OCTOBER October 1 1945: CHUM begins operations in Toronto, eventually becoming Canada's #1 station, although Albertans couldn't care less. 1951: Brian Greenway of The Dudes and April Wine is born in Hawksburg, Ontario. 1974: Sylvia Tyson sees her folk series, "Touch The Earth" debut on CBC Radio. 1980: The Lovin' Spoonful, featuring Zal Yanovsky and John Sebastian, briefly reform to appear in Paul Simon's semi-autobiographical film, "One Trick Pony," which debuts in NY. 1996: Jann Arden's first paperback is released, "Jann Arden - Living Under June.' 2007: Blue Rodeo releases SMALL MIRACLES, their 11th studio album. October 2 1933: Dave Somerville, lead singer of The Diamonds, and guest star on dozens of 60's and 70's TV shows including MacLeod and Star Trek, is born in Rockwood, ON. 1960: Al Connelly, guitarist for Glass Tiger is born in Montreal. 1962: The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson airs on NBC. The theme song is written by Paul Anka. 2000: Paul Anka files for divorce from his wife Anne after 37 years. 2001: Goddo releases their 25th anniversary masterpiece SECOND BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE. October 3 1981: Triumph releases "Magic Power" as a single. 2003: Holly Woods and Toronto play the first of two shows in Edmonton, who was then residing there. The band consists mostly of Jenson Interceptor members. Woods sings "What About Love" for the first time ever live, a song she co-wrote with the Wilson sisters, and originally recorded by Heart. 2005: Triumph re-releases IN THE BEGINNING, which is their '76 debut under a different name and cover through TML Entertainment in the US. 2006: Colin James releases LITTLE BIG BAND 3, his first recording for the upstart MapleCore Records label. 2006: The University of Guelph hosts a touring chamber opera chronicling the last five years in the life of renowned Canadian doctor Norman Bethune. Bethune is still beloved in China to this day, credited with saving thousands of people's lives during the Second World War. 2006: John Kay releases Steppenwolf LIVE IN LONDON. The album is a concert done earlier in the year. 2006: Warpig's only album from 1970 is re-released on Relapse Records. 2006: Edwin releases the BETTER DAYS album. 2009: In celebration of the 20th anniversary of their formation, UHF, featuring Shari Ulrich, Bill Henderson from Chilliwack, and Roy Forbes kicks off a mini tour at The Centennial Theatre in Vancouver. October 4 1973: Those who attended a Stephen Stills concert in San Fransisco's Winterland Ballroom get a special treat. Neil Young joins him on stage, along with David Crosby and Graham Nash for the first CSN&Y performance in over two years. 1980: Trooper releases their second self-titled album . 1990: At a show at Toronto's Rock & Roll Heaven Nightclub, Bruce Cockburn joins Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts onstage for 2 songs, "Lovers In A Dangerous Time" and "Rockin' The Night Away." 1994: BURNING FOR BUDDY VOLUME 1 is released, a tribute to the late drummer. Rush's Neil Peart performs on "Cotton Tail" and "Pick Up the Pieces" and is the producer. 2002: Toronto declares today "Ronnie Hawkins Day," as celebration for the rockabilly pioneer being inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame. 2004: Gordon Lightfoot is presented with a star in Canada's Folk Music Hall of Fame. 2005: Streetheart releases a 'best of' called THE ESSENTIAL STREETHEART through WEA International. 2009: Toronto based The DGB make their Alberta debut at The Vat's open house in Red Deer. October 5 1974: The Guess Who's "Clap For The Wolfman," featuring DJ Wolfman Jack, peaks on Billboard at #4. October 6 2006: The Trailer Park Boys hit the big screen, whose soundtrack includes Rush, among others. 2009: Anvil releases their long awaited documentary DVD entitled ANVIL - THE STORY OF ANVIL. They also make their first ever national tv appearance that evening when they show up Conan O'Brien's show. 2009: Matthew Good releases VANCOUVER. October 7 1952: CBC is on the air. It takes them approximately 5 minutes to start praising the federal Liberals on everything, something they still haven't gotten out of doing. 1953: Stratford, ON hosts the first Stratford Festival, becoming eventually Canada's largest Shakespearean festival. 