Saturday September the 13th

ON THIS DAY in 1911  
the "Father of Bluegrass Music" Bill Monroe was born in rural Kentucky.      
          
The type of music was named after his "Bluegrass Band."  He died Sep 9, 1996, 4 days short of his 85th birthday.

On this day in 1916, singer Dick Haymes was born in Buenos Aires.
                                          
Some of his big hits (I'll Get By, You'll Never Know, Mamselle, & Little White Lies) are still heard regularly on nostalgia radio.   Haymes died Mar 28, 1980 at age 63.

On this day in 1918, the "other" Ray Charles was born in Chicago. He was Perry Como's orchestra & choral director for 35 years.

On this day in 1925, "The Velvet Fog" singer & songwriter Mel Torme was born in Chicago.
                                                                                                       
His most famous composition, "The Christmas Song," was made immortal by Nat King Cole.  Torme died June 5, 1999 at age 73.

On this day in 1928, Reno radio station KOH began transmissions.  Those same call letters are still heard nightly across Western North America at 780 khz.

On this day in 1931, vaudeville star Eddie Cantor was heard on radio for the first time. NBC's Chase and Sanborn Hour became one of the most popular radio shows of the 1930s.

On this day in 1937, television program executive (NBC, then ABC) Fred Silverman was born.
                                                      
As producer he had hits in Matlock, In the Heat of the Night, and  Diagnosis Murder.

In 1947, NBC voted to ban crime shows before 9:30pm.

On this day in 1948, actress & singer Nell Carter (Gimme a Break, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper) was born in Birmingham Alabama.
    
Nell is pictured in her Tony-winning role in Ain't Misbehavin'.   She died Jan 23, 2003 at age 54.

On this day in 1952, the song "You Belong to Me" by Jo Stafford topped the charts and stayed there for 12 weeks.

On this day in 1960, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission banned the practice of payola -- in which record companies paid disc jockeys to play certain records. The congressional investigation into payola caused the downfall of pioneer disc jockey Alan Freed, who did more than any other deejay to bring rock 'n' roll to a mass audience. Freed was fined 300 dollars and given a suspended sentence in 1962 after pleading guilty to two counts of commercial bribery. He was blackballed by the radio industry, and died a broken man on January 20th, 1965 at the age of 42.

On this day in 1961, the police sitcom "Car 54 Where are You?" debuted on NBC.

On this day in 1963, the science fiction series "The Outer Limits" premiered on ABC-TV.  

On this day in 1965, the Beatles released "Yesterday" to radio.

Also this day in 1965, NBC's Today Show was totally broadcast in color for the first time.
                                                      

On this day in 1968, Clarence Carter received a gold record for his million-selling hit Slip Away.  Carter earned two other gold records for Too Weak to Fight and Patches.  The singer from Montgomery, Alabama had been blind since age one and taught himself to play guitar by age 11.

On this day in 1969, John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, presented the Plastic Ono Band in concert for the first time...in Toronto. The first hit by the new group, Give Peace a Chance, made it to number 14 on the charts.

In 1972, "The Waltons"

debuted as a weekly series on CBS TV.

In 1974, the first broadcast of "The Rockford Files" starring James Garner aired on NBC-TV. Anither debut saw the first episode of "Police Woman" starring Angie Dickenson on NBC.

On this day in 1975, the Guess Who, fronted by Burton Cummings, performed together for the last time, at the Montreal Forum. Several different reconstituted versions of the Guess Who have played in concert since then.

On this day in 1977, the first-ever viewer discretion warning was aired on TV, at the start of the syndicated "Soap."

On this day in 1981, NBC's "Hill Street Blues" was the big winner at the 33rd Emmy Awards, along with Taxi, Judd Hirsh and Isabel Sanford.


On this day in 1982, actor Philip Ober (General Stone-I Dream of Jeannie) died at 80.

In 1986, Winnipeg's CKND-TV originated the first national telecast of the Canadian Country Music Awards.

