Today in Music History for June 6:
In 1939, singer Gary U.S. Bonds, whose real name is Gary Anderson, was born in Jacksonville, Fla. Bonds had a string of energetic dance records in the early '60s, topped by "Quarter to Three," which reached No. 1 in 1961. Bonds' career was revived in 1981 by Bruce Springsteen, who wrote "This Little Girl of Mine." It became his first hit in nearly 20 years and his comeback album, "Dedication," also made the charts.
In 1956, Gene Vincent's recording of "Be-Bop-A-Lula" was released. The song was co-written by Vincent and "Sheriff" Tex Davis, a deejay at a Norfolk, Va., radio station.
In 1960, Roy Orbison's "Only the Lonely" was released. It would reach No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and inspire Bruce Springsteen to write "Born to Run."
In 1960, Tony Williams of "The Platters" left the group for a solo career. Williams was the lead singer on "The Platters" big hits in the '50s -- "Only You," "The Great Pretender" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," among others.
In 1962, "The Beatles" auditioned for producer George Martin at EMI Records in London. Martin was later quoted as saying he thought "they were pretty awful," but also thought them "interesting" and signed them to a contract the following month.
In 1965, "The Rolling Stones" released "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" in the U.S. It became their first No. 1 hit.
In 1968, "The Rolling Stones" recorded "Sympathy for the Devil."
In 1969, Rod Stewart, while still officially a part of the "Jeff Beck Group," signed a solo contract with Mercury Records. His debut LP, "The Rod Stewart Album," was only a modest success.
In 1971, "Gladys Knight and the Pips" were the last musical guests to appear on "The Ed Sullivan Show." The show was later cancelled by CBS after 23 seasons.
In 1977, Stevie Wonder delivered an unannounced lecture to a class at UCLA studying the record industry.
In 1982, an anti-nuclear rally featuring performances by Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Wonder and Tom Petty drew 85,000 people to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
In 1986, CHUM-AM Toronto, the station with the longest-running hit record chart in North America, abandoned its top-40 format for a mixture of soft rock and oldies. CHUM adopted the rock format in 1957 and published its chart for 1,512 consecutive weeks.
In 1989, officials in Easton, Md., voted to cancel an Ozzy Osbourne concert due to complaints about the singer's lyrics and on-stage antics.
In 1990, a judge in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., declared "As Nasty as They Wanna Be" by rappers "2 Live Crew" to be obscene. A record store owner was charged two days later for selling the hit rap album. But an appeals court overturned the judge's decision two years later, causing "2 Live Crew" leader Luther Campbell to remark -- "This makes me so happy -- I'm going to go get drunk tonight."
In 1991, jazz tenor saxophonist Stan Getz, who helped popularize bossa nova music in North America, died of cancer at his home in Malibu, Calif. He was 64. Getz first gained fame as a member of "The Four Brothers" reed section in "The Woody Herman Band" in the late 1940s. His showcase was the song "Early Autumn." "Jazz Samba," a 1962 album by Getz and guitarist Charlie Byrd, introduced the bossa nova to North Americans. It also reached No. 1 on the Billboard pop albums chart and produced the hit single, "Desafinado." Several other bossa nova albums followed, including 1964's "Getz-Gilberto," featuring the Brazilian husband-and-wife team of Joao and Astrud Gilberto. It went to No. 2, and spawned a top-five single, "The Girl From Ipanema."
In 1993, the Canadian production of "Kiss of the Spiderwoman" won seven Tony awards. Canada's Brent Carver was named best actor in a musical.
In 1996, lyrics of a song written by Elvis Presley, but which he never recorded, sold for $30,000 at an auction in London. Presley co-wrote "Mississippi River" with Terry Fell while he was serving with the U.S. army in Germany in 1959. It's believed to be a tribute to Presley's mother, Gladys, who had died a year earlier.
In 1997, Iggy Pop suffered a separated shoulder when he dived from the stage during a concert in Columbus, Ohio. He hit the ground after the audience failed to catch him.
In 2001, veteran banjo picker Marvin "Smokey" Montgomery died at age 88. He joined the pioneer Western swing band "The Light Crust Doughboys" in 1935, and was still performing the month before his death from leukemia.
In 2003, Dave Rowberry, a rock keyboards player who performed with "The Animals" in the 1960s, was found dead in his London apartment. He was 62. Rowberry had heart problems. The original band, featuring Eric Burdon on vocals, formed in 1964. They had such hits as "House of the Rising Sun," "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place." Rowberry joined the band in 1965, replacing original keyboards player Alan Price. The group continued shifting members and eventually split up toward the end of the decade. But the members, including Rowberry, got together sporadically and had regrouped as "Animals and Friends" before Rowberry's death.
In 2006, soul musician Billy Preston, who battled chronic kidney failure and received a kidney transplant in 2002, died in Scottsdale, Ariz., at age 59. He had been in a coma since November due to a heart infection. The prolific songwriter and musician played with "The Beatles" so often he was sometimes called the fifth member of the group, even performing with the band on its legendary rooftop concert, the last time they played live. In addition to a successful solo career, he toured and recorded extensively with "The Rolling Stones" and performed for recording sessions with Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan and "Sly and the Family Stone."
In 2009, George Strait headlined the first concert at the new $1.15-billion stadium of the Dallas Cowboys. Reba McEntire also performed, along with Blake Shelton and Lee Ann Womack to the 60,188 in attendance. The concert sold out in one hour back in March. The stadium can hold up to 100,000 for football.
In 2010, "Rage Against the Machine" played a free show for 40,000 people in London to thank fans for putting their 1992 song "Killing in the Name" at the coveted Christmas No. 1 position, thanks in large part to a Facebook campaign aimed at preventing "The X Factor" winner's song from claiming the honour for a fifth straight year. It became the first single to reach the Christmas No. 1 spot on downloads alone.
In 2010, Marvin Isley, the bass player who helped give R&B powerhouse "The Isley Brothers" their distinctive sound, died of complications from diabetes at a Chicago hospital. He was 56.
In 2011, a day before going to trial, rapper Dr. Dre and WIDEawake Death Row Records settled a lawsuit over damages from unauthorized online sales of his album "The Chronic."
In 2012, former "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood was the only multiple winner at the CMT Music Awards. "Good Girl" won the fan-voted Video of the Year award, her third overall, and she also won for Collaboration of the Year for "Remind Me," with Brad Paisley.
In 2018, Carrie Underwood extended her record to 18 as the most decorated act at the CMT Music Awards. She won for female video of the year for "The Champion." Blake Shelton was the only multiple winner, taking home male video of the year ("It's Been a Crazy Ride) and the night's top honour video of the year ("I'll Name the Dogs").
In 2019, Dr. John, the New Orleans singer and piano player who blended black and white musical styles with a hoodoo-infused stage persona and gravelly bayou drawl, died at the age of 77. The family said Dr. John, who was born Mac Rebennack, died "toward the break of day" of a heart attack. They did not say where he died or give other details. He had not been seen in public much since late 2017, when he cancelled several gigs. The governor called Dr. John a true Louisiana legend.
In 2021, the 50th Juno Awards were handed out in Toronto. Canada's biggest night in music also saw Jann Arden ushered into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in a belated induction that was supposed to happen last year.
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The Canadian Press