Today in Music History for May 3:
In 1903, singer and actor Bing Crosby was born in Tacoma, Wash. He sang with dance bands from 1925-30, and in 1931 began work in radio and films. Crosby gained enormous popularity for his crooning style, which was ideal to the new radio medium. His recording of "White Christmas" is the best-selling record of all time. In 1944, he won an Academy Award for his performance in "Going My Way." His other notable films included "The Country Girl" in '55, "High Society" in '56 and the remake of "Stagecoach" in '65. Crosby, who had a lifelong love affair with golf, died in 1977 after a round of golf in Spain.
In 1919, singer Pete Seeger, who's done more to popularize American folk music than perhaps anyone, was born in New York City. In the 1940s, he performed with Woody Guthrie, before forming "The Weavers," who had hits with such folk tunes as "On Top of Old Smokey" and "Goodnight Irene." Seeger was blacklisted by the U.S. government during the '50s. In the following decade, he became a father figure to many younger folk and rock musicians. "The Byrds" had a No. 1 hit with Seeger's "Turn, Turn, Turn." He died Jan. 27, 2014.
In 1933, R&B superstar James Brown was born in Macon, Ga. He sold millions of records in the U.S. from the mid-1950s to the mid-'60s, yet remained virtually unknown to most white Americans. But by the late '60s, the breakthroughs scored by black artists on the Motown and Stax-Volt labels helped bring Brown to the attention of the masses. Brown's first hit, with his group "The Famous Flames," was "Please, Please, Please" in 1956. Thirty years later, in 1986, he topped the charts with "Living in America" from the movie soundtrack of "Rocky IV." He died on Dec. 25, 2006.
In 1942, the Opera Guild of Montreal presented its first production, "Cavelleria Rusticana," plus scenes from "Carmen" and "The Barber of Seville" at His Majesty's Theatre. The guild, a non-profit operatic society formed by soprano Pauline Donalda, lasted until 1969.
In 1960, the Harvey Schmidt-Tom Jones musical "The Fantasticks" began a nearly 42-year run at New York's Sullivan Street Playhouse, closing in January 2002 after 17,162 performances. It opened four years later at The Snapple Theater Center, an off-Broadway complex in the heart of Times Square.
In 1968, "The Beach Boys" began a U.S. tour in New York that featured the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi speaking on spiritual regeneration. But audiences weren't exactly wild about the Maharishi, and half the tour dates were cancelled.
In 1969, Jimi Hendrix was arrested at Toronto International Airport for illegally possessing narcotics. He was released on $10,000 bail.
In 1971, after ignoring the media since their inception in 1968, members of the rock group "Grand Funk Railroad" finally agreed to talk to the press. Of the 150 reporters invited by the band's manager, Terry Knight, only six turned up.
In 1972, guitarist Les Harvey of the Scottish-English soul band, "Stone the Crows," was electrocuted by a microphone wire during a concert in Swansea, Wales.
In 1975, Canadian soprano Sarah Fischer died in Montreal at age 79. She participated in two historic opera events in Britain. In 1923, she was heard in the first opera broadcast from Covent Garden in London, singing the role of Pamina in "The Magic Flute." And in 1934, she took part in the BBC's first opera telecast -- 30 minutes of excerpts from "Carmen."
In 1976, Paul Simon organized a benefit for the New York Public Library featuring performances by Phoebe Snow, Jimmy Cliff and "The Brecker Brothers." More than $30,000 was raised.
In 1976, Paul McCartney performed his first U.S. concert in 10 years when he opened his "Wings Over America" tour.
In 1986, Dolly Parton opened her Dollywood Amusement Park in Tennessee.
In 1988, Madonna made her Broadway debut in David Mamet's "Speed the Plow." Reviews were mixed, with the "New York Daily News" saying the play would be "even funnier with an actress."
In 1988, a judge in Minneapolis dismissed a plagiarism suit brought against Prince by his sister Lorna Nelson. She claimed he stole the lyrics for his 1987 hit "U Got the Look."
In 1991, B.B. King's Blues Bar opened on Beale Street in Memphis without a performance from the club's owner and namesake. King was prevented from performing because of a contract with a local concert promoter. But he managed to sneak in a couple of vocals with the club's opening act, Toronto guitarist Jeff Healey.
In 1994, singer Michael Bolton said there was "a bit of racial inference" in a Los Angeles jury's decision that he swiped an "Isley Brothers" song for his 1991 hit, "Love Is a Wonderful Thing." The jury awarded the Isleys damages worth as much as $15 million.
In 1996, yodelling cowgirl Patsy Montana died in Nashville at age 87. Her 1935 recording of "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" is often cited as the first million-seller by a female country artist.
In 1996, Tina Turner launched her 18-month "Wildest Dreams World Tour" in Paris. The opening act was actor Bruce Willis and his band "The Accelerators." One reviewer noted that Willis "had a hard time warming up the crowd."
In 1997, Narciso Yepes, one of Spain's most acclaimed classical guitarists, died of cancer in Murcia, Spain. He was 69.
In 1997, Michael Jackson was asked to show identification when he arrived at a Munich prison to visit concert promoter Marcel Avram, who was being held on suspicion of tax evasion. An official said a Jackson impersonator had shown up at the prison the previous day.
In 2001, Billy Higgins, one of the best-loved and most-recorded drummers in post-war jazz, died in Los Angeles of kidney and liver failure at age 64. He first made a name for himself in the late '50s by playing on Ornette Coleman's early recordings. He also recorded with such jazz stars as Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson and Pat Metheny.
In 2010, country music landmark The Grand Ole Opry House was filled with more than a metre-and-a-half of water when the Cumberland River flooded after record-shattering torrential rains inundated parts of Tennessee. It forced managers to seek alternate space for upcoming shows. Workers were able to restore the historic two-metre circle of floorboards from the old Ryman Auditorium stage, but the rest of the stage was destroyed.
In 2011, American string quartet Kronos Quartet and rocker Patti Smith won the 2011 Polar Music Prize, Sweden's most prestigious music award. It was founded by Stig Anderson, manager of Swedish pop group "ABBA," in 1989.
In 2011, Donny and Marie Osmond released their first studio album in 30 years. The self-titled CD featured songs written by Richie Sambora, Carole King and Kenneth (Babyface) Edmonds, Carole Bayer Sager, David Foster and Richard Marx.
In 2013, "The Rolling Stones" launched their 17-date "50 and Counting" anniversary tour at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
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The Canadian Press