Today in Music History for Nov. 1:
In 1847, Emma Albani, the first Canadian singer to distinguish herself in the international world of opera, was born in Chambly, Que.
In 1894, the first issue of "Billboard" magazine, then called "Billboard Advertising," was published by William Donaldson. It was only eight pages, and cost 10 cents a copy. In its early years, "Billboard" focused on state fairs, carnivals and live entertainment.
In 1923, Ottawa-born mezzo-soprano Eva Gauthier gave a historic recital at Aoelian Hall in New York. She sang the music of Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin and George Gershwin, with Gershwin at the piano.
In 1926, fiddler Jimmy Thompson made his first recordings. He was the first featured performer on the Saturday night barn dance program that evolved into the Grand Ole Opry. He auditioned for the job -- at age 78 -- and he went on the air over Nashville station WSM in 1925. Thompson died six years later.
In 1949, singer-songwriter-arranger-producer David Foster was born in Victoria. After piano studies and brief periods in the 1960s pursuing a music career in England, Toronto and Edmonton, he returned to Vancouver to form the band "Skylark." After it broke up, Foster became a Los Angeles-based producer and a key influence on contemporary pop music. Beginning with "Earth Wind and Fire's" 1979 hit "After the Love is Gone," Foster produced hits for artists like Madonna, "Chicago," Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand. His credits also include Natalie Cole's Grammy-winning album, "Unforgettable," Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" and numerous movie scores. Foster also co-wrote Canada's 1985 song in aid of African famine relief, "Tears Are Not Enough," and penned the theme for the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.
In 1955, "The Famous Flames," featuring James Brown, recorded "Please, Please, Please" at a radio station in Macon, Ga.
In 1963, "The Rolling Stones'" second single, "I Wanna Be Your Man," written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, was released in Britain. It made the top-15.
In 1964, "The Dave Clark Five" performed on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
In 1968, Apple Records released "Wonderwall Music" by George Harrison, the first Beatle solo album.
In 1969, Elvis Presley scored his first No. 1 hit in more than seven years when "Suspicious Minds" topped the Billboard chart. It also proved to be the last chart-topper of his career.
In 1971, a funeral for guitarist Duane Allman was held in Macon, Ga. He had been killed in a motorcycle crash. At the funeral, "The Allman Brothers Band" performed several songs.
In 1986, composer and conductor Serge Garant, considered a pioneer of contemporary classical music in Quebec, died in Sherbrooke at the age of 57. He helped found the Contemporary Quebec Music Society, serving as artistic director until his death. Garant was also the longtime host of the Radio-Canada program, "Music of Our Century."
In 1986, Bob Dylan made a surprise appearance at a Markham, Ont., nightclub, playing lead and rhythm guitar with Toronto bluesman Paul James. Dylan was in the Toronto area to make a movie.
In 1986, blues singer Sippie Wallace, known as "The Texas Nightingale," died in a Detroit hospital on her 88th birthday.
In 1988, a judge in New York ruled that a Philadelphia woman was the widow of 1950s doo-wop singer Frankie Lymon, who co-wrote and sang the 1956 million-seller "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" Elizabeth Waters inherited Lymon's estate, estimated to be worth $750,000. Waters and two other women all claimed to have been married to Lymon, who died of a drug overdose in 1968. The court case inspired the 1997 movie, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?"
In 1988, Sub Pop Records released "Nirvana's" first release, "Love Buzz/Big Cheese."
In 1989, Cher, John Travolta, David Bowie and Tina Turner were among the stars in the audience of 54,000 as "The Rolling Stones" played the first of two sold-out shows at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver.
In 1992, Flavor Flav of the rap group "Public Enemy" was charged in New York with attempted murder and reckless endangerment for allegedly trying to shoot another man in a dispute over a woman. A shot was fired but no one was hurt.
In 1995, Florence Greenberg, one of the first women to run a record company, died in Hackensack, N.J., following a stroke. She was 82. Greenberg helped discover "The Shirelles" in 1958, and based on the success of their first hit, "I Met Him on a Sunday," formed the Scepter label.
In 1996, gospel singer Kirk Franklin was seriously injured when he fell into the orchestra pit while walking off stage during a concert in Memphis, Tenn. No one in the audience saw him fall, but the accident was announced to the crowd and the show went on.
In 1998, a lawsuit against singer Sarah McLachlan began in a Vancouver courtroom as Darryl Neudorf claimed he co-wrote songs on McLachlan's 1988 "Touch" album but did not receive credit or compensation. The suit was dismissed in December, 1999.
In 2008, hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings' executive vice-president Shakir Stewart died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Stewart signed such artists as Rick Ross and Young Jeezy to the label before being named in June to the post once filled by Jay-Z.
In 2008, Yma Sumac, a Peruvian-born soprano who wowed international audiences in the 1950s with her stunning vocal range, died at age 86. She claimed to be a descendant of the Inca emperor Atahualpa, and played up her Andean origins. Dubbed the "Peruvian Songbird' and the "Nightingale of the Andes," Sumac's soaring, warbling voice -- reported to span well over three octaves -- was matched by her flamboyant outfits, studded with gold and silver jewelry, designed to make her look like an Incan princess.
In 2010, rapper T.I. (born Clifford Harris) reported for a second time to an Arkansas federal prison, this time to serve 11 months for a probation violation of a weapons conviction in 2009. He was arrested on Sept. 1 in Los Angeles on drug charges. Prosecutors said they wouldn't file a felony drug charge against the rapper. (He was released Sept. 29, 2011).
In 2010, it was announced that 18-year-old Demi Lovato, one of Disney's biggest names, checked herself into a treatment centre to deal with "emotional and physical issues." The star of the "Camp Rock" movies and sitcom "Sonny With a Chance" was on an international tour as a special guest of the "Jonas Brothers," but left the tour to enter an undisclosed facility.
In 2011, Canadian teen pop star Justin Bieber released his first Christmas CD, "Under the Mistletoe." A portion of the sales went to various charities, including Pencils of Promise and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, making him the first artist on the Universal Music roster to have part of his album sales benefit a charity.
In 2012, Blake Shelton was the big winner at the Country Music Awards taking home three trophies: Entertainer of the Year, his third straight Male Vocalist Award and Song of the Year for "Over You," co-written with and performed by his then-wife Miranda Lambert about the death of Shelton's brother Richie in a car wreck in 1990. Lambert also won her third straight Female Vocalist Award. Eric Church won the prestigious Album of the Year for his breakthrough record "Chief." Willie Nelson received a lifetime achievement award.
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The Canadian Press