Today in Music History for April 25:
In 1800, English poet and hymn writer William Cowper died. He wrote such enduring hymns as "God Moves in Mysterious Ways" (1774) and "There is a Fountain Filled With Blood" (1771).
In 1915, Canadian conductor and pianist John Avison was born in Vancouver. In 1938, he became the first conductor of the "CBC Vancouver Chamber Orchestra," a position he held until his retirement in 1980. In 1971, Avison conducted the first orchestral concerts given in the Canadian Arctic. He died in 1983.
In 1917, jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Va. She first came to prominence in the '30s with Chick Webb's orchestra, with whom she recorded the million-seller "A Tisket, A Tasket." She managed the band after Webb's death, then embarked on a solo career in 1942. Fitzgerald was noted for her sophisticated renderings of songs by George Gershwin and Cole Porter. During her career that spanned more than 50 years, she also helped perfect a style that came to be known as scat singing, in which the vocalist wordlessly improvises to give the effect of an instrument. She died at her Los Angeles-area home on June 15, 1996.
In 1923, blues singer and guitarist Albert King was born in Indianola, Miss. He was a star at the Fillmores East and West during the '60s, appearing on the bill with top rock stars. King's most popular records were made for the Stax label in Memphis, including 1968's "Cold Feet." King died of a heart attack in Memphis in 1992.
In 1956, Elvis Presley reached No. 1 on the charts for the first time, with "Heartbreak Hotel." It was Presley's first hit for RCA Victor after the company purchased his contract from Sam Phillips of Sun Records for $35,000.
In 1968, "The Beatles" refused to perform for the Queen at a benefit for the British Olympic team. Ringo Starr said -- "We don't do benefits."
In 1974, Pam Morrison, widow of "The Doors" lead singer Jim Morrison, died of a heroin overdose.
In 1975, sources close to Elvis Presley insisted that he would be in a remake of "A Star is Born" titled "Rainbow Road." The movie was eventually made, under the original title, starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.
In 1977, Elvis Presley made what would be the last recordings of his life, at a concert in Saginaw, Mich. Three songs appeared in the posthumously released album "Moody Blue."
In 1979, the movie "Rock and Roll High School," featuring the "Ramones," premiered.
In 1981, guitarist-keyboardist Denny Laine announced he was leaving "Wings," Paul McCartney's band. McCartney, reluctant to tour because of death threats following John Lennon's murder the previous December, decided to disband "Wings."
In 1990, George Strait was named Entertainer of the Year at the 25th annual Academy of Country Music Awards.
In 1990, tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon, who performed with such bebop jazz stars as Charlie Parker, Bud Powell and Dizzy Gillespie, died in Philadelphia of kidney failure. He was 67. Gordon helped define the bop movement in the '40s, refining Parker's innovations. Gordon's career was revived in 1986 with his Oscar-nominated role as an American jazz musician in Paris in "Round Midnight."
In 1990, the Fender Stratocaster guitar that Jimi Hendrix used to play the "Star-Spangled Banner" at Woodstock in 1969 was sold at a London auction for a world-record US$295,000. The seller was Hendrix's drummer Mitch Mitchell -- the buyer an anonymous European collector.
In 1992, Juno award-winning rock producer, songwriter and artist Brian "Too Loud" MacLeod died in Vancouver of cancer at age 39. MacLeod was a veteran of West Coast bands "Chilliwack" and "Headpins."
In 1994, a jury in Los Angeles found Michael Bolton stole parts of his 1991 hit "Love is a Wonderful Thing" from a 1966 "Isley Brothers" tune of the same name. Bolton later claimed there were racial overtones to the verdict.
In 1996, "U2" began their first tour in more than four years before a sellout crowd of 38,000 in Las Vegas. The show featured what was billed as the world's biggest TV screen and the band emerging from an enormous lemon-shaped mirror ball suspended above the stage.
In 1999, R&B performer Roger Troutman was shot to death outside his recording studio in Dayton, Ohio. He was 47. Troutman's brother, Larry, was found dead in a car a few blocks away. Police say Larry Troutman shot himself in the head after gunning down his brother. Roger Troutman performed with the family group "Zapp" and as a solo artist under the name Roger. His 1988 recording of "I Want to Be Your Man" reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988.
In 2002, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of "TLC" was killed in a car crash in Honduras. She was 30.
In 2009, Oscar and Grammy-winning singer Jennifer Hudson gave her first hometown concert since her mother, brother and seven-year-old nephew were murdered in Chicago in October 2008. She dedicated the song "You Pulled Me Through" to relatives in the audience and brought four cousins on stage to sing with her. (In 2012, the estranged husband of Hudson's sister, William Balfour, was found guilty and sentenced to three terms of life in prison.)
In 2010, hundreds of underwhelmed patrons walked out of Whitney Houston's concert in London because she couldn't hit the notes. She also paused during songs and panted heavily between songs. Earlier in the month, she postponed the first few shows of her European tour because of a respiratory infection but prior to that, her tour was marred by disgruntled fans complaining about her voice and performance.
In 2010, Susan Reed, the cabaret singer whom Life magazine saluted in a 1955 cover story as the leading lady of the folk music era, died of natural causes at her nursing home in Greenport, N.Y. She was 84.
In 2012, People magazine named singer-actress Beyonce as the world's most beautiful woman.
In 2012, "Payphone" by "Maroon 5" featuring Wiz Khalifa, entered the Billboard Digital chart at No. 1, setting a then-record for a group with 493,000 downloads in one week.
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The Canadian Press