Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The #72 Guitarist of the Rock Era: Keith Richards
Inside the Rock Era has featured 28 guitarists so far, one per day, beginning on February 1. If you missed one, be sure to click the link at the bottom of the web site that will take you to older posts. Today's artist has been around longer than nearly anyone. He's been an active guitarist for 51 years.
#72: Keith Richards, Rolling Stones
#72: Keith Richards, Rolling Stones
51 years as an active guitarist
Richards was born December 18, 1943 in Dartford, Kent, England. If riffs were the only criterion in ranking the greatest guitarists, Richards would be near the top. He's co-written many great songs with the Rolling Stones and created unforgettable riffs like "Satisfaction" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash". As a songwriter and a guitarist with a knack for playing hooks, he's one of the best. He certainly is one of the most experienced guitarists of all-time and with the Rolling Stones ranking as one of The Top 10 Artists of the Rock Era*, he ranks high in popularity.
Richards was born December 18, 1943 in Dartford, Kent, England. If riffs were the only criterion in ranking the greatest guitarists, Richards would be near the top. He's co-written many great songs with the Rolling Stones and created unforgettable riffs like "Satisfaction" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash". As a songwriter and a guitarist with a knack for playing hooks, he's one of the best. He certainly is one of the most experienced guitarists of all-time and with the Rolling Stones ranking as one of The Top 10 Artists of the Rock Era*, he ranks high in popularity.
Richards received his first guitar from his mother and he played at home,recording Billie Holiday, Louis Armstong, Duke Ellington and others. He especially admired the work of Scotty Moore, who backed Elvis Presley on many of his biggest hits. Richards and Mick Jagger were neighbors and both went to Wentworth Primary School. From 1955 to 1958, Keith went to Dartford Technical High School for Boys and sang in a trio of boy sopranos, once performing for Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in London.
Richards, however, was expelled for truancy and transferred to Sidcup Art College, where he focused more on playing guitar. Jagger went to the London School of Economics and the two had lost touch, until perchance they met on a train. Richards was carrying albums by Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters that revealed a mutual interest of the two and their friendship was renewed. Jagger and Dick Taylor were in the band Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys, and Richards soon joined. That group folded, however, when Richards, Jagger, Taylor, Brian Jones and Ian Stewart formed the Rolling Stones.
The group signed with Decca Records in 1963.
Richards' style is characterized by mostly chords and rhythm, avoiding flamboyant solos but playing direct, recognizable riffs. He prefers to play in tandem with another guitarist, using interwoven lead and rhythm. He can't play with the speed of most of the guitarists ahead of him so he is somewhat limited there, but the flip side is could those guitarists come up with some of the melodic, memorable guitar riffs of all-time such as "Satisfaction", "Jumping Jack Flash" and "Start Me Up"? Those are the questions that must be posed and the factors that must be evaluated and weighted in any valid ranking of guitarists. Obviously, a ranking that values the ability to create unique guitar hooks as the most important quality is going to look vastly different than a ranking that puts emphasis on how fast the guitarist can play. The methodology of Inside the Rock Era is somewhere between those two extremes.
(Richards' solo on "Sympathy for the Devil")
Richards has done few solo recordings but has done session work for Stones manager Andrew Oldham's Immediate Records label. Keith played on albums by Tom Waits, George Jones and Max Romeo, among others, and produced and played on Aretha Franklin's version of "Jumping Jack Flash". Richards also worked with Ronnie Wood on Ronnie's first two solo albums and in concert for shows to promote the albums.
Richards owns approximately 3,000 guitars, including the Harmony Meteor, which was used primarily before 1964, the 1961 Epiphone Casino that was used from 1964-1966, the 1957 Gibson Les Paul Custom used from 1966-1970, a 1969 Gibson SG used in the movie Gimme Shelter, several Gibson ES-355's used on the 1969 tour and on every tour since 1997, an Ampeg Dan Armstrong plexiglas guitar used from 1969-1972, Gibson Les Paul Juniors, the 1975 Fender Telecaster Custom used from 1975-1986 and adapted for open-G tuning beginning in 2005, the 1953 Fender Telecaster he nicknamed Micawber that is one of his main stage guitars and several Fender Telecasters that Richards uses for open-G tuning.
The main amplifiers Richards has used include the Mesa Boogie Mark 1 A804 used between 1977 and 1993, the Fender Twins that contain a pair of 12" speakers, and prototype amplifiers from Vox in 1967 and the Hiwatt in 1968. In 1965, Richards used a Gibson Maestro fuzzbox for his riff on "Satisfaction". He used a wah-wah pedal, a phaser and a Leslie speaker in the 1970's and early 1980's, but since then, he relies on "combining the right amp with the right guitar" to achieve the sound he wants.
In 1989, the Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. On October 17, 2009, Richards received the Rock Immortal Award at Spike TV's Scream awards ceremony at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
Keith Richards ranks as The #72 Guitarist of the Rock Era*...
Davy Jones Has Died at 66
Davy Jones, whose lovable grin and British accent won the hearts of music fans around the world as a member of the Monkees, has died at the age of 66.
Jones was in Indiantown, Florida when he began having trouble breathing. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A law enforcement source in Martin County, Florida, said Jones apparently suffered a heart attack.
Jones was the lead singer on the Monkees' hits such as "Daydream Believer" and "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You". The Monkees were created to star in their own television show on NBC and capitalize on the teen market in rock and roll in the mid-60's. The Monkees exceeded all expectations, seeing their first four albums and three of their singles all go to #1 and selling 65 million albums worldwide.
The group's self-titled debut album was set a then-Rock Era record when it spent 13 weeks at #1. Their follow-up, More of the Monkees, further raised the bar with 18 weeks at #1. Both have now been certified 5X Platinum. Two of the Monkees' singles, "I'm a Believer" and "Daydream Believer", are still among The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce placed flowers on the Monkees' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this afternoon in honor of Jones.
"That David has stepped beyond my view causes me the sadness that it does many of you," Michael Nesmith, Jones's bandmate in the Monkees, posted on his Facebook page Wednesday. "I will miss him, but I won't abandon him to mortality ... David's spirit and soul live well in my heart, among all the lovely people, who remember with me the good times, and the healing times, that were created for so many, including us."
Jones was born December 30, 1945 in Manchester, England. He had already made a name for himself in Great Britain for his role as the Artful Dodger in the musical Oliver! in London, and was nominated for a Tony for his performance in the play on Broadway in New York.
After the Monkees broke up, recording their final tracks in 1970 with their original lineup, Jones landed occasional acting roles, including a guest appearance of The Brady Bunch. He also took part in several Monkees reunions over the years and when he wasn't doing that, spent his time owning and racing horses.
Davy Jones, a part of life for people growing up in the 60's, has left this Earth, but he will be fondly remembered.
Jones was in Indiantown, Florida when he began having trouble breathing. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A law enforcement source in Martin County, Florida, said Jones apparently suffered a heart attack.
Jones was the lead singer on the Monkees' hits such as "Daydream Believer" and "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You". The Monkees were created to star in their own television show on NBC and capitalize on the teen market in rock and roll in the mid-60's. The Monkees exceeded all expectations, seeing their first four albums and three of their singles all go to #1 and selling 65 million albums worldwide.
The group's self-titled debut album was set a then-Rock Era record when it spent 13 weeks at #1. Their follow-up, More of the Monkees, further raised the bar with 18 weeks at #1. Both have now been certified 5X Platinum. Two of the Monkees' singles, "I'm a Believer" and "Daydream Believer", are still among The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce placed flowers on the Monkees' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this afternoon in honor of Jones.
"That David has stepped beyond my view causes me the sadness that it does many of you," Michael Nesmith, Jones's bandmate in the Monkees, posted on his Facebook page Wednesday. "I will miss him, but I won't abandon him to mortality ... David's spirit and soul live well in my heart, among all the lovely people, who remember with me the good times, and the healing times, that were created for so many, including us."
Jones was born December 30, 1945 in Manchester, England. He had already made a name for himself in Great Britain for his role as the Artful Dodger in the musical Oliver! in London, and was nominated for a Tony for his performance in the play on Broadway in New York.
After the Monkees broke up, recording their final tracks in 1970 with their original lineup, Jones landed occasional acting roles, including a guest appearance of The Brady Bunch. He also took part in several Monkees reunions over the years and when he wasn't doing that, spent his time owning and racing horses.
Davy Jones, a part of life for people growing up in the 60's, has left this Earth, but he will be fondly remembered.
This Day in Rock Music History: February 29
1960: Percy Faith's "Theme from 'A Summer Place'" again was #1.
1964: Meet the Beatles, the first album in America, was #1 for the third week.
1964: We were introduced to a new group on this date. The great Temptations first debuted on the chart with their first career single--"The Way You Do the Things You Do".
1964: "Fun, Fun Fun" from the Beach Boys moved from 69 to 27.
The Rivieras sing the praises of those wonderful California girls!
1964: The Beatles remained at #1 for the fourth week with "I Want to Hold Your Hand". Their follow-up "She Loves You" was up to #2 while the 4 Seasons made a bid with "Dawn (Go Away)", which moved from 11 to 3. The Rivieras had another hot song as "California Sun" moved from 14 to 8.
