Saturday, March 3, 2012

The #69 Guitarist of the Rock Era: Neal Schon

The #69 Guitarist* made an impact at an early age and he's kept rocking since.  The brilliant Neal Schon is next:
#69:  Neal Schon, Santana, Journey, Bad English
44 years as an active guitarist
(Some of Neal's best solos)

 
Neal George Joseph Schon was born February 27, 1954 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.  He first rose to prominence as a member of the group Santana, learning from one of the best, Carlos Santana.  Schon is the lead guitarist, songwriter and backing vocalist for Journey and the only member to have recorded on all of Journey's albums. 

Both of Neal's parents were musicians, and Neal received his first guitar at the age of 5.  He was a teenage prodigy when he joined Santana at age 15.  Schon was also asked to join Derek and the Dominos, but Santana called him first and he joined that group for the album Santana III.  Schon also played in the group Azteca before leaving in 1973 to form Journey. 

Journey may be one of the top names of the Rock Era, but it indeed was a journey--success didn't happen immediately.  Schon and keyboardist Gregg Rolie had both been in Santana and with bassist Ross Valory, rhythm guitarist George Tickner and drummer Prairie Prince of the Tubes, they started out.  

Former Santana manager Herbie Herbert helped develop and direct the group that was originally called the Golden Gate Rhythm Section.  They started out as a backup group for established acts out of the Bay Area but soon abandoned the "backup group" idea and began to develop a distinctive jazz fusion style.  Journey made their first public appearance at the Winterland Ballroom on New Year's Eve, 1973.  

When Prince rejoined the Tubes shortly thereafter, veteran drummer Aynsley Dunbar came aboard.  The new lineup debuted at the Great American Music Hall and signed a recording contract with Columbia Records.  Journey released their eponymous debut album in 1975 but Tickner left before their second album Look into the Future.  Neither album did well so Schon, Valory and Dunbar took singing lessons in an effort to add harmonies to Rolie's lead. 

Schon sang lead on two of the tracks on the group's third album, Next, in 1977.  But Columbia was unhappy with their sound and suggested they hire a frontman to share lead vocals with Rolie.  So, Journey hired Robert Fleischman and together, the group wrote the song "Wheel in the Sky".  But fans weren't thrilled with the change and Fleischman left within a year.

So Journey tried again with a second hire at lead singer and this time they hit it out of the ballpark.  Once Steve Perry came aboard, the group was on their way and the 1978 album Infinity, though highly underrated (it's one of the group's best career albums), it still gave the group their first platinum album.

The 1981 album Escape was their most successful, reaching #1 on the album chart and yielding two monster hits--"Open Arms", one of the top #2 Songs of the Rock Era, and "Don't Stop Believin'", the most downloaded catalog song in iTunes history.  The group's follow-up, Frontiers, reached #2.

Journey has enjoyed eight multi-platinum albums, including seven consecutive from 1978-1987, one diamond album (sales of over 10 million) and two gold albums.  They have had eighteen Top 40 singles, six in the Top 10 and two #1 songs.  All told, Journey has sold 47 million albums in the United States alone, making them the 28th best-selling band of all-time.  Worldwide, their sales have reached over 80 million.  An opinion poll in USA Today in 2005 named Journey the fifth-best American rock band in history.



Neal with more of his great guitar work...

Schon plays a soulful guitar, using blues runs similar to those made famous by B.B. King.  Schon is influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Wes Montgomery. 
In addition to the 14 studio albums from Journey, Neal has released five solo albums and also worked on several collaborations with Jan Hammer, Sammy Hagar, Paul Rodgers, Bad English, and others.  Neal has also done notable session work such as playing on Michael Bolton's album The Hunger.

Schon's first guitar was an acoustic Stella, then a Gibson ES-335 and a 1956 Les Paul Goldtop that he used for many years.  Schon currently endorses Gibson and he has a limited edition signaure Les Paul dubbed the "Neal Schon Signautre Model Custom Les Paul".  He has also used Godin and Paul Reed Smith guitars.  In the late 1980's, Schon manufactured and played his own line of guitars, through Jackson and Larrivee.  Recently, Schon has used a Seven String IBanez Universe which was a gift from Steve Vai. 

Schon prefers Xotic guitar pedals, a Vox Satriani and he will also use a Buddy Guy wah pedal.

The durable Neal Schon, at #69 for the Rock Era*...

Tickets for the 2012 Newport Folk Festival On Sale Now

The Newport Festivals Foundation has announced the lineup for the 2012 Newport Folk Festival, scheduled for July 28-29 at beautiful Fort Adams State Park.  Tickets are on sale now at www.newportfolkfest.net.


