ON THIS DAY in 1902

band leader Guy Lombardo, whose orchestra played ”The Sweetest Music This Side of Heaven,” was born in London, Ontario.

Lombardo’s Royal Canadians were the most popular dance band in North America in terms of record sales — more than 300-million during the orchestra’s 50-year career. Among Lombardo’s million-sellers were ”Humoresque” in 1946, ”Easter Parade” in 1947 and the ”Third Man Theme” in 1950. Lombardo went to Cleveland in 1923 with a group of London-area musicians, including his brothers Carmen and Lebert. By the following year, the band was being billed as the Royal Canadians. Lombardo’s New Year’s Eve radio and T-V broadcasts from New York City were a traditional part of holiday celebrations from 1929 to ’62. The Royal Canadians were known especially for their version of ”Auld Lang Syne,” which was the band’s theme song. Guy Lombardo died November 5th, 1977.

In 1905, actress Mildred Natwick was born in Baltimore Maryland.  The perpetual supporting actress stepped into a leading role when she co-starred with Helen Hayes in the TV movie & subsequent series The Snoop Sisters. She played Aunt March in TV’s Little Women, was guest star 11 times on TV’s Suspense, and 4 times each on Studio One & Kraft Television Theatre.  She died of cancer Oct. 25 1994 at age 89.

In 1912, actor/narrator Martin Gabel was born in Philadelphia.  His signature work was on May 8, 1945 as narrator on the CBS radio broadcast of Norman Corwin’s epic poem On a Note of Triumph, a commemoration of the fall of the Nazi regime in Germany and the end of WW II in Europe. The broadcast was so popular that the CBS, NBC, Blue and Mutual networks aired a second live production five days later.  He was the most frequent guest on TV’s Sunday night fixture What’s My Line, because he was married to regular panelist Arlene Francis. He died after a heart attack May 22 1986 at age 73.

In 1914, bluegrass musician Lester Flatt (below) was born in Overton County, Tennessee. Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys were one of the most popular country music acts of the ’50s and ’60s. They were largely responsible for making bluegrass music popular outside the rural South. Their biggest hits were “The Ballad of Jed Clampett,” from the “Beverly Hillbillies” T-V show, and “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” which was used in the soundtrack of “Bonnie and Clyde.” Flatt and Scruggs parted company 10 years before Flatt’s death on May 11th, 1979.

In 1926, harmonica player DeFord Bailey, the most important black performer in country music before Charley Pride, made his Grand Ole Opry debut. His lively adaptations of old songs made him one of the most popular Opry performers until 1941. That’s when he was dismissed, according to Opry founder George D. Hay, for refusing to learn new material.

In 1934, the 73rd U.S. Congress created the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with the aim of regulating radio, and later, TV.

In 1946, the Gillette Razor Company became the first company to be a TV Network sponsor. They sponsored the second Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn heavyweight boxing match, with Don Dunphy (above) on the blow-by-blow.   Louis won via an 8th round KO.

In 1947, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was “Peg O’ My Heart,” by The Harmonicats.

In 1952, “I’ve Got A Secret” debuted on CBS Television with Garry Moore as host for the first twelve years.

After months of panellist tryouts, by 1953 the show settled in with regulars Bill Cullen, Faye Emerson, Henry Morgan, and Jayne Meadows.

In 1956, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis went their separate ways after a decade-long partnership on radio and TV, and in nightclubs and 16 feature films.

In 1958, teen heartthrob Ricky Nelson was the star of two shows at the PNE Exhibition Gardens in Vancouver.  He sang the rising hit ‘Poor Little Fool’ and other songs from his just-released self-titled album.

Also in 1958, Buddy Holly was rushed into the Pythian Temple studios in New York City to cover both sides of Bobby Darin’s “Early In the Morning”and “Now We’re One”, after Bobby’s Brunswick single (credited to the Ding Dongs) had to be withdrawn, as Darin was legally contracted to the Atco label. These were Holly’s first tracks without The Crickets.