1982: Piano great Glenn Gould dies. 1983: The Guess Who, featuring Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman are together again. Their reunion sparks a few new songs, and a cross-Canada tour that started today in Toronto. A subsequent TV special and album entitled TOGETHER AGAIN capture the moment. The band would drift apart again by the end of the year. 1992: Lee Aaron releases the album, SOME GIRLS DO. October 8 2002: Blue Rodeo releases the PALACE OF GOLD lp. 2003: Carl Dixon releases his live album, ONE VOICE TWO HANDS on the Diamond Ditty Music label. October 9 1966: The Rogues play their first gig under their new name, The Mandala at Toronto's Club Kingsway. They also perform their first single, "Opportunity" for the first time during the matinee and evening shows, and band member Domenic Troiano meets his future wife, Shawne Jackson, also appearing on the card. October 10 1960: Al Connelly of Glass Tiger fame is born. 2002: The Tragically Hip perform two songs, "It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken", and "Poets", as part of a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony in Ottawa. 2005: Radio stations get the first song from The Pursuit of Happiness in almost a decade - a cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry" from their greatest hits compilation. 2006: Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor releases his third solo album, APHRODITE. 2009: Leela Gilday performs in Banff, Alberta at the Margaret Greenham Theatre. October 11 1952: Claude Morrisson of The Nylons is born in Toronto. 1975: Saturday Night Live debuts on NBC, masterminded by Canadian comedian/producer Lorne Michaels, and featuring Paul Shaffer as band leader, along with a mostly Canadian band. 1986: "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" by Glass Tiger peaks at #2. 2004: Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer dies of an apparent heart attack. He was 58. 2005: Default releases ONE THING REMAINS. 2008: Whitby Wing Shack & Cyclone Records' annual Rock N Roll Cancer Benefit Show takes place in Toronto. On the card are Robin Hawkins (son of legendary Ronnie Hawkins), Max Brand and Keith Fraser, Lisa Smith's Powerhouse and Cory Manahan (a 15 years-old guitar protege) and Smoke Stack Lightning featuring Steve Madden (Prime Rockers, Marshall Law, Reckless), among others. 2009: Cold Lake, Alberta's Angels To Ashes release their much anticipated debut album ENOCHIAN during a home town concert. October 12 1955: Jane Siberry is born in Toronto. 1981: Triumph appears at the Public Hall in Cleveland, Ohio. The show is broadcast as part of the King Biscuit Flower Hour series, then is released as a CD under the same name in '96. 1995: Zappacosta releases INNOCENCE BALLET. 1999: Jimi B releases LIVIN' ON MARS. 1999: Helix re-releases LONG WAY TO HEAVEN on CD in the US. October 13 1975: Neil Young has a growth scraped from his vocal chords in an LA hospital. When he asks the doctor if he'll ever be able to sing again, the doctor responds, "Can't make it any worse." 1976: Triumph releases their eponymous debut. 2000: The Trailer Park Boys release THE BIG DIRTY SOUNDTRACK, soundtrack to their album. It features Rush's Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee, among others. October 14 1973: Neil Young releases TIME FADES AWAY. 2006: Canada's superstar publicist, booking agent and personal manager Gino Empry died of congestive heart failure at the age of 83, after suffering a stroke in July. Empry became famous in the 1970's for bringing international talent to Canada's top nightclub, The Imperial Room in the Royal York Hotel, including Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Tina Turner and Roy Orbison. October 15 1997: An MTV-Series 'Best of Lee Aaron' CD is released as a German import. 2008: Frankie Venom, real name Francis Kerr, frontman for Teenage Head, succumbs to cancer in a Hamilton hospital at the age of 52. October 16 1943: Brave Belt and BTO frontman and bassist Clifford Fred Turner is born in Winnipeg. 1983: Loverboy sees Shreveport, Lousiana declare today "Loverboy Day." 1992: Neil Young is one of the featured performers at a Bob Dylan tribute at MSG in NY. This is the same show where Sinead O'Connor was booed off the stage after tearing up a photo of the Pope two weeks earlier on Saturday Night Live. 2004: Doug Bennett of Doug & The Slugs dies in a Calgary hospital from complications stemming from heart problems. 