were a vital link between the bebop jazz of the 1950s and the so-called avant garde which developed in the following decade. He died on July 17, 1967.
In 1930, Ray Charles, whom many credit with inventing soul music, was born in Albany, Ga. He was blinded by glaucoma at the age of six, but despite his handicap, was a full-time professional musician by 15. His early recordings were in the Nat King Cole mould, but by about 1954, he began developing his unique blend of gospel, blues and jazz that came to be known as soul music. His first big hit was 1955's "I Got a Woman," and that was followed four years later by his first million-seller, "What'd I Say." Throughout the 1960s and '70s, Charles recorded a mixture of jazz standards, pop songs and show tunes. He also took a year off in the mid-'60s to rid himself of a heroin addiction. His recordings in the 1980s were almost exclusively country, although his live shows concentrated on his soul hits. Charles died of acute liver disease at his Beverly Hills home on June 10, 2004.
In 1935, Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys made their first recordings in Dallas for the Brunswick label. Wills was the originator of western swing, a style that combined big band and country music. His recording of "San Antonio Rose" was a 1940 million-seller.
In 1939, rock and blues guitarist Roy Buchanan was born in Ozark, Ark. He was discovered in 1971 by "Rolling Stone" magazine after spending years backing such singers as Dale Hawkins, Ronnie Hawkins, Freddie Cannon and Merle Kilgore. Buchanan also joined a Toronto group in 1960 that included Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko and Garth Hudson, and was the forerunner to "The Band." Between 1971 and his death, he recorded a dozen albums, all of which were critically praised. On Aug. 14, 1988, he hanged himself with his shirt in a jail cell in Fairfax, Va. He had been arrested for public drunkenness following a complaint from his wife.
In 1949, Bruce Springsteen was born in Freehold, N.J. He was signed by Columbia Records in 1972, but his first two albums were not commercially successful. Springsteen began developing his own energetic rock style with his "E Street Band," and his 1975 album "Born to Run" was an immediate hit. Legal problems forced Springsteen to cease recording for a couple of years, and his next album, "Darkness on the Edge of Town," was not released until 1978. His other hit albums include "The River," "Tunnel of Love," "Human Touch," "Lucky Town" and "The Rising." He also won a 1993 Oscar and several Grammys for the song "Streets of Philadelphia" from the movie "Philadelphia." Springsteen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 while his E Street Band entered in 2014.
In 1963, Canadian pianist and composer Willie Eckstein died in Montreal at age 73. He accompanied silent films in Montreal movie houses and was billed as "The World's Foremost Motion Picture Interpreter." In 1919, he accompanied tenor Gus Hill on Montreal radio station XWA -- which later became CFCF -- in the first live performance broadcast in Canada.
In 1967, "The Letter" by "The Box Tops," a white soul group from Memphis, reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The record sold more than four million copies worldwide.
In 1967, the opera "Louis Riel" by Harry Somers premiered at the O'Keefe Centre in Toronto (now Meridian Hall). The opera was about the Indian and Metis uprisings following Confederation and the personal tragedy of the rebellion's leader, Louis Riel.
In 1974, Robbie McIntosh, drummer with "The Average White Band," died of a heroin overdose at a party in Los Angeles. He was 24. McIntosh had ingested the drug thinking it was cocaine. A murder charge was laid, and a man later confessed that McIntosh's death was a revenge killing.
In 1980, the Quebec Symphony Orchestra began a series of visits to remote communities in the province to perform music especially written for the occasion by Quebec composers. The music was derived from Quebec traditional and folk tunes.
In 1982, singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely died of heart failure in Los Angeles at age 68. He was brought to Hollywood by Gene Autry, and in the 1940s, Wakely was ranked just below Autry and Roy Rogers. His biggest hits were two 1950s duets with Margaret Whiting -- "Slipping Around" and "I'll Never Slip Around Again."
In 1987, country singer Dwight Yoakam played Bakersfield, Calif., for the first time, and was joined on stage by his inspiration, Buck Owens. They duetted on "Little Ways."
In 1989, Bradley Kincaid, a pioneer of traditional Kentucky mountain music, died in Springfield, Ohio at age 94.
