This Date in Rock Music History: August 12

1956:  The Platters sang "Only You" on The Ed Sullivan Show.

1957:  Frankie Lymon left his group the Teenagers for a solo career.
1957:  Buddy Holly & the Crickets debuted on the singles chart with their first hit record--"That'll Be the Day".
1958:  The Crests recorded "16 Candles".
1960:  Pete Best became the new drummer for the Silver Beatles.

1963:  The Crystals released their hit "Then He Kissed Me".
1966:  John Lennon held a press conference in Chicago, Illinois to apologize for his recent remark that "the Beatles were more popular than Jesus."
1966:  The Beatles, Ronettes and Bobby Hebb performed at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois.  It was the beginning of what would turn out to be the final U.S. tour for the Beatles.   
1967:  Fleetwood Mac made their live debut at the Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival in Britain.  Donovan and Pink Floyd also performed.
1967:  Jimmy Hendrix performed at the Ambassador Theater in Washington, D.C.
1967:  The Supremes sang "Reflections" on American Bandstand.

1967:  "Reflections was the highest-debuting song of the week, giving the Supremes their 21st career hit.
1967:  Bobbie Gentry moved from #71 to #21 on this date with "Ode to Billie Joe".

                                   Procol Harum's best--

1967:  The Doors spent a third week at #1 with "Light My Fire".  The Beatles challenged with "All You Need Is Love" but Stevie Wonder was on his way down with "I Was Made to Love Her".  The Monkees had another big hit--"Pleasant Valley Sunday", which climbed from #9 to #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" by the Buckinghams, Frankie Valli remained at 6 with "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", Procol Harum fell with "A Whiter Shade of Pale", the Association was still in the Top 10 after 12 weeks with "Windy", the Hollies scored their third Top 10 with "Carrie-Anne" and the Young Rascals climbed in with "A Girl Like You".

1967:  Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles had only been out eight weeks, but seven of those were at #1.  Headquarters from the Monkees remained at 2 while Flowers by the Rolling Stones locked up position #3.
1968:  The four members of Led Zeppelin played together for he first time at a studio rehearsal on Lisle Street in London's West End.  The quartet's first song was "Train Kept-A-Rollin'".

1968:  Deep Purple released the single "Hush".
1968:  Big Brother & the Holding Company released the album Cheap Thrills.
1969:  Blind Faith made their live debut at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1970:  Derek & the Dominoes played at the Speakeasy in London.
1970:  Janis Joplin performed for the final time at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1970:  Free released the single "All Right Now".
1970:  Fleetwood Mac played the first of five nights at the famous Whisky-A-Go-Go on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.
1972:  Jim Croce appeared on "American Bandstand".
1972:  The Festival of Hope, with Jefferson Airplane and James Brown performing, became the first rock festival to raise funds for an established charity.
1972:  Alice Cooper had the #1 U.K. song with "School's Out".
1972:  The great Al Green landed himself a #1 R&B song with "I'm Still in Love with You".

1972:  Gilbert O'Sullivan remained on top for a third week with "Alone Again (Naturally)".  Looking Glass held steady at #2 for the third week with "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)".
1973:  What an incredible show this was.  The Eagles, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young in the same night at the Corral Club in Topanga, California.

1974:  Olivia Newton-John released the single that would jump-start her career--"I Honestly Love You".


1974:  A new British band released its first single on this date--Bad Company sent "Can't Get Enough" to radio stations.

1978:  Toby Beau reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "My Angel Baby".
1978:  The Little River Band had the fastest-rising song as "Reminiscing" moved from 56 to 34.
1978:  "Three Times a Lady" was the new #1 on the R&B chart for the Commodores.

1978:  The Commodores registered their first #1 song with "Three Times a Lady".  "Grease" by Frankie Valli and "Last Dance" from Donna Summer each moved up one to fill the void left when "Miss You" by the Rolling Stones dropped to #4.  Foreigner was up to 5 with "Hot Blooded".  The rest of the Top 10:  A Taste of Honey raced up from #17 with "Boogie Oogie Oogie", Pablo Cruise had song #7--"Love Will Find a Way", Barry Manilow enjoyed his 12th hit and 8th Top 10 song with "Copacabana (At the Copa)", Walter Egan reached the Top 10 with "Magnet and Steel" and Andy Gibb climbed from 16-10 with "An Everlasting Love".

