Songs That Changed the World--The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era: "Indian Reservation" by Paul Revere & the Raiders

With all the white man has done to screw things up, it isn't any better than when the Indians ruled.  Here are Paul Revere & the Raiders, from Boise, Idaho with their tale of what we've done to a proud people.  What this most special of series is about is highlighting songs that make you think and the Raiders definitely accomplished that.

"Indian Reservation'

by Paul Revere & the Raiders

Words and Music by John D. Loudermilk

They took the whole Cherokee nation
Put us on this reservation
Took away our ways of life
The tomahawk and the bow and knife

Took away our native tongue
And taught their English to our young
And all the beads we made by hand
Are nowadays made in Japan

Cherokee people, Cherokee tribe
So proud to live, so proud to die

They took the whole Indian nation
Locked us on this reservation
Though I wear a shirt and tie
I'm still part red man deep inside

Cherokee people, Cherokee tribe
So proud to live, so proud to die

But maybe someday when they learn
Cherokee nation will return, will return, will return, will return, will return

This Date in Rock Music History: October 22

           There haven't been many better than Tony Williams, lead singer of the Platters

1955:  The Platters finally ended Chuck Berry's monopoly on the R&B chart with their great song "Only You (And You Alone)".  
1957:  Dick Clark interviewed Ricky Nelson on American Bandstand.
1961:  Chubby Checker performed "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again" on The Ed Sullivan Show.  Both songs receive renewed radio airplay despite already being hits and, amazingly, "The Twist" went all the way to #1 again, becoming the only song of the Rock Era to reach #1...twice.
1963:  24-year-old Kenny Rogers married for the third time, to Margo Gladys Anderson.
1964:  The High Numbers auditioned but were not signed by EMI Records.  Just so you know, EMI, the High Numbers became the Who.
1965:  The Beatles recorded the electric piano solo for "In My Life".
1965:  The Rolling Stones released "Get Off My Cloud" in the U.K.
1965:  The Kingston Trio were on the television show Convoy on NBC.

1966:  The Supremes A' Go-Go was the new #1 album, replacing Revolver by the Beatles.  The Soundtrack to "Doctor Zhivago" was #3 with The Mamas & the Papas #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  What Now My Love from Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Ray Conniff & Singers were on the way down with Somewhere My Love, Whipped Cream & Other Delights from Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass was #7 after 76 weeks but even better, the Soundtrack to "The Sound of Music" still was in the Top 10 after 84 weeks, the Association reached the Top 10 with And Then...Along Comes the Association while Jack Jones was dreaming The Impossible Dream at #10.
1966:  The super Temptations made it a fifth week at #1 with "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep".

1966:  The Four Tops again had the #1 song with "Reach Out (I'll Be There)".  ? & the Mysterians were a strong #2 with "96 Tears" while the first Monkees hit "Last Train to Clarksville" was third.  One of the top songs of the year, "Cherish" by the Association, was #4 with "Psychotic Reaction" from Count Five at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Left Banke and "Walk Away Renee", Johnny Rivers had one of his biggest career hits with "Poor Side of Town", Jimmy Ruffin remained the same with "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted", Herman's Hermits moved from 15-9 with "Dandy" and Eric Burdon & the Animals reached the Top 10 with "See See Rider".
1967:  The Who performed at the Saville Theatre in London.
1969:  Led Zeppelin released the album Led Zeppelin II.

1969:  Tommy Edwards, who gave us one of the biggest hits of the early Rock Era ("It's All in the Game" from 1958), died after suffering a brain aneurysm at the age of 47 in Henrico County, Virginia.
1969:  After he issued a statement to deny that he was dead, Paul McCartney headed to Scotland for a vacation.
1971:  Fleetwood Mac was in concert at the Felt Forum in New York City.

1973:  Elton John released the single "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road".


1976:  Led Zeppelin released The Soundtrack to The Song Remains the Same as the movie was opening at theaters.
1976:  Keith Moon drummed for the final time with the Who.
1977:  Carly Simon had one of the top Adult hits of the 1970's--"Nobody Does It Better" was #1 for a seventh week.

      The popular Johnny Rivers with one of his biggest hits

1977:  Debby Boone remained #1 with "You Light Up My Life", holding off Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better".  Shaun Cassidy was up with his Eric Carmen remake "That's Rock 'N' Roll" and K.C. & the Sunshine Band dropped with "Keep It Comin' Love".  Newcomer Heatwave was up to 5 with "Boogie Nights".  The rest of the Top 10:  Foreigner and "Cold As Ice", the Commodores with "Brick House" at #7, Donna Summer's "I Feel Love", the former #1 for Meco--"Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" and Johnny Rivers landed in the Top 10 for the first time in five years with his final Top 10--"Swayin' to the Music".

