Saturday, June 16, 2012

This Date in Rock Music History: June 17

1933:  A man by the name of Vernon Presley married a woman by the name of Gladys Smith in Ponotoc, Mississippi.  They would give berth to a son, Elvis, a year-and-a-half later.
1954:  Danny Cedrone, guitarist who can be heard on the famous song "Rock Around The Clock", died 10 days after recording the record after falling down a staircase.  (Note:  some websites insist Danny died on July 17, 1954.  The correct date of death is June 17, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and the book 'Legends of Rock Guitar:  The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists' by Pete Prown and Harvey P. Newquist.)

 


1955:  The stars were aligned as Eddie Fisher married Debbie Reynolds ("Tammy").  The couple would give berth to Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia of "Star Wars" fame).
1955:  Colonel Tom Parker took over as Elvis Presley's manager.
1964:  The Elvis Presley movie Viva Las Vegas opened nationally in theaters.








1965:  The Beatles completed work on the tracks "Yesterday" and "Act Naturally" at EMI Studios in London.
1965:  The Kinks and Moody Blues arrived in New York City to start their first American tour at the Academy of Music.
1965:  Elvis had the #1 song in the U.K.--"Crying In The Chapel".








1966:  The Hollies released the single "Bus Stop".
1966:  Paul McCartney bought the High Park Farm in Kintyre, Scotland.  He would later write the Wings song "Mull Of Kintyre".
1966:  Peter Green became the guitarist of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.
1967:  Barbra Steisand performed in front of 135,000 people at New York City's Central Park.








                  "Born Free" helped Andy Williams score a Top 10 album...

1967:  Sounds Like was the new #1 album for Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass with Revenge from Bill Cosby moving to 2.  I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You by Aretha Franklin fell to 3 and the former #1 album More of the Monkees was at 4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Born Free from Andy Williams was at #5, the Monkees moved from 197 to 6(!) with Headquarters, the Mamas & Papas Deliver was #7, Surrealistic Pillow came in eighth for Jefferson Airplane, Paul Revere & the Raiders from Boise, Idaho had the #9 album--Greatest Hits, and Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits barely made the Top 10.
1967:  The 4 Seasons had the highest-climbing song as "C'mon Marianne" moved from 66 to 33.






1967:  "Groovin'" by the Young Rascals entered the #1 position in its ninth week on the chart, taking over from Aretha Franklin's "Respect".  The Turtles were moving with "She'd Rather Be With Me" but Engelbert Humperdinck was standing still with "Release Me" at #4.  Jefferson Airplane's great song "Somebody To Love" came in fifth.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Little Bit O' Soul" from the Music Explosion, the Association shot up from 12 to 7 with "Windy", the Temptations had "All I Need" at 8, the Happenings fell to 9 with "I Got Rhythm" and Tommy James & the Shondells scored another Top 10 with "Mirage".








1968 - Mason Williams released the instrumental single "Classical Gas". 
1972:  Ron "Pigpen" McKernan played on the organ for the final time with the Grateful Dead at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
1972:  Don McLean climbed to #1 in the U.K. with "Vincent".
1972:  The Rolling Stones moved form 10 to 1 to take over the top spot on the Album chart with Exile on Main Street.








1972:  Neil Diamond remained at #1 for the third week on the Easy Listening chart with "Song Sung Blue".
1977:  Steve Winwood released his first solo album, Steve Winwood, three years after he left the group Traffic.
1977:  Crosby, Stills & Nash were back to a trio--they mounted a comeback this time without Neil Young--with the album CSN, which they released on this date.
1977:  The highly popular Midnight Special on television featured host Neil Sedaka with guests Fleetwood Mac, Kenny Rogers and Van Morrison.








1978:  One of the great rock groups of the '70s and '80s first appeared on the charts as their single "Just What I Needed" debuted.  It was the first of many hits for the group from Boston, Massachusetts--the Cars.
1978:  "Bluer Than Blue" by Michael Johnson took over at #1 on the AC chart.
1978:  "You're The One That I Want" by Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta began nine weeks at #1 on the U.K. chart.









             
                                          The title track from 'City to City'...

