Saturday, August 25, 2012

This Date in Rock Music History: August 26

1961:  Bobby Lewis enjoyed his eighth week at #1 on the R&B chart with "Tossin' And Turnin'".
1963:  Cilla Black appeared in a major concert for the first time, opening for the Beatles at the Odeon Cinema in Southport, England.



1964:  The Kinks released the single "You Really Got Me" in the United States.  It had been released on August 4 in the U.K.
1965:  The Byrds were in concert at the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California.
1967:  The Beatles gave a press conference with guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.  Paul McCartney announced that the group had given up drugs.  "It was an experience we went through," he said.  "We don't need it anymore."















1967:  Small Faces headlined the first day of the three-day Festival of the Flower Children at Woburn Abbey in England, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Bedford.  It was the first time a music festival of that magnitude had been attempted in Great Britain.  No official posters or promotional announcements can be found that show the schedule of performers, but it is believed that the new group the Bee Gees, the Alan Price Set, and Marmalade also performed on opening day.  Another highlight of the first day was when a hot air balloon dropped 5,000 flowers on the crowd. 
1967:  Aretha Franklin had the new #1 R&B song with "Baby I Love You".
1967:  The Box Tops moved from 58 to 25 with "The Letter".













                                                    They don't make 'em much better than this classic from Bobbie Joe..

1967:  After just four weeks, Bobbie Gentry had made the long haul up to #1 with "Ode To Billie Joe".  The Beatles retreated after a brief one-week stay with "All You Need Is Love".  The Monkees maintained at #3 with "Pleasant Valley Sunday" with "Light My Fire" by the Doors still hanging around.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Baby I Love You" by Aretha Franklin, "I Was Made To Love Her" by Stevie Wonder, "Cold Sweat" by James Brown, the Supremes moved from 20 to 8 with the innovative "Reflections", the Temptations were up to 9 with "You're My Everything" and Procol Harum held on with "A Whiter Shade Of Pale.













                                       The Association reached the Top 10 with the best of their studio albums...


1967:  The Beatles made it week number nine as the top album once again was Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club BandHeadquarters by the Monkees was #2.  The Rolling Stones had a distant #3 with Flowers while the Doors' debut moved up to #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Surrealistic Pillow by Jefferson Airplane, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You from Aretha Franklin at #6, Sounds Like from Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Engelbert Humperdinck had #8 with Release Me, the 5th Dimension with Up, Up and Away and the Association reached the Top 10 with Insight Out.

















1968:  Mary Hopkin released her single "Those Were The Days" in the United States.










1969:  Elvis Presley released the single "Suspicious Minds".
1970:  Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studio opened at 52 West Eighth Street in New York City.  Hendrix spent just four weeks recording there before his death, but since then, artists such as AC/DC, Bob Dylan, Hall & Oates, John Lennon, Kiss, John Mayer, the Clash, and Daft Punk have recorded at Electric Lady. 
1970:  Guitarist Duane Allman joined Derek & the Dominoes in a recording studio in Florida for the beginning of sessions that would result in the album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.
1970:  Kris Kristofferson, Redbone, and Rosalie Sorrels performed on the opening day of the fantastic Isle of Wight Festival at Afton Down on the Isle of Wight.  Chicago, The Who, the Moody Blues, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, the Doors, Sly and the Family Stone, Donovan, Jethro Tull, Joan Baez, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Free, Miles Davis, Procol Harum, Melanie, Lighthouse, Ten Years After and Spirit all performed in subsequent days at the Festival.  Experts generally agree that this was the largest music festival in history, with estimates ranging from 600,000 to 700,000.
1972:  Three Dog Night had a hot song as one of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*, "Black And White", moved from 47-23.









1972:  It was their only hit but "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" was a good one--#1 in fact.  Gilbert O'Sullivan grudgingly dropped to #2 with "Alone Again (Naturally)" but he would be back.  The Hollies held on to 3 with "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress" and Al Green moved up with "I'm Still in Love With You".  Jim Croce ("You Don't Mess Around With Jim") and Mac Davis ("Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me") had new entries in the Top 10.
1973:  10cc appeared live for the first time at the Douglas Palace Lido on the Isle of Man.
1973:  Bobby Darin performed live for the final time at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.  He died later that year.  (Note:  several websites report that Darin's final show was August 25, and some say it was August 5.  According to the official website for Darin, the correct date is August 26.)












