Two Superstar Groups Debuted On This Date

Two of the great groups not only of the 60's but of the Rock Era both debuted on this date.  The Association and Tommy James & the Shondells both first hit the chart on June 4.  The Association released "Along Comes Mary", which eventually reached #7 while James & company became one of a handful of artists to reach #1 with their first single ("Hanky Panky".







Tommy James formed the group at age 12 and recorded "Hanky Panky" at the age of 16.  When that single did so well in Pittsburgh, James moved there and recruited the Pittsburgh group the Raconteurs to become the official Shondells.  The band consisted of guitarist Eddie Gray, Ronnie Rosman on organ, Mike Vale on bass and Pete Lucia on drums.  The group also hit #1 with "Crimson and Clover" and just missed with "Crystal Blue Persuasion", which reached #2 for 2 weeks.  They also landed Top 10 hits with "I think We're Alone Now", "Mirage" and "Mony Mony" and scored 19 hits.

The Association began in Los Angeles in 1965.  Terry Kirkman played 23 wind, reed and percussion instruments for the group.  Gary "Jules" Alexander was on guitar, Brian Cole played bass, Jim Yester was a guitarist, Ted Bluechel, Jr. played drums while Russ Giguere played percussion.  The Association.made their hits count.  They only had 13, but 5 of those went Top 10, including the #1 smashes "Cherish" and "Windy", two of the Top Songs of the Rock Era*, and the #2 classic "Never My Love".  The group also enjoyed a Top 10 with "Everything That Touches You".  

The #67 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era: "Room for Squares" by John Mayer

John Mayer of course has gone on to become a superstar with music fans and widely acclaimed by critics, but this is the album (Room for Squares) that started it all.


The formula that decided the Top Albums of All-Time in the Rock Era needed to include methodology that would not show bias against current albums--reason being that if it was based solely on sales, an album that had been around 30 years would naturally tend to have more sales than one released two years ago.  It is that methodology that allows a fairly recent album such as the one here at #67 to make the list.  Many people have yet to discover it, but based on the four million who have (sales), it rates extremely high.  What this also tells me is that in another ten years' time, the album will go up the list as the sales figures begin to catch up and reflect the quality of the album.


Mayer's reputation began to build as he performed in Atlanta, Georgia.    A small label, Aware Records, originally signed him and released this album as an "Internet album".  Soon Aware signed a deal with Columbia Records giving Columbia the right to choose which Aware performers they would like to sign.  Columbia wanted John Mayer, to be sure, and the album was re-released.  First by word-of-mouth and later through three hit singles ("No Such Thing", "Why Georgia" and "Your Body is a Wonderland"), the album began to take off.  In a world where rap music and substandard writers were the order of the day, it was refreshing to hear someone of Mayer's talent come along.  The three songs mentioned above were played on both so-called popular music radio stations as well as on Adult Contemporary.







However, as is almost universally the case with these Top 100 Albums, the album is about much more than hit singles.  There isn't a bad song on the album, as the high Track Rating* can attest to.  "83", "3 x 5", "Love Song for No One" and "The Great Indoors" are all excellent tracks.   


Room for Squares peaked at #8 at the time of its release, but remained in the Top 40 for 79 weeks (1 1/2 years).  It has thus far sold 4 million copies and has a Track Rating* of 9.18.


Mayer won Best Male Vocal Performance for "Your Body Is a Wonderland" at the Grammy Awards and he was nominated for Best New Artist.  He was nominated for Best New Artist at the MTV Video Music Awards for the song "No Such Thing" and for Best Male Video for "Your Body Is a Wonderland" .  Mayer was also nominated for Favorite Male Pop Artist (which has been Rock for decades) Choice Music-Male Artist and Choice Music-Album at the Teen Choice Awards.




Room for Squares:
1.  "No Such Thing" (Mayer, Clay Cook) --3:51
2.  "Why Georgia" (Mayer) --4:28
3.  "My Stupid Mouth" (Mayer) --3:45
4.  "Your Body is a Wonderland" (Mayer) --4:08
5.  "Neon" (Mayer, Cook) --3:49
6.  "City Love" (Mayer) --4:00
7.  "83" (Mayer) --4:51
8.  "3 x 5" (Mayer) -- 4:48
9.  "Love Song For No One" (Mayer, Cook: --3:21
10.  "Back To You" (Mayer --4:01
11.  "Great Indoors" (Mayer) --3:36
12.  Not Myself" (Mayer" 3:36
13:  "St. Patrick's Day" (Mayer) --5:21











