Calendar Search Results: i he w
June 29, 1928 The Winterland Ballroom opens in San Francisco, California. It's an ice-skating rink that can be converted into a general entertainment venue for opera, boxing, and other events, costing a whopping (for 1928) $1 million to build. It will go on to become a concert location for many famous acts, including The Sex Pistols, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Peter Frampton, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, and Pink Floyd.
April 5, 1928 R&B singer Tony Williams (of The Platters) is born in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
March 1, 1928 Paul Whiteman and Paul Robeson record "Ol' Man River" for the stage production of Show Boat.
February 26, 1928 Fats Domino is born Antoine Domino in New Orleans, Louisiana. One of nine children, he quickly masters the piano, taking the name Fats from piano great Fats Waller (and also, he's 5'5" and well over 200 pounds).
January 12, 1928 Soul singer Ruth Brown is born in Portsmouth, Virginia. Known for her huge voice, Brown is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
December 27, 1927 Show Boat opens at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Broadway, changing the paradigm for modern musicals.More
December 3, 1927 Columbia Records talent scout Frank Buckley Walker records Blind Willie Johnson, Billiken Johnson, and Coley Jones in Dallas, Texas. The recordings turn Johnson into one of the most popular musical acts of his time and capture his immortal "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground."
November 19, 1927 Folk singer and, yes, actual postman The Singing Postman is born Allan Smethurst is born in Walshaw, Lancashire, England.
November 18, 1927 Hank Ballard, who wrote and originally recorded "The Twist," is born John Henry Kendricks in Detroit, Michigan. He is raised in Birmingham, Alabama.
October 23, 1927 Jazz alto saxophonist William "Sonny" Criss is born in Memphis, Tennessee. He goes on to play with the likes of Charlie Parker, Johnny Otis, and Billy Eckstine.
October 13, 1927 Country singer Anita Kerr, leader of The Anita Kerr Singers, is born Anita Jean Grilli in Memphis, Tennessee. Her group will perform backing vocals for Red Foley, Ernest Tubb, Roy Orbison, and Willie Nelson, among others.
October 6, 1927 The first talking picture is released: The Jazz Singer, a musical starring Al Jolson. Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" is one of the first songs heard by talkie audiences.
August 12, 1927 Porter Wagoner is born in West Plains, Missouri. He becomes famous as a country singer and host of The Porter Wagoner Show, where he introduces Dolly Parton.
July 16, 1927 '40s and '50s pop vocalist Mindy Carson is born in New York City. She catches her big break when she wins an audition to the radio program Stairway to the Stars, landing her an eight-month gig with Paul Whiteman's orchestra.
May 25, 1927 Norman Petty, recording engineer for Buddy Holly, is born in Clovis, New Mexico. He'll also produce hits for Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings.
April 22, 1927 Caribbean singer Laurel Aitken, aka "The Godfather of Ska," is born Lorenzo Aitken in Cuba, but will settle in Jamaica.
April 15, 1927 15 inches of rain falls on New Orleans in 18 hours, later inspiring the Randy Newman song "Louisiana 1927."
March 1, 1927 Harry Belafonte is born in Harlem, New York, but at age 8 moves to Jamaica (his mother's birthplace) with his family. The Belafontes move back to New York in the early stages of World War II; in the '50s, Harry becomes a top entertainer, his career buoyed by the calypso craze.
February 22, 1927 Guy Mitchell is born Al Cernick in Detroit. He has a string of hit songs in the lead-up to the Rock Era: "My Heart Cries for You," "My Truly, Truly Fair" and "She Wears Red Feathers" among them.
February 10, 1927 "Shepherd Of The Hills" becomes the first song to be performed on two Continents immediately after being written. The song was read down the phone at 5pm London time, and performed at the Alhambra at 8:40pm by Jack Hylton and his band. It was performed later that same night in New York.
January 13, 1927 Country singer-songwriter Liz Anderson is born in Roseau, Minnesota. Aside from her own hit "Mama Spank" (1964), she pens hits for other artists, including Merle Haggard ("(My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers") and her own daughter, Lynn Anderson ("If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)").
January 10, 1927 Singer/violinist Gisele MacKenzie is born in Winnipeg. She finds popularity as a guest on several TV shows throughout the '50s, including The Jack Benny Program and Your Hit Parade.
January 10, 1927 Johnnie Ray is born in Hopewell, Oregon. He becomes one of the most popular performers of the '50s, his career waning with the rise of rock and roll.
December 24, 1926 Lee Dorsey, known for his 1961 hit "Ya Ya," is born Irving Lee Dorsey in New Orleans, Louisiana. He befriends future rock and roll legend Fats Domino before moving to Portland, Oregon, at age 10.
December 17, 1926 Ben Pollack and His Californians record "He's the Last Word."
December 11, 1926 R&B singer Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton is born in Ariton, Alabama. She was the first to record "Hound Dog," made famous by Elvis Presley.
November 18, 1926 Dorothy Collins is born Marjorie Chandler in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The Broadway actress hits #16 on the pop chart with "My Boy - Flat Top" in 1955.
November 15, 1926 The first network radio broadcast, four-and-a-half hours of varied performances from New York's Waldorf-Astoria hotel and other remotes around the country, airs on the new National Broadcasting Company (soon to be known as NBC).
November 2, 1926 Country musician Charlie Walker, known for the 1958 hit "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down," is born in Copeville, Texas.
October 6, 1926 Violinist Cyril Reuben is born in England. He would go on to play for the London Symphony Orchestra.
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