  Steely Dan had just released Aja, the biggest album of their career


1977:  Rumours by Fleetwood Mac was in uncharted territory.  It had spent 24 weeks at #1, six more than any other album in the Rock Era to that time.  Simple Dreams by Linda Ronstadt was a solid #2 and Steely Dan was rocketing up from 26-3 with Aja.  The debut of Foreigner moved up to #4.  The rest of the Top 10: Shaun Cassidy, Rita Coolidge at #6 with Anytime...Anywhere, the Rolling Stones debuted in the Top 10 with Love You Live, Elvis Presley's Moody Blue was #8, I Robot by the Alan Parsons Project and Livin' on the Fault Line from the Doobie Brothers at #10.
1978:  The Police performed at Grendel's Lair in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1978:  Earth, Wind & Fire set out on a tour of the United States.  All 75 concerts were sold out.
1979:  The Pretenders were in concert at the Marquee Club in London.
1979:  The Eagles performed at Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois.

1982:  Mayor Sara Robertson in Worcester, Massachusetts declared today Van Halen Day.
1983:  Culture Club topped the U.K. album chart with Colour By Numbers.
1983:  Lionel Richie took over at #1 on the R&B chart with "All Night Long".

In most other times, this winner from Air Supply would have been #1

1983:  Bonnie Tyler had one of the top songs of the year as "Total Eclipse of the Heart" remained #1 for the fourth consecutive week.  Air Supply would have to settle for having one of the top #2 songs of the Rock Era--"Making Love Out of Nothing At All".  Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton were quite a pair with "Islands in the Stream" and Spandau Ballet's "True" sounded awful good at #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  "All Night Long" from Lionel Richie, the Fixx and "One Thing Leads to Another", the Police were backtracking with "King of Pain" at #7. Prince entered the Top 10 with "Delirious", the Talking Heads were up to #9 with "Burning Down the House and Sheena Easton had her ninth hit with "Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair)".
1986:  Jane Dornacker of the Tubes was killed in a helicopter crash during a liver traffic report for WNBC radio in New York City.  She was 39.
1988:  U2 owned the top U.K. album with their live release Rattle and Hum.
1988:  "The Way You Love Me" by Karyn White was best on the R&B chart.

  This great song from Steve Winwood is one that has to be listened to with "high volume"

1988:  Phil Collins took the old Mindbenders hit to #1--"Groovy Kind of Love", making it a short stay for UB40's "Red Red Wine".  Information Society had song #3--"What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)".  Def Leppard was on their way down with "Love Bites" while the Escape Club talked about the "Wild, Wild West".  The rest of the Top 10:  The Beach Boys' 58th career hit was their 16th and final Top 10--"Kokomo", Steve Winwood's great song "Don't You Know What the Night Can Do? was #7, Bobby Brown's "Don't Be Cruel" was #8, the entirely different "Don't Be Cruel" by Cheap Trick (the remake of Elvis Presley's classic) and Kylie Minogue had her contribution to the Remake Factory--"The Loco-Motion", a song written by Stanley, Idaho's Carole King, at #10.
1989:  Singer/songwriter and producer Ewan MacColl, who wrote "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" for Roberta Flack and also had songs recorded by Elvis Presley, died at the age of 74.

1990:  Pearl Jam made their live debut at the Off Ramp in Seattle, Washington.
1994:  Jimmy Miller, producer of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and some of the other top Rolling Stones songs and  producer of Traffic and Motorhead, died in Boulder, Colorado.
1994:  Brandy's first song to hit the R&B chart rose to #1 on this date--'I Wanna' Be Down".
1996:  Sales of Beatles albums exceeded 20 million, more than they had ever achieved in history.  41% of those sales were to teenagers who were not born when the Beatles quit in 1970.
1997:  The Guarantor for Competition, Italy's antitrust agency, fined the Italian divisions of BMG, EMI, Sony Music, Warner Music and PolyGram a total of $4.5 million, claiming they had formed a cartel to drown out competition.  This Guarantor for Competition needs to come to the United States and look at the BCS in college football.
2000:  Pearl Jam played at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their first performance.
2003:  Clay Aiken had the #1 album with Measure of a Man.
2005:  "Waterloo" by Abba was voted as the best song in the 50-year history of the Eurovision Song Contest.  Citizens from 31 European countries voted.
2009:  Luther Dixon, writer of "Mama Said" for the Shirelles, "Sixteen Candles" for the Crests" and many others, died in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida.
2010:  B.J. Thomas sang the national anthem of the United States prior to the deciding game six of the American League baseball championship between the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas.


