Tuesday, March 20, 2018

20 MARCH

In Music History

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2017Rihanna begins her stint as Marion Crane on Bates Motel, a role originated by Janet Leigh as the infamous shower-stabbing victim in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Psycho.
2016Trisha Yearwood stars as Mary in the Palm Sunday broadcast of the Fox live musical The Passion, the story of Jesus Christ's last hours on Earth.
2015Twisted Sister drummer A.J. Pero dies of an apparent heart attack in New York at age 55.
2009Blues guitarist/singer Mel Brown dies of complications from emphysema at age 69.
2008The Eagles launch their world tour in support of their album Long Road Out of Eden.
2006The song "Thank You For Being A Friend" is played at Leeds Crown Court when John Humble pleads guilty to perpetrating the Wearside Jack hoax (he pretended to be the Yorkshire Ripper serial killer). 
2004Quincy Jones receives an honorary doctorate in Music from The University of Washington.
2000Gene "Eugene" Andrusco (of Adam Again, Lost Dogs, The Swirling Eddies) dies of a brain aneurysm at age 30.
2000American composer Vivian Fine dies at age 86.
1994Madonna snags her third Razzie for Worst Actress at the 14th Golden Raspberry Awards. Her first came in 1987 for Shanghai Surprise, and the second followed in 1988 for Who's That Girl. This time around, it's her role as Rebecca Carlson in Body Of Evidence that underwhelms the judges. 
1993Two children are killed in an Irish Republican Army bombing in Warrington, England, inspiring the Cranberries song "Zombie."
1993Dr. Dre's debut solo single, "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang," peaks at #2 on the Hot 100, where it stays for one week.
1991Michael Jackson signs the largest contract renewal in history to the time, inking a $65 million deal with Sony.
1990Eric Clapton plays three songs on Saturday Night Live: "Pretending," "No Alibis" and "Wonderful Tonight."
1989After 37 years on the air, Dick Clark announces he will discontinue hosting his creation, ABC-TV's highly influential American Bandstand. The show continues with another host, but folds for good soon after.
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Glee Ends Six-Season Run

2015
The series finale of Glee, titled "Dreams Come True," airs on FOX. During its six-year run, the influential musical drama made old music new again with a stream of hit covers... and broke records from Elvis Presley and The Beatles along the way.

For six seasons, the musical series followed the ups and downs of William McKinley High School's glee club, New Directions, through a mixed bag of show tunes and chart hits that reflected the theme of each episode. Glee's musical impact starts from the very first episode when the team begs their choir director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) to keep his post with a rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'." The cover lands at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, five spots higher than the original, and sets the standard for reinterpreting classic songs for modern audiences. Journey lead singer Steve Perry weighs in on Glee's influence:

"The show has introduced to a whole new generation a treasure chest of songs from many, many great writers and artists. I mean, where could a younger generation hear or see a Burt Bacharach and Hal David song being performed these days except on Glee?... It's kinda become more than a TV show... It's a social comment and at the same time - It's a new Classic Radio."

The original eight club members include Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Mark Salling, and Jenna Ushkowitz. Starting with Season 1's "The Power of Madonna," a series of themed episodes pays tribute to individual artists, including Britney SpearsMichael Jackson, and Fleetwood Mac, and other musicals like The Rocky Horror Picture ShowWest Side Story, and Grease. In 2010, guest star Gwyneth Paltrow, as substitute teacher Holly Holliday, leads the New Directions in a hit performance of Cee Lo Green's "Forget You." 

Sometimes, a Glee cover helps bolster a current song; Rihanna's "Take A Bow" sees a 189 percent sales increase after getting the Glee treatment. By the end of the show's run, the Glee cast notches over 200 singles on the Hot 100, surpassing Elvis Presley, shatters the Beatles' record Top 40 hits with (71 to 75). Gleefans, known as "Gleeks," lap up the show's many releases, including 460 singles, 16 soundtrack albums, most landing in the Top 10 on the albums chart, 19 EPs, and six compilations. 

Tonight's finale features the latest iteration of the New Directions as they win the Nationals show choir competition and prepare for life beyond William McKinley High School. Aside from one original song, "This Time," five covers round out the story:

"Teach Your Children" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
"Someday We'll Be Together" by Diana Ross and the Supremes
"The Winner Takes It All" by ABBA
"I Lived" by OneRepublic
"Daydream Believer" by The Monkees

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