Today in Music History for Feb. 1:
In 1896, the opera ``La Boheme,'' by Giacomo Puccini, premiered in Turin, Italy.
In 1909, gospel singer George Beverly Shea was born in Ottawa. His booming baritone was heard by millions of Christians at evangelist Billy Graham's crusades during a decades-long career. He recorded dozens of albums of sacred music and was nominated for 10 Grammys, winning for best gospel recording in 1965 for his album ``Southland Favorites,'' and in 2011 he got one for lifetime achievement. At age 88, he recorded his first country-and-western album. He died April 16, 2013.
In 1937, Don Everly of ``The Everly Brothers'' was born in Brownie, Ky. Don and Phil Everly were among the most important acts of early rock 'n' roll. Their music, a mixture of close country harmonies over a rocking beat, resulted in two dozen chart entries. These included such No. 1 records as ``Wake Up Little Susie,'' ``All I Have to Do Is Dream'' and ``Cathy's Clown.'' The brothers broke up in 1973, but reunited a few times to tour, the last time in 2005. They were elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. Phil died on Jan. 3, 2014.
In 1948, flamboyant funk music pioneer Rick James, best known for the 1981 hit ``Super Freak,'' was born in Buffalo, N.Y. He was one of the biggest R&B stars of the 1980s, using danceable rhythms and passionate ballads to gain a wide following. His other hits included ``Mary Jane,'' ``Ebony Eyes'' and ``Fire and Desire,'' a stirring duet with Teena Marie. He died on Aug. 6, 2004.
In 1949, RCA Victor introduced the 45 rpm record. It was designed as a rival to Columbia's 33 1/3 rpm long-playing disc, introduced the previous year. The two systems directly competed with each other to replace 78 rpm records, bewildering consumers and causing a drop in record sales. By the end of 1949, all the major companies, except RCA, had committed themselves to the LP record, seemingly putting an end to the 45. Even RCA itself announced it would issue its classical library on 33 1/3 rpm discs. But RCA was not ready to admit the demise of the 45. The company spent $5 million publicizing 45 rpm as the preferred speed for popular music. The campaign worked. Buyers of non-classical records turned increasingly to the 45, so that by 1954, more than 200 million of them had been sold.
In 1954, Big Joe Turner recorded ``Shake, Rattle and Roll.''
In 1963, a 17-year-old Neil Young performed his first professional date at a Winnipeg country club.
In 1964, the governor of Indiana declared the song ``Louie, Louie'' by ``The Kingsmen'' to be pornographic, even though the average listener wasn't able to decipher the lyrics. The governor asked a state broadcasters' association to ban the record.
In 1965, James Brown recorded ``Papa's Got a Brand New Bag'' in Charlotte, N.C.
In 1968, Elvis Presley's only child, Lisa Marie, was born.
In 1978, the Bob Dylan film ``Renaldo and Clara'' premiered in Los Angeles. It mainly was a documentary of Dylan's ``Rolling Thunder Revue'' tour.
In 1988, ``The Cars'' announced their breakup. (Bassist Benjamin Orr died in 2000. The surviving original members reunited in 2010 for an album and tour.)
In 1989, the final sections of the Copyright Act were proclaimed into law. It allows authors, musicians and artists to negotiate copyright payments with libraries, schools, broadcasters or musicians using their work.
In 1993, the House of Commons did what the Alberta legislature failed to do five days earlier: honour Alberta native k.d. lang for being named best new adult contemporary artist at the American Music Awards. Among the Alberta politicians opposed to honouring lang was the province's agriculture minister. Ernie Isley said he wouldn't support the idea because the singer was a lesbian -- and anti-agriculture to boot. lang had participated in a ``meat stinks'' ad campaign three years earlier.
In 2004, Justin Timberlake tore off a portion of Janet Jackson's leather gladiator outfit during the Super Bowl halftime show to reveal her right breast, covered only by a sun-shaped nipple shield. Timberlake claimed it was ``a wardrobe malfunction.'' But the display coincided exactly with him singing the lyric, ``I'm gonna have you naked by the end of this song.'' Jackson later apologized, saying it was ``a last-minute stunt'' that she hadn't intended ``to go as far as it did.'' A Jackson spokeswoman said the singer's breasts were supposed to remain covered by a red lace garment.
In 2009, Jennifer Hudson's flawless performance of the U.S. national anthem at the Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla., marked her first public appearance since her mother, brother and seven-year-old nephew were slain in Chicago in October 2008. Her rendition went on sale on iTunes, with part of the proceeds going to the Hudson-King Foundation, which helps families who have lost loved ones to violent crime.
In 2010, the charity anthem ``We Are the World'' was re-recorded by 80 artists in support of earthquake relief in Haiti. Pink, Natalie Cole, Kanye West, Jennifer Hudson, Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, Brian Wilson and others came together in the same Hollywood studio where the original was cut 25 years earlier.
In 2012, Don Cornelius, the silken-voiced host of TV's ``Soul Train'' who helped break down racial barriers and broaden the reach of black culture with funky music, groovy dance steps and cutting-edge style, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 75.
In 2013, the Shania Twain Centre in Timmins, Ont., permanently closed its doors. The tourist attraction celebrating the country-pop star ran up over $1 million in operating deficits since its construction in 2000-01.
In 2018, Dennis Edwards, a former member of the famed Motown group The Temptations, died after a long illness just two days shy of his 75th birthday. Edwards replaced founding member David Ruffin in 1968. He was a member on and off for about two decades and part of the lineup that released ``Papa Was A Rollin' Stone,'' ''Ball of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today)`` and ''Cloud Nine.``
In 2020, Andy Gill, the guitarist for the iconic punk band Gang of Four, died at the age of 64. Gill's innovative, angular guitar style inspired countless rock musicians, including Flea, Kurt Cobain, and Tom Morello. Morello called Gill one of his "principal influences." Gill's widow Catherine Mayer later said she believes Gill may have been an early victim of COVID-19.
-----
The Canadian Press