Jackson Browne headlines the Festival this year and he'll play his songs that feature his always poignant and relative lyrics and melodic music.    Tom Morello, great guitarist of both Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, will be another highlight.  A complete list of performers follows this story.


In recent years, the festival has introduced a number of burgeoning stars to the national consciousness while luring established favorites to Newport because of the special place the Newport Folk Festival holds in history.  


Since 1959, the Festival has featured the best of blues, roots, gospel, country, bluegrass, Cajun and traditional folk music.  


Two-day passes are available for $135 while single adult tickets are $74.  Children's tickets for ages 3-15 are $15 per day with children under 3 admitted free.  Parking passes are also available on the website for $12.

The 2012 Newport Folk Festival lineup:


Saturday, July 28 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.


My Morning Jacket
Iron & Wine
Patty Griffin
Guthrie Family Reunion
Dawes
City & Colour
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Deer Tick
Blind Pilot
Alabama Shakes
Sharon Van Etten
First Aid Kit
Brown Bird
Jonny Corndawg
Frank Fairfield
Spirit Family Reunion
Robert Ellis
Apache Relay
Honeyhoney
Sleepy Man Banjo Boys


Sunday, July 29 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.


Jackson Browne
Conor Oberst
Punch Brothers
Tallest Man on Earth
The Head & the Heart

tUnE-yArDs
Gary Clark, Jr.
Trampled by Turtles
Tom Morello
Of Monsters and Men
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires
Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker & Yim Yames Original Music set to the Lyrics of Woody Guthrie
Sara Watkins
Carl Broemel
Ben Sollee
Spider John Koerner
Jonathan Wilson
Deep Dark Woods
Joe Fletcher & the Wrong Reasons
Kossoy Sisters
Joel Rafael


Please note that Artists are subject to change.

Complete List of The Top 100 R&B Songs of the 1970's

Hits List: Neil Sedaka

This artist from Brooklyn was a prolific songwriter with many other artists recording his music.  He also was one of the stars of the early Rock Era, yet like countless others, was left out when the Beatles started.  Neil Sedaka did manage to make a big comeback in the 1970's.  Here is his complete Hits List:

1957:  "Laura Lee"
1958:  "Ring-A-Rockin'"
          "Oh Delilah!"
1959:  "The Diary" (#14)
          "I Go Ape" (#42)
          "(Stop!) You're Knocking Me Out"
          "Crying My Heart Out for You"
          "Stupid Cupid"
          "All I Need Is You"
          "Oh!  Carol" (#9, #1 in Italy)
          "The Girl For Me"
          "Going Home to Mary Lou"
1960:  "Stairway To Heaven" (#9)
          "You Mean Everything To Me" (#17)
          "Run Samson Run" (#28)

1961:  "Calendar Girl" (#4, #1 in Japan)  
          "Little Devil" (#11)
          "Sweet Little You" (#59)
1962:  "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen" (#6)
          "King of Clowns" (#45)
          "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" (#1 for two weeks)
          "Next Door to an Angel" (#5)
1963:  "Alice In Wonderland" (#17)
          "Let's Go Steady Again" (#26)
          "The Dreamer" (#47)
1964:  "Bad Girl" (#33)
          "The Closest Thing to Heaven"
          "Sunny" (#86)
          "I Hope He Breaks Your Heart"
          "Let the People Talk"
1965:  "The World Through a Tear" (#76)
1966:  "The Answer to My Prayer" (#89)
          "The Answer Lies Within"
          "We Can Make It If We Try"
1969:  "Star-Crossed Lovers" (#5 Australia)
          "Rainy Jane"
          "Ebony Angel"
1970:  "Wheeling, West Virginia" (#20 Australia)
1971:  "My World Keeps Getting Smaller Every Day"
          "I'm a Song (Sing Me)"
          "Superbird"
1972:  "Beautiful You" (#43 U.K.)
          "That's When the Music Takes Me"
          "Dimbo Man"
1973:  "Standing on the Inside" (#26 U.K.)
          "Our Last Song Together" (#31 U.K.)
          "Love Will Keep Us Together"

1974:  "A Little Lovin'" (#34 U.K.)
          "The Way I Am"
          "Laughter in the Rain" (#1, #1 Adult Contemporary, #15 U.K.)
1975:  "The Immigrant" (#22, #1 Adult Contemporary)--highly underrated.
          "That's When the Music Takes Me"--underrated
          "The Queen of 1964"          
          "Bad Blood" (with Elton John) (#1, #25 AC)
          "New York City Blues"

