This Date in Rock Music History: July 1

1956:  Brenda Lee, age 11 at the time, went into the recording studio to record "Jambalaya".

1959:  Dave Brubeck recorded "Take Five".
1962:  Gene Vincent and the new group the Beatles performed at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England.
1963:  The Beatles recorded "She Loves You" and "I'll Get You" at EMI Studios in London.

1963:  Monday fell on this date, and that meant artists had to have new releases or wait a week from Saturday to make the chart.  Two new 45's were on the desks of radio stations across the country.  Lesley Gore released the single "Judy's Turn To Cry".

1963:  The 4 Seasons released the single "Candy Girl".
1964:  John Lennon bought a mansion in Surrey, England.
1965:  John Lennon's A Spaniard in the Works was published.
1966:  Janis Joplin moved into the house owned by Big Brother & the Holding Company in San Geronimo Valley in California.

1967:  Procol Harum had an amazing hit on their hands as "A Whiter Shade of Pale" rocketed up from 80 to 28.

1967:  One of the great times of the Rock Era, the Summer of Love, and it was off to a great start.  The Association took over at #1 with their classic "Windy", one of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era*.  "Groovin'" by the Young Rascals was #2 followed by "Little Bit O' Soul" from the Music Explosion.

1967:  It was another famous date of the Rock Era as the Beatles first hit #1 with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.  After debuting at #8 (back then it was much tougher to debut in the Top 10 than it is now), the Beatles closed the deal to #1.
1968:  John Lennon unveiled a set of drawings called "You Are Here".

1968:  The Doors released the single "Hello, I Love You".
1969:  The Doors released the album The Soft Parade.
1969:  Sam Phillips, the genius who first recorded Elvis Presley, sold Sun Records.
1969:  John Lennon and Yoko Ono were involved in a serious car crash in Scotland, that required John to have 17 stitches.

1970:  Casey Kasem's American Top 40, which would become a radio fixture and overwhelming #1 in its time slot, debuted at radio stations across the country.  Casey Kasem, one of the great guys of all-time, actually took the time to write back to me to not only comment on my production of The Top 5000 Songs of the Rock Era* but to give me his home phone number to help me out.  I will never forget that.

1972:  We didn't realize at the time how little time we had to enjoy him.  Jim Croce's first song, "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" debuted on this date.  Croce, who would soon record "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Time In a Bottle", among others, would die a little over a year later in a plane crash.
1972:  "Outa-Space" by Billy Preston was the top R&B song.
1972:  Elton John's Honky Chateau moved from 37-7 after just three weeks on the album chart.  This was the first sign that he was becoming a megastar.
1972:  "Song Sung Blue" by Neil Diamond was #1 for a fifth week on the Adult Contemporary chart.

1973:  "Song Sung Blue" became Neil Diamond's 28th hit, his 7th Top 10 song, and his second #1 (following "Cracklin' Rosie") on this date.  Sammy Davis, Jr. fell with "The Candy Man" while Billy Preston's instrumental "Outa-Space" remained at 3.  The timeless "Lean On Me" from Bill Withers rose to #4 and Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose were at 5 with "It's Too Late To Turn Back Now".  The rest of the Top 10:  Jimmy Castor Bunch with "Troglodyte", Gallery were on their way down with "Nice To Be With You", Elton John moved "Rocket Man" from 14-8, America landed in the Top 10 again with "I Need You" and Wayne Newton had a hit with "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast".
1973:  Jesus Christ Superstar closed after 720 performances on Broadway in New York City.
1973:  Bob Dylan released the Soundtrack to "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid".
1973:  Laurens Hammond, who invented the Hammond organ, died at the age of 78.
1974:  Paul Anka released the single "Having My Baby".
1975:  Ringo Starr divorced his wife Maureen Cox.

1975:  10cc had the #1 U.K. song with "I'm Not In Love".
1975:  Connie Francis received a $2.5 million judgement against a motel where she was sexually assaulted two years earlier.
1977:  Pink Floyd played a sold out show at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

1978:  Joe Walsh had the fastest climber as "Life's Been Good" moved from #50 to #31.
1979:  The Doobie Brothers celebrated their 10th anniversary with a jam at Friar's Club in Los Angeles.
1981:  John Morey, bassist of Steppenwolf, died in an automobile accident in Santa Barbara, California at age 32.
1983:  The new group Bon Jovi signed a recording contract with Mercury Records.

1985:  Kool and the Gang released the single "Cherish" to radio stations--Monday, July 1.
1986:  Back when the "M" in MTV stood for music instead of mundane, the channel hosted a competition in which the winner (Lisa Barber) attended a world premiere of Prince's movie Under a Cherry Moon in Lisa's hometown of Sheridan, Wyoming.  As part of the prize, Lisa and 200 of her friends viewed a private concert by the Purple One.
1987:  The Grateful Dead released the album In the Dark.
1989:  R.E.M., Joe Jackson, the Robert Cray Band, Lou Reed and Elvis Costello were at the Rock Torhout Festival in Torhout, Belgium.
1989:  "Batman" by Prince was the #1 song in the U.K.  

