Today in Music History for Jan. 10:
In 1917, legendary record producer Jerry Wexler was born in The Bronx, N.Y. He helped shape R&B music with influential recordings of Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and other greats, and later made key recordings with the likes of Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. He died on Aug. 15, 2008.
In 1927, singer-actress Gisele MacKenzie, who was once known as Canada’s first lady of song, was born in Winnipeg. Mackenzie had her own CBC radio show before becoming one of early television’s biggest stars. After moving to Los Angeles in 1950, Mackenzie toured with Jack Benny, who recommended her for a spot on NBC’s "Your Hit Parade." There, she sang the week’s top hits from 1953-57. She returned to weekly television in 1963 on "The Sid Caesar Show." MacKenzie’s regular TV appearances continued into the ’90s, on such shows as "Studio One," "The Hollywood Squares," "Murder, She Wrote," "MacGyver" and "Boy Meets World." She died on Sept. 5, 2003 of colon cancer in a California hospital.
In 1935, Ronnie Hawkins, a pioneer of rock 'n' roll in Canada, was born in Huntsville, Ark. Hawkins has been a father figure to many of Canada's leading rock musicians, and the graduates of his bands include the groups "Crowbar" and "The Band," as well as Dominic Troiano, King Biscuit Boy and David Clayton-Thomas. "Rompin'" Ronnie Hawkins began touring the Ontario night club circuit in 1958 with his band "The Hawks." In 1959, he scored on the U.S. charts with "Mary Lou" and "40 Days." Hawkins has remained in Canada since then, leaving his Ontario base only occasionally, as he did in 1976 to appear at "The Band's" farewell concert in San Francisco. "The Hawk" battled pancreatic cancer but in April 2003 announced he was cancer-free.
In 1939, singer Scott McKenzie was born in Jacksonville, Fla., and raised in Virginia. His 1967 hit "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)" became the anthem of the hippie generation. It was his only hit. He died Aug. 18, 2012.
In 1943, singer Jim Croce was born in Philadelphia. His narrative songs, such as "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" and "You Don't Mess Around With Jim," were extremely popular in the early '70s. Croce and five others died on Sept. 30, 1973 when their chartered plane hit a tree and crashed during take-off after a concert at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La.
In 1948, future country superstar Loretta Lynn married Oliver (Mooney) Lynn. She was not quite 14 years old.
In 1956, Elvis Presley began his first recording session in Nashville. Among the songs recorded were "Heartbreak Hotel" and "I Was the One," which became Presley's first single for RCA Victor. Artists-and-repertoire chief Steve Sholes had bought his contract from Sun Records in Memphis for $35,000. The record became the first of Elvis' more than 50 million-sellers.
In 1958, "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis became the No. 1 song in the United States. Later in the year, many radio stations began banning his records because of his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin.
In 1968, Aretha Franklin received a gold record for her single "Chain of Fools." The song was reported to be a great favourite of American soldiers serving in Vietnam.
In 1971, Bob Dylan appeared on country musician Earl Scruggs's TV show, "Fanfare," on the U.S. Public Broadcasting System.
In 1976, Chester Burnett, who recorded dozens of classic blues songs for Chess Records as Howlin' Wolf, died in a Chicago hospital at the age of 65. Wolf, one of the legendary Chicago bluesmen, was heavily influenced by Blind Lemon Jefferson, whom he heard in the 1920s. A pioneer in the use of the electric guitar in blues, Howlin' Wolf recorded such numbers as "Sittin' on Top of the World," "Smokestack Lightnin'" and "Spoonful."
In 1980, composer John Williams succeeded the late Arthur Fiedler as the conductor of the Boston Pops.
In 1981, the production of "Pirates of Penzance," starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith, moved to Broadway after successfully playing the New York Shakespeare Festival.
In 1987, Madonna's video about a pregnant teenager, "Papa Don't Preach," won the top award on the first World Music Video Awards.
In 1987, Marion Hutton, the former lead vocalist for "The Glen Miller Orchestra," died of cancer in Kirkland, Wash. She was 67.
In 1989, Michael Jackson's "Moonwalker" video was released. Jackson played a superhero in the video, which included a lengthy fantasy segment set to the song "Smooth Criminal."
In 1991, Clint Black joined the Grand Ole Opry.
In 2000, Melissa Etheridge and her partner, Julie Cypher, revealed David Crosby was the father of their two children by artificial insemination. Etheridge and Cypher later split.
In 2009, actor Josh Duhamel and singer Fergie (born Stacey Ferguson) of The Black Eyed Peas were married. They had been dating since 2004 and were engaged in 2007. (They have since divorced.)
In 2011, Canada's four major record labels - EMI, Sony, Universal and Warner - tentatively agreed to pay $45 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit involving a number of groups representing the interests of songwriters and music publishers.
In 2011, Margaret Whiting, the sweet-voiced singer who sold millions of records in the 1940s and '50s with sentimental ballads such as "Moonlight in Vermont" and "It Might as Well Be Spring," died at age 86.
In 2016, pop star Lady Gaga won a Golden Globe for her role as the Countess in "American Horror Story: Hotel."
In 2016, David Bowie, the musician who broke pop and rock boundaries with his creative musicianship, nonconformity, striking visuals and a genre-spanning persona he christened Ziggy Stardust, died after a 18-month battle with cancer, two days after turning 69 and releasing his new album "Blackstar." His hits included "Space Oddity," "Changes, "Fame," ''Golden Years" and "Let's Dance." He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
In 2018, guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke, the last surviving member of Motorhead's classic lineup, died in hospital after being treated for pneumonia. He was 67. The British hard rock band's frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister and drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor both died in 2015. Clarke left Motorhead in 1982 and formed the band Fastway.
In 2020, Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist for Canada’s iconic rock band Rush, died at the age of 67. Peart had retired from the band in 2015. A family statement said he died in Santa Monica, Calif., after battling brain cancer for more than three years. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, joining Rush in 1974. Peart, along with bandmates Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, were inducted into the Order of Canada in 1997.
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The Canadian Press