Today in Music History for Feb. 11:
In 1881, mezzo-soprano and actress Rosita del Vecchio, known as the Sarah Bernhardt of Canada, died of bronchial pneumonia at the age of 34. Very popular in Quebec, del Vecchio enjoyed great success as an actress in a series of performances of Jules Barbier's "Jeanne D'Arc" in May, 1877 at the Academy of Music in Montreal.
In 1935, 1950s rocker Gene Vincent, whose full name was Vincent Eugene Craddock, was born in Norfolk, Va. He was signed by Capitol Records as an answer to Elvis Presley, and his career was launched in 1957 with "Be Bop a Lula." Vincent is supposed to have written the song after reading a "Little Lulu" comic book. He had only two major hits, then began drinking heavily. A comeback attempt in the late '60s failed, and he died of a bleeding ulcer in October 1971.
In 1963, "The Beatles" recorded 10 of the 14 tracks (four tracks were previously recorded and released) for their first album to be released in the U.K., "Please Please Me," to capitalize on the success of the title track. The band's marathon session lasted nine hours, 45 minutes and was spread over three sessions with producer George Martin at the EMI Abbey Road studios in London. "Twist and Shout" was the last song recorded because John Lennon had a bad cold and Martin feared it would ruin Lennon's voice if they recorded it earlier.
In 1964, "The Beatles" played their first American concert at the Coliseum in Washington, D.C.
In 1965, "Beatle" drummer Ringo Starr married Maureen Cox in London. They divorced 10 years later.
In 1970, the Ringo Starr-Peter Sellers film, "The Magic Christian," premiered in New York. The film's soundtrack album included the Badfinger song "Come and Get It," which was written by Paul McCartney.
In 1972, David Bowie adopted his outlandish "Ziggy Stardust" persona for the first time, at a concert in Tollworth, England. Soon, legions of fans were copying the character, wearing the same orange hair and the lightning streak of face makeup.
In 1979, "Elvis," a biography of the late singer, was shown on ABC television.
In 1983, "The Rolling Stones" documentary, "Let's Spend the Night Together," directed by Hal Ashby, opened in the U.S. and Canada.
In 1986, Boy George appeared on television's "The A-Team." He played a singer mistakenly booked into a country dance hall.
In 1987, in the wake of Liberace's death from AIDS, the "London Daily Mirror" asked if it could have back the US$53,000 libel award the entertainer won from the paper more than 30 years earlier. The tabloid had called Liberace a "fruit-flavoured, mincing, ice-covered heap of mother love" in 1956.
In 1992, Michael Jackson arrived in Gabon to begin a much-publicized, non-performing tour of Africa. The trip, mainly to shoot scenes for Jackson's "Return to Africa" video, was fraught with public relations gaffes and other problems. Jackson would cut it short after a week and move on to London. On the first day, Jackson was received by Gabon's president, Omar Bongo. But the mayor of the capital, Libreville, was unable to present the singer with the keys to the city because of what was termed a wild display of "Jacksonmania" by fans.
In 1998, the handwritten lyrics to "Candle in the Wind '97" by Elton John and Bernie Taupin sold at an auction in Los Angeles for US$400,000. They were purchased by a children's foundation created by Walt Disney's daughter and the money went to the Children's Hospital in L.A. John sang the ballad at the funeral for Diana, Princess of Wales, in September 1997 and his recording of it sold more than 35 million copies, making it at the time the world's best-selling single.
In 1999, jazz pianist Jaki Byard was found shot to death in his home in the New York borough of Queens. Family members were home at the time he was killed but said they heard nothing. Byard recorded often in the 1960s, both with his own group and such modern jazz giants as Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. In later years, Byard devoted much of his time to jazz education, teaching at the New England Conservatory of Music and other institutions.
In 2000, Lord Kitchener, the Grand Master of calypso in Trinidad and Tobago, died in Port-of-Spain at age 77. Born Aldwyn Roberts, Kitchener dominated the calypso world in the 1960s and '70s with such tunes as "Mama dis is Mas" and "Rainorama."
In 2007, "The Dixie Chicks" won five Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Album of the Year. Canadian songwriter Gordie Sampson won a Grammy for his part in writing Carrie Underwood's hit, "Jesus, Take the Wheel."
In 2009, Estelle Bennett, one of "The Ronettes," the singing trio whose 1963 hit "Be My Baby" epitomized the famed "wall of sound" technique of its producer Phil Spector, was found dead at her home in Englewood, N.J. She was 67.
In 2011, the Recording Academy and the MusiCares Foundation honoured Grammy-award winning singer Barbra Streisand as the MusiCares Person of the Year for her creative accomplishments and philanthropic work. Seventeen-year-old Montreal jazz phenom Nikki Yanofsky performed with 14-time Grammy winner Herbie Hancock.
In 2012, Whitney Houston, who was pop music's queen until her majestic voice was ravaged by drug use and her regal image was tarnished by erratic behaviour and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, died on the eve of the Grammy Awards that she once reigned over. She was 48. She was found submerged in the bathtub in her suite in a Los Angeles hotel. (A coroner's report concluded she died from drowning but that heart disease and chronic cocaine use were contributing factors in her accidental death. Toxicology results also showed Houston had marijuana, Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril, and the allergy medication Benadryl in her system.)
In 2013, bass player Rick Huxley, one of the founding members of the "Dave Clark Five," died at age 72. He played on the band's signature hits from the era when they briefly rivalled "The Beatles" in popularity. They were part of the British invasion that included "The Rolling Stones," "The Kinks" and other bands.
In 2018, Vic Damone, whose mellow baritone and easy-listening romantic ballads brought him million-selling records and sustained a half-century career in recordings, movies and nightclub, concert and television appearances, died at a Miami Beach hospital from complications of a respiratory illness. He was 89.
----
The Canadian Press