1974:  Bachman-Turner Overdrive released their great album Not Fragile.

1975:  The Eagles were in concert in Salt Lake City, Utah.

















1977:  The Pretenders made their live debut opening for Strangeways at Unity Hall in Wakefield, England.
1977:  Uriah Heap and Golden Earring were among the performers on the opening day of the three-day Reading Festival in England.  Aerosmith, the Doobie Brothers, and the Little River Band, Thin Lizzy, and Hawkwind would perform on subsequent days.
1978:  Here's a great show--Fleetwood Mac, the Cars, Todd Rundgren and Utopia, Eddie Money and Bob Welch were in concert at the World Series of Rock at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio.
1978:  Oh Canada!  The First Jam Festival opened at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario.  The Doobie Brothers, the Commodores, Kansas, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, the Village People, Dave Mason, Triumph, and Dave Mason were among the performers.  The Festival attracted 110,000 fans, the biggest concert in Canadian history up to that point.










1978:  The Commodores scored a second week at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Three Times A Lady".
1978:  "Don't Look Back" by Boston moved from 62 to 36 on this date.


















                                                                      Walter Egan 's one and only big hit...

1978:  "Grease" had been the word all summer and finally the charts proved it as Frankie Valli reached #1.  The Commodores slipped with "Three Times A Lady".  The Rolling Stones latched on to position #3 with "Miss You" while "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey was fourth.  The rest of the Top 10:  Foreigner with "Hot Blooded", Pablo Cruise at #6 with "Love Will Find A Way", Olivia Newton-John with "Hopelessly Devoted To You", Walter Egan and "Magnet And Steel", Andy Gibb had his fourth straight Top 10 with "An Everlasting Love" and Donna Summer's former #1 "Last Dance" finished the list.
1979:  Peter Gabriel was joined by former Genesis bandmate Phil Collins for a version of the Genesis song "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" at the Reading Festival in England.
1980:  Bassist Tom Petersson left Cheap Trick.
1981:  The Rolling Stones released the album Tattoo You (Note:  various dates for the release date are scattered all over the Internet.  Some say the album was released August 24, others say it was released August 30.  According to the newspaper 'The New York Times', the album was released August 26.)
1981:  The Ottawa City Council honored Paul Anka by naming today "Paul Anka Day" and the Council also named a street in Ottawa "Paul Anka Drive".
1983:  David Bowie starred in the movie Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, which opened in theaters.
1987:  Sonny Bono announced that he would run for mayor of Palm Springs, California.  He was victorious.
1988:  The Reading Festival in Reading, England kicked off with the Ramones and Iggy Pop.   Starship, Squeeze, Bonnie Tyler, Meat Loaf, John Hiatt, Hothouse Flowers and more would perform on subsequent days.
1989:  "It's No Crime" by Babyface was the new R&B #1 song.





1989:  Richard Marx owned the #1 Adult Contemporary song for a fourth week with "Right Here Waiting".
1990:  Randy Newman won an Emmy Award for the music he composed for the television show Cop Rock.














1990:  Stevie Ray Vaughan performed at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, Wisconsin.  Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and Jimmie Vaughan joined Stevie Ray for the encore.  The next morning, Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed in a helicopter crash.
1995:  Blur reached #1 in the U.K. with "Country House".
1995:  "Boombastic" by Shaggy rose to #1 on the R&B chart.
1995:  Coolio moved from 28 to 6 with his remake of the Stevie Wonder song "Pastime Paradise", retitled "Gangsta's Paradise".

















1995:  Seal hit #1 with "Kiss From A Rose", ending TLC's seven-week stay at #1 with "Waterfalls". 
1996:  The Corrs performed for the first of two nights at the Carrickdale Hotel in Dundalk, Ireland.
1997:  Boyzone began a tour of Southeast Asia in Bangalore, India.  That was a first on many fronts, not the least of which was the first time an international act had performed in the region.













