Today in Music History for Aug. 10:
In 1909, Leo Fender, the man who perfected the electric guitar, was born in Buena Park, Calif. His company manufactured the first mass-produced solid-body electric guitar in 1948. Fender's Telecaster and Stratocaster models are favourites of rock guitarists. Fender died March 21, 1991 in Fullerton, Calif.
In 1928, country singer Jimmy Dean was born on a farm near Plainview, Texas. Mention of Dean's name immediately brings to mind "Big Bad John," his 1961 tale of heroism in a coal mine, which sold two million copies. Dean's relaxed country-pop style was also featured on such hits as "P.T. 109" in 1962, "The First Thing Every Morning" in 1963 and "I.O.U." in 1976. His TV series on ABC was popular in the '60s. In 1969, he went into the sausage business, starting the Jimmy Dean Meat Co. in his hometown. He sold the company to Sara Lee Corp. in 1984. In February 2010, he was named an inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame, was formally inducted posthumously at the October induction ceremony after passing away on June 13.
In 1928, pop singer Eddie Fisher was born in Philadelphia. In the early '50s, he sold millions of records with 32 hit songs including "Thinking of You," ''Any Time," ''Oh, My Pa-pa," ''I'm Yours," ''Wish You Were Here," ''Lady of Spain" and "Count Your Blessings." His career never recovered from the notoriety of his marriages and divorces to actresses Debbie Reynolds, Elizabeth Taylor and Connie Stevens. He died on Sept. 22, 2010, of complications from hip surgery.
In 1940, Bobby Hatfield, one-half of "The Righteous Brothers," was born in Beaver Dam, Wis. Hatfield and Bill Medley were the leaders of the blue-eyed soul movement in the 1960s. Many of "The Righteous Brothers'" hits, such as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," a No. 1 hit in 1964, were produced by Phil Spector. Medley began a solo career in 1968, while Hatfield continued "The Righteous Brothers" act for a couple of years with a new partner, Jimmy Walker. Hatfield died in Michigan in November 2003 from acute cocaine intoxication just hours before a "Righteous Brothers" concert.
In 1947, Ian Anderson, the driving force behind the rock band "Jethro Tull," was born in Blackpool, England. When "Jethro Tull" began in 1968, it was a blues and jazz-influenced band. But with the departure of guitarist Mick Abrahams after the first album, "Jethro Tull" became, under Anderson's direction, a rock band.
In 1959, four members of "The Platters," at the time one of the top singing groups in North America, were arrested in a Cincinnati hotel and charged with aiding and abetting prostitution, lewdness and assignation. Four 19-year-old women with them were charged with prostitution. All the accused were eventually acquitted, but not before "The Platters'" career was seriously harmed by what many considered trumped-up charges.
In 1972, Paul and Linda McCartney were arrested for drug possession in Gothenburg, Sweden, and fined $1,200. Paul McCartney said the arrest would "make good publicity" for the concert that night.
In 1974, Bob Dylan returned to Columbia Records after a year -- and one album, "Planet Waves" -- on the Asylum label.
In 1993, country singer David Rogers died at age 57 following a lengthy illness. He had top-10 hits in 1972 with "Need You" and in 1974 with "Loving You Has Changed My Life."
In 1996, Del Shannon's hometown of Coopersville, Mich., unveiled a Main Street memorial to the 1960s pop singer. Shannon had committed suicide six years earlier.
In 1999, singer Carnie Wilson had gastric bypass surgery and broadcast it on the Internet.
In 2001, two members of the rap group "Junior M.A.F.I.A." and a bodyguard were charged in a shooting outside a New York deli. Charged with attempted murder and other offences were James Lloyd (known as "Lil' Caesar"), Antoine Spain ("Banger") and bodyguard Suif Jackson. A 21-year-old man was wounded in the leg.
In 2001, Martie Seidel of "The Dixie Chicks" married college professor Gareth Maguire in Kailua, Hawaii.
In 2008, Isaac Hayes, the pioneering singer, songwriter and musician whose relentless “Theme From Shaft” won Academy and Grammy awards, died at age 65. In the early 1970s, he laid the groundwork for disco, for what became known as urban-contemporary music and for romantic crooners like Barry White. And he was rapping before there was rap. The album “Hot Buttered Soul” made Hayes a star in 1969. His shaven head, gold chains and sunglasses gave him a compelling visual image. The album was groundbreaking in several ways: He sang in a “cool” style unlike the usual histrionics of big-time soul singers. He prefaced the song with “raps,” and the numbers ran longer than three minutes with lush arrangements. He was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
In 2009, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum designated the "Austin City Limits" show as an official historic site. Over the 35 years it has been broadcast nationally on PBS, it has hosted more than 800 performances on its Texas-based stage from assorted musical genres.
In 2009, singer-Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson and fiancee David Otunga welcomed their first son, David Daniel Otunga Jr.
In 2009, country music duo "Brooks & Dunn" posted a message on their website that they agreed to "call it a day" after 20 years of making music together. Their farewell tour ended Sept. 2, 2010. (The duo have since reunited for a series of shows.)
In 2010, singer Fantasia was in a North Carolina hospital in stable condition after taking an overdose of "aspirin and a sleep aid." The former "American Idol" winner was heartbroken and overwhelmed after being named in a legal filing by a woman who accused her of breaking up her marriage.
In 2011, Billy Grammer, whose 1958 hit "Gotta Travel On'" hit the top of the charts and led to a long career on the Grand Ole Opry, died at age 85.
In 2011, the surviving members of "The Cowsills," a group that enjoyed a meteoric rise in the 1960s and would serve as the inspiration for the TV show "The Partridge Family," reunited to perform in Providence, R.I., following a documentary screening on the band's rise and fall.
In 2013, Eydie Gorme, a popular nightclub and television singer as a solo act and as a decades-long team with her husband, Steve Lawrence, died following a brief, undisclosed illness. She was 84.
In 2015, Toronto R&B singer The Weeknd (born Abel Tesfaye) scored his first No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the Max Martin-assisted pop confection "Can't Feel My Face."
In 2020, Canada's first lady of the blues died. Salome Bey was 86. Bey was born in the U.S. and moved to Toronto in 1964 where she played the jazz club circuit, and soon made her mark on Canada's music and theatre scenes. She was made an honorary member of the Order of Canada in 2005.
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The Canadian Press
