Today in Music History for Sept. 26:
In 1887, Emile Berliner filed a patent application for the gramophone. This recording device used zinc discs instead of the metal cylinders of Thomas Edison's phonograph, which was patented 10 years earlier.
In 1892, John Philip Sousa and his newly formed band performed publicly for the first time, at the Stillman Music Hall in Plainfield, N.J.
In 1898, American composer George Gershwin was born in New York. His first major hit song was "Swanee," made popular by Al Jolson in 1920. Four years later came "Rhapsody in Blue," a symphonic jazz work, which was premiered by Paul Whiteman's orchestra with Gershwin himself at the piano. Gershwin's other masterpieces include the tone poem "An American in Paris" and the folk opera "Porgy and Bess," from which comes the famous song "Summertime." The lyrics for many of Gershwin's songs were provided by his brother, Ira. George Gershwin died of a brain tumour on July 11, 1937.
In 1925, country singer Marty Robbins was born in Glendale, Ariz. He was signed by Columbia Records in 1952, an association that lasted for 30 years until Robbins' death from heart disease in 1982. His rich voice often carried his records over to the pop charts. Robbins' version of "Singing the Blues" was a close second to Guy Mitchell's chart-topping hit in 1956. Robbins' "A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation" reached No. 2 in 1957, and his 1960 gunfighter ballad "El Paso" went all the way to No. 1. He died of a heart attack on Dec. 8, 1982.
In 1931, Harry MacDonough, one of the two most popular ballad tenors in the early days of recording, died in New York at age 60. MacDonough, a native of Hamilton, Ont., was second in popularity only to fellow Canadian Henry Burr.
In 1937, black singer Bessie Smith, known as "The Empress of the Blues," died following a car crash in Mississippi. She was 42. Smith was reported to have died from loss of blood after being turned away from a whites-only hospital. Her 1923 recording of "Downhearted Blues" sold a million copies.
In 1957, "West Side Story," an updated version of "Romeo and Juliet" set amongst New York City street gangs, opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway. The original cast album of "West Side Story" sold two-million copies by 1964.
In 1961, Bob Dylan made what was only his second billed appearance -- as the opening act for the bluegrass group "The Greenbriar Boys" -- at Gerdes Folk City in New York. Dylan signed with Columbia Records the following month.
In 1964, Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman" hit No. 1 on the pop charts.
In 1969, "Abbey Road," the last album recorded by "The Beatles" as a group, was released. The LP, which marked a return to a simpler style, became the group's best-selling album.
In 1976, Marvin Gaye played the Royal Albert Hall in London. The performance was released as a two-record album.
In 1984, drummer Shelly Manne, a leader of the jazz scene on the U.S. West Coast, died in Los Angeles at age 64. Manne taught Frank Sinatra to play drums for his role in the 1956 movie "Man With the Golden Arm."
In 1989, Paul McCartney opened a 102-concert world tour. It lasted for 10 months, through 13 countries, and attracted more than 2.8 million fans. A double CD live album, "Tripping the Live Fantastic," was released the following year. It included several songs recorded at shows in Toronto and Montreal.
In 1991, plans were announced to turn the historic Apollo Theatre in New York into a non-profit operation. The theatre had been losing $2 million-a-year since re-opening in 1983 after a proposed $5.7 million restoration that ended up costing more than $20 million. The Apollo originally opened in 1934, and over the years showcased many big names in show business, including Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Michael Jackson.
In 1991, orchestra leader Billy Vaughn died of cancer in Escondido, Calif. He was 72. Vaughn began his career as a singer with "The Hilltoppers," who had a million-seller in 1953 with "P.S. I Love You."
In 1991, "Jane's Addiction" lead singer Perry Farrell marked the group's final concert in Hawaii by performing the second half of the show naked. They have since reunited.
In 1992, Gloria Estefan headlined an all-star benefit in Miami for the victims of hurricane Andrew. Others on the bill included Paul Simon, Whoopi Goldberg and Jimmy Buffett. "Hurricane Relief," attended by 53,000 people, raised $1.3 million.
In 1992, "Some Gave All" by Billy Ray Cyrus broke Billboard's record for the longest-running No. 1 debut album, topping the chart for the 17th straight week. The previous record was held by Vanilla Ice's "To the Extreme." "Some Gave All" spent a total of 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart, also setting a record for a country artist.
In 1998, Grammy Award-winning jazz singer Betty Carter died at her New York home of cancer. She was 69. Carter won a best female jazz vocalist Grammy in 1988 for the album "Look What I鈥檝e Got."
In 2003, Robert Palmer, the well-tailored British rock singer who created one of the first iconic music videos with the look-alike models of "Addicted to Love," died of a heart attack in Paris. He was 54. A two-time Grammy winner in the 1980s for "Addicted to Love" and "Simply Irresistible," Palmer also scored hits in his three-decade career with "Bad Case of Lovin鈥� You (Doctor, Doctor)," and "I Didn鈥檛 Mean to Turn You On." Working in 1985 in supergroup "Power Station," alongside John and Andy Taylor of "Duran Duran," they scored three U.S. top-10 hits - "Some Like It Hot," "Communication" and "Get it On."
In 2007, a judge declared a mistrial in Phil Spector's murder trial because the jury was deadlocked 10-2 in favour of convicting the music producer of killing actress Lana Clarkson. The retrial began in October 2008, and Spector was found guilty of second-degree murder in April, 2009. He was later sentenced to 19 years in jail.
In 2008, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss played a show in Oklahoma City, benefitting the victims of hurricane Ike. All proceeds went to the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund.
In 2011, Jessy Dixon, a singer-songwriter who introduced his energetic style of gospel music to wider audiences by serving as pop singer Paul Simon's opening act, died at age 73. During a more than 50-year career, he wrote songs for Cher, Diana Ross, Natalie Cole, Amy Grant and R&B singer Randy Crawford.
In 2012, rapper Lil Wayne surpassed Elvis Presley for the most Billboard Hot 100 appearances among solo acts, although Presley retains the title as lead act. Lil Wayne counted 109 songs with the debut of rapper Game's song "Celebration," where he is a featured guest. Of his 109 charted songs, only 42 are with him as lead while 67 are songs where he is the featured act. (Lil Wayne has since been passed by rapper Drake.)
----
The Canadian Press