    The Fine Young Cannibals moved to challenge for #1


1989:  Music fans in 1989 chose Milli Vanilli as the #1 song.  Probably the same people who like rap and can't distinguish between normal people and Dangerous Inmates (LOL).  The Fine Young Cannibals were second with "Good Thing" while the previous #1 "Satisfied" from Richard Marx fell to 3.  Neneh Cherry remained at #4 with "Buffalo Stance".  Simply Red's "If You Don't Know Me By Now" entered the Top 10 at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Express Yourself" from Madonna moved from 13-6, Donna Summer was at 7 with "This Time I Know It's For Real", Cyndi Lauper moved to #8 in an active Top 10, Natalie Cole had song #9 with "Miss You Like Crazy" and New Kids on the Block tumbled to #10 with "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)". 
1990:  Mark Knopfler, John Illsley and Dire Straits manager Ed Bicknell decided to get the group back together, record an album and go on tour.
1995:  R.E.M., the Cure and the Cranberries performed at the Rock Torhout Festival in Torhout, Belgium.

1995:  Cracked Rear View by Hootie & the Blowfish, which ranks 12th in the Rock Era for the longest time to reach #1 on the album chart, returned back to #1 after taking a week off.  The Soundtrack to "Pocahontas" was #2 followed by Pulse from Pink Floyd, which fell to #3 after just one week at the top.  TLC's CrazySexyCool was #4 and Live's great album Throwing Copper was #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Soundtrack to "Batman Forever" moved from 15-6, the debut from John Michael Montgomery came in seventh, Soul Asylum was at 8 with Let Your Dim Light Shine, the great second album from Boyz II Men was at 9 and another great one from Blues Traveler, four, entered the Top 10.

1995:  Wolfman Jack, one of the most famous disc jockeys of the Rock Era and host of the popular Midnight Special, died in Belvidere, North Carolina at the age of 51.
 1999:  John Popper, harmonica player of Blues Traveler, experienced chest pains and underwent angioplasty at a hospital in Los Angeles.  The band postponed concerts for a month.

1999:  Guy Mitchell, one of the early stars of the Rock Era, died in Las Vegas at the age of 72.
2000:  Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed at the MSG in New York City.
2000:  Kylie Minogue had the top song in the U.K., with "Spinning Around", a song written by Paula Abdul.
2001:  Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones was asked to paint a group portrait of regular diners at the Ivy, a West End restaurant in London.  Elton John and Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys were two of the regular customers who were to be painted.
2002:  Six stamps designed by Sir Paul McCartney went on sale in the Isle of Man--all proceeds went to the charity Adopt-A Mine field.

2003:  Herbie Mann ("Hijack") died of prostate cancer at the age of 73.
2004:  In today's episode of "Inmates Run Rap Music", rapper Ja Rule was arrested and changed with marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license.
2004:  Michelle Branch married her bass guitarist, Teddy Landau.

2005:  Soul singer/songwriter/producer Luther Vandross died at the JFK Medical Center in New Jersey at the age of 54.  He had suffered a major stroke two years before.
2005:  Renaldo "Obie" Benson of the Four Tops died of lung cancer in Detroit, Michigan at the age of 69.
2006:  The Who were the main performers at the Hyde Park Calling festival in London.
2006:  Busta Rhymes had the top album with Big Bang.
2008:  Rolf Harris ("Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport") was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Hall of Fame.
2008:  Mel Galley, guitarist for Whitesnake, died from cancer of the esophagus at the age of 60.
2010:  The Eagles were in concert at the Verizon Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.


Born This Day:
1915:  Willie Dixon, blues singer and guitarist who wrote "I Can't Quit You Baby", a song Led Zeppelin later did; died January 29, 1992.
1932:  Bobby Day, who wrote and sang "Rockin' Robin", was born in Fort Worth, Texas.
1939:  Delaney Bramlett of Delaney & Bonnie was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi.

1945:  Debbie Harry of Blondie was born in Miami, Florida.
1946:  June Montiero, singer with the Toys ("A Lover's Concerto") 
1948:  John Ford of the Strawbs was born in Fulham, London, England.
1951:  Fred Schneider of the B-52's was born in Newark, Georgia.
1952:  Dan Aykroyd of the Blues Brothers and of course Saturday Night Live was born in Ottawa, Canada.
1952:  Leon Chancler, session drummer and percussionist, was born in Shreveport, Louisiana; played on "Billie Jean" for Michael Jackson and also worked with Donna Summer, Santana, Frank Sinatra, Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and many others
1960:  Ted Key of the Housemartins
1963:  Roddy Bottum, keyboardist for Faith No More, was born in Los Angeles.

1971:  Missy Elliott was born in Portsmouth, Virginia.
1971:  Adam MacDougall, keyboardist of the Black Crowes, was born in New York City.