In 1990, the first episode of "Law and Order" was aired.

On this day in 1993, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" made its premiere on N-B-C. David Letterman had moved his show to C-B-S.

In 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur died in a Las Vegas hospital, five days after he was wounded in a drive-by shooting on the city's casino strip. He was 25. Shakur was hit by four bullets as he rode in a car driven by the head of Death Row Records, Marion (Suge) Knight, who suffered a minor wound. Neither he nor anyone in Shakur's entourage of at least 10 cars provided any leads to investigators.

Also in 1996, CBS began airing the television series "Everybody Loves Raymond."
                        

Still in 1996. CMT (Country Music Television) was allowed to resume broadcasting in Canada. The network had been taken off the air over a broadcasting rights dispute.

In 1997, the Francis Winspear Centre, a 40-million-dollar concert hall, opened in Edmonton. The 10-day opening festival included concerts by jazz greats Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, Irish folk legends the Chieftains and a joint performance by the Edmonton and Calgary Symphonies.

Also in 1997, Mariah Carey's Honey debuted on the Hot 100 at number 1 -- her third single to do so.  

Carey became the first artist to have three singles debut at #1.

In 1998, NBC's "Frasier" won a record fifth consecutive Emmy award as TV's best comedy series.

In 2004, Oprah Winfrey celebrated the premiere of her 19th season by surprising each of her 276 audience members with a new car.


Today's Birthdays:

Actress Eileen Fulton ("As The World Turns") is 75.

TV producer Fred Silverman (Matlock, Diagnosis Murder) is 71.

Actor Richard Kiel is 69.

Singer David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat and Tears is 67.

Singer Peter Cetera (Chicago) is 64.

Actress Jacqueline Bisset is 64.

Singer Randy Jones of the Village People is 56.

Record producer-musician Don Was is 56.

Actress Geri Jewell ("The Facts of Life," "Deadwood") is 52.

Seattle-born actress Jean Smart (24, Frasier, Designing Women) is 49.

Country singer Bobbie Cryner is 47.

Singer-guitarist Dave Mustaine of Megadeth is 47.

Radio and TV personality Tavis Smiley (PBS) is 44.

Actor Louis Mandylor (Relic Hunter)("My Big Fat Greek Wedding") is 42.

Drummer Steve Perkins of Porno for Pyros and Jane's Addiction is 41.

Actor-director Tyler Perry ("Madea's Family Reunion") is 39.

Actress Louise Lombard ("CSI") is 38.

Port Alberni-born actor Scott Vickaryous (Breaker High, Boston Public) is 33.

Country guitarist Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts is 33.

Singer Fiona Apple is 31.

Guitarist Hector Cervantes of Casting Crowns is 28.

Actor Ben Savage ("Boy Meets World") is 28.

Actor Mitch Holleman ("Reba") is 13.


Chart Toppers - Sept. 13

1947
Peg o’ My Heart - The Harmonicats
That’s My Desire - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Don Cornell)
I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now - Perry Como
Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) - Tex Williams

1956
Hound Dog/Don’t Be Cruel - Elvis Presley
Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera Sera) - Doris Day
The Flying Saucer (Parts 1 & 2) - Buchanan & Goodman
I Walk the Line - Johnny Cash

1965
Help! - The Beatles
Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire
Is It Really Over? - Jim Reeves

1974
(You’re) Having My Baby - Paul Anka
I Shot the Sheriff - Eric Clapton
Rock Me Gently - Andy Kim
Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends - Ronnie Milsap

1983
Maniac - Michael Sembello
The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
Tell Her About It - Billy Joel
I’m Only in It for the Love - John Conlee

1992
End of the Road - Boyz II Men
Baby-Baby-Baby - TLC
Humpin’ Around - Bobby Brown
I Still Believe in You - Vince Gill

2001
Hit ’Em Up Style (Oops!) - Blu Cantrell
I’m Real - Jennifer Lopez
Let Me Blow Ya Mind - Eve featuring Gwen Stefani
Austin - Blake Shelton