Monday July the 21st

ON THIS DAY in 1898  
              
Sara Carter, pictured right in the legendary Carter Family country music group, was born in Wise County, Virginia. She was the wife of A-P Carter, the leader of the Carter Family, and was known for her deep & distinctive singing voice. The Carters were among the most influential groups in country music, mainly through their recordings for the Victor company. Their 1928 version of "Wildwood Flower'' is reported to have sold one million copies. She died Jan. 8 1979 at age 80.

In 1911, professor/writer Marshall McLuhan was born in Edmonton.  He was the originator of the phrase, "The Medium is the Message."  He believed TV to be a "hot" medium, and radio to be "cool," because more listener effort was required to extract value.  He died after a stroke Dec 31, 1980 at age 69.

              
In 1924, comedic actor Don Knotts was born in Morgantown West Virginian.  He got his first big break as a "man on the Street" on The Steve Allen Show, then went on to Emmy-winning stardom as the sheriff's deputy Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show. He was also a regular on Matlock,Three’s Company & The Don Knotts Show. He died of pulmonary & respiratory complications Feb 24, 2006 at age 81.

In 1931, Ted Husing was master of ceremonies for the very first CBS-TV program. The gala show featured singer Kate Smith, composer George Gershwin and New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker.

In 1956, "I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash hit #1 for 8 weeks on Billboard's Country music chart.

              
In 1958, the last of Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts programs aired on CBS-TV. Many artists got their start on Talent Scouts, including Tony Bennett, Pat Boone, The McGuire Sisters and a singer named Connie Francis -- who not only sang, but played the accordion, as well.

Also in 1958, "Hard Headed Woman" by Elvis Presley topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.

In 1967, actor Basil Rathbone, best remembered for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes for 7 years on radio & in 14 Hollywood movies, died at age 75.  

In 1969, just one day after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, Duke Ellington and a portion of his band performed a 10-minute composition on ABC-TV titled Moon Maiden. The work featured piano, drums, bass and vocals.

              
In 1970, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "(They Long to Be) Close to You," by The Carpenters.

In 1971, Carole King received a gold L-P for ``Tapestry.'' The album, released four months earlier, was the number one album in the U-S for 15 weeks, and stayed on the L-P chart for 292 weeks. King won four Grammy Awards for ``Tapestry,'' and for the hit single from it, ``It's Too Late.''

In 1972, the CRTC approved the creation of a Global TV network, licensed to serve five Ontario cities. It has since grown to be Canada's third TV network, a part of Winnipeg-based CanWest.

In 1973, Bad, Bad Leroy Brown reached the top spot on the Billboard pop-singles chart, becoming Jim Croce’s first big hit. Croce died in a plane crash two months later (September 20, 1973).

In 1975, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "The Hustle," by Van McCoy & the Soul City Symphony.

              
Also in 1975, Willie Nelson debuted on the album charts with ``Red Headed Stranger.'' The album included the hit song ``Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.''

in 1980, WMCA-AM New York, hosted a reunion featuring Joe O'Brien, Harry Harrison, Dan Daniels, Jack Spector and B. Mitchel Reed.

In 1982, Dave Garroway, the amiable, low-key television personality who was the first host of "Today" on NBC-TV, was found dead of a gunshot wound at his home in the Philadelphia suburb of Swarthmore. It was determined to be a suicide. He was 69 years old.

In 1983, a bad storm cut short a free Diana Ross concert in New York's Central Park.

In 1985, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Everytime You Go Away," by Paul Young.

In 1985, actress Vicki Vola, best remembered as Miss Miller on Mr. District Attorney, for many years on radio & a shorter time on TV, died, age unknown.

              
In 1986, country star Hank Snow made a triumphant return to his home province of Nova Scotia. More than 500 people attended a luncheon in Halifax in honour of the 72-year-old singer. Premier John Buchanan proclaimed it ``Hank Snow Week'' in Nova Scotia. Snow was born in Liverpool, Nova Scotia but moved to Nashville in the mid-1940's and became a U-S citizen. He released his best known song, ``I'm Movin' On,'' in 1950 -- it topped the charts for 21 weeks.