1981:  Christopher Cross released the single "Arthur's Theme".
1982:  Joe Tex ("I Gotcha'" from 1972) was born in Baytown, Texas; died of a heart attack at the age of 49.
1984:  Lionel Richie closed the Los Angeles Olympic Summer Games by singing "All Night Long".

1985:  Madonna released the single "Dress You Up".
1985:  Whitney Houston released her single "Saving All My Love For You".
1985:  Syu Sakamoto was killed in a plane crash when his flight, JAL #123 (a 747 jet), crashed on a mountain about 60 miles northwest of Tokyo.  Sakamoto was the first Japanese artist to reach #1 in the United States with "Sukiyaki".  He was 43.
1986:  Paul Simon released his amazing album Graceland.

1987:  Heart released the single "Who Will You Run To".


1987:  John Mellencamp released the single "Paper in Fire".
1989:  The Rolling Stones played a secret club concert at Toad's Place in New Haven, Connecticut.
1989:  Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, the Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne and Skid Row performed at the two-day Moscow Music Peace Festival at Lenin Stadium in Moscow, Russia.  This was the first concert in which the audience was allowed to stand up and dance.
1989:  Prince owned the top R&B song with "Batdance".

1989:  Richard Marx stepped up to #1 with "Right Here Waiting".
1991:  Bryan Adams had a firm hold on #1 in the U.K. with "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You".

1992:  Don Henley & Patty Smyth released the single "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough".
1992:  The Grateful Dead canceled five shows so Jerry Garcia could recover from exhaustion.
1993:  Jesse Tobias replaced guitarist Arik Marshall in the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
1995:  Michael Stipe of R.E.M. had an operation for a hernia.

1995:  A mass wake was held for Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California.
1995:  TLC dominated again with "Waterfalls" at #1 for the sixth week.  Seal was going to make it interesting, though, with his new song "Kiss From a Rose", which was up to #2.
1996:  Alanis Morissette was in concert at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, New York.  Radiohead opened for her.

1996:  Celine Dion released her single "It's All Coming Back to Me Now".
1996:  The Spice Girls mined gold when their first release "Wannabe" reached #1.
1998:  Scott Weiland of the Stone Temple Pilots plead guilty to felony heroin possession.
2000:  Robbie Williams scored a #1 song in the U.K. with "Rock DJ".
2001:  Alicia Keys had the #1 song with the great "Fallin'".
2006:  LeToya had the # album with LeToya.
2007:  Cary, North Carolina proclaimed the date "Chicago" day in honor of the great group from the windy city.
2010:  Carl Perkins was inducted into the Memphis Beale Street Hall of Fame posthumously.

Born This Day:
1926:  Joe Jones ("You Talk Too Much" from 1960) was born in New Orleans, Louisiana; died after quadruple bypass surgery on November 27, 2005.

1949:  Mark Knopfler, guitarist, singer and founder of Dire Straits, was born in Glasgow, Scotland.
1950:  Kid Creole (Thomas August Darnell Browder) was born in The Bronx, New York.
1953:  Jerry Speiser, a founding member of Men at Work
1958:  Jurgen Dehmel, bassist and songwriter of Nena ("99 Luftballoons") was born in Berlin, Germany.
1961:  Roy Hay of Culture Club was born in Southend, England.
1963:  Sir Mix-A-Lot was born in Seattle, Washington

This Date in Rock Music History: August 11

1956:  Elvis Presley released the top double-sided hit of the Rock Era--"Don't Be Cruel"/"Hound Dog".
1957:  Jerry Lee Lewis performed "Whole Lotta' Shakin' Goin' On" on the television show The Big Beat.
1958:  "Patricia" by Perez Prado was #1 on the R&B chart.
1958:  In Billboard's second chart, Ricky Nelson remained at #1 ("Poor Little Fool") but Domenico Modugno rose from 54 to 2 with "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)".