In 1960, Loretta Lynn‘s first single, “I’m a Honky-Tonk Girl,” made the country charts. It was recorded on a small record label called Zero, and neither the label nor Lynn had enough money to promote the record. So Loretta and her husband mailed out copies to disc jockeys by hand. The record began getting plays and eventually made the country top 10.

Also in 1960, at the height of the folk music boom, the Kingston Trio debuted their own weekday show on CBS Radio.

In 1961, Pat Boone went to No.1 on the Billboard singles chart with ‘Moody River.’

Also in 1961, Bobby Darin was in studios in Los Angeles to record “Things” and “You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby.”

In 1962, Nat “King” Cole recorded the country-flavored Top Five hit “Ramblin’ Rose” which would soon sell a million copies.

In 1965, “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” by The Four Tops topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.

In 1966, comedian Ed Wynn, star of his own pioneering shows on radio & early TV, died of throat cancer at age 79.

Also in 1966, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was “Paperback Writer,” by The Beatles.

In 1967, during a TV interview with the BBC Paul McCartney admitted that he had experimented four times with the hallucinogenic drug LSD.

In 1969, The Doors played a concert at the PNE Garden Auditorium in Vancouver.

In 1971, Carole King reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “It’s Too Late” which stayed #1 for five weeks. It was one of four hit singles from the album “Tapestry,” which stayed on the L-P chart for 302 weeks and sold more than 13-million copies.

In 1973, the stage production of “The Rocky Horror Show” opened in London. It later played in Los Angeles and New York. Tim Curry reprised his starring role in the 1975 movie version, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which developed into a cult phenomenon. Fans, dressed up as their favourite characters from the film, continued to show up at midnight screenings for a decade.

Also in 1973, Roberta Flack hosted her ABC-TV musical special, “Roberta Flack… The First Time Ever,” with the Blossoms and Seals & Crofts as guests.

Still in 1973, the Edgar Winter Group‘s rock instrumental “Frankenstein” was certified to be a Gold Record.

In 1976, Blue Oyster Cult released the album, “Agents of Fortune.”

Also in 1976, Wild Cherry released “Play That Funky Music.”

Still in 1976, the UK’s Bay City Rollers opened their first tour of North America with a show in Atlantic City.

In 1978, The Rolling Stones played the Palladium in New York City during their summer tour of North America.

In 1980, disco queen Donna Summer was the first act signed by David Geffen to his new Geffen Records label.

In 1982, “Don’t You Want Me” by Human League topped the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks.

In 1983, BC Place Stadium, boasting what was then the world’s largest air-supported roof, officially opened in Vancouver.

In 1988, more than three-thousand East German young people gathered by the Berlin Wall to hear Michael Jackson thrill crowds at a West Berlin concert on the other side of the fortified border. Security police dragged off at least three men from the crowd and forced two West German T-V crews away from the scene. Canada’s Bryan Adams and Britain’s Big Countrywere the headliners at a competing concert in East Berlin’s suburbs. Billed as a concert “for nuclear-free zones,” it attracted about 100-thousand people.

Also in 1988, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was “Foolish Beat,” by Debbie Gibson.

In 1990, the artist presently known as Prince played the first of 12 sold-out nights at Wembley Arena in London,  on his so-called Nude European tour.

In 1991, actress Jean Arthur, who capped an extensive big screen career with TV’s The Jean Arthur Show (1966), died of heart failure at age 90.

In 1997, singer Bobby Helms, whose 1957 recording of “Jingle Bell Rock” became a Christmas standard, died of emphysema at his home in Martinsville, Indiana. He was 63. Helms other big hits in the 1950s were “Fraulein” and “My Special Angel.”

In 1998, the second Lilith Fair tour organized by Sarah McLachlan and featuring all-female entertainment, opened with a soldout show in Portland, Oregon.

Also in 1998, Loretta Lynn made a special appearance on the Friday Night Opry, opening with her first No. 1 country hit, “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’,” from 1966, and followed with “We’ve Come a Long Way Baby” from 1978. To round out her night, Lynn performed “How Great Thou Art” without accompaniment, for which she received a standing ovation and finished with her signature tune “The Coal Miner’s Daughter.”