Hits List: Eurythmics

Here's one of the most successful artists of the 1980's, the complete Hits List for the Eurythmics:

1981:  "Never Gonna' Cry Again" (#63 U.K.)
           "Belinda"
1982:  "This Is the House"
           "The Walk"
           "Love Is a Stranger" (#23, #6 U.K., #12 Germany, #17 Australia, #15 Canada, #20 New Zealand, #13 Netherlands, #4 Ireland,)--underrated.

1983:  "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (#1, #2 U.K., #4 Germany, #6 Australia, #1 Canada, #2 New Zealand, #9 Netherlands, #2 Ireland)
           "Who's That Girl?" (#21, #3 U.K., #19 Germany, #20 Australia, #15 Canada, #13 New Zealand, #28 Netherlands, #5 Ireland)
            "Right by Your Side" (#29, #10 U.K., #61 Germany, #15 Australia, #39 Canada, #9 New Zealand, #20 Netherlands, #15 Ireland)

1984:  "Here Comes the Rain Again" (#4, #8 U.K., #14 Germany, #16 Australia, #7 Canada, #32 New Zealand, #8 Ireland)
           "Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)" (#81, #4 U.K., #3 Germany, #5 Australia, #18 Canada, #8 New Zealand, #10 Netherlands, #4 Ireland)
1985:  "Julia" (#44 U.K., #17 Ireland)
           "Would I Lie to You?" (#5, #17 U.K., #34 Germany, #1 Australia, #5 Canada, #5 New Zealand, #23 Netherlands, #10 Ireland)
           "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" (#22, #1 U.K., #4 Germany, #3 Australia, #12 Canada, #5 New Zealand, #4 Netherlands, #1 Ireland)
           "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" (with Aretha Franklin) (#18, #9 U.K., #22 Germany, #15 Australia, #33 Canada, #6 New Zealand, #20 Netherlands, #5 Ireland)

1986:  "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)" (#78, #12 U.K., #22 Germany, #32 Australia, #37 Canada, #18 New Zealand, #20 Netherlands, #8 Ireland)
           "When Tomorrow Comes" (#30, #22 Germany, #7 Australia, #19 New Zealand, #19 Netherlands, #13 Ireland)
           "Thorn in My Side" (#68, #5 U.K., #26 Germany, #12 Australia, #41 Canada, #7 New Zealand, #2 Ireland)
           "The Miracle of Love" (#23 U.K. #53 Germany, #14 Australia, #30 New Zealand, #31 Netherlands, #10 Ireland)
1987:  "Missionary Man" (#14, #31 U.K., #9 Australia, #13 Canada, #12 New Zealand, #13 Ireland)
           "Beethoven (I Love to Listen To)" (#25 U.K., #28 Germany, #13 Australia, #6 New Zealand, #11 Ireland)
           "Shame" (#41 U.K., #53 Germany, #39 Australia, #23 New Zealand)
1988:  "I Need a Man" (#46, #26 U.K., #78 Australia, #14 Canada, #19 New Zealand, #23 Ireland)
           "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart" (#64, #16 U.K., #55 Canada, #31 New Zealand, #15 Ireland)
1989:  "Revival" (#26 U.K., #33 Germany, #14 Australia, #21 New Zealand, #25 Netherlands, #14 Ireland)
           "Don't Ask Me Why" (#40, #25 U.K., #56 Germany, #35 Australia, #13 Canada, #17 Ireland)
1990:  "The King and Queen of America" (#29 U.K., #51 Germany, #72 Australia, #33 Netherlands, #23 Ireland)
           "Angel" (#23 U.K., #56 Canada, #25 Ireland)
           "(My My) Baby's Gonna' Cry" (#58 Canada)
1999:  "I Saved the World Today" (#11 U.K., #85 Australia, #33 New Zealand, #23 Ireland)
2000:  "17 Again" (#27 U.K., #73 Germany, #57 Canada, #43 Ireland)
           "Peace Is Just a Word"
           "Power to the Meek"

2005:  "I've Got a Life" (#14 U.K., #38 Ireland)

Hits List: Survivor

Survivor includes Jim Peterik, who sang vocals on the #1 hit for the Ides of March, "Vehicle" in 1970.  The group received one of those once-in-a-lifetime breaks when actor Sylvestor Stallone contacted them about writing a song for his upcoming movie Rocky III.  Survivor was on the map and they made the most of it.  Here is their complete Hits List:

1980:  "Somewhere in America" (#70)
           "Rebel Girl"
1981:  "Poor Man's Son" (#33)
1982:  "Summer Nights" (#62)
           "Eye of the Tiger" (#1, #1 Mainstream Rock, #27 Adult Contemporary, #1 U.K.)
           "Ever Since the World Began"
           "American Heartbeat" (#17)
           "The One That Really Matters" (#74)
1983:  "Caught in the Game" (#77, #16 Mainstream)
1984:  "The Moment of Truth" (#63)
           "I Can't Hold Back" (#13, #1 Mainstream, #80 U.K.)

