Today in Music History May 25:
In 1893, Ernest V. "Pop" Stoneman, leader of one of the most famous family groups in country music, was born in Monorat, Va. His 1925 recording of "The Sinking of the Titanic" was one of the biggest selling records of the decade. He died in 1968.
In 1936, country storyteller Tom T. Hall was born in Olive Hill, Ky. His songs, such as "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" and "Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine" are filled with colourful characters and situations. Hall is also the composer of "Harper Valley PTA," which became a million-seller for Jeannie C. Riley in 1968.
In 1965, blues singer and harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson died of tuberculosis in Helena, Ark., at age 65. He was the author of such blues standards as "One Way Out," recorded by "The Allman Brothers Band," and "Eyesight to the Blind," used by "The Who" as part of their rock opera "Tommy." Williamson made a number of blues records in the 1950s for Chess Records in Chicago. In the following decade, he made several tours of Britain and recorded with "The Animals" and "The Yardbirds."
In 1965, Dave Davies of "The Kinks" knocked himself unconscious when he fell into Mick Avory's cymbal during a London concert. The band was forced to cancel the rest of a British tour.
In 1968, the second Monterrey Pop Festival in California was cancelled due to public pressure. Later, $52,000 and the festival's accountant were both reported missing.
In 1970, Elton John made his U.S. debut at the Troubador in Los Angeles.
In 1973, Carole King's "Sunset Concert" in New York City's Central Park attracted as many 100,000 people -- at the time, the largest crowd ever to gather there to hear music.
In 1978, "The Who" filmed concert sequences for its documentary, "The Kids Are Alright."
In 1981, blues shouter Roy Brown died in Los Angeles of a heart attack. He was 55. In 1947, Brown wrote and recorded "Good Rocking Tonight," which became a R&B hit the following year. Elvis Presley recorded the song in 1954 and also had a hit with it. Such blues singers as B.B. King and Bobby "Blue" Bland have cited Roy Brown as a major influence.
In 1986, folk singer Pete Seeger dedicated a free concert in Vancouver's Stanley Park to Olaf Solheim, who died after being evicted from a downtown hotel. Solheim had lived in the Patricia Hotel on and off for 60 years, but he was kicked out when it was renovated for Expo '86 visitors.
In 1990, writer and producer Gary Usher, who helped define the California surfing sound in the 1960s, died in Los Angeles of cancer. He was 51. Usher produced records by "The Beach Boys," "The Surfaris" and "The Hondells" among others. He also co-wrote numerous songs with Brian Wilson, including "The Beach Boys" hits "409" and "In My Room."
In 1991, 86-year-old country music legend Wilf Carter completed the Canadian leg of his farewell "Last Roundup Tour" with a concert at the Keystone Centre in Brandon, Man. He died in 1996.
In 1991, country star Randy Travis secretly married his manager, Lib Hatcher, in a civil ceremony in Hawaii. Travis was 32, Hatcher 49. News of the marriage leaked out three weeks later after Travis flashed a ring during a concert in Nashville. The couple had kept their relationship from the public for years, fearing how fans might react to their age difference. The couple finally owned up after tabloid accusations that Travis was gay. They divorced in 2010.
In 1992, saxophonist Branford Marsalis made his debut as bandleader on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno.
In 1992, the road manager for "Boyz II Men," Roderick Rountree, was shot and killed and his assistant wounded during a confrontation at a Chicago hotel.
In 1994, a German appeals court ordered rock band "Run-Over Schoolchildren" to pay tennis player Steffi Graf about $35,000. The German group's song, "I Wanna Make Love With Steffi Graf," suggested she had an incestuous relationship with her father.
In 1995, country singer Dick Curless died of cancer in Augusta, Me. He was 63. Curless, who wore a patch over his right eye, was best known for the trucker anthem "A Tombstone Every Mile," which made the top-five on the Billboard country chart in 1965.
In 1995, an early recording of teenagers Mick Jagger and Keith Richards pounding out Chuck Berry riffs in a friend's living room sold for US$80,000 at a London auction. A suede jacket worn by John Lennon for the cover photo of "The Beatles'" "Rubber Soul" album brought US$32,000.
In 1996, Bradley Nowell, lead singer of "Sublime," died of a heroin overdose in a San Francisco motel room. He and the group's drummer, Floyd (Bud) Gaugh, had been doing drugs, and Gaugh awoke to find his bandmate dead. Nowell was 28.
In 1997, Bob Dylan was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital after experiencing chest pains. He was released a week later after being treated for pericarditis, an inflammation of the sac that surrounds the heart. The condition was caused by a lung infection. Dylan was forced to cancel a European tour.
In 1999, "KISS" guitarist Paul Stanley began a 10-week stint as the title character in the Toronto production of "The Phantom of the Opera."
In 2005, guitarist Domenic Troiano died after a 10-year battle with cancer. He was 59. He catapulted to the top of the Canadian music scene in the 1960s, his impressive skill with the guitar landing him integral roles with bands such as "The Mandala," "Bush," "The James Gang" and "The Guess Who." It was dedication to his craft that earned him a spot in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and inspired many of Canada's musicians.
In 2005, Carrie Underwood beat out Bo Bice to win the fourth season of "American Idol."
In 2010, lead "Pussycat Doll" Nicole Scherzinger and her pro partner Derek Hough won "Dancing With the Stars." Scherzinger and Hough dominated throughout the 10th season of the hit ABC show.
In 2010, country music's greatest pickers - Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, Steve Wariner and Ricky Skaggs - kicked off the Grand Ole Opry's month-long 85th birthday celebration with an all-star jam. The night took on added significance as Opry officials decided to turn it into a benefit for the Tennessee flood relief. The show was at Ryman Auditorium, a former Opry home, after flood waters damaged the Opry House, plunging the stage under a metre-and-a-half of water and damaging priceless country music artifacts and archives.
In 2010, singer Christina Aguilera postponed her North American 20-city summer tour until 2011, citing lack of time to properly rehearse the show. Her new album, "Bionic," was due out June 8th and her debut film, "Burlesque," was due in November. (Both projects received mixed reviews)
In 2010, at an emotional news conference, the eight remaining members of the metal band "Slipknot" made a rare appearance together without their masks to pay tribute to bassist Paul Gray, who was found dead the previous day in a Des Moines hotel room.
In 2011, "The Dark Side of the Moon" by "Pink Floyd" spent its 1,000th week on Billboard's Top Catalog Albums charts. (Since its debut in 1973, the album had spent over 2,100 weeks cumulatively on the Billboard 200 Album and Top Catalog Albums charts.)
In 2011, 17-year-old Scotty McCreery won the "American Idol" battle of fresh-faced country crooners, pulling more of the record 122 million-plus viewer votes than 16-year-old competitor Lauren Alaina, in the youngest finale in the show's history.
In 2013, Marshall Lytle, the original bass player for Bill Haley & His Comets, died in New Port Richey, Florida. He was 79.
In 2014, former Journey lead singer Steve Perry performed live for the first time in nearly two decades, at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minn. The reclusive singer teamed with alternative-rockers the Eels during their second encore which included two Journey songs: "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" and "Open Arms."
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The Canadian Press