Mayer has quickly gained a reputation as being one of the top guitarists of his time.  He also played a Korg Triton synthesizer, omnichord, piano, vibraphone and percussion on the album.  David LaBruyere was the bassist while Nir Z played drums.  Brandon Bush played keyboards (Hammond organ, Wurlitzer electric piano, Rhodes piano and mellotron), John Alagia contributed percussion and Hammond organ.  Additional help came from backing vocalists Clay Cook and Doug Derryberry, Chris Fisher (congas), drummer Jerry Marotta and Carole Rabinowitz and Jon Catchings (cello) and David Angell and David Davidson (violin) and Kristin Wilkinson (viola) on "City Love".


Alagia produced, mixed and engineered the album.  Jack Joseph Puig and Jeff Juliano also mixed Room for Squares, while Scott Hull mastered the album.  Dan and Alex Fallon contributed artwork while Joshua Kessley was the photographer.


Room for Squares was recorded in 2000 at Loho Studios in New York City, Sunny Acre in Easton, Maryland, 33 & 1/3 Studios in Brooklyn, New York, Applehead Studios in Woodstock, New York and Media Mix Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.  The album was quietly released June 5, 2001, as mentioned, by Aware Records before being picked up by Columbia as the full weight of that giant in the recording business was put behind the project.


This album would rank much, much higher in my personal list, which I'm going to release following the revealing of all 100 albums.  Time will definitely do this album justice.  It may not climb as high as I feel it should, but it will climb.


For now, Room for Squares is #67 All-Time.

This Date in Rock Music History: June 4

1942:  Glenn Wallichs began Capitol Records in the United States in a second-floor room south of Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.  Capitol would become the home for Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, Glen Campbell, Steve Miller, Anne Murray, Dr. Hook, Bob Seger, Tina Turner, Heart and many, many others.


1962:  The Beach Boys released the single "Surfin' Safari" on Capitol Records.

1963:  The Searchers first appeared on the U.K. chart with the song "Sweets For My Sweet".
1964:  The Beatles began their first world tour in Denmark with two shows at the KB Hallen in Copenhagen.











1966:  On this date, a new group debuted with their first hit single.  They would go on to become one of the top acts of the 60's with 19 hits, seven Top 10 records and two #1's.  "Hanky Panky" debuted on the chart for Tommy James & the Shondells.
1966:  "Strangers In The Night" hit #1 for Frank Sinatra on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1967:  Procol Harum, the Chiffons, the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Denny Laine (later of the Moody Blues) performed at the Saville Theatre in London.  Paul McCartney and George Harrison of the Beatles were in attendance.




1967:  Stevie Wonder released the single "I Was Made To Love Her".














1967:  A brand new act debuted on this date.  They would become one of the great acts of the 60s.  The Association's first single "Along Comes Mary" entered the chart.











1967:  The Monkees won an Emmy Award for Best Comedy Series at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
1969:  Nicky Hopkins, pianist for the Jeff Beck Group, announced he was leaving.
1969:  Hundreds of people in Glenrowan, Australia signed petitions against the casting of Mick Jagger as folk hero Ned Kelly in the upcoming film of the same name.
1969:  Tommy Roe hit #1 in the U.K. with "Dizzy".
1970:  Elvis Presley began five days of recording at RCA Studios, beginning his day at 6 p.m. and working until dawn.






1973:  It was a Monday, and that meant new releases.  The Charlie Daniels Band released "Uneasy Rider" on this date.

1974:  Randy Newman appeared on the U.K. television show The Old Grey Whistle Test.
1976:  Elton John performed in Cardiff, Wales, the final show of his U.K. tour.  (Note:  some websites claim Elton performed at the Capitol Theatre in Leeds, England.  That show was April 29--Elton performed in Cardiff on June 4, according to the official Elton John website.)
1976:  Live recordings were made of Blondie, the Talking Heads and others at the new wave night club GBGB's in New York City.  The tracks can be heard on the album Live at GBGB's New York.




