This Date in Rock Music History: November 3

1956:  Fats Domino had the #1 R&B song with "Blueberry Hill".

1957:  Danny & the Juniors released the single "At The Hop".

1958:  Lloyd Price released the single "Stagger Lee".

1958:  Elvis Presley went on maneuvers with the U.S. Army's 32nd Tank Regiment near the German-Czechoslovakia border.

1958:  Tommy Edwards continued to hold the #1 song as "It's All In The Game" remained there for a sixth week.





 

1962:  Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass moved from 95 to 64 with their classic instrumental "The Lonely Bull".










1962:  The Crystals topped the chart with "He's A Rebel".  Gene Pitney moved up from behind with "Only Love Can Break A Heart" while the Contours' great song "Do You Love Me" sat at #3.  Bobby "Boris" Pickett fell from #1 with "Monster Mash" while Brenda Lee's new song "All Alone Am I" reached #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  The 4 Seasons were on fire as "Big Girls Don't Cry" moved from 17 to 6 in just its third week, Johnny Mathis edged up with "Gina", Chubby Checker's "Limbo Rock" (How low can you go?) moved from 18-8, Neil Sedaka had another big hit "Next Door To An Angel" and Elvis Presley's "Return To Sender" moved from 20-10.
1965:  The hard-working Beatles recorded "Michelle" from 2:30 to 11:30 p.m. at the EMI Studios on Abbey Road in London.
1967:  The Beatles completed work on the movie Magical Mystery Tour, filming at drummer Ringo Starr's house in Weybridge, Surrey, England.
1972:  James Taylor and Carly Simon married during a small ceremony at Simon's Murray Hill, Manhattan, New York apartment.
1973:  The Eagles and Neil Young were in concert at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, England.

                             Former James Gang member Joe Walsh had solo success...

1973:  Goats Head Soup by the Rolling Stones was the #1 album but emerging superstar Elton John was up to #2 with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.  The Allman Brothers Band threw their hats in the ring with Brothers and Sisters while Cheech & Chong couldn't find theirs despite the album Los Cochinos at #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Let's Get It On from Marvin Gaye, Art Garfunkel had #6--Angel Clare, Stevie Wonder's great Innervisions was at #7, Joe Walsh's solo album The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get was at #8, 3 + 3 from the Isley Brothers and War's Deliver the Word at #10.
1973:  Gladys Knight & the Pips were on top of the R&B chart for the third week with "Midnight Train To Georgia".

1973:  Barry White moved from 99 to 65 with "Never, Never Gonna' Give Ya Up".
1973:  "Midnight Train To Georgia" was #1 on the Popular chart for a second week, getting the Best of "Angie" from the Rolling Stones.  Eddie Kendricks found himself at #3 with "Keep On Truckin'" and Cher's former #1 "Half-Breed" was #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Marie Osmond and "Paper Roses", although few stations played it, the DeFranco Family was at #6 with "Heartbeat - It's  Lovebeat", the Allman Brothers Band fell with "Ramblin' Man", Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" was down to #8, the Billy Preston instrumental "Space Race" climbed from 15-9 and Art Garfunkel enjoyed a Top 10 hit with "All I Know".



1975:  Barry Manilow released the single "I Write The Songs".









1975:  The Ohio Players released the single "Love Rollercoaster".










1975:  Sweet released their single "Fox On The Run" in the U.S.
1979:  Anne Murray held on to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for a fourth week with "Broken Hearted Me".
1979:  Kool & the Gang ruled the R&B chart with "Ladies Night".





 
       How long can Donna Summer hold a note?

1979:  M went all the way to the top with "Pop Muzik".  The Eagles were closing fast with "Heartache Tonight" and Donna Summer was in the mix with "Dim All The Lights".  The previous #1 "Rise" from Herb Alpert fell to #4 and the Commodores' new hit "Still" moved from 8 to 5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Michael Jackson with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", Styx snuck up from 14 to 7 with "Babe", "Tusk" from Fleetwood Mac was #8, Kenny Rogers was up to 9 with his great song "You Decorated My Life" and the collaboration of Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer--"No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" moved from 33 to 10.