1985:  "High on You" (#8, #8 Mainstream)
           "The Search Is Over" (#4, #1 Adult Contemporary)
           "First Night" (#53)
           "Burning Heart" (#2, #11 Mainstream, #5 U.K.)
1986:  "Is This Love" (#9, #27 Mainstream, #25 AC)
1987:  "How Much Love" (#51)
           "Man Against the World" (#86)
1988:  "Didn't Know it Was Love" (#61, #40 Mainstream)
1989:  "Across the Miles" (#74, #16 AC)
2007:  "Eye of the Tiger" (re-entry--#47 U.K.)

The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Artists of the 1980's

Inside the Rock Era has done The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Songs of the 1980's*.  This is where we add it all up and divvy up credit where credit is due.  Beginning tomorrow, we'll present The Top 100 AC Artists of the 80's*, with 10 featured each day.


It will load onto the web site at midnight MST each day, so even though we'll be busy on July 4th with the 4th of July Tribute to America's Contribution to the Rock Era*, it won't interfere with The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Artists*--that will continue to come onto the site at midnight July 3, then enjoy the full day of 700+ songs on July 4, then at midnight, the next segment of the AC Artists special.

This Date in Rock Music History: June 30

1956:  Fats Domino remained at #1 for a seventh week on the R&B chart with "I'm In Love Again".
1958:  "Yakety Yak" by the Coasters was the new #1 R&B song.
1962:  Ray Charles made it six weeks in a row on top the R&B chart with "I Can't Stop Loving You".


1962:  Charles' song was #1 on both the popular chart and the Adult Contemporary chart for the fifth consecutive week.
1966:  The Supremes recorded "You Keep Me Hangin' On".
1966:  The Beatles opened the first of three shows at the Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
1969:  Fleetwood Mac performed at the Royal Albert Hall "Pop Proms" in London.
1972:  The Rolling Stones opened a tour in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
1973:  The Spinners held on to #1 on the R&B chart for a fourth week with "One of a Kind (Love Affair)".


1973:  George Harrison returned to #1 as a solo artist with "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)", overtaking ex-Beatle teammate Paul McCarty & Wings, who fell to #2 with "My Love".  Piano whiz Billy Preston, who played on the Beatles' "Get Back" as well as others, moved up to 3 with "Will It Go 'Round In Circles".  Soul great Barry White had #4--"I'm Gonna' Love You Just a Little More Baby" while Paul Simon moved up to 5 with "Kodachrome".  The rest of the Top 10:  Sylvia was at 6 with "Pillow Talk", Clint Holmes had #7 with "Playground In My Mind", the Doobie Brothers slid up to #8 with "Long Train Runnin'", Dr. John was in the "Right Place Wrong Time" at #9 while Three Dog Night scored their 10th Top 10 song and 16th hit with "Shambala".
1975:  David Bowie began filming for the movie The Man Who Fell To Earth.

1975:  Elton John released his great single from Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy--"Someone Saved My Life Tonight".

1975:  The Jackson 5 announced they were leaving Motown for Epic Records.  Since Motown owned their name, they would change it to the Jacksons.
1975:  Cher married Gregg Allman, four days after divorcing Sonny Bono.
1977: Marvel Comics issued a comic book based on the group Kiss.
1978:  Jethro Tull, Robert Palmer and Flo & Eddie performed on the smash television show Midnight Special.
1979:  Anne Murray remained at #1 for a third week on the AC chart with "Shadows in the Moonlight".

1980:  The Rolling Stones tried disco with the release of their single "Emotional Rescue".
1981:  Doctors discovered a gaping two-inch hole in the stomach of Jerry Lee Lewis after he was rushed to the hospital.
1983:  The Everly Brothers announced they had reunited and would play a concert at London's Royal Albert Hall for the first time in 10 years.
1984:  Lionel Richie's "Stuck On You" was the fastest-climbing song, rising from 72 to 49.


1984:  "When Doves Cry", the great song from Prince, took over at #1 on the R&B chart.
1984:  Two great lead singers--Heart's Ann Wilson and Loverboy's Mike Reno, combined for the new #1 Adult Contemporary song--"Almost Paradise" from the great Footloose Soundtrack.
1984:  Sports by Huey Lewis & the News became the new album, topping the Soundtrack to "Footloose", which stepped down after 10 weeks.  Bruce Springsteen was up to 3 after just two weeks on the chart with Born in The U.S.A. while the great Lionel Richie album Can't Slow Down was #4.  The Cars has a super album at #5--Heartbeat City.
1985:  John Lennon's psychedelic Rolls Royce sold for $2 million at a New York City auction.
1986:  Madonna released the outstanding album True Blue.

1986:  Steve Winwood released the album Back in the High Life.
1989:  The surviving members of the Beatles brought a suit against Dave Clark (formerly of the Dave Clark Five) to prevent him from selling copies of the television show Ready Steady Go! that featured the Beatles.