1962:  "Green Onions" became the first hit for Booker T. & the MG's on this date.
1962:  An all-female singing group debuted on the chart with their first single on this date--The Supremes with "Your Heart Belongs to Me".
1962:  Neil Sedaka enjoyed his first #1 song with "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do".  He would have to wait 13 years for another one.

1963:  The Kingston Trio were the mystery guests on the television show What's My Line?
1964:  The Beatles began recording their album Beatles For Sale at EMI Studios in London.
1965:  Sonny Bono performed "Laugh at Me" on the television show Shindig.
1965:  The Beatles' movie Help! debuted in New York City.
1966:  The Beatles arrived at O'Hare Airport in Chicago for their final tour of the United States.
1967:  Cream, Donovan, Pink Floyd, the Small Faces, the Move, Marmalade, John Mayall, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, Jeff Beck, Zoot Money, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Paul Jones and Amen Corner appeared at the U.K. reading Festival.
1968:  The Beatles announced the formation of Apple Records.
1969:  Diana Ross invited 350 friends to a club in Beverly Hills, California to see a brand new act called the Jackson 5.

1969:  Three Dog Night released the single "Easy To Be Hard".  
1972:  Elvis and Priscilla Presley filed for divorce.
1972:  The mayor of San Antonio, Texas declared it Cheech & Chong Day.
1973:  Bill Aucion offered to become the manager of Kiss after seeing them play at a New York City hotel.

1973: Elton John was up big (74-34) with "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting".


                               Charlie Daniels and "Uneasy Rider"

1973:  Maureen McGovern enjoyed a fast climb up the charts (20-9-1) and she remained at #1 with "The Morning After".  Wings closed to #2 with "Live and Let Die" while the Stories were up from 8-3 with "Brother Louie".  Diana Ross was at position #4 with her second big hit "Touch Me in the Morning" and Jim Croce's former #1 "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" was at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Deep Purple with "Smoke on the Water", Marvin Gaye was up from 17-7 with "Let's Get It On", the Carpenters were on the way down with "Yesterday Once More", Charlie Daniels came in ninth with "Uneasy Rider" and Bobby "Boris" Pickett entered the Top 10 with "Monster Mash".




1975:  John Denver's double-sided hit "Calypso"/"I'm Sorry" was released as a single.
1976:  Keith Moon, drummer of the Who, collapsed and was hospitalized in Miami, Florida.
1979:  Led Zeppelin played their final concert in the U.K. at Knebworth Park, England.
1979:  Chic owned the top R&B song for the third week with "Good Times".

1979:  ELO had a huge hit on their hands as "Don't Bring Me Down" motored up from #41 to #18.


1980:  Queen released the single "Another One Bites the Dust".
1982:  The Police performed at McGill Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1982:  Donna Summer and husband Buce Sudano celebrated the birth of daughter Amada Grace Sudano.
1984:  Lionel Richie had his second #1 on the AC chart with his great album Can't Slow Down as "Stuck On You" was #1 for a second week.

1984:  Ray Parker, Jr. had his biggest career hit as "Ghostbusters" reached #1.  That ended Prince's hold on the top spot with his great song "When Doves Cry".
1984:  Purple Rain was in its fifth week of release with two at #1.  Sports by Huey Lewis & the News was now moving up after 45 weeks while Born in the U.S.A. fell to #3 after 8 weeks.  The Jacksons had #4 with Victory and the Cars were back with another great album--Heartbeat City.  The rest of the Top 10:  Lionel Richie was still hanging around with Can't Slow Down after 40 weeks, Ratt couldn't climb with Out of the Cellar, the Soundtrack to "Ghostbusters", Tina Turner had a Top 10 album with Private Dancer and Billy Idol closed out the group with Rebel Yell.

1984:  Prince made it seven weeks in a row with one of the top R&B songs of the 1980's--"Purple Rain".
1985:  Simon LeBon of Duran Duran had a scare after his yacht capsized off of the English coast during a race.  The Royal Navy rescued him after LeBon was trapped for 40 minutes under the hull in an underwater air pocket.

1986:  Genesis released the single "Throwing It All Away".


1986:  Anita Baker released the single "Sweet Love".
1986:  The first four albums by the Monkees amazingly re-entered the Top 200 albums chart.