     
    Fleetwood Mac and "Angel" from the great album Tusk...


1979:  The Eagles' great album The Long Run was rewarded at #1, finally moving another sensational album (In Through the Out Door by Led Zeppelin) from the top position.  Midnight Magic from the Commodores was at #3, Styx held on with Cornerstone and Head Games by Foreigner remained #5.  The rest of an excellent Top 10:  Cheap Trick's great album Dream Police, Fleetwood Mac debuted at #7 with Tusk, Herb Alpert and Rise, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall was #9 and Get the Knack from the Knack fell to #10.
1984:  Paul McCartney had the #1 album in the U.K. with the Soundtrack to "Give My Regards to Broad Street".
1984:  The top song on the R&B chart was "I Feel For You" by Chaka Khan.

1984:  He had been recording for nearly a decade and finally Billy Ocean reached #1 with "Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)".  Billy replaced Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called To Say I Love You" and Prince crawled up with "Purple Rain".  Chicago slipped from a peak of #3 with "Hard Habit To Break" and Wham! was up to #5 with "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go".  The rest of the Top 10:  Madonna's "Lucky Star", John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band remained at #7 with "On The Dark Side", David Bowie had a rare Top 10 with "Blue Jean", Tina Turner was up from 16 to 9 with "Better Be Good To Me" and Chaka Khan's solo release "I Feel For You" was up from 15 to 10.

1984:  Purple Rain by Prince was the #1 album for the 14th week.  
1990:  The Righteous Brothers had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Unchained Melody".
1990:  It was one of the better Top 10's late in the Rock Era.  Vanilla Ice moved to #1 with "Ice Ice Baby" but Janet Jackson was at #2 with "Black Cat" and Mariah Carey was up with "Love Takes Time".  Pebbles remained at #4 with "Giving You The Benefit" and James Ingram fell with his great song "I Don't Have The Heart".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Pray" from M.C. Hammer, "Can't Stop" by After 7, Alias moved up from 14 to 8 with "More Than Words Can Say", Inxs held steady with "Suicide Blonde" and Warrant had a Top 10 with "Cherry Pie".

1990:  Bette Midler enjoyed a #1 AC hit with "From a Distance".

                 George Michael was out with one of The Top 100 Albums of the Rock Era*.

1990:  M.C. Hammer held on to #1 on the Album chart for the 21st week with Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, fifth most of the Rock Era.  To the Extreme by Vanilla Ice was #2, causing The Razor's Edge by AC/DC to fall.  Mariah Carey was there at #4 with her debut and the great Listen Without Prejudice by George Michael was #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  X by INXS, Wilson Phillips and their debut, Family Style from the Vaughan Brothers, Warrant's Cherry Pie at #9 and Poison by Bell Biv DeVoe.




1991:  Color Me Badd released the single "All 4 Love".  (Note:  numerous websites erroneously report the date of release as November 7.  It is physically impossible for a song to debut on the charts (November 7 is the date the song debuted) on the same day it is released.)

1991:  Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Journey, Santana, Jackson Browne, Tracy Chapman, John Fogerty, the Grateful Dead and Joan Baez were among those who performed at a free concert at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco to honor promoter Bill Graham, who had been killed in a helicopter crash the week before.






1992:  A famous day in the Rock Era.  Whitney Houston was about to make history as she released the single "I Will Always Love You".
1992:  Bon Jovi released their first album in five years--Keep the Faith.
1993:  Little Richard was a guest on Hearts Afire on CBS-TV.

1995:  Hootie and the Blowfish and Bob Dylan reached an out of court settlement for the group's unauthorized use of Dylan's lyrics in the song "Only Want To Be With You".

1998:  Celine Dion released the album These Are Special Times.  (Note:  some websites report the date of release as October 30 but according to the official Celine website, the date was November 3.)
1998:  U2 released their compilation album The Best of 1980-1990.