In 1987, TV personality Mary Hart of Entertainment Tonight made news as she had her legs insured by Lloyd’s of London for $2 million.

Also in 1987, Guns N' Roses released their debut album, ``Appetite for Destruction.''

In 1988, a South Carolina judge ordered James Brown to hold a benefit concert for police and abused children as part of a sentence on drug and firearms charges. Brown called the sentence a back-door way of getting him to do a free concert.

                  
In 1989, Moxie Whitney, who led a dance band for more than 22 years at Toronto's Royal York Hotel, died in Brockville, Ontario at age 70. Whitney's orchestra performed almost continuously in the hotel's Imperial Room from 1948 to 1971 -- one of the longest engagements in Canadian dance band history. Whitney was also music director for the Canadian Pacific hotel chain, and later led an orchestra at the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa. His theme song was "I'll See You In My Dreams."

Also in 1989, former president Ronald Reagan was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in recognition of his role as George Armstrong Custer in The Santa Fe Trail (1940) and as host of TV’s Death Valley Days (1965-1966).

In 1990, the BBC's Radio One apologized to listeners after Madonna (below) repeatedly cursed during a live concert broadcast from Wembley Stadium.
              

Also in 1990, about 200-thousand people gathered at a site in East Berlin where the Berlin Wall once stood for a benefit concert that included an all-star cast performing Pink Floyd's "The Wall." Among the performers at the six-plus-hour event were Cyndi Lauper, Sinead O'Connor, Joni Mitchell and Pink Floyd founder Roger Waters, who organized the concert. The event ended with the crashing down of a mock Berlin Wall made of plastic foam. Concert proceeds went to an international fund for disaster relief.

Still in 1990, 'Weird Al' Yankovic performed live at Montreal's Theatre St-Denis for the Just For Laughs comedy festival. The taping was for the Showtime pay TV network.

Again in 1990, "She Ain't Worth It" by Glenn Medeiros featuring Bobby Brown topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.

                  
In 1994, singer Dorothy Collins, featured on television's "Your Hit Parade" in the 1950's, died of a heart attack at age 67. The Windsor, Ontario native began on the show by singing "Be happy, go Lucky" for the sponsor, Lucky Strike cigarettes. She later sang the weekly top hits on "Your Hit Parade" and became one of its stars. In the 1960's, Collins helped set up gags on unwitting victims for Allen Funt's "Candid Camera."

In 1995, a Los Angeles judge threw out a lawsuit against Michael Jackson by five of his former security guards. The guards had claimed they were fired for knowing too much about night-time visits by young boys to Jackson's estate. The singer denied any improprieties.

In 1996, guitarist Kim Thayil of Soundgarden was arrested for allegedly hitting a fan who was trying to take his picture in a hotel in Rockingham, North Carolina.

In 1997, C. Delores Tucker, lobbyist against gangsta rap lyrics, filed a suit against the estate of late rapper Tupac Shakur. The suit alleged intentional infliction of emotional distress, slander, and invasion of privacy due to derogatory lyrics about Tucker on Shakur's last album, "All Eyez On Me."

              
In 1998, actor Robert Young died at his home in California. He was 91. He's  best known for playing the dad on "Father Knows Best," and later starred as "Marcus Welby MD."

Also in 1998, Paul McCartney's teenage home, 20 Forthlin Road in Liverpool, was opened as a tourist attraction. The British government's National Trust restored the house to 1950's condition, complete with period furniture and gadgets. The McCartney family lived there from 1955 to 1964, when the family moved out to escape the hordes of screaming Beatles fans. It was in the parlour of 20 Forthlin Road that McCartney and John Lennon wrote such Beatles' hits as ``Love Me Do'' and ``I Saw Her Standing There.''

