Today in Music History for April 13:
In 1742, George Frideric Handel's majestic oratorio, ``The Messiah,'' was first performed, in Dublin. The performance raised 400 pounds for charity.
In 1859, Handel's ``Judas Maccabeus,'' conducted by William Carter, was performed in Quebec City on the centenary of the composer's death. (NOTE: Handel died on April 14, 1759.)
In 1919, singer-actor Howard Keel was born in Gillespie, Ill. His strong baritone was featured in such 1950s movie musicals as ``Annie Get Your Gun,'' ``Show Boat,'' ``Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' and ``Kismet.'' His career was revived in the '80s with a featured role on the television series ``Dallas.'' He died Nov. 7, 2004.
In 1944, Jack Casady, bass player with ``Jefferson Airplane'' and ``Hot Tuna,'' was born in Washington, D.C. ``Jefferson Airplane'' was one of the most important groups to emerge from the San Francisco area during the 1960s. ``Somebody to Love'' and ``White Rabbit'' were their big hits. Casady and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen from the ``Airplane'' formed the group ``Hot Tuna'' in 1970.
In 1946, Roy Loney, founder of the 1960s punk band ``The Flaming Groovies,'' was born in San Francisco. Their high energy rock 'n roll contrasted sharply with the psychedelic music of other San Francisco groups of the period.
In 1946, singer Al Green was born in Forest City, Ark. Such hits as ``Let's Stay Together,'' ``I'm Still In Love With You'' and ``You Ought To Be With Me'' made him one of the leading soul music stars of the 1970s. Many of Green's later recordings were gospel records, and he became a minister in a Memphis Pentecostal church.
In 1958, Van Cliburn became the first American to win the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow. As a result of his success, Cliburn's debut album, a recording of Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto, became the first classical album to sell a million copies.
In 1965, Roger Miller set a record for country artists by winning five Grammy Awards.
In 1965, the Song of the Year Grammy Award went to ``Hello, Dolly.'' ``The Beatles'' captured the Best New Artist award and won the Best Group Performance award for ``A Hard Day's Night.''
In 1967, ``The Rolling Stones'' played the Palace of Culture in Warsaw. Polish riot police were needed to deal with 2,000 people who couldn't get tickets.
In 1971, ``The Rolling Stones'' released ``Brown Sugar,'' the first record on their own label, Rolling Stone Records.
In 1979, ``Van Halen'' frontman David Lee Roth collapsed onstage in Spokane, Wash., due to exhaustion.
In 1986, singer-actress Irene Cara, the star of the movie ``Fame'' and winner of an Oscar and a Grammy for the title song from ``Flashdance,'' married stuntman Conrad Palmisano atop a sea cliff in Palos Verdes, Calif. They divorced in 1991.
In 1989, entertainer Jack Jones received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He's probably best known for singing ``The Love Boat'' theme.
In 1994, singer Billy Joel and model Christie Brinkley announced they had separated after nine years of marriage. They divorced later that year.
In 1995, Leonard Rambeau, who guided the careers of Anne Murray, George Fox and Rita MacNeil, died in Toronto of cancer at age 49. Rambeau headed Murray's management company and was her personal manager. Murray called him ``the only indispensable person'' in her career.
In 2000, ``Metallica'' sued the online song-swapping service Napster for copyright infringement.
In 2002, Toronto songwriter Shirley Eikhard made a surprise stage appearance at Toronto's Massey Hall. She joined Bonnie Raitt in a duet on Eikhard's ``Something to Talk About,'' a Grammy-winning smash hit for Raitt in 1991.
In 2009, rock music producer Phil Spector was convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of film actress Lana Clarkson at his mansion in 2003. It was Spector's second trial. The first jury deadlocked 10-2, favouring conviction in 2007. He was later sentenced to 19 years to life in prison.
In 2011, the 270-metre Nashville radio tower for WSM, that has broadcast the Grand Ole Opry since the 1930s, was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The live show helped popularize country music and spread it beyond the South. The tower was erected in 1932 and now sits on a 30-acre tract visible from Interstate 65 south of Nashville.
In 2013, South Korean rapper PSY released his video for ``Gentlemen,'' and it set a record, at the time, for most views on a release date (18.9 million) and most views for a 24-hour period (38.4 million). His ``Gangnam Style'' became the first YouTube video to surpass two billion views.
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The Canadian Press