1997:  Creed released their debut album My Own Prison.
1997:  Chad Smith, drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, suffered a dislocated shoulder following a motorcycle crash on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.  He was treated at Cedars-Sinai Hospital and released.
2000:  Douglas Allen Woody, bassist of the Allman Brothers, was found dead sitting in a chair at a hotel in Queens, New York at age 44.  The cause of death was "unknown".
2001:  Madonna's concert at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan was filmed and would be part of the DVD Madonna - Drowned World Tour 2001.
2001:  Staind owned the top U.K. album with Break the Cycle.
2001:  Maxwell had the top album in the U.S. with Now.










2004:  Laura Branigan died of a brain aneurysm at age 52 at home in East Quogue, New York.  (Note:  numerous websites, including the newspaper 'The New York Times' and 'Billboard' magazine, incorrectly say that Branigan was 47 at the time of her death.  According to Laura's high school, Byram Hills High School in Armonk, New York, Laura was born July 3, 1952, which made her 52 when she died.)
2005:  Former Quarrymen members John Duff Lowe and Colin Hantonat unveiled a Blue Plaque at the Percy Phillips studio in Liverpool, England, the site where the band that was to become the Beatles made their first recordings in 1958.
2005:  A post office in Los Angeles near where Ray Charles recorded most of his music was renamed the Ray Charles Post Office.
2008:  Pink Floyd were awarded the Swedish Polar Music Prize at a ceremony in Stockholm.
2009:  It's Gonna' Be Alright, a documentary film featuring 17 performances by Gerry & the Pacemakers from 1963 to 1965, debuted at the Hard Day's Night Hotel in Liverpool, England.







2009:  Ellie Greenwich, a songwriter who gave us "Hanky Panky" by Tommy James & the Shondells, "Chapel Of Love" by the Dixie Cups, "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" by Manfred Mann, "Leader Of The Pack" by the Shangri-Las and "Da Doo Ron Ron" by the Crystals, among many others, died of a heart attack at the age of 68 at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan, New York.


Born This Day:
1939:  Fred Milano, one of the original members of the Belmonts, was born in the Bronx, New York; died January 1, 2012 of complications of lung cancer in New York City.
1941:  Chris Curtis, drummer and lead singer of the Searchers, was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England; died February 28, 2005 in Liverpool, England.
1942:  Vic Dana, who had a hit with a remake of "Red Roses For A Blue Lady" in 1959, was born in Buffalo, New York.  (Note:  MTV claims that Dana was born in 1940, while 'Billboard' and most other reputable sources say he was born in 1942.)
1944:  Maureen Tucker, drummer of Velvet Underground, was born in  Levittown, New York.



1946:  Valerie Simpson of the duo Ashford & Simpson ("Solid"), who with Ashford wrote songs such as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing", "You're All I Need To Get By", and "I'm Every Woman", was born in the Bronx, New York.  (Note:  MTV reports Simpson was born in New York City, while some websites report Simpson was born in 1945 or 1948 .  According to the book 'Motown:  The Golden Years' by Bill dahl, she was born in 1946 in the Bronx.)
1949:  Bob Cowsill of the Cowsills was born in Portsmouth, Virginia.
1949:  Dick Cowsill of the Cowsills was born in Portsmouth, Virginia; died of lung cancer July 8, 2014 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, sleeping as his twin brother Bob worked at his computer.  (Note:  some websites report Dick died in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but according to the group's official website, he died in Rio Rancho.)
1952:  Billy Rush, guitarist and songwriter of Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes
1954:  Michael Chetwood, keyboard player for T'Paul ("Heart And Soul" from 1987), was born in Telford, England.
1957:  John O'Neill, the main songwriter and rhythm guitarist of the Undertones, was born in Derry, Northern Ireland.
1966:  Shirley Manson, lead vocalist of Garbage, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland.  (Note:  some websites report Manson was born on August 3.  Her correct birthdate is August 26, according to 'Biography.com'.)
1966:  Dan Vickrey, lead guitarist of the Counting Crows, was born in Walnut Creek, California.
1969:  Adrian Young, drummer of No Doubt, was born in Long Beach, California.

Friday, August 24, 2012

This Date in Rock Music History: August 25


1956:  The Platters spent another week at #1 on the R&B chart with the classic "My Prayer".
1957:  Paul Anka topped the U.K. chart with "Diana".
1958:  Jimmy Clanton had the top R&B song with "Just A Dream".