1977:  "Best of My Love" by the Emotions was #1 on the R&B chart.
1977:  Barry Manilow reached #1 with "Looks Like We Made It" on the Easy Listening chart.
1977:  Stevie Wonder made it three weeks in a row at #1 with "Sir Duke".  K.C. and the Sunshine Band followed with "I'm Your Boogie Man" while "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac crept up to #3.  Marvin Gaye was right behind with "Got To Give It Up".
1977:  Bad things happen in Florida.  The 2000 presidential election debacle, the training ground for 9/11 terrorists and back in 1977, a Led Zeppelin concert in Tampa Bay was canceled after fans had rioted the night before.
1980:  The Go-Go's were at Tiffany's in Great Yarmouth, England.
1983:  The Police had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Every Breath You Take"
1983:  Thriller by Michael Jackson was the #1 album in the U.S. for the 15th week in a row.

1984:  Bruce Springsteen released the album Born in the U.S.A on Columbia Records.









  1985:  With "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" at #1, Tears For Fears released the single "Shout".
1986:  U2, Bryan Adams, Sting and Peter Gabriel performed at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California as part of the Conspiracy of Hope concert tour.  (Note:  some websites naively say the Cow Palace is in San Francisco.  It is in Daly City, 10 miles south of San Francisco.
1987:  Fans at a Eurythmics concert in West Berlin could hear people in East Berlin chanting "The wall must go!"  And it did.
1988:  Hysteria by Def Leppard spent its 37th week in the Top 10 of the Album chart.

1992:  The United States Postal Service announced that people preferred a stamp design featuring "the younger Elvis" in a vote that had concluded.
1993:  The beginning of the end for Kurt Cobain.  He was arrested for assaulting his wife, Courtney Love, after a dispute at his house in Seattle, Washington.
1994  The U.K. magazine NME featured Oasis on the cover.
1994:  "Back & Forth" by Aaliyah was #1 for the third week on the R&B chart.
1994:  All-4-One remained at #1 overall with "I Swear".  Madonna could not budge with "I'll Remember", Ace of Base remained at 3 with their former #1 "The Sign" and Enigma was at 4 with "Return To Innocence".
1994:  Derek Leckenby, guitarist for Herman's Hermits, died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Manchester, England at the age of 51.  (Note:  some websites claim Leckenby died August 4, 1994, but according to the newspaper 'The Independent', he died June 4.) 





1994:  Wet Wet Wet had one of the biggest hits of all-time in the U.K. as their remake of the Troggs' hit "Love Is All Around" began a 15-week run at #1.
1994:  All-4-One remained at #1 in the United States for the third week with "I Swear".  Madonna peaked at #2 with "I'll Remember" while Ace of Base was still strong after 23 weeks of release with "The Sign".
1996:  Metallica released the album Load on Elektra Records.
1996:  Crowded House announced they were breaking up.






1997:  Ronnie Lane, bass guitarist of Faces, died in a hospital in Trinidad, Colorado at the age of 51 of pneumonia after a long battle with multiple sclerosis.
1998:  Ray Charles performed in Chicago to celebrate 50 years as an entertainer.
2000:  Bon Jovi had the #1 U.K. album with Crush.
2003:  Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera toured together, beginning at the America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.
2004:  Creed announced that they were splitting up.  
2012:  Herb Reed of the Platters died at the age of 83 of several ailments in Boston, Massachusetts.  (Note:  some websites claim Reed died at the age of 80.  He was 83, according to 'CBS News'.)

Born This Day:
1944:  Roger Ball, saxophonist of the Average White Band, was born in Broughty Ferry, Scotland.  (Note:  some websites report Ball was born in Dundee, Scotland.  He was born in Broughty Ferry, a suburb of Dundee.)

1944:  Holly Michelle Gilliam (Michelle Phillips) of the Mamas and the Papas was born in Long Beach, California.
1945:  Gordon Waller of Peter & Gordon was born in Braemar, Scotland; died of a heart attack in Norwich, Connecticut on July 17, 2009.
1952:  Jimmy McCulloch of Thunderclap Newman ("Something In The Air") and later Wings was born in Dumbarton, Scotland; died September 27, 1979 from heroin in Maida Vale, West London, England at the age of 26.  (Note:  several websites report McCulloch was born in Glasgow, Scotland.  He was born in Dubarton, about 20 miles from Glasgow.)
1954:  Raphael Ravenscroft, who played the famous saxophone solo on "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty, and who also worked with ABBA, Marvin Gaye, America, Pink Floyd, Bonnie Tyler, Maxine Nightingale, Daft Punk and many others, was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England; died October 19, 2014 of a heart attack in Exeter, Devon, England.  (Note:  Some websites report he was born in Dumpfries, Scortland, but according to the 'BBC' and the newspaper 'The Telegraph', Raphael was born in Stoke-on-Trent.)