1990:  Mariah Cary reached #1 on the R&B chart with her first single "Vision of Love".
1992:  Ray Charles sang "America the Beautiful" at the opening of the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1995:  The funeral of Jerry Garcia was held in Velvedere, California.
1996:  Mel Taylor, famous drummer of the Ventures ("Hawai'i Five-O" and "Walk Don't Run", died of lung cancer at the age of 62.

1997:  The Spice Girls released the single "2 Become 1".
1999:  Kiss received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 
2003:  Kelly Rowland and Nelly had the #1 song with "Dilemma".
2003:  S.W.A.T. starring LL Cool J was the #1 movie of the week.


2005:  The Eagles performed at Harrah's Outdoor Arena in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
2005:  Was there anything to challenge it?  "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey was #1 for an 11th week with not one song worthy of taking over #1.

Born This Day:
1942:  Michael Hugg, drummer and a founding member of Manfred Mann, was born in Gosport, Hampshire, England.
1942:  Guy Villari of the Regents was born in The Bronx, New York.

1943:  Kenny Gamble, who wrote so many great hists with Leon Huff, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1943:  Denny Payton, saxophone player of the Dave Clark Five, was born in Walthamstow, London, England.
1943:  Jim Kale, bass guitarist of the Guess Who, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
1947:  Jeff Hanna, singer, songwriter and guitarist of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was born in Detroit, Michigan.

1949:  Eric Carmen of the Raspberries and a great solo star, was born in Cleveland, Ohio.
1950:  Bonnie Pointer, a member of the Pointer Sisters and a solo performer ("Heaven Must Have Sent You" from 1979), was born in Oakland, California.
1952:  Erik Braunn, guitarist of Iron Butterfly, was born in Pekin, Illinois; died July 25, 2003.


1954:  Joe Jackson was born in Burton-upon-Trent, England.
1954:  Bryan Bassett, guitarist of Foghat, Molly Hatchet and Wild Cherry, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1957:  Richie Ramone (Richie Beau), drummer of the Ramones, was born in Passaic, New Jersey.
1959:  Suzanne Vega ("Luka") was born in Santa Monica, California.
1959:  Alan Frew, lead singer of Glass Tiger, was born in Coatbridge, Scotland.

1959:  Richie Sambora, ace guitarist of Bon Jovi, was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
1965:  Scott Shriner, bass guitarist of Weezer, was born in Toledo, Ohio .
1968:  Charlie Sexton, singer, songwriter and guitarist for Bob Dylan's backing band, a session musician for Don Henley and others and a solo performer ("Beats So Lonely"), was born in San Antonio, Texas.
1970:  Andy Bell, who joined Oasis in 1999
1975:  Lil' Kim (Stephanie Denise Jones) was born in New York City.
1976:  Ben Gibbard, singer for Death Cab for Cutie, was born in Bremerton, Washington.
1978:  Chris Kelly of Kriss Kross was born in Atlanta, Georgia; died May 1, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia from drugs.

This Date in Rock Music History: August 10

1954:  Elvis Presley sang his new song "That's All Right (Mama)" at Overton Park in Memphis, Tennessee.
1955:  Chuck Berry released his first single on this date as "Maybelline" was sent to radio stations.

1959:  Brook Benton had the top R&B song with "Thank You Pretty Baby".
1959:  Elvis Presley moved to #1 with his 37th hit, "A Big Hunk O' Love".
1961:  14-year-old Helen Shapiro became the youngest person to reach #1 in the U.K. with "You Don't Know".
1963:  Cliff Richard, the Searchers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes and the Shadows were on the 100th edition of Thank Your Lucky Stars on BBC-TV.
1963:  The Rolling Stones, Acker Bilk and Long John Baldry were all at the Richmond Jazz Festival in Richmond, England.  Sounds like they couldn't find enough jazz artists to perform.

1963:  Peter, Paul & Mary were at #1 for a second week with "Blowin' in the Wind".



