Today in Music History for Sept. 4:
In 1955, Canadian violinist Donna Grescoe, a native of Winnipeg, appeared on Ed Sullivan's "Talk of the Town" TV show in New York.
In 1959, in response to a wave of stabbings, New York radio station WCBS stopped playing all versions of "Mack the Knife," including Bobby Darin's, which was on its way to the top of the charts.
In 1962, "The Beatles" held their first proper recording session in London for EMI's Parlophone label. Their new drummer, Ringo Starr, was making his first appearance with the group, after the dismissal of Pete Best the previous month. "The Beatles" recorded "Love Me Do," which became their first British top-20 hit. ( "Love Me Do" was not released in the U.S. until 1964, when it hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100, but that version had session musician Andy White playing drums and Starr playing tambourine. The B-side of "P.S. I Love You" had Starr playing the maracas.)
In 1964, "The Animals," with lead singer Eric Burdon, made their U.S. debut at the Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, N.Y.
In 1965, thieves made off with a van and musical equipment belonging to "The Who" when the vehicle was parked outside the Battersea Dogs' Home in London. The group was inside purchasing a guard dog. The van was recovered, the equipment was not.
In 1968, radio stations in several U.S. cities banned "The Rolling Stones'" "Street Fighting Man" because of fears it might incite violence. The record barely made the top-50.
In 1969, the folk-rock group "The Youngbloods" failed to appear as scheduled on "The Tonight Show" after an apparent argument during a sound check. Johnny Carson made fun of the group during his monologue. "The Youngbloods" were currently riding the success of their hit single, "Get Together."
In 1976, the "Sex Pistols" made their first appearance on British TV, performing "Anarchy in the U.K.," which would become their first single three months later. Following the TV show, the "Sex Pistols" joined "The Buzzcocks" and "The Clash" for a concert in a London suburb.
In 1977, the rock musical "Godspell" closed on Broadway after 527 performances. It also played 2,118 times at an off-Broadway theatre. "Day By Day" by the original cast of "Godspell" was a top-15 hit in 1972.
In 1981, singer and actress Beyonce Knowles was born in Houston, Texas. At age nine she formed "Destiny’s Child," an all-girl group that evolved into one of the biggest R&B powerhouses of all time. Even with a few changes to their lineup in the late '90s, "Destiny’s Child" landed a string of chart-topping hits including "Say My Name" and "Bootylicious." Beyonce then proved her acting chops with parts in films including "Austin Powers: Goldmember." In 2003, her solo debut "Dangerously in Love" featured the hit "Crazy in Love" a duet with her rumoured boyfriend Jay-Z (they married in 2008). Beyonce won five Grammy Awards in 2004, tying a record for the most wins by a female artist.
In 1985, a judge in Houston sentenced a teenager who took LSD at a "Grateful Dead" show to five years probation. During that time, the young "Deadhead" was forbidden from attending any more of the "Dead's" concerts.
In 1986, Gregg Allman was arrested for drunk driving in Florida immediately after getting his licence back from a five-year suspension.
In 1986, Brazilian organist Walter Wanderley died of cancer at age 55. His recording of "Summer Samba (So Nice)" was a hit in 1966 during the bossa nova craze.
In 1991, swing era bandleader and saxophonist Charlie Barnet, one of the first whites to hire black musicians, died. He suffered from Alzheimer's disease and died of pneumonia in a San Diego hospital at age 77. Barnet's hits in the 1940s included "Pompton Turnpike," "Cherokee," "Redskin Rumba" and "Skyliner." His turbulent personal life included 11 marriages.
In 1991, country singer Dottie West died in a Nashville hospital of injuries suffered in an auto accident on Aug. 30. She was 58. West is best-known for her 1973 hit "Country Sunshine," which began life as a Coca-Cola commercial. She also had several hit duets with Kenny Rogers, including "Every Time Two Fools Collide" in 1978 and "What Are We Doin' in Love" in 1981. West was the first woman in country music to win a Grammy Award -- for "Here Comes My Baby" in 1964. Her last years were filled with misfortune, and in 1990 she filed for bankruptcy protection.
