Today's birthdays:
Tommy Dorsey (1905-1956).
Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombone playing. His theme song was "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You". His technical skill on the trombone gave him renown among other musicians. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey. After Dorsey broke with his brother in the mid-1930s, he led an extremely successful band from the late 1930s into the 1950s. He is best remembered for standards such as "Opus One", "Song of India", "Marie", "On Treasure Island", and his biggest hit single, "I'll Never Smile Again".
Ofra Haza (1957-2000).
Bat-Sheva Ofra Haza was an Israeli singer, songwriter and actress, commonly known in the Western world as "the Madonna of the East", or "the Israeli Madonna". Her voice has been described as a "tender" mezzo-soprano. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Haza at number 186 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Of Mizrahi Jewish (Yemenite-Jewish) descent, Haza's music is known as a mixture of traditional Middle Eastern and commercial singing styles, fusing elements of Eastern and Western instrumentation, orchestration and dance-beat, as well as lyrics from Mizrahi and Jewish folk tales and poetry. By the late 1980s, Haza was an internationally successful artist, achieving large success in Europe and the Americas and appearing regularly on MTV. During her singing career, she earned many platinum and gold discs and her music proved highly popular in the club scene. By the 1990s, at the peak of her career, she regularly featured in movie soundtracks, such as that of Dick Tracy (1990) and famously in the Prince of Egypt (1998), and her vocals were popularly sampled in hip hop. Her death in 2000 from an AIDS-related illness shocked the Israeli public and was the subject of much controversy in Israel.
In Israel, Haza was a highly influential cultural figure, referred to as one of the country's biggest cultural icons,who helped to popularize Mizrahi culture.
Crystal Waters, 62.
Crystal Waters is an American house and dance music singer and songwriter, best known for her 1990s dance hits "Gypsy Woman", "100% Pure Love", and 2007's "Destination Calabria" with Alex Gaudino. All three of her studio albums produced a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. In December 2016, Billboard magazine ranked her as one of the most successful dance artists of all time. Her accolades include six ASCAP Songwriter awards, three American Music Award nominations, an MTV Video Music Award nod, four Billboard Music Awards and twelve No. 1 Billboard Dance Chart hits. Her hit song "Gypsy Woman” has been sampled hundreds of times. Though her music sales have yet to be re-certified, Waters has sold over 7 million records worldwide.
On this day today:
1959 - An unnamed RCA executive tells reporters that, when he returns from the Army, Elvis Presley's music will be very different than the rock and roll he performed previously. Manager Colonel Tom Parker rushes to issue an official denial to fans.
1965 - At the Glad Rags Ball in London, The Who's lead singer, Roger Daltrey, storms off stage in the middle of a set plagued with PA problems. Rumors of a Who breakup spread quickly throughout London with most of them naming Boz Burrell (of King Crimson and Bad Company) as Daltrey's possible replacement.
1966 - The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.
1968 - Onstage with The Supremes at the Royal Command Variety Performance in London, Diana Ross interrupts the show with a plea for greater interracial understanding. She receives a two-minute ovation from the audience, which includes members of the royal family. Queen Elizabeth II herself stands after Ross' moving performance of West Side Story's "Somewhere."
1973 - Led Zeppelin begin recording the demos for their new album, Physical Graffiti, including a new song entitled "Driving To Kashmir" (today known as "Kashmir").
1973 - Emerson, Lake, & Palmer release their fourth studio album, Brain Salad Surgery, featuring the live showstopper "Karn Evil 9."
1976 - Van Morrison's Moondance album is certified Gold.
1979 - Loverboy plays their first ever concert, opening for Kiss at The Coliseum in Vancouver.
1982 - Led Zeppelin release their final studio album, Coda, a collection of unused songs recorded before drummer John Bonham died in 1980.
1983 - Tom Evans of Badfinger commits suicide. Eight years earlier, his bandmate Pete Ham died in similar fashion. The acclaimed band had extraordinary bad business dealings with their record labels, Apple and Warner Bros., which were a contributing factor in their deaths.
1990 - The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences strips the 1989 Best New Artist Grammy from Milli Vanilli because Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan didn't actually sing on their debut album, "Girl You Know It's True." It is the first time a Grammy has ever been revoked.
1992 - R.E.M. play the 40 Watt Club in their hometown of Athens, Georgia, their only concert appearance of 1992.
1994 - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers play "You Don't Know How It Feels" and "Honeybee" on Saturday Night Live with Dave Grohl on drums, who considers joining the band full time.
1995 - Frank Sinatra's all-star 80th birthday tribute is held in the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, featuring Bob Dylan performing "Restless Farewell" (at the request of Sinatra; Dylan wanted to perform Sinatra's "That's Life") and Paula Abdul singing "Luck Be A Lady." Afterwards, Dylan and fellow performer Bruce Springsteen, along with Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, are invited back to the crooner's home. (Sinatra's actual birthday isn't until December 12th.)
1998 - Songwriters/producers/musicians Vada Nobles, Johari Newton, Tejumold Newton, and Rasheem Pugh file a lawsuit against Lauryn Hill, alleging that the Ruffhouse/Columbia artist failed to give them proper writing and producing credits or pay them royalties for their work on the hit album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
2002 - The game show Weakest Link welcomes a diverse group of "Music Makers" to compete on tonight's episode, including "I'll Be" singer Edwin McCain, Sheila E., Deborah Gibson, Beach Boy Bruce Johnston, Lila McCann, Coolio, Skid Row's Sebastian Bach, and Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil.
2012 - Rihanna releases the single "Nobody's Business," featuring the man who assaulted her three years earlier, Chris Brown.
2013 - People magazine names Adam Levine "Sexiest Man Alive," making him the first musician to earn the title in the feature's 28-year history.
2018 - Snoop Dogg gets a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. In his speech, he thanks himself, inspiring the title track to his next album, I Wanna Thank Me.