Still in 1998, 28-year-old Rick Schroder signed on with ABC’s NYPD Blue as Detective Danny Sorenson. Young Schroder/Sorenson stepped into the opening created by the painful death of Detective Bobby Simone {Jimmy Smits).

In 2000, rapper Eminem was to be immortalised in animation, with a new cartoon series, which would be hosted on a new web site. 26 weekly ‘webisodes’ would be broadcast on the site, featuring Eminem providing all the voices.

In 2005, legendary southern DJ, Mason Dixon, was injured in an auto accident which practically split his car apart. Dixon suffered a collapsed lung, 2 broken ribs and a ruptured spleen. Dixon has been affiliated with legendary stations including Tampa’s WRBQ-FM, where he was still employed at the time of his accident.

In 2007, Bon Jovi performed on NBC’s Today show as part of the program’s Toyota Concert Series.

Also in 2007, lawyers for Britney Spears demanded a Florida radio station remove “offensive” advertisements, which featured her with a shaved head. The WFLZ billboards included the slogans “Total nut jobs”, “Shock Therapy” and “Certifiable”, which ran across pictures of a bald Spears. Britney had been photographed shaving her own head in a California hair salon earlier in the year.

In 2009, one of the last of the golden throated announcers of radio’s golden era, Ken Roberts died at age 99.  His career continued in TV as the longtime announcer for daytime dramas The Secret Storm and Love of Life, each for a two-decade span. In 1935 he had founded the broadcast performers’ union now known as AFTRA.

Also in 2009, some nine years after his early death at age 54, singer William ‘Oliver’ Swofford (Good Morning Starshine, Jean) was honored as the ‘OliverFest’ opened in his hometown of North Wilksboro, North Carolina.

In 2010, Green Day performed at London’s Wembley Stadium before an estimated audience of 80,000.

In 2011, actor Don Diamond, who started in network radio in such shows as Gunsmoke and Escape, and who had featured roles in TV’s F Troop, the Adventures of Kit Carson, and Zorro, suffered heart failure and died at age 90.

In 2012, actor Richard Lynch, who for 40 years made a career out of playing villains all over the big screen and the TV schedule in shows such as Battlestar Gallactica, Star Trek: Next Generation, and Hunter, was found dead in his home after a heart attack at age 72.

In 2013, actor James Galdolfini, forever memorable as star of the cable-TV series, The Sopranos, suffered a fatal heart attack while filming in Italy at age 51.

Also in 2013, yodelling country music singer Slim Whitman, one of Michael Jackson’s favorite vocalists, died of heart failure at age 90.  His recordings of Rose Marie, Indian Love Call, I Remember You and others, using his smooth high three octave range falsetto, were even more popular in Great Britain than they were in North America.

Still in 2013, the Rolling Stones released their entire catalog on iTunes as part of the band’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Again in 2013, Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses/Velvet Revolver) was named Seattle Central Community College’s Distinguished Alumni Of The Year during its commencement ceremonies. A high school drop-out, McKagan enrolled at Seattle Central before attending Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics.

Today’s Birthdays:

Actor Louis Jourdan (Paris Precinct, Beverly Hills Madam) is 93.

Actress Gena Rowlands (The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie, The Way of the World, Top Secret) is 84.

Actress Marisa Pavan (Ryan’s Hope, 77 Sunset Strip) is 82.

Singer/guitarist Tommy DeVito (The 4 Seasons) is 78.

R&B singer Al Wilson is 75.

Actress Marlene Warfield (Maude) is 74.

Singer Elaine ‘Spanky’ MacFarlane of Spanky and Our Gang is 72.

Voice actress Jennifer Darling (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, New Kids on the Block) is 68.

Actress Phylicia Rashad (Cosby Show, Cosby) is 66.

Singer Ann Wilson of Heart is 64.

Musician Larry Dunn is 61.