1968: Aretha Franklin won her first Grammy, taking home Best Female R&B Performance for "Respect".
1972: John Lennon's immigration visa in the United States expired. Lennon would go through hell for 3 1/2 years battling the Nixon White House to stay in the country. Lennon claimed, and was later validated, that Nixon was trying to deport him because Lennon didn't agree with the Vietnam War.
1976: Michael Nesmith, guitarist of the Monkees and a solo artist, married wife Kathyrn.
1980: The glasses belonging to Buddy Holly and a wristwatch worn by J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) were found by the Mason City Sheriff in Iowa among old police files. The items had been worn by the two stars when their plane crashed February 3, 1959.
1992: Newcomers Mr. Big completed their run to the top with "To Be With You". The only new Top 10 song was "Masterpiece" by Atlantic Starr, which moved from 15 to 8.
1992: Garth Brooks was in the middle of one of the most amazing album runs in the Rock Era. Three times his album Ropin' the Wind had been bumped out of #1 only to return and now, the album scored its 14th week at the top.
1996: Wes Farrell, songwriter and producer of the Partridge Family, who also wrote songs for the Beatles, the Yardbirds, Van Morrison and Jay & the Americans and worked with the Everly Brothers and Lou Christie, died in Fisher Island, Florida.
2000: Autlan de Navarro, Mexico announced it would build a public monument Plaza Carlos Santa, to honor elite guitarist Carlos Santana.
2000: Dennis Danell, guitarist of Social Distortion, died of a brain aneurysm at the age of 38.
2000: Lonestar's "Amazed" became the first country song to reach #1 in 17 years. Certainly not because of quality, but rather because of the way Billboard measures success.
2004: Annie Lennox, Howard Shore and Fran Walsh won Best Original Song for a Motion Picture at the Academy Awards for "Into the West" from Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Born This Special Day:
1904: Jimmy Dorsey, composer, big band leader and multi-instrumentalist ("So Rare" from 1957), was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania; died June 12, 1957.
1940: Gretchen Christopher of the Fleetwoods ("Come Softly to Me") was born in Olympia, Washington.
1976: Ja Rule was born in Queens, New York.
1964: Meet the Beatles, the first album in America, was #1 for the third week.
1964: We were introduced to a new group on this date. The great Temptations first debuted on the chart with their first career single--"The Way You Do the Things You Do".
1964: "Fun, Fun Fun" from the Beach Boys moved from 69 to 27.
The Rivieras sing the praises of those wonderful California girls!
1964: The Beatles remained at #1 for the fourth week with "I Want to Hold Your Hand". Their follow-up "She Loves You" was up to #2 while the 4 Seasons made a bid with "Dawn (Go Away)", which moved from 11 to 3. The Rivieras had another hot song as "California Sun" moved from 14 to 8.
1968: Aretha Franklin won her first Grammy, taking home Best Female R&B Performance for "Respect".
1972: John Lennon's immigration visa in the United States expired. Lennon would go through hell for 3 1/2 years battling the Nixon White House to stay in the country. Lennon claimed, and was later validated, that Nixon was trying to deport him because Lennon didn't agree with the Vietnam War.
1976: Michael Nesmith, guitarist of the Monkees and a solo artist, married wife Kathyrn.
1980: The glasses belonging to Buddy Holly and a wristwatch worn by J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) were found by the Mason City Sheriff in Iowa among old police files. The items had been worn by the two stars when their plane crashed February 3, 1959.
1992: Newcomers Mr. Big completed their run to the top with "To Be With You". The only new Top 10 song was "Masterpiece" by Atlantic Starr, which moved from 15 to 8.
1992: Garth Brooks was in the middle of one of the most amazing album runs in the Rock Era. Three times his album Ropin' the Wind had been bumped out of #1 only to return and now, the album scored its 14th week at the top.
1996: Wes Farrell, songwriter and producer of the Partridge Family, who also wrote songs for the Beatles, the Yardbirds, Van Morrison and Jay & the Americans and worked with the Everly Brothers and Lou Christie, died in Fisher Island, Florida.
2000: Autlan de Navarro, Mexico announced it would build a public monument Plaza Carlos Santa, to honor elite guitarist Carlos Santana.
2000: Dennis Danell, guitarist of Social Distortion, died of a brain aneurysm at the age of 38.
2000: Lonestar's "Amazed" became the first country song to reach #1 in 17 years. Certainly not because of quality, but rather because of the way Billboard measures success.
2004: Annie Lennox, Howard Shore and Fran Walsh won Best Original Song for a Motion Picture at the Academy Awards for "Into the West" from Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Born This Special Day:
1904: Jimmy Dorsey, composer, big band leader and multi-instrumentalist ("So Rare" from 1957), was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania; died June 12, 1957.
1940: Gretchen Christopher of the Fleetwoods ("Come Softly to Me") was born in Olympia, Washington.
1976: Ja Rule was born in Queens, New York.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The #73 Guitarist of the Rock Era: Neil Giraldo
We don't just publish a list; we actually put some work into it. That way, if you don't agree with the rankings (and let's face it, no one is going to agree with everything...), you can still enjoy the music and the information.
Inside the Rock Era began working on this about six months ago. We looked at some of the other lists as a basis to go on. Then we listened and listened to each of the top guitarists of the rock era. We evaluated them on their overall ability, the sound of their guitar-playing, their popularity, their longevity, their experience, their guitar riffs, the ability to play a melody, their speed, creativity, their entertainment ability and live stage presence. We narrowed it down to about 160. Then we listened some more, continuing to evaluate each on the factors above. We ranked them then re-ranked them, doing our best to compare each guitarist and rank them where they truly deserved to be ranked.
You always hear the term underrated and in a category as subjective as this, even more so. This is much of what you read about the #73 Guitarist:
You always hear the term underrated and in a category as subjective as this, even more so. This is much of what you read about the #73 Guitarist:
#73: Neil Giraldo, Pat Benatar
35 years as an active guitarist
(some of his best solos)
Neil Thomas Giraldo was born in Cleveland, Ohio December 29, 1955. He got into music at an early age, starting to play guitar at age six at his parents' insistence. He is the driving force behind one of the most respected and successful female singers of the Rock Era.
Neil was influenced by Elvis Presley in those early years. Much as Neil is the great guitarist behind Pat Benatar, Scotty Moore was the great guitarist behind Elvis and Giraldo admired him and studied him. Soon, Neil began hearing about some of the British guitarists and was influenced by Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. Giraldo soon took up the piano at age 12.
Neil's first performance was at a church when he was 12 and he soon played in several combos. His first professional playing was playing keyboards with Rick Derringer on the album Guitars and Women. Neil then left for New York City, where he met Jeff Aldridge of Chrysalis Records. Famed producer Mike Chapman had produced the Derringer album and was assigned to work with Benatar, so Aldridge introduced Neil to Pat. Neil was brought in as the lead guitarist and musical arranger for her band.
Today, Neil is known not only as a great guitarist but also an accomplished songwriter and producer. He began producing albums with the Crimes of Passion album. Giraldo has produced all of Pat's albums since as well as John Waite's album Ignition and he has worked with Kenny Loggins and Rick Springfield. Giraldo also played the guitar on Rick Springfield's songs "Jessie's Girl" and "I've Done Everything for You".
Giraldo plays GMP Guitars, Les Paul Standards, a 1958 Les Paul Special, a rare 1965 Fender Stratocaster in Ice Blue Metallic, a 1967 and a 1973 Telecaster, a 1951 Fender Nocaster and a ’59 Gretsch 6120, among his collection of 95 guitars.
This year, BC Rich came out with the Neil Giraldo Signature Eagle Guitar. He uses Line 6 amplifiers run through Marshall cabinets as well as Soldano SLO-100 heads. Neil plays a Maxon OD-808 and a Maxon compressor. He also uses a Way Huge Aqua Puss, a Klon overdrive and a Vox Wha.
The incredible Neil Giraldo at #73...
This Day in Rock Music History: February 28
1962: In a precursor to industry changes later, WINS in New York City, which featured disc jockey Murray the K, switched formats from Top 40 to easy listening.
1966: The Beatles released the single "Nowhere Man".
1966: The Righteous Brothers released the single "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration".
1968: Frankie Lymon died from drugs at the age of 25.
1970: Led Zeppelin had to perform as the group the Nobs in Denmark after the family of Ferdinand von Zeppelin in that country threatened a lawsuit.
1970: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel had become a mass-appeal smash. The song that would become a classic took over on the Adult chart on this date.
"The Midnight Special" the way only CCR could do it...
1970: Led Zeppelin II was #1 on the album chart for a seventh week while previous #1 Abbey Road by the Beatles was still at #2 after 20 weeks and CCR edged up with Willy and the Poorboys. The "stop the presses", however, was news that Simon & Garfunkel moved from 106 to 4 in just the third week of release for the album Bridge Over Troubled Water. The rest of the Top 10: Tom Jones Live in Las Vegas, the self-titled Engelbert Humperdinck, Chicago II was up to #7, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, Three Dog Night with their album Was Captured Live at the Forum and the Soundtrack to "Easy Rider" moved from 19 to 10.
1970: Here was a hot song--Edison Lighthouse jumped from #68 to #28 with "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)".