Born This Day:
1939:  Ray Jones, bass guitarist of Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas

1942:  Bobby Fuller of the Bobby Fuller Four ("I Fought the Law") was born in Baytown, Texas; was found dead in an automobile parked outside his Hollywood, California apartment on July 18, 1966.  Cause of death was never completely known. 
1942:  Annette Funicello ("Tall Paul") was born in Utica, New York.
1945:  Leslie West of Mountain ("Mississippi Queen") was born in New York City.
1945:  Eddie Brigati of the Rascals was born in Garfield, New Jersey.

1952:  Greg Hawkes, keyboardist of the Cars, was born in Fulton, Maryland.
1960:  Chris Kirkwood, founding member and bassist of the Meat Puppets ("Backwater")
1968:  Shelby Lynne was born in Quantico, Virginia.

1968:  Shaggy (Orville Richard Burrell) was born in Kingston, Jamaica.
1985:  Zac Hanson of Hanson was born in Arlington, Virginia.

Hits List: Guess Who

Sometimes you will see an artist enjoy immediate success, but that is really the rarity.  The story of the Guess Who is much more common.  They went through several lineup and name changes and seven years of recording before they had a Top 10 hit in the United States.  They finally found the right combination, and thrived with the songwriting team of Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings.  Here is the complete Hits List for the Guess Who:




As Chad Allan & the Reflections:
1962:  "Tribute to Buddy Holly"
1963:  "Shy Guy"
1964:  "Stop Teasing Me"

As Bob Ashley & the Reflections
1963:  "Inside Out"

As the Guess Who:
1965:  "Shakin' All Over" (#22, #1 Canada, #27 Australia)
           "Tossin' and Turnin'" (#3 Canada)
           "Hey Ho, What You Do to Me" (#3 Canada)
1966:  "Hurting Each Other" (#19 Canada)
           "Believe Me" (#10 Canada)
           "Clock on the Wall" (#16 Canada)
           "And She's Mine" (#32 Canada)
1967:  "His Girl" (#45 U.K., #19 Canada)
           "Pretty Blue Eyes" (#48 Canada)
           "This Time Long Ago" (#30 Canada)
           "Flying on the Ground is Wrong" (#36 Canada)
1968:  "When Friends Fall Out" (#75 Canada)
           "Of a Dropping Pin" (#97 Canada)



1969:  "These Eyes" (#6, #7 Canada, #100 Australia)
           "Laughing" (#10, #1 Canada)
           "Undun" (#22, #21 Canada, #73 Australia)--underrated
1970:  "No Time" (#5, #1 Canada, #43 Australia)
           "American Woman" (#1, #19 U.K., #1 Canada, #43 Australia)
           "No Sugar Tonight" (#1, #19 U.K., #1 Canada)
           "Hand Me Down World" (#17, #10 Canada, #65 Australia)--highly underrated
           "Share the Land" (#10, #2 Canada, #63 Australia)
1971:  "Bus Rider" (#63 Australia"
           "Hang on to Your Life" (#43, #5 Canada)
           "Proper Stranger" (#85 Australia)
           "Albert Flasher" (#29, #13 Canada, #28 Australia)
           "Broken (#55, #15 Canada)
           "Rain Dance" (#19, #3 Canada, #55 Australia)--underrated
           "Sour Suite" (#50, #12 Canada)
1972:  "Life in the Bloodstream" (#39 Canada)
           "Heartbroken Bopper" (#47, #12 Canada, #83 Australia)
           "Guns, Guns, Guns" (#70, #58 Canada)
           "Runnin' Back to Saskatoon" (#96, #9 Canada)
1973:  "Follow Your Daughter Home" (#61, #20 Canada)
           "Orly" (#21 Canada)
           "Glamour Boy" (#14 Canada)



1974:  "Star Baby" (#39, #9 Canada, #95 Australia)--underrated
           "Clap for the Wolfman" (#6, #4 Canada, #39 Australia)
1975:  "Dancin' Fool" (#28, #14 Canada, #85 Australia)
           "Loves Me Like a Brother" (#21 Canada)
           "Seems Like I Can't Live With You, But I Can't Live Without You" (#81 Canada)
           "Rosanne"(#58 Canada)
           "When the Band Was Singin' 'Shakin' All Over'"
1976:  "Silver Bird" (#63 Canada)

Canada stuck with their native songs and it paid off.  The Guess Who had 40 hits with 16 of those going Top 10 and three #1's.  In the U.K., the group had 17 hits, with 8 of those Top 10 and two #1's.|

Songs That Changed the World--The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era: "American Pie" by Don McLean

Some may think this is just a great song with a happy beat but it's much, more more.  I had a junior high class in which we spent a good part of a week discussing this song and what it meant.  For them to take the time to do that, you know it had to be a pretty complex song.  The person who put this video together does a pretty good job of explaining it so I'll let the video speak for itself.

