Today in Music History for May 1:
In 1786, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's comic opera "The Marriage of Figaro" had its world premiere in Vienna. Reaction was lukewarm and it wasn't until the work was presented in Prague later that year that it was a success.
In 1904, Czech composer Antonin Dvorak died.
In 1930, baritone Charles Marchand, the first important advocate of French-Canadian song, died in Montreal at age 39. He was in charge of the music for Ottawa's centenary in 1927, and that same year formed a vocal quartet called "The Bytown Troubadours."
In 1930, blues harmonica player Little Walter, real name Marion Walter Jacobs, was born in Marksville, La. He was a pioneer in the use of a microphone to amplify the mouth harp, and his techniques were widely copied, particularly by white blues musicians in England. Little Walter died in 1968 after being stabbed in a street fight in Chicago.
In 1931, on her 22nd birthday, gospel singer Kate Smith began her long-running radio program on CBS. Her program appeared opposite "Amos 'n' Andy" on NBC, and was so successful that NBC switched its comedy program to another evening. She died in 1986 at age 77.
In 1939, folk singer Judy Collins was born in Seattle. She is best known for her hits "Both Sides Now" from 1969 and "Amazing Grace" from 1971. She also helped promote the careers of Randy Newman, and Canadians Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen.
In 1943, the "Parlow String Quartet," formed by violinist Kathleen Parlow, made its debut at the Eaton Auditorium in Toronto. For 15 years, the "Parlow String Quartet" was Canada's foremost recital quartet, introducing audiences to many works by Canadian composers.
In 1945, Rita Coolidge, best known as the "Delta Lady" as penned by Leon Russell and for her Cherokee Native American ancestry, was born in Nashville. Beginning as a backup singer on recording sessions, her debut album as a soloist was released in 1971. Six years later, she had two top-10 hits -- remakes of Jackie Wilson's "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher" and Boz Scaggs' "We're All Alone." She married Kris Kristofferson in 1973, but they split seven years later.
In 1964, bandleader Spike Jones, who specialized in fractured versions of songs like "Cocktails for Two," the "William Tell Overture," and "All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth," died in Los Angeles at age 53. Jones and his "City Slickers" worked bells, whistles, pistol shots and other noises into their act. They're probably best known for their chart-topping 1948 hit, "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth."
In 1967, Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu in a lavish ceremony at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. Priscilla was the teenaged daughter of a U.S. Army officer whom Elvis had met in Germany. She had lived at Presley's Graceland Mansion since 1961, ostensibly under the supervision of Presley's father and stepmother. On Feb. 1, 1968, their only child, Lisa Marie, was born. The couple separated in 1972 and Elvis filed for divorce the following year.
In 1969, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash taped a special for ABC-TV at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
In 1970, Elton John released his first North American album, a self-titled effort. From it came the hit single "Your Song."
In 1973, "Bachman-Turner Overdrive" released its first album.
In 1977, "The Clash" began their first British tour with a concert in London. The political punk rockers shared the bill with "The Jam," "The Slits," "The Buzzcocks" and "The Subway Sect" in what was billed as the "White Riot Tour."
In 1979, Elton John became the first pop music star to perform in Israel.
In 1980, Loretta Lynn was chosen Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music.
In 1982, Stiv and Anastasia Bators were married in a white magic ceremony with a high priest and priestess and 13 witnesses dressed in black. Bators, lead singer of the punk rock band "The Dead Boys," said everybody then went back to his London flat and got drunk.
In 1984, Mick Fleetwood of "Fleetwood Mac" filed for bankruptcy.
In 1984, composer, arranger and conductor Gordon Jenkins, the man responsible for bringing the ground-breaking folk group "The Weavers" to a mass audience, died at age 73.
In 1988, Billy Joel escaped punishment for defamation charges brought against him by Jack Powers, whom he had called a "creep" during an interview with "Playboy." The judge cited the First Amendment and dropped all charges.
In 1989, police were called to a jewelry store in Simi Valley, Calif., after employees reported a suspicious person. He turned out to be Michael Jackson, who had donned a wig, fake moustache, false teeth and eyelashes to go shopping. Officers had him remove his disguise and show his identification.
In 1990, tenor Sergio Franchi died at his Connecticut home of cancer at age 57. He was best known for his frequent appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and in Las Vegas clubs.
In 1991, The Nashville Network and Country Music Television banned the video for Garth Brooks's "The Thunder Rolls." The video depicted adultery, domestic violence and murder. Brooks refused to add a spoken message explaining the violent content.
In 1994, rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg made his TV debut, playing himself on the sit-com "Martin."
In 1998, singer Celine Dion was inducted into the Order of Canada within 24 hours of receiving a similar honour from the government of Quebec.
In 2003, "Metallica" filmed the video for "St. Anger" at San Quentin State Prison in California.
In 2009, a Guinness record for largest guitar ensemble was set at the Thanks Jimi Festival in Wroclaw, Poland, when 6,346 guitars players took part.
In 2010, Canadian jazz musician Rob McConnell, who led Toronto's jazz popular "Boss Brass" orchestra during his lauded career, died of cancer. He was 75. He won five Juno Awards and three Grammy Awards, was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1998, and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in '97.
In 2011, rap-rocker Kid Rock accepted the Detroit NAACP Great Expectations Award at the branch's annual fundraising dinner, despite the protest of his use of the Confederate flag during on-stage performances.
In 2012, guitarist Charles (Skip) Pitts, the man who came up with the wah-wah sound for Isaac Hayes' "Theme from Shaft," died in Memphis of cancer at age 65. He also played guitar on "It's Your Thing" by "The Isley Brothers." He learned how to play as a kid in Washington from his neighbour, Bo Diddley.
In 2013, Chris (Mac Daddy) Kelly, half of the 1990s backward clothes-wearing kid rap duo "Kris Kross" who made one of the decade's most memorable songs with the frenetic "Jump," died of a drug overdose. He was 34.
In 2013, Tim Bachman, who co-founded the iconic Canadian rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, was found not guilty of sex charges brought by a woman who says he abused her when she was a pre-teen foster child in his home.
In 2020, pioneering drummer Tony Allen, considered the driver of the Afrobeat sound that featured prominent guitars, complex brass harmonies and polyrhythmic drumming, died in Paris at the age of 79. Allen got his start in Lagos, Nigeria, in the 1960s and had an influential career that spanned decades and continents. He worked closely with fellow Nigerian musician Fela Kuti throughout the 1970s to popularize Afrobeat music. Kuti once said "without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat."
In 2023, legendary Canadian folk singer and songwriter Gordon Lightfoot died of natural causes at Toronto's Sunnybrook Hospital at the age of 84.
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The Canadian Press