1964:  Another Motown act released their first single on this date--the Four Tops sent "Baby, I Need Your Loving" to radio stations.
1968:  The Dells rose to #1 on the R&B chart with "Stay in My Corner".
1968:  Deep Purple, GInger Baker, Ten Years After, the Nice and Arthur Brown performed at the National Jazz & Blues Festival at the Kempton Park Race Course in Sunbury-On-Thames, England.
1968:  Tom Jones rose to the top of the U.K. album chart with Delilah.

1968:  "This Guy's in Love with You" by Herb Alpert remained #1 for a 10th week on the Easy Listening chart.
1970:  This guy had struggled for years writing songs for other artists.  He decided it was time to break free and put out his own music.  On this date, Elton John released his first single--"Border Song".
1970:  The trial of Jim Morrison of the Doors for indecent exposure onstage began in Miami, Florida.

1970:  Elvis Presley began performing at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
1970:  Simon & Garfunkel dominated the U.K. album chart with Bridge Over Troubled Water.  The Beatles were at #2 with Let It Be while Bob Dylan had the #3 album Self Portrait.
1974:  Bob Dylan re-signed with Columbia Records after being in the Elektra tent for a couple of LP's.

1974:  Roberta Flack topped the Easy Listening chart with "Feel Like Makin' Love".



                              Saluting Blue Magic's Top 10 hit

1974:  Roberta Flack moved to #1 with "Feel Like Makin' Love, holding off Paper Lace and "The Night Chicago Died" for the moment.  John Denver's #1 "Annie's Song" was at #3 followed by Elton John with "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me".  The rest of the Top 10:  Dave Loggins with "Please Come to Boston", Chicago's "Call on Me", ABBA's first hit "Waterloo" entering the Top 10, Blue Magic with "Sideshow", Jim Stafford and "Wildwood Weed" and Rufus moving from 19 to 10 with "Tell Me Something Good".

1974:  John Denver took over from Elton John's Caribou with Back Home Again, the new #1 album.  Bob Dylan & the Band had Before the Flood, 461 Ocean Boulevard by Eric Clapton was #4 and Loggins & Messina had #5 with On Stage.  The rest of the Top 10:  Bachman-Turner Overdrive II, Journey to the Center of the Earth by Rick Wakeman, Tres Hombres by ZZ Top, Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic at #9 and Paul McCartney & Wings were at #10 after 34 weeks with Band on the Run.
1975:  Manhattan Transfer got their own summer variety show which debuted on CBS-TV.

1976:  Elton John sold out 10 concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City and opened the first show on this date.  He grossed $1.25 million to break the previous record at the venue.
1979:  Michael Jackson released the album Off the Wall.

1981:  A great singer with a lot of promise released his first record on this date.  James Ingram released the single "Just Once".
1982:  Frank Zappa and Moon Unit Zappa performed "Valley Girl" on Late Night with David Letterman.
1982:  Queen performed at the Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut.
1983:  Kajagoogoo ("Too Shy" from 1983) fired lead singer Limahl, who began a solo career.
1985:  Like a Virgin by Madonna became the first album by a female artist to reach five million in sales.
1985:  Michael Jackson took the advice of Paul McCartney and invested in the ATV catalog which contained 251 songs written by McCartney and John Lennon.
1985:  Paul Young led the way on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Everytime You Go Away".

1985:  After 38 weeks, Reckless by Bryan Adams reached #1 on the album chart.  Tears for Fears were second with Songs from the Big Chair and Phil Collins held fast at #3 with No Jacket Required.  Sting had #4--The Dream of the Blue Turtles while Bruce Springsteen was #5 with Born in the U.S.A.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Power Station with their debut, Motley Crue with Theatre of Pain at #7, Prince & the Revolution had #8 with Around the World in a Day, Ratt was stuck at 9 with Invasion of Your Privacy and Dire Straits entered the Top 10 with Brothers in Arms.
1987:  Wilson Pickett was found guilty of possessing a shotgun with intent to endanger life.
1992:  Def Leppard began an extensive tour at Madison Square Garden.
1993:  The Dave Matthews Band played at The Flood Zone in Richmond, Virginia.  Two of the songs at the performance were included on the album Remember Two Things.
1994:  The Eagles were at the Great Woods Amphitheatre in Boston, Massachusetts.

