1956: One of the most historic days of the Rock Era--Elvis Presley released the single "Heartbreak Hotel". RCA had just purchased Elvis's contract from Sun Records for $35,000. It seems the investment paid off.
1958: Little Richard entered Oakwood Theological College in Huntsville, Alabama, where he was ordained as a Seventh Day Adventist Minister.
1958: For the fourth week, Danny & the Juniors held the #1 spot on the R&B chart with the classic "At The Hop".
1961: Frank Sinatra played a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City for Martin Luther King.
1962: The Beatles played at Aintree Institute in Aintree, Liverpool, England for the final time.
1962: Elvis Presley remained at #1 for a third week on the Easy Listening chart with "Can't Help Falling In Love".
1962: Joey Dee & the Starliters reached #1 with "Peppermint Twist", putting an end to Chubby Checker's second run at #1 for "The Twist", with the latter being the only song of the Rock Era to be #1--twice. There were two new songs in the Top 10: "The Wanderer" from Dion, which moved from 18-8 and "Baby It's You" by the Shirelles".
1964: The Beatles re-released the single 'I Saw Her Standing There" in the United States. The group first released the song on July 22, 1963 to little fanfare. This time, after "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was a huge hit, it caught on.
1964: Another British group was about to hit the shores. The Dave Clark Five released their first single--"Glad All Over". (Note: you will see some mentions of the release as 1963 or "late 1963". This refers to its British release--the song was released and was a hit first in the DC5's native England.)
1964: Louis Armstrong released the single "Hello Dolly!".
1967: The Beatles signed a new nine-year contract with EMI Records.
1968: The Bee Gees were in concert (along with Vanilla Fudge and Spanky and Our Gang) for the first time in the United States with two shows at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.
1968: Many other people must have agreed with the sentiment, for the Temptations' new song "I Wish It Would Rain" moved from 45 to 15.
1968: The Beatles had the top album with the Soundtrack to "Magical Mystery Tour", #1 for a fourth week.
1970: In keeping with John Lennon's belief and understanding of karma that he learned during the Beatles' spiritual studies in 1967, and the thought that there is an immediate reaction to what everyone does at each moment, he wrote and recorded "Instant Karma" all in one day at EMI Studios on Abbey Road in London. (Note: some websites incorrectly say that this occurred on January 26--it was the 27th, according to the books 'The Words and Music of John Lennon' by Ben Urish and Kenneth G. Bielen and 'Penny Laine's Anthology' by Terry Rowan, as well as numerous other credible sources.)
1971: David Bowie's first trip to the United States revealed everything Americans needed to know--he wore dresses in Texas and Louisiana.
1973: Timmy Thomas achieved a #1 R&B hit with "Why Can't We Live Together".
1973: Carly Simon led the way on the Album chart for a third week with No Secrets. War moved to second with The World Is a Ghetto. Stanley, Idaho's Carole King was still strong with Rhymes & Reasons but the big mover (11-4) was Stevie Wonder's excellent Talking Book album.
1973: Stevie Wonder garnered another #1 song with "Superstition". Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" was down after three weeks while Elton John edged up to 3 with "Crocodile Rock".
1977: The Clash signed a recording contract with CBS Records.
"Soul Man" from the Blues Brothers...
1979: The Stranger established Billy Joel as a star. With his new album 52nd Street reaching #1 on this date, we knew he had staying power. Briefcase of Blues from the fun Blues Brothers project was second with previous #1 Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits, Volume 2 slipping to third. Neil Diamond was up with You Don't Bring Me Flowers and Rod Stewart bounced from 12 to 5 with his new release--Blondes Have More Fun. The rest of the Top 10: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. I, C'est Chic from Chic, Eric Clapton remained in the #8 spot with Backless, Barry Manilow entered the Top 10 with his Greatest Hits package and Double Vision from Foreigner was still #10.
Nothing like Hot Chocolate in the winter..
1979: Chic made it five weeks at #1 with "Le Freak" while previous #1 "Too Much Heaven" by the Bee Gees was still at #2. "Y.M.C.A." by the Village People was one better than "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" from Rod Stewart. Billy Joel's big hit "My Life" was now at #5. The rest of a solid Top 10: "A Little More Love" from Olivia Newton-John, Linda Ronstadt held on with "Ooh Baby Baby", Toto was now at #8 with their debut "Hold The Line", Hot Chocolate poured into the Top 10 with their great song "Every 1's A Winner" and Earth, Wind & Fire completed the list with "September".
1980: Def Leppard played the first of two nights at the Marquee Club in London. Tickets were 2.00 British pounds, or about $3.40 apiece.