Actress Kathleen Turner (Californication, Nip/Tuck, The Doctors) is 60.

Country singer Doug Stone is 58.

Singer Mark DeBarge of DeBarge is 55.

Singer-dancer-choreographer Paula Abdul (American Idol) is 52.

Singer-guitarist Brian Vander Ark of the Verve Pipe is 50.

Actor Andy Lauer (Caroline in the City) is 49.

Actress Mia Sara (Birds of Prey, Tinseltown) is 47.

Former Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch is 44.

Calgary-born actor Alan Van Sprang (Reign, King, Earth: Final Conflict) is 43.

Actress Robin Tunney (The Mentalist, Prison Break) is 42.

Vancouver-born actress Chelah Horsdal (Blackstone, Level Up, The Client List) is 41.

Actor Bumper Robinson (Sabrina the Teenaged Witch, A Different World, Transformers: Animated) is 40.

Actress Poppy Montgomery (Without a Trace) is 39.

Actor Hugh Dancy (Hannibal, The Big C) is 39.

Actor Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy, King & Maxwell) is 38.

Actress Zoe Saldana (Six Degrees) is 36.

Actress Mia Maestro (Alias, Crusoe) is 36.

Vancouver-born actress Lauren Lee Smith (The Listener, CSI, Mutant X) is 34.

Actor Aidan Turner (Being Human, The Clinic) is 31.

Actor Paul Dano (The Sopranos, Too Young to be a Dad) is 30.

Actor Atticus Shaffer (The Middle) is 16.

 Chart Toppers – June 19

1951
Too Young – Nat King Cole
On Top of Old Smokey – The Weavers (vocal: Terry Gilkyson)
Syncopated Clock – The Leroy Anderson Orchestra
I Want to Be with You Always – Lefty Frizzell

1960
Cathy’s Clown – The Everly Brothers
Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool – Connie Francis
Burning Bridges – Jack Scott
Please Help Me, I’m Falling – Hank Locklin

1969
Get Back – The Beatles
Love Theme from Romeo & Juliet – Henry Mancini
In the Ghetto – Elvis Presley
Running Bear – Sonny James

1978
Shadow Dancing – Andy Gibb
Baker Street – Gerry Rafferty
It’s a Heartache – Bonnie Tyler
Two More Bottles of Wine – Emmylou Harris

1987
Always – Atlantic Starr
Head to Toe – Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
In Too Deep – Genesis
Forever and Ever, Amen – Randy Travis

1996
The Crossroads – Bone-thugs-n-harmony
Give Me One Reason – Tracy Chapman
You’re Makin’ Me High/Let It Flow – Toni Braxton
Blue Clear Sky – George Strait

2005
We Belong Together – Mariah Carey
Behind These Hazel Eyes – Kelly Clarkson
Hollaback Girl – Gwen Stefani
Making Memories of Us – Keith Urban

….HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAUL McCARTNEY!!

ON THIS DAY in 1905

bandleader Kay Kyser was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

He brought his novel idea for a musical quiz to Mutual Radio in Feb. 1938, then to NBC Radio on March 30 1938. The show was called Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge and was a great hit. He starred as “The Ol’ Perfessor,” with his catchphrases “That’s right. you’re wrong,”  “Evenin’ folks,” and “Yess-dance! Yess-dance!” “Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge” ran on radio until 1949, then on TV for a year after that.  The band scored more than two dozen top 10 hits, including “Three Little Fishes”, “Jingle, Jangle, Jingle”, “The Old Lamplighter”, “There Goes that Song Again”, “Ole Buttermilk Sky”, “Managua Nicaragua”, “On a Slow Boat to China” & “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition.” One of his singers, Mike Douglas, went on to be a star of daytime TV. Kyser died after a heart attack July 23, 1985 at age 80.

In 1904, actor Keye Luke was born in Canton China but grew up in Seattle.  The almost-accidental portrayer of Asian roles on the big screen, played such parts in four 1972 TV series simultaneously, “Kung Fu,” “Anna and the King,”  “The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan,” and “M*A*S*H”.  He died Jan 12, 1991 at age 86.