1961:  El DeBarge, lead  lead singer and co-founder of the family group DeBarge and a solo artist ("Who's Johnny"), was born in Detroit, Michigan.  (Note:  some websites report he was born on June 3, and several say El was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  According to 'USA Today', El was born on June 4 in Detroit and later moved with his family to Grand Rapids.)
1974:  Stefan Lessard, bass guitarist with the Dave Matthews Band, was born in Anaheim, California.

The #68 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era: "Scarecrow" by John Mellencamp

The next album represents the best work of John Mellencamp, although he did several excellent albums in a row. 

Scarecrow, however, is the one that makes it into the Top 100 Albums of All-Time in the Rock Era*.

The top singles were "Lonely Ol' Night", "Small Town" and "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.", all of which made the Top Ten.  "Rain on the Scarecrow" and "Rumbleseat" were also released and the former is one of the Top Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.  Another is "Minutes to Memories", an amazing song in my opinion.  Believe me, this album is about much more than the singles.  "Justice and Independence '85" also received significant airplay.  That's eight tracks right there out of essentially 11 on the album ("Grandma's Theme" is a prelude to "Small Town"--not a bad batting average!  Not to mention, there's more on the album that radio should have played.  "You've Got To Stand For Somethin'" is perhaps a song that everyone should listen to; it has a great and timeless message.  "Face of the Nation" is an excellent song as well.  As you can probably tell, this is one of my favorites as well; I would rank it much higher than what it actually comes in at.






The bottom line, though, is that the tremendous airplay that this album got is a major factor for it being ranked in any Top 100 list.  Listeners couldn't get enough of it.  The album first entered the Top 10 on October 5, 1985 and reached a peak of #2 for 2 weeks, spent another 6 weeks at #3 and an impressive 28 inside the Top 10.  This in the midst of competing against some great albums.  Review this list of albums out at the same time--Born in the U.S.A. from Springsteen, Whitney Houston (debut album), Afterburner from ZZ Top, Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits and the self-titled Heart album.  Scarecrow was still in the Top 5 albums after 31 weeks.  For an album to hold its own against that competition is very revealing.


All told, Scarecrow was on the album chart for 75 weeks.  The album has sold five million copies in the United States and has an outstanding Track Record* of 9.09.  Keep in mind that the Track Rating*, which is something unique to this ranking of the top albums, reflects what you can expect from the album with 10 being the highest possible rating.  Anything over about 8.5 is a very good album.


The album was nominated for International Album of the Year at the Juno Awards.


Scarecrow:
(all songs written by Mellencamp unless noted)
1.    "Rain on the Scarecrow" (John Mellencamp, George M. Green) --3:46
2.    "Grandma's Theme" (traditional) --0.56
3.    "Small Town" --3:41
4.    "Minutes to Memories" (Mellencamp, Green) --4:11
5.    "Lonely Ol' Night" --3:45
6.    "The Face of the Nation" --3:13
7.    "Justice and Independence '85" --3:32
8.    "Between a Laugh and a Tear" --4:32
9.    "Rumbleseat" --2:58
10.  "You've Got to Stand for Somethin'" --4:32
11.  "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A" --2:54
12.  "The Kind of Fella I Am" --2:55


Mellencamp played guitar with Larry Crane also contributing electric and acoustic guitar and Mike Wanchic playing electric guitar.  Kenny Aronoff played bass, tambourine and vibes and Toby Myers played bass.  Guest musicians were Rickie Lee Jones, who sang backup on "Between a Laugh and a Tear", Sarah Flint, backing vocals on "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A', Laura Mellencamp, Mimi Mapes sang backup on "Minutes to Memories" and John's grandmother, did "Grandma's Theme".   






Ry Cooder played slide on "The Kind of Fella I Am" while A. Jack Wilkins (saxophone) and Richard Fanning (trumpet) played on "Justice and Independence '85".

Scarecrow was recorded in March and April of 1985 in Belmont, Indiana.  Mellencamp co-produced the album along with Don Gehman. It was released August 19, 1985 on Riva Records, a division of Mercury Records. 

At #68, Scarecrow from John Mellencamp.

