Tuesday April the 15th

ON THIS DAY in 1898,
            
Bessie Smith, considered to be the greatest woman blues singer, was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. Between 1923 and '33, she recorded more than 100 blues, such as "St. Louis Blues,'' "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out'' and "Gimme a Pig-Foot and a Bottle of Beer.'' Bessie Smith influenced every female blues singer to follow, from Billie Holiday to Janis Jopin.. She died following a car crash near Clarkedale, Mississippi on September 26th, 1937 at age 39.

In 1912, Cape Race, Newfoundland radio operators Robert Hunston and James Goodwin heard the last of the RMS Titanics's distress calls as the stricken ship continued to send out signals. Only 711 survive out of a total of 2,224 Titanic passengers and crew.

In 1951, the Billboard No. 1 Pop Hit was "How High the Moon'' by Les Paul & Mary Ford.

              
In 1956, the world's first all-color, TV station was dedicated -- in Chicago. It was named WNBQ-TV and is now WMAQ-TV.

In 1958, Buddy Holly's Fender Stratocaster guitar was stolen at a St. Louis concert.

In 1960, Freddy Cannon performed "Jump Over" and "The Urge" on "American Bandstand."

In 1962, the Billboard No. 1 Pop Hit was "Good Luck Charm'' by Elvis Presley.

In 1966, the Rolling Stones album "Aftermath'' was released in Britain. The first Stones album to contain all original material, it sold well over one million copies worldwide.

            
Also in 1966, Buffalo Springfield performed for the first time as the opening act for the Byrds in San Bernadino, Calif.  

In 1967, the Who's second album, "Happy Jack,'' was released in the U-S. The L-P contained a 10-minute mini-opera, "A Quick One,'' which was also the album's title in Britain.

In 1968, Aretha Franklin recorded "Think."

In 1970, pioneer record company owner George Goldner died in New York City at 52. Goldner was one of the first to recognize that black groups could score on the pop charts if their records were produced with the white audience in mind. Starting with "Crying in the Chapel'' by the Orioles in 1953, Goldner had great success with New York street corner groups. Some of the other acts he recorded included Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, the Crows and the Chantels. Goldner eventually gambled away most of the fortune he made with his dozen or more record labels.

            
In 1971, George C. Scott refused the Oscar for his Best Actor performance in Patton at the 43rd Annual Academy Awards. He had previously told reporters that he did not want the honor, saying "It is degrading to have actors in competition with each other." Scott called the Oscar ceremony, "a two-hour meat parade, a public display with contrived suspense for economic reasons."�

In 1973, the Billboard No. 1 Pop Hit was "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree'' by Tony Orlando & Dawn. The song with a happy ending was based on a true story.

In 1975, at 3 p.m. CFRO FM 102.7 Vancouver Co-Op Radio signed on, after three months of trials.  Initially CFRO broadcast for six hours a day. But by the fall it increased its schedule of community based programming to 75 hours a week.

In 1982, singer Billy Joel was seriously hurt in a motorcycle accident on Long Island, New York. He spent a month in hospital with an injured hand.

            
In 1983, the man who put radio station CKNW on the air in 1944, Bill Rea died in Santa Barbara Calif. at age 74.
          
In 1983, the Australian group Men at Work released their second L-P, "Cargo,'' during what was billed as the "Cargo World Premiere Weekend.'' The album had actually been finished the previous summer, but was withheld because of the phenomenal success of Men at Work's debut disc, "Business As Usual.'' Even with the delay, both albums ended up in the Top Ten at the same time.

Also on this date in 1983, Marvin Gaye opened his first tour in seven years, in San Diego.

In 1986, the group Simple Minds raised 50-thousand dollars for Amnesty International at a benefit in Los Angeles.

Also on this date in 1986, .38 Special's "Like No Other Night'' became the first compact disc single released in North America.

In 1989, a New York music landmark, the Lone Star Cafe, closed because its rent was becoming too steep. Such stars as Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Keith Richards, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis both performed and hung out at the Lone Star.

In 1992, Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury died of AIDS at age 45.  E-M-I Music donated more than two million dollars to a British AIDS charity. The donation to the Terrence Higgins Trust was an initial payment of royalties and profits from the re-released Queen single "Bohemian Rhapsody.'' The song was top 10 in both 1976 and '92

            
Also in 1992, Canadian actor William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk) was inducted into the US National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, along with his fellow Star Trek players Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock) and DeForest Kelley (Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy).

In 1993, British mystery writer Leslie Charteris, who created 'The Saint' of radio & TV fame, died at 85.

In 1996, the rest of Grateful Dead singer Jerry Garcia's ashes were scattered near the Golden Gate in San Francisco. A small portion had been scattered in the Ganges River in India eleven days earlier.

In 1998, country singer Rose Maddox, known for her colourful western costumes and firebrand performing style, died of kidney failure in Ashland, Oregon. She was 71. Maddox hit it big after the Second World War when she toured with her brothers as The Maddox Brothers and Rose. The family band broke up in 1956 and Rose went solo, scoring her biggest hit with "Sing a Little Song of Heartache," which went to number three in 1962. Maddox received a 1996 Grammy nomination for her autobiographical album "35 Dollars and a Dream."

Also in 1998, in a first for Country Music Television, the network launched Faith Hill's Warner Bros. album "Faith" with a live concert by Hill and guests.

          
In 2001, singer Joey Ramone of The Ramones died in New York after battling lymphoma. He was 49.

In 2002, the series finale of ABC's "Once & Again" was broadcast.  

In 2004, Bill Rancic beat out Kwame Jackson to win the first season of "The Apprentice" on NBC.

In 2007, actor Richard Gere spontaneously kissed Indian actress Shilpa Shetty during an AIDS awareness rally. A judge in India issued an arrest warrant for Gere, claiming the kiss amounted to public obscenity.


Today's Birthdays:

Actor Michael Ansara (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Broken Arrow) is 86.

Country singer Roy Clark (Hee Haw) is 75.

Singer-guitarist Dave Edmunds is 64.

Actress Lois Chiles (Dallas) is 61.

Actress Amy Wright (Amy & Isabel, To Dance With the White  Dog) is 58.

Actress Emma Thompson (Angels in America) is 49.

Singer Samantha Fox is 42.

Guitarist Ed O'Brien of Radiohead is 40.

Actor Flex Alexander (One on One) is 38.

Actor Danny Pino (Cold Case) is 34.

Vancouver-born actor Seth Rogen (Freaks & Geeks, Undeclared) is 26.


Chart Toppers  

April 15

1945
My Dreams are Getting Better All the Time - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal: Doris Day)
I’m Beginning to See the Light - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty Kallen)
Candy - Johnny Mercer & Jo Stafford
Smoke on the Water - Bob Wills

1953
I Believe - Frankie Laine
Doggie in the Window - Patti Page
Till I Waltz Again with You - Teresa Brewer
Your Cheatin’ Heart - Hank Williams

1961
Blue Moon - The Marcels
Apache - Jorgen Ingmann
Dedicated to the One I Love - The Shirelles
Don’t Worry - Marty Robbins

1969
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In - The 5th Dimension
You’ve Made Me So Very Happy - Blood, Sweat & Tears
Galveston - Glen Campbell
Woman of the World (Leave My World Alone) - Loretta Lynn

1977
Dancing Queen - Abba
Don’t Give Up on Us - David Soul
Don’t Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
Lucille - Kenny Rogers

1985
We are the World - USA for Africa
Crazy for You - Madonna
Nightshift - Commodores
Honor Bound - Earl Thomas Conley