Saturday, March 17, 2012

This Date in Rock Music History: March 18

1955:  For the seventh week, "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace set the pace on the R&B chart.  
1958:  Jerry Lee Lewis performed on American Bandstand on ABC-TV.
1959:  EMI Records announced that it had halted all production of 78 rpm records.
1960:  The Everly Brothers recorded "Cathy's Clown" at RCA Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. 
1960:  Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson joined John Wayne and Walter Brennan in the movie Rio Bravo, which opened in theaters. 
1962: Gary U.S. Bonds performed on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1965:  The Standells ("Dirty Water") were guests on an episode of The Munsters on NBC-TV.  (Note:  some websites claim the show aired on March 17.  According to the book 'Big Bang, Baby:  Rock Trivia' by Richard Crouse, the episode which starred the Standells aired March 18, 1965.)


 
1967:  Pink Floyd signed a recording contract with EMI Records.
1967:  Steve Winwood, former member of the Spencer Davis Group, announced that he was forming a new group with Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason that would be known as Traffic.








                                                    "Mary, Mary" from the Monkees...

1967:  The second Monkees album, More of the Monkees, appeared to be dominating the same way their debut did as for the sixth week it topped the Album chart.  The Rolling Stones couldn't compete and were stuck at 2 with Between the Buttons.  In fact, the self-titled Monkees debut was third.  The popular Soundtrack to "Doctor Zhivago" was fourth while S.R.O., the new album from Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, was #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland, the monumental Soundtrack to "The Sound of Music" headed back up after more than two years of release (105 weeks), The Temptations' Greatest Hits at #8, That's Life from Frank Sinatra was ninth and Boise, Idaho's Paul Revere & the Raiders were at #10 with The Spirit of '67.
1967:  The Four Tops meant business!  "Bernadette" moved from #65 to #23 on this date.






                                          The Hermits were on the move again...

1967:  The Beatles rose to #1 with "Penny Lane".  The Turtles belied their name and quickly moved from 8 to 2 with "Happy Together".  Johnny Rivers' great song "Baby I Need Your Lovin'" was third, followed by the former #1's from the Supremes ("Love Is Here and Now You're Gone") and the Rolling Stones ("Ruby Tuesday").  The rest of the Top 10:  "Dedicated To The One I Love" from the Mamas and the Papas, Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels were at 7 with "Sock It To Me--Baby!", Herman's Hermits amazingly achieved their 11th Top 10 song out of 14 releases with "There's A Kind Of Hush", Ed Ames and "My Cup Runneth Over" while the Casinos dropped with "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye".








1968:  The Beatles released the single "Lady Madonna".














1968:  Bobby Goldsboro released the single "Honey".
1972:  Ringo Starr was the director as shooting began for the movie Born to Boogie at a T. Rex concert at the Empire Pool in Wembley, England.
1972:  A new artist first appeared on the chart--Jackson Browne debuted with his first single "Doctor My Eyes".
1972:  The self-titled Paul Simon rose to the top of the U.K. Album chart.
1972:  "I Gotcha'" by Joe Tex moved into the #1 slot on the R&B chart.  







1972:  Nilsson continued to possess the #1 Adult song for the fifth consecutive week with "Without You".










1972:  Neil Young had his only #1 song of his career--"Heart Of Gold".  New group America rose from 7 to 2 with their first release--"A Horse With No Name" while Robert John's remake of the Tokens' classic "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was #3.  Paul Simon had the top new song in the Top 10 with "Mother and Child Reunion".
1973:  Paul McCartney & Wings played a benefit concert for the drug charity Release at the Hard Rock Cafe in England.










1974:  The Stylistics released the single "You Make Me Feel Brand New".
1974:  Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band played at Gertie's in Dallas, Texas.








1975: The crazy movie version of Tommy premieres in New York City.
1976:  The movie The Man Who Fell To Earth, starring David Bowie, premiered in London.







1978: California Jam II took place at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, with over 250,000 in attendance.  Santana, Heart, Aerosmith and Dave Mason were among the performers.  
1978:  Parliament controlled the R&B chart for a third week with "Flash Light".








"Scenes From An Italian Restaurant"--One of the best songs by Billy Joel you may not know...

1978:  The Soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever" was becoming a phenomenon, now totaling nine weeks at #1 on the Album chart.  The Stranger by Billy Joel was a solid #2, but still not close to the top.  Eric Clapton was a distant third with Slowhand, changing places with Jackson Browne's Running On Empty. The great Steely Dan album Aja took fifth, just ahead of News of the World by Queen.  The rest of the Top 10:  George Benson's Weekend In L.A., Even Now by Barry Manilow moved from 11-8 in its fourth week, Styx with The Grand Illusion and Earth, Wind & Fire closed the list with All 'N All.






1978:  The Bee Gees were responsible for each of the Top 3 songs and 4 of the Top 5.  The only other time an artist has been that dominant in the Rock Era was in March of 1964 when the Beatles had each of the Top 5 songs.  "Night Fever" led the way, followed by "Stayin' Alive", which was moving back up, and Emotion", which the group wrote and sang backing vocals for Samantha Sang.  Eric Clapton's "Lay Down Sally" broke through to #4 while Andy Gibb's former #1 "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" fell to fifth.











1979:  Sister Sledge released the single "We Are Family".











1980:  Lipps, Inc. released the single "Funkytown".
1982: Teddy Pendergrass was in a car accident in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, paralyzing him from the waist down.











1986:  Whitney Houston released the single "Greatest Love Of All".