1976:  "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" (slower version of his earlier hit--#8, #1 Adult Contemporary)
           "Love in the Shadows" (#16, #4 AC)
           "Steppin' Out" (with Elton John) (#36, #45 AC)
           "No. 1 with a Heartache"
           "You Gotta' Make Your Own Sunshine" (#53, #4 AC)
1977:  "Amarillo" (#44, #4 AC)
          "Alone At Last" (#17 AC)
          "You Never Done It Like That"
1978:  "All You Need is the Music"
          "Sad, Sad Story"
1979:  "Letting Go"

1980:  "Should've Never Let You Go (with daughter Dara Sedaka--#19, #3 AC)
1981:  "My World Keeps Slipping Away" (#36 AC)
          "Losing You"
1984:  "Your Precious Love" (with Dara Sedaka--#15 AC)
          "Rhythm of the Rain" (#37 AC)
1985:  "Love Made Me Feel That Way"


That's 28 hits with 8 going Top 10 and three #1's for Neil.  On the Adult Contemporary chart, he had 11 hits, with six of those going Top 10 an two #1's.

This Date in Rock Music History: March 3

1955: Elvis Presley made his local television debut on The Louisiana Hayride show. The show was broadcast on KWKH-TV from Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana. Presley had been performing on The Hayride since October 16, 1954. (Note:  As more time goes by, people make up their own information, and you will note that several websites erroneously list dates for the debut as March 4, March 5, or even March 26. Some sites also mistakenly say that the station which broadcast the show was KWKH. According to the book 'Elvis Presley: The King of Rock 'n' Roll' by Jean-Pierre Hombach, the correct date is March 3, and the call letters of the television station were KSLA, the CBS affiliate in Shreveport.)

1956:  A handsome singer from Tupelo, Mississippi first appeared on the chart on this date.  His first single was a song called "Heartbreak Hotel" and his name was Elvis Presley.
1956:  The Platters enjoyed a 10th week at #1 on the R&B chart with "The Great Pretender", obviously one of The Top R&B Songs of All-Time*.
1962:  Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen moved to #1 on the Easy Listening chart with "Midnight In Moscow".
1962:  "Duke Of Earl" by Gene Chandler led the way on the R&B chart for a third straight week.








1962:  Gene Chandler had crossed over to a broad appeal with "Duke Of Earl", #1 for the third week.  "Hey!  Baby" by Bruce Channel was second with Dion's "The Wanderer" coming in third.
1963:  The Beatles finished a tour at the Gaumont Cinema in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England.  They had begun opening for Helen Shapiro, but ended the tour as the headline act.  (Note:  some websites state that the concert was in Hanley, England.  In 1910, Hanley was one of six cities that joined together to form Stoke-on-Trent.  The city is now called Stoke-on-Trent, and it was in 1963 as well.)








1966:  Stephen Stills, Neil Young and Richie Furay formed Buffalo Springfield in Los Angeles, California.
1967:  Petula Clark performed before Princess Margaret at the Palladium in London.
1968:  For the third week, "Love Is Blue" was #1 on the Adult chart for Paul Mauriat.
1969:  Led Zeppelin recorded "Dazed And Confused", "Communication Breakdown", "I Can't Quit You Baby" and "You Shook Me" for the program Top Gear on BBC Radio at the Playhouse Theatre in London.  The show was broadcast March 23.  (Note:  some websites claim Led Zep recorded for the program in Staines, England, which is about 37 kilometers, or 23 miles, from London.  According to the book 'Led Zeppelin:  The 'Tight But Loose' Files' by Dave Lewis, as well as BBC Session notes, the show was recorded at the Playhouse Theatre in London.)






1969:  The 5th Dimension released the single "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"(Note:  some websites erroneously say the single was released March 8.  "Aquarius" debuted on the Singles chart on March 8.  It is physically impossible for a song to be released as a single by the record company, listened to and added to a radio station playlist, reported by the radio station to the trade papers, and printed and published by the trade papers, all in the same day.)











1973:  Roberta Flack cemented her status by winning Song and Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards for "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face".  It was the first Grammy show to be broadcast on CBS-TV after the first two shows aired on ABC.
1973:  Newcomer Edward Bear had the new #1 on the Adult chart with "Last Song".









            "Eldeberry Wine", one of the lead tracks on Elton's new album...