1978:  Interesting that two of the top-selling albums of all time were out at the exact same time.  The Soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever" took over from Rumours by Fleetwood Mac and that soundtrack remained at #1 for the 22nd consecutive week.  Feels So Good by Chuck Mangione wasn't even close to the top even though it was #2, London Town from Wings was #3 and Showdown by the Isley Brothers came in fourth.  The rest of the Top 10:  Earth from Jefferson Starship, Gerry Rafferty moved from 14-6 with City to City, the Soundtrack to "FM" was 7, So Full of Love from the O'Jays entered the Top 10, Johnny Mathis had #9--You Light Up My Life and the Commodores had #10 with Natural High.







1978:  Andy Gibb reached the pinnacle with "Shadow Dancing", becoming the first solo artist in history to reach #1 with his first three releases.  It would remain as the #1 song for eight weeks.  "You're The One That I Want" from Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta was second with Gerry Rafferty at 3 with "Baker Street".  Bonnie Tyler climbed to 4 with "It's A Heartache" and "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" from Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams fell to #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  ABBA had another smash with "Take A Chance On Me", Chuck Mangione was on his way down with "Feels So Good", George Benson had #8--"On Broadway", Carly Simon climbed from 16 to 9 with "You Belong To Me" and Sweet enjoyed their fourth Top 10 hit with "Love Is Like Oxygen".
1980:  Van Halen began a tour of the U.K. at the Newcastle City Hall.
1983:  "Every Breath You Take" by the Police held down #1 in the U.K.
1984:  Bob Dylan granted his first television interview in 19 years, agreeing to talk to Antoine de Caunes in Nice, France.
1985:  Bob Dylan was heard on the radio show "Rockline" in which he shocked people by actually taking calls from regular people.

1989:  Ringo Starr announced the newest All-Starr band with Joe Walsh, Billy Preston, Dr. John, Clarence Clemons, Rick Danko, Levon Helm and Nils Lofgren.
1989:  New Kids on the Block moved to #1 with "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)".
1989:  Def Leppard's album Hysteria tied Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen with its 96th consecutive week in the Top 40 of the Album chart.
1995:  Rod Stewart broke an attendance record at Wembley Stadium in London when he played before 90,000 fans.  (Note:  some websites claim the event occurred on July 17, but it was June 17, as reported by 'Billboard' magazine.)
1995:  TLC had a smash hit with "Waterfalls", the Biggest Mover of the week, moving from 39 to 12.







                           Blessid Union of Souls scored a Top 10 hit...


1995:  Bryan Adams owned the #1 song for the third week with "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?".  Michael & Janet Jackson debuted at #5 with "Scream/Childhood".  The rest of the Top 10:  "This Is How We Do It" from Montell Jordan, "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By" from Method Man & Mary J. Blige, Adina Howard had #8 with "Freak Like Me', Blessid Union of Souls was at #9 with "I Believe" and Hootie & the Blowfish remained at 10 with "Let Her Cry".
1997:  Megadeth released the album Cryptic Writings on Capitol Records.
1997:  Blink-182 released the album Dude Ranch.
1998:  In today's "Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music" segment, rapper DMX was arrested for rape, sodomy and unlawful imprisonment.  (Note:  some websites falsely say the arrest was on June 10.  The arrest took place on June 17, according to 'MTV'.)
2000:  In today's version of "Inmates R Rap Music", Nate Dogg, who appeared on the Warren G "song" "Regulate", was arrested for setting the car of his ex-girlfriend's mom on fire and kidnapping the ex-girlfriend.  After the animal Dogg was cornered in Pomona, California, he was arrested with bond set at 1 million dollars.
2003:  After playing a Las Vegas concert at the MGM Grand Arena (a bill shared by Christina Aguilera), Justin Timberlake continued the show at a tiny club, joined by former 'N Sync members Lance Bass and Joey Fatone.  (Note:  several websites insist the event happened on June 17.  On June 17, Timberlake was a long way from Vegas--he played the second of three nights at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and did not arrive in Las Vegas until June 21, according to the newspaper 'The Las Vegas Sun'.)
2004:  Madonna announced on the television show 20/20 that she was changing her name to Esther.  That doesn't change the things she's done.  You can run but you can't hide.