This Date in Rock Music History: June 3

1953: Elvis Presley graduated from L.C. Humes High School in Memphis, Tennessee. Wonder if they had the foresight to vote him "Most Likely to Succeed".  (Note:  several websites claim Elvis graduated on June 2, and one says the graduation was June 14.  According to the official Graceland website, numerous Elvis websites, as well as the books 'Elvis for Dummies' by Susan Doll and 'Why Elvis Left the Building:  Revealing Seven Lost Years' by Heart Lanier Shapr, Presley graduated on June 3, 1953.)
1964:  The Rolling Stones taped a performance for the television show Hollywood Palace.  (Note:  numerous websites incorrectly identify June 3 as the date of the show.  'Hollywood Palace' on ABC-TV on Saturday nights.  Saturday in 1964 fell on June 6, and the date of the show is confirmed by both the newspaper 'The Baltimore Sun' and the book 'Overweight Sensation:  The Life and Comedy of Allan Sherman' by Mark Cohen.    What happened on June 3 was not the airing of the show but rather the taping of it.)
1964:  Just as the Beatles were preparing to tour Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, the Netherlands and Hong Kong, drummer Ringo Starr collapsed from exhaustion.  Jimmy Nicol temporarily replaced him as drummer for the Beatles for 13 days.
1967:  Jefferson Airplane appeared on American Bandstand on ABC-TV, performing the hits "White Rabbit" and "Somebody To Love".

1967:  A famous day in the Rock Era as a group from Los Angeles debuted on the chart with their first hit record.  They would go on to have 16 hits over the next six years, including two of The Top 500 Songs in the Rock Era*.  The song had been released earlier in the week, but on this date,  "Light My Fire" debuted, for the Doors.




1967:  Scott McKenzie had the biggest mover of the week, climbing from 98 to 55 with "San Francisco".

1967:  "Respect" by Aretha Franklin was the new #1 song, replacing "Groovin'" by the Young Rascals.  "I Got Rhythm" by the Happenings remained at 3 and Engelbert Humperdinck was at #4 with "Release Me".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Creeque Alley" by the the Mamas & the Papas, "Him Or Me - What's It Gonna' Be?" from Boise, Idaho's Paul Revere & the Raiders, "The Happening" from the Supremes, Arthur Conley was on his way down with "Sweet Soul Music" dropping to #8, Jefferson Airplane had #9 with "Somebody To Love" and the Temptations climbed to #10 with "All I Need".
1970:  Ray Davies flew 6,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City and changed the line "Coca cola" in the Kinks' song "Lola" to "Cherry cola" so it could be played on the noncommercial BBC Radio.
1972:  Pink Floyd released the Soundtrack to "Obscured By Clouds" on Harvest/EMI Records.  (Note:  some websites report the date of release as June 2.  It was June 3, according to the band's official website.)
1972:  The Beach Boys, Joe Cocker, Melanie, Richie Havens and Sha Na Na performed at the Crystal Palace Garden Party at the Crystal Palace Bowl in south London.
1972:  Stevie Wonder and the Rolling Stones toured together in concert, opening at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

1972:  Thick As a Brick became the new #1 album from Jethro Tull.








1972:  "Song Sung Blue" reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for Neil Diamond.  It would not back down until seven weeks later.








                                                  Keep Dr. Hook away from Sylvia...

1972:  Roberta Flack's classic "The First Time Ever I Saw your Face" dropped to #3 after six weeks at #1.  The Chi-Lites hit #1 with "Oh Girl", holding off the great new Staple Singers song, "I'll Take You There".  Al Green was up with "Look What You Done for Me" while Sammy Davis, Jr. had the surprise hit "The Candy Man".  The rest of the Top 10:  Cat Stevens with "Morning Has Broken", the Rolling Stones with "Tumbling Dice", Joe Tex said "I Gotcha'", Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, as they were then known, had their first Top 10 as "Sylvia's Mother" moved from 14 to 9 and Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen jumped in with 'Hot Rod Lincoln".








1974:  Paper Lace released the single "The Night Chicago Died".
1978:  Donna Summer moved from 67 to 38 with "Last Dance".








