Monday June the 9th

ON THIS DAY in 1892,
songwriter-composer Cole Porter was born in Peru, Indiana.
              
Porter's lyrics for such tunes as ''Night and Day,'' ''Begin the Beguine'' and ''Let's Do It'' remain among the wittiest and most sophisticated in popular music, and provided grist for the broadcasting mill for decades. Cole Porter died in Santa Monica, California on October 15th, 1964, at age 72.

In 1900, choirmaster/bandleader Fred Waring was born in Tyrone Pennsylvania.  His career as orchestra/choir leader spanned 60 years, and included his strong performance as MC of his own radio & TV broadcasts.  His vocal group The Pennsylvanians were featured for 20 years on radio & in Waring's weekly TV shows 1949-54.  He also invented the famous Waring blender.  He died July 29, 1984 at age 84.

              
In 1915, Les Paul, one of the most influential guitarists in pop music history, was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin. With his wife Mary Ford, he had a string of hits in the late '40s and early '50s including "Mockin' Bird Hill,'' "How High the Moon'' and "The World is Waiting for the Sunrise.'' Those recordings were among the earliest to use multi-tracking. Paul also designed guitars which were marketed by the Gibson company and became the favourites of pop, rock and country musicians. Paul also built the first eight-track tape recorder, which helped pioneer multitrack recording. And he invented "sound-on-sound'' recording, which has since become known as overdubbing.  He is still with us today, on his 93rd birthday.

In 1924, Jelly-Roll Blues was recorded by blues great Jelly Roll Morton and his band for Gennett Records.

              
In 1934, soul singer Jackie Wilson was born in Detroit.  He scored six No. 1 songs on Billboard's R&B singles chart, while his biggest pop hit was "Night,'' which reached No. 4 in 1960. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He died Jan 21, 1984 at age 49, but he'd been comatose since a massive heart attack in 1975.

In 1938, BBC-TV televised coverage of the "Trooping of the Colour" ceremony at Buckingham Palace for the first time.

In 1958, "The Purple People Eater" by Sheb Wooley topped the charts and stayed there for 6 weeks.

Also in 1958, Jerry Lee Lewis took out a full-page ad in Billboard Magazine to explain about his second divorce and third marriage to his 14 year old cousin Myra.

In 1962, a "welcome home'' night was held for the Beatles at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. They had recently returned from one of several visits to clubs in Hamburg, West Germany.

              
Also in 1962, a decade after making his first hit song, Because of You, singer Tony Bennett debuted in concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

In 1963, Barbra Streisand made her first appearance on CBS TV's "Ed Sullivan Show."

In 1967, The Monkees appeared at the Hollywood Bowl.

In 1968, Canadian political party leaders debated policy on television for the first time (Pierre Trudeau, Robert Stanfleld, Tommy Douglas and Real Caouette).

              
In 1969, guitarist Brian Jones said he was leaving the Rolling Stones because he said he no longer saw eye-to-eye with the band's other members. He was replaced within a week by Mick Taylor, formerly with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Jones announced he'd form his own band, but was found dead less than a month later -- on July 3rd, 1969 -- in the swimming pool at his home. The coroner's verdict was death by misadventure.

Also in 1969, Moby Grape officially disbanded, a year after guitarist Skip Spence left.

In 1970, Bob Dylan received an honourary doctorate of music degree from Princeton University. He was reported to be "very nervous and hesitant, and seemed appropriately out of place.  Dylan wrote the song "Day of the Locust" about the event (it was the year the locusts invaded).

In 1971, Paul McCartney's album "Ram" went gold.

In 1972, Bruce Springsteen signed a 10-album contract with Columbia Records. His first L-P, "Greetings from Asbury Park, New Jersey,'' appeared the following January.

              
In 1975, Tony Orlando & Dawn received a gold record for their hit song, He Don't Love You (Like I Love You). The million-seller was number one for three weeks (May 3-17, 1975) and one of five million-sellers for the trio.

In 1977, George Harrison divorced Patti Boyd after 11 years of marriage. Both later remarried -- Boyd to Harrison's close friend Eric Clapton.

Also in 1977, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "I'm Your Boogie Man,'' by KC & the Sunshine Band.

In 1979, "Love You Inside Out" by Bee Gees topped the charts, but stayed there for just the one week.

In 1980, comedian Richard Pryor was rushed to the hospital after suffering third-degree burns over most of his upper body. Pryor was nearly killed in an explosion while he was freebasing cocaine. Pryor was seen, ablaze, running down the street from his house before he collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. He was hospitalized for more than two months following the debacle.

              
In 1981, game show host Allen Ludden, best remembered for hosting TV's Password & radio's GE College Bowl, died from stomach cancer at age 63.

In 1984, "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.

In 1987, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Always,'' by Atlantic Starr.

Also in 1987, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Duane Eddy were among those who showed up for guitarist Les Paul's 72nd birthday party at New York's Hard Rock Cafe.

In 1989, Prince released the song "Batdance."

              
In 1990, 25 years to the day after their father Brian and his band The Beach Boys held the No. 1 spot for "Help Me Rhonda," Carnie and Wendy Wilson's trio Wilson Phillips (with Chyna Phillips) moved into the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with their single "Hold On."

In 1991, Claudio Arrau, considered one of the best classical pianists of the century, died in Austria of complications from intestinal surgery. The native of Chile was 88. Arrau was known especially for his interpretations of Beethoven.