1998:  The John Lennon boxed set Anthology was released in the United States.  It had been released the day before in the U.K.
1998:  The Bee Gees released their great live album One Night Only.
1999:  The National Centre for Popular Music museum in England was saved from bankruptcy when creditors agreed to a deal.
2002:  Lonnie Donegan ("Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor (On The Bedpost Overnight)" died of a heart attack in Peterborough, England during a tour of the U.K. at the age of 71.
2002:  David Gray had the #1 song in the U.K. with "A New Day".
2002:  Santana's Shaman led the way on the U.S. Album chart.
2003:  The great Alicia Keys made a surprise appearance at the Criterion Theatre in London and previewed her new album The Diary of Alicia Keys.

2004:  Eric Clapton was named Commander of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace in London.
2006:  Donny Osmond was on the soap opera All My Children on ABC-TV.






2006:  Paul Mauriat, who gave us The #1 Instrumental of the Rock Era*--"Love Is Blue" died in Perpignan, France at the age of 81.


Born This Day:

1933:  John Barry, who composed music for James Bond movies (Goldfinger, From Russia with Love, and Diamonds Are Forever, among others) and many other memorable film scores (Born Free, Out of Africa, The Lion in Winter, Somewhere in Time), was born in York, England.
1941:  Brian Poole, lead singer of the Tremeloes ("Silence Is Golden"), was born in Dagenham, London.  (Note:  numerous websites report that Brian was born in Barking, Essex, England, but according to his official website, he was born in Dagenham, London.  Many websites report his birth as November 2, but the 'BBC' reports that it was November 3.) 
 1945:  Nick Simper, bassist for Deep Purple, was born in Norwood Green, Southall, Middlesex, England.
1946:  Tommy Dee of John Fred and His Playboy Band ("Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)" from 1968)

1947:  Joe Lala, drummer and singer with Blues Image, who also worked with the Bee Gees, the Eagles, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Kenny Rogers, Rod Stewart, John Mellencamp, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Ringo Starr, the Byrds, Eric Clapton, Poco and the Allman Brothers, was born in Tampa, Florida; died March 18, 2014 of lung cancer in Tampa at the age of 66.
1954:  Adam Ant (real name Stuart Goddard) was born in Marylebone, London.

1948:  Lulu was born in Glasgow, Scotland.

Five Best: John Lennon

The lyrical mastermind behind history's most successful artist did some solo projects while the Beatles were still together, but he began his solo career in earnest in 1970.  "Imagine" is not only the best song of his solo career (by far), but one of the best songs anyone has ever done.  The jockeying for position is for the places behind that classic.  For artists with the depth of Lennon, we do a "Ten Best" with a few extras:

 

1.  Imagine

 

 

 

2.  Woman

 

 

 

3.  Instant Karma

 

 

 

4.  #9 Dream

 

 

 

5.  Whatever Gets You Thru the Night

 

 

6.  Working Class Hero

 

7.  Give Peace A Chance

 

 

 

8.  Mind Games

 

 

 

9.  Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

 

 

 

 

10.  Watching The Wheels

 

 

 

11.  (Just Like) Starting Over

 

 

 

12.  Nobody Told Me

 

 

 

13.  Jealous Guy

This Date in Rock Music History: November 2

1959:  "Mack The Knife" by Bobby Darin was #1 for the fifth consecutive week.

1963:  Dion walked out of a taping of the British television show Ready Steady Go!, complaining that the go-go dancers were distracting him.  Welcome to the club.

1964:  The Lettermen released the single "Goin' Out of My Head"/"Can't Take My Eyes Off You".
1964:  Cliff Richard, Brenda Lee, Cilla Black and the Bachelors performed for Queen Elizabeth of Britain in London.
1966:  Boise, Idaho's Paul Revere & the Raiders appeared on the popular Batman show on ABC-TV.

1967:  The Beatles finished recording their next single "Hello Goodbye" at Abbey Road Studios in London.




 

1968:  Cream was in concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City during their farewell tour.  They were presented with a platinum disc honoring a million sales of their album Wheels of Fire.
1968:  The Doors performed two shows at the Veterans Memorial Hall in Columbus, Ohio.
1968:  James Brown had the #1 R&B song for a fifth week with "Say It Loud - I'm Black And I'm Proud".
1968:  Mary Hopkin reached #1 on the Easy Listening chart with the great song "Those Were The Days".
1968:  Dion had a big solo hit as "Abraham, Martin And John" moved from 66 to 35.