1995:  Van Halen appeared on Late Night with David Letterman.
1995:  Jimmy Buffet was the musical act for United States President Bill Clinton's birthday celebration at the White House.
1999:  Oasis announced that rhythm guitarist Paul Arthurs was leaving the group.
2004:  Esquire Magazine named Andre 3000 of OutKast the Best Dressed Man.
2006:  Barbara George "I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)" from 1961) died of a lung infection at the age of 63.
2004:  Rick Fox of the Los Angeles Lakers filed for divorce from Vanessa Williams.
2008:  Isaac Hayes, singer-songwriter most noted for the #1 song "Theme From 'Shaft'" died at his home in Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 65.

2010:  Olivia Newton-John was made an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia by the Governor-General  in Canbera.

Born This Day:
1909:  Leo Fender, inventor of that great guitar, was born in Anaheim, California; died March 21, 1991.


1928:  Jimmy Dean ("Big Bad John") was born in Plainview, Texas; died June 13, 2010.
1928:  Eddie Fisher was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died September 22, 2010.

1940:  Bobby Hatfield of the Righteous Brothers was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin; died November 5, 2003.
1940:  "Tunes" Antunes of John Cafferty's Beaver Brown Band
1940:  Daddy Dewdrop (real name Richard Monda), who gave us "Chick-A-Boom" in 1971, was born in Cleveland, Ohio.

1943:  Ronnie Spector was born in New York City.
1943:  James Griffin of Bread was born in Cincinnati, Ohio; died of cancer January 11, 2005 at his home in Franklin, Tennessee.
1945:  Larry Larden of Every Mother's Son

1947:  Arlo Guthrie was born in Coney Island, New York.
1947:  Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull was born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
1947:  Ronnie Spector, lead singer with the Ronettes, was born in New York City. 
1948:  Patti Austin (The #1 song "Baby, Come to Me" with James Ingram) was born in New York City.
1949:  Andy Cresswell-Davis of the Korgis ("Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime")

1950:  Greg Kihn ("Jeopardy" and "The Breakup Song") was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
1954:  Neil Tennant, singer/songwriter of the Pet Shop Boys, was born in North Shields, Northumberland, England.
1959:  Mark Price, drummer for All About Eve who also worked with the Cure and Right Said Fred, was born in Bernley, Lancashire, England.
1961:  Jon Fariss, drummer of INXS, was born in Perth, Western Australia.
1962:  Julia Fordham, backing singer for Kim Wilde, was born in Portsmouth, England.
 1968:  Michael Bivins of New Edition and later Bell Biv Devoe was born in Boston, Massachusetts.

1980:  Jessica Simpson was born in Abilene, Texas.

New Featured Unknown/Underrated Song of the Rock Era: "No Time to Lose" by the Tarney/Spencer Band

Last week, we added "China Grove" by the Doobie Brothers to The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*, a song that not only is an obvious choice for the category but one that has become a classic.  Now we go to the other end of the spectrum, a great song by the Australian duo of Alan Tarney and Trevor Spencer that couldn't buy airtime.  It was released in 1979 and only made it to #84.  Then, to compound the mistake, radio missed the boat again when the song was re-released in 1981.  You would think that Music Directors would have seen the light but they failed again!  Instead, music lovers now flock to sites like Inside the Rock Era to hear songs that they should have heard all along, as we bring light to the Tarney Spencer Band.

"No Time to Lose"

by the Tarney Spencer Band

Words and Music

Every day I walk in shadows
I know not what it is
Heading for

And as the evening lies dying
A gentle heart dies near me sighing
It's still the same
You'll never change

You can never understand
We can now be like water
Don't need more to find our way
Just get on where we came
It's a game
What a game

No time to lose
No time to lose

No time to lose
No time to lose

Go with the flow
Never let go
No time to lose

There ain't no way to see forever
It's only day to day
I'm living for

Like a wheel you keep me turning
Put your love inside me burning
Questions plain
When you're lovin' me

You can never understand
We can now be like water
Don't need more to find our way
Just get on where we came
It's a game
What a game

