Today in Music History for March 26:
In 1827, composer Ludwig van Beethoven died in Vienna at the age of 57. His works bridged the classical and romantic periods and brought a new depth and emotional intensity to music. Despite losing his hearing by 1817, his creative capacity remained undiminished. The last of his nine symphonies and his final five string quartets are considered among his finest creations.
In 1862, hymnwriter Joseph Gilmore, a professor of Hebrew at Newton Theological Seminary in Massachusetts, penned the words to the enduring hymn, ``He Leadeth Me.''
In 1931, the Eaton Auditorium, a concert hall located atop what was then Eaton's main downtown Toronto store, opened. The first recital featured soprano Florence Austral, flautist John Amadio and conductor-organist Ernest MacMillan. The auditorium closed in the 1960s.
In 1944, singer Diana Ross was born in Detroit. She came to prominence in the 1960s as lead singer of ``The Supremes.'' Ross went solo in 1969, and had a hit the next year with ``Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand).'' Her next release, a remake of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's ``Ain't No Mountain High Enough,'' shot to the top of both the pop and R&B charts. Ross's other No. 1 solo hits included ``Last Time I Saw Him,'' ``Love Hangover'' and ``Do You Know Where You're Going To?'' -- the theme song from her movie, ``Mahogany.'' She also teamed with Lionel Richie on the theme song from the 1981 film ``Endless Love.'' It was the year's most popular song, selling more than two million copies.
In 1950, singer Teddy Pendergrass was born in Philadelphia. He became R&B's reigning sex symbol in the 1970s and '80s with his forceful, masculine voice and passionate love ballads and later became an inspirational figure after suffering a devastating car accident in 1982 that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He first gained popularity as a member of ``Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.'' The group released its first single, ``I Miss You,'' in 1972 and then released ``If You Don't Know Me by Now,'' which was nominated for a Grammy Award. He quit the group in 1975 and embarked on a solo career in 1976. It was his solo hits like ``Love T.K.O.,'' ``Close the Door'' and ``I Don't Love You Anymore,'' that brought him his greatest fame. He died of colon cancer on Jan. 13, 2009 in suburban Philadelphia, where he was hospitalized for months.
In 1961, Elvis Presley set a British chart first with three consecutive No. 1 releases: ``It's Now or Never,'' ``Are You Lonesome Tonight?'' and ``Wooden Heart.''
In 1970, Peter Yarrow of the folk group ``Peter, Paul and Mary'' pleaded guilty in Washington to taking immoral liberties with a 14-year-old girl. He spent three months in jail.
In 1972, David Bowie wrote the song ``All the Young Dudes'' for the British band ``Mott the Hoople.'' Bowie also produced the single and the album of the same name. The song became a British and North American hit, as well as a gay anthem.
In 1973, fiddler and band leader Don Messer died in Halifax at the age of 63. ``Messer and the Islanders'' were Canada's most popular old-time music group for more than 30 years. Their national radio show began in 1944, and ``Don Messer's Jubilee'' was a fixture on CBC Television from 1959 until its controversial cancellation 10 years later. The program was then syndicated from CHCH-TV in Hamilton until Messer's death. ``Messer and the Islanders'' also recorded more than 30 albums.
In 1974, David Essex's single ``Rock On'' turned gold as did Mike Oldfield's ``Tubular Bells,'' which was used in the movie ``The Exorcist.''
In 1977, Stiff Records released ``Less Than Zero'' backed with ``Radio Sweetheart,'' the first single by Elvis Costello.
In 1977, ``Foreigner's'' first single, ``Feels Like the First Time,'' was released. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1980, drummer Jon Paulos of the Chicago rock quintet ``The Buckinghams'' died of a drug overdose at age 32. The group's ``Kind of a Drag,'' ``Don't You Care'' and ``Mercy, Mercy, Mercy'' were all top-10 in 1967.
In 1982, the ``Bangles,'' still calling themselves the ``Bangs,'' played their first official live date at a party for a Los Angeles magazine.
In 1986, ``Guns N' Roses'' was signed to Geffen Records.
In 1987, Elton John ignored doctor's orders not to sing by performing ``Your Song'' for 71-year-old singer Nellie Lutcher in Hollywood. John had recently undergone throat surgery.
In 1993, Grammy-winning Toronto rock singer Alannah Myles cancelled a 25-city Canadian tour due to illness.
In 1994, ``Whoomp! (There It Is)'' by ``Tag Team'' became, at the time, the longest-running single on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, logging its 44th week. (``Radioactive'' by Imgaine Dragons currently holds the record at 87 weeks.)
In 1995, London's ``Sunday Times'' reported that John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, visited Paul McCartney's recording studio with her son, Sean Lennon. The newspaper also said Ono spent a weekend with the McCartney family, ending decades of hostility between McCartney and Ono. That ill feeling allegedly contributed to the 1970 breakup of ``The Beatles.''
In 1995, rapper Eazy-E, who helped popularize the hardcore ``gangsta'' rap style, died in Los Angeles of complications from AIDS. He was 31. Eazy-E, born Eric Wright, had disclosed he had AIDS only 10 days earlier. Wright co-founded the rap group ``NWA'' with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, and they released a string of hit albums in the mid-'80s.
In 1997, the ``National Enquirer'' announced it had paid $2 million for North American rights to 10 photos of Michael Jackson's five-week-old son. The money went to a Jackson charity.
In 1998, Chuck Negron sued his former ``Three Dog Night'' co-singers. He claimed Danny Hutton and Cory Wells were defrauding the public by using the group's name and performing such hits as ``Old Fashioned Love Song'' and ``Joy to the World.''
In 2002, Randy Castillo, the former drummer for Ozzy Osbourne and ``Motley Crue,'' died of complications from stomach cancer. He was 41.
In 2004, singer Jan Berry of ``Jan and Dean'' died after having a seizure in Los Angeles. He was 62.
In 2011, Neil Young won Adult Alternative Album of the Year for ``Le Noise' at the Juno Awards dinner gala. Montreal indie-rockers ''Arcade Fire`` won Alternative Album of the Year for ''The Suburbs`` and country-pop crossover crooner Johhny Reid won his second consecutive Country Album of the Year award, this time for ''A Place Called Love.``
In 2011, Tommy Shaw of ``Styx'' made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville for his first solo bluegrass performance. He had recently released his first bluegrass album called ``The Great Divide.''
In 2011, ``The Allman Brothers Band'' played The Beacon Theater in New York for the 200th time, and the theatre presented them with ceremonial keys to the place. They first played there in 1989.
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The Canadian Press
