Today in Music History for Sept. 22:
In 1929, Canadian composer and conductor Serge Garant was born in Quebec City. He died in 1986.
In 1958, "To Know Him is to Love Him" by "The Teddy Bears" entered the Billboard Hot 100. The song, written by band member Phil Spector, went to No. 1.
In 1960, rock singer Joan Jett was born in Philadelphia. At the age of 15, she became part of producer Kim Fowley's all-female hard rock group, "The Runaways." When that band broke up at the end of 1978, Jett moved to England, where she put together a solo LP. The album was issued immediately in Europe, but was rejected by more than 20 U.S. companies before being released by Boardwalk Records in early 1981. Jett and her band, "The Blackhearts," gained stardom with their second LP, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll." The title song reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart in early 1982. She made her dramatic acting debut in the 1987 film "Light of Day." Joan Jett and The Blackhearts were inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.
In 1962, Bob Dylan played New York's Carnegie Hall for the first time.
In 1964, the musical "Fiddler on the Roof," starring Zero Mostel, opened at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway. The show ran for 3,242 performances -- until July 3, 1972 -- a record at the time for a musical in the U.S.
In 1965, Grace Slick's "The Great Society" made its debut in North Beach, Calif. The group recorded two LPs but they weren't released until after Slick became a star with the "Jefferson Airplane" in 1967.
In 1965, singer Roger Daltrey beat up drummer Keith Moon while "The Who" were in Copenhagen to open a Scandinavian tour. Daltrey was almost thrown out of the group as a result of the incident.
In 1973, the arts centre Hamilton Place opened in downtown Hamilton. It's the city's main performance centre, and has two concert halls and rehearsal facilities.
In 1980, John Lennon and Yoko Ono signed with Geffen Records. Their album "Double Fantasy" was released in November, less than a month before Lennon's death.
In 1983, "The Everly Brothers" performed together for the first time since their on-stage breakup 10 years earlier at Knott's Berry Farm in Los Angeles. Phil had smashed his guitar on the stage and stalked off, leaving Don alone in front of the audience.
In 1985, the first Farm Aid concert, organized by country star Willie Nelson, was held in Champaign, Ill. Besides Nelson, performers included "Alabama," "The Beach Boys," "Bon Jovi," Glen Campbell, Bob Dylan and Neil Young. The event raised about $9 million to help U.S. farmers.
In 1989, Irving Berlin, one of America's greatest songwriters, died in New York at the age of 101. He wrote "White Christmas," "God Bless America," "There's No Business Like Show Business" and so many other classics over a 60-year career that violinist Isaac Stern once said "American music was born at his piano." In Hollywood, Berlin did the scores of such films as "Top Hat," starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, "Holiday Inn," with Astaire and Bing Crosby, and "There's No Business Like Show Business," with Ethel Merman.
In 1994, Leonard Feather, probably the most famous jazz critic and writer in the world, died in Los Angeles at age 80. He is best known for his "Encyclopedia of Jazz," first published in 1960, and had spent his final months working on an updated edition. Feather was also a composer and producer.
In 1994, the Maryland-based Chevy Chase Savings Bank issued credit cards bearing the lips-and-tongue logo of "The Rolling Stones." Users were promised discounts at participating music stores and reduced prices on "Stones" merchandise.
In 1996, the Nation of Islam gathered members of the hip-hop community for a rally to promote peace amongst gangsta rappers. The rally, which attracted 600 people, came nine days after the death of rapper Tupac Shakur, who was gunned down while riding in a car in Las Vegas. Among the musicians at the gathering were Afrika Bambaata, Doug E. Fresh and Grandmaster Flash.
In 1998, the U.S. cable channel HBO placed an ad in the entertainment industry newspaper "Daily Variety" congratulating Garth Brooks on winning a second consecutive "Entertainer of the Year" award from the Country Music Association. The awards, the winners of which are supposed to be secret, weren’t presented until the following night. The CMA denied any results were leaked and said HBO didn’t realize Brooks was only a nominee and not a winner when it purchased the ad.
