Today in Music History for April 11:
In 1958, Jerry Lee Lewis' first wife, Jane Mitcham, filed for divorce. Lewis had already secretly married his 13-year-old cousin, Myra Gale Brown.
In 1961, Bob Dylan made his first professional appearance in New York's Greenwich Village, sharing the bill with bluesman John Lee Hooker. Dylan sang an arrangement of ``House of the Rising Sun'' and his tribute to Woody Guthrie, ``Song to Woody.'' Dylan drew much of his inspiration from Guthrie, whom he visited in a New Jersey hospital soon after he arrived in the New York area in early '61.
In 1963, ``The Beatles''' single ``From Me to You'' and their album ``Please Please Me'' were released in Britain.
In 1965, ``The Beatles'' and ``The Rolling Stones'' shared the bill at the New Musical Express Poll Winners' Concert in London.
In 1970, Paul McCartney announced what he called a temporary break with ``The Beatles,'' which proved to be permanent. McCartney cited personal differences, which were later revealed to be his disapproval of Yoko Ono, John Lennon's wife, and of the group's financial adviser, Allen Klein. A week after his announcement, McCartney released his first solo album.
In 1970, guitarist and vocalist Peter Green, one of the founders of ``Fleetwood Mac,'' announced he was leaving the group to follow his religious beliefs. Green's departure put an end to the band's blues leanings and turned to a more melodic rock sound. Green stayed out of music until the late '70s, when he made two solo albums.
In 1980, disco star Barry White received an honorary degree from UCLA.
In 1983, ``Up Where We Belong'' from the movie ``An Officer and a Gentleman'' won the Oscar for Best Song. It was written by Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Will Jennings and performed by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes.
In 1985, a court ruled that the rock group ``Boston'' had the right to record for MCA instead of CBS. The legal dispute had blocked the release of the band's third album for more than five years.
In 1991, the musical ``Miss Saigon'' opened in New York. Its $10 million budget, $35 million in advance sales and top ticket price of $100 were all Broadway firsts. The love story of an American marine and a Vietnamese prostitute prompted protests by Asian-American groups and Actors Equity. They were upset with the casting of British actor Jonathan Pryce in a Eurasian role. The union relented after producer Cameron McIntosh threatened to cancel the Broadway run.
In 1997, Paul McCartney gave a free rooftop concert in London, playing two songs from his soon-to-be-released album, Flaming Pie, for a documentary about the album. It brought back memories of ``The Beatles''' final rooftop concert in 1969.
In 2006, singer June Pointer, the youngest member of ``The Pointer Sisters,'' died in a southern California hospital of cancer. She was 52.
In 2009, Susan Boyle, a frumpy 47-year-old Scottish church volunteer, wowed audience members and the judges of ``Britain's Got Talent'' with a jaw-dropping performance of ``I Dreamed a Dream'' from ``Les Miserables.'' Once the clip hit YouTube, it became a worldwide phenomenon with over 40 million views in only a few weeks. (She finished second in the competition).
In 2011, ``Talking Heads'' singer David Byrne and former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist settled a $1 million lawsuit the singer filed over Crist's unauthorized use of ``Road to Nowhere'' in a YouTube ad during his 2010 U.S. Senate campaign. The terms were confidential.
In 2012, Canadian rocker Bryan Adams began a cross-Canada tour in St. John's, N.L., his first full-blown arena rock tour since his 1992 ``Waking Up the World'' tour.
In 2012, ``Ghost Brothers of Darkland County,'' a musical written by novelist Stephen King and featuring music by rocker John Mellencamp, officially opened in Atlanta. It is based on the real 1957 deaths of two brothers and a young girl.
In 2012, Madonna's ``MDNA'' suffered Billboard's largest second-week drop of a debuting No. 1 since the Soundscan era began in 1991. It fell 86.7 per cent - from 359,000 to only 48,000 copies sold.
In 2012, ``We Are Young'' by fun. (featuring Janelle Monae) sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 for a sixth week, becoming the first song ever to log six weeks of 300,000 or more in digital sales.
In 2012, in a written statement, ``Guns N' Roses'' frontman Axl Rose said he wouldn't be attending the band's upcoming Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and declined the honour for himself, as acrimony that helped dissolve the band nearly 20 years ago still lingered. (The Hall inducted him anyway. The band reunited in 2016 for a tour.)
In 2013, sports apparel company Reebok announced it ended its relationship with Rick Ross following heavy criticism of lyrics by the rapper on Rocko's song ``U.O.E.N.O.'' that was considered by some to be pro-rape.
In 2014, folksinger Jesse Winchester, an American-born songwriter who established himself in Montreal after dodging the Vietnam War draft, died of cancer. He was 69.
In 2016, rapper Kanye West's ``The Life of Pablo'' reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It sold 94,000 units - a combination 66,000 streaming equivalent albums.
In 2017, guitarist J. Geils, founder of the J. Geils Band known for early '80s pop hits as ``Love Stinks,'' ''Freeze Frame`` and ''Centerfold,`` was found dead at his Massachusetts home. He was 71; Jamiroquai keyboardist and founding member Toby Smith died after a battle with cancer. He was 46.
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The Canadian Press