1985:  Billy Ocean released his single "Suddenly".  (Note:  some websites naively say the single was released on May 10.  "Suddenly" debut on the Singles chart on March 23.  It is physically impossible for a song to be included on the Singles chart if it has not yet been released as a single.)
1989:  Phil Collins and wife Jill celebrated the birth of daughter Lily Jane.
1989:  Bon Jovi had one of the hottest songs as "I'll Be There For You" moved from 51 to 34.








                                          The Bangles had a big hit moving up...

1989:  Debbie Gibson held on to #1 for the third week with "Lost In Your Eyes".  Mike + the Mechanics were still at 2 witih "The Living Years" while Bobby Brown's "Roni" and "Girl You Know It's True" by Millli Vanilli were next.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Paradise City" from Guns N' Roses, the Bangles jumped from 11-6 with "Eternal Flame", Rod Stewart had his 38th career hit with "My Heart Can't Tell You No", Roxette bounced from 13 to 8 with "The Look", New Kids on the Block were 9th with "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" and Breathe entered the group with "Don't Tell Me Lies".
1989:  On the Adult Contemporary chart, which had eclipsed the Top 40 chart in popularity, Mike + the Mechanics remained at #1 for a fourth week with "The Living Years".








  
1992: Donna Summer earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1994: Kenner, Louisiana named a street after Lloyd Price.
1994: Darryl Jones replaced longtime bassist Bill Wyman on tour for the Rolling Stones.
1994: Police in Seattle, Washington confiscated four guns and 25 boxes of ammunition from Kurt Cobain of Nirvana after his wife, Courtney Love, called police fearing he would commit suicide. He did just that about three weeks later.









                                                                 "I Alone" from Live...

1995:  After 20 years, Bruce Springsteen had enough material for a Greatest Hits album and it debuted at #2, sending II by Boyz II Men down to 2.  The Hits by Garth Brooks, itself a #1 album, was now at 3 while Sheryl Crow was still on the upswing after 53 weeks with Tuesday Night Music Club.  Another longevity champ, Dookie by Green Day, was #5 after 56 weeks.  The rest of the Top 10:  Cracked Rear View from Hootie & the Blowfish, CrazySexyCool from TLC, the Eagles took position #8 with Hell Freezes Over, the outstanding album Throwing Copper by Live and Balance by Van Halen was #10.
1995:  Madonna ruled for a fourth week with "Take A Bow".  Soul for Real held down #2 with "Candy Rain" with the former #1 smash "Creep" by TLC third.  "Baby" from Brandy followed that trio with another TLC smash--"Red Light Special" leaping from 18 to 5.  






1997: Yanni became the first artist from the West to play at the Taj Mahal in India.
1997: Taylor Hawkins replaced William Goldsmith as the drummer for the Foo Fighters.
1997: Joni Mitchell announced that she had reunited with a daughter she had given up for adoption many years previous.

2001:  An in-store appearance by A1 in Jakarta, Indonesia ended in tragedy as four girls were killed and two others seriously injured in a stampede to get to the group.
2001:  John Phillips, songwriter, singer and guitarist of the Mamas and the  Papas, died in Los Angeles of heart failure at age 65.






2001:  Crazy Town had the #1 song with "Butterfly".











2002:  U2 are awarded the Freedom of the City of Dublin in a ceremony.
2002: 1,500 music lovers in Concord, California swarmed a music store in Sun Valley Mall to get autographs from B2K. The mall had to temporarily shut down due to the large crowd.
2003:  Jason Newsted, formerly with Metallica, joined Ozzy Osbourne's band.
2004:  Buckethead left the group Guns N' Roses.
2006:  Ne-Yo owned the top album with In My Own Words.
2010:  Rihanna reached #1 with "Rude Boy".  It was the sixth #1 of her career, tying her for fifth all-time among female artists.
2014:  Joe Lala, drummer and singer with Blues Image, who also worked with the Bee Gees, the Eagles, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Kenny Rogers, Rod Stewart, John Mellencamp, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Ringo Starr, the Byrds, Eric Clapton, Poco and the Allman Brothers, died of lung cancer in Tampa, Florida, at the age of 66.


Born This Day:

1941: Wilson Pickett was born in Prattville, Alabama; died of a heart attack in Reston, Virginia on January 19, 2006.
1947:  Barry J. Wilson, drummer of Procol Harum ("Whiter Shade Of Pale" from 1967), was born in Southend, Essex, England; died at age 43 after spending several months in a coma following a car accident on October 8, 1990.
1950: John Hartman, co-founder and drummer of the Doobie Brothers, was born in Falls Church, Virginia.








1959: Irene Cara (real name born Irene Cara Escalera) was born in the Bronx, New York.  (Note:  some websites say Cara was born in New York City, but according to the book 'Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television' by Bob McCann, she was born in the Bronx.)1963: Vanessa Williams was born in Millwood, New York.  (Note:  some websites claim Williams was born in the Bronx, others in Tarrytown, New York.  According to 'Billboard', the newspaper 'The Los Angeles Times', 'Us' magazine, as well as Vanessa's official website, she was born in Millwood.)
1963: Jeff LaBar, guitarist of Cinderella, was born in Darby, Pennsylvania.
1966: Jerry Cantrell, singer, songwriter and elite guitarist of Alice In Chains, was born in Tacoma, Washington.




 


1970: Queen Latifah was born in Newark, New Jersey.
1977: Devin Lima (real name Harold Lima) of LFO, was born in Boston, Massachusetts.
1979: Adam Levine, singer, songwriter and guitarist of Maroon 5, was born in Los Angeles.

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