No time to lose
No time to lose

No time to lose
No time to lose

Go with the flow
Never let go
No time to lose

You can never understand
We can now be like water
Don't need more to find our way
Just get on where we came
It's a game

No time to lose
No time to lose

No time to lose
No time to lose

Go with the flow
Never let go
No time to lose

No time to lose
No time to lose

No time to lose
No time to lose

This Date in Rock Music History: August 9

1958:  Cliff Richard signed a recording contract with EMI Records and also began a four-week residency at Butlins Holiday Camp in Clacton-On-Sea, Essex.
1960:  Johnny Horton recorded "North To Alaska".
1963:  The British television show Ready, Set!  Go! debuted on the BBC.
1964:  The Rolling Stones were live at the New Elizabeth Ballroom in Belle Vue, Manchester.
1964:  Bob Dylan and Joan Baez performed together for the first time.
1965:  The Silkie recorded their version of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away.  Paul McCartney played guitar, George Harrison played tambourine and John Lennon produced the song.

1967:  Love was contagious.  On this date, Scott McKenzie hit #1 in the U.K. with his great song "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers In Your Hair").

1969:  A new group appeared on the scene.  They first hit the chart on this date with "Questions 67 and 68".  Their name originally was Chicago Transit Authority, but we know them as simply Chicago.
1969:  The great album Blood, Sweat & Tears continued to be #1 on the album chart, followed by the Soundtrack to "Hair", which was in its 53rd week of release.  The Soundtrack to "Romeo & Juliet" was next, followed by This is Tom Jones and A Warm Shade of Ivory by Henry Mancini & His Orchestra.  The rest of the Top 10:  In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly, Cream, up 25-7 with the Best of Cream, the self-titled Crosby, Stills & Nash, Johnny Cash At San Quentin entered the Top 10 and the 5th Dimension was at 10 with The Age of Aquarius.

 One of the most important songs ever released--Jackie DeShannon

1969:  "Commotion" by CCR moved from #71 to #34 on this date.

1969:  "In the Year 2525" by Zager and Evans continued to roll along at #1 for a fourth week with "Crystal Blue Persuasion by Tommy James & the Shondells one step away.  The Rolling Stones moved from #8 to #3 with "Honky Tonk Women" .  All three songs are still ranked high in The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.  Jr. Walker & the All-Stars owned #4--"What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" and Neil Diamond moved to #5 with "Sweet Caroline".  The rest of the Top 10:  Kenny Rogers & the First Edition with "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town", Johnny Cash moved from 20-7 with "A Boy Named Sue", Stevie Wonder with "My Cherie Amour", Jackie DeShannon jumped up from 25 to 9 with "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" and Andy Kim fell with "Baby, I Love You".
1973:  Guitarist Henry McCullough and drummer Denny Seiwell left the group Wings.
1974:  Bill Chase and three other members of the group Chase ("Get It On" from 1971) died in a plane crash in Jackson, Minnesota.
1975:  Don Kirshner held the first Rock Music Award Show in Santa Monica, California.  The Eagles, Stevie Wonder and Bad Company were among the winners.
1975:  Janis Ian's biting "At Seventeen" was #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

              Glen Campbell was headed to the top

1975:  The Bee Gees scored their first #1 song in four years with "Jive Talkin'", hopping over 10 CC's "I'm Not in Love", which had to settle for being a #2 song for three weeks.  Olivia Newton-John was beginning to cross over on a regular basis as "Please Mr. Please" was #3.  The previous #1 from the Eagles ("One of These Nights") was at #4 followed by Elton John's classic "Someone Saved My Life Tonight".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Midnight Blue" by Melissa Manchester followed by four new entries, "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell which moved 14-7, War's "Why Can't We Be Friends?", James Taylor jumped up from 15 to 9 with his remake of the Marvin Gaye hit "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" and Mike Post at #10 with "The Rockford Files".