"American Pie"

by Don McLean
Words and Music by Don McLean
A long, long time ago
I can still remember how
That music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while

But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step

I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died(*)

So, bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so
Now do you believe in rock and roll
Can music save your mortal soul
And can you teach me how to dance real slow

Well, I know that you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singin'

Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

Now, for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rolling stone
But, that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me

Oh, and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned

And while Lennon read a book on Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died
We were singin'

Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

Helter skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
Landed flat on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance

'Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died
We started singin'

Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
'Cause fire is the devil's only friend

And as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan's spell

And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singin'

Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play

And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken

And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
And they were singin'

Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

They were singin'
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

This Date in Rock Music History: October 21

1957:  A new talented singer emerged on the scene today as Sam Cooke's first single, "You Send Me" debuted on the chart.
1957:  The Elvis Presley movie Jailhouse Rock opened in theaters.

1958:  Buddy Holly recorded for the final time, as Holly and the Crickets recorded "True Love Ways", "Moondreams", "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" and "Raining in my Heart" at Pythian Temple Studios in New York City.
1962:  Cliff Richard was on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1965:  The Beatles started over on the song "Norwegian Wood" and finished recording in three takes.  They also began working on another song by John Lennon--"Nowhere Man".
1965:  The Dave Clark Five and the Kingsmen performed on Shindig!

1965:  Bill Black, the great bass player who played on many of Elvis Presley's early hits, died in Memphis at the age of 39 during his third operation to remove a brain tumor.
1966:  The Who were on the popular British television show Ready Steady Go!

1967:  Spanky & Our Gang moved from 88 to 50 with "Lazy Day".


1967:  Lulu hit #1 with one of The Top Songs of the Rock Era*--"To Sir With Love".  That took the lid off the Box Tops and their song "The Letter", #1 for four weeks.  The Association were at #3 with "Never My Love".

1968:  The Classics IV released the great single "Stormy".
1968:  Dion released the single "Abraham, Martin and John".
1971:  Mick and Bianca Jagger became the new parents of daughter Jade, who was born in Paris, France.
1972:  Superfly by Curtis Mayfield moved into the #1 position on the album chart with Leon Russell's Carney at #2.  The Moody Blues incredibly moved from 7 to 3 after 58 weeks of release with their masterpiece--Days of Future Passed.  With Rod Stewart, there was Never a Dull Moment and Chicago V was at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Elton John's Honky Chateau, Big Bambu from Cheech & Chong, All Directions, the new album from the Temptations, The London Chuck Berry Sessions was #9 and the Band snuck in with Rock of Ages.

1972:  The Temptations were hot with another song that looked like a smash--"Papa Was a Rolling Stone" moved from #83 to #54.
1972:  Rick Nelson entered the Top 10 with "Garden Party", a biographical account of the time his ridiculous fans booed him in Madison Square Garden when he dared to play a new song for them.  It was Nelson's first Top 10 hit in nine years.
1975:  The Eagles were in concert at the Richfield Coliseum in Cleveland, Ohio.

1975:  Elton John earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1976:  Keith Moon played his final performance with the Who at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
1978:  The Clash fired manager Bernie Rhodes and replaced him with Caroline Coon, previously a journalist for the trade magazine Melody Maker.
1978:  Funkadelic owned the #1 R&B song for a fourth week with "One Nation Under a Groove".

1978:  Gerry Rafferty returned to the #1 spot on the Easy Listening chart with "Right Down the Line".
1978:  Grease was #1 for the 11th week on the album chart.  The Who provided the closest challenge with Who Are You but Boston was taking a back seat with Don't Look Back.  Linda Ronstadt was on fire with Living in the U.S.A. the #4 album after three weeks of release.  Foreigner dropped with Double Vision.  The rest of the Top 10:  Live and More from Donna Summer, Kenny Loggins and Nightwatch, Dan Fogelberg & Tim Weisberg with an interesting collaboration on Twin Sons of Different Mothers, the Rolling Stones fell to 9 with Some Girls and Styx finished the list with their new album Pieces of Eight.