1984: Cyndi Lauper released the single "Time After Time".
1988: Pink Floyd played the first of nine nights at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia.
1986: Robert Palmer released the single "Addicted To Love".
1990: The mayor of Gainesville, Florida declared it Tom Petty Day after their native son.
1990: "Here We Are" by Gloria Estefan was the new #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, her fifth #1 in that genre.
1990: Phil Collins had a hot album out, as ...But Seriously remained at #1 for a third week. Paula Abdul was moving back up after 80 weeks of release with her blockbuster Forever Your Girl at #2.
1991: Whitney Houston sang "The Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXXV.
1993: Warner Brothers Records released rapper Ice-T from his contract because of "creative differences". They could have made that decision when he auditioned and they found out that he could not sing but only talk annoyingly.
1996: Babylon Zoo had the top U.K. song with "Spaceman", which sold 420,000 copies in six days.
1996: Oasis debuted at #21 with "Wonderwall".
1996: It was the collaboration of the Rock Era no doubt, and Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men remained at #1 for the ninth straight week with "One Sweet Day". Since September 30, 1995, Carey had been in the #1 position all but one week (November 25). That included the first eight weeks for her solo hit "Fantasy" and now nine with "One Sweet Day". The all-time record was 20 out of 22 by Boyz II Men in 1994-1995, but no one in the history of the Rock Era had ever been #1 in 17 of 18 weeks.
1997: The Verve Pipe released the single "The Freshman".
1998: James Brown was charged with possession of marijuana and unlawful use of a firearm.
2002: Enrique Iglesias topped the U.K. chart with "Hero".
2002: Alan Jackson's great album Drive was #1.
2004: Faith Evans was charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana in Hapeville, Georgia. (Note: some websites report the arrest occurred in Atlanta; it was in Hapeville, a suburb of Atlanta, according to the newspaper 'The Atlanta Journal-Constitution' and 'MTV'.)
2005: R.E.M. had to cancel a concert for the first time in 10 years but this one was the fault of border guards. The group was supposed to play in St. Petersburg, Russsia but guards held their crew and gear at the Estonian/Russia border.
2005: In today's edition of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, rappers Master P (real name Percy Robert Miller) and brother Silkk the Shocker (real name Vyshonne King Miller) were arrested on felony gun charges in Los Angeles after police found guns in their leased car that had no license plate. Rappers have fancy names for themselves but don't let that fool you--underneath all the crap, they're really just regular lowlifes.
2006: Gene McFadden, singer-songwriter ("Back Stabbers" for the O'Jays in 1972 and, with John Whitehead, had the hit "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now") and producer, died of complications from cancer at age 57.
2014: Pete Seeger, a beacon of freedom and legendary folk singer, died in his sleep at the age of 94 in New York City.
Born This Day:
1919: Singer-songwriter and producer Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., who created the Chipmunks and released solo records under the name of David Seville, was born in Fresno, California; died of a heart attack in Beverly Hills, California January 16, 1972.
1925: Blues singer-songwriter Doc Pomus, who co-wrote "Save The Last Dance For Me" and "This Magic Moment" for the Drifters, was born in Brooklyn, New York; died March 14, 1991 in New York City. (Note: some websites claim Pomus was born in New York City, others in Harlem. He was born in Brooklyn, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 'Independent Magazine', 'MTV' and 'Allmusic.com'.)
1930: Bobby Bland (54 R&B hits including "That's The Way Love Is" from 1963) was born in Rosemark, Tennessee; died June 23, 2013 in Germantown, Tennessee. (Note: some websites say Bland died in Memphis--according to the newspaper 'The New York Times', Bland died at his home in Germantown.)
1931: Rudi Maugeri of the Crew Cuts; died May 7, 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada after battling pancreatic cancer.
1937: Buddy Emmons, steel guitarist who played for the Carpenters, Linda Ronstadt, the Everly Brothers, Ray Charles, Judy Collins, Roger Miller, John Sebastian, George Strait, Willie Nelson, Duane Eddy, Nancy Sinatra, Gram Parsons, and J.J. Cale among others, was born in Mishawaka, Indiana; died July 29 in Mishawaka, Indiana.
1944: Nick Mason, drummer of Pink Floyd, was born in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England
1946: Nedra Talley of the Ronettes was born in New York City.
1951: Seth Justman, keyboardist of the J. Geils Band, was born in Washington, D.C.
1951: Brian Downey, drummer and founder of Thin Lizzy, was born in Dublin, Ireland.
1957: Janick Robert Gers, lead guitarist of Iron Maiden, was born in Hartlepool, England.