In 1992, (not June 6th, as another source erroneously claimed) entertainer Ben Vereen was critically injured when struck by a car driven by Victoria-born producer and composer David Foster near Los Angeles. Vereen was walking along the Pacific Coast Highway when he was hit. No charges were filed against Foster. Vereen had crashed his car into a tree six hours earlier but passed sobriety tests. He recovered from his injuries and resumed his career.

              
Also on this date in 1992, Clarence (Big) Miller, one of Canada's most acclaimed bluesmen, died in Edmonton of a heart attack. He was 69. A veteran of the Kansas City jazz scene which spawned such greats as Count Basie and Jay McShann, Miller had lived in the Alberta capital since 1970. One music expert called him ``the last of the Kansas City blues shouters.''

In 1993, singer and songwriter Arthur Alexander, whose pop and soul classics were covered by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, died in Nashville of respiratory and heart failure. He was 53. Alexander's 1962 Top-30 hit ``You Better Move On'' was among the first hits from the famed Muscle Shoals studios in Alabama.

                
Also on this date in 1993, the U-S Postal Service issued a 29-cent stamp honouring country music legend Hank Williams. His son, Hank Williams Jr., presided over the official unveiling in Nashville.  Others honored in the  "Legends of American Music, Rock and Roll-Rhythm and Blues" stamp collection were Radio hit makers Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, Clyde McPhatter, Otis Redding, Ritchie Valens, Dinah Washington, and Elvis Presley.

In 1994, Lisa (Left Eye) Lopes of the rap group T-L-C pleaded guilty to arson after a fire gutted the 800-thousand-dollar home of her boyfriend, Atlanta Falcons receiver Andre Rison. Lopes was accused of setting fire to cardboard in a whirlpool and trashing three cars outside the two-storey mansion. Shed admitted she started the fire after an argument with Rison. Lopes was killed in a car crash in Honduras on April 25th, 2002.

In 1995, British conductor/arranger Frank Chacksfield, whose easy-listening recordings were heard all over radio in the 50's & 60's, died at age 81.

              
In 1998, the Ronettes finally got their day in court, as a judge in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York heard first-day arguments in their lawsuit vs. producer Phil Spector. The Ronettes - whose Spector-helmed hits include "Be my Baby" and "Walking In The Rain" - charged that the producer, his Philles Records label, and successor labels breached the group's 34-year-old contract by paying the members, led by Spector's ex-wife Ronnie Greenfield, no royalties since 1963.

Also in 1998, the Spice Girls team up with Luciano Pavarotti in Modena, Italy for their first appearance since announcing the departure of Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell. The televised charity songfest "Pavarotti and Friends" was directed by Spike Lee and co-starred pop performers Celine Dion and Stevie Wonder. Proceeds benefited poor children in Liberia.

In 2000, Kenny G, Diana Krall, and Joe Sample featuring Lalah Hathaway were big winners at the Billboard/BET On Jazz Awards, presented at the BET On Jazz Studios in Washington, D.C. Awards included Kenny G, for contemporary jazz artist; Krall's "When I Look In Your Eyes," mainstream jazz album; Sample's "The Song Lives On," for contemporary jazz vocal album.

Also in 2000, Boyz II Men released to radio stations "Pass You By," their first new single in more than three years.

              
Still in 2000, Chilliwack's CHWK AM1270 received approval to flip to FM.


Today's Birthdays:

Guitar icon Les Paul is 93. (see 1915 above)

Broadcast journalist/media analyst Marvin Kalb (CBS, NBC) is 78.

Comedian Jackie Mason is 77.

Actor Joe Santos (Rockford Files, The Sopranos) is 77.

Radio actor/producer Dick Orkin (Chickenman, Tooth Fairy) is 75.

Basketball TV commentator Dick Vitale is 69.

Keyboardist Jon Lord of Deep Purple and Whitesnake is 67.

Edmonton-born, Burnaby-raised actor Michael J. Fox (Spin City, Family Ties) is 47.

Writer-producer Aaron Sorkin (West Wing, Studio 60, Sports Night) is 47.

Actor Johnny Depp (21 Jump Street) is 45.

Toronto-born actress Gloria Reuben (ER, Missing) is 44.

Jazz musician Wayman Tisdale is 44.

Bassist Dean Felber of Hootie and the Blowfish is 41.

Bassist Dean Dinning (Toad the Wet Sprocket) is 41.

Musician Ed Simons of the Chemical Brothers is 38.

Actress Mae Whitman (Arrested Development) is 20.


Chart Toppers

June 9

1944
Long Ago and Far Away - Helen Forrest & Dick Haymes
I’ll Get By - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Dick Haymes)
I’ll Be Seeing You - Bing Crosby
Straighten Up and Fly Right - King Cole Trio

1952
Kiss of Fire - Georgia Gibbs
Blue Tango - The Leroy Anderson Orchestra
Be Anything - Eddy Howard
The Wild Side of Life - Hank Thompson

1960
Cathy’s Clown - The Everly Brothers
Burning Bridges - Jack Scott
Paper Roses - Anita Bryant
Please Help Me, I’m Falling - Hank Locklin

1968
Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel
Tighten Up - Archie Bell & The Drells
This Guy’s in Love with You - Herb Alpert
Honey - Bobby Goldsboro

1976
Love Hangover - Diana Ross
Silly Love Songs - Wings
Get Up and Boogie (That’s Right) - Silver Convention
One Piece at a Time - Johnny Cash

1984
Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper
Oh Sherrie - Steve Perry
The Reflex - Duran Duran
Someday When Things are Good - Merle Haggard