This date in musical history: February 28
In 1942, Brian Jones, guitarist with the Rolling Stones, was born in Cheltenham, England. Jones began playing with Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated in the early 1960's, and it was here that he met Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The three began to play on their own and by 1962 were calling themselves the Rolling Stones, after a Muddy Waters song. With the addition of bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts in 1963, the Rolling Stones were complete. By their third single, "It's All Over Now," the band was a sensation in Britain. And in late 1964, they had their first top ten hit in North America, "Time Is on My Side."
During the British invasion of 1964, the Stones were promoted as rock 'n' roll's bad boys, an image that has remained with them for more than 30 years. By the late '60s, the Stones were billing themselves as the "World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band."
In June 1969, Brian Jones announced he was leaving the group because of musical differences. He said he was going to form his own band, but less than a month later was found dead in the swimming pool at his home. The coroner's verdict - death by misadventure.
Other musical milestones on this date:
In 1929, Montreal-born Wilfrid Pelletier became a regular conductor at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, a position he held until 1950. While with the Met, Pelletier conceived the idea of a radio program called "Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air," a talent contest for young singers.
In 1968, Frankie Lymon, who fronted the 1950's group the Teenagers died of a heroin overdose in New York City. He was 25. Lymon was just 13 in 1955 when he and the Teenagers sold two-million copies of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." But two years later the group had ceased to exist. Their big hit was revived in 1981 by Diana Ross.
In 1970, pop singer Bobby Bloom shot himself through the head with a derringer in his motel room in Hollywood, California. It was never determined whether the shooting was accidental or deliberate. Bloom's "Montego Bay" was a top-ten hit in 1970. And the Staple Singers had a top-20 hit with one of his songs, "Heavy Makes You Happy."
In 1984, singer Michael Jackson won a record eight Grammy Awards at the presentation ceremony in Los Angeles. But he lost the best song award to "Every Breath You Take," written by Sting for the Police. Jackson's Pepsi commercial - the one in which he was injured when his hair caught fire - premiered that day on MTV.
Also on this date in 1984, Joseph Canzano, lead singer of the 1960's pop group the Duprees, died at age 40. He was billed as Joey Vann with the Duprees, best known for their 1962 hits "You Belong to Me" and "My Own True Love."
In 1985, David Byron, lead singer of the British hard rock band Uriah Heep, died at the age of 38.
In 1986, the British pop duo Wham! announced they were breaking up. George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley said they were going their separate ways after selling more than 30-million copies of such hits as "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," "Careless Whisper" and "Edge of Heaven." Michael said he would continue writing songs and singing while Ridgeley said he wanted an acting career. Wham held a farewell concert in June of '86.
Also on this date in 1986, Yoko Ono's disastrous "Starpeace" tour opened in Brussels. Only 300 of the 1,200 opening-night seats were filled. Most of the dates on the North American leg of the tour were cancelled.
In 1987, Hank Snow, Wilf Carter and Tommy Hunter were among the first seven people inducted into the Canadian country music hall of fame at a ceremony in Edmonton. Honored posthumously were Joe Brown, leader of the Family Brown, Don Messer, Orval Prophet and music publisher William Harold Moon.
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In 1989, G.G. Allin, lead singer of the Toilet Rockers, defecated on stage and tossed the results into the audience at a Milwaukee nightclub. Allin admitted to police he took a dump on stage but said he didn't "think enough came out to bother anybody." He was convicted more than two years later of provoking a disturbance, describing the jury as "a bunch of narrow-minded, robotic puppets of society" who looked like his "dead grandmother."
Also on this date in 1989, Sebastian Bach, the Toronto-born lead singer of the heavy metal band Skid Row, spent the night in jail in Hampton, Virginia for using abusive and violent language on stage. He was released after paying a $35 fine.
In 1990, Paul McCartney returned to Japan for the first time since he was expelled for marijuana possession 10 years earlier. He began his stay with an anti-drug news conference, then played six concerts.
In 1994, Canadian singer Celine Dion made her New York debut at Town Hall. Reviews were mixed. New York Newsday reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli described Dion as "a classy, upscale alternative for people who think of Mariah Carey as a shopping mall superstar." The New York Times' Stephen Holden was less kind, dismissing Dion's songs as "the kind of generic pop anthems that win international song competitions and that Olympic athletes use to accompany their routines."
In 1996, Canadian singer Alanis Morissette won four major Grammy Awards, including album of the year and rock album of the year for "Jagged Little Pill." She also picked up trophies for best rock song and best female rock vocal performance, both for her single "You Oughta Know." Canadians picked up a total of 11 Grammys, including two by Joni Mitchell for her album "Turbulent Indigo." Faith Hill won the best country album Grammy for "The Woman In Me."
In 1997, Marion (Suge) Knight, the head of Death Row Records, was sentenced in Los Angeles to nine years in prison after he violated his parole on a 1992 assault conviction. Knight was involved in a fight at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas on September 7th, 1996 in which a group of assailants, including rapper Tupac Shakur, pummelled a suspected gang member. Shakur was fatally wounded a few hours later as he sat in a car driven by Knight.
PHOTO: The once popular (in the States anyway) Michael Jackson.
Born on this date:
In 1932, Canadian singer and actor Don Francks was born in Vancouver. He began his singing career on CBC shows in Vancouver and Toronto. Francks formed a jazz trio in the early 1960's, and during that decade also appeared in two unsuccessful Broadway musicals. He appeared as Woody in the movie version of"Finian's Rainbow" in 1967. Along with his career in music, he has played leading roles in many CBC-TV dramas. Francks was inactive as a performer for about six years, beginning in 1969, while he lived on the Red Pheasant Reserve in western Saskatchewan.
In 1961, Quebec pop singer Rene Simard was born in Chicoutimi. He had his first hits when he was only ten years old - "Ava Maria" and "L'Oiseau." As one critic noted, Simard's boy soprano appealed equally to young girls who wanted to marry him and older women who wanted to mother him. In 1975, Simard began to try to capture an English-speaking audience as well, appearing on major TV shows in the US with stars such as Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Andy Williams. Simard was host of his own show on the CBC English TV network from 1977 to '79. Among his major hits of the decade was "Bienvenue a Montreal (Welcome to Montreal)," the theme song of the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
In 1929, Canadian bass Joseph Rouleau, in Matane, Quebec.
In 1943, soul singer Barbara Acklin; and singer Donnie Iris.
In 1948, singer-actress Bernadette Peters.
In 1955, Randy Jackson of the group Zebra.
In 1957, singer Cindy Wilson, formerly of the B-52's; and Ian Stanley, formerly of Tears For Fears.
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