2005:  Karl Mueller, founder and bass guitarist of Soul Asylum, died of complications from throat cancer at the age of 41 at his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
2006:  Trouble continued for the Rolling Stones as Ron Wood entered a rehabilitation center for alcohol.  But Wood was helpless as he went on a drinking binge with a 19-year-old Russian waitress in Ireland less than a month later. 
2007:  The Traveling Wilburys had the top U.K. album with Collection
2008:  George Michael began his North American tour at the San Diego Sports Arena in California.


Born This Day:
1916:  Terry Gilkyson ("Marianne" from 1957) was born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania; died October 15, 1999 in Austin, Texas while visiting family.
1930:  Cliff Gallup, original lead guitarist for Gene Vincent; died of a heart attack October 9, 1988 in Norfolk, Virginia.
1942:  Norman Kuhlke, drummer of the Swinging Blue Jeans, was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.
1944: Chris Spedding, whose guitar work is featured in music by Elton John, Nilsson and Tom Waits, was born in Staveley, Derbyshire, England.  (Note:  some websites claim Spedding was born in Sheffield, England.  He was born in Staveley, Derbyshire, England but was raised in Sheffield by his adopted parents, according to his official website.)
1946: B.J. Cole, who played steel guitar for Elton John, Garth Brooks and Nazareth, among others, was born in Enfield, Middlesex, England.  (Note:  some websites report Cole was born in London.  According to the newspaper 'The Independent', Cole is from Enfield.  Enfield became part of the county of London in 1965, but that was 19 years after his birth, and you will never see London entered as his county of birth on his official birth certificate.)

1946: Barry Manilow was born in Brooklyn, New York.








 


1947:  Gregg Rolie, keyboardist of Santana and Journey, was born in Seattle, Washington.
1947:  Paul Young, singer with the Sad Cafe and Mike & the Mechanics and a solo artist, was born in Benchill, Wythenshawe, Manchester, England; died of a heart attack July 16, 2000 at his home in Trafford, Manchester, England.  (Note:  some websites claim Young died on July 15.  'MTV' reports that he was born in Manchester and died in Cheshire, England.  Some websites report he was born in Benchill, Wythenshawe, England, and some websites report he died in Hale, Altrincham, England.  Benchill is a district within the city of Wythenshawe.  According to the website 'The Manchester Beat', Paul was born in Wythenshawe.  Hale is a village within the borough of Trafford while Altrincham is a market town in the borough of Trafford in the county of Manchester.  Trafford was historically in the county of Cheshire but as of April of 1974, it became part of the county of Manchester.  According to the newspaper 'The Guardian' and 'MTV', he died on July 16.)
1969:  Kevin Thornton of Color Me Badd

Songs on the Album Yesterday And Today by the Beatles

(All songs by Lennon & McCartney unless otherwise noted...)

Side One
1.  "Drive My Car"--2:30
2.  "I'm Only Sleeping"--3:01
3.  "Nowhere Man"--2:45
4.  "Doctor Robert"--2:15
5.  "Yesterday"--2:08
6.  "Act Naturally" (Morrison-Russell)--2:33


Side Two
1.  "And Your Bird Can Sing"--2:01
2.  "If I Needed Someone" (George Harrison)--2:24
3.  "We Can Work It Out"--2:15
4.  "What Goes On" (Lennon-McCartney-Richard Starkey)--2:51
5.  "Day Tripper"--2:50

Discography: Barry Manilow

Manilow's albums are not just singles with filler--some might think that and they would be wrong.  There are a lot of solid songs on his albums, as his chart record would attest.  His eight album releases from 1974-1982 made the Top 10 either in the United States or the U.K.  And his best one, 1984's 2:00 AM Paradise Cafe, did not.  If you are a Manilow fan and you don't have 2:00 AM Paradise Cafe, I regret to say that the boat has left and you missed it.  Here is his complete Discography:  


1973:  Barry Manilow (#28)
1974:  Barry Manilow II (#9)
Barry Manilow Trying to Get the Feeling Album Cover
1975:  Trying to Get the Feeling (#5)



1976:  This One's for You (#6)