 
1958:  Tommy Edwards moved from #96 to #40 on this date with "It's All In The Game".









1958:  It was only the fourth chart in Billboard history and already we had our third #1 song--"Little Star" by the Elegants.  Domenico Modugno fell with "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Bul (Volare)" while the Everly Brothers got in on the fun with "Bird Dog", which moved from 17-3.
1960:  The Shadows had the first of five #1's in the U.K. with "Apache".









1961:  The Beatles played at the Cavern Club in Liverpool in the afternoon, then hopped aboard the riverboat M.V. Royal Iris in Merseyside to open for Acker Bilk, one of four "riverboat shuffles" that the group took part in.
1962:  She had written many songs for other artists, but on this date Carole King's first single "It Might As Well Rain Until September" debuted on the chart.








1962:  "The Loco-Motion", written by Stanley, Idaho's Carole King, became the new #1 R&B song.










1962:  Peter, Paul & Mary moved from 90 to 59 with "If I Had A Hammer".
1962:  Little Eva reached #1 after nine weeks with "The Loco-Motion".  Neil Sedaka feel from his perch with "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" while Bobby Darin was up to 3 with "Things".  Ray Charles edged up with "You Don't Know Me" while Tommy Roe had the song "Sheila", which moved from 12 to 5.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Roses Are Red" from Bobby Vinton, Claudine Clark with "Party Lights", Elvis Presley was up to 8 with "She's Not You", Ray Stevens had song #9--"Ahab, The Arab" and Dion fell with "Little Diane".
1965:  The movie Wild on the Beach, with appearances from Sonny & Cher and Sandy Nelson, opened in theaters.
1967:  Brian Wilson joined the Beach Boys in concert at the Honolulu International Center in Honolulu, Hawai'i after taking two years off from touring.
1970:  Elton John made his debut in the United States, opening for David Ackles at the Troubadour in Hollywood, California.  Neil Diamond introduced Elton to the crowd.




1971:  Led Zeppelin played at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas.
1973:  Butch Trucks, drummer for the Allman Brothers Band, broke his leg in a car crash near Macon, Georgia.
1973:  Faces, Status Quo, and Lindsfarne performed on the second day of the annual National Jazz, Blues and Rock Festival in Reading, England.
1973:  Donny Osmond had the #1 U.K. song with "Young Love".







1973:  The Stories climbed all the way to #1 with "Brother Louie", leapfrogging the Wings hit "Live And Let Die".  Diana Ross slipped with her former #1 "Touch Me In The Morning".  Marvin Gaye ("Let's Get It On") and Maureen McGovern ("The Morning After") swapped places.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Delta Dawn" from Helen Reddy, "Get Down" by Gilbert O'Sullivan, "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose" by Tony Orlando & Dawn moved from 14 to 8, Charlie Daniels was still at 9 with "Uneasy Rider" and Jim Croce's former #1 smash "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" was song #10. 






1975:  Bruce Springsteen released the album Born to Run on Columbia Records.
1975:  Elton John performed for the first of three nights at the Troubadour in Los Angeles to raise $150,000 for the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA.
1976:  Frankie Avalon debuted his four-week variety series, Easy Does It, on CBS-TV.











1976:  Boston released their epic debut album on Epic Records (pun intended).  (Note:  some websites list the debut as August 5.  While there are no credible sources for its release, our best research indicates that it was released August 25.)
1977:  Helen Reddy was appointed as a member of the California State Parks Commission.
1979:  Cheap Trick, Thin Lizzy, Inner Circle, and Bram Tchaikovsky performed on the second day of the U.K. Reading Festival in Reading, England.
1979:  The #1 song in the U.K. was "We Don't Talk Anymore" by Cliff Richard, his first #1 in 11 years.
1979:  Elton John took over at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Mama Can't Buy You Love".







1979:  If you like hard rock, you have this song to thank, for it may have saved the future of the genre.  On this date, "My Sharona" by the Knack became the first rock song to reach #1 since "Blinded By The Light" back on February 19 of 1975.  There was nothing remotely of a heavier sound in between to reach #1.