              The Isley Brothers were up to #2


1975:  One of These Nights by the Eagles had only been out seven weeks but three of those were at #1 as the quality was already evident.  The Isley Brothers had the biggest album of their career--The Heat Is On at #2.  The Captain & Tennille were at 3 with Love Will Keep Us Together while Elton John's amazing Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy album was at #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Cut the Cake by Average White Band, Venus and Mars from Wings, James Taylor placed Gorilla at #7, the Greatest Hits package from Cat Stevens was at #8, Earth, Wind & Fire were in the 22nd week of release with That's the Way of the World and Jefferson Starship was staging one of rock's most incredible comebacks with Red Octopus, which entered the Top 10.
1980:  ABBA had the top song in the U.K. with "The Winner Takes It All".
1980:  AC/DC hit #1 in the U.K. with the album Back in Black.

1980:  The Rolling Stones remained at #1 for the third week with Emotional Rescue.  Jackson Browne's great album Hold Out moved to #2 while Billy Joel remained at 3 with Glass Houses.  Those are three great albums.  The Soundtrack to "Urban Cowboy" was at #4 while Queen's The Game was fifth.  The rest of the Top 10:  Diana from Diana Ross, Empty Glass by Pete Townshend, the Soundtrack to "The Empire Strikes Back" was at #8, the debut from Christopher Cross moved from 19 to 9 and another of The Top 100 Albums of All-Time in the Rock Era*--Against the Wind from Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band entered the Top 10.

1980:  Olivia Newton-John had one of her biggest hits as "Magic" was #1 for a third week on the Adult Contemporary chart.

1980:  Diana Ross had one of the hottest up-and-coming songs in the nation as "Upside Down" moved from 49 to 10.
1985:  "The Motown Review", hosted by Smokey Robinson, premiered on television.
1986:  Queen appeared in concert for the final time at Knebworth Park in England.
1986:  Peter Cetera from Sun Valley, Idaho remained at #1 for the third week on the AC chart with "Glory of Love".

1991:  The great group the 5th Dimension earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.



1995:  Jerry Garcia of Grateful Dead died of a heart attack at the age of 53.
1996:  The Ramones broke up.

         Matchbox 20 entered the Top 10


1997:  No Way Out debuted at #1 by Puff Daddy & the Family.  The Soundtrack to "Men in Black" had to fall, while Spice by the Spice Girls was #3.  Hanson owned #4--Middle of Nowhere and Sarah McLachlan's fine Surfacing fell to #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Fat of the Land by Prodigy, Supa Dupa Fly from Missy Elliott, Jewel was now moving back up at #8 with Pieces of You in its 76th week, Matchbox entered the Top 10 with their great album Yourself or Someone Like You and the self-titled God's Property was at #10.
1999:  Bob Herbert, manager of the Spice Girls, was killed in a car crash in Windsor, England.
2003:  Hanson began their acoustic tour of the United States.
2003:  Roger Daltrey played the part of Doctor Dolittle in My Fair Lady.


2003:  The Eagles performed at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
2005:  In Today's edition of "Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music", rapper Beanie Sigel was released from federal prison in Fairton, New Jersey. 
2008:  Bo Diddley was given an honorary doctorate posthumously from the University of Florida in Gainesville.


Born This Day:
1939:  Billy Henderson of the Spinners was born in Indianapolis, Indiana.
1946:  Marinus Gerritsen, bassist and keyboardist of Golden Earring, was born in Hague, the Netherlands.
1947:  Barbara Mason ("Yes I'm Ready" from 1965) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1954:  Pete Thomas of Elvis Costello's Attractions
1954:  Debbie Sledge of Sister Sledge was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1955:  Benjamin Orr of the Cars was born in Cleveland, Ohio.
1955:  Charlie Morgan, drummer and percussionist who worked with Paul McCartney, Elton John, Tina Turner, Orleans and Kate Bush

1959:  Jim Kerr, founder and singer/songwriter of Simple Minds, was born in Toryglen, Glasgow, Scotland.
1959:  Marc Almond (Peter Mark Sinclair) of Soft Cell was born in Southport, Lancashire, England (now Southport, Merseyside).
1959:  Kurtis Blow was born in Harlem, New York.

1963:  Whitney Houston was born in Newark, New Jersey; died February 11, 2012 when she drowned in her hotel bathtub after taking drugs.
1972:  Arion Salazar, bass guitarist of Third Eye Blind, was born in Oakland, California.