    
        One of the best the Grass Roots gave us...

1968:  "Hey Jude" made it six weeks at #1 for the Beatles.  Apple Records labelmate Mary Hopkin climbed to #2 with "Those Were The Days".  "Little Green Apples" fell for O.C. Smith while The Crazy World of Arthur Brown slipped down with "Fire".  The rest of a solid Top 10:  "Midnight Confessions" from the Grass Roots at #5, the Turtles with "Elenore", Gary Puckett from Twin Falls, Idaho & the Union Gap with "Over You", Johnny Nash entered the Top 10 with "Hold Me Tight", Diana Ross & the Supremes bounced up from19 to 9 in only their third week of release with "Love Child" and Cream scored their second Top 10 with "White Room".
1969:  The Archies had the top U.K. song with "Sugar, Sugar".





1970:  Tony Orlando & Dawn released the single "Knock Three Times".
1971:  Bob Dylan released Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, Volume 2.










1973:  He'd been playing cocktail bars up to this time.  But that was soon going to change.  On this date, Billy Joel released his first career single--"Piano Man".
1973:  Ringo Starr released the album Ringo, with all four members of the Beatles performing on the record.
1973:  John Lennon released the album Mind Games in the U.S.
1973:  The show Barbra Streisand and Other Musical Instruments was shown on CBS-TV.

1974:  George Harrison went on the road for the first time in eight years, as the Beatles had ceased touring in 1966.  Harrison became the first former Beatle to tour as a solo artist, opening his show in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

 

1974:  So Far, the greatest hits package from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young took over as the #1 album, followed by Stanley, Idaho's Carole King with Wrap Around Joy.  The previous #1 Can't Get Enough from Barry White fell, John Lennon's new album Walls and Bridges moved from 12-4 and Not Fragile, the great album from Bachman-Turner Overdrive, was #5.  





             
                      The great sound of BTO...

1974:  Stevie Wonder reached the mountain top with "You Haven't Done Nothin'", the third #1 for him in the last two years and 35th career hit.  Bachman-Turner Overdrive was motoring up with "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" while Stanley Idaho's Carole King hit #3 with "Jazzman".  Elton John slid up with "The Bitch Is Back" while Bad Company's first hit "Can't Get Enough" was up to #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  John Lennon with "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night", moving up from 12 to 6, Tony Orlando & Dawn's "Steppin' Out", although few stations played it, Lynyrd Skynyrd and "Sweet Home Alabama", Mac Davis with Stop And Smell The Roses" at #9 and America had another Top 10 with "Tin Man".
1977:  The Santa Monica Superior Court ordered Bob Dylan to return his children to his estranged wife Sara.  (Note:  many websites show the date as November 3.  That was the date the newspaper was printed that showed the story.  According to 'The Los Angeles Times', the correct date is November 2.)
1979:  The Who movie Quadrophenia opened in theaters.
1979:  Mick and Bianca Jagger divorced.
1979:  Def Leppard opened for AC/DC at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.




1981:  Hall & Oates released the single "I Can't Go For That".  (Note:  Some websites report the date of release as December 14.  Unless there were some mighty clairvoyant chart makers, this is not only funny, but impossible, for the song debuted on the chart on November 14.) 
1984:  Marvin Gaye, Sr. was sentenced to a six-year suspended sentence and five years probation for the manslaughter of his son Marvin Gaye.
1985:  Simple Minds reached #1 on the U.K. Album chart with Once Upon a Time.







                             A-ha's "Take On Me"...

1985:  Stevie Wonder had #1 with "Part-Time Lover" while "Miami Vice Theme" from Jan Hammer moved to challenge.  The previous #1 "Saving All My Love For You" by Whitney Houston fell to #3 and Tears for Fears stepped up with "Head Over Heels".  The rest of the Top 10:  The former #1 "Take On Me" from A-ha, Glenn Frey moved up nicely with "You Belong To The City", Starship scored their fifth Top 10 song and first in seven years with "We Built This City", which moved from 13-7, Sting had a solo hit with "Fortress Around Your Heart", Loverboy moved to #9 with "Lovin' Every Minute of It" and ABC joined the party with "Be Near Me".