1970: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel wasted no time to get to #1--just four weeks, one of the shortest times to get there of the Rock Era thus far. It debuted at #49 on February 7, moved to 13, to 3 and now to #1.
1972: Roberta Flack released the single "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face".
1974: Bobby Bloom died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, now considered accidental, at age 28.
1976: Stanley, Idaho's Carole King had the only new album in the Top 10--Thoroughbred, which vaulted from 16 to 10.
1976: "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon was the new #1 song on the Adult chart.
1976: "The Theme from 'S.W.A.T.'" by Rhythm Heritage was the talk of the land as the new #1 song and one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*. They bumped Paul Simon out of the limelight while the new Miracles song without Smokey Robinson--"Love Machine" moved up to become a factor. Eric Carmen's first solo hit "All By Myself" was fourth. The rest of the Top 10: The 4 Seasons continued their comeback by moving from 12 to 5 with "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)", "You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate was losing its power, the hot Eagles were up to #7 with their latest--"Take It to the Limit", former Spooky Tooth member Gary Wright powered from 18 to 8 with "Dream Weaver", the Captain & Tennille had their third straight Top 10 to open their career with "Lonely Night (Angel Face)" and Nazareth scored their only Top 10 song--"Love Hurts".
1978: The Atlanta Rhythm Section released the song 'Imaginary Lover".
1979: The John Denver and the Ladies (Tina Turner and Cheryl Ladd) television special was broadcast on ABC-TV.
ABBA with one of their most emotional songs...
1981: Eddie Rabbitt enjoyed a big crossover hit as "I Love a Rainy Night" moved to #1. Dolly Parton fell with "9 to 5", John Lennon was now at #3 with "Woman" and Kool & the Gang's former #1 "Celebration" was still strong after 19 weeks. The rest of the Top 10: REO Speedwagon and "Keep On Loving You", Styx with "The Best of Times", Blondie's former #1 "The Tide is High" was now at #7, Delbert McClinton was at #8 with "Giving It Up for Your Love", Dan Fogelberg with "Same Old Lang Syne" and ABBA reached the Top 10 for just the fourth time (What a joke, America) with "The Winner Takes It All".
1981: Dolly Parton enjoyed a #1 Adult Contemporary hit with "9 to 5".
1984: Michael Jackson won a Rock Era record eight Grammy awards for his work on Thriller.
1987: "Ballerina Girl" notched a fourth week at #1 on the AC chart for Lionel Richie. It was Richie's 47th week at #1 as a solo artist in the genre.
"I'd Die for You" helped Bon Jovi stay on top.
1987: Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi was still #1 for the eighth week after 25 weeks of release. Cinderella had the top album of their career with Night Songs at #3. Other notable albums in the Top 10: The Way It Is from Bruce Hornsby & the Range at #4, Control from Janet Jackson was still at #6 after a full 52 weeks, Genesis was right behind her with Invisible Touch, the Bangles were still in the Top 10 after 57 weeks with Different Light and Fore!, the great follow-up album by Huey Lewis & the News, was 10th.
Somewhere out there, we tuned in our radios and heard Linda and James.
1987: Not only was "Livin' on a Prayer" the breakthrough hit that Bon Jovi needed, with a third week at #1, but it was on its way to becoming one of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era*. "Jacob's Ladder" by Huey Lewis & the News moved to challenge. Other notable songs in the Top 10: "Will You Still Love Me?" from Chicago, the Jets were at #5 with "You Got It All", "Somewhere Out There" by Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram became her ninth Top 10 hit and former Genesis member had another Top 10 with "Big Time".
1989: Bon Jovi released the single "I'll Be There for You".
1991: The famous Record Plant in Hollywood, California closed.
1991: "Curtis Mayfield Day" was celebrated in Los Angeles.
1994: Enigma released the single "Return To Innocence".
1996: Phil Collins left the group Genesis for a solo career.
The Spice Girls were back and big as ever.
1998: The Soundtrack to "Titanic" was #1 after six weeks with the Celine Dion release Let's Talk About Love right behind. Yield from Pearl Jam lost ground while Sevens, the new album from Garth Brooks, moved from 24 to 4. The "Spiceworld" Soundtrack from the Spice Girls placed fifth while the self-titled Savage Garden still had plenty of steam. The rest of the Top 10: My Way from Usher, the debut by the Backstreet Boys, Matchbox 20 was at #9 after 50 weeks with Yourself or Someone Like You and K-Ci & JoJo found the Top 10 with Love Always.
2002: In today's two-part edition of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, C-Murdger was indicted with second degree murder after a shooting at a nightcub.
2002: Mya, Lil' Romeo, Darius Rucker, India.Arie, Keb' Mo' and Carmen Electra recorded a song to benefit the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund.
2003: Linda Suffoletto, who was hospitalized after the nightclub fire in Rhode Island started by the pyrotechnics in Great White's show there, bacame the 97th casualty. Sixty people remained hospitalized after the incident.
2005: In today's second episode of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, 50 Cent told a radio station in New York that The Game had been dropped from people he associated with. The Game tried to get into the station to talk with 50 cent, shots were fired and a man was injured. There's a place for people like this--it has bars and often not much of a view.
2005: The circus that was the child molestation trial of Michael Jackson began in Santa Maria, California. Jackson was cleared of all charges.
2005: Chris Curtis, drummer of the Searchers, was found dead in his home in Liverpool, England at the age of 63.
2006: Two security guards were shot at a Kanye West concert in Birmingham, England by a fan trying to gain admittance without a ticket. Has the disease crossed over the Atlantic now?
2008: Mike Smith, lead singer of the Dave Clark Five, died of pneumonia at age 64.
2008: Ian Anderson, flautist of Jethro Tull, was given the Order of the British Empire medal from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace in London.
2010: Neil Young performed at the closing ceremonies for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Born This Day:'
1921: Saul Zaentz, industry executive who signed Creedence Clearwater Revival to Fantasy Records, was born in Passaic, New Jersey.
1940: Joe South ("Games People Play" and "Walk a Mile in My Shoes"), who also wrote "Rose Garden" for Lynn Anderson and "Hush" for Deep Purple, was born in Atlanta Georgia.
1942: Brian Jones (real name Lewis Brian Hopkin-Jones), founder and guitarist of the Rolling Stones, was born in Cheltenham, England.
1944: Bernadette Peters (real name Bernadette Lazzara, who had the hit "Gee Whiz" in 1980), was born in Queens, New York.
1944: Barbara Acklin ("Love Makes a Woman") was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1947: Marty Sanders of Jay & the Americans
1952: Edward Manion, saxophonist of Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, who has also played for Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi
1957: Ian Stanley of Tears for Fears
1957: Philip Gould, songwriter, drummer and singer of Level 42, was born in Hong Kong, China.
1957: Cindy Wilson of the B-52's was born in Athens, Georgia.
1969: Pat Monahan, lead singer and songwriter of Train, was born in Waterford, Pennsylvania.
1966: The Beatles released the single "Nowhere Man".
1966: The Righteous Brothers released the single "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration".
1968: Frankie Lymon died from drugs at the age of 25.
1970: Led Zeppelin had to perform as the group the Nobs in Denmark after the family of Ferdinand von Zeppelin in that country threatened a lawsuit.
1970: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel had become a mass-appeal smash. The song that would become a classic took over on the Adult chart on this date.
"The Midnight Special" the way only CCR could do it...
1970: Led Zeppelin II was #1 on the album chart for a seventh week while previous #1 Abbey Road by the Beatles was still at #2 after 20 weeks and CCR edged up with Willy and the Poorboys. The "stop the presses", however, was news that Simon & Garfunkel moved from 106 to 4 in just the third week of release for the album Bridge Over Troubled Water. The rest of the Top 10: Tom Jones Live in Las Vegas, the self-titled Engelbert Humperdinck, Chicago II was up to #7, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, Three Dog Night with their album Was Captured Live at the Forum and the Soundtrack to "Easy Rider" moved from 19 to 10.
1970: Here was a hot song--Edison Lighthouse jumped from #68 to #28 with "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)".
1970: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel wasted no time to get to #1--just four weeks, one of the shortest times to get there of the Rock Era thus far. It debuted at #49 on February 7, moved to 13, to 3 and now to #1.
1972: Roberta Flack released the single "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face".
1974: Bobby Bloom died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, now considered accidental, at age 28.
1976: Stanley, Idaho's Carole King had the only new album in the Top 10--Thoroughbred, which vaulted from 16 to 10.
1976: "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon was the new #1 song on the Adult chart.
1976: "The Theme from 'S.W.A.T.'" by Rhythm Heritage was the talk of the land as the new #1 song and one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*. They bumped Paul Simon out of the limelight while the new Miracles song without Smokey Robinson--"Love Machine" moved up to become a factor. Eric Carmen's first solo hit "All By Myself" was fourth. The rest of the Top 10: The 4 Seasons continued their comeback by moving from 12 to 5 with "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)", "You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate was losing its power, the hot Eagles were up to #7 with their latest--"Take It to the Limit", former Spooky Tooth member Gary Wright powered from 18 to 8 with "Dream Weaver", the Captain & Tennille had their third straight Top 10 to open their career with "Lonely Night (Angel Face)" and Nazareth scored their only Top 10 song--"Love Hurts".