1979:  Get the Knack by the Knack was the #1 album in a pretty good list.  The former #1 Breakfast in America by Supertramp moved back up to #2.  The Cars' follow-up Candy-O moved to 3 while Bad Girls by Donna Summer was at 4.  The rest of the Top 10:  I Am by Earth, Wind & Fire, Discovery from ELO, the Charlie Daniels Band had #7 with Million Mile Reflections, the Soundtrack to "The Kids Are Alright" by the Who, Neil Young & Crazy Horse's Rust Never Sleeps and John Stewart had #10 with Bombs Away Dream Babies.








1984:  "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker, Jr. was the new #1 on the R&B chart.










1984:  Purple Rain by Prince spent a fourth week at #1 on the Album chart.  Sports from Huey Lewis & the News moved back up to 2 after 47 weeks of release.  Bruce Springsteen switched places after 10 weeks of release with Born in the U.S.A. but Private Dancer from Tina Turner was up strong.  The rest of the Top 10: the great Cars album Heartbeat City was at 5, the Soundtrack to "Ghostbusters" came in sixth, the Jacksons' farewell album Victory Can't Slow Down, Ratt's Out of the Cellar could not move past 9 and the Pointer Sisters entered the Top 10 with Break Out.
1988:  Metallica released the album And Justice for All on Elektra Records.
1989:  Simon LeBon of Duran Duran and his wife Yasmin announced the birth of daughter Amber Rose.
1990:  "Come Back To Me" by Janet Jackson was the new #1 Adult Contemporary song.





1990:  M.C. Hammer spent an 11th non-consecutive week at #1 on the Album chart with Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em.  Wilson Phillips climbed up to #2 with their fantastic self-titled release while Poison was at 3 with Flesh & Blood.  Mariah Carey remained at #4 with her debut.  The rest of the Top 10:  Anita Baker's fine Compositions at 5, Bell Biv DeVoe with Poison, Keith Sweat came in at #8 with I'll Give All My Love to You, Madonna with the Soundtrack to "I'm Breathless" and the "Pretty Woman" Soundtrack.
1994:  The marriage between Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley was formally dissolved with their divorce.
1994:  Jimmy Buffett's light plane flipped after taking off in Nantucket, Massachusetts.  He swam safely to shore.





1994:  Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, formerly of Led Zeppelin, reunited in London to record the "Unplugged" show on MTV.  The show was called "Unledded".  (Note:  some websites falsely say the show was called "Unleaded", but the album was entitled 'Unledded'.)
1994:  Take That began a tour of the U.K. with three nights at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) in Glasgow, Scotland.
1995:  The U.K. Reading Festival has always been able to attract top talent and this year was no exception.  Green Day, the Smashing Pumpkins and Beck opened the festivities for the three-day event.







1999:  Lionel Richie played a concert in front of the Sphinx in Egypt.
1999:  Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan, bass guitarist, left the group Oasis.  McGuigan was the final founding member of the group to leave.  (Note:  several websites report he left on August 24, but according to the newspapers 'The Independent', 'The Guardian' and 'The Mirror', he left on August 25.)
1999:  Rob Fisher, keyboardist and songwriter of Naked Eyes and Climie Fisher, died of cancer in Surrey, England at the age of 42.  







2000:  Jack Nitzsche, who produced for the Rolling Stones and Neil Young and also co-wrote "Up Where We Belong" for the classic movie An Officer and a Gentleman, died of cardiac arrest brought on by a recurring bronchial infection in Hollywood, California at the age of 63.








