Today in Music History for Nov. 25:
In 1913, the Calgary Symphony Orchestra gave its first young people's matinee concert, performing for a public-school audience. Each pupil paid 15 cents to attend.
In 1945, jazz trumpeter Miles Davis made his first recordings as a member of a group led by alto saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker. Also in the group that recorded for the Savoy label in New York were trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, pianist Argonne Thornton, bassist Curly Russell and drummer Max Roach. Davis would stay with Parker's band until 1948.
In 1957, "Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps" made their first national TV appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," playing "Lotta Lovin'" and "Dance to the Bop."
In 1969, John Lennon returned his MBE medal to the Queen to protest Britain's involvement in Biafra and its support of U.S. action in Vietnam. Lennon also jokingly referred to the fact that "Cold Turkey," his recording with "The Plastic Ono Band," was slipping off the British chart. "The Beatles" had been made Members of the Order of the British Empire in 1965.
In 1970, tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler, a member of jazz's avant-garde, was found drowned in the Hudson River in New York City. How he died was never determined. Ayler was among the second wave of avant-garde saxophonists who followed in the footsteps of Ornette Coleman.
In 1972, a Los Angeles festival billed as the "Woodstock of the West" was a dismal failure, with only 32,000 showing up to hear such acts as the "Bee Gees," Stevie Wonder and the "Eagles." The original Woodstock in New York state in 1969 drew more than 400,000 people.
In 1976, "The Band" gave its final concert at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, which was also the site of the rock group's first concert in 1969. Guests for the final show included Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan -- both of whom "The Band" had backed up earlier in their careers -- along with Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton and Muddy Waters. The concert was captured on film by director Martin Scorcese, and released as "The Last Waltz" about 16 months later.
In 1984, "Do They Know It's Christmas," Band Aid's record in aid of Ethiopian famine relief, was recorded. The session was organized by Bob Geldof of "The Boomtown Rats," who wrote the song with Midge Ure of "Ultravox." Among those appearing on the record were Boy George, Simon LeBon, George Michael and Phil Collins. The record raised $11 million, and prompted Geldof to organize 1985's Live-Aid concerts.
In 1985, rock singer David Crosby failed to show up for a bond hearing on drug and firearms charges in Dallas. He spent the next 17 days as a fugitive.
In 1985, Bobby Brown left the black music group "New Edition" for a solo career.
In 1987, one man was stabbed to death, four other people were knifed and one was trampled when a fight broke out during a rap concert in New Haven, Conn. About 100 police officers were called in to control the crowd of 5,000.
In 1991, "Dangerous," Michael Jackson's first album in four years, was released in Canada and Japan. The album had already been available for four days in Europe and would come out in the U.S. the following day. It went on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide.
In 1992, promoters cancelled an Ice-T concert in Upper Darby, Pa., because off-duty police refused to work as security officers at the theatre. The officers were offended by the rapper's "Cop Killer," a song about a young black man's desire to kill a police officer.
In 1992, Whitney Houston's first movie, "The Bodyguard," opened. The movie's theme song "I Will Always Love You" was already a No. 1 song when the film opened.
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In 1997, Garth Brooks finally released his album "Sevens" after a delay of several months while the country music superstar fought with executives of his record label. In a shakeup reported to have been engineered by Brooks himself, EMI replaced the head of its Nashville office and committed itself to a huge marketing campaign for the album. In its first week of release, "Sevens" sold more than 897,000 copies -- behind the then-opening week record set by Pearl Jam's “Vs.” in 1993. (In 2015, Adele's "25" sold 3.38 million albums, breaking the previous record held by boy band "'N SYNC" in 2000 when "No Strings Attached" sold 2.416 million copies.)
In 2002, actor Nicolas Cage filed for divorce from singer Lisa Marie Presley. They had been married for four months.
In 2007, Kevin DuBrow, lead singer with the heavy-metal band "Quiet Riot," was found dead in his Las Vegas home. He was 52. It was later determined he died of a cocaine overdose. "Quiet Riot" was perhaps best known for its 1983 cover of "Slade's" "Cum on Feel the Noize." The song featured DuBrow's powerful, gravelly voice and appeared on the band's album "Metal Health" -- which was the first by a metal band to reach No. 1 on the Billboard chart.
In 2011, pop superstar Lady Gaga, a strong advocate for the LGBT community, delivered a personal video message to the Etobicoke School of the Arts in west-end Toronto for its equality assembly to fight against homophobia. She recorded it after the student council president wrote a fan letter to her, asking for a word of support for the assembly.
In 2011, singer Lily Allen gave birth to her much-longed first child, daughter Ethel Mary. She had suffered a couple of miscarriages over the last few years and a stillbirth in 2010.
In 2011, Don DeVito, a longtime Columbia Records executive who produced the key Bob Dylan albums "Blood on the Tracks" and "Desire" and also worked with artists including Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and "Aerosmith," died after a 16-year battle with prostate cancer. He was 72.
In 2012, "The Rolling Stones" made a triumphant return to the London stage in the first of five concerts to mark the 50th anniversary of their debut as an American-oriented blues band. (They played their first gig, at the Marquee club in London on July 12, 1962.)
In 2012, singer Earl (Speedo) Carroll of "The Cadillacs" died due to complications of diabetes and a recent stroke. He was 75. "The Cadillacs" were one of many 1950s doo-wop groups to come out of the streets of New York, but one of the first to choreograph dance moves. He joined "The Coasters" in 1961, leaving the group in the early 1980s to reform "The Cadillacs."
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(The Canadian Press)
The Canadian Press
