Today in Music History for April 15:
In 1729, composer J.S. Bach conducted the premiere performance of his ``St. Matthew Passion'' at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany.
In 1894, Bessie Smith, considered to be the greatest female blues singer, was born in Knoxville, Tenn. Between 1923-33, she recorded more than 100 blues songs, such as ``St. Louis Blues,'' ``Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out'' and ``Gimme a Pig-Foot and a Bottle of Beer.'' Smith influenced every female blues singer to follow, from Billie Holiday to Janis Joplin. She died following a car crash near Clarkedale, Miss., on Sept. 26, 1937.
In 1933, country singer Roy Clark was born in Meaherrin, Va. Clark, who has recorded more than 40 albums, had his first top-10 hit in 1963 with ``Tips of My Fingers.'' His other successes include ``Yesterday When I Was Young,'' ``If I Had to Do It All Over Again'' and ``Come Live With Me,'' his only country chart-topper, from 1973. Clark is also a versatile musician, playing guitar, banjo and violin, among other instruments. He was familiar to millions of TV viewers as co-host of ``Hee Haw.''
In 1944, rock singer and producer Dave Edmunds was born in Cardiff, Wales. He had a big international hit in 1970 with ``I Hear You Knocking,'' a remake of an old blues song by Smiley Lewis. Later in the decade, he began fronting a traditional rock 'n' roll band called ``Rockpile'' with bass player Nick Lowe. Among the artists Edmunds has produced are ``The Stray Cats,'' ``The Everly Brothers,'' Jeff Beck and ``The Fabulous Thunderbirds.''
In 1966, ``The Rolling Stones'' released ``Aftermath'' in Britain. It was their first album to contain all original material, featuring the songs ``Under My Thumb'' and ``Mother's Little Helper,'' and sold well over one million copies worldwide.
In 1967, ``The Who's'' second album, ``Happy Jack,'' was released in the U.S. The LP contained a 10-minute mini-opera, ``A Quick One,'' which was also the album's title in Britain.
In 1970, pioneer record company owner George Goldner died in New York City at the age of 52. He 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.'' He eventually gambled away most of the fortune he made with his dozen or more record labels.
In 1982, singer Billy Joel was seriously hurt in a motorcycle accident on Long Island, N.Y. He spent a month in hospital with an injured hand.
In 1983, the Australian group ``Men at Work'' released their second LP, ``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 their debut disc, ``Business As Usual.'' Even with the delay, both albums ended up in the top-10 at the same time.
In 1983, Marvin Gaye opened his first tour in seven years in San Diego.
In 1986, ``Like No Other Night'' by ``.38 Special'' became the first compact disc single released in North America.
In 1986, ``Simple Minds'' raised $50,000 for Amnesty International at a benefit concert in Los Angeles.
In 1989, a New York music landmark, the Lone Star Cafe, closed because its rent was becoming too steep. Stars like Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Keith Richards, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis both performed and hung out at the Lone Star.
In 1989, former record company executive Nesuhi Ertegun, a key figure in the history of jazz and pop music, died in New York following cancer surgery. He was 71. With his brother Ahmet, he formed Atlantic Records in 1954, and signed and produced such jazz greats as ``The Modern Jazz Quartet,'' Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane.
In 1992, EMI Music and ``Queen,'' whose lead singer Freddie Mercury died of AIDS, donated more than $2 million 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.
In 1996, the rest of the ashes of ``Grateful Dead'' singer Jerry Garcia were scattered near the Golden Gate in San Francisco. A small portion had been scattered in the Ganges River in India 11 days earlier.
In 1998, country singer Rose Maddox, known for her colourful western costumes and firebrand performing style, died of kidney failure in Ashland, Ore. 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 No. 3 in 1962. Maddox received a 1996 Grammy nomination for her autobiographical album ``$35 and a Dream.''
In 2001, Joey Ramone, lead singer of the punk-rock band ``The Ramones,'' died at the age of 49 of lymphoma.
In 2010, rocker Melissa Etheridge and her partner, actress Tammy Lynn Michaels, announced their separation. The two held a commitment ceremony in Malibu, Calif., in 2003. Tammy gave birth to twins - a son, Miller, and a daughter, Johnnie Rose - in 2006.
In 2012, there were five multiple award winners at the East Coast Music Awards, with Fredericton-born David Myles capturing both the Song and Songwriter of the Year honours for ``Simple Pleasures.'' A lifetime achievement award was presented to Catherine McKinnon, best known for her version of ``Farewell to Nova Scotia'' and her regular appearances on the CBC television show Singalong Jubilee in the 1960s and early '70s.
In 2015, The Offspring set a record for the longest span between No. 1 songs on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart when ``Coming For You'' topped the chart, 18 years after ``Gone Away.'' It beat the previous record-holder, Stone Temple Pilots, who went 16 years between No. 1s with ``Lady Picture Show'' and ``Out of Time.''
In 2018, at the Academy of Country Music Awards, Chris Stapleton won three awards, male vocalist of the year and album of the year, where he won twice as a singer and producer. He did not attend the ceremony to be with his wife, who gave birth to twins. Miranda Lambert also won three times, her ninth consecutive female vocalist of the year and twice for song of the year _ as the performer and co-writer of ``Tin Man,'' making her the most decorated act in ACM history with 32 wins. Jason Aldean won entertainer of the year for the third consecutive time.
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The Canadian Press