1987:  Expose released their great song "Seasons Change".
1987:  Eric Clapton played the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.










1988:  Def Leppard released their sixth single from the monumental album Hysteria--"Armageddon It".
1990:  Graffiti Bridge, the fourth Prince movie, opened in theaters.
1991:  "Emotions" by Mariah Carey took over at #1 on the R&B chart, her third R&B #1.
1991:  Karyn White's "Romantic" was the new #1 song.  
1991:  Michael Bolton had the #1 Adult Contemporary song with his remake of the Percy Sledge classic "When A Man Loves A Woman".
1991:  Ropin' the Wind by Garth Brooks was #1 on the Album chart for a fourth week.





1995:  Florence Greenberg, a housewife who moved from releasing an improbable hit record by teenage group the Shirelles ("Dedicated To The One I Love") to owning one of the top independent record labels of the 60's (Scepter Records), died of heart failure from complications of a stroke in Hackensack, New Jersey at the age of 82.  (Note:  some websites erroneously place the date of death as November 1.  According to 'The New York Times', Greenberg died on Thursday, November 2.)








1999:  Jewel released the album Joy:  A Holiday Celebration featuring songs of the season like "Oh Holy Night".
2003:  Sean "P Diddy Daddy Puffy Puff Daddy Combs" ran in the New York City Marathon.
2003:  R.E.M. led the way on the U.K. Album chart with their greatest hits package In Time.








2005:  Destiny's Child owned the top album with #1's, their greatest hits collection.


Born This Day:
1937:  Earl "Speedo" Carroll of the Cadillacs and Coasters was born in New York City; died following a stroke in New York City on November 25, 2012.
1938:  Jay Black (real name David Blatt) of Jay & the Americans ("Come a Little Bit Closer") was born in New York City.






1944:  Keith Emerson, elite keyboardist with Emerson, Lake & Palmer, was born in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England.









1945:  J.D. Souther ("You're Only Lonely" was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1946:  Len "Chip" Hawkes, bassist and vocalist of the Tremeloes ("Silence Is Golden"), and father of Chesney Hawkes, was born in Shepherd's Bush, London.  (Note:  several websites show his birth year as 1945, but according to 'Billboard', 'Allmusic.com' and 'MTV', he was born in 1946.)
1947:  Dave Pegg, bassist and multi-instrumentalist of Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull and also a record producer, was born in Acocks Green, Birmingham, England.






1952:  Maxine Nightingale ("Right Back Where We Started From" was born in Wembley, London, England.
1956:  Chris "Fred" Fairbrass of Right Said Fred ("I'm Too Sexy")  (Note:  some websites claim his birthdate is November 3, but according to the official website for the group, Chris was born on November 2.)
1957:  Carter Beauford, drummer of the Dave Matthews Band, was born in Charlottesville, Virginia.

1961:  K.D. Lang was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  (Note:  many websites incorrectly state that she was born in Consort, but according to the books 'Prairie People:  A Celebration of My Homeland' by Robert Collins and 'The New Generation of Country Musivc Stars:  Biographies of 50 Artists Born After 1940' by David Dicaire, she was born in Edmonton, and moved to Consort with her family when she was nine months old.)

1963:  Bobby Dall, bassist of Poison, was born in Miami, Florida.  (Note:  some websites report that Dall was born in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.  It was drummer Rikki Rockett of the group that was born in Mechanicsburg, not Dall.)
1969:  Reginald Arvizu, bassist and vocalist of Korn, was born in Bakersfield, California.  (Note:  some websites show his birthplace as Los Angeles Country, but according to Reginald himself, he was born in Bakersfield and relocated to Huntington Beach.)
1975:  Chris Walla, guitarist for Death Cab for Cutie, was born in Bothell, Washington.
1978:  Nelly (who really is Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr.) was born in Austin, Texas.  (Note:  some websites show his birthplace as St. Louis, Missouri, but according to 'The New York Times', although Nelly grew up in St. Louis, he was born in Austin, where his father was stationed in the U.S. Air Force.)

