Today in Music History for June 30:
In 1917, jazz drummer Buddy Rich was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. Beginning in the late 1930s, Rich drummed with a succession of big bands, including Bunny Berrigan, Artie Shaw and Tommy Dorsey. Rich's first big band of his own -- started in 1945 with $50,000 backing from Frank Sinatra -- was not a success. But in 1966, he began leading a band of mostly young musicians playing modern, swinging arrangements. Rich continued with this successful formula for most of the next 20 years. He died on April 2, 1987 of a heart attack, two weeks after undergoing surgery for a brain tumour.
In 1917, singer Lena Horne, who broke racial barriers as a Hollywood and Broadway star famed for her velvety rendition of "Stormy Weather," was born in BedfordStuyvesant, Brooklyn. In the 1940s, Horne was one of the first black performers hired to sing with a major white band and among a handful with a Hollywood contract. In 1943, she won the role of Selina Rogers in the all-black movie musical "Stormy Weather." Her rendition of the title song became a major hit. She won a special Tony Award for her 1981 one-woman Broadway show, "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music." She died on May 9, 2010.
In 1922, fiddlers Eck Robertson and Henry C. Gilliland made what are believed to be the first discs ever recorded by southern country musicians.
In 1943, Florence Ballard of "The Supremes" was born in Detroit. The three original "Supremes" -- Ballard, Diana Ross and Mary Wilson -- grew up together in a housing project. Through a friendship with members of "The Temptations," the trio -- then calling themselves "The Primettes" -- were introduced to Berry Gordy, who signed them to Motown in 1961. It was Florence Ballard who suggested a change of name for the group -- to "The Supremes." But it wasn't until their 10th single, "Where Did Our Love Go," in 1964 that "The Supremes" hit the top of the charts. Other No. 1 records for "The Supremes" that year included "Baby Love" and "Come See About Me." Diana Ross gradually emerged as the star of the group, and this and other problems led to Florence Ballard's departure in 1967. She later sued Ross and Gordy, alleging she'd been forced out of the group. Ballard lost the suit, and when she died three years later of cardiac arrest at 32, she and her three children were living on welfare.
In 1975, Cher and Gregg Allman of "The Allman Brothers Band" were married. She had been divorced from Sonny Bono for only a couple of days. Nine days after marrying Allman, Cher was again suing for divorce.
In 1976, police raided singer Neil Diamond's house. They didn't find enough marijuana for an arrest, but Diamond did give them copies of his new album, "Beautiful Noise."
In 1977, the theatrical rock group "KISS" released a comic book of themselves. The story that band members contributed some of their blood to the printing ink undoubtedly helped boost sales past the half-million mark.
In 1978, Sid Vicious of the "Sex Pistols" released his version of "My Way."
In 1979, in one of the weirdest pairings in TV history, actress Joan Collins and Johnny Rotten, formerly of the "Sex Pistols," appeared together on the BBC-TV program "Juke Box Jury."
In 1981, Jerry Lee Lewis was taken to hospital in Memphis after bleeding internally from a perforated stomach ulcer. After two operations, his chances were rated no better than 50-50. But within four months, Lewis was back performing.
In 1985, Yul Brynner gave his 4,625th and final performance in the musical "The King and I." Less than four months later, Brynner was dead of lung cancer at the age of 65. Brynner had opened in "The King and I" on Broadway in 1951. He also starred in the 1956 movie version.
In 1986, the Vancouver rock band "Loverboy" returned to their hometown for the first time in four years to play three shows at Expo '86.
In 1988, former "Beach Boy" Brian Wilson released his first record in 22 years, "Love and Mercy." The album was not a commercial success. On the same date, "The Beach Boys" released the single "Kokomo," which went to No. 1.
In 1990, stars such as Paul McCartney, Elton John and Phil Collins helped raise more than $10.5 million for handicapped children and young musicians during a charity concert at Knebworth, England.
