Friday July the 18th

ON THIS DAY in 1909
singer/actress Harriet Hilliard was born in Des Moines, Iowa.  
                
Best known by her married name, Harriet Nelson, she sang with husband Ozzie Nelson's band, and played "Junior's" mother & other comedic roles on radio's Red Skelton Show.  Her best-remembered role was as the matriarch on radio & TV's Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet (1944-66).  She died of congestive heart failure on October 2, 1994, at the age of 85.

In 1910, comedian/clown Red Skelton was born in Vincennes Indiana.   He was a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, clubs and casinos, while pursuing another career as a painter.  Some of his favorite characters on radio & TV were Clem Kadiddlehopper, Freddie the Freeloader, and Junior the Mean Widdle Kid.  He died of pneumonia Sept. 17 1997 at age 84.

In 1911, actor Hume Cronyn was born at London, Ontario. During a 60 year career onstage, in film & TV he frequently appeared with his wife Jessica Tandy.  On TV they were co-starred in the first full colour sitcom, The Four Poster, and later The Gin Game and Foxfire, all of which were adaptations of some of their Broadway hits. They were known as the 'first couple of the American theatre.'  He succumbed to prostate cancer June 15 2003 at age 91.

              
In 1913, actor/announcer Marvin Miller (pictured, right) was born at St Louis Mo. Beginning in radio in St. Louis, he used his rich, baritone voice to forge a successful career in movies, on television, on stage, and as a recording artist. He is probably best remembered for his role as Michael Anthony, the man who passed out a weekly check, on TV`s "The Millionaire".  Fans of Old Time Radio fondly remember his Signal Oil commercials and narration on The Whistler.  He died of a heart attack Feb. 8 1985 at age 71.

In 1923, radio station CFQC Saskatoon signed on 400 metres with 200 watts of power, initially co-owned by The Electric Shop Ltd., which gained total control in February 1932.  The heritage call letters survive today only on television.
              

In 1936, CBS Radio`s critically acclaimed, experimental theatre of the air, The Columbia Workshop, made its debut.  It showcased the first radio plays of some of the great writers and acting talent of the time.  Cancelled in 1942 it was revived for a season in 1946, and again a decade later as the CBS Radio Workshop.

In 1953, 18 year-old Elvis Presley walked into the Sun Records studios in Memphis to record his first record. For $3.98, Elvis recorded two songs, My Happiness and That�s When Your Heartaches Begin, as a birthday gift for his mother. He also asked Sun Records secretary Marion Keisker if she knew of anyone who needed a singer:
                                                                MK: �What kind of singer are you?�
                                                                EP: �I sing all kinds.�
                                                                MK: �Who do you sound like?�
                                                                EP: �I don't sound like nobody.�

                
In 1960, "I'm Sorry" by Brenda Lee topped the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks.

Also in 1960, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters released "The Twist." The song didn't become a hit until later in the year when Chubby Checker covered it.

Still in 1960, one of Elvis Presley's major hit singles, "It's Now Or Never" was released.

In 1964, the Four Seasons reached the top spot on the record charts with Rag Doll, the group�s fourth hit to climb to the #1 position. The song stayed on top for two weeks. Other #1 hits by Frankie Valli and company include, Big Girls Don�t Cry, Walk Like a Man, and December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night).

Also in 1964, the Beatles album "A Hard Days Night" was released.

              
In 1966, singer Bobby Fuller, leader of the Bobby Fuller Four, was found dead in his car in Los Angeles. He was only 22. Police ruled his death a suicide - death by asphyxiation - but it was later revealed that he had been beaten and had ingested gasoline. Only six months earlier, the Bobby Fuller Four had been in the top ten with I Fought the Law.

In 1968, Hugh Masekela struck gold with the breezy, latin-soul instrumental Grazing in the Grass, while Gary Puckett and The Union Gap received a similar honor for the hit, Lady Willpower. Masekela, a trumpeter since age 14, saw Grazing in the Grass go to number one for two weeks (July 20/27). Grazing was his only entry on the pop music charts. The Union Gap scored three more million-sellers in the late 1960s: Woman, Woman, Young Girl and Over You.

Also in 1968, the Grateful Dead released their 2nd album, "Anthem of the Sun."

              
In 1969, actress Barbara Pepper, best remembered as Doris Ziffel on TV`s Green Acres and Petticoat Junction, died of a coronary thrombosis at age 57.

In 1970, BBC Radio 1 DJ Kenny Everett was sacked after he joked on air that the wife of the conservative transport minister Mary Peyton had 'crammed a fiver into the examiner's hand', when taking her driving test'.

Also in 1970, Pink Floyd and Deep Purple played a free concert at London's Hyde Park.

