Today in Music History for April 12: In 1932, Herbert Khaury, better known as ``Tiny Tim,'' was born in New York City. With his ukelele and his squeaky falsetto voice, he became the '60s most successful novelty act.
Today in Music History for April 12:
In 1932, Herbert Khaury, better known as ``Tiny Tim,'' was born in New York City. With his ukelele and his squeaky falsetto voice, he became the '60s most successful novelty act. He's most remembered for his 1966 hit ``Tip Toe Through the Tulips,'' as well as his live 1968 wedding on ``The Tonight Show.'' He died of a heart attack on Nov. 30, 1996, after performing his signature song at a benefit in Minneapolis.
In 1940, keyboard artist Herbie Hanco*ck was born in Chicago. From his beginnings as a jazz pianist, he moved to the rock-jazz fusion band of Miles Davis then to electronic disco funk in his albums in the 1970s. He's also made some popular music videos, composed such film soundtracks as ``Death Wish'' and ``Round Midnight,'' and wrote ``Watermelon Man,'' a top-10 hit for Mongo Sanatamaria in 1963.
In 1944, John Kay, leader of ``Steppenwolf,'' was born in Germany. His real name is Joachim Krauledat. ``Steppenwolf'' began in 1964 as a Toronto-based band called ``The Sparrow.'' They moved to the U.S. in 1966 and split up the next year before Kay formed ``Steppenwolf'' with some of the same musicians. ``Steppenwolf'' had a dozen hits in the late '60s and early '70s, including ``Born to Be Wild'' and ``Magic Carpet Ride.'' The original band broke up in 1972, but Kay reformed it in the '80s.
In 1954, ``Bill Haley and the Comets'' recorded ``Rock Around the Clock,'' which became the first rock 'n' roll hit to top the charts after its use in the film ``Blackboard Jungle.'' It's estimated that the song has sold more than 23 million copies. Although he did not start rock 'n' roll, Haley and his Comets put the music on the map. Although their recordings sound pretty tame today, they caused mass hysteria and riots at concerts on both sides of the Atlantic. Haley performed sporadically throughout the '60s and '70s until his death in 1981 at the age of 55.
In 1954, the Kingston, Ont., Choral Society, a 100-voice amateur ensemble, and the Kingston Symphony Association made their debut at Grant Hall in a performance of Haydn's ``The Creation.''
In 1966, Jan Berry, of the surfing music duo ``Jan and Dean,'' crashed his Corvette into a parked truck in Los Angeles. He was totally paralyzed for more than a year, and suffered extensive brain damage that left him unable to perform for more than a decade.
In 1972, the Southern Alberta Opera Association was established in Calgary.
In 1979, Mickey Thomas became the lead vocalist of ``Jefferson Starship.'' He was previously best known as the lead singer on the 1976 Elvin Bishop hit, ``Fooled Around and Fell in Love.'' In 1990, the group, by then called ``Starship,'' officially disbanded.
In 1982, the ``Thompson Twins'' played their last show as a seven-piece band in London. Chris Bell, Pete Dodd, John Roog and Matt Seligman then left the group. The ``Thompson Twins''' hits as a trio -- Tom Bailey, Alanah Currie and Joe Leeway -- included ``Hold Me Now,'' ``Lay Your Hands on Me'' and ``King For a Day.''
In 1986, a pair of concerts in Irvine, Calif., by the ``Grateful Dead'' brought more 1960s memories to life than may have been expected. More than 60 fans were arrested, many for possessing LSD.
In 1989, Herbert Mills, who performed with ``The Mills Brothers'' for nearly 60 years, died in Las Vegas at age 77. ``The Mills Brothers'' weathered many changes in musical styles, beginning their hit-making career in 1931 with ``Tiger Rag.'' They were still on the charts as late as 1968 with songs such as ``Cab Driver'' and ``My Shy Violet.'' Their 1943 recording of ``Paper Doll'' sold over six million copies.
In 1995, a concert at New York's Carnegie Hall featuring Sting, Jon Bon Jovi, Elton John, James Taylor and Bruce Springsteen raised $1.3 million for the Rainforest Foundation.
In 1997, ``The Fugees'' played the first of two homecoming concerts in Haiti to raise money for Haitian refugees. The concerts ended up costing more money than they raised.
In 1999, country singer Boxcar Willie, born Lecil Martin, died of leukemia at his home in Branson, Mo. He was 67. Although he had only one top-40 hit in the U.S., ``Bad News'' in 1982, he was a huge concert star in Britain and North America. In 1987, Boxcar Willie opened a theatre in Branson and became the first name entertainer to work the musical resort town year-round.
In 2009, ``The Dead'' (formerly the ``Grateful Dead'') kicked off a 19-city tour in Greensboro, N.C., their first tour since 2004. Original band members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann had toured sporadically since the 1995 death of guitarist Jerry Garcia.
In 2010, country music legend Hank Williams was given a special Pulitzer Prize for his ``craftsmanship as a songwriter'' and his ``pivotal role in transforming country music into a major musical and cultural force in American life.'' He died Jan. 1, 1953, at the age of 29. His songs such as ``Your Cheatin' Heart,'' ``Cold Cold Heart'' and ``I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry'' have been covered by hundreds of musicians across several genres.
In 2010, former ``Poison'' frontman Bret Michaels had an emergency appendectomy. He was to perform the previous night in San Antonio but was having severe stomach pains all day. His medical issues didn't end there. On April 22, he was rushed to hospital complaining of a severe headache and was diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage, and in May, was readmitted to hospital with a ``warning stroke'' and was also diagnosed with a hole in his heart.
In 2011, Ian Anderson of ``Jethro Tull'' duetted with astronaut Col. Catherine Coleman on the song ``Bouree'' from the album ``Stand Up.'' ``Jethro Tull'' was on stage in Perm, Russia, while Coleman was at the International Space Station. The performance celebrated the 50th anniversary of Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's first manned space flight.
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The Canadian Press