1978: The Atlanta Rhythm Section released the song 'Imaginary Lover".
1979: The John Denver and the Ladies (Tina Turner and Cheryl Ladd) television special was broadcast on ABC-TV.
1981: Yarbrough & Peoples took advantage of an opening and moved to #1 on the R&B chart with "Don't Stop the Music".
1981: Listeners heard the new song "Just the Two of Us" by jazz great Grover Washington, Jr. with Bill Withers on vocals and loved it--the song rose from 65 to 41 on this date.ABBA with one of their most emotional songs...
1981: Eddie Rabbitt enjoyed a big crossover hit as "I Love a Rainy Night" moved to #1. Dolly Parton fell with "9 to 5", John Lennon was now at #3 with "Woman" and Kool & the Gang's former #1 "Celebration" was still strong after 19 weeks. The rest of the Top 10: REO Speedwagon and "Keep On Loving You", Styx with "The Best of Times", Blondie's former #1 "The Tide is High" was now at #7, Delbert McClinton was at #8 with "Giving It Up for Your Love", Dan Fogelberg with "Same Old Lang Syne" and ABBA reached the Top 10 for just the fourth time (What a joke, America) with "The Winner Takes It All".
1981: Dolly Parton enjoyed a #1 Adult Contemporary hit with "9 to 5".
1984: Michael Jackson won a Rock Era record eight Grammy awards for his work on Thriller.
1987: "Ballerina Girl" notched a fourth week at #1 on the AC chart for Lionel Richie. It was Richie's 47th week at #1 as a solo artist in the genre.
"I'd Die for You" helped Bon Jovi stay on top.
1987: Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi was still #1 for the eighth week after 25 weeks of release. Cinderella had the top album of their career with Night Songs at #3. Other notable albums in the Top 10: The Way It Is from Bruce Hornsby & the Range at #4, Control from Janet Jackson was still at #6 after a full 52 weeks, Genesis was right behind her with Invisible Touch, the Bangles were still in the Top 10 after 57 weeks with Different Light and Fore!, the great follow-up album by Huey Lewis & the News, was 10th.
Somewhere out there, we tuned in our radios and heard Linda and James.
1987: Not only was "Livin' on a Prayer" the breakthrough hit that Bon Jovi needed, with a third week at #1, but it was on its way to becoming one of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era*. "Jacob's Ladder" by Huey Lewis & the News moved to challenge. Other notable songs in the Top 10: "Will You Still Love Me?" from Chicago, the Jets were at #5 with "You Got It All", "Somewhere Out There" by Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram became her ninth Top 10 hit and former Genesis member had another Top 10 with "Big Time".
1989: Bon Jovi released the single "I'll Be There for You".
1991: The famous Record Plant in Hollywood, California closed.
1991: "Curtis Mayfield Day" was celebrated in Los Angeles.
1994: Enigma released the single "Return To Innocence".
1996: Phil Collins left the group Genesis for a solo career.
The Spice Girls were back and big as ever.
1998: The Soundtrack to "Titanic" was #1 after six weeks with the Celine Dion release Let's Talk About Love right behind. Yield from Pearl Jam lost ground while Sevens, the new album from Garth Brooks, moved from 24 to 4. The "Spiceworld" Soundtrack from the Spice Girls placed fifth while the self-titled Savage Garden still had plenty of steam. The rest of the Top 10: My Way from Usher, the debut by the Backstreet Boys, Matchbox 20 was at #9 after 50 weeks with Yourself or Someone Like You and K-Ci & JoJo found the Top 10 with Love Always.
2002: In today's two-part edition of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, C-Murdger was indicted with second degree murder after a shooting at a nightcub.
2002: Mya, Lil' Romeo, Darius Rucker, India.Arie, Keb' Mo' and Carmen Electra recorded a song to benefit the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund.
2003: Linda Suffoletto, who was hospitalized after the nightclub fire in Rhode Island started by the pyrotechnics in Great White's show there, bacame the 97th casualty. Sixty people remained hospitalized after the incident.
2005: In today's second episode of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, 50 Cent told a radio station in New York that The Game had been dropped from people he associated with. The Game tried to get into the station to talk with 50 cent, shots were fired and a man was injured. There's a place for people like this--it has bars and often not much of a view.
2005: The circus that was the child molestation trial of Michael Jackson began in Santa Maria, California. Jackson was cleared of all charges.
2005: Chris Curtis, drummer of the Searchers, was found dead in his home in Liverpool, England at the age of 63.
2006: Two security guards were shot at a Kanye West concert in Birmingham, England by a fan trying to gain admittance without a ticket. Has the disease crossed over the Atlantic now?
2008: Mike Smith, lead singer of the Dave Clark Five, died of pneumonia at age 64.
2008: Ian Anderson, flautist of Jethro Tull, was given the Order of the British Empire medal from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace in London.
2010: Neil Young performed at the closing ceremonies for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
1921: Saul Zaentz, industry executive who signed Creedence Clearwater Revival to Fantasy Records, was born in Passaic, New Jersey.
1940: Joe South ("Games People Play" and "Walk a Mile in My Shoes"), who also wrote "Rose Garden" for Lynn Anderson and "Hush" for Deep Purple, was born in Atlanta Georgia.
1942: Brian Jones (real name Lewis Brian Hopkin-Jones), founder and guitarist of the Rolling Stones, was born in Cheltenham, England.
1944: Bernadette Peters (real name Bernadette Lazzara, who had the hit "Gee Whiz" in 1980), was born in Queens, New York.
1944: Barbara Acklin ("Love Makes a Woman") was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1947: Marty Sanders of Jay & the Americans
1952: Edward Manion, saxophonist of Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, who has also played for Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi
1957: Ian Stanley of Tears for Fears
1957: Philip Gould, songwriter, drummer and singer of Level 42, was born in Hong Kong, China.
1957: Cindy Wilson of the B-52's was born in Athens, Georgia.
1969: Pat Monahan, lead singer and songwriter of Train, was born in Waterford, Pennsylvania.
Monday, February 27, 2012
The #74 Guitarist of the Rock Era: Gary Rossington
We are 26 guitarists into The Top 100 Guitarists of the Rock Era*. #74 is another experienced studio and live guitarist who is revered for his guitar solos, especially in the South:
#74. Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rossington-Collins Band
active guitarist for 49 years
(solo on "Gimme Back My Bullets"
Gary Robert Rossington was born December 4, 1951 in Jacksonville, Florida. He co-founded Lynyrd Skynyrd and is the only original member still with the group. He also co-founded the Rossington-Collins Band along with fellow Lynyrd Skynyrd mate Allen Collins.
Rossington playing slide guitar on "Free Bird"...
Rossington joined friend Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, Bob Burns and Larry Junstrom to form Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1964. The group took off with their debut album in 1973 pronounced leh-nerd skin-nerd, which contained the now classic "Free Bird".
Rossington and Collins were both involved in separate car accidents in Jacksonville on Labor Day weekend in 1976. Collins' crash left him unable to play guitar again and eventually was responsible for dying early. Rossington ran into an oak tree, forcing a delay in the group's tour. Both accidents were alcohol-related and the song "That Smell" was based on the weekend.
That weekend was disastrous enough but more tragedy struck the group the following year. Members of Lynyrd Skynysrd and their entourage were on a plane on October 20, 1977 when it crashed near Gillsburg, Mississippi. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines and three others connected with the group died that fateful day. Although he broke both legs, both arms, both wrists, both ankles and his pelvis, Rossington was one of six members that survived the crash.
In 1980, Rossington and Collins co-founded the Rossington-Collins Band. The group released two albums but disbanded following the death of Collins' wife, Kathy.
Rossington still tours with Lynyrd Skynyrd. With the death of keyboardist Billy Powell in 2009, Gary is the only original member of the group remaining in the band.
Rossington and his wife, Dale Krantz-Rossington began a side project, the Rossington Band, that opened for Skynyrd for their 1987-88 reunion tour. The Rossington Band released two albums in the 1980's.
Rossington prefers his 1959 Gibson Les Paul guitar and a Gibson SG--it's the red SG with tremolo that Gary used to play "Free Bird".
Gary Rossington ranks at #74 for the Rock Era*...
Gary Rossington ranks at #74 for the Rock Era*...
This Day in Rock Music History: February 27
1960: The Miracles made their television debut on American Bandstand.
1961: This woman first entered the charts with her first career single "Won't Be Long". Little did we know it, but she would go on to have 74 hits and become the Queen of Soul--Aretha Franklin.
One of Connie's biggest career hits...
1961: Chubby Checker had his second #1 with "Pony Time". Lawrence Welk had to take a bow with "Calcutta" while the Capris moved to #3 with "There's a Moon Out Tonight". The big story was Elvis Presley, who moved from 24 to 4 with "Surrender". The rest of the Top 10: "Don't Worry" from Marty Robbins, the Shirelles moved up with "Dedicated to the One I Love", Connie Francis had her 22nd hit with "Where the Boys Are", the Miracles' #2 song "Shop Around" was on its way down, the Everly Brothers moved from 18-9 with "Ebony Eyes" and the String-A-Longs remained stuck at 10 with "Wheels".
1964: The Rolling Stones performed "Not Fade Away" on Top of the Pops on BBC-TV.