        "Love is in the Air" was a member of the Top 10

1978:  "Kiss You All Over" by Exile, another member of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era, remained at #1 on this date for the fourth week in a row.  They had competition from Nick Gilder, who was poised at #2 with "Hot Child in the City", the former #1 "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey, Little River Band's "Reminiscing" at #4 and Anne Murray with "You Needed Me".  The rest of a great Top 10:  Kenny Loggins and "Whenever I Call You Friend", John Paul Young's "Love Is in the Air", Donna Summer's remake of the Richard Harris smash "MacArthur Park" gave her 10 career hits, Boston was down with "Don't Look Back" and Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta wrapped up the list with "Summer Nights".
1985:  George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and others recorded the television special Carl Perkins and Friends in London to honor the 30th anniversary of Perkins' song "Blue Suede Shoes".
1989:  Kylie Minogue had the top U.K. album with Enjoy Yourself.
1989:  Elton John collected his 38th Adult Contemporary hit, with exactly half of those (19) reaching the Top 10, and his ninth AC #1 with "Healing Hands".

              The Stones with their last big hit

1989:  Janet Jackson remained at #1 for a third week with "Miss You Much" with "Love Song" by the Cure becoming that group's biggest hit, Tears for Fears moving up with "Sowing the Seeds of Love" and Roxette bouncing from 9 to 4 with "Listen to Your Heart".  The Rolling Stones were stuck at #5 with "Mixed Emotions".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Cover Girl" by New Kids on the Block, "Love in an Elevator" gave Aerosmith their fourth Top 10 in 16 tries, Babyface
1993:  Aerosmith was in concert at Sheffield Arena in London.
1994:  Neil Diamond divorced his wife of 24 years.
1995:  Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon died of drugs at age 28.

1995:  Elton John was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1995:  "Fantasy" scored a fourth week at #1 on the R&B chart for Mariah Carey.
1995:  Mariah Carey's Daydream debuted at #1 on the album chart.  
1995:  It had debuted at #1 and now in its fourth week, "Fantasy" by Mariah Carey was still #1.  
1997:  Elton John's song "Candle in the Wind '97" was honored by the Guinness Book of Records as the top-selling single of all-time.  The tribute to Princess Diana had sold 31.8 million in less than 40 days.
2001:  Paul McCartney, Elton John, Michael Jackson, the Who, Aerosmith, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, James Brown, P. Diddy, *NSync and David Bowie performed in concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City and RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. to raise millions for victims of the September 11 attacks.
2003:  The Eagles released their greatest hits package The Very Best of the Eagles.
 
2003:  Elton John signed a contract with the Colosseum in Las Vegas, Nevada to do 75 shows over a three-year period.
2003:  AC/DC performed at the refurbished Hammersmith Apollo in London.
2004:  Bo Diddley postponed a concert in California so he could recuperate from having his toe amputated, a procedure required due to a hypoglycemic condition brought on by diabetes.

2004:  Usher and Alicia Keys move to #1 with their collaboration "My Boo".  That gave Usher his fourth #1 song of the year, the first time someone had accomplished that feat since the Jackson 5 in 1970.  The other #1's were "Yeah", "Burn" and "Confessions Part II".
2005:  The Strokes played new songs from their album First Impressions of the Earth at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro.
2006:  Sandy West, founder, singer, songwriter and drummer with the Runaways, died at the age of 47 after being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2005.
2006:  Evanescence had the #1 album with The Open Door.
2007:  Kid Rock and five members of his entourage were arrested in Atlanta, Georgia after an argument broke into a fight in a restaurant. 
2007:  Stereophonics owned the top U.K. album with Pull the Pin.

Born This Day:
1937:  Norman Wright of the Dell-Vikings ("Come Go With Me") was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1940:  Jimmy Beaumont of the Skyliners, who had a minor hit with their version of "Since I Don't Have You", was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1940:  Manfred Mann (real name Michael Liebowitz), keyboardist and leader of several different bands bearing his name, was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.

1941:  Steve Cropper, prolific guitarist who played with Otis Redding, Booker T. & the MG's and Sam & Dave, was born in Willow Spring, Maryland.

1942:  Elvin Bishop, guitarist with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and a solo artist ("Fooled Around and Fell in Love"), was born in Glendale, California.
1943:  Ron Elliott, guitarist of the Beau Brummels, was born in Haddsburg, California.
1945:  Kathy Young ("A Thousand Stars" from 1960) was born in Santa Ana, California.

1946:  Lee Loughnane, founding member, vocalist, songwriter, trumpeter and flugelhorn player of Chicago was born in Elmwood Park, Illinois.  
1947:  Tetsu Yamauchi, bass guitarist for Free and the Faces, was born in Fukuoka, Japan.
1952:  Brent Mydland, keyboard player and vocalist who joined the Grateful Dead in 1979, was born in Munich, Germany.  He died in his home at age 38 from a drug overdose.  

1953:  Charlotte Caffey, lead guitarist of the Go-Go's, was born in Santa Monica, California.

1953:  Eric Faulkner, guitarist for the Bay City Rollers, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland.



