Today in Music History for Jan. 26:
In 1859, the Victoria Philharmonic Society was founded. It was the first amateur musical organization in what now is British Columbia.
In 1892, New York's Metropolitan Opera Company appeared for the first time in Canada, performing excerpts from Rossini's "Semiramide."
In 1906, Alexander Muir, who wrote the "The Maple Leaf Forever," died in Toronto at the age of 75.
In 1934, the famous Apollo theatre in New York City's Harlem district opened as a showcase for black artists. The theatre had begun as an all-white music hall and burlesque house, and in the 1920s and early '30s was famous as Hurtig and Seamon's Burlesque. The Apollo's opening-night show featured Harlem showman Ralph Cooper, Aida Ward, Benny Carter and his orchestra and 16 dancers billed as "Gorgeous Hot-Steppers." For more than 50 years, the Apollo was a launching pad for some of the century's greatest talent, including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick. The Apollo Theatre was declared a cultural landmark in 1983, and two years later, reopened as the Apollo Theatre Television Centre. There are still live shows, but the primary purpose of the centre is to produce these shows for TV.
In 1934, '50s rock 'n' roller Huey (Piano) Smith was born in New Orleans. His playing incorporated the earlier boogie style of such pianists as Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson with the New Orleans R&B of Fats Domino. He and his band, "The Clowns," had two million-sellers in 1957 -- "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" and "Don't You Just Know It."
In 1956, Buddy Holly made his first recordings for the Decca label in Nashville. Holly and his backup band of the time, "The Three Tunes," were a purely country group, with no hint of the rock 'n' roll which was to follow a year later.
In 1958, "Buddy Holly and the Crickets" appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Their single "Oh Boy" was on the charts at the time.
In 1962, the Catholic Diocese in Buffalo, N.Y., banned the dance the Twist from its schools, parishes and youth events.
In 1977, Peter Green, former guitarist for "Fleetwood Mac," was committed to a British mental hospital. He had fired a gun at a delivery boy who was bringing a royalty cheque to him. Green became a recluse after leaving the band in 1970 because of his religious beliefs.
In 1980, Frank Sinatra performed before 175,000 people at a soccer stadium in Rio de Janiero. At the time, it was the largest-ever concert audience. Rod Stewart broke the record on Dec. 31, 1994 when he attracted 3.5 million people to a free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janiero.
In 1986, Corey Hart's "Boy in the Box" album reached the million mark in sales in Canada. Hart was the second Canadian artist to reach the figure, which qualified him for a diamond award. The first Canadian artist to sell a million copies of an album was Bryan Adams, whose "Reckless" album reached that mark in December 1985.
In 1987, film score composer and conductor Charles Wolcott died in Haifa, Israel. He was in his 70s. Wolcott was credited with bringing rock 'n' roll to the movie screen. He prevailed on the producer of "Blackboard Jungle" to incorporate Bill Haley's recording of "Rock Around the Clock" into the 1955 film, which Wolcott scored.
In 1988, the bankrupt Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, with debts totalling $1.7 million, suspended operations. Concert-goers at the Orpheum Theatre sat in stunned silence after hearing that the performance would be the symphony's last. The symphony laid off all its employees, including the musicians. The VSO resumed operations later in 1988.
In 1989, Paul McCartney fielded phone calls from fans in the Soviet Union during a live radio program on the BBC's Russian service. He told one caller the surviving "Beatles" would not get back together because it would be impossible to find a replacement for John Lennon, slain in New York in December 1980.
In 1989, Robert DeBarge, a member of the singing DeBarge family, was sentenced in Kalamazoo, Mich., to five years and three months in prison for his part in a drug conspiracy case. DeBarge and three others, including his brother Jonathon (Chico) Debarge, were convicted of conspiring to distribute a kilogram of cocaine. Chico Debarge received an even longer sentence than his brother -- five years and eight months.
In 1993, David Rockola, whose name became synonymous with the jukeboxes he manufactured, died in Skokie, Ill., at age 96. Rock-Ola and Wurlitzer were the two leading jukebox makers until 1974, when Wurlitzer suspended production.
In 2010, the body of 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington was found in a farm field about six kilometres from the arena in Charlottesville, Va., where she had attended a "Metallica" concert in October 2009. "Metallica" had publicized the search for Harrington on their website and had contributed $50,000 to the reward fund.
In 2011, Mary-Lu Zahalan-Kennedy, a former 1976 Miss Canada finalist became the first graduate of a Liverpool University's master's program based on analyzing the "Beatles'" music and their impact on Western culture.
In 2011, Charlie Louvin, half of "The Louvin Brothers" whose harmonies inspired fellow country and pop singers for decades, died due to complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 83. The duo disbanded in 1963 with Charlie forging a successful solo career. His brother, Ira, died in a car crash in 1965. They were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.
In 2011, Gladys Horton, a co-founder of "The Marvelettes" who helped put fledgling Motown Records on the musical map with its first No. 1 hit, "Please Mr. Postman," died in Los Angeles at a nursing home where she had been recovering from a stroke. She was 66.
In 2011, "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" became Enrique Iglesias' eighth No. 1 on Billboard's Dance/Club Play Songs, passing both Michael Jackson and Prince for most chart toppers among solo males in the 34-year history of the chart.
In 2013, Leroy (Sugarfoot) Bonner, frontman for funk band "Ohio Players," died at age 69. The band, known for their brassy dance music, catchy lyrics and flamboyant outfits, topped music charts in the 1970s with hits such as "Love Rollercoaster," ''Fire," ''Skin Tight" and "Funky Worm."
In 2014, French electronic music duo Daft Punk won four trophies at the 56th Grammy Awards, including album of the year ("Randon Access Memories") and record of the year for their summer smash "Get Lucky" featuring Pharrell Williams, who himself was a three-time winner. Lorde's hit "Royals" earned the 17-year-old best pop solo performance and song of the year. Rap duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis took best new artist as well as sweeping all three major rap categories.
In 2015, rocker Tom Petty and ELO's Jeff Lynne earned a writing credit on Sam Smith's megahit "Stay With Me" for its similarities to Petty's 1989 hit "I Won't Back Down." The British singer's debut song, written along with James Napier and William Phillips, sold more than 3.5 million tracks and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. (The song won Record of the Year and Song of the Year at February's Grammy Awards.)
In 2020, Canadians Drake, Shawn Mendes, Jessie Reyez and the Indigenous singing group Northern Cree were all shut out of the Grammys. Billie Eilish took home six Grammys in total, including album of the year for ''When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?'' and record of the year for ''Bad Guy.'' The 18-year-old was the first artist to sweep the top awards since Christopher Cross did it back in 1981.
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The Canadian Press