In 1908, announcer/host/actor Clayton ‘Bud’ Collyer was born in New York City. He was the voice of Superman on radio & in cartoons, and the long running host of TV game shows Beat the Clock and To Tell the Truth. He also hosted Goodson-Todman’s first game show on radio, Winner Take All.  He died of a circulatory ailment Sep 8, 1969 at age 61.

In 1910, drummer/bandleader Ray McKinley was born in Fort Worth Texas.  He met Glenn Miller in 1929, and played in Miller’s AEF Orchestra during WW II. Later he was asked to lead the Miller Band for Glenn’s estate [1956-66]. He died May 7, 1995 at age 84.

In 1914, actor E.G. (Everett Gunnar) Marshall (below) was born in Owatonna Minnesota. Two of his better known TV roles are those of lawyer, Lawrence Preston on The Defenders in the 1960s, and as neurosurgeon, Dr. David Craig on The Bold Ones: The New Doctors in the 1970s. He also played a doctor on Chicago Hope in the 90’s. He was the original host of the popular nightly radio drama The CBS Radio Mystery Theater, which ran on stations across the U. S. between 1974 and 1982.  He died of lung cancer Aug 24, 1998 at age 84.

In 1915, A-P Carter & Sara Dougherty married in Virginia. Together with Maybelle Addington, who married A-P’s brother, they formed The Carter Family, one of country music’s most influential groups. Their biggest seller was 1928’s “Wildwood Flower.”

In 1939, the CBS radio network debuted The Adventures of Ellery Queen as a 60 minute show for the first six months. The detective drama was cut to a half hour for the following 8 years. An interesting twist came near the end of each program when the action was paused to allow a panel of experts to guess the solution of the night’s mystery.

In 1945, British Radio traitor, William Joyce, a.k.a. Lord Haw-Haw, who aired propaganda for the Nazis in WWII, was charged with treason.

In 1948, Columbia Records publicly unveiled its new long-playing phonograph record, the 33 1/3, in New York City. The LP format could allow up to 23 minutes of music per side versus the three minutes squeezed onto each side of a 78 rpm disc.

In 1956, Nanette Fabray bid audiences farewell in her final appearance on ‘Caesars Hour’ after two years as a regular on the popular NBC TV sketch show.

In 1958, in New York, Connie Francis recorded “Stupid Cupid,” which would be her third single and second Top 20 hit for the MGM label.

Also in 1958, and also in New York City, Jimmie Rodgers recorded his fifth Top 10 single, “Are You Really Mine.”

Still in 1958, in Hollywood, Ritchie Valens taped his first single, “Come On Let’s Go” and “Framed,” for the Del-Fi label.

In 1959, the first telecast received from England was broadcast in the U.S. over NBC-TV.

Also in 1959, Fats Domino recorded his last R&B chart topper “I Want To Walk You Home.”

In 1961, Gunsmoke was broadcast for the last time on CBS radio. The show had been on for nine years, for much of that time aired twice, on Sunday night with a repeat Saturday morning. It was called the first adult Western. The star of radio’s Gunsmoke was William Conrad (seated centre), who would later become a major TV star (Cannon, Jake and the Fatman) as well. When Gunsmoke moved to TV, James Arness had filled Conrad’s boots.

In 1963, RCA Victor released Elvis Presley‘s ‘You’re the Devil in Disguise,’ which would prove to be his last Top Ten single on the R&B charts.

In 1965, British composer-conductor George Melachrino, one of the first to use a mass string orchestra to create mood music, died at age 55. Melachrino made more than 50 L-P’s in the 1950’s, most of them released by RCA in North America.

Also in 1965, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was “I Can’t Help Myself,” by the Four Tops.

In 1966, “River Deep and Mountain High” by Ike & Tina Turner entered the British charts, getting as high as number three. But the record did so poorly in the U-S that the disgusted producer, Phil Spector, temporarily retired from the music business. He did not make another record for three years.