1978:  Even Now (#3, #12 U.K.)
1979:  One Voice (#9, #18 U.K.)
1980:  Barry (#15, #5 U.K.)
1981:  If I Should Love Again (#14, #5 U.K.)
1982:  Here Comes the Night (#32, #7 U.K.)
Barry Manilow 2:00 Am Paradise Cafe Album Cover
1984:  2:00 AM Paradise Cafe (#28, #40 U.K.)--vastly underrated.
1985:  Manilow (#42, #40 U.K.)
1987:  Swing Street (#70)
1989:  Barry Manilow (#64)
1990:  Because It's Christmas (#40)
1991:  Showstoppers (#68, #53 U.K.)
1994:  Singin' with the Big Bands (#59, #54 U.K.)
1996:  Summer of '78 (#82, #66 U.K.)
1998:  Manilow Sings Sinatra (#122, #72 U.K.)
2001:  Here at the Mayflower (#90, #18 U.K.)
2002:  A Christmas Gift of Love (#55)
2004:  Scores (#47)

2006:  The Greatest Songs of the Fifties (#1, #12 U.K.)



           The Greatest Songs of the Sixties (#2, #56 U.K.)



2007:  The Greatest Songs of the Seventies (#4, #27 U.K.)
           In the Swing of Christmas (#127)
2008:  The Greatest Songs of the Eighties (#14, #22 U.K.)



2010:  The Greatest Love Songs of All-Time (#5, #26 U.K.)
2011:  15 Minutes (#7, #20 U.K.)


Live Albums:
1977:  Barry Manilow Live (#1)
1982:  Barry Live in Britain (#1 U.K.)
1990:  Live on Broadway (#196, #19 U.K.)
2004:  2 Nights Live! (#27)
2011:  Live in London (#24)
           Live at Paris Las Vegas


Compilations:
1978:  Greatest Hits (#7, #3 U.K.)
1983:  Greatest Hits Vol. II (#30, #10 U.K.)
1985:  The Manilow Collection/20 Classic Hits (#100)
1989:  Greatest Hits Volume I
           Greatest Hits Volume II
1990:  The Songs 1975-1990 (#13 U.K.)
1992:  The Complete Collection and Then Some... (#182)
1994:  Greatest Hits:  The Platinum Collection (#37 U.K.)--doesn't have "Weekend In New England"...

2002:  Ultimate Manilow (#3, #8 U.K.)--probably the best of the compilations, although it is still missing a lot of great Manilow songs.
2005:  The Essential Barry Manilow
           The Very Best of Barry Manilow
2008:  Beautiful Ballads & Love Songs
2010:  The Essential Barry Manilow:  Limited Edition 3.0
           Playlist:  The Very Best of Barry Manilow

Hits List: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Many music insiders believed in the 70's that this act was the next superstar.  It probably took Petty & the Heartbreakers a bit longer to achieve that status than the insiders thought, but he definitely got there, and has put out decades of great music.  Here is the complete Hits List for the group:

1977:  "Breakdown" (#40, #40 Canada)
          "Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll" (#36 U.K.)
          "American Girl" (#40 U.K.)
1978:  "I Need to Know" (#41, #46 Canada)
           "Listen to Her Heart" (#59, #66 Canada)
 Damn the Torpedoes Album Cover
1979:  "Don't Do Me Like That" (#10, #3 Canada, #17 New Zealand)
1980:  "Refugee" (#15, #2 Canada, #3 New Zealand)--underrated.
           "Here Comes My Girl" (#59, #82 Canada, #41 New Zealand)--highly underrated.
1981:  "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" (with Stevie Nicks" (#3, #2 Rock, #5 U.K.)
           "The Waiting" (#19, #1 Rock, #6 Canada, #27 New Zealand)
           "A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)" (#79, #5 Rock)
           "Nightwatchman" (#21 Rock)
1982:  "You Got Lucky" (#20, #1 Rock, #30 Canada)
           "Straight into Darkness"
1983:  "Change of Heart" (#21, #10 Rock, #36 Canada)
           "We Stand a Chance" (#37 Rock)
           "A One Story Town" (#15 Rock)
           "Between Two Worlds" (#35 Rock)
           "I Will Run to You" (with Stevie Nicks) (#35 Rock)