In 1991, Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo made their first joint appearance on a U.S. stage in a New York performance watched by 35,000 pay-per-view TV customers across the U.S. Each paid $34.95 for the privilege. The Metropolitan Opera said it broke even on its first pay-per-view venture.
In 1992, the son and daughter-in-law of banjo picker Earl Scruggs were found shot to death in their home in Cottonwood, Tenn. Police say Steve Scruggs shot his wife, Elizabeth, then turned the gun on himself.
In 1996, a judge in Los Angeles granted the Pinkerton detective agency a temporary restraining order to prevent the rock band "Weezer" from selling its album "Pinkerton." The order, dissolved by the same judge three days later, was part of a $2 million trademark infringement suit filed against the band and Geffen Records. A spokesman for "Weezer" said the album was named after the villainous lead character in Puccini's opera "Madame Butterfly" and had nothing to do with the detective agency.
In 1997, "The Rolling Stones" opened their first tour in three years before 50,000 fans in Chicago. The tour was to promote the band's 39th album, "Bridges to Babylon."
In 1997, 50,000 people, including NATO peacekeeping soldiers, jammed a stadium in Sarajevo for a "U2" concert. It was the city's first major pop concert since the Bosnian war ended in 1995.
In 1998, Waylon Jennings walked out on TV host Tom Snyder moments before a scheduled live interview on "The Late Show." The country star was annoyed that a previous interview with Dr. Laura Schlesinger had cut into his time. Snyder filled the time by taking calls from viewers.
In 2009, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of "ABBA" presented the musical "Kristina" in New York. It's about a family's journey from Sweden to America in the mid-19th century. It was the first time the musical was presented in English. It premiered in Sweden in 1995 and ran there for four years.
In 2010, Canadian teen heartthrob Justin Bieber made his dramatic TV acting debut on the season premiere of "CSI.' He played a troubled teen named Jason McCann, whose brother seeks revenge after their foster father ends up in jail.
In 2010, on what would have been his 80th birthday, the Ray Charles Memorial Library officially opened its doors. Housed in the studio and office building Charles built in South Los Angeles in the early 1960s, the library features interactive exhibits about the musician's life and career.
In 2010, children's show "Sesame Street" announced it wouldn't air a taped segment featuring singer Katy Perry and Elmo. The pop star 鈥� who is known for her risque outfits 鈥� wore a gold bustier top as she sang a version of her hit "Hot & Cold." But some felt it was too revealing for the kid set.
In 2011, Grammy-winning singer Cesaria Evora, 70, announced in a statement that she decided to end her career because of health problems. Evora, known as the "Barefoot Diva" because she performed without shoes, is from Cape Verde, a group of islands off West Africa, and sang that country's traditional music. She won a Grammy in 2003 in the World Music category for her album "Voz D'Amor." She toured worldwide and sold millions of albums. (She died on Dec. 17)
In 2012, Sam Sniderman, the charismatic founder of the legendary Sam the Record Man music store and whose unwavering support for Canadian performers helped shape the country's musical landscape, died at age 92.
In 2012, a representative for punk rock band "Green Day" announced frontman Billie Joe Armstrong was headed into rehab for substance abuse, two after days after he had a meltdown onstage at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas. He profanely complained about the band's time being cut short and then smashed his guitar.
In 2013, Montreal post-rock collective Godspeed You! Black Emperor won the $30,000 Polaris Music Prize - given to the best Canadian album of the previous year - for "Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!" The band did not attend the ceremony, but said in a statement posted on their label's website that they strongly disagreed with the tenor of the event and would be giving the prize money toward music education and instruments in Quebec prisons.
In 2015, married singer-songwriters/activists Chantal Kreviazuk and Our Lady Peace frontman Raine Maida became members of the Order of Canada at an investiture ceremony in Ottawa.
In 2017, Neil Young and Bruce Cockburn were among the latest inductees into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame at a ceremony at Toronto's Massey Hall.
In 2019, the man who wrote the poetic words for many of the Grateful Dead's finest songs died at 78. Robert Hunter played a number of instruments but never appeared on stage with the group. His lyrics featured on some of the band's most memorable songs, including "It Must Have Been the Roses,'' "Terrapin Station,'' "Cumberland Blues,'' and "Friend of the Devil.'' The family did not release a cause of death.
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The Canadian Press