2001:  Aaliyah and eight others were killed when their plane crashed in Marsh Harbor in the Abacos islands of the northern Bahamas.  The cause of the crash was engine failure due to the plane being overloaded.
2002:  Eva Cassidy had the #1 U.K. album with Imagine.
2006:  Tom Hamilton, bassist for Aerosmith, began recovering from tongue cancer after undergoing seven weeks of radiation treatment.  (Note:  some websites say that Hamilton underwent treatment on this date.  According to the newspaper 'The Washington Post', Hamilton announced on August 25 that he was recovering from radiation treatment, which he had been undergoing for seven weeks.  Some websites report that he had treatment from tongue and throat cancer on this date.  According to the sources mentioned above, it was only for tongue cancer.  The cancer later spread to his throat, which forced Hamilton to undergo non-invasive surgery for in 2009.)
2006:  Franz Ferdinand, the Kaiser Chiefs, Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, and the Subways opened the entertainment at the three-day Reading Festival in Leeds and Reading, England.
2007:  Arthur Brown accidentally set himself on fire while singing the song "Fire" in Lewes, Sussex, England.
2007:  Red Hot Chili Peppers, Arcade Fire, and Panic!  at the Disco performed on the second day of the Carling Weekend Reading Festival in Leeds and Reading, England.
2010:  An inside look at the early years of the Beatles was unveiled in Liverpool, England at the University of Liverpool's Victoria Gallery and Museum.  Photographs taken by Astrid Kirchherr, the former fiancé of original bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, were displayed, including pictures of the group on vacation in Tenerife and the making of the movie A Hard Day's Night.


Born This Day:
1943:  Walter Williams of the O'Jays was born in Canton, Ohio.  (Note:  several websites report Williams was born in 1942.  According to Walter's official website and his official Facebook page, he was born in 1943.)
1947:  Keith Tippett, pianist with King Crimson, was born in Bristol, England.
1949:  Gene Simmons, songwriter and bass guitarist of KISS,was born in Haifa, Israel.

1951:  Rob Halford, lead singer of Judas Priest, was born in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, England.  (Note:  'Billboard' and MTV report Halford was born in Birmingham, England, and some websites claim he was born in Walsall, Staffordshire, England.  Sutton was born at his aunt's home in Sutton Coldfield, and raised in Walsall, according to the book 'The Story of Judas Priest:  Defenders of the Faith' by Neil Daniels.)
1951:  James Warren, singer and bassist of the Korgis ("Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime"), was born in Bristol, Somerset, England.
1952:  Geoff Downs, keyboardist and songwriter of the Buggles, Yes and Asia, was born in Stockport, Cheshire, England.
1954:  Elvis Costello (Declan Patrick MacManus), singer and husband of the great Diana Krall, was born in Paddington, Middlesex, England.  (Note:  several websites make the mistake of saying Costello was born in Paddington, London, with London being the county Paddington is currently a part of.  In 1954, the time of Elvis's birth, Paddington was in the county of Middlesex, so you will never see an official birth certificate from 1954 with Paddington listed in the county of London.)






1962:  Vivian Campbell, elite guitarist of Def Leppard and Whitesnake, was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1966:  DJ Terminator X (Norman Rogers) of Public Enemy

Thursday, August 23, 2012

This Date in Rock Music History: August 24


This Date in Rock Music History: August 23


1962:  John Lennon married Cynthia Powell at the Mount Pleasant Registry Office in Liverpool, England with fellow Beatles George Harrison and Paul McCartney present.
























1962:  Bobby "Boris" Pickett released the single "Monster Mash".
1963:  The Rolling Stones appeared for the first time on the British television show Ready  Steady  Go!, along with the Hollies, Lulu, and the Yardbirds.
1966:  Big Brother & the Holding Company signed with Mainstream Records in return for airfare back to San Francisco.  Talk about a shoestring budget.
1966:  The Beatles' double-sided hit "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" became the group's 11th #1 in the U.K.
1967:  Joni Mitchell was in concert for the first time in the U.K., opening for the Piccadilly Line at the Marquee Club in London.
1968:  The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Big Brother & the Holding Company, the Chambers Brothers, and Soft Machine played before an overflow audience of 18,000 at the New York Rock Festival at the Singer Bowl at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens.










1969:  The Temptations climbed from #84 to #48 with "I Can't Get Next To You".
1969:  Johnny Cash At San Quentin was the new #1 album, replacing the great Blood, Sweat & Tears debut.  The Soundtrack to "Hair" was third, followed by the Best of Cream.  Blind Faith made an unbelievable jump from #111 to #5 with their debut.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Soft Parade by the Doors, the Soundtrack to "Romeo & Juliet" fell to #7, This Is Tom Jones took position #8, the self-titled Crosby, Stills & Nash was #9 and Iron Butterfly was still hanging around after 58 weeks with In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.
1969:  Aretha Franklin scored her seventh #1 song on the R&B chart with "Share Your Love With Me".
1969:  Zager & Evans made it two weeks at #1 on the Easy Listening chart with "In The Year 2525".