In 1999, singer Diana Ross was arrested and subjected to a full body search while trying to board a plane in London's Heathrow Airport. A security guard had accused her of assault, but no charges were filed.
In 1999, Canadian Shania Twain won Best Entertainer while the "Dixie Chicks" picked up three trophies, including Best Vocal Group, at the Country Music Association Awards.
In 2001, violinist Isaac Stern, one of the great instrumentalists of the 20th century, died in New York at age 81. He was also credited with advancing the careers of a new generation of instrumentalists -- including Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman and Yo-Yo Ma. Stern also led a successful campaign in the late 1950's to save New York’s Carnegie Hall from destruction.
In 2009, Lucy Vodden, who provided the inspiration for "The Beatles" classic song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," died in a London hospital after a long battle with lupus. She was 46. Vodden was friends with John Lennon’s son Julian, who came home from school when he was four with a picture he drew. He told his dad it was Lucy in the sky with diamonds and that’s what inspired the song. Rock music critics thought the song’s title was a veiled reference to LSD.
In 2009, Dan Fogelberg's posthumous CD "Love in Time" was released. The songs were released digitally on Aug. 13 on what would have been his 58th birthday. When he knew he was dying from prostate cancer, he made a final CD, put it in a safe deposit box and asked his wife to release it after his death. He finished the CD in 2006 and died on Dec. 17, 2007.
In 2010, pop singer Eddie Fisher, whose clear voice brought him a devoted following of teenage girls in the early 1950s, died at his home in Berkeley, Calif., of complications from hip surgery. He was 82. He sold millions of records with 32 hit songs including "Thinking of You" and ''Any Time," before marriage scandals involving actress Elizabeth Taylor overshadowed his fame.
In 2010, actor Joaquin Phoenix returned to David Letterman's "Late Show" to apologize for his wacky appearance in 2009 that turned out to be an elaborate piece of performance art for filmmaker friend Casey Affleck's fake documentary, "I'm Still Here," on Phoenix's "career change" to become a rapper.
In 2010, FOX TV announced singer-actress Jennifer Lopez and "Aerosmith" frontman Steven Tyler would join Randy Jackson as "American Idol" judges, after months of turnover and speculation about the future of TV's once top-rated show. Both Tyler and Lopez left the show in 2012. (Lopez returned for the 2014 season an its final season in 2015).
In 2011, big-voiced R&B diva Vesta Williams, perhaps best-known for her 1980s hits "Don't Blow a Good Thing" and "Congratulations," was found dead of a possible drug overdose in a Southern California hotel room. She was 53.
In 2011, tens of thousands of people crammed into downtown Montreal to throw a giant homecoming party for local band and global success story "Arcade Fire," who capped their world tour with the free concert. Their third album, "The Suburbs," swept album of the year accolades at this year's Grammy, Juno and Brit Awards and also won the Polaris Music Prize.
In 2012, guitar legend Randy Bachman and B.C.-based chanteuse Sarah McLachlan received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. Toronto R&B singer Melanie Fiona received the Allan Slaight Award, given to high-achieving young Canadians.
In 2014, "Animism," by Nunavut-reared throat singer Tanya Tagaq, claimed the $30,000 Polaris Music Prize, given to the best Canadian album of the past year as determined by a group of journalists. She became the first Inuit artist to win the award and beat out higher-profile offerings from the likes of rapper Drake and past winners Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett.
In 2015, a U.S. federal judge ruled that music publisher Warner/Chappell Music didn't own the lyrics to "Happy Birthday To You" and had no right to charge for their use. (In December, Warner/Chappell settled a lawsuit where it agreed to give up its claims to the ubiquitous song and reimburse $14 million to those who paid licensing fees. In June 2016, the judge approved the agreement.)
In 2016, Adele's album "25" reached diamond status (10 million) in the U.S. in less than a year.
In 2020, pop star Shawn Mendes made history at the SOCAN Awards. The Pickering, Ont.-raised singer-songwriter walked away with five trophies, making him the most-awarded creator in a single year.
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The Canadian Press