1961: Gillian Gilbert, keyboardist for New Order ("Blue Monday" from 1983), was born in Manchester, England. (Note: some websites claim Gilbert was born in Macclesfield, England; she was born in Manchester, then moved to the nearby town of Macclesfield, according to 'Allmusic.com' and credible sources.)
1968: Mike Patton, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer of Faith No More, was born in Eureka, California.
1974: Mark Owen of Take That was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England.
1958: For the fourth week, Danny & the Juniors held the #1 spot on the R&B chart with the classic "At The Hop".
1961: Frank Sinatra played a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City for Martin Luther King.
1962: The Beatles played at Aintree Institute in Aintree, Liverpool, England for the final time.
1962: Elvis Presley remained at #1 for a third week on the Easy Listening chart with "Can't Help Falling In Love".
1962: Joey Dee & the Starliters reached #1 with "Peppermint Twist", putting an end to Chubby Checker's second run at #1 for "The Twist", with the latter being the only song of the Rock Era to be #1--twice. There were two new songs in the Top 10: "The Wanderer" from Dion, which moved from 18-8 and "Baby It's You" by the Shirelles".
1964: The Beatles re-released the single 'I Saw Her Standing There" in the United States. The group first released the song on July 22, 1963 to little fanfare. This time, after "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was a huge hit, it caught on.
1964: Another British group was about to hit the shores. The Dave Clark Five released their first single--"Glad All Over". (Note: you will see some mentions of the release as 1963 or "late 1963". This refers to its British release--the song was released and was a hit first in the DC5's native England.)
1964: Louis Armstrong released the single "Hello Dolly!".
1967: The Beatles signed a new nine-year contract with EMI Records.
1968: The Bee Gees were in concert (along with Vanilla Fudge and Spanky and Our Gang) for the first time in the United States with two shows at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.
1968: Many other people must have agreed with the sentiment, for the Temptations' new song "I Wish It Would Rain" moved from 45 to 15.
1968: The Beatles had the top album with the Soundtrack to "Magical Mystery Tour", #1 for a fourth week.
1970: In keeping with John Lennon's belief and understanding of karma that he learned during the Beatles' spiritual studies in 1967, and the thought that there is an immediate reaction to what everyone does at each moment, he wrote and recorded "Instant Karma" all in one day at EMI Studios on Abbey Road in London. (Note: some websites incorrectly say that this occurred on January 26--it was the 27th, according to the books 'The Words and Music of John Lennon' by Ben Urish and Kenneth G. Bielen and 'Penny Laine's Anthology' by Terry Rowan, as well as numerous other credible sources.)
1971: David Bowie's first trip to the United States revealed everything Americans needed to know--he wore dresses in Texas and Louisiana.
1973: Timmy Thomas achieved a #1 R&B hit with "Why Can't We Live Together".
1973: Stevie Wonder garnered another #1 song with "Superstition". Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" was down after three weeks while Elton John edged up to 3 with "Crocodile Rock".
1977: The Clash signed a recording contract with CBS Records.
"Soul Man" from the Blues Brothers...
1979: The Stranger established Billy Joel as a star. With his new album 52nd Street reaching #1 on this date, we knew he had staying power. Briefcase of Blues from the fun Blues Brothers project was second with previous #1 Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits, Volume 2 slipping to third. Neil Diamond was up with You Don't Bring Me Flowers and Rod Stewart bounced from 12 to 5 with his new release--Blondes Have More Fun. The rest of the Top 10: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. I, C'est Chic from Chic, Eric Clapton remained in the #8 spot with Backless, Barry Manilow entered the Top 10 with his Greatest Hits package and Double Vision from Foreigner was still #10.
Nothing like Hot Chocolate in the winter..
1979: Chic made it five weeks at #1 with "Le Freak" while previous #1 "Too Much Heaven" by the Bee Gees was still at #2. "Y.M.C.A." by the Village People was one better than "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" from Rod Stewart. Billy Joel's big hit "My Life" was now at #5. The rest of a solid Top 10: "A Little More Love" from Olivia Newton-John, Linda Ronstadt held on with "Ooh Baby Baby", Toto was now at #8 with their debut "Hold The Line", Hot Chocolate poured into the Top 10 with their great song "Every 1's A Winner" and Earth, Wind & Fire completed the list with "September".
1984: Cyndi Lauper released the single "Time After Time".
1988: Pink Floyd played the first of nine nights at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia.
1986: Robert Palmer released the single "Addicted To Love".
1990: The mayor of Gainesville, Florida declared it Tom Petty Day after their native son.