In 1967, the Jimi Hendrix Experience made its US debut on the final evening of the Monterey (Calif.) Pop Festival. Hendrix impressed concertgoers with his guitar artistry, and by setting his instrument ablaze during his set.

Also in 1967, Spanky and Our Gang made their first appearance on CBS-TV’s Ed Sullivan Show, playing their only Top Ten hit ‘Sunday Will Never be the Same,’ and ‘Coney Island Washboard.’  Also performing on the 19th Anniversary episode of the Sunday night showcase were singers Diahann Carroll and Robert Merrill, plus comedians Norm Crosby and Jack Carter.

In 1972, Vancouver radio station CJVB 1470 went on the air as Western Canada’s first multilingual radio station.  Unlike today the format included some 24 different languages with at least 37 hours a week in English.

In 1975, Elvis Presley had a face-lift at Mid South hospital, Memphis. He was 41 at the time.

Also in 1975, the NBC News and Information Service (24 hr news) premiered on US radio.

In 1976, Abba staged a command performance for the King of Sweden and his Queen-to-be on the eve of their Royal Wedding.

Also in 1976, the Birmingham-based Electric Light Orchestra‘s greatest hits collection, “OLE ELO” was certified to be a Gold Record, just as they embarked on their first major tour of the British Isles.

In 1977, Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten was slashed on his face and hands by knife-wielding youths on a London street. They objected to the Pistols’ anti-monarchist song “God Save the Queen.” The next day, another member of the Pistols, Paul Cook, was beaten by a gang armed with iron pipes.

Also in 1977, Fleetwood Mac worked Dreams to the number one spot on the pop music charts this day. It would be the group’s only single to reach number one. Fleetwood Mac placed 18 hits on the charts in the 1970s and 1980s. Nine were top-ten tunes.

In 1980, “The Blues Brothers” movie opened in the U-S and Canada. Among the music stars making cameo appearances were Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin.

Also in 1980, western swing musician Paul Howard died at 71. Howard’s band, the Arkansas Cotton Pickers, was a fixture on the Grand Ole Opry in the 1940s.

In 1984, Vancouver radio station CKNW AM980 launched the Western Information Network. The Anik E satellite was used to distribute news and programming throughout BC.

In 1985, Bryan Adams‘ single Heaven remained #1 on the Billboard charts for a second week.

In 1987, singer Luther Vandross cancelled two soldout shows in Phoenix to protest the Arizona governor’s decision to rescind a holiday honouring slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King.

Also in 1987, a woman sued Motley Crue for $5,000 claiming that she lost her hearing because a concert was too loud.

In 1988, radio station WKBW Buffalo, New York switched to a satelllite oldies format, ending 30 years of Top 40 and oldies.

Also in 1988, Bruce Springsteen was a surprise guest at an anti-racism music festival in Paris. Springsteen appeared alone on stage, playing an acoustic guitar. The concert linked the French capital with New York and Dakar, Senegal for nine hours of music.

Still in 1988, Depeche Mode sold out the 75-thousand-seat Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The concert was chronicled in the D-A Pennebaker film “Depeche Mode 101.”

Again in 1988, “Together Forever” by Rick Astley topped the charts and stayed there for just the one week.

Also on this date in 1988, 500 rowdy youths pelted organizers of an outdoor rock concert near the Berlin Wall with bottles and stones. Two policemen were injured and eight youths arrested. The trouble started after the artists, including Nina Hagen, refused demands for encores.

Still on this date in 1988, Sallie Martin, known as “the mother of gospel music,” died in Chicago at age 92. She teamed up with the Reverend Thomas Dorsey in 1932, and together they performed throughout the U-S South.

In 1991, actress Joan Caulfield, who played on TV the female lead in My Favorite Husband, a role created on radio by Lucille Ball, succumbed to cancer at age 69.

In 1992, Australian singer-dancer-songwriter Peter Allen died in a San Diego-area hospital of an AIDS-related illness. He was 48. Allen wrote such hits for other artists as “I Honestly Love You” for Olivia Newton-John and the Oscar-winning “Arthur’s Theme” for Christopher Cross. But he was also responsible for one of the biggest flops in Broadway history, the 1988 musical “Legs Diamond.”