                                                                 Neil Diamond with an early career classic...

1969:  The Rolling Stones registered their 24th career hit and fifth #1 with "Honky Tonk Women".  Johnny Cash had everyone talking with "A Boy Named Sue" and Tommy James & the Shondells sang one of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*--"Crystal Blue Persuasion".  Neil Diamond was fourth with "Sweet Caroline" and Zager and Evans slipped after six weeks at #1 with "In The Year 2525".  The rest of the Top 10:  Jackie DeShannon with another of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*--"Put A Little Love In Your Heart", Creedence Clearwater Revival took "Green River" from 15 to 7, Tony Joe White entered the Top 10 with "Polk Salad Annie", the Youngbloods with the third member of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era* in the Top 10 on this date (imagine that, three being from 1969) with "Get Together" and the Guess Who landed at 10 with "Laughing".






















1970:  Emerson, Lake and Palmer performed for the first time at Plymouth Guildhall in Plymouth, England.
1970:  Lou Reed left the Velvet Underground after a performance at Max's in Kansas City, Missouri.
1971:  Diana Ross had the #1 U.K. song with "I'm Still Waiting".
































1972:  Jim Croce released the single "Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels".








































1975:  Paul Kassoff, former guitarist of Free, came back to life after his heart stopped beating for 35 minutes.  Doctors removed a blood clot in his leg and he was released.
1975:  Yes, Supertramp and Thin Lizzy were among the performers on the second day of a very successful Reading Festival in Reading, England.
1975:  James Taylor moved to #1 on the Adult chart with "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)".


















 
1975:  K.C. and the Sunshine Band landed a #1 song on the R&B chart with "Get Down Tonight".


































1975:  Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds rose to the top with "Fallin' In Love", jumping over the Eagles' "One Of These Nights".  K.C. and the Sunshine Band had a hot song with "Get Down Tonight", moving from 12 to 3.  The former #1 "Jive Talkin'" was fourth by the Bee Gees.  The rest of the Top 10:  Glen Campbell and "Rhinestone Cowboy", War with "Why Can't We Be Friends?", James Taylor edged up with "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", Elton John's epic "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" was on its way down, Janis Ian's song "At Seventeen" pierced through the radio and rose from 16 to 9 and Olivia Newton-John took the #10 spot with "Please Mr. Please".










1977:  Monday fell on this date, and that of course meant the release date for new singles.  Linda Ronstadt released her remake of the Roy Orbison song "Blue Bayou".
1980:  Iron Maiden, UFO, and the Pat Travers Band were among the performers on the second day of the annual Reading Festival in Reading, England.
1980:  The Pretenders, B-52's, Talking Heads and Elvis Costello performed at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada for the Heatwave Festival.
















1980:  David Bowie had the #1 single in the U.K. with "Ashes To Ashes".

































1980:  Olivia Newton-John remained #1 for the fourth week with "Magic" while Christopher Cross was poised to strike at #2 with the beautiful "Sailing".  The S.O.S. Band somehow found their way at #3 with "Take Your Time (Do It Right)", the Rolling Stones were still at 4 with "Emotional Rescue" and Diana Ross maintained at 5 with "Upside Down".  The rest of the Top 10:  Billy Joel's former #1 "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me", Irene Cara blasted into the Top 10 with "Fame", Air Supply moved from 21 to 8 with their second single "All Out Of Love", Pete Townshend's solo hit "Let My Love Open the Door" was at 9 and Kim Carnes closed the list with "More Love".
1985:  Aerosmith opened a tour at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, Wisconsin.












1986:  The Miami Sound Machine were the vehicle for Gloria Estefan, and on this date, they rose to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Words Get In The Way".
1989:  Ric Ocasek of the Cars married Paulina Porizkova.
1990:  An anonymous buyer purchased the childhood home of Bob Dylan in Hibbing, Minnesota.