  1978:  Johnny Mathis went 21 years and 31 single releases between #1's until finally his duet with Deniece Williams, "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" hit #1 on this date.  John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John climbed up to 2, Andy Gibb edged up one with "Shadow Dancing" and Wings tumbled to #4 with their former #1 "With A Little Luck".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Feels So Good" at #5 from Chuck Mangione, "The Closer I Get To You" by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, Atlanta Rhythm Section edged up to #7 with "Imaginary Lover", George Benson was at 8 with "On Broadway", ABBA moved from 13 to 9 with "Take A Chance On Me" and Player had a second Top 10 with "This Time I'm In It For Love".
1989:  Pink Floyd appeared in concert at Olympijsky Stadium in Moscow, Russia.
1989:  Queen had the #1 album in the U.K. with The Miracle.
1990:  Sheena Easton, the Average White Band, Big Country, Wet Wet Wet and others performed at the Big Day Festival in Glasgow, Scotland.
1990:  Michael Jackson had to be hospitalized with an inflamed rib cartilage in Santa Monica, California.  (Note:  some websites falsely say Jackson was hospitalized on June 9.  Jackson went into the emergency room on Sunday night, June 3 and was hospitalized that night, according to the newspaper 'The Los Angeles Times'.)
1993:  U2 signed a $60 million, six-album deal over the next 10 years with Island Records.
1994:  Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam married Beth Liebling in Rome, Italy.


1995:  Bryan Adams posted his fourth #1 song with "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?".
2000:  The truth was beginning to come out about Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers Band.  Betts was arrested after pulling a knife on his wife and then fleeing.  When police apprehended him, Betts was sent to a psychiatric unit.
2001:  Shaggy began four weeks at the top of the U.K. chart with "Shaggy".



                                                 "Fade" helped Staind realize a #1 album...

2001:  Staind had the #1 album with Break the Cycle.
2002:  Quite a lineup at the Queen's Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace in London--Paul McCartney, Elton John, Sting, Brian Wilson, Cliff Richard, Ozzy Osbourne, the Corrs and S Club 7 performed.
2003:  The Doors settled a lawsuit with departed drummer Stewart Copeland.  Copeland had filed the lawsuit arguing breach of contract after Ty Dennis replaced him in the reunited group.



2006:  Red Hot Chili Peppers were on top with the album Stadium Arcadium.









2011:  Andrew Gold, backup singer for Linda Ronstadt, and solo artist with the hits "Thank You For Being A Friend" and "Lonely Boy", died in his sleep of heart failure in Encino, California at the age of 59 after being treated for renal cancer.  (Note:  some websites report Gold died in Los Angeles.  He died in Encino according to the newspaper 'The New York Times'.)


Born This Day:
1939:  Ian Hunter, singer-songwriter of Mott the Hoople and a solo artist, was born in Oswestry, Shropshire, England.  (Note:  some websites report that Ian was born in 1946, but according to his official website, he was born in 1939.)  

1942:  Curtis Mayfield, lead singer of the Impressions and a solo star, was born in Chicago, Illinois; died December 26, 1999 in Roswell, Georgia after his health had steadily deteriorated after being paralyzed in 1990.  (Note:  some websites claim he died in Atlanta, Georgia, but he died at North Fulton Regional Hospital in Roswell, Georgia, according to 'CBS News'.)
1946:  Eddie Holman ("Hey There Lonely Girl") was born in Norfolk, Virginia.
1946:  Michael Clark, drummer of the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Byrds, was born in Spokane, Washington; died December 19, 1993 in Treasure Island, Florida of liver failure, the result of years of heavy alcohol consumption.  (Note:  some websites report that Clark was born in New York City, which isn't very specific anyway, given that there are five independent boroughs which make up the city of New York.  While there are no credible sources, our best research indicates he was born in Spokane.)  
1947:  Mickey Finn, percussionist of T. Rex, was born in Coulsdon, Surrey, England; died of alcohol-related liver problems on January 11, 2003 in Croydon, London, England.  (Note:  some websites report Finn was born in Thornton Heath, Surrey, England.  Several websites report Finn died in Croydon, Surrey England.  According to the newspaper 'The Independent', he was born in Coulsdon.  Croydon has not been a part of Surrey since 1965 after the Local Government Act of 1963.  Since Finn died 40 years after that change took place, it is impossible for him to have died in Croydon, Surrey, for it was a part of Greater London.)

1950:  Suzi Quatro was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1950:  Deniece Williams was born in Gary, Indiana.
1952:  Billy Powell, keyboard player for Lynyrd Skynyrd, was born in Corpus Christi, Texas; died January 28, 2009 of a suspected heart attack in Orange Park, Florida.






