This Day in Music

2004 – Howard Keel, who sang and danced to stardom in the heyday of MGM musicals, dies of colon cancer at his home in Palm Desert, Calif. He is 85. With his full-throated baritone and 6-foot-4-inch frame, Keel was a romantic figure in such classic musicals as “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Showboat,” “Kiss Me Kate,” “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and “Kismet.”

2002 – A riot breaks out in Vancouver after Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose fails to appear for the kickoff show on the band’s first North American tour since 1993. It is an ill-omen for the tour, which stutters to an abrupt halt with the cancellation of all remaining dates a month later.

2001 – Michael Jackson makes his first-ever instore appearance at the Virgin Megastore in New York’s Times Square. The event is broadcast live on MTV’s “Total Request Live.”

2001 – Tim McGraw is named entertainer of the year at the Country Music Association Awards held at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House. Tobey Keith wins male vocalist of the year and Lee Ann Womack nabs female vocalist of the year.

2000 – Doug Nelson, the bassist in blues artist Jonny Lang’s band dies after being hit by a truck while walking on a rural highway in Minnesota. Nelson, who grew up in St. Cloud, Minn., and had been a member of Lang’s band for three years, is 46.

2000 – Jazz drummer Vernel Fournier dies in Jackson, Miss., of complications from a recent stroke. He is 72. A New Orleans native, Founier is know for his delicate brushwork – the art of playing drums with splayed wire bristles, creating a smooth “swishing sound.”

1998 – Little Jimmy Dickens celebrates a historic milestone when he appears on the Grand Ole Opry in a performance that marks 50 years as a member of the show’s cast.

1995 – Alice in Chains’ “Alice in Chains” is released on CD and cassette. Previously, the album only existed in a vinyl edition, released on Halloween of 1995.

1995 – The Captain and Tennille (Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille), hitmakers from the 1970s, renew their wedding vows in Virginia City, Nevada. It is their 20th anniversary.

1992 – “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men logs its 13th and final week at No. 1 on The Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The previous longest-running hit of the rock era was Elvis Presley’s two-sided “Don’t Be Cruel/Hound Dog,” which topped the chart for 11 weeks in 1956. The record stands for just three months as Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” logs its 14th week at No. 1 on Feb. 20, 1993. In 1995, Boyz II Men ties Houston’s record with “I’ll Make Love to You.”

1986 – Willie Nelson makes a guest appearance as a corrupt policeman on the television series “Miami Vice.”

1979 – No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Pop Muzik,” M. The performer’s real name is Robin Scott. This is his only song to make the Hot 100.

1976 – No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright),” Rod Stewart.

1951 – Singer/songwriter Nick Gilder (“Hot Child In The City”) is born in London.

1943 – Joni Mitchell (Roberta Joan Anderson) is born in Fort McLeod, Alberta. Her biggest pop hit is “Help Me,” a top 10 song in 1974.

1942 – Johnny Rivers (John Ramistella) is born in New York City. His biggest hit is “Poor Side of Town,” which reaches No. 1 in 1966.

1937 – Mary Travers of Peter, Paul & Mary is born in Louisville, Ky.

1922 – Trumpeter Al Hirt is born in New Orleans.

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