1990:  David Rose, the composer who wrote one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era* ("The Stripper") and also wrote the themes to the popular television shows Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie, died of a heart attack in Burbank, California at the age of 80.
1991:  The re-formed Dire Straits began a world tour at Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.
1991:  Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Babes in Toyland and Iggy Pop were among the performers at the three-day Reading Festival in England.














1993:  Duran Duran was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, next to John Lennon's on the corner of Vine and Yucca.



































1994:  The Eagles performed at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
1996:  Rage Against the Machine, the Offspring, the Prodigy, and Ice T performed on the opening day of the Reading Festival in Reading, England.
1997:  Texas had the top U.K. song with "White On Blonde".
1997:  Usher debuted at #25 with "You Make Me Wanna'".  (Note:  some websites mistakenly say the song debuted at #4.  According to the official "Billboard' website, it debuted at #25 on August 23, 1997.)












2000:  Kenny Loggins was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard.
2002:  Guns N' Roses, the Offspring, Incubus, Slipknot, and Puddle of Mudd headlined the U.K. Carling Leeds-Reading Festival.
2003:  Bobby Brown was arrested while eating dinner with former wife Whitney Houston at an Atlanta, Georgia restaurant.  Brown had violated parole.
2003:  Linkin Park, Stained, Blink-182 and Jay-Z headlined the second day at the U.K. Reading and Leeds Festival.
2003:  Floetry won Best Single ("Say Yes"), Best Album (Floetic) and Best New Group at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards.
2004:  Queen became the first U.K. group to receive approval to play in Iran.
2008:  Madonna began a world tour at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
2008:  The Killers, the Raconteurs, and the Subways performed on the second day of the Carling Weekend Reading Festival in Reading and Leeds, England.
2009:  Calvin Harris owned the top album in the U.K. with Ready for the Weekend.

Born This Day:
1936:  Rudy Lewis of the Drifters was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died May 20, 1964 in his hotel in Manhattan, New York of a probable drug overdose.
1938:  David (Roger Greenaway) of David & Jonathan, who, along with Roger Cook, wrote many songs for other artists, including "My Baby Loves Lovin'" for White Plains, "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress" for the Hollies, and also a noted producer, was born in Fishponds, Bristol, Gloucestershire, England.
1942:  Tony Micale, lead singer of the Reflections "(Just Like) Romeo & Juliet"), was born in the Bronx, New York.

1947:  Keith Moon, drummer of the Who, was born in Wembley, Middlesex, England; died September 7, 1978 of an overdose of Heminevrin, a drug intended to curb alcohol abuse.  (Note:  some websites report that he was born in London, while others say Willesden or Harlesden.  According to the official website for the Who, Moon was born in Wembley, Middlesex.)



















1949:  Rick Springfield was born in Sydney, Australia.
1951:  Jim Jamison, lead singer of Survivor, was born in Durant, Mississippi; died August 31, 2014 of a hemorrhagic brain stroke in Memphis, Tennessee.
1951:  Mark Hudson of the Hudson Brothers, backing vocalist for Alice Cooper, Jon Bon Jovi and Hanson, and a songwriter and producer who worked with Aerosmith, Cher, Ringo Starr, and Harry Nilsson, was born in Portland, Oregon.
1953:  Bobby G. (real name Robert Gubby), vocalist of Bucks Fizz, was born in Epsom, Surrey, England.
1954:  Mark Avsec, songwriter and keyboardist for Wild Cherry and co-founder and lead guitarist of Donnie Iris & the Cruisers
1961:  Dean DeLeo, guitarist of Stone Temple Pilots was born in Montclair, New Jersey.  (Note:  several websites report Dean was born in Newark, Jersey, while others say he was born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey; 'Allmusic.com' even throws in Glen Ridge, New Jersey.  He was born in Montclair, a suburb of Newark, and grew up in Point Pleasant.)
1974:  Shifty Shellshock (real name Seth Brooks Binzer) of Crazy Town ("Butterfly" from 2001) was born in Los Angeles, California.
1978:  Julian Casablancas, guitarist and lead singer of the Strokes, was born in New York City.
1979:  Richard Neville, vocalist of Five, was born in Solihull, Birmingham, England.
1981:  Natalie Horler, singer of the German dance group Cascada, was born in Bonn, Germany.