1954:  Dan Hill was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
1962:  David Cole, one-half of C&C Music Factory, who also produced for Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, James Brown and others, was born in Johnson City, Tennessee; died January 24, 1995 of complications from AIDS.
1965:  Mike Gordon, bassist and vocalist of Phish, was born in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
1971:  Ariel Hernandez, singer of No Mercy, was born in Havana, Cuba.  (Note:  some websites report that Ariel was born in Miami, Florida.  While no credible sources exist, our best research indicates he was born in Havana and fled to Miami.)
1971.  Gabriel Hernandez, singer with No Mercy and twin brother of Ariel, was born in Havana, Cuba (see above).
1985:  Tavion La'Corey Mathis of Pretty Ricky

The #69 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era: "Sports" by Huey Lewis & the News

We are featuring the Top 100 Albums of All-Time in the Rock Era* this summer, revealing one per day.  We are up to #69.

Sports was the third album from Huey Lewis and the News, and the San Francisco group hit it out of the park. Billboard magazine ranked it as the #2 album of 1984 behind only Michael Jackson's Thriller.

 

The album reached #1 for a week and had good staying power. It chalked up 7 weeks at #2 and 42 weeks in the Top 10, an amazing feat for this breakthrough album. Sports remained on the album chart for 158 weeks (over three years). To date, it has sold 7 million copies and has a solid 9.0 Track Rating*.

Huey Lewis and the News won the American Music Award for the Favorite Group Video Artist.  They were nominated for Favorite Group.  "The Heart of Rock & Roll" was nominated for the prestigious Record of the Year while "Heart and Soul" was nominated for Best Song by a Pop Vocal Group at the Grammy Awards.


Sports:
1.  "The Heart of Rock & Roll" (Johnny Colla, Huey Lewis) --5:02
2.  "Heart and Soul" (Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn) --4:13
3.  "Bad Is Bad" (Alex Call, John Ciambotti, Sean Hopper, Lewis, John McFee, Schriener) --3:48
4.  "I Want a New Drug" (Chris Hayes, Lewis) --4:46
5.  "Walking on a Thin Line" (Andre Pessis, Kevin Wells) --5:11
6.  "Finally Found a Home" (B. Brown, Hayes, Lewis) --3:43
7.  "If This Is It" (Colla, Lewis) --3:54
8.  "You Crack Me Up" (Mario Cipollina, Lewis) --3:42
9.  "Honky Tonk Blues" (Hank Williams) --3:26





Huey Lewis & the News consisted of Huey Lewis on lead vocals and harmonica, lead guitarist Chris Hayes, Johnny Colla, who played guitar and saxophone, Mario Cipollina on bass, keyboardist Sean Hopper and Bill Gibson on drums and percussion.  All members of the band sang backing vocals.  The only other help they got on the album was from John McFee, who played pedal steel guitar on "Honky Tonk Blues".

Huey Lewis & the News produced the album, Jim Gaines, Jeffrey Norman and Jesse Osborne were the engineers, Larry Alexander and Bob Clearmountain mixed the album and Ted Jensen mastered it.  Sam Gay and Lisa Glines handed the art direction.

The album was recorded at two locations--Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California and The Plant Studios in Sausalito, California.  It was released September 15, 1983 on Chrysalis Records.

A monster album at #69--Sports, by Huey Lewis & the News.

This Date in Rock Music History: June 2

1956:  Gene Vincent released the single "Be-Bop-A-Lula" on Capitol Records.
1957:  Johnnie Ray had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Yes Tonight Josephine".


1962:  "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles was the new #1 song in the United States, replacing "Stranger On The Shore".
1962:  "Stranger On The Shore" was #1 for the seventh week on the Easy Listening chart for Mr. Acker Bilk.

1964:  The Rolling Stones made their American debut at the Lynn High School football field in Lynn, Massachusetts.  Johnny Rivers and Bobby Goldsboro opened the show.
1965:  Bob Dylan and girlfriend Sara Lownds returned to the United States after living in Britain for a while.  The two would marry in November.
1966:  The Who were in concert at the Grona Lund in Stockholm, Sweden.

1967:  A historic day as the Beatles released the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in the United States.  The album had been released the previous day in the U.K.










             Unfortunately, some people didn't want to be part of the solution...

1969:  Tommy James & the Shondells released the classic single "Crystal Blue Persuasion".












1969:  Kenny Rogers & the First Edition released the single "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town".
1972:  Dion reunited with the Belmonts at Madison Square Garden in New York City.








                  Mama may not have taken the Kodachrome, but technology did...

1973:  Paul Simon watched as his "Kodachrome" rapidly moved up the chart, moving from 57 to 28.
1973:  ELO began their first tour of the United States at San Diego Stadium in San Diego, California.
1973:  "My Love" from Paul McCartney & Wings moved to #1 on the Easy Listening chart.
1973:  Red Rose Speedway, the new album from Paul McCartney & Wings, pulled away from the competition in its fourth week of release, moving from 13 to 1.  The album it displaced at #1 was the Beatles/1967-1970 (the "Blue" album).