1957:  Steve Lukather, elite guitarist of Toto, was born in Los Angeles.

Hits List: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are now in their fifth decade of recording and touring.  Like Bruce Springsteen, Petty was hailed as the next big rock star.  It did not take Petty as long to achieve success and he has been far more consistent.  Here is the complete Hits List from Tom and the band:




1977:  "Breakdown" (#40, #40 Canada)
           "Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll (#36 U.K.)
           "American Girl" (#40 U.K.)
1978:  "I Need to Know" (#41, #46 Canada)
           "Listen to Her Heart" (#59, #66 Canada)



1979:  "Don't Do Me Like That" (#10, #3 Canada, #17 New Zealand)
1980:  "Refugee" (#15, #2 Canada, #3 New Zealand)--underrated
           "Here Comes My Girl" (#59, #82, #41 New Zealand)--highly underrated
1981:  "The Waiting" (#19, #1 Rock, #6 Canada, #27 New Zealand)
           "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" (with Stevie Nicks) (#3, #2 Rock, #5 Canada, #50 U.K., #11 New Zealand)
           "A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)" (#79, #5 Rock)
           "Nightwatchman" (#21 Rock)
1982:  "You Got Lucky" (#20, #1 Rock, #30 Canada)
           "Straight into Darkness"
1983:  "Change of Heart" (#21, #10 Rock, #36 Canada)
           "We Stand a Chance" (#37 Rock)
           "A One Story Town" (#15 Rock)
           "Between Two Worlds" (#35 Rock)
           "I Will Run To You" (with Stevie Nicks" (#35 Rock
1985:  "Don't Come Around Here No More" (#13, #2 Rock, #20 Canada, #50 U.K., #42 New Zealand)
           "Make It Better (Forget About Me)" (#54, #12 Rock, #73 Canada)
           "Rebels" (#74, #5 Rock)
           "Needles and Pins" (#37, #17 Rock, #85 Canada)
1986:  "Refugee (live)"
           "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" (#9 Rock) 
           "Band of the Heart" (with Bob Dylan) (#28 Rock)
1987:  "Jammin' Me" (#18, #1 Rock, #41 Canada, #38 New Zealand
           "All Mixed Up" (#19 Rock)
           "Runaway Trains" (#6 Rock)
           "Think About Me" (#36 Rock)



1989:  "I Won't Back Down" (#12, #1 Rock, #5 Canada, #28 U.K., #49 New Zealand)
           "Runnin' Down a Dream" (#23, #1 Rock, #23 Canada, #55 U.K.)--highly underrated
           "Free Fallin'" (#7, #1 Rock, #5 Canada, #64 U.K., #4 New Zealand)
           "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" (#18 Rock)
           "Love Is a Long Road" (#7 Rock)
1990:  "A Face in the Crowd" (#46, #5 Rock, #20 Canada, #93 U.K.)
           "Yer (sic) So Bad" (#5 Rock, #44 Canada)
1991:  "Learning to Fly" (#28, #1 Rock, #5 Canada, #46 U.K., #28 New Zealand)
           "Into the Great Wide Open" (#92, #4 Rock, #23 Canada
           "Out in the Cold" (#1 Rock)
1992:  "Too Good to Be True" (#34 U.K.)
           "King's Highway" (#4 Rock, #31 Canada)
           "All or Nothin'"
           "Peace in L.A."
           "Makin' Some Noise" (#30 Rock, #75 Canada)
1993:  "Mary Jane's Last Dance" (#14, #1 Rock, #5 Canada, #52 U.K.)
1994:  "Something in the Air" (#19 Rock, #26 Canada, #53 U.K.)
           "American Girl"
           "You Don't Know How It Feels" (#13, #1 Rock, #3 Canada)
1995:  "You Wreck Me" (#2 Rock, #8 Canada)
           "It's Good to Be King" (#68, #6 Rock, #8 Canada)
           "A Higher Place" (#12 Rock,#5 Canada)
           "Cabin Down Below" (#29 Rock)
           "Waiting for Tonight" (#6 Rock, #10 Canada)
1996:  "Walls" (#69, #6 Rock, #2 Canada)
           "Climb That Hill" (#6 Rock)
1997:  "Change the Locks" (#20 Rock)
1999:  "Free Girl Now" (#5 Rock, #9 Canada)
           "Room at the Top" (#19 Rock)
           "Swingin'" (#17 Rock)
           "This One's for Me"
           "Accused of Love"
2002:  "The Last DJ" (#22)
           "Have Love Will Travel"
           "You and Me"



2006:  "Saving Grace" (#100, #26 Rock)
           "Flirting with Time"
           "Big Weekend"
2010:  "Good Enough"
           "I Should Have Known It" (#40 Rock)
           "First Flash of Freedom"
           "Don't Pull Me Over"

Songs That Changed the World--The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era: "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival

CCR's seething song about entitlement, the rich being exempted from military service and for the courageous and honorable people who do serve, all they ask is "More!  More!  More".