1973:  His career was just underway, but Elton John had his second #1 album, following up Honky Chateau with Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player.  Carly Simon was a solid #2 with No Secrets with previous #1 The World is a Ghetto by War falling to 3.  Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell had Dueling Banjos while Neil Diamond was captured on a Hot August Night.  The rest of the Top 10:  Rocky Mountain High from John Denver, the Soundtrack to "Lady Sings the Blues" from Diana Ross, the excellent Talking Book from Stevie Wonder at #8, More Hot Rocks (big hits & fazed cookies), the compilation from the Rolling Stones, and Stanley, Idaho's Carole King with Rhymes & Reasons at #10.
1973:  The O'Jays ruled the R&B chart for a third week with "Love Train".
1974:  Deep Purple kicked off an American tour at Cobo Hall in Detroit.  (Note:  you will see several websites that say that the tour began on February 10 at the Los Angeles Forum, but according to several reputable sources, the Forum show and the early planned tour dates were canceled or postponed.) 
1978:  Van Halen began their first full tour opening for Journey at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois.









1979:  The Bee Gees owned the top U.K. album with Spirits Having Flown.
1979:  "Tragedy" by the Bee Gees took over as the #1 song in the U.K.
1979:  Anne Murray continued to hold on to #1 on the newly renamed Adult Contemporary chart with "I Just Fall In Love Again".
1979:  Spirits Having Flown, the peak album for the hottest group in the world, the Bee Gees, reached #1 after only three weeks.  



 
The Pointers took this Bruce Springsteen song to the Top 5...

1979:  Rod Stewart remained at #1 for the fourth week with "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?"  "Fire" by the Pointer Sisters was the top challenger but Gloria Gaynor was moving into the mix with "I Will Survive".  The Bee Gees were up to #4 after only four weeks with "Tragedy" but Olivia Newton-John was on the way down with "A Little More Love".  The rest of the Top 10:  Donna Summer had her fifth Top 10, this time with Brooklyn Dreams on "Heaven Knows", Chic's #1 smash "Le Freak", the Village People scared young boys everywhere with "Y.M.C.A.", Nicolette Larson and "Lotta' Love" and the Doobie Brothers cruised from 23 to 10 with "What A Fool Believes".




1984:  Nena's "99 Red Balloons" paced the U.K. chart.
1984:  Rockwell with considerable help from Michael Jackson had the new R&B #1--"Somebody's Watching Me".
1984:  Billy Joel scored an AC #1 with "An Innocent Man".









1984:  It was a historic day in the Rock Era as Thriller by Michael Jackson did what no one said could be done--tie the record of 31 weeks at #1 on the Album chart set by Fleetwood Mac's Rumours









1986:  Metallica released the great album Master of Puppets.
1990:  Paul McCartney played in the first of six sold-out shows at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.









1990:  Janet Jackson had her eighth Top 10 in five years and "Escapade" took the final step to #1.  "Dangerous" from Roxette was second while Paula Abdul's previous #1 "Opposites Attract" was third.  Behind them, the B-52's and "Roam".  The rest of the Top 10:  "All or Nothing" from Milli Vanilli, Gloria Estefan with "Here We Are", Bad English and "Price Of Love" at #7, the Cover Girls with "We Can't Go Wrong", Alannah Myles entered the Top 10 with "Black Velvet" and Michel'le edged up with "No More Lies".
1990:  It had been four months, since their previous chart-topper but Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville had another #1 together on the Adult Contemporary chart with "All My Life".
1994:  Kurt Cobain of Nirvana fell into a coma in Italy after taking Valium with champagne.





Foo Fighters
1995:  The Foo Fighters performed live for the first time at the Satyricon in Portland, Oregon.
1995:  Bill Berry of R.E.M. had surgery in Switzerland to stop a brain hemorrhage.
1998:  Madonna released the album Ray of Light.
1998:  In today's episode of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, C-BO was arrested for violating his parole by using lyrics that encouraged violence against police officers.  Sure, let's not have law and order, a system that has worked for thousands of years, let's let the Inmates run the asylum.
2002:  Will Green rose to #1 in the U.K. with "Anything Is Possible/Evergreen".
2002:  Jennifer Lopez had the new #1 song with "Ain't It Funny".




2008:  Norman Smith, engineer for the Beatles from 1962-1965 who also signed Pink Floyd and produced their early albums and had a Top 5 hit in 1972 with "Oh Babe, What Would You Say", died of cancer in East Sussex, England at age 85.
2009:  To celebrate the release of U2's new album, No Line on the Horizon, Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York City temporarily renamed part of 53rd street in Midtown Manhattan as "U2 Way".
2009:  Peter York of the Monkees was diagnosed with neck and head cancer.  (Note:  websites report various dates for the announcement, but according to the 'Oral Cancer Foundation', York announced his cancer on March 3.)
2012:  Katy Perry's "Part Of Me" became the 20th song in the Rock Era to debut at #1, and was her seventh consecutive Top 5 single.