1973:  Paul McCartney & Wings made it a triple crown with the new #1 song "My Love".  Elton John found himself at #2 with his biggest hit to that point with "Daniel".  Edgar Winter Group tumbled to 3 with "Frankenstein" while Sylvia's solo hit "Pillow Talk" was at #4.

1975:  The Bee Gees released the album that would launch them into superstardom, Main Course, on RSO Records.  (Note:  some websites naively place the date of release in the United States as "August, 1975".  This is news to the Bee Gees, their producers, RSO Records, all trade magazines, and all radio station personnel.  Main Course debuted on the Album chart on June 21--pretty tough for that to occur if it hadn't been released yet.)
1978:  Bruce Springsteen released the album Darkness on the Edge Of Town.
1978:  Crystal Gayle hosted Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers on The Midnight Special on NBC-TV.

1979:  The debut album from previously unknown Rickie Lee Jones was generating talk and moved into the Top 10 on this date.











1979:  "Hot Stuff" gave Donna Summer her third #1 song after "Last Dance" and "MacArthur Park".  "Hot Stuff" was one of a select few songs I called "Disco Rock", for it really was a melding of two musical styles.  Had more songs been like this, disco would have lasted much longer.  Peaches & Herb relented from their hold on #1 with "Reunited" while the Bee Gees edged closer with "Love You Inside Out".  Supertramp had their first Top 10 with "The Logical Song".   
1984:  Wham! reached #1 in the U.K. with "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go".
1984:  "Time After Time" from newcomer Cyndi Lauper distanced itself on the Adult Contemporary chart, reaching the #1 position.
1984:  Huey Lewis & the News had the fastest-rising song within the Top 10 with "The Heart Of Rock & Roll", moving from 13 to 8.

1986:  Peter Cetera released the single "Glory Of Love".
1987:  Whitney Houston released her follow-up album Whitney on Arista Records.  (Note:  several websites claim the album was released May 28.  According to 'Billboard' magazine, the album arrived June 2.)
1989:  48 year-old Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones married 19 year-old Mandy Smith.  He couldn't find anyone close to his own age who would have him.
1990:  We were introduced to a new young singer with a powerful voice on this date as Mariah Carey first appeared on the scene with "Vision Of Love", her first chart hit.  She would give us many more great songs until she changed.








1990:  "Do You Remember" by Phil Collins moved into the #1 slot on the Adult Contemporary chart.
2008:  Bo Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Florida at the age of 79.
2010:  Randy Newman earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2010:  Paul McCartney received the Gershwin Prize for popular song from the Library of Congress by United States President Barack Obama at the White House.

Born This Day:

1930:  Jimmy Jones (the original version of "Handy Man" and "Good Timin'" from 1960) was born in Birmingham, Alabama; died August 2, 2012 in Aberdeen, North Carolina.  (Note:  several websites report that he was born in 1937.  According to his obituary in the newspaper 'The Aberdeen Times', he was born in 1930.  This is confirmed by a photo of Jimmy's gravestone above.)
1932:  Sammy Turner ("Lavender-Blue" from 1959) was born in Paterson, New Jersey.
1936:  Otis Williams of the Charms (six hits in the early Rock Era, including "Ivory Tower" from 1966) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.


1941:  Charlie Watts, drummer of the Rolling Stones, was born in London.












1944:  Marvin Hamlisch, pianist and composer, was born in Manhattan, New York; died August 6, 2012 of respiratory arrest in Los Angeles.  (Note:  some websites lazily say Hamlisch was born in New York City.  New York is of course made up of independent boroughs, each of which is a separate county of New York State, and Marvin was born on the island of Manhattan.)
1950:  Antone Tavares of the sibling group Tavares was born in Providence, Rhode Island.
1951:  Steve Brookins of .38 Special








1954:  Michael Steele (real name Susan Thomas) of the Runaways and the Bangles was born in Pasadena, California.
1960:  Tony Hadley, vocalist of Spandau Ballet, was born in Islington, London, England.
1962:  Thor Eldon Jonsson, co-founder and guitarist of the Sugarcubes, was born in Reykjavik, Iceland.
1970:  B-Real (real name Louis Freese) of Cypress Hill was born in South Gate, California.