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Today in Music

April, 16

  • 2000 Marty Raybon, former lead singer for Shenandoah, performs the National Anthem at Talladega Superspeedway, before the 31st running of the Die Hard 500 NASCAR Winston Cup Series race.
  • 1999 Skip Spence, a pioneering psychedelic musician who was a founding member of Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape dies of lung cancer in Santa Cruz, Calif., where he was a ward of the county. He is 52.
  • 1999 Hip-hop entrepreneur and superstar Sean “Puffy” Combs turns himself in for and is charged in connection with an alleged assault in New York of Interscope Records executive Steven Scoute. Sources confirm that the beating came as a result of Nas video “Hate Me Now,” in which the artist and Combs, who participated in the shoot for the song willingly, are depicted hanging from crosses in mock crucifixion.
  • 1999 Shania Twain becomes the first woman to be honored as songwriter/artist of the year by the Nashville Songwriters Association International during the 32nd Annual Songwriter Achievement Awards in Nashville.
  • 1998 A video shoot for David Kersh is forced to a halt when a tornado roars through downtown Nashville. The country singer is on location filming a clip for his new single, a cover of Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight.”
  • 1995 George Michael raises $112,000 – and Sony’s ire – by giving the single “Jesus for a Child” a one-shot charity airing in London. He’s released from his contract on July 13 and signs with DreamWorks.
  • 1994 Jazz crooner and pianist Harry Connick Jr. marries model and video director Jill Goodacre in New Orleans.
  • 1972 Electric Light Orchestra makes its live debut at the Greyhound Club in Surrey, England. The group has seven top 10 hits, the biggest of which is “Don’t Bring Me Down” in 1979.
  • 1963 “Little” Jimmy Osmond of the Osmond Brothers is born in Canoga Park, Calif. He is the youngest member of the Osmond family.
  • 1956 Rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Buddy Holly’s first single, “Blue Days, Black Nights,” is released.
  • 1947 Gerry Rafferty is born in Paisley, Scotland. His song “Baker Street” stays at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for six weeks in 1978.
  • 1939 Dusty Springfield (Mary O’Brien) is born in London. She has four top 10 singles, including the No. 2 hit “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” with the Pet Shop Boys in 1988.
  • 1935 Bobby Vinton (Stanley Robert Vinton) is born in Canonsburg, Pa., the son of a big band leader. His biggest hit is his first single, the 1962 song “Roses Are Red (My Love).”
  • 1924 Henry Mancini is born in Cleveland. He goes on to win four Oscars and 20 Grammy Awards, including the first best album Grammy for the 1958 album “The Music from Peter Gunn.”