 
                     Billy Idol reached the Top 10


1990:  New Kids on the Block reached #1 with "Step By Step", moving the great Roxette song "It Must Have Been Love" out of the top spot.  Bell Biv DeVoe remained at 3 while Phil Collins moved up with "Do You Remember?" and Wilson Phillips held on to #5 with "Hold On".  The rest of the Top 10:  A different "Hold On", this one by En Vogue, moved up to 6, After 7 had #7 with "Ready or Not", Taylor Dayne was at 8 with "I'll Be Your Shelter", Glenn Medeiros moved into the Top 10 with "She Ain't Worth It" and Billy Idol reached the Top 10 for the fourth time in his career with "Cradle of Love". 
1994:  The Rolling Stones released the album Voodoo Lounge.

1994:  Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam testified at a congressional hearing about rising concert ticket prices.
1996:  Neil Young premiered his new album Broken Arrow on the Internet.

1997:  Third Eye Blind had a hot new single on the desks of radio station Music Directors on this date--"Semi-Charmed Life".
1999:  Eric Clapton performed a concert to benefit his rehab center in Antigua.
2000:  Michael "Cub" Koda of Brownsville Station ("Smokin' in the Boys' Room" from 1973) died from kidney disease in Chelsea, Michigan at the age of 51.
2003:  Brandy announced that she was splitting from husband Robert Smith.
2003:  Fans everywhere were encouraged when Luther Vandross said his first words after his stroke that forced him into a coma.
2004:  Raz-B, a singer with B2K, was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and battery causing serious bodily injury.
2004:  Dave Davies, founding member of the Kinks, suffered a stroke which paralyzed the right side of his body.
2004:  Gloria Estefan announced that she would be through touring at the conclusion of her Live and Rewrapped Tour.
2004:  Fantasia had the top song with "I Believe"/"Chain of Fools".

2006:  Syd Barrett, founder of Pink Floyd, died at the age of 60.
2007:  R.E.M. played the first of five concerts at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.


Born This Day:
1941:  Larry Henley of the Newbeats ("Bread and Butter" from 1964), was born in Arp, Texas.

1943:  Florence Ballard of the Supremes, was born in Detroit, Michigan.




1944:  Glenn Shorrock, the great lead singer of the Little River Band, was born in Chatham, Kent, United Kingdom.
1946:  Billy Brown, was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

1949:  Andy Scott, the great guitar player of Sweet, was born in Wrexham, Wales.

1951:  Stanley Clarke, bass guitarist who teamed with George Duke for the 1981 hit "Sweet Baby", was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1953:  Hal Lindes, who became the guitarist of Dire Straits in 1981 in time for their Making Movies album, was born in Monterey, California.
1956:  Phillip Adrian Wright of the Human League was born in Sheffield, England.
1957:  Doug Sampson, drummer of Iron Maiden, was born in Hackney, London, England.
1968:  Philip Anselmo, lead singer of Pantera, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1969:  Tom Drummond, bassist and vocalist of Better Than Ezra, was born in Shreveport, Louisiana.
1983:  Cheryl Cole, singer/songwriter with Girls Aloud, was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.


1984:  Fantasia Monique Barrino, winner of "American Idol" in the third season, was born in High Point, North Carolina.
1985:  T-Pain (Faheem Majm) was born in Tallahassee, Florida.

This Date in Rock Music History: June 29

1956:  Elvis Presley sang "Hound Dog" on The Steve Allen television show.

1957:  Buddy Holly recorded "Peggy Sue".
1957:  Dick Clark announced he was scheduling a series of Dick Clark Caravans.
1959:  This artist would go on to score 30 hits in the Rock Era, but on this date he first appeared on the chart with his debut single--"Kissin' Time"--Bobby Rydell.
1959:  "Personality" by Lloyd Price reached #1 on the R&B chart.

1959:  "The Battle of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton held down #1 for a 6th week.  "Personality" by Lloyd Price was a strong #2 for a third week with "Lonely Boy" from Paul Anka closing to #3 and "Dream Lover" by Bobby Darin coming in at #4. 

1960:  Monday fell on this date, and of course that meant new releases.  Brian Hyland introduced himself to audiences with his first 45, "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini".
1961:  Del Shannon had the top song in the U.K. with "Runaway".

1963:  The Surfaris rode the wave from 86 to #51 with their great instrumental "Wipe Out".

1963:  "Surf City" crashed the Top 10 for Jan & Dean, moving from 20 to 10.
1965:  Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones bought the house that once belonged to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
1966:  Neil Diamond appeared on the ABC television show American Bandstand.
1966:  The Beatles gave a concert in Tokyo and over 500 police were needed to keep fans from the stage.
1967:  Graham Nash wrote the song "Marrakesh Express" while on tour with the Hollies in Yugoslavia.
1967:  Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones was found guilty of allowing his property to be used for smoking marijuana and was fined and sentenced to one year in jail.  Fellow jailbird Mick Jagger was found guilty of illegal possession of pep pills and was sentenced to three months behind bars.
1968:  Pink Floyd performed a free show in London's Hyde Park to promote their new album A Saucerful of Secrets.  Jethro Tull and T. Rex also performed.