In 1991, country-rock singer Steve Earle appeared at a Parliament Hill demonstration calling for the release of two Satan's Choice motorcycle gang members. Gary Comeau and Richard Sauve were convicted of murder, even though another man admitted during their trial that he shot a man in a bar in Port Hope, Ont. Earle wrote a song about the incident, “Justice in Ontario.”
In 1991, Frank Zappa joined Hungarians in nationwide celebrations of the withdrawal of Soviet troops after 46 years of occupation.
In 1994, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament of "Pearl Jam" testified before a congressional hearing concerning rising concert ticket prices.
In 1995, Garth Brooks buried a copy of his album "The Hits" beneath his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was the first object to be preserved underneath the walk.
In 1995, jazz and R&B singer Phyllis Hyman committed suicide in her New York apartment. She was 45. Hyman starred in the 1981 Broadway musical "Sophisticated Ladies," a tribute to Duke Ellington. That same year, she had a top-10 R&B hit, "Can't We Fall in Love Again."
In 1996, 400 people at a schizophrenia fundraiser in Peterborough, Ont., were treated to what they thought was a surprise appearance by Willie Nelson and Ringo Starr. However, the two were impersonators invited by the host, Ronnie Hawkins. No one in the audience questioned the pair's authenticity and the hoax wasn't revealed until the next day.
In 1996, Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom, one of the longest continuously operating nightclubs in the country, closed because of a dispute between the landlord and the ballroom's operator. The Commodore had been operating for 66 years and was one of the major venues for touring bands. The House of Blues Concerts took over as manager and after a $3.5 million makeover, reopened it in November 1999.
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In 1998, rapper ODB (Ol' Dirty Bastard) of the "Wu-Tang Clan" was shot and wounded when two men robbed him of jewelry at his New York apartment.
In 2000, eight people were trampled and crushed to death and 43 injured at the Roskilde festival in Denmark. The crowd had surged toward the main stage where "Pearl Jam" was playing.
In 2001, country music guitarist, producer and executive Chet Atkins died of cancer in Nashville at age 77. Atkins' recordings sold more than 75 million albums and inspired musicians ranging from George Harrison to Dolly Parton. He also played on such hit records as Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel," Hank Williams' "Jambalaya" and "The Everly Brothers'" "Wake Up Little Susie." As an RCA Records producer and executive starting in 1957, Atkins helped craft the lush Nashville Sound using string sections and lots of echo. He had a role in the careers of such stars as Parton, Roy Orbison, Jim Reeves, Charley Pride, Waylon Jennings and Eddy Arnold.
In 2001, Al Jardine sued fellow "Beach Boys" Mike Love and Brian Wilson for $4 million, alleging they were excluding him from the group's concerts. A month later, a judge ruled Jardine could not tour as "Beach Boys Family and Friends." A federal appeals court upheld that ruling in January 2003.
In 2007, "Sam the Record Man," one of Canada's most recognizable music landmarks, closed its doors for good after decades as Toronto's prime destination for music buyers. The company's founder, Sam Sniderman, began selling records in 1937 and the main store on Yonge Street had been in business since 1961.
In 2009, "U2" kicked off its "360 Degree" world tour in Barcelona, Spain, at Camp Nou stadium in front of 90,000 fans. (In April 2011, it became the most successful tour of all time surpassing "The Rolling Stones’" "A Bigger Bang" tour which had grossed $554 million from 2005-2007)
In 2010, it was announced that Dr. Demento's syndicated radio show of demented music was leaving the airwaves in favour of the internet due to declining ratings. For nearly four decades, Demento was a Sunday-night fixture on radio stations, keeping alive the music of political satirists like Tom Lehrer ("The Vatican Rag"), while making a star of "Weird Al" Yankovic, whose first hit, "My Bologna," debuted on the doctor's show.
In 2010, researchers announced that rocker Ozzy Osbourne asked them to map his DNA to determine why decades of substance abuse hadn't killed the "Prince of Darkness."
In 2011, Canada Post issued the third instalment of the popular Canadian Recording Artists stamp series. Those honoured were: Bruce Cockburn, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Robbie Robertson and Ginette Reno.
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The Canadian Press