In 1992, honky-tonk singer Carl Butler died at his home in Franklin, Tenn., of a heart attack. He was 65. Butler's most famous song, "Don't Let Me Cross Over," a duet with his wife Pearl, was a big country hit in 1962.
In 1996, Ottawa singer Alanis Morissette won Best Video by a New Artist and Best Female Video for "Ironic" at the MTV Music Video Awards in New York. Alternative rockers "Smashing Pumpkins" won eight awards, including Best Video of the Year for "Tonight, Tonight." The group made their first TV appearance since the drug overdose death of keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin the previous July and the arrest of drummer Jimmy Chamberlin on drug charges. Chamberlin was later fired from the band.
Also at the MTV Awards in 1996, David Lee Roth took the stage with "Van Halen" for the first time since he departed for a solo career in 1985. The group presented an award but did not perform.
In 1997, "The Rolling Stones" played yet another so-called surprise gig at a Toronto club, the Horseshoe Tavern. This show came as they rehearsed for their "Bridges to Babylon" world tour, which opened in Chicago three weeks later. They played similar 'surprise' shows at Toronto clubs in 1977 and 1994.
In 1998, George Michael cancelled a world tour planned for 1999. The move followed a tumultuous time for Michael -- his arrest in a public washroom in Los Angeles, his acknowledgment that he was gay and the death of his mother. The tour would have been the singer's first in eight years.
In 2000, Gilles Potvin, one of Canada's most revered authorities on music, co-editor of the "Encyclopedia of Music in Canada," died at age 76.
In 2002, Kelly Clarkson was crowned the first "American Idol," beating out Justin Guarini and winning a recording contract. Nearly 22.5 million people tuned in to watch.
In 2008, Jimi Hendrix's burned Fender Stratocaster guitar sold at a British auction for more than US$497,000. Hendrix burned the guitar during a show in London in March, 1967. Also at the same auction, a copy of manager Brian Epstein's first contract with "The Beatles" sold for more than $426,000.
In 2009, the stage version of "Green Day's" album "American Idiot" began a run at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. The show included every song from the album, as well as some songs from the new CD, "21st Century Breakdown." The show followed working-class characters as they seek redemption in a world filled with frustration.
In 2011, singer Adele became the first artist in British music history to sell three million copies of an album in a calendar year. (Worldwide sales of "21" have reached over 30 million copies.)
In 2012, "Puddle of Mudd" lead singer Wes Scantlin was arrested and charged with public intoxication after a cross-country flight requested an emergency landing in Austin, Texas, to remove an unruly passenger creating a disturbance.
In 2013, the love letter-turned-song,"Oh Sweet Lorraine" by Green Shoe Studio featuring Jacob Colgan and Fred Stobaugh, debuted at No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100, making 96-year-old Stobaugh the oldest credited artist in the history of the chart.
In 2014, Argentine rock star Gustavo Cerati died, four years after a stroke put him in a coma and ended the career of one of Latin America's most influential musicians. The 55-year old was the former lead singer of the Argentine rock band Soda Stereo, which was among the most popular groups in the Spanish-speaking world in the 1980s and 1990s.
In 2014, country music superstar Garth Brooks launched his comeback arena tour with the first of 12 Chicago shows. Brooks began the day by announcing he was making his music available digitally for the first time, releasing his back catalogue through ghosttunes.com, a digital pay service he founded and partly owns.
In 2015, Canadian Country Music Hall-of-Famer Hal Willis died at the age of 82. He was best known for the 1964 million-selling hit "The Lumberjack." As a songwriting team with his wife Ginger, they had their songs recorded by legendary Nashville stars Patsy Cline, Kitty Wells, Jim Reeves, Ernest Tubb, Bobby Helms, The Wilburn Brothers and Flatt & Scruggs.
In 2019, 30-year-old rising country singing sensation Kylie Rae Harris was killed in a car crash in northern New Mexico. Harris was on her way to Taos when the crash happened and was scheduled to help kick off the annual Big Barn Dance Music Festival.
In 2023, Steve Harwell, the longtime frontman of the Grammy-nominated pop rock band Smash Mouth, died of acute liver failure at the age of 56.
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The Canadian Press