1985:  "Don't Come Around Here No More" (#13, #2 Rock, #50 U.K., #20 Canada, #42 New Zealand)
           "Make It Better (Forget About Me)" (#54, #12 Rock, #73 Canada)
           "Rebels" (#74, #5 Rock)
           "Needles and Pins" (with Stevie Nicks) (#37, #17 Rock, #85 Canada)
1986:  "Refugee" (live)
           "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" (#9 Rock)
           "Band of the Hand" (with Bob Dylan--#28 Rock)
1987:  "Jammin' Me" (#18, #1 Rock, #41 Canada, #38 New Zealand)
           "All Mixed Up" (#19 Rock)
           "Runaway Trains" (#6 Rock)
           "Think About Me" (#36 Rock)
           "Mind Your Own Business" (Tom Petty with Hank Williams, Jr., Reba McEntire, Reverend Ike and Willie Nelson)

1989:  "I Won't Back Down" (#12, #1 Rock, #28 U.K., #5 Canada, #49 New Zealand)
           "Runnin' Down a Dream" (#23, #1 Rock, #55 U.K., #23 Canada)--highly underrated.
           "Free Fallin'" (#7, #1 Rock, #59 U.K., #5 Canada, #4 New Zealand)
           "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" (#18 Rock)
           "Love Is a Long Road" (#7 Rock)
1990:  "A Face in the Crowd" (#46, #5 Rock, #93 U.K., #20 Canada)

1991:  "Learning to Fly" (#28, #1 Rock, #46 U.K., #5 Canada, #28 New Zealand)
           "Into the Great Wide Open" (#92, #4 Rock, #23 Canada)
           "Out in the Cold" (#1 Rock)--highly underrated.
   1992:  "Makin' Some Noise" (#30 Rock, #75 Canada)
           "Too Good to Be True" (#34 U.K.)
           "King's Highway" (#4 Rock, #31 Canada)
           "All or Nothin'"
           "Peace in L.A."
1993:  "Mary Jane's Last Dance" (#14, #1 Rock, #52 U.K., #5 Canada)
1994:  "Something in the Air" (#19 Rock, #53 U.K., #26 Canada)
           "American Girl" (re-released)
           "You Don't Know How It Feels" (#13, #1 Rock, #3 Canada)
1995:  "You Wreck Me" (#2 Rock, #8 Canada)
           "It's Good to Be King" (#68, #6 Rock, #8 Canada)
           "A Higher Place" (#12 Rock, #5 Canada)
           "Cabin Down Below" (#29 Rock)
           "Waiting for Tonight" (#6 Rock, #10 Canada)
1996:  "Walls" (#69, #6 Rock, #2 Canada)
           "Climb That Hill" (#6 Rock)
1997:  "Change the Locks" (#20 Rock)
1999:  "Free Girl Now" (#5 Rock, #9 Canada)              
           "Room at the Top" (#19 Rock)
           "Swingin'" (#17 Rock)
           "This One's for Me"
           "Accused of Love"
2002:  "The Last DJ" (#22 Rock)
           "Have Love Will Travel"
           "You and Me"
2006:  "Saving Grace" (#100, #26 Rock)
           "Flirting with Time"
           "Big Weekend"

2010:  "Good Enough"
           "I Should Have Known It" (#40 Rock)
           "First Flash of Freedom"
           "Don't Pull Me Over"


That's 27 hits for Petty, with three going Top 10 overall.  On the more segmented Rock chart, the group has enjoyed 31 hits, with 21 of those going Top 10 and 8 #1's.

The 1967 Monterey Pop Festival--Day One

It was 45 years ago, and one of the most famous events of the Rock Era, the Monterey Pop Festival, commenced in that wonderful city on the bay.  Inside the Rock Era salutes the 1967 Monterey Festival, where you could hear these songs on that date:


The Association:


"Along Comes Mary"





"Windy"





The Paupers:


 

"Magic People"



Lou Rawls:


"Love Is A Hurtin' Thing"





Johnny Rivers:



"Help Me, Rhonda"





Animals:



"San Franciscan Nights"





"Gin House Blues"





"Paint It, Black"





Simon & Garfunkel:


"Homeward Bound"





"At the Zoo"





"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)"




"For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her"





"Benedictus"





"The Sound of Silence"





"Punky's Dilemma"