1990: "Here We Are" by Gloria Estefan was the new #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, her fifth #1 in that genre.
1990: Phil Collins had a hot album out, as ...But Seriously remained at #1 for a third week. Paula Abdul was moving back up after 80 weeks of release with her blockbuster Forever Your Girl at #2.
1991: Whitney Houston sang "The Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXXV.
1993: Warner Brothers Records released rapper Ice-T from his contract because of "creative differences". They could have made that decision when he auditioned and they found out that he could not sing but only talk annoyingly.
1996: Babylon Zoo had the top U.K. song with "Spaceman", which sold 420,000 copies in six days.
1996: Oasis debuted at #21 with "Wonderwall".
1996: It was the collaboration of the Rock Era no doubt, and Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men remained at #1 for the ninth straight week with "One Sweet Day". Since September 30, 1995, Carey had been in the #1 position all but one week (November 25). That included the first eight weeks for her solo hit "Fantasy" and now nine with "One Sweet Day". The all-time record was 20 out of 22 by Boyz II Men in 1994-1995, but no one in the history of the Rock Era had ever been #1 in 17 of 18 weeks.
1997: The Verve Pipe released the single "The Freshman".
1998: James Brown was charged with possession of marijuana and unlawful use of a firearm.
2002: Enrique Iglesias topped the U.K. chart with "Hero".
2002: Alan Jackson's great album Drive was #1.
2004: Faith Evans was charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana in Hapeville, Georgia. (Note: some websites report the arrest occurred in Atlanta; it was in Hapeville, a suburb of Atlanta, according to the newspaper 'The Atlanta Journal-Constitution' and 'MTV'.)
2005: R.E.M. had to cancel a concert for the first time in 10 years but this one was the fault of border guards. The group was supposed to play in St. Petersburg, Russsia but guards held their crew and gear at the Estonian/Russia border.
2005: In today's edition of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, rappers Master P (real name Percy Robert Miller) and brother Silkk the Shocker (real name Vyshonne King Miller) were arrested on felony gun charges in Los Angeles after police found guns in their leased car that had no license plate. Rappers have fancy names for themselves but don't let that fool you--underneath all the crap, they're really just regular lowlifes.
2006: Gene McFadden, singer-songwriter ("Back Stabbers" for the O'Jays in 1972 and, with John Whitehead, had the hit "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now") and producer, died of complications from cancer at age 57.
Born This Day:
1919: Singer-songwriter and producer Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., who created the Chipmunks and released solo records under the name of David Seville, was born in Fresno, California; died of a heart attack in Beverly Hills, California January 16, 1972.
1925: Blues singer-songwriter Doc Pomus, who co-wrote "Save The Last Dance For Me" and "This Magic Moment" for the Drifters, was born in Brooklyn, New York; died March 14, 1991 in New York City. (Note: some websites claim Pomus was born in New York City, others in Harlem. He was born in Brooklyn, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 'Independent Magazine', 'MTV' and 'Allmusic.com'.)
1930: Bobby Bland (54 R&B hits including "That's The Way Love Is" from 1963) was born in Rosemark, Tennessee; died June 23, 2013 in Germantown, Tennessee. (Note: some websites say Bland died in Memphis--according to the newspaper 'The New York Times', Bland died at his home in Germantown.)
1931: Rudi Maugeri of the Crew Cuts; died May 7, 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada after battling pancreatic cancer.
1937: Buddy Emmons, steel guitarist who played for the Carpenters, Linda Ronstadt, the Everly Brothers, Ray Charles, Judy Collins, Roger Miller, John Sebastian, George Strait, Willie Nelson, Duane Eddy, Nancy Sinatra, Gram Parsons, and J.J. Cale among others, was born in Mishawaka, Indiana; died July 29 in Mishawaka, Indiana.
1944: Nick Mason, drummer of Pink Floyd, was born in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England
1946: Nedra Talley of the Ronettes was born in New York City.
1951: Seth Justman, keyboardist of the J. Geils Band, was born in Washington, D.C.
1951: Brian Downey, drummer and founder of Thin Lizzy, was born in Dublin, Ireland.
1957: Janick Robert Gers, lead guitarist of Iron Maiden, was born in Hartlepool, England.
1961: Gillian Gilbert, keyboardist for New Order ("Blue Monday" from 1983), was born in Manchester, England. (Note: some websites claim Gilbert was born in Macclesfield, England; she was born in Manchester, then moved to the nearby town of Macclesfield, according to 'Allmusic.com' and credible sources.)
1968: Mike Patton, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer of Faith No More, was born in Eureka, California.
1974: Mark Owen of Take That was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England.