1968:  Aretha Franklin urged people to "Think" with her third week at #1 on the R&B chart.

1968:  Herb Alpert owned the #1 Adult Contemporary song for the fourth straight week--"This Guy's In Love With You".

         "Old Friends"/Bookends Theme"


1968:  The great album Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel took over from The Graduate as the #1 album.  The Beat of the Brass from Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass was still 3, Disraeli Gears from Cream was #4 and Honey by Bobby Goldsboro was #5.
1969:  The Jimi Hendrix Experience played in public for the final time at the Denver Pop Festival in Colorado.
1969:  Led Zeppelin played two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
1969: Shorty Long ("Here Comes the Judge"), singer, songwriter, musician and producer for Motown Records, drowned at the age of 29 when his sailboat sank off of Sandwich Island in Ontario, Canada.
1973:  Ian Gillan and Roger Glover left Deep Purple following a concert in Japan.
1974:  Neal Peart replaced John Rustey on drums for Rush.

1974:  Three superb songs made their first entry into the Top 10 on this date--it was a great summer for music.  The Hues Corporation had "Rock the Boat" moving from 12-6, George McCrae's great song "Rock Your Baby" slid up from 15-9 and John Denver climbed up from 27 to 10 with "Annie's Song".


1974:  Gordon Lightfoot scored his second #1 as "Sundown" hit the top spot in the country. 
1975:  The Doobie Brothers and Eagles performed in Oakland, California.  Elton John dropped by to sing a song with each group.
1976:  Elvis Presley Boulevard was dedicated in Memphis, Tennessee.
1976:  Jefferson Starship released their album Spitfire.

1976:  The Bee Gees released the single "You Should Be Dancing".
1976:  Elton John teamed up with Kiki Dee on his Rocket Records for the new single, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart".

1976:  Boz Scaggs released the single "Lowdown".
1977:  Fleetwood Mac performed in New York City's Madison Square Garden.
1978:  Peter Frampton was injured in a serious car crash in the Bahamas, suffering a broken arm and cracked ribs.

1979:  Lowell George died of a heart attack at the age of 34 while on tour with Little Feat in Arlington, Virginia.
1980:  The Eagles were in concert at the Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California.
1981:  Foreigner released the single "Urgent".
1984:  Motown Records shipped two million copies of the Jacksons' album Victory.
1984:  Bruce Springsteen performed at the Civic Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
1985:  Mick Jagger and David Bowie recorded their remake of the Martha & the Vandellas classic "Dancing in the Street".
1985:  U2 played at Droke Park in Dublin, Ireland.

          The Eurythmics had another Top 10 song

1985:  Bryan Adams remained at #1 with "Heaven, holding off Phil Collins and "Sussudio".  Duran Duran edged to #3 with "A View to a Kill" while Prince & the Revolution were stuck at 4 with "Raspberry Beret".  The rest of the Top 10:  Madonna had her seventh hit and sixth Top 10 in a row with "Angel", Survivor moved up nicely from 10-6 with "The Search Is Over", Tears for Fears were down to 7 with their former #1 "Everybody Wants To Rule the World", the Eurythmics entered the Top 10 with "Would I Lie To You?" (moving from 14-10), Howard Jones came in at #9 with "Things Can Only Get Better" and the Mary Jane Girls were "In My House".

1987:  Whitesnake released the single "Here I Go Again".
1991:  Paul Abdul commanded the top spot with "Rush, Rush" for a third week in a row. 
1987:  Whitesnake released the single "Here I Go Again".
1991:  Cher had the top album in the U.K. with Love Hurts.
1991:  When you're on top of both the popular chart and the Adult Contemporary chart, you own about 2/3 of the rock audience.  That's what Paula Abdul had when "Rush, Rush" reached #1 on the AC chart.
1994:  Barbra Streisand garnered $16 million in sales from concerts at New York City's Madison Square Garden, setting an all-time record for the largest-grossing concert series of all-time.
1996:  Record producer George Martin received Knighthood in Great Britain.


