Today in Music History for Feb. 14:
In 1879, "La Marseillaise" became the national anthem of France.
In 1935, Canadian trombonist Rob McConnell was born in London, Ont. He formed the "Boss Brass" in Toronto in 1968 and guided the group through the tremendous growth that occurred over the following years, including a Juno win in 1978 for their "Big Band Jazz" album. It was one of five Juno Awards for McConnell. He also won three Grammy Awards, was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1998, and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in '97. He died of cancer on May 1, 2010.
In 1947, singer and songwriter Tim Buckley was born in Washington, D.C. Hailed in the 1960s as a rival to Bob Dylan, he was highly regarded by musicians as diverse as Paul Simon, Eric Clapton and Frank Zappa. His second LP, "Goodbye and Hello," made the top-20 on the album charts in 1967. Buckley's later, more experimental albums, did not meet with commercial success. On June 25, 1975, he died in Santa Monica, Calif., of a heroin and morphine overdose after snorting what he had believed to be cocaine. The owner of the house where he died was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
In 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono began a week as co-hosts of the Mike Douglas television talk show.
In 1972, "Grease," a musical with a 1950s rock score by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, opened off-Broadway. Among the original cast members were Barry Bostwick and Adrienne Barbeau. The show moved to Broadway later in 1972, and when it closed in 1980, it was one of the longest running musicals in history.
In 1974, Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille -- "The Captain and Tennille" -- were married in California. Toni filed for divorce in January 2014.
In 1977, "The B-52's" played their first concert at a party in Athens, Ga.
In 1977, singer-songwriter Janis Ian received nearly 500 Valentine's Day cards from fans. She sang about never getting Valentine's Day cards as a teenager in her ballad, "At Seventeen."
In 1981, "Generation X," the London punk band led by Billy Idol, broke up.
In 1984, the publicly bisexual Elton John married sound engineer Renate Blauel in an Anglican church in a suburb of Sydney, Australia. Their engagement was a mere five days. The pair seldom lived together and they divorced in 1988. Blauel was reported to have received a $45 million divorce settlement.
In 1985, Whitney Houston released her self-titled debut album.
In 1987, singer Paul Simon performed before 20,000 people in the first of two shows at a soccer stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe. Sharing the stage with Simon were the black South African artists who helped him record his best-selling "Graceland" LP. Simon performed for free, and proceeds from the concerts went to charity.
In 1987, George Strait became the first artist to debut an album at No. 1 on Billboard's country chart when "Ocean Front Property" went to the top spot in its first week.
In 1987, George F. Tibbles, the composer and writer who put Woody Woodpecker's mischievous laugh to music, died in Palm Desert, Calif., at the age of 73. Tibbles was nominated for a best-song Academy Award in 1948 for "The Woody Woodpecker Song," which topped the Billboard chart for six weeks in a version by bandleader Kay Kyser.
In 1988, Frederick Loewe, who created the unforgettable tunes for Alan Jay Lerner's lyrics in "My Fair Lady," "Brigadoon" and "Gigi," died in Palm Springs, Calif., at the age of 86. During an 18-year partnership, Lerner and Loewe wrote "Brigadoon" in 1947, "My Fair Lady" in 1956 and "Camelot" in 1960. The team reunited in 1973 for a Broadway production of "Gigi," which they had done as a film in 1958. "Almost Like Being in Love," "I Could Have Danced All Night," "On the Street Where You Live," "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" and "If Ever I Should Leave You" were among the classic songs produced by the partnership. Lerner and Loewe's collaboration began with a one-night flop in Detroit in 1942. They parted bitterly after "Camelot," their last Broadway hit, in 1960. After they reunited in 1973, they remained friends until Lerner's death in 1986.
In 1990, "The Rolling Stones" played their first-ever concert in Japan, in Tokyo.
In 1992, "Weezer" had their first practice as a band, in Los Angeles. They played their first show a few weeks later.
In 1994, Michael Jackson sang a cappella passages from his songs "Billie Jean" and "Dangerous" in a Denver courtroom while testifying in a copyright infringement case. Crystal Cartier had claimed Jackson stole one of her songs but the case was dismissed. The court later began selling audio transcripts of Jackson's testimony, including his singing, at $15 a tape.
In 1996, the artist formerly known as Prince married Puerto Rican belly dancer and singer Mayte Garcia in Minneapolis. They were formally divorced in 2000.
In 1998, Madonna gave her first live performance in four years, a brief show at the Roxy dance club in New York.
In 1999, 14,000 fans of Luciano Pavarotti were left in the lurch when the tenor cancelled a concert at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton. The show wasn't called off until after it was supposed to begin. A doctor said Pavarotti had a cold and might seriously damage his voice if he performed.
In 1999, rockabilly singer Buddy Knox, who had a No. 1 hit in 1957 with "Party Doll," died in Bremerton, Wash., of cancer. He was 65.
In 2002, Mick Tucker, the drummer for the 1970s English rock group "The Sweet," died of leukemia at age 54. The group's hits included "Ballroom Blitz," "Fox on the Run" and "Blockbuster."
In 2009, legendary big band drummer Louie Bellson, who performed with such greats as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman and Oscar Peterson, died at age 84. His career spanned more than six decades, performing on more than 200 albums with jazz greats including Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Woody Herman, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong and his late wife Pearl Bailey.
In 2010, Doug Fieger, the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of "The Knack" who had a No.1 hit in 1979 with "My Sharona," died in Woodhills, Calif., at age 57.
In 2011, jazz pianist Sir George Shearing, who wrote the standard "Lullaby of Birdland" and headed a famed quintet bearing his name, died of congestive heart failure. He was 91.
In 2018, heavy metal group Metallica and Afghanistan's National Institute of Music won the 2018 Polar Music Prize, Sweden's most prestigious music award typically shared by popular and classical artists. First handed out in 1992, Metallica becomes the first heavy metal band to win it.
In 2018, Canadian pop-rockers Hedley posted a Facebook message to state recent Twitter allegations of sexual misconduct involving young fans were "unsubstantiated." The band "engaged in a lifestyle that incorporated certain rock and roll cliches. However, there was always a line that we would never cross." Fallout was swift as they were dropped by their management team, saw their music blacklisted by the CBC and 30 Chorus radio stations, dropped from the upcoming televised Juno Awards show and they withdrew from consideration for three of those awards.
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The Canadian Press