2012:  Adele became the first female artist in the Rock Era to place three singles in the Top 10 simultaneously.  She accomplished the feat today as "Rolling In The Deep", "Someone Like You" and "Set Fire To The Rain" all made the Top 10.  Adele also became the first female artist to place two singles in the Top 5 simultaneously ("Rolling In The Deep" and "Set Fire To The Rain") and the first female artist to have two albums (19 and 21) in the Top 5 of the Album chart.
2013:  Bobby Rogers, original member of the Miracles, died in Detroit, Michigan from complications of diabetes at the age of 73.


Born This Day:
1942:  Mike Pender (real name Michael Prendergast), founding member and lead singer of the Searchers, was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.
1944: Jance Garfat, bassist of Dr. Hook; died November 6, 2006 in a motorcycle accident in San Francisco, California.  (Note:  there is much conflicting information on Jance's birth, with some sites saying March 20, others March 28, and some April 28.  There are no credible sources for any of the dates, nor are there photos of his gravestone, but our best information is that he was born on March 3.)


1947:  Jennifer Warnes was born in Seattle, Washington.  (Note:  several websites claim Jennifer was born in Anaheim, California, but Jennifer says on her official website that she was born in Seattle and raised in Anaheim.)
1948:  Snowy White (real name Terence Charles White), guitarist for Thin Lizzy, Pink Floyd and Roger Walters, was born in Barnstaple, Devon, England.
1950:  Re Styles (real name Shirley MacLeod), vocalist of the Tubes ("She's A Beauty")
1953:  Robyn Hitchcock, singer-songwriter and guitarist, was born in Paddington, London.  (Note:  some websites state that Hitchcock was born in London.  Paddington is now an area in the city of Westminster in the county of London.  However, prior to 1965, it was a metropolitan borough, and thus when Hitchcock was born, Paddington was its own city, not an area.)
1954:  Chris Hughes, drummer of Adam and the Ants and now a producer (Tears for Fears, among others; he also co-wrote "Everybody Wants To Rule the World"), was born in London.
1966:  Tone-Loc ("Wild Thing") was born in Compton, California.  (Note:  some websites say he was born in Los Angeles, but according to 'Last.fm', he was born in Compton.)
1977:  Ronan Keating, singer-songwriter of Boyzone, was born in Swords, Dublin, Ireland.

Friday, March 2, 2012

The #70 Guitarist of the Rock Era: Tom Morello

The #70 Guitarist* is a great experimenter and has produced new sounds in showing what the guitar can do.  Tom Morello is up next:
#70:  Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave
active guitarist for 34 years
Thomas Baptiste "Tom" Morello was born May 30, 1964 in Harlem, New York.  His guitar work has been featured in the popular groups Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave.  He also plays acoustic guitar in solo performances and recently joined the Street Sweeper Social Club.

Tom went to Libertyville High School, where his mother was a United States history teacher (she taught Adam Jones of the band Tool).  Tom sang in the school choir and also was in the speech and drama club.  Morello graduated with honors in 1982 and enrolled at Harvard University in political science.    In 1986, Tom graduated from Harvard with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Studies.

At age 13, Morello joined his first band that did Led Zeppelin covers, becoming their lead singer.  He purchased his first guitar and in 1984, formed a band called the Electric Sheep which featured future Tool guitarist Adam Jones.  The band played original material that featured politically charged lyrics. 

Morello preferred hard rock and heavy metal, especially Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Alice Cooper Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden.  Later, punk bands such as the Clash, the Sex Pistols and Devo greatly influenced him.

He joined a band called Lock Up but after they broke up in 1991, Tom wanted to start a new group.  He liked Zack de la Rocha's freestyle rapping and recruited drummer Brad Wilk, who had unsuccessfully auditioned for a spot in Lock Up.  Bassist Tim Commerford came aboard and they took the name Rage Against the Machine.  
The group signed with Epic Records in 1992 and released their debut album that met with a good deal of success.  The group released three more studio albums in the 1990's.  On September 13, 2000 Rage Against the Machine performed their last concert at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.    

After disbanding, Morello, Commerford and Wilk formed Audioslave along with Chris Cornell, former singer with Soundgarden.  Audioslave released three albums that were well received on Modern Rock stations.  Their debut was released in 2002 and the album Out of Exile debuted at #1.  But due to conflicts, the group disbanded with Cornell going his own way and the rest of the members eventually resuming with de la Rocha under their previous name.