"Fortunate Son"

by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Words and Music by John Fogerty

Some folks are born made to wave the flag
Ooh, they're red, white and blue
And when the band plays "Hail to the chief"
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no

Yeah!
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand
Lord, don't they help themselves, oh
But when the taxman comes to the door
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no

Some folks inherit star spangled eyes
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord
And when you ask them, "How much should we give?"
Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! yoh

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, one

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no no no

This Date in Rock Music History: October 20

1955:  Harry Belafonte recorded "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)".

1955:  Elvis Presley, Pat Boone and Bill Haley were in concert at a Cleveland high school in Ohio.
1958:  Bobby Day enjoyed a third straight week at #1 on the R&B chart with "Rock-in Robin".
1959:  Patty Duke starred in the Broadway production of The Miracle Worker, which opened today.
1960:  The Elvis Presley movie G.I. Blues premiered in theaters.

1960:  Roy Orbison hit #1 in the U.K. with "Only the Lonely"
1961.  Bob Dylan recorded his self-titled debut album.
1961:  The Beatles did their usual lunchtime show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England, then performed at night at the Village Hall in Knotty Ash, Liverpool.
1961:  Bobby Rydell hosted the Miss Teenage America contest in Dallas, Texas.
1962:  We were introduced to a great new singer with a whole lot of soul, although most wouldn't come to know him until later.  Marvin Gaye's first single debuted on the charts on this date--"A Stubborn Kind of Fellow".

1962:  The Contours had the #1 R&B song with "Do You Love Me".


1962:  Just in time for Halloween, "Monster Mash" spooked the other songs and took over the #1 spot for Bobby "Boris" Pickett".  "Sherry" was dethroned after five weeks to the disappointment of the 4 Seasons.  The Contours' great song "Do You Love Me" was third but the Crystals moved from 11-4 with "He's a Rebel".  The rest of the Top 10:  "I Remember You" by Frank Ifield, Dickey Lee's "Patches" at #6, Nat King Cole fell with "ramblin' Rose", Gene Pitney moved from 13 to 8 with "Only Love Can Break a Heart", Booker T. & the M.G.'s "Green Onions" tumbled to #9 and Chris Montez closed the group with "Let's Dance".
1963:  The Beatles recorded a performance for Thank Your Lucky Stars on ABC-TV in Birmingham, England.
1965:  The Beatles recorded "We Can Work It Out".
1968:  Cream and Deep Purple appeared in concert at the San Diego Sports Arena.  What a show!

1969:  A great day for new singles--Three Dog Night released the single "Eli's Coming".
1969:  Peter, Paul & Mary released the single "Leaving on a Jet Plane".
1969:  CCR released the double-sided smash "Fortunate Son"/"Down on the Corner".
1969:  John Lennon released the album Cold Turkey.
1969:  The Who began the first of a six-night run at Fillmore East in New York City playing the rock opera Tommy in its entirety.
1972:  Joe Cocker was arrested for the second time in four days, this time for assault as well as resisting arrest in Melbourne, Australia and was deported.

1973:  One of the great soul songs of the 70's--"Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight & the Pips was the new #1 R&B song.

1973:  A rock band from Boston was making noise and on this date, Aerosmith debuted with their first single release "Dream On".
1973:  Ringo Starr was on the move with "Photograph", climbing from 60 to 29.
1973:  The Rolling Stones reached #1 with "Angie".
1974:  Eric Burdon (Animals and War) and his wife Rose became the parents of daughter Mirage.
1976:  The Eagles performed at The Forum in Los Angeles.

1976:  The Led Zeppelin movie The Song Remains the Same premiered in London and New York City.


1977:  Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines of Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed along with group manager Dean Kilpatrick when their rented plane ran out of fuel and crashed in a densely-wooded area of a swamp in Gillsburg, Missouri.  The rest of the band and crew were seriously injured.
1978:  The Police made their debut in the United States with a show at C.B.G.B.s. in New York City.
1979:  Bob Dylan performed three songs from the album Slow Train Coming on Saturday Night Live.