Also in 1992, violence erupted after Boston police halted a music and comedy show at City Hall Plaza. Sixteen people were hurt and 18 arrested when hundreds of people rampaged through the neighbourhood, smashing windows and vandalizing stores. Police called off the free concert featuring Mr. Big, Meli’sa Morgan and Stacy Earl, fearing the crowd of 20-thousand was getting out of hand.

In 1993, A-and-M Records chairman Jerry Moss (right) and vice-chairman Herb Alpert (left) announced they were leaving the company they had begun in Alpert’s garage some 30 years earlier. In 1990 they had sold A-and-M to Polygram Records for about half a billion dollars.

In 1994, hundreds of fans jammed a downtown Montreal street to see the world premiere of the Peter Gabriel concert film “Secret World” on a giant outdoor screen.

In 1995, Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace) was arrested in Camden, NJ, on robbery and aggravated assault charges.

In 1996, Beck’s fourth full-length album, “Odelay,” was released.

In 1997, midway through their PopMart tour U2 played the first of two nights at the Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland California, with Oasis as the opening act.

Also in 1997, Country Music Association entertainers of the year Brooks & Dunn played a special show for their fan club at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. In keeping with tradition, both Brooks and Dunn stayed around to meet and sign autographs for all 2,000-plus who turned out for the annual gathering. The pair began signing at 9 p.m. and didn’t wrap things up until 5 the following morning.

In 1998, Heart featuring Ann Wilson embarked on a U.S. tour in Chicago. Other stops included Detroit and Los Angeles.

In 2000, actress Nancy Marchand, who played Tony’s mother on TV’s Sopranos, and Lou’s publisher-boss on Lou Grant, died of emphysema & lung cancer at age 71.

Also in 2000, we first learned that sales of pirate music CDs had now exceeded more than 500 million a year and accounted for one in every five sold. The record Industry estimated it was costing artists and their labels $5.1 billion in lost sales.

In 2002, Hall Of Fame baseball broadcaster Jack Buck succumbed to cancer at age 77.  He’d done baseball play-by-play for the St. Louis Cardinals for 48 years, for 16 years was the radio voice of NFL’s Monday Night Football, and broadcast several World Series & All Star Games.

In 2003, American Idol creator Simon Fuller became the first British music manager since The Beatles’ Brian Epstein to hold the top three positions in the US singles chart. Fuller, who steered the Spice Girls and S Club 7 to success, was in charge of bestselling artists Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard, together with the American Idol 2 Final 10. During 2003 Fuller sold more than ten million records around the world.

In 2004, the funeral for Ray Charles was held in Los Angeles at the First AME Church, featuring performances by Stevie Wonder, Glen Campbell, B.B. King, Wynton Marsalis, and Willie Nelson. Among the 1200 non-performing attendees were Little Richard, Clint Eastwood, Cicely Tyson and Berry Gordy, Jr.

Also in 2004, David Bowie was hit in the eye with a lollipop thrown onto the stage while he was performing in Oslo, Norway. He was not seriously hurt.

In 2006, Dan Rather‘s final CBS News report was aired on “CBS Sunday Morning.”

In 2007, singer & producer Hank Medress died of lung cancer at age 68. His vocals with The Tokens propelled “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” to the top of the charts in 1961, and he produced the hit single ‘He’s So Fine’ by The Chiffons, as well as Tony Orlando’s ‘Knock Three Times.’

In 2008, a Los Angeles hotel filed a lawsuit against Phil Spector for failing to pay more than $100,000 in outstanding bills for lawyers and expert witnesses in his murder trial. The Westin Bonaventure Hotel claimed that by the time Spector’s trial ended in a hung jury, his unpaid tab at the hotel totalled more than $104,000.