In 2007, Morello formed a duo called the Street Sweeper Social Club with Boots Riley of the Coup.  They opened for Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction in May of 2009.

In 2007, Rage Against the Machine reunited at the Coachella Music Festival and drew the largest crowds at the festival. The band played seven more concerts that year and also played several shows in 2008, including headlining the Reading and Leeds Festivals in Great Britain. They have continued to tour, headlining large festivals in Europe and the United States including L.A. Rising, a concert they helped organize.
Morello also plays acoustic folk music as a solo performer under the name The Nightwatchman.  He toured under that name supporting several political causes and opened for the Dave Matthews Band for a European tour in 2007.

Since November, 2007, Morello has taken up residency at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles.  

Last year, Morello organized and performed an acoustic concert in support of the protests that rose up after Wisconsin tried to ban collective bargaining rights.  He has played at many Occupy movements, including Occupy Wall Street as well as Occupy Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, B.C., and Occupy movements in Nottingham and Newcastle, England.

Morello uses many modified guitars, including the Mongrel Custom "Arm the Homeless", which he has used since 1991. It was custom made by Performance Guitar USA. He also uses a Fender Stratocaster "Soul Power, a black stock Fender Telecaster "Sendero Luminoso" and an Inbanez Artstar Hollowbody which contains several on-board effects.

Morello uses heavy metal/punk guitar riffs and hip hop-inspired sounds.  He features unconventional picking, feedback and prominent use of guitar effects.  To produce his alien guitar sounds, Tom uses various effects pedals, including a Dunlop Cry Baby, a DigiTech WH-1 Whammy, a Boss Dd-2 Digital Delay, a DOD EQ pedal and an Ibanez DFL Flanger.  Later, Morello added an MXR Phase 90 and a Boss Tr-2 Tremolo pedal.  He uses a 50-watt Marshall JCM 800 2205 amplifier in a Peavey 4 x 12 cabinet.
Morello has a great command of the guitar and is an innovator with special effects.  He has good speed and unlike many in his generation, understands the value of melody in his solos.  He ranks at #70 for the Rock Era*.

This Date in Rock Music History: March 2

1955:  Bo Diddley went into the recording studio for the first time at Universal Recording Studio in Chicago, Illinois, where he recorded "Bo Diddley".
1955:  Elvis Presley performed an early show at the Newport Armory before playing a 10 p.m. set at Porky's Rooftop Club in Newport, Arkansas.
1957:  Most Rock Era fans would not get to know this artist until her 1959 hit "Sweet Nothin's" but on this date, Brenda Lee first appeared on the chart with her debut single "One Step At A Time".
1957:  This artist would capture attention the following year with "Stagger Lee" but on this date, Lloyd Price first appeared on the chart with his debut single "Just Because".
1957:  "Blue Monday" by Fats Domino reigned on the R&B chart for an eighth week.
1959:  "Stagger Lee" continued to hold on to #1 on the R&B chart for a fourth week for Lloyd Price.
1959:  Lloyd Price remained a fixture at #1 for the fourth week on the Popular chart as well with "Stagger Lee".  "Venus" by Frankie Avalon was hot, moving from 28 to 7.
1961:  The Everly Brothers had the new #1 song in the U.K. with "Walk Right Back", a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets.
1963:  "Rhythm Of The Rain" by the Cascades was the new #1 on the Easy Listening chart.
1963:  "My Sweet Lord", um, I mean "He's So Fine" by the Chiffons, was a hot song, moving from #87 to #41.  

1963:  The 4 Seasons became the first group to have three straight #1 songs when "Walk Like A Man" hit the top.












1964:  The Beatles released "Twist And Shout" in the United States on Tollie Records.
1964:  The Beatles began working on their first movie, A Hard Day's Night, on the train from Paddington Station to Minehead, England and back.  Guitarist George Harrison met Pattie Boyd, a young actress in the film, they began dating shortly afterwards, and were married a year later.  (Note:  some websites claim the group began filming at the Marylebone train station.  The cast and crew gathered at Paddington Station, boarded the train, and shot train footage for the next four days and on March 9.  Some websites also state that the movie's opening scenes were shot on this date.  The correct date for the filming of the movie's open at the Marylebone Station is April 5, according to John C. Winn in the book 'Way Beyond Compare:  The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume One, 1957-1965.')










