Today in Music History for Oct. 23: In 1851, pioneer Canadian conductor and composer Guillaume Couture was born in Montreal. During his lifetime, Couture was more respected in France than in his native country but is now considered to be Canada's first great musician.
He was conductor of the Montreal Philharmonic Society for 19 years and then founded the first Montreal Symphony Orchestra in 1894. He died in 1915. In 1935, Canadian arranger-composer Jimmy Dale was born in London, England.
After working for the CBC in the 1960s, he moved to Hollywood in 1969 where he was music director for such TV programs as "The Smothers Brothers Show," "The Andy Williams Show" and "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour." Dale returned to Toronto in the mid-1970s, where he was music director for the TV shows "Juliette and Friends," "The Bobby Vinton Show" and "The Bob McLean Show." In 1939, '60s R&B performer Charlie Foxx was born in Greensboro, N.
C. With his sister, Inez, he had a million-seller in 1963 with the novelty song, "Mockingbird," which was revived by James Taylor and Carly Simon in 1974. Foxx died of leukemia in Mobile, Ala.
, on Sept. 18, 1998. In 1940, pop songwriter Ellie Greenwich was born in Long Island, N.
Y. Together with Jeff Barry, she wrote many of the hits turned out by producer Phil Spector in the 1960s. Among them were "Then He Kissed Me" and "Da Doo Ron Ron" by "The Crystals" and "Be My Baby" by "The Ronettes.
" Other Greenwich-Barry collaborations included "Leader of the Pack.