Friday, June 15, 2012

This Date in Rock Music History: June 16


1956:  The world was introduced to a guy on this date that would become a superstar.  Roy Orbison humbly debuted on the chart with "Ooby Dooby".
1958:  This famous R&B group originally known as the Roosters would go on to register 39 hits, but on this date, they first appeared on the charts with "For Your Precious Love", the first single for Jerry Butler & the Impressions.
1959:  Russ Conway had the top U.K. hit with "Roulette".
1961:  Gary "U.S." Bonds appeared on American Bandstand.
1962:  "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles was #1 on the R&B chart for the fourth week in a row.
1965:  Bob Dylan recorded "Like A Rolling Stone."   (Note:  some websites report that Dylan recorded the song on June 14 and others say it was on June 15.  According to 'Rolling Stone' magazine, Bob recorded it on June 16.)
1965:  Petula Clark and Gary Lewis & the Playboys appeared on the television show Shindig!

1966:  John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, which at the time featured Eric Clapton on guitar, performed at the Marquee Club in London.
1966:  The Beatles made an appearance on the U.K. television show Top of the Pops, performing "Paperback Writer" and "Rain".
1966:  Cliff Richard appeared on stage with the Reverend Billy Graham at Earls Court in London and talked about his discovery of the Christian faith.
1967:  Pink Floyd released the single "See Emily Play".  Not too many people did.

1967:  The famous three-day Monterey Pop Festival was the place to be on this date at the Monterey, California Fairgrounds.  Simon and Garfunkel, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin became international superstars as a result of the Monterey Pop Festival.  Simon and Garfunkel, the Association, Johnny Rivers and Eric Burdon performed on opening night.
1968:  Santana, Steve Miller and Janis Joplin performed at the Fillmore West in San Francisco with proceeds going towards keeping the Matrix Club in San Francisco open.




1969:  A famous day in music, for this is the day that Zager & Evans released "In The Year 2525".  And we inexplicably race to prove them right.
1970:  Woodstock Ventures, sponsors of the famous concert and gathering in 1969, announced that they had lost more than $1.2 million on the festival.






1970:  "In The Summertime" by Mungo Jerry ruled the U.K. chart.
1973:  The Spinners owned the top R&B song for the second week with "One Of A Kind (Love Affair)".
1973: The Carpenters had the Biggest Mover (69-38) on the Popular chart with "Yesterday Once More".







1973:  Paul McCartney & Wings spent a third week at #1 with "My Love".  Clint Holmes moved to 2 with "Playground In My Mind" and Sylvia remained at #3 with "Pillow Talk".  Barry White was at 4 with "I'm Gonna' Love You Just A Little More Baby", while "Daniel" was down to 5 for Elton John and "Frankenstein" slipped to 6 for the Edgar Winter Group.  The rest of the Top 10:  Billy Preston moved from 14-7 with "Will It Go 'Round In Circles", George Harrison posted his third Top 10 solo hit with "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)", Paul Simon jumped from 17 to 9 with "Kodachrome" and the former #1 from Dawn--"Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round The Ole Oak Tree" was at #10.








1975:  James Taylor released the single "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)".
1975:  Don Robey, whose Peacock Records was the home of Little Richard and Bobby Bland, among others, died of a heart attack in Houston, Texas at the age of 71.
1975:  John Lennon sued Attorneys General John Mitchell and Richard Kleindienst of the United States government, charging that he was being denied immigration through selective prosecution and that Mitchell and Kleindienst had harassed him in deportation proceedings.
1976:  The first episode of the television show The Jacksons aired on CBS.  The show lasted four months.
1977:  The play Beatlemania opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway in New York City.
1977:  Kenny Rogers rose to #1 in the U.K. with "Lucille".

1978:  Mac Davis hosted The Midnight Special with guests Todd Rundgren and Andrew Gold.
1978:  The movie Grease (adapted from the famous Broadway play) premiered in New York City.
1979:  ELO topped the U.K. album chart with Discovery.