1965: Herman's Hermits, Del Shannon and Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders began a U.K. tour at Sheffields City Hall.
1965: The Supremes' latest ("Stop In the Name of Love") was behaving the way several before had--moving from 80 to 41.
1966: The Supremes were guest stars on the television show What's My Line.
1971: The Carpenters collected their third straight #1 on the Adult chart with "For All We Know".
Lightfoot sings his first big hit...
1971: "One Bad Apple" by the Osmonds remained at #1 for a third week. "Mama's Pearl" by the Jackson 5 was #2 although most radio stations didn't have it that high. Dawn went down with their former #1--"Knock Three Times" while Lynn Anderson dropped with "Rose Garden" and Gordon Lightfoot remained in the #5 position with "If You Could Read My Mind". The rest of an excellent Top 10: "Sweet Mary" from Wadsworth Mansion, Jerry Reed had a big hit with "Amos Moses", the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and "Mr. Bojangles" and Janis Joplin moved from 25-10 with the posthumous release "Me and Bobby McGee".
"Mercedes Benz"
1971: Pearl moved to #1 on the album chart by the late Janis Joplin.
1974: Cher filed for divorce from Sonny Bono.
1980: Billy Joel had officially arrived--he won the Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards for 52nd Street.
1980: The Doobie Brothers were at their career peak as "What a Fool Believes" won both Record and Song of the Year honors at the Grammys.
1980: Rickie Lee Jones was named Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards show.
Journey's "Open Arms" outlasted all of its competition.
1982: The J. Geils Band remained at #1 for a fourth week with "Centerfold" while "Open Arms" by Journey, which was #1 at many stations, moved up to #2. Hall & Oates were on the way down with "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" with the Cars at #4 with "Shake It Up". The rest of the Top 10: "That Girl" from Stevie Wonder, Air Supply's new one--"Sweet Dreams" was sixth, Quarterflash and "Harden My Heart", Juice Newton was going the wrong way with "The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)", Joan Jett & the Blackhearts had all the right signs as "I Love Rock 'N Roll" moved from 18 to 9 and Dan Fogelberg closed the list with "Leader of the Band".
1988: "She's Like the Wind" by Patrick Swayze and Wendy Fraser moved to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
The great lead singer Paul Carrack kept one for himself.
1988: George Michael scored his third #1 solo hit with "Father Figure". The Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield were passed over and they screamed "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" Patrick Swayze and Wendy Fraser moved from 7-3 with "She's Like the Wind" and Rick Astley made a strong move with "Never Gonna' Give You Up". The rest of the Top 10: Eric Carmen's "Hungry Eyes", former #1 "Seasons Change" from Expose, Foreigner with "Say You Will", Belinda Carlisle was back in the Top 10 with "I Get Weak", Paul Carrack had a solo hit with "Don't Shed a Tear" and Glorida Estefan & Miami Sound Machine moved up with "Can't Stay Away from You".
1990: Here's what Rob Pilatus of Milli Vanilli had to say in Time Magazine: "Musically, we're more talented than any Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney. Mick Jagger can't produce a sound. I'm the new Elvis." There's appropriate places for people like this where others can care for them.
1991: James Brown was given parole after serving in prison for two years of a six-year sentence. Brown had led police on an interstate car chase.
1992: Whitney Houston set a new Rock Era record with "I Will Always Love You" as it was the #1 song for the 14th week, breaking a tie with "The End of the Road" from Boyz II Men. The song still is tied as the second-longest running #1.
1999: Britney Spears had the #1 U.K. song with "...Baby One More Time".
2001: Carlos Santana was given the key to his hometown of Autlan, Mexico.
2002: Jennifer Lopez had the #1 album with the remix package J to tha Lo!
2003: Gary Rossington, elite guitarist of Lynyrd Skynyrd, had to have emergency heart surgery.
2004: Bobby Brown was sentenced to 60 days in jail for violating terms of his probation. Brown refused to take a drug test, did not pay court-supervision fees on time and couldn't prove he had completed his substance-abuse rehabilitation program.
2004: A judge in Chicago, Illinois dismissed seven of the 21 child pornography charges against R. Kelly. Meaning he did not dismiss 14 of them. Kelly's lawyers' best defense was that the charges of soliciting a minor to appear in a sex tape were based on a law that wasn't in effect yet.
2005: Nelly and Tim McGraw teamed up for the #1 U.K. song "Over and Over".
2007: Bobby Brown was sentenced to 30 days in jail for failing to pay $19,000 in unpaid child support. A warrant for Brown's arrest was issued in October, 2006 after the deadbeat failed to show up at a hearing for overdue child support for Kim Ward, the mother of two of his children. When you make the mistake of being with someone like Bobby Brown, you end up paying for it for the rest of your life.
2010: U2 made twice as much money from touring, record sales and royalties than anyone else in 2009, with a haul of $109 million. Bruce Springsteen brought in $58 million, followed by Madonna with $47 mil and AC/DC with $44 mil.
2011: Randy Newman won Best Original Song at the Academy Awards for "We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3.
Born This Day:
1927: Guy Mitchell ("Singing the Blues" from 1955); died July 1, 1999.
1948: Eddie Gary of Tommy James & the Shondells
1957: Adrian Smith, elite guitarist of Iron Maiden, was born in Hackney, East London.
1959: Johnny Van Zant, lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the brother of former lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and the founder of .38 Special Donnie Van Zant, was born in Jacksonville, Florida.
1960: Paul Humphreys, co-founder of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark ("If You Leave"), was born in London.
1971: Chilli (real name Rozonda Thomas) of TLC was born in Columbus, Georgia.
1972: Jeremy Dean, saxophone and keyboard player of Nine Days
1981: Josh Groban was born in Los Angeles.
1961: This woman first entered the charts with her first career single "Won't Be Long". Little did we know it, but she would go on to have 74 hits and become the Queen of Soul--Aretha Franklin.
One of Connie's biggest career hits...
1961: Chubby Checker had his second #1 with "Pony Time". Lawrence Welk had to take a bow with "Calcutta" while the Capris moved to #3 with "There's a Moon Out Tonight". The big story was Elvis Presley, who moved from 24 to 4 with "Surrender". The rest of the Top 10: "Don't Worry" from Marty Robbins, the Shirelles moved up with "Dedicated to the One I Love", Connie Francis had her 22nd hit with "Where the Boys Are", the Miracles' #2 song "Shop Around" was on its way down, the Everly Brothers moved from 18-9 with "Ebony Eyes" and the String-A-Longs remained stuck at 10 with "Wheels".
1964: The Rolling Stones performed "Not Fade Away" on Top of the Pops on BBC-TV.
1965: Herman's Hermits, Del Shannon and Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders began a U.K. tour at Sheffields City Hall.
1965: "My Girl" by the Temptations was #1 on the R&B chart for a fourth straight week.
1965: "King of the Road" by Roger Miller topped the Easy Listening chart for a third week. 1965: The Supremes' latest ("Stop In the Name of Love") was behaving the way several before had--moving from 80 to 41.
1966: The Supremes were guest stars on the television show What's My Line.
1971: The Carpenters collected their third straight #1 on the Adult chart with "For All We Know".
Lightfoot sings his first big hit...
1971: "One Bad Apple" by the Osmonds remained at #1 for a third week. "Mama's Pearl" by the Jackson 5 was #2 although most radio stations didn't have it that high. Dawn went down with their former #1--"Knock Three Times" while Lynn Anderson dropped with "Rose Garden" and Gordon Lightfoot remained in the #5 position with "If You Could Read My Mind". The rest of an excellent Top 10: "Sweet Mary" from Wadsworth Mansion, Jerry Reed had a big hit with "Amos Moses", the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and "Mr. Bojangles" and Janis Joplin moved from 25-10 with the posthumous release "Me and Bobby McGee".
"Mercedes Benz"
1971: Pearl moved to #1 on the album chart by the late Janis Joplin.
1974: Cher filed for divorce from Sonny Bono.
1976: Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones, checked into a hospital in New York City with a respiratory infection.
1977: Keith Richards, guitarist of the Rolling Stones, was charged with possession of heroin with the intent to sell (22 grams) and possession of cocaine (5 grams) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 1980: Billy Joel had officially arrived--he won the Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards for 52nd Street.
1980: The Doobie Brothers were at their career peak as "What a Fool Believes" won both Record and Song of the Year honors at the Grammys.
1980: Rickie Lee Jones was named Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards show.
Journey's "Open Arms" outlasted all of its competition.
1982: The J. Geils Band remained at #1 for a fourth week with "Centerfold" while "Open Arms" by Journey, which was #1 at many stations, moved up to #2. Hall & Oates were on the way down with "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" with the Cars at #4 with "Shake It Up". The rest of the Top 10: "That Girl" from Stevie Wonder, Air Supply's new one--"Sweet Dreams" was sixth, Quarterflash and "Harden My Heart", Juice Newton was going the wrong way with "The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)", Joan Jett & the Blackhearts had all the right signs as "I Love Rock 'N Roll" moved from 18 to 9 and Dan Fogelberg closed the list with "Leader of the Band".
1988: "She's Like the Wind" by Patrick Swayze and Wendy Fraser moved to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
The great lead singer Paul Carrack kept one for himself.