Still in 1998, the Beastie Boys began touring in support of their fifth release, "Hello Nasty," at Seattle's Key Arena. It was their first headlining tour since 1995's "Quadrophonic Joystick" tour.

              
In 1999, black country music star Charley Pride received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was the 2,140th star to be dedicated.

In 2000, NBC announced that they had found nearly all of Milton Berle's kinescopes. The filmed recordings of Berle's early TV shows had been the subject of a $30 million lawsuit filed by Berle the previous May.

In 2001, former Decca Records president Milt Gabler died at 90. He worked as a producer with Louis Armstrong, Ethel Merman, Ray Bolger, Billie Holliday and Peggy Lee. Gabler also discovered Bill Haley and the Comets.

In 2005, Long John Baldry, the British blues legend who helped launch the careers of rock greats like Rod Stewart and the Rolling Stones, died in Vancouver after a four-month battle with a chest infection. The 64-year-old music giant (below) had been admitted to hospital with respiratory problems in April and never recovered.
              

Today's Birthdays:

Jazz pianist/"CBS Sunday Morning" correspondent Billy Taylor is 87.

Singer Kay Starr is 86.

Actor Paul Burke (Dynasty, Naked City) is 82.

Toronto-born film director/producer Norman Jewison (The Rez, Judy Garland Show) is 82.

Singer/actress Kaye Stevens (Days of Our Lives, Tattletales) is 73.

Actress Patricia Elliott (One Life To Live, CBS Radio Mystery Theater) is 66.

Actor Edward Herrmann (Gilmore Girls, Eleanor & Franklin) is 65.

Actor David Downing (Backstairs at the White House, Ziegfeld: The Man & his Women) is 65.

Singer Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) is 60.

Halifax-born actor Art Hindle (E.N.G., Paradise Falls) is 60.  

Comedian-actor Robin Williams (Mork & Mindy, Evening at the Improv) is 57.

Comedian Jon Lovitz (The Critic, NewsRadio, Sat. Night Live) is 51.

Actor Lance Guest (Knots Landing, Life Goes On) is 48.

Actor Matt Mulhern (Major Dad, Ellen Burstyn Show) is 48.

Comedian Greg Behrendt (Greg Behrendt Show) is 45.

Rock musician Koen Lieckens (K’s Choice) is 42.

Singer Emerson Hart of Tonic is 39.

Calgary-born country singer Paul Brandt is 36.

Actress Ali Landry (Spy TV) is 35.

Actor Josh Hartnett (Cracker) is 30.

Reggae singer Damian Marley is 30.

Country singer Brad Mates (Emerson Drive) is 30.

"American Idol" runner-up Blake Lewis is 27.

Montreal-born actress Vanessa Lengies (Monarch Cove, Arthur, American Dreams) is 23.


Chart Toppers: July 21

1947
Peg o’ My Heart - The Harmonicats
I Wonder, I Wonder, I Wonder - Eddy Howard
Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba - Perry Como
Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) - Tex Williams

1956
The Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant
Hound Dog/Don’t Be Cruel - Elvis Presley
Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera Sera) - Doris Day
I Want You, I Need You, I Love You - Elvis Presley

1965
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones
I’m Henry VIII, I Am - Herman’s Hermits
Cara, Mia - Jay & The Americans
Before You Go - Buck Owens

1974
Rock Your Baby - George McCrae
Rock and Roll Heaven - The Righteous Brothers
Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me - Elton John
Marie Laveau - Bobby Bare

1983
Every Breath You Take - The Police
Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant
Never Gonna Let You Go - Sergio Mendez
The Closer You Get - Alabama

1992
Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-A-Lot
Achy Breaky Heart - Billy Ray Cyrus
Baby-Baby-Baby - TLC
I Saw the Light - Wynonna

2002
Hot In Herre  - Nelly
Complicated - Avril Lavigne
Days Go By - Dirty Vegas
Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American) - Toby Keith