In 2009, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Bon Jovi’s Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In 2010, at a Sotheby’s auction in New York John Lennon‘s handwritten lyrics to the Beatles song “A Day In The Life” sold for $1.2 million, about half-a-million more than predicted. The auctioneer dubbed the closing track from’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” as “the revolutionary song that marked the Beatles’ transformation from pop icons to artists.”

In 2011, legendary rock saxophone virtuoso Clarence Clemons, a key member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band for nearly 40 years, died from complications following a stroke he’d suffered six days earlier, at age 69.

In 2012, on his 70th birthday, PETA sent a birthday card to Paul McCartney thanking him for his help in raising awareness for ethical animal treatment. The card had people dressed as animals in a parody of the famous Beatles “Abby Road” album cover.

In 2013, a tribute concert to Joni Mitchell at Toronto’s Massey Hall featuring Rufus Wainwright, Kathleen Robertson and others, was surprised by a previously retired Mitchell singing three of her own songs, rather than just reciting a new poem which was all that she had promised.  For the previous 5 years the now 70-year old Mitchell had insisted she was unable to sing anymore.

Today’s Birthdays:

Singer Tommy Hunt of the Doo-Wop group the Flamingos is 81.

Musician Paul McCartney is 72.

Actress Constance McCashin (Knots Landing, Brooklyn Bridge) is 67.

Toronto-born actress Linda Thorson (The Avengers, One Life to Live, Marblehead Manor) is 67.

Singer Sandy Posey (Born A Woman, Single Girl) is 67.

Keyboardist John Evans of The Box Tops is 66.

Actress Isabella Rossellini (Alias, Tracey Ullman Show) is 62.

Actress Carol Kane (Taxi, Brooklyn Bridge, All is Forgiven, Beggars & Choosers) is 62.

Actor Brian Benben (Private Practice, Dream On, Kay O’Brien) is 58.

Actor Tom Reilly (Valley Of The Dolls, ChiPs) is 55.

Singer Alison Moyet is 53.

Actress Kim Dickens (Treme, Friday Night Lights, Deadwood) is 49.

Country singer-guitarist Tim Hunt (Yankee Grey) is 47.

Singer-guitarist Sice of The Boo Radleys is 45.

Singer Nathan Morris of Boyz II Men is 43.

Rapper Silkk The Shocker is 39.

Actress Alana de la Garza (Law & Order, CSI Miami, The Mountain) is 38.

Country singer/TV talent coach  Blake Shelton (The Voice)  is 38.

Guitarist Steven Chen of Airborne Toxic Event is 36.

Actor David Giuntoli (Grimm) is 34.

Actress Tara Platt (Shelf Life, Bleach) is 34.

Montreal-born actress Meaghan Rath (Being Human) is 28.

Actress Renee Olstead (Secret Life of the Am. Teenager, Still Standing) is 25.

Actress Willa Holland (Arrow, The O.C.) is 23.

Chart Toppers – June 18

1950
My Foolish Heart – The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Eileen Wilson)
Bewitched – The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Mary Lou Williams)
The Third Man Theme – Anton Karas
I’ll Sail My Ship Alone – Moon Mullican

1959
Personality – Lloyd Price
Quiet Village – Martin Denny
Tallahassee Lassie – Freddy Cannon
The Battle of New Orleans – Johnny Horton

1968
Mrs. Robinson – Simon & Garfunkel
This Guy’s in Love with You – Herb Alpert
Mony Mony – Tommy James & The Shondells
Honey – Bobby Goldsboro

1977
Dreams – Fleetwood Mac
Got to Give It Up (Pt. I) – Marvin Gaye
Gonna Fly Now (Theme from “Rocky”) – Bill Conti
Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) – Waylon Jennings

1986
On My Own – Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald
I Can’t Wait – Nu Shooz
There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry) – Billy Ocean
Life’s Highway – Steve Wariner

1995
Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman? – Bryan Adams
Water Runs Dry – Boyz II Men
Don’t Take It Personal (just one of dem days) – Monica
Summer’s Comin’ – Clint Black

2004
Burn – Usher
The Reason – Hoobastank
Roses – Outkast
Redneck Woman – Gretchen Wilson