1988: George Michael scored his third #1 solo hit with "Father Figure". The Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield were passed over and they screamed "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" Patrick Swayze and Wendy Fraser moved from 7-3 with "She's Like the Wind" and Rick Astley made a strong move with "Never Gonna' Give You Up". The rest of the Top 10: Eric Carmen's "Hungry Eyes", former #1 "Seasons Change" from Expose, Foreigner with "Say You Will", Belinda Carlisle was back in the Top 10 with "I Get Weak", Paul Carrack had a solo hit with "Don't Shed a Tear" and Glorida Estefan & Miami Sound Machine moved up with "Can't Stay Away from You".
1990: Here's what Rob Pilatus of Milli Vanilli had to say in Time Magazine: "Musically, we're more talented than any Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney. Mick Jagger can't produce a sound. I'm the new Elvis." There's appropriate places for people like this where others can care for them.
1991: James Brown was given parole after serving in prison for two years of a six-year sentence. Brown had led police on an interstate car chase.
1992: Whitney Houston set a new Rock Era record with "I Will Always Love You" as it was the #1 song for the 14th week, breaking a tie with "The End of the Road" from Boyz II Men. The song still is tied as the second-longest running #1.
1999: Britney Spears had the #1 U.K. song with "...Baby One More Time".
2000: The movie The Beach Boys was televised on ABC.
Everyday. 2001: Carlos Santana was given the key to his hometown of Autlan, Mexico.
2002: Jennifer Lopez had the #1 album with the remix package J to tha Lo!
2003: Gary Rossington, elite guitarist of Lynyrd Skynyrd, had to have emergency heart surgery.
2004: Bobby Brown was sentenced to 60 days in jail for violating terms of his probation. Brown refused to take a drug test, did not pay court-supervision fees on time and couldn't prove he had completed his substance-abuse rehabilitation program.
2004: A judge in Chicago, Illinois dismissed seven of the 21 child pornography charges against R. Kelly. Meaning he did not dismiss 14 of them. Kelly's lawyers' best defense was that the charges of soliciting a minor to appear in a sex tape were based on a law that wasn't in effect yet.
2005: Nelly and Tim McGraw teamed up for the #1 U.K. song "Over and Over".
2007: Bobby Brown was sentenced to 30 days in jail for failing to pay $19,000 in unpaid child support. A warrant for Brown's arrest was issued in October, 2006 after the deadbeat failed to show up at a hearing for overdue child support for Kim Ward, the mother of two of his children. When you make the mistake of being with someone like Bobby Brown, you end up paying for it for the rest of your life.
2010: U2 made twice as much money from touring, record sales and royalties than anyone else in 2009, with a haul of $109 million. Bruce Springsteen brought in $58 million, followed by Madonna with $47 mil and AC/DC with $44 mil.
2011: Randy Newman won Best Original Song at the Academy Awards for "We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3.
1927: Guy Mitchell ("Singing the Blues" from 1955); died July 1, 1999.
1948: Eddie Gary of Tommy James & the Shondells
1950: Robert Balderrama of ? & the Mysterians ("96 Tears")
1954: Neal Schon, elite guitarist with Santana and Journey, was born on Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. 1957: Adrian Smith, elite guitarist of Iron Maiden, was born in Hackney, East London.
1959: Johnny Van Zant, lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the brother of former lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and the founder of .38 Special Donnie Van Zant, was born in Jacksonville, Florida.
1960: Paul Humphreys, co-founder of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark ("If You Leave"), was born in London.
1971: Chilli (real name Rozonda Thomas) of TLC was born in Columbus, Georgia.
1972: Jeremy Dean, saxophone and keyboard player of Nine Days
1981: Josh Groban was born in Los Angeles.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
New Featured Unknown/Underrated Song--"Shine" by Collective Soul
It's time for another song to be inducted into The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of All-Time*, one of the great tabs at the top of the page at all times. I've just added this very deserving entry. Sometimes you look at these and all you can do is shake your head. Unbelieveably, the song never made the Top 10. Rather, it only made it to #11 in 1994 for Collective Soul, which by the way has many underrated songs in their career.
But today, the spotlight is on "Shine"
Words and Music by Ed Roland
Give me a word
Give me a sign
Show me where to look
Tell me what will I find
Lay me on the ground
Fly me in the sky
Show me where to look
Tell me what will I find
Oh, heaven let your light shine down
Love is in the water
Love is in the air
Show me where to look
Tell me will love be there
Teach me how to speak
Teach me how to share
Teach me where to go
Tell me will love be there
Oh, heaven let your light shine down
But today, the spotlight is on "Shine"
"Shine"
by Collective Soul
Words and Music by Ed Roland
Give me a word
Give me a sign
Show me where to look
Tell me what will I find
Lay me on the ground
Fly me in the sky
Show me where to look
Tell me what will I find
Oh, heaven let your light shine down
Love is in the water
Love is in the air
Show me where to look
Tell me will love be there
Teach me how to speak
Teach me how to share
Teach me where to go
Tell me will love be there
Oh, heaven let your light shine down
The #75 Guitarist of the Rock Era: Peter Frampton
One of the great masters of the guitar who exploded into the public consciousness in 1976 is next:
Peter Kenneth Frampton was born April 22, 1950 in Beckenham, England. A member of Humble Pie, Frampton exploded onto the international music scene with the spectacular live album Frampton Comes Alive! Since that time, Frampton has continued to be recognized as one of the top guitar players in the world.
Peter became interested in music at the age of seven after discovering his grandmother's banjolele (a banjo-shaped ukulele) in the attic. He taught himself how to play, and later taught himself to play guitar and piano. Frampton began taking classical music lessons when he was eight years old. His father introduced him to the music og gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and Peter was also influenced by guitarist Hank Marvin of the Shadows, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, the Ventures, Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles.
Peter attended Bromley Technical High School at the same time as David Bowie. Frampton joined the Little Ravens at the age of 10 then joined a group called the Trubeats the following year. After that, Peter hooked up with the group the Preachers, which were managed and produced by Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones. By 1966, Frampton was the lead vocalist and lead guitarist of the Herd, who had several British hits. Frampton was named "The Face of 1968" by the teen magazine Rave.
In early 1969, Frampton joined with Steve Marriott of Small Faces to form Humble Pie. Frampton was still only 18, yet in demand as a session guitarist. He played for George Harrison (on the album All Things Must Pass), Jerry Lee Lewis and Harry Nilsson. It was during his association with Harrison that Frampton was introduced to the 'talk box" that became one of his trademark guitar effects.
After five Humble Pie albums, Frampton left the group to pursue a solo career. Wind of Change, with help from Ringo Starr and Billy Preston, was his debut album in 1972. He followed with Frampton's Camel, Somethin's Happening and Frampton. Frampton was familiar to many from his days in Humble Pie, and he began to attract a following at his concerts. One venue, the Winterland Arena in San Francisco, California, was a place where Humble Pie had done well previously. So when Frampton performed there as a solo artist, the tape was running. What it captured live was the amazing audience response on this magical night in 1975 for an artist that still the masses had not heard of. They soon would.
Most of the tracks from the double live album Frampton Comes Alive were recorded at Winterland and the album was released in January, 1976. It turned out to be one of the biggest breakthrough albums of all-time, going to #1 on the album chart for 10 weeks, remaining in the Top 40 for 55 weeks and on the album chart for 97 weeks. The album beat out the self-titled album from Fleetwood Mac to become the top-selling album of the year, sold over six million copies and featured three huge hits. But start to finish, there's few albums in the Rock Era that can top it and no other live album so captures the very material that helped launch an artist's career.
Frampton's follow album, I'm in You,went platinum, but in the crazy world that is perception, it didn't measure up to Frampton Comes Alive and thus fell short of expectations. Frampton went on to star in the well-bashed movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1978 but his career was on the downswing as fast as he had taken off. Peter was in a near-fatal car accident in the Bahamas in 1978 that marked a time in which Frampton was not the artist he once was. He recorded Where I Should Be and Rise Up and set out to tour in Brazil. But Peter received another blow when all his guitars were destroyed in a cargo plane crash that killed three people. Among the guitars were his prized Les Paul Custom that is pictured on the cover of Frampton Comes Alive. Frampton had played the guitar throughout his solo career.
Frampton's albums did not give him commerical success, he did achieve a moderate comeback with the Premonition album in 1986, which featured the single "Lying". Frampton united with childhood friend Bowie and also worked on projects with members of Pearl Jam. In 1991, Frampton rejoined Humble Pie mate Steve Marriott for some concerts at the Half Moon in Putney, London. The two recorded some songs and prepared to tour together. However, Marriott died in a house fire prior to the tour.
Frampton was broken up by Marriott's death and did not tour for a while. In 1994, Frampton released a self-titled album and the following year, the album Frampton Comes Alive! II, which featured live versions of many of his solo songs since 1980. Peter then toured with Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings and Ringo Starr's All-Star Band.
In 2003, Frampton released Now and toured with Styx to support the album. In 2006, Peter released an instrumental album called Fingerprints. His band consisted of drummer Shawn Fichter, Audley Freed on guitar, bassist John Regan, keyboardist/guitarist Rob Arthur and guests including members of Pearl Jam and Stanley Sheldon, the bassist on Frampton Comes Alive and the only member of the backing band on that album still alive. Frampton won the Grammy Award in 2007 for Best Pop Instrumental Album and also that month appeared on the PBS television show Soundstage.