1967:  The Supremes recorded the innovative "Reflections".
1967:  Englebert Humberdinck had the #1 U.K. song with "Release Me".
1968:  For a third week, "I Wish It Would Rain" by the Temptations was #1 on the R&B chart.
1968:  "Love Is Blue" by Paul Mauriat made it three weeks at #1 on the Adult chart.







                                  The Fireballs hit the Top 10 again...

1968:  Four weeks had gone by, and nothing could top "Love Is Blue" by Paul Mauriat.    Dionne Warwick gave it her best shot but would have to settle for second with "(Theme From) 'Valley Of The Dolls'".  The late Otis Redding was up to 3 with "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay".  The rest of the Top 10:  the Temptations still said "I Wish It Would Rain", the 1910 Fruitgum Company was in it for fun with "Simon Says", the Classics IV were next with "Spooky", the First Edition "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)", which moved from 21-7, Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart stood still with "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight", the Fireballs (remember "Sugar Shack") reappeared for the first time in five years with the very different-sounding "Bottle Of Wine" and the Association continued as one of the decade's biggest acts with "Everything That Touches You".






1974:  Stevie Wonder's music had really developed and the Grammys awarded him with four trophies--Album of the Year for the solid Innervisions, Best Male Vocal Performance for "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" and Best R&B Song and Best R&B vocal for "Superstition".








The dynamite title track from Joni's album...

1974:  Planet Waves by Bob Dylan & the Band remained #1 on the Album chart for the third week.  Court and Spark by Joni Mitchell, however, was a better album at #2.  John Denver's Greatest Hits was third followed by Carly Simon's Hotcakes.  Love Unlimited was riding high with Under the Influence of while Jim Croce was being remembered with You Don't Mess Around with Jim.  The rest of the Top 10:  Tales from Topographic Oceans from Yes, Elton John was at #8 with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Paul McCartney & Wings were next with Band on the Run and Charlie Rich closed out the list with Behind Closed Doors.
1974:  Diana Ross ruled the Adult chart for a third week with "Last Time I Saw Him".






1974:  Terry Jacks moved to #1 with "Seasons In The Sun".  Barbra Streisand had one of The Top Songs of 1974* with "The Way We Were" while Jim Stafford provided comic relief with "Spiders & Snakes".  Eddie Kendricks was up to #4 with "Boogie Down".  The rest of the Top 10:  Kool and the Gang's "Jungle Boogie", David Essex was up with "Rock On", Aretha Franklin's excellent "Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna' Do)", Love Unlimited Orchestra's former #1 "Love's Theme", Cher moved from 16 to 9 with her tale of "Dark Lady" and the O'Jays edged in with "Put Your Hands Together".
1977:  The Barry Manilow Special aired on ABC-TV.
1978:  A new group appeared on the Irish television show Youngline, broadcast on RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann).  They were then known as the Hype, today as U2.  (Note:  some websites incorrectly list the date of the group's first television appearance as May 2 or May 26.  The correct date is March 2, according to the official website for the RTE.)








1981:  Styx released the single "Too Much Time On My Hands".














1981:  Frankie & the Knockouts released the single "Sweetheart".









1981:  Michael Jackson appeared on the Diana Ross television special Diana on CBS.
1983:  We had seen 78 rpm records, 45's and LP's.  On this date, a new product, a five-inch "compact disc" which contained up to one hour of music was debuted by Sony, Phillips and Polygram.
1984:  Mick Jagger and wife Jerry Hall celebrated the birth of daughter Elizabeth Scarlett Jagger.
1985:  Phil Collins had the top U.K. album with No Jacket Required, which would remain on top for five weeks.








1985:  Diana Ross had the top R&B song for a third week with her touching tribute to the late Marvin Gaye, "Missing You".
1985:  Make It Big by Wham!  was #1 on the Album chart in the U.S., taking over for Madonna's Like a Virgin.  Born in the U.S.A. was still third after 37 weeks with John Fogerty's Centerfield behind.  
1985:  Wham!  had #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Careless Whisper", its fourth week at the top.












1985:  "Careless Whisper" by Wham!  was well on its way to becoming one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, remaining at #1 for a third week.  Fans were glad to see John Fogerty back and his solo hit "The Old Man Down The Road" moved to #10.
1991:  "All the Man That I Need" gave Whitney Houston the new #1 on the R&B chart.
1991:  Madonna became the highest-debuting female artist of the Rock Era when "Rescue Me" debuted at #15.









                                   We were thankful that Gloria was OK...