In 1974, the US Justice Department ordered that pb[John Lennon[/b] be deported. A federal appeals court overturned the deportation order in 1975. The following year, Lennon was granted permanent US resident status.

In 1975, CKVU-TV was licensed as Vancouver's third television station.  It signed on 14 months later.  Today it is known as City-TV.

In 1977, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Looks Like We Made It" by Barry Manilow.

              
In 1981, the single by Canadian blues artist Rick James 'Give It To Me Baby' peaked at #40 on the Billboard pop singles chart.

In 1983, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel took to the road to begin a 19-city tour beginning in Akron, OH. It was the first tour by the popular singing duo since their success in the 1960s.

In 1988, a California appeals court upheld a lower courts' decision to dismiss a case against Ozzy Osbourne and CBS Records. In 1984 a teenager allegedly killed himself after listening to Ozzy's "Suicide Solution."

Also in 1988, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Hold on to the Nights" by Richard Marx.

In 1989, actress Rebecca Schaeffer was shot to death at her Los Angeles home by an obsessed fan. The killing prompted California in 1990 to pass the nation's first anti-stalking law.
  
                  
In 1990, Canada`s international comedy star Johnny Wayne of the team of Wayne & Schuster, died at age 72.  Their career together began in The Army Show touring in World War II.  They became hits on CBC Radio & TV before appearing dozens of times on CBS TV`s Ed Sullivan Show.
              
In 1991, BBC Radio 1 hip-hop Disc Jockey Tim Westwood was shot in a drive-by shooting in London. He was reported in stable condition the following day.

In 1992, America�s reigning pop princess Whitney Houston wed R&B artist/bad boy Bobby Brown. The ceremony was held in a gazebo on Houston's Mendham, New Jersey estate. Among the 800 guests: Ray Charles, Dionne Warwick, Quincy Jones, Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Isiah Thomas, and Donald Trump.

              
In 1995, Selena's "Dreaming of You,'' a posthumous album by the slain Tejano star, was released. It became the fastest-selling album by a female artist in pop history, with 175,000 copies purchased its first day.

In 2000, Metallica played at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. The crowd was 1,000 contest winners of the "Blind Date" competition organized by Miller Genuine Draft.

In 2005, Paul Duke, the onetime NBC newsman who for 20 years moderated PBS' Washington Week in Review, died of leukemia at age 78.


Today's Birthdays:

Singer Brian Auger is 69.

Singer Dion DiMucci is 69.

Actor James Brolin (Pensacola Wings of Gold, Hotel, Marcus Welby MD) is 68.

Blues guitarist Lonnie Mack is 67.

Singer Martha Reeves of Martha and the Vandellas is 67.

Guitarist Wally Bryson of The Raspberries is 59.

Country singer Ricky Skaggs is 54.

Drummer Nigel Twist of The Alarm is 50.

Actress Elizabeth McGovern (Three Moons over Milford, Room With a View) is 47.

Keyboardist John Hermann of Widespread Panic is 46.

Guitarist Daron Malakian of System Of A Down and of Scars On Broadway is 33.

Drummer Tony Fagenson of Eve 6 is 30.

Actress Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) is 28.

Singer Ryan Cabrera is 26.

Actor Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl) is 23.


Chart Toppers: July 18

1944
I�ll Be Seeing You - Bing Crosby
Long Ago and Far Away - Helen Forrest & Dick Haymes
Amor - Bing Crosby
Straighten Up and Fly Right - King Cole Trio

1953
Song from Moulin Rouge - The Percy Faith Orchestra
April in Portugal - The Les Baxter Orchestra
I�m Walking Behind You - Eddie Fisher
It�s Been So Long - Webb Pierce

1962
Roses are Red - Bobby Vinton
The Wah Watusi - The Orlons
Sealed with a Kiss - Brian Hyland
Wolverton Mountain - Claude King

1971
It�s Too Late/I Feel the Earth Move - Carole King
You�ve Got a Friend - James Taylor
Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight
When You�re Hot, You�re Hot - Jerry Reed

1980
Coming Up - Paul McCartney & Wings
It�s Still Rock & Roll to Me - Billy Joel
Little Jeannie - Elton John
You Win Again - Charley Pride

1989
If You Don�t Know Me by Now - Simply Red
Express Yourself - Madonna
Toy Soldiers - Martika
In a Letter to You - Eddy Raven

1998
Uninvited - Alanis Morissette
Iris - Goo Goo Dolls
The Boy Is Mine  - Brandy & Monica
I Can Still Feel You - Collin Raye

2007
Big Girls Don't Cry (Personal) - Fergie
Umbrella - Rihanna featuring Jay-Z
Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin�)  - T-Pain featuring Yung Joc
Lucky Man - Montgomery Gentry