Frampton's fourteenth studio album, Thank You Mr. Churchill, was released in April of 2010. Frampton hit the road along with the group Yes; the two had played on a tour together in 1976. In 2011, Peter embarked on the Frampton Comes Alive 35th Anniversary Tour, in which he played the exact lineup of songs recorded on that famous night in San Francisco when Frampton Comes Alive! was recorded. Each concert began with a prerecorded thump of the microphone that was familiar to fans of the album, followed by the recorded voise saying, "If there ever was a musician that was an honorary member of San Francisco society, Mr. Peter Frampton"...and the crowds went wild. Frampton faithfully played the album song for song at 69 locations between June and October.
Frampton has been a natural performer since his teenage years. He checks in at #75 for the Rock Era*...
#75: Peter Frampton
Humble Pie, Solo
active guitarist for 47 years
Peter Kenneth Frampton was born April 22, 1950 in Beckenham, England. A member of Humble Pie, Frampton exploded onto the international music scene with the spectacular live album Frampton Comes Alive! Since that time, Frampton has continued to be recognized as one of the top guitar players in the world.
Peter became interested in music at the age of seven after discovering his grandmother's banjolele (a banjo-shaped ukulele) in the attic. He taught himself how to play, and later taught himself to play guitar and piano. Frampton began taking classical music lessons when he was eight years old. His father introduced him to the music og gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and Peter was also influenced by guitarist Hank Marvin of the Shadows, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, the Ventures, Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles.
Peter attended Bromley Technical High School at the same time as David Bowie. Frampton joined the Little Ravens at the age of 10 then joined a group called the Trubeats the following year. After that, Peter hooked up with the group the Preachers, which were managed and produced by Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones. By 1966, Frampton was the lead vocalist and lead guitarist of the Herd, who had several British hits. Frampton was named "The Face of 1968" by the teen magazine Rave.
In early 1969, Frampton joined with Steve Marriott of Small Faces to form Humble Pie. Frampton was still only 18, yet in demand as a session guitarist. He played for George Harrison (on the album All Things Must Pass), Jerry Lee Lewis and Harry Nilsson. It was during his association with Harrison that Frampton was introduced to the 'talk box" that became one of his trademark guitar effects.
After five Humble Pie albums, Frampton left the group to pursue a solo career. Wind of Change, with help from Ringo Starr and Billy Preston, was his debut album in 1972. He followed with Frampton's Camel, Somethin's Happening and Frampton. Frampton was familiar to many from his days in Humble Pie, and he began to attract a following at his concerts. One venue, the Winterland Arena in San Francisco, California, was a place where Humble Pie had done well previously. So when Frampton performed there as a solo artist, the tape was running. What it captured live was the amazing audience response on this magical night in 1975 for an artist that still the masses had not heard of. They soon would.
Most of the tracks from the double live album Frampton Comes Alive were recorded at Winterland and the album was released in January, 1976. It turned out to be one of the biggest breakthrough albums of all-time, going to #1 on the album chart for 10 weeks, remaining in the Top 40 for 55 weeks and on the album chart for 97 weeks. The album beat out the self-titled album from Fleetwood Mac to become the top-selling album of the year, sold over six million copies and featured three huge hits. But start to finish, there's few albums in the Rock Era that can top it and no other live album so captures the very material that helped launch an artist's career.
Frampton's follow album, I'm in You,went platinum, but in the crazy world that is perception, it didn't measure up to Frampton Comes Alive and thus fell short of expectations. Frampton went on to star in the well-bashed movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1978 but his career was on the downswing as fast as he had taken off. Peter was in a near-fatal car accident in the Bahamas in 1978 that marked a time in which Frampton was not the artist he once was. He recorded Where I Should Be and Rise Up and set out to tour in Brazil. But Peter received another blow when all his guitars were destroyed in a cargo plane crash that killed three people. Among the guitars were his prized Les Paul Custom that is pictured on the cover of Frampton Comes Alive. Frampton had played the guitar throughout his solo career.
Frampton's albums did not give him commerical success, he did achieve a moderate comeback with the Premonition album in 1986, which featured the single "Lying". Frampton united with childhood friend Bowie and also worked on projects with members of Pearl Jam. In 1991, Frampton rejoined Humble Pie mate Steve Marriott for some concerts at the Half Moon in Putney, London. The two recorded some songs and prepared to tour together. However, Marriott died in a house fire prior to the tour.
Frampton was broken up by Marriott's death and did not tour for a while. In 1994, Frampton released a self-titled album and the following year, the album Frampton Comes Alive! II, which featured live versions of many of his solo songs since 1980. Peter then toured with Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings and Ringo Starr's All-Star Band.
In 2003, Frampton released Now and toured with Styx to support the album. In 2006, Peter released an instrumental album called Fingerprints. His band consisted of drummer Shawn Fichter, Audley Freed on guitar, bassist John Regan, keyboardist/guitarist Rob Arthur and guests including members of Pearl Jam and Stanley Sheldon, the bassist on Frampton Comes Alive and the only member of the backing band on that album still alive. Frampton won the Grammy Award in 2007 for Best Pop Instrumental Album and also that month appeared on the PBS television show Soundstage.
Frampton's fourteenth studio album, Thank You Mr. Churchill, was released in April of 2010. Frampton hit the road along with the group Yes; the two had played on a tour together in 1976. In 2011, Peter embarked on the Frampton Comes Alive 35th Anniversary Tour, in which he played the exact lineup of songs recorded on that famous night in San Francisco when Frampton Comes Alive! was recorded. Each concert began with a prerecorded thump of the microphone that was familiar to fans of the album, followed by the recorded voise saying, "If there ever was a musician that was an honorary member of San Francisco society, Mr. Peter Frampton"...and the crowds went wild. Frampton faithfully played the album song for song at 69 locations between June and October.
Frampton has been a natural performer since his teenage years. He checks in at #75 for the Rock Era*...
Albums That Contain "Let It Be" by the Beatles
One of the Beatles' last classics was released in 1970. You can find it on the following albums:
Let It Be
Beatles 1967-1970 (The Blue Album)
Anthology 3
I
Past Masters, Volume 2
Get Back and 22 Other Songs
Artifacts 1958-1970
Artifacts II 1960-1969
Compact Disc Singles Collection
The 20 Greatest Hits
Get Back
Reel Music
Let It Be
Beatles 1967-1970 (The Blue Album)
Anthology 3
I
Past Masters, Volume 2
Get Back and 22 Other Songs
Artifacts 1958-1970
Artifacts II 1960-1969
Compact Disc Singles Collection
The 20 Greatest Hits
Get Back
Reel Music
This Date in Rock Music History: February 26
1955: LaVern Baker wrote a letter to Michigan Representative Charles Digges, Jr. requesting that the Copyright Act of 1909 be updated.
1955: 45 rpm records outsold 78's for the first time in history. 1955: Johnny Ace had the #1 R&B hit--"Pledging My Love".
1962: Shelley Fabares released the single "Johnny Angel".
1964: The Beatles worked on the final mixes for "Can't Buy Me Love" and "You Can't Do That".
1965: Jimmy Page released the album She Just Satisfies. When the album didn't seem to satisfy the public, Page joined the Yardbirds.
1966: Slim Harpo moved to #1 on the R&B chart with "Baby Scratch My Back".
1966: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass racked up their eighth week at #1 on the album chart with Whipped Cream & Other Delights.
1966: Herman's Hermits had a hot song as their latest, "Listen People", moved from 41 to 13.
The Mamas & Papas were moving up with one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*...
1966: Nancy Sinatra stepped up to #1 with "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", sending "Lightnin' Strikes" by Lou Christie down below. Ssgt. Barry Sadler moved from 10-3 with "The Ballad of the Green Berets". Stevie Wonder was on his way down with "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" and the Supremes were steady at #5 with "My World Is Empty Without You". The rest of the Top 10: Petula Clark's "My Love", the Marvelettes were back with "Don't Mess With Bill", the Mamas & Papas were red hot with "California Dreamin'", which moved from 16-8, Bob Lind had #9--"Elusive Butterfly" and the 4 Seasons entered the Top 10 with "Working My Way Back to You".
1970: The Beatles released the album Beatles Again in the United States.
1972: Al Green had a hold on #1 on the R&B chart--he spent week #8 in the top spot with "Let's Stay Together".
1972: "Without You" by Nilsson once again was #1 with the Carpenters at #2--"Hurting Each Other". Newcomer Climax had one of The Top Love Songs of the Rock Era* with "Precious and Few" and Al Green's former #1 "Let's Stay Together" was fourth. The rest of the Top 10: The Osmonds with "Down By the Lazy River", Apollo 100 moved up with "Joy", Robert John's remake of the Tokens classic "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", Bread was at #8 with "Everything I Own", Don McLean's #1 classic "American Pie" was now at #9 and Stanley, Idaho's Carole King had the #10 song with "Sweet Seasons".
1973: Stealer's Wheel released the single "Stuck in the Middle with You".
1973: War released the single 'The Cisco Kid".
1975: Harry Chapin's play The Night That Made America Famous opened on Broadway in New York City.