              "Let It Flow"

         "You're Makin' Me High"

1996:  It was a pretty solid Top 10 other than the #1 song--Toni Braxton had a huge double-sided #2 smash with "Youre Makin' Me High" and "Let It Flow".  Tracy Chapman remained at 3 with "Give Me One Reason".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Always Be My Baby" from Mariah Carey was her 19th hit, her 15th To 10 and, being a former #1, it was her 11th chart-topper, "Because You Loved Me" was another former #1 from Celine Dion at #6, Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen teamed up for the "Theme From 'Mission:  Impossible", Los Del Rio entered the Top 10 for the first time after 28 weeks on the chart with "Macarena" (It would go on to become one of the biggest hits of the Rock Era), the Tony Rich Project slipped to #9 with their smash "Nobody Knows" and Alanis Morissette was at 10 with "Ironic".
1999:  Leif Garret was arrested at an apartment in Los Angeles for drug possession.
1999:  Michael Jackson suffered severe bruises as the result of a 50-foot fall when a bridge collapsed at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
2000:  Trouble was catchy once you joined the Rolling Stones.  Ron Wood checked himself into a rehab center for alcohol addiction.
2000:  Eight people were trampled to death after falling in the mud in front of the stage at a Pearl Jam concert at the Roskilde Festival near Copenhagen, Denmark.
2003:  Robbie Williams performed in front of 62,000 fans in Murryayfield, Edinburgh, Scotland.
2003:  Beyonce had the top album in the U.K. with Dangerously in Love.

2003:  Monica owned the #1 U.S. album with After the Storm.
2004:  Beyonce captured Best Female R&B artist, Jay-Z won Best Male Hip-Hop Artist and "Crazy in Love" won for Best Collaboration at the BET Awards.  Outkast was named Best Group while their single "Hey Ya!" won for Video of the Year.
2006:  In today's edition of "Inmates Run Rap Music", DMX was sentenced to return home (jail) in White Plains, New York after he failed to appear at a traffic violation hearing.  Then he could be with all of his "homies"!


Born This Day:
1938 Billy Storm of the Alley Cats was born in Dayton, Ohio.
1940:  L. Russell Brown, who wrote "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree", "C'mon Marianne" and others
1942:  Gilberto Gil was born in Salvador, Brazil.

1943:  Little Eva was born in Bellhaven, North Carolina.
1948:  Ian Paice, drummer of Deep Purple and Whitesnake, was born in Nottingham, England.

1953:  Colin Hay of Men at Work was born in Kilwinning, Scotland.
1960:  Evelyn "Champagne" King was born in the Bronx, New York.
1978:  Nicole Scherzinger, lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, was born in Honolulu, Hawai'i.
1979:  Tim McChord, bass guitarist for Evanescence, was born in Sacramento, California.
1979:  Richard Breen, singer for Five, was born in London.

Two "Can't Miss" Specials

There are two high-profile specials coming in the next few days that you won't want to miss.  The first is The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Artists of the 1980's*--that is coming up Sunday and will be presented in ten parts, with 10 artists featured each day.


In the middle of that, something unprecedented on the internet or on the radio--America has built quite a history of providing great music during the Rock Era, and to honor that, we'll be featuring over 700 songs representing the best the country has offered.  Don't miss that on July 4th!

This Date in Rock Music History: June 28

1961:  The Mar-Keys released one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*--"Last Night".
1962:  The Drifters recorded the song "Up on the Roof".

1965:  Herman's Hermits released the single "I'm Henry VIII, I Am".
1965:  The Beach Boys released the album Summer Days (and Summer Nights!).
1966:  Small Faces were in concert at the Marquee Club in London.

1968:  Aretha Franklin was on the cover of Time magazine.
1969:  Crosby, Stills & Nash did not release their great self-titled debut album on this date as some web sites report who aren't familiar with how the music business works.  Thankfully, you follow this blog and learned the album was actually released May 29.
1969:  Neil Diamond didn't release "Sweet Caroline" on this date either (a Saturday) as some web sites report.  That actually happened on Monday, June 23, 1969 (as Inside the Rock Era told you about on Monday), since Billboard magazine goes to print each Wednesday.  That's kind of like the other web sites showing up at a party five days too late!
1969:  What "Sweet Caroline" did do on this date was debut on the chart (quite different from being released today).  It was the highest debut at #59.
1969:  A great show was lined up at the Bath Festival of Blues in England--Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall, Chicken Shack, Savoy Brown, Nice, Ten Years After--They were all there.


1969:  Zager & Evans had one of the hottest songs on the chart on this date as "In the Year 2525" moved from 72 to 35.
1969:  The Who's album Tommy reached the Top 10 on this date, four weeks after its release.

                         CCR had the #2 song...


1969:  It was an excellent Top 10 as Henry Mancini moved to #1 with "Love Theme From 'Romeo & Juliet'".  CCR challenged with "Bad Moon Rising" while the former #1 "Get Back" from the Beatles fell to 3.  Marvin Gaye was "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" and Three Dog Night's classic "One" was at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Blood, Sweat & Tears reached #6 with their second hit "Spinning Wheel" while Elvis Presley was at #7 with his 109th hit "In the Ghetto", Oliver remained at 8 with "Good Morning Starshine", Desmond Dekker & the Aces moved into the Top 10 with "Israelites" and the Friends of Distinction had a great song at #10--"Grazing in the Grass".

1971:  Monday fell on this date, and Marvin Gaye sent the single "Mercy Mercy Me" to radio stations.
1973:  Herman's Hermits, the Searchers, Gerry & the Pacemakers and Wayne Fontana appeared in concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1973:  Helen Reddy's summer television series premiered on NBC.