1991:  Whitney Houston had #1 for the second week with "All The Man That I Need".  Mariah Carey was bidding for her third straight #1 to open her career with "Someday".  Timmy T remained third with "One More Try" and Celine Dion's first hit "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" was behind Timmy.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Gonna' Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" from C&C Music Factory, Chris Isaak crept up with "Wicked Game", Styx had their eighth and final Top 10--"Show Me The Way", Sting moved in with "All This Time", L.L. Cool J had song #9 with "Around The Way Girl" and Gloria Estefan's comeback from tragedy--"Coming Out Of The Dark", moved from 17 to 10.
1991:  Whitney Houston remained at #1 on the AC chart for a third week with "All The Man That I Need".





1991:  Mariah Carey had sat behind albums like M.C. Hammer's Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em and To the Extreme by Vanilla Ice.  It was time for quality to come to the top and Mariah outlasted the flavors of the month with her debut album which reached #1 on this date, 36 weeks after release.  









1996:  Newcomer Jann Arden had one of the hot songs out as "Insensitive" moved from #87 to #74.











1996:  Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men tied the Rock Era record for weeks at #1 with 14 for the song "One Sweet Day".  That tied Boyz II Men's "I'll Make Love To You" and "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston.  












1999:  We lost the great Dusty Springfield to cancer at age 59.  She died in Henley-on-Thames, England.
2003:  Hank Ballard, who wrote and recorded "The Twist" but only included it on the "B side" of a 45, died from throat cancer in Los Angeles at age 75.
2003:  Norah Jones' appeal was universal, as Come Away with Me topped the U.K. Album chart.









2003:  Christina Aguilera had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Beautiful", a far better choice than America made that week. 
2003:  50 Cent had the #1 song with "In Da Club".
2004:  Metallica began a 137-day tour of North America with a show at the America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.
2007:  Kelis was arrested in Miami Beach, Florida and charged with two misdemeanors for disorderly conduct and another for resisting arrest.  Kelis began screaming racial obscenities at two female police officers who were working undercover as prostitutes. 





2008:  Jeff Healey ("Angel Eyes"), who had lost his sight to retinoblastoma, a rare cancer of the eyes that required his eyes being surgically removed when he was eight months old, died at age 42 of the spreading of the cancer in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  Healey had been able to live cancer-free for 38 years until he developed sarcoma in his legs that spread to his lungs. 
2008:  Amy Winehouse placed at #1 in the U.K. with her album Back to Black.









2009:  Liverpool Hope University in England began a Masters program on the Beatles, popular music and society.
2011:  James Taylor and Quincy Jones were honored with National Medal of Arts Awards from U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, D.C.

Born This Day:
1938:  Lawrence Payton, songwriter and tenor of the Four Tops and later a producer, was born in Detroit, Michigan; died June 20, 1997 of liver cancer in Southfield, Michigan.

1942:  Lou Reed, songwriter, lead singer and lead guitarist of Velvet Underground and a solo performer ("Take A Walk On The Wild Side", was born in Brooklyn, New York; died October 27, 2013 in Southampton, New York of an illness related to a liver transplant.
1943:  Tony Meehan, drummer of the Shadows (29 Top 40 songs in the U.K.) , was born in Hampstead, North London; died November 28, 2005 in Paddington (now part of Westminster), London from head injuries resulting from a fall.  (Note:  'Allmusic.com' claims Meehan was born in 1942, but more credible sources such as the English newspapers 'The Guardian' and 'The Independent' state that Tony was born in 1943.)








1948:  Rory Gallagher, elite guitarist with the group Taste and a solo performer, was born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland; died June 14, 1995 in London from complications of a liver transplant that led to a staph infection.  









 1948:  Larry Carlton, jazz guitarist of the Crusaders, demanded session musician, and solo artist, was born in Torrance, California.









1950:  Karen Carpenter, the once-in-a-lifetime singer and drummer with the Carpenters, was born in New Haven, Connecticut; died February 4, 1983 from anorexia nervosa at her parent's home in Downey, California.
1955:  Jay Osmond of the Osmonds was born in Ogden, Utah.
1956:  Mark Evans, bassist of AC/DC from 1975-1977, was born in Melbourne, Australia.
1956:  John Cowsill, singer and drummer of the Cowsills ("Hair"), was born in Newport, Rhode Island.








1962:  Jon Bon Jovi, founder and lead singer of the group Bon Jovi and a solo performer, was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.  (Note:  some websites say Jon was born in Sayreville.  Although no credible sources exist for either place, our best research indicates he was born in Perth Amboy, then lived in Sayreville.)











1977:  Chris Martin, songwriter, pianist, guitarist and vocalist of the acclaimed group Coldplay, was born in Exeter, Devon, England.