1972: Al Green had a hold on #1 on the R&B chart--he spent week #8 in the top spot with "Let's Stay Together".
1972: "Without You" by Nilsson once again was #1 with the Carpenters at #2--"Hurting Each Other". Newcomer Climax had one of The Top Love Songs of the Rock Era* with "Precious and Few" and Al Green's former #1 "Let's Stay Together" was fourth. The rest of the Top 10: The Osmonds with "Down By the Lazy River", Apollo 100 moved up with "Joy", Robert John's remake of the Tokens classic "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", Bread was at #8 with "Everything I Own", Don McLean's #1 classic "American Pie" was now at #9 and Stanley, Idaho's Carole King had the #10 song with "Sweet Seasons".
1973: Stealer's Wheel released the single "Stuck in the Middle with You".
1973: War released the single 'The Cisco Kid".
1975: Harry Chapin's play The Night That Made America Famous opened on Broadway in New York City.
1977: Sherman Garnes from Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers ("Why Do Fools Fall In Love") died while having open-heart surgery.
The great song "The Fire Down Below" from Seger's 'Night Moves"...
1977: The Eagles flew to #1 with "New Kid In Town", holding off "Evergreen" by Barbra Streisand for now. The previous #1 "Blinded By the Light" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band slipped to #3 while Steve Miller took flight with "Fly Like An Eagle". The rest of the Top 10: Kenny Nolan's "I Like Dreamin'", the Jacksons were back with "Enjoy Yourself", Mary MacGregor tumbled with "Torn Between Two Lovers", Bob Seger's breakthrough hit "Night Moves" was #8, ABBA moved from 14-9 with "Dancing Queen" and Barry Manilow had his fifth Top 10 hit with "Weekend In New England".
1977: The Soundtrack to "A Star Is Born" topped the album chart for a third week, with two great albums, Hotel California by the Eagles and Songs in the Key of Life from Stevie Wonder, right behind. Paul McCartney & Wings were next with Wings Over America and Al Stewart clung to #5 with Year of the Cat. The rest of an excellent Top 10: Fly Like An Eagle from the Steve Miller Band, Boston's debut, Animals from Pink Floyd moved from 25 to 8 in its second week, Night Moves by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band was ninth and an album called Rumours by Fleetwood Mac made a high debut at #10.
1977: Natalie Cole's great song "I've Got Love On My Mind" was the new #1 on the R&B chart.1977: The Eagles flew to #1 with "New Kid In Town", holding off "Evergreen" by Barbra Streisand for now. The previous #1 "Blinded By the Light" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band slipped to #3 while Steve Miller took flight with "Fly Like An Eagle". The rest of the Top 10: Kenny Nolan's "I Like Dreamin'", the Jacksons were back with "Enjoy Yourself", Mary MacGregor tumbled with "Torn Between Two Lovers", Bob Seger's breakthrough hit "Night Moves" was #8, ABBA moved from 14-9 with "Dancing Queen" and Barry Manilow had his fifth Top 10 hit with "Weekend In New England".
1977: Glen Campbell rose to the top spot on the Adult chart with "Southern Nights".
1980: After performing at National Boxing Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, U2 was offered a recording contract by Island Records.
1983: "You Are" by Lionel Richie, one of The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Songs of the 1980's, became the new AC #1 song.
1983: "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson spent a third week at #1 on the R&B chart.
1983: The new album by Michael Jackson, Thriller, moved into the #1 spot on the album chart. Built for Speed by the Stray Cats spent a record 14th straight week at #2. H2O by Hall & Oates came in third with Men At Work finally falling after 15 weeks at #1 with Business As Usual. The rest of the Top 10: The Distance from Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, Journey vaulted from 23 to 6 in their second week with Frontiers, Duran Duran entered the Top 10 at #7 with Rio, Phil Collins and Hello, I Must Be Going!, Toto IV was still at #9 after 45 weeks and Foreigner Records, Foreigner's compilation album, was #10.
1983: The new album by Michael Jackson, Thriller, moved into the #1 spot on the album chart. Built for Speed by the Stray Cats spent a record 14th straight week at #2. H2O by Hall & Oates came in third with Men At Work finally falling after 15 weeks at #1 with Business As Usual. The rest of the Top 10: The Distance from Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, Journey vaulted from 23 to 6 in their second week with Frontiers, Duran Duran entered the Top 10 at #7 with Rio, Phil Collins and Hello, I Must Be Going!, Toto IV was still at #9 after 45 weeks and Foreigner Records, Foreigner's compilation album, was #10.
1985: Chuck Berry received a Lifetime Achievement award at the Grammys.
1987: Capitol Records released the first four Beatles albums on CD.
1990: Cornell Gunter of the Coasters was murdered in Las Vegas, Nevada at age 53."Round Here", one of the top tracks on 'August and Everything After'...
1994: The self-titled Toni Braxton moved from 7-1 on the album chart, flying over Music Box from Mariah Carey. Other notable albums in the Top 10: August and Everything After from the Counting Crows, the Greatest Hits by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Jar of Flies from Alice In Chains and Celine Dion entered the Top 10 with her great album The Colour of My Love.
1995: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, formerly with Led Zeppelin, began a world tour to support their reunion album No Quarter.
1997: Ben Raleigh, songwriter who wrote "Tell Laura I Love Her" (Ray Peterson's hit in 1960) as well as "Scooby Doo Where Are You" from the popular cartoon series, died when he set fire to his bath robe while cooking.
1997: Eric Clapton won Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards for "Change the World". The Popular and Rock categories used to be merged when Rock songs were good enough to also be popular but were separated several years previous when the quality of rock songs went down.
1997: The Beatles won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group, Best Music Video Short and Best Music Video Long for "Free as a Bird".
1998: Tommy Lee, drummer of Motley Crue, was arrested and charged with abusing his wife and his son Dylan.
2000: Lonestar topped the chart with "Amazed".
2001: The Darkness performed live for the first time at Camden HQ in England.
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1928: Fats Domino was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1930: Chic Hetti of the Playmates
1932: Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas.
1943: Paul Cotton, singer-songwriter and guitarist of Poco, Fort Rucker, Alabama.
1945: Mitch Ryder (real name William Levise, Jr.), who scored hits including "Devil With a Blue Dress On" from 1966 with the Detroit Wheels, was born in Hamtramck, Michigan.
1945: Bob Hite, lead singer and harmonica player of Canned Heat, was born in Torrance, California.
1947: Sandie Shaw, the first U.K. artist to win the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Puppet on a String" from 1967, was born in Dagenham, Essex, England.
1950: Jonathan Cain, great keyboardist and songwriter of the Babys, Journey and Bad English, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1953: Michael Bolton (real name Michael Bolotin) was born in New Haven, Connecticut.
1961: John Jon of Bronski Beat
1968: Tim Commerford, bass guitarist with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, was born in Irvine, California.
1971: Martin Karl "Max Martin" Sandberg, songwriter and producer who worked with the Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson and Pink, was born in Stockholm, Sweden.
2000: Lonestar topped the chart with "Amazed".
2001: The Darkness performed live for the first time at Camden HQ in England.
2001: In today's edition of Inmates Run Rap Music, DMX turned himself over to the police in Alden, New York after being charged with driving and drug offenses.
2006: Jack Johnson went to #1 in the U.K. with "In Between Dreams".
2009: A ten-minute version of "Revolution 1" by the Beatles was leaked onto the Internet, a version never heard before, that gave us an insight into Beatles' recording sessions. The group only recorded two takes of the version, and John Lennon took one of them home.
2010: The city of Barnstable, Massachusetts on Cape Cod named a street after Patti Page.
2011: Mark Tulin, bassist of the Electric Prunes ("I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night"), died at the age of 62 after he collapsed while helping out at the Avalon Underwater Clean-Up in Avalon, California.
Born This Day:2010: The city of Barnstable, Massachusetts on Cape Cod named a street after Patti Page.
2011: Mark Tulin, bassist of the Electric Prunes ("I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night"), died at the age of 62 after he collapsed while helping out at the Avalon Underwater Clean-Up in Avalon, California.
1928: Fats Domino was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1930: Chic Hetti of the Playmates
1932: Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas.
1943: Paul Cotton, singer-songwriter and guitarist of Poco, Fort Rucker, Alabama.
1945: Mitch Ryder (real name William Levise, Jr.), who scored hits including "Devil With a Blue Dress On" from 1966 with the Detroit Wheels, was born in Hamtramck, Michigan.
1945: Bob Hite, lead singer and harmonica player of Canned Heat, was born in Torrance, California.
1947: Sandie Shaw, the first U.K. artist to win the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Puppet on a String" from 1967, was born in Dagenham, Essex, England.
1950: Jonathan Cain, great keyboardist and songwriter of the Babys, Journey and Bad English, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1953: Michael Bolton (real name Michael Bolotin) was born in New Haven, Connecticut.
1961: John Jon of Bronski Beat
1968: Tim Commerford, bass guitarist with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, was born in Irvine, California.
1971: Martin Karl "Max Martin" Sandberg, songwriter and producer who worked with the Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson and Pink, was born in Stockholm, Sweden.
1971: Erykah Badu was born in Dallas, Texas.
1979: Corinne Bailey Rae, singer-songwriter and guitarist ("Put Your Records On"), was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
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