2008: Montreal guitar jazz great Nelson Symonds dies of natural causes at the age of 75. He was awarded the Oscar Peterson Prize in 1996, given to distinguished Canadian jazz musicians. October 17 1951: Shari Ulrich is born in San Rafael, California. 1998: The Barenaked Ladies went to No.1 on the US singles chart with "One Week." 2002: Holly Woods and Toronto play the first of two shows in Edmonton in years, who was then residing there. The band consisted mostly of Headpins members, along with Ray Roper of Stonebolt fame. 2006: The Tragically Hip release WORLD CONTAINER. October 18 1969: The Band's masterful self-titled second album - which contains such classics as "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)" – enters Billboard's album chart. It reaches #9 and eventually goes platinum, selling a million copies. 1973: "Heartbeat" by The DeFranco Family tops Billboard's chart. 1978: COMES A TIME by Neil Young, is released. One of his most personal and intimate works, it peaks at #7 – a chart showing surpassed only by 1972's HARVEST (#1) and 1995's MIRROR BALL (#5) 2005: Bryan Adams' 3-CD set, ANTHOLOGY is released. 2008: Rush's Neil Peart performs with the Buddy Rich Band at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City for a later record. October 19 1973: Bachman Turner Overdrive see NOT FRAGILE hit the number one position on Billboard's album charts. 1974: "Freedom For The Stallion" by Edward Bear peaks at #14 on the Canadian charts. 1993: Rush releases COUNTERPARTS. 1996: Rush set out alone on their TEST FOR ECHO tour at Albany, NY's Knickerbocker Arena. The tour is the first time ever without having an opening act, or being one. 2004: Bryan Adams releases ROOM SERVICE. 2008: The annual West Coast Music Awards is held in Edmonton. Among the winners are Spirit of the West and jazz great (and appointed Liberal senator) Tommy Banks, both inducted into the Hall of Fame. October 20 1994: Neil Young joins Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen onstage at the Roseland Ballroom in New York. The trio perform "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" and "Highway 61 Revisited." 2004: Celine Dion's single "Miracle," enters the charts at No. 4. Shocked with her apparent anorexhia, someone's rumoured to have said, "Someone give that poor woman a sandwich! She's starving." 2009: Paul Naumann, best known for his guitar work with A Foot In Cold Water, dies from complications of liver problems in Taos, New Mexico. to top October 21 2003: Steppenwolf release the 3-CD set, LIVE AT 25 in celebration of the band's silver anniversary. In reality, the only original member remaining for the last 15 years is John Kay. 2003: Rush release the DVD, RUSH IN RIO, filmed in front of 40,000 rabid fans in Rio De Janeiro earlier that year. 2004: Avril Lavigne wins Best International Pop Artist at the MTV Video Awards in Los Angeles. October 22 1951: Jimi Bertucci of Abraham's Children is born. 1983: Country sensation Tiffany Dowhan is born in Bonnyville, AB. 2004: Bill Reed, the original bass singer for The Diamonds dies. 2005: Trooper play Cold Lake, AB at the Rocktoberfest, headlining Lothar Twardzik, argued as one of the country's top "Oom Pah Pah" bands, which featured local tuba hero Doug Sirant. 2006: Harlequin is inducted into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Winnipeg. 2008: Honeymoon Suite release CLIFTON HILL. October 23 1978: Neil Young's Zuma Beach, California home burns to the ground in a brush fire. 1990: Rush releases CHRONICLES - THE VIDEO COLLECTION on VHS. 1994: Crash Test Dummies kick off an 8-date UK tour at Rock City, Nottingham. 1996: TEST FOR ECHO is certified gold for Rush. 2003: Avril Lavigne wins Best International Artist at MTV's Latin Music Awards ceremony. October 24 1946: Jerry Edmonton, drummer for Steppenwolf, is born. 1991: Bryan Adams breaks the attendance record for an all-standing indoor show at Glasgow, Scotland's Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, when 12,000 people turn up. 1992: Twenty years after the release of his milestone HARVEST, Neil Young issues a sequel, HARVEST MOON. It becomes his first million-seller since 1979's RUST NEVER SLEEPS by sellion in excess of a million copies. 