                               "You're So Static" 


1974:  Elton John released the great album Caribou.
1975:  Roger Waters, annoyed that the fans were screaming during a Pink Floyd song, spat on the audience.
1975:  Venus & Mars by Wings was the #1 album in the U.K. 
1976:  Two great singles were released on this date--Elton John & Kiki Dee combined for the song "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and 

1976:  The Bee Gees sent "You Should Be Dancing" to radio stations on this date.
1977:  Elton John became the Chairman of the Watford Football Club in England.
1978:  The Clash were at Friars in Aylesbury, England.

1978:  UNICEF named members of the group Kansas as Deputy Ambassadors of Goodwill.
1980:  Roxy Music's Flesh and Blood was the top album in the U.K.
1980:  The #1 R&B song was "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" by the S.O.S. Band.

1980:  Pure Prairie League had a pure song at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Let Me Love You Tonight".



   All those years paying dues were paying off for Seger...


1980:  Paul McCartney & Wings wrestled the top spot away from Lipps, Inc. as "Coming Up" beat out "Funkytown".  Bette Midler climbed to #3 with "The Rose" and Billy Joel moved up with "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me".  The competition was fierce so Bob Seger had to remain at 5 with "Against the Wind".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Little Jeannie" from Elton John, Robbie Dupree's "Steal Away" at #7, Ambrosia fell to #8 with their great song "Biggest Part of Me", the Spinners entered the Top 10 with their medley of "Cupid" and "I've Loved You for a Long Time" and Michael Jackson didn't budge from #10 with "She's Out of My Life".
1986:  Wham! appeared in concert for the final time at Wembley Stadium in London.
1986:  Wham! reached #1 in the U.K. with "The Edge of Heaven".
1986:  Madonna debuted with her single "Papa Don't Preach" at #42.
1986:  Billy Ocean took over at #1 on the R&B chart with "There'll Be Sad Songs".
1986:  Howard Jones reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "No One is To Blame".

                      Billy Ocean had arrived...


1986:  Another great Top 10 on this date as Michael McDonald and Patti LaBelle were #1 for the third week with "On My Own".  Billy Ocean's "There'll Be Sad Songs" remained at 2 and the Jets came in third with "Crush On You".  Simply Red's great song "Holding Back the Years" moved from 8 to 4, leapfrogging Howard Jones, who nonetheless moved up with "No One is to Blame".  The rest of the Top 10:  El DeBarge with "Who's Johnny", George Michael's "A Different Corner" stuck at 7, Genesis roared from 17 to 8 with "Invisible Touch", "Nasty" by Janet Jackson entered the Top 10 as did Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer".

1988:  Stryper released the album In God We Trust.
Hong Kong, China.
1990:  Paul McCartney performed the John Lennon songs "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Help!" and "Give Peace a Chance" for the first time in public at a concert in Liverpool, England.
1991:  Paul McCartney debuted his "Liverpool Oratorio" at the Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool.
1993:  Wilson Pickett plead guilty to drunk driving.
1994:  David Lee Roth began a solo tour in Los Angeles.
1996:  Burt Bacharach was at the Royal Albert Hall in London.  He was joined onstage by Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher for the song "This Guy's in Love with You".
1996:  Def Leppard was in concert at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
1997:  LeeAnn Rimes moved from 89 to 49 with "How Do I Live".


1997:  The Backstreet Boys debuted at #24 with their single "Quit Playing Games With My Heart".
2000:  We have a special two-part edition of "Inmates Run Rap Music".  In the first segment, we find that DMX was indicted on weapons and drug-possession charges.  Police found, hmmmm, a 9 millimeter pistol as well as a quantity of marijuana in his car in January.
2003:  In the continuation of "Inmates Run Rap Music", we see that DMX was arrested yet again, this time at a concert on the island of St. Kitts for obscenity charges.

2003:  Metallica performed at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark.
2005:  Kanye West won Best Male Hip-Hop Artist and Video of the Year for "Jesus Walks" at the BET Awards.
2005:  Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 and Avril Lavigne announced their engagement.
2007:  Jimmie Rodgers had successful brain surgery as doctors reported that his skull had regenerated.
2009:  Three days following his death, the Michael Jackson album Number Ones topped the U.K. album chart.

Born This Day:
1936:  Cathy Carr ("Ivory Tower") was born in Fayetteville, New York.
1945:  David Knights of Procol Harum was born in Islington, North London, England.
1954:  Steven Morse, guitarist for Deep Purple since 1994, was born in Hamilton, Ohio.
1963:  Andy Cousin, bass guitarist for All About Eve, was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England.
1963:  Charles Clouser, one-time keyboardist and drummer with Nine Inch Nails who has also worked with the Deftones, was born in Hanover, New Hampshire.
1971:  Ray Slijngaard, vocalist for 2 Unlimited, was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands.