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Today In Music: A look back at pop music

By PENNY NELSON BARTHOLOMEW, United Press International
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(Nov. 15)

Today's birthdays include C.W. McCall, who was born in 1928 (age 73); Clyde McPhatter of the Dominoes, and also The Drifters, in 1931; Petula Clark in 1932 (age 69); Annifrid "Frida" Anderson of ABBA in 1945 (age 56); former Heart bassist Steve Fossen in 1949 (age 52); Chic's Tony Thompson in 1954 (age 47); and "Tonight Show" bandleader Kevin Eubanks and Thompson Twin John Leeway, both in 1957 (age 44).

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Today's musical milestones:

In 1956, Elvis Presley's first film, "Love Me Tender," premiered.

In 1969, Janis Joplin was arrested for using "vulgar and indecent" language on stage in Tampa, Fla., and also for allegedly threatening to kick a police officer in the face.

In 1980, John Lennon and Yoko Ono released their "Double Fantasy" album.

In 1990, Milli Vanilli's German producer revealed that the Grammy-winning pop duo did not sing a note on their 1989 debut album, and also lip-synched their way through live and video performances.

In 1993, an unauthorized biography of Barbra Streisand claimed she kept her mother in a rundown condo and sent her $1,000 a month.

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In 1994, Stevie Wonder announced plans for his first national concert tour since 1989, with the benefits going to those organizations working to end world hunger.

Also in 1994, it was announced that the Allman Brothers, Al Green, the late Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Martha and the Vandellas, Neil Young and the late Frank Zappa would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in January 1995.

In 1996, in a secret midnight ceremony in Sydney, Australia, Michael Jackson married his pregnant girlfriend Debbie Rowe. It was the second marriage for both. The couple has since separated after two children.

In 1999, Elton John almost canceled his first-ever concert in Winnipeg, Canada, after customs officials took so long to clear his entourage. The city's mayor made nice to John by making him an honorary citizen of the city, and the show went on as scheduled.

In 2000, a man accused of trying to kill ex-Beatle George Harrison and his wife in Dec. 1999 was judged insane and then ordered by a British judge to be kept indefinitely in a psychiatric hospital. Michael Abram, 34, had been arrested at Harrison's home in Oxfordshire after the Dec. 30 attack, during which the former Beatle guitarist, 57, suffered a punctured lung. Olivia Harrison was also stabbed in the attack and beaten as well. Abram, a heroin addict, believed the Beatles were sorcerers.

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Today's musical quiz:

What was C.W. McCall's day job when he wrote and recorded 1976's "Convoy"? Answer: McCall, whose real name is William Fries, worked for an advertising agency. He created the C.W. McCall character for a bread company.

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