1996: Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern hosts a Bruce Cockburn show, where several cameos are made, including Barney Bentall, Bambi and the Deerhunters, Miche Pouliet, John Dymond, Richard Bell, and Gary Craig.. Colin Linden also joins Cockburn for "Waiting for a Miracle," "Too Late To Holler," "Singing This Song" and "Anything, Anytime, Anywhere." October 25 2003: Neil Young joins Crosby Stills and Nash, Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Willie Nelson, Incubus, Dashboard Confessional and Wilco at the 17th annual Bridge School Benefit in Mountain View, CA. 1970: Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies is born in Toronto. 1990: Bryan Adams sees several albums re-released on CD for the first time, RECKLESS, CUTS LIKE A KNIFE, YOU WANT IT YOU GOT IT and INTO THE FIRE. 1995: Triumph re-releases the second version of ROCK & ROLL MACHINE, half that album, half from the '76 self-titled debut in the US. 2004: Jann Arden's life makes it to paperback, with I'LL TELL YOU ONE DAMNED THING, AND THAT'S ALL I KNOW. October 26 1985: Rush releases POWER WINDOWS. 1993: Blue Rodeo releases FIVE DAYS IN JULY. 2006: 2112 by Rush is one of a dozen historical pieces deemed a "MasterWork" by a committee tasked with preserving the best in Canadian television, film, radio, and music, and put in a time capsule. Other selections include what's considered Canada's first homegrown TV hit, "The Pig & Whistle," of which there are only two surviving episodes; the recordings of soprano singer Pierrette Alarie and her husband, the late tenor Leopold Simoneau; and the body of work by avant-garde jazz musician Paul Bley. 2006: Kenny MacLean, one-time keyboardist for Platinum Blonde, botches the National Anthem at a major junior hockey game in St. John's, NFLD. He was in town for the grand opening of a private college called the School of Rock and Film, where he was a teacher. October 27 1998: ON A DAY LIKE TODAY, Bryan Adams' new album is released. 2006: Trooper plays 4 Wing, the air force base in Cold Lake, AB for the first time. It's new drummer Clayton Hill's first time in the Jewel of the Lakeland. 2009: Anne Murray's autobiography, "All of Me" hits the book stands. October 28 1957: The Four Lads record "Put A Light In The Window." 1978: Nick Gilder hits the charts for the first time as a solo artist, peaking at #1 on Billboard with "Hot Child In The City." 1978: Rush releases HEMISPHERES. 2008: Blue Rodeo releases the album BLUE ROAD. October 29 1936: Hank Snow successfully auditioned for A Hugh Joseph at RCA Victor's Montreal office. He's signed to the label as The Yodeling Ranger. 1955: The Four Lads peak at #5 on the US charts with "Moments To Remember." 1956: The Diamonds hit number 12 on the US charts with the single, "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?". 1965: Peter Timmins, drummer with The Cowboy Junkies, is born. 1976: Bachman Turner Overdrive record a show in Tokyo for the LIVE IN JAPAN lp. 1978: Anne Murray's "You Needed Me" tops Billboard's chart. 1978: Rush releases HEMISPHERES. 1984: Rush releases POWER WINDOWS. 1994: Jann Arden, Roch Voisine, Real World and Punjabi By Nature are the guests on Rita MacNeil's CBC debut, Rita & Friends. The show draws 1.7 million viewers. 1995: Paul Anka guests on The Simpsons. 2002: OPUS X from Chilliwack is re-released on CD in the US. October 30 2006: Bob Segarini's first vinyl venture, the 60's psych-synth group Family Tree is released on CD, including a few unreleased gems. 2007: Hedley releases their sophomore album, FAMOUS LAST WORDS. 2007:The Tea Party releases LIVE - INTIMATE AND INTERACTIVE. 2008: A benefit for ex-Coney Hatch, Guess Who and April Wine member Carl Dixon is held at the Phoenix in Toronto. Former Coney Hatch mate Andy Curran, Russ Dwarf from the Killer Dwarfs and Helix are all on the bill. October 31 1943: Louis McKelvey, guitarist for Influence is born in Killorglin, County Kerry, Ireland. 1951: Doug Bennett of Doug & The Slugs is born in Toronto. 2002: Originally a 1994 release, Chilliwack's GREATEST HITS CD is re-released in the US. 2006: Terry Watkinson, ex- keyboardist for Max Webster and Klaatu, has an art exhibit at Wellington Gallery in Aurora, ON. The exhibit closes on this day. He also painted the cover to Klaatu's 1993 greatest hits package PEAKS. 2006: Triumph releases their EXTENDED VERSIONS cd.