1979:  Donna Summer had the hottest song around with "Hot Stuff".  Sister Sledge and "We Are Family" reached #2 with "Ring My Bell" from Anita Ward third.  Randy Vanwarmer was heating up with "Just You When I Needed You Most".  The Bee Gees' sixth consecutive #1, "Love You Inside Out", slipped to 5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Supertramp's "The Logical Song", Rickie Lee Jones was at position #7 with "Chuck E.'s In Love", Kenny Rogers moved from 10 to 8 with "She Believes In Me", former #1 "Reunited" from Peaches & Herb, and Earth, Wind & Fire with the Emotions jumped from 18-10 with "Boogie Wonderland".
1980:  The movie The Blues Brothers opened in Chicago.  The film starred John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as the Blues Brothers and also included Aretha Franklin, James Brown and Ray Charles.
1982:  Donny Van Zant of .38 Special was arrested on stage during a concert in Tulsa, Oklahoma for public drinking.
1982:  James Honeyman Scott, the great guitarist of the Pretenders, died of drugs in London at the age of 25.
1984:  "Let's Hear It For The Boy" made it three weeks atop the R&B chart for Deniece Williams.

1984:  Cyndi Lauper held on to #1 with "Time After Time".
1987:  The Ben & Jerry ice cream company was given permission to sell a flavor called Cherry Garcia, after longtime Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia.
1988:  Pink Floyd played a concert in West Berlin, Germany.  More than 2,000 East Berliners lined up at the wall to listen.
1989:  The Glastonbury Festival took place in the U.K. with Suzanne Vega among the opening day performers.




1989:  Smokey Robinson introduced a new woman's fragrance on the market called Smoke.
1990:  The great movie Pretty Woman was out, and from the film, Roxette moved to #1 with "It Must Have Been Love".
1993:  The United States Postal Service unveiled a new set of stamps featuring Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Bill Haley, Otis Redding, Ritchie Valens, Clyde McPhatter and Dinah Washington.
1994:  Kristen Ptaff, bassist of Hole, died of heroin at age 26 in Seattle, Washington. 
1996:  Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Smashing Pumpkins, Beck, Rage Against the Machine, Sonic Youth and the Fugees performed at the Tibetan Freedom Concert at Golden Gate Park.  Over 100,000 fans attended.
1996:  Metallica had the top album with Load.
1997:  Radiohead released the album OK Computer in the U.K.  The album was released July 1 in the U.S.
1999:  Cher debuted her "Believe Tour" at America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.

1999:  Phil Collins was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2004:  Ben Shabalala, a former member of the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo that was featured on Paul Simon's landmark Graceland album was shot to death in Durban, South Africa.
2004:  Velvet Revolver owned the #1 album with Contraband.
2005:  "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey was the #1 song for a fourth week.
2007:  Rod Stewart married Penny Lancaster in Portofino, Italy.
2008:  Coldplay began a world tour at the Carling Brixton Academy in London.


Born This Day:

1941:  Lamont Dozier of the famous Motown songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holland, was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1942:  Eddie Levert of the O'Jays (and father of Gerald Levert) was born in Bessemer, Alabama.  (Note:  some websites insist Eddie was born in Canton, Ohio.  According to Eddie on his official website, he was born in Bessemer, then moved with his family to Canton when Levert was six years old.)
1946:  Iain Matthews of Fairport Convention and Matthews Southern Comfort and a solo performer (who went by Ian Matthews on the 1978 solo hit "Shake It") was born in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England.
1949:  Peppy Castro of Blues Magoos and Balance ("Breaking Away") was born in Manhattan, New York.  (Note:  some websites lazily say Castro was born in New York City, when NYC of course is made up of separate boroughs, each census designated.  Some websites claim Castro was born in the Bronx, New York.  According to a 2011 interview with Peppy, he said he was born in Manhattan and moved to the Bronx with his family when he was four.)
1950:  James Smith of the Stylistics

1952:  Gino Vannelli ("I Just Wanna' Stop", "Living Inside Myself" and "Nightwalker") was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1954:  Garry Roberts, lead singer with the Boomtown Rats, was born in Dublin, Ireland.
1958:  Patrick Waite, bassist of Musical Youth, was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England; died February 18, 1993 of a hereditary heart condition at the age of 35 in Birmingham, West Midlands, England.  (Note:  some websites report Patrick was born on May 16.  Although no credible sources exist for either date, our best information tells us that he was born on June 16.  Some websites naively say Waite was born in Birmingham, West Midlands.  The county of West Midlands did not exist until 1974, 16 years after Waite was born, so it is physically impossible for him to have been born there and no official birth certificate will show West Midlands as his county of birth.)
1971:  Tupac Shakur (Lesane Parish Crooks) was born in Manhattan, New York; shot and killed on September 13th, 1996 in Las Vegas, Nevada.