                   The incomparable Donna Summer

1979:  Herb Alpert enjoyed his second #1 song "Rise", 15 years after his first #1--"This Guy's In Love With You".  Michael Jackson slipped down with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", M was up to #3 with "Pop Muzik", the Commodores' great song "Sail On" remained fourth with Dionne Warwick in the #5 position with "I'll Never Love This Way Again".  The rest of an outstanding Top 10:  Donna Summer and "Dim All the Lights", Robert John with "Sad Eyes", the former #1 "My Sharona" from the Knack, the Eagles had their seventh Top 10 song out of their last nine releases ("Heartache Tonight", which moved from 15-9) and the Commodores were at warp speed with a 38-10 move for their new release "Still".  
1979:  The great album In Through the Out Door remained #1 for the sixth week for Led Zeppelin.  The Eagles were in rarefied air with a debut for The Long Run at #2, Get the Knack from the Knack fell to 3 and the Commodores were still at 4 with Midnight Magic.  The rest of the Top 10:  Off the Wall from Michael Jackson, Foreigner's Head Games was #6, Cheap Trick entered the Top 10 with Dream Police, Bob Dylan held position #8 with Slow Train Coming, Supertramp's landmark Breakfast In America was #9 and Styx moved from 21 to 10 with Cornerstone.
1980:  U2 released their fist album Boy.

1980:  Music Directors were thrilled to come back from the weekend and find some great 45's on their desk on this date.  John Lennon released the first single from his brand new Double Fantasy Album--"(Just Like) Starting Over".
1980:  Neil Diamond released his first single from the movie that he starred in (The Jazz Singer)--"Love on the Rocks".
1980:  Barbra Streisand released the single "Guilty".
1984:  Wham! had the top song in the U.K.--"Freedom".
1984:  Stevie Wonder continued to have the #1 R&B song with "I Just Called to Say I Love You".

   Springsteen kept the hits coming from Born in the U.S.A.

1984:  Stevie Wonder remained at the top with his eighth #1 song--"I Just Called to Say I Love You".  Billy Ocean closed with "Caribbean Queen" and Chicago was up to #3 with "Hard HabCafferty & the Beaver Brown Band got their first taste of the Top 10 with "On the Dark Side", Prince shot up from 18 to 9 with "Purple Rain" and the Pointer Sisters were feeling good about their new hit "I'm So Excited".
1984:  "I Just Called to Say I Love You" was #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for Stevie Wonder.
1984:  Prince reigned for the 12th week on the album chart with Purple Rain.  Born in the U.S.A. from Bruce Springsteen was second, followed by Private Dancer from Tina Turner, Sports from Huey Lewis & the News and Heartbeat City by the Cars.  It was the ninth consecutive week that those five albums had composed the Top 5 albums, believed to be the only time in the Rock Era that the feat has occurred.

1987:  Genesis released the new single "Land of Confusion".


1987:  Glass Tiger released the single "Someday".


1990:  James Ingram's great song "I Don't Have the Heart" took over at #1 with "Black Cat" from Janet Jackson leaping to #2.
1990:  The Razors Edge by AC/DC was one of three new albums in the Top 10.
1992:  Madonna released the album Erotica.
1994:  Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young joined Bob Dylan onstage at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City to perform "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" and "Highway 61 Revisited".

1997:  Henry Vestine of Canned Heat was found dead from heart and respiratory failure in a hotel room in France at the age of 52.
1999:  Ricky Martin kicked off a tour at the Miami Arena in Florida.
2002:  Nelly and Kelly Rowland had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Dilemma".
2003:  Prince played a secret concert at Bennett's Lane jazz club in Melbourne, Australia.
2003:  Jimmy Cliff ("I Can See Clearly Now") was honored for his work in music and film with Jamaica's the Order of Merit.

2004:  Ricky Martin asked world leaders at the United Nations to help combat sex tourism and child prostitution.
2004:  George Strait had the number one album with 50 Number Ones.
2005:  Kanye West had the #1 song for the seventh week with "Gold Digger".


Born This Day:
1937:  Wanda Jackson ("In the Middle of a Heartache" from 1961) was born in Maud, Oklahoma.
1939:  Ray Jones, bassist of the Dakotas
1939:  Jay Siegel of the Tokens
1945:  Ric Lee, drummer of Ten Years After ("I'd Love to Change the World"), was born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England.

1950:  Tom Petty was born in Gainesville, Florida.

1951:  Al Greenwood, keyboardist with Foreigner, was born in New York City.
1958:  Mark King, bassist with Level 42, was born in Cowes, England.
1958:  Ricky Byrd of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
1964:  Jim Sonefeld, one of the founding members of Hootie & the Blowfish
1964:  David Ryan, drummer of the Lemonheads
1971:  Snoop Dogg was born in Long Beach, California.
1978:  Paul Wilson, bass guitarist for Snow Patrol ("Chasing Cars") was born in Kinlochleven, Scotland.