Today in Music History for June 5:
In 1926, singer Bill Hayes was born in Harvey, Ill. He had a No. 1 hit in 1955 with "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," outselling a version by Fess Parker, star of the Disney movie. Coonskin hats were big that year.
In 1956, Elvis Presley made his second appearance on "The Milton Berle Show." His hip-twitching gyrations during his performance of "Hound Dog" provoked howls of outrage. When Presley later appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show," he was shown only from the waist up.
In 1959, Canada's longest running radio program, "The Happy Gang," was heard for the last time. "The Happy Gang" musical troupe began its weekday lunchtime broadcasts on the CBC in 1937.
In 1960, Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry" entered the pop charts, eventually making it to No. 1. The flip side, "That's All You Gotta Do," was also a sizeable hit.
In 1964, David Bowie, under his real surname Jones, released his first record, "Liza Jane." It was not a hit.
In 1967, John Sullivan, a.k.a. Lonzo of the "Lonzo and Oscar" country comedy team, died in Nashville at age 49. Their biggest hit was 1948's "I'm My Own Grandpa." The duo played the Grand Ole Opry for years, dishing out cornball gags years before "Hee Haw" was even dreamed of.
In 1971, tickets went on sale for a "Grand Funk Railroad" concert at Shea Stadium in New York. All were sold within 72 hours, and the concert grossed more than $300,000. That was about $2,000 more than "The Beatles" 1965 Shea concert.
In 1974, Patti Smith recorded her version of "Hey Joe," her first recorded work.
In 1974, Sly Stone married Kathy Silva on stage during a "Sly and the Family Stone" concert at Madison Square Garden in New York.
In 1975, "The Rolling Stones" became the first artists to receive record royalties from the Soviet Union when copyright laws there were changed.
In 1977, "Sleepy" John Estes, among the last of the first-generation bluesmen, died of a stroke while preparing for a European tour. He was 74. Estes began playing guitar and singing in the early '20s, but remained an obscure performer until the late '50s. Estes made several albums and performed at festivals in North America and Europe in the 1960s and '70s, providing an important link between early black music and modern rock.
In 1977, Alice Cooper's pet boa constrictor was fatally bitten by a rat it was being fed for breakfast. Cooper held a public audition a week later in Los Angeles to find a replacement for the snake, which was featured in his act.
In 1979, bluesman Muddy Waters, 64, married 25-year-old Marva Jean Brooks.
In 1983, "U2" performed a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado. The concert was recorded and released as an EP and a video cassette, both called "Under A Blood Red Sky." Footage was also used in the "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" video.
In 1987, Canadian rock star Bryan Adams joined Ringo Starr and George Harrison on stage at London's Wembley Arena to close the second annual Prince's Trust rock gala. They joined with Elton John, Boy George, Eric Clapton and Ben E. King in a rendition of King's "Stand By Me." Prince Charles set up the Prince's Trust fund in 1976 to help young people who are socially, economically or physically handicapped.
In 1993, country superstar Conway Twitty died in a Springfield, Mo., hospital at age 59. Twitty was returning home to Tennessee from a concert in Branson, Mo., when he collapsed on his tour bus. He died of complications after surgery for a ruptured blood vessel in his stomach. Twitty, whose real name was Harold Lloyd Jenkins, began in the late '50s as a pop songwriter and performer, scoring a No. 1 hit in 1958 with "It's Only Make Believe." After a dozen or so pop hits, including "Danny Boy" and "Lonely Blue Boy," Twitty ignored the advice of practically everyone in the business by switching to country music. That shrewd decision led to more than 30, No. 1 country hits over the next two decades, including "Hello Darlin'," "Tight-Fittin' Jeans" and "Linda On My Mind."
In 1993, singer Mariah Carey married her boss, Sony Music president Tommy Mottola, at a Manhattan church. They divorced in 1998.
In 1993, a protest in New York City against explicit rap lyrics sort of ran out of steam. Reverend Calvin Butts rented a small steamroller to drive over some offensive CDs and tapes in front of his Harlem church. But he abandoned his plan after crushing only a few cassettes when some counter-demonstrators stood in front of the pile of rap music.
In 1997, "Oasis" songwriter Noel Gallagher married girlfriend Meg Matthews in a private ceremony in Las Vegas. The couple had previously called off wedding plans in London after being besieged by the media. They divorced in 2001.
In 1998, thousands of Gloria Estefan fans danced in the streets of Miami Beach in a huge block party celebrating the release of her album "Gloria." Estefan spent most of the evening at a nearby private party, but did show up to sing a few lines of her hit "Heaven's What I Feel."
In 1999, jazz singer and songwriter Mel Torme died at age 73 in Los Angeles. His warm, smooth vocal delivery made him a hero to fellow jazz and pop singers and earned him the nickname "The Velvet Fog." Torme, who had suffered a stroke in August 1996, died of complications from that stroke. Torme was an avid Bing Crosby fan throughout his life and recorded two songs with him, "Day by Day" and "Prove It By the Things You Do," in 1945. Crosby recorded Torme's most famous composition, "A Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire ...)" in 1947. Torme's last book, "My Singing Teachers," devoted a chapter to Crosby. One of his last albums was dedicated to songs made famous by Crosby.
In 2002, guitarist Dee Dee Ramone of the "Ramones" was found dead at his home in Los Angeles. He was 50.
In 2002, singer R. Kelly was arrested in central Florida on 21 counts of child pornography, stemming from a video allegedly showing Kelly having sex with an underage girl. It was later reduced to 14 charges of videotaping himself having sex with an underage girl. He was acquitted of the charges on June 13, 2008.
In 2004, Jennifer Lopez married Marc Anthony at her home in Beverly Hills, Calif. Anthony filed for divorce in 2012.
In 2009, "Babyshambles" lead singer Pete Doherty was fined by Geneva police for heroin consumption during a flight from London. He was discovered by an air hostess collapsed in a toilet, with a used syringe nearby.
In 2010, Grammy-winning Canadian producer and artist Daniel Lanois suffered a fractured collarbone, pelvis and six broken ribs in a motorcycle accident in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles.
In 2013, country music power couple Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton won both male and female video of the year at the CMT Music Awards for "Mama's Broken Heart" and "Sure Be Cool If You Did" respectively. (They have since divorced.)
In 2013, the U.S. Postal Service issued the "Johnny Cash Forever" commemorative stamp, timed to coincide with the grand opening of the new Johnny Cash Museum in downtown Nashville. A concert was held in honour of the country music legend at the Ryman Auditorium featuring several Cash family members, along with Randy Travis, Larry Gatlin and The Oak Ridge Boys.
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The Canadian Press