Top Track: Madonna's "'Til Death Do Us Part"

From what has to be the best album Madonna ever did (Like a Prayer), this is a great track in its own right.  It was not released as a single.

This Date in Rock Music History: November 1

1955:  The Famous Flames, led by lead singer James Brown, recorded their first demo, singing "Please, Please, Please" at a radio station in Macon, Georgia.


1960:  Elvis Presley released the single "Are You Lonesome Tonight".

1962:  The Beatles performed at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany to begin a second residency.
1963:  Actor Lorne Greene (Bonanza) recorded the single  "Ringo".
1963:  Fans waited in line for more than two days to get tickets to the Beatles shows at the Odeon Theatre in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.  Peter Jay & the Jaywalkers, the Brooks Brothers and the Vernon Girls opened for the group.  The Beatles played two concerts in Cheltenham, the first stop on the band's first headlining tour of the U.K.
1964:  The Beach Boys landed in London for their first trip to the U.K.

1964:  The Dave Clark Five performed the song "Glad All Over" on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1968:  George Harrison became the first Beatle to release a solo album in the U.K. with the Soundtrack to "Wonderwall".  Harrison released the album in the United States on December 2.
1969:  Faces signed a contract with Warner Brothers records.
1969:  Temps were hot again as the Temptations held on to #1 on the R&B chart for a fifth week with their great song "I Can't Get Next To You".
1969:  "Wedding Bell Blues" by the 5th Dimension rang in a new week by taking over the #1 position on the Easy Listening chart.

1969:  CCR had the highest debuting song--"Fortunate Son" at #58.









 1969:  "Suspicious Minds" gave Elvis Presley his 18th and final #1 song, his first since 1962.  The 5th Dimension came in second with "Wedding Bell Blues" while the former #1 smash "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies was still hanging around at #3.  The previous #1--"I Can't Get Next To You" by the Temptations, fell to fourth.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Baby It's You", the great song from Smith, Sly & the Family Stone dropped with "Hot Fun In The Summertime", Bobby Sherman fell with "Little Woman", Oliver's former #1 "Jean" was now at #8, "Tracy" by the Cuff Links and the Beatles scored their 29th Top 10 and 60th career hit with "Come Together".
1969:  Abbey Road by the Beatles moved into the #1 position on the Album chart after just three weeks of release, giving the group their 13th #1 album.  Green River from CCR had held the spot for four weeks and fell to #2.  The Rolling Stones were at #3 with Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) and Blind Faith was at #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Johnny Cash At San Quentin, I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! by Janis Joplin moved from 16-6, the great debut from Crosby, Stills & Nash moved from 11-7, Hot Buttered Soul from Isaac Hayes, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida from Iron Butterfly fell to #9 and the self-titled Santana was #10.

1970:  The Festfolk Quartet, which would go on to become one of the top groups in the history of the Rock Era (ABBA), performed their first show at a restaurant in Gothenburg, Sweden.
1970:  Matthews Southern Comfort rose to #1 in the U.K. with their version of the Joni Mitchell song "Woodstock".
1972:  The documentary film Elvis On Tour opened in theaters.

1975:  Wings opened the Australian leg of their world tour at the Entertainment Centre in Perth, Australia.









          Springsteen had finally arrived.


1975:  Jefferson Starship scored the first #1 album of their career as Red Octopus took over from John Denver's Windsong.  Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here slipped to #3 while One of These Nights by the Eagles was moving back up.  Prisoner in Disguise from Linda Ronstadt came in fifth while the breakthrough for Bruce Springsteen--Born to Run, was #6.  The rest of the Top 10:  Minstrel in the Gallery by Jethro Tull, George Harrison with Extra Texture (Read All About It), Rod Stewart edged up with Atlantic Crossing and David Crosby & Graham Nash combined for the #10 album Wind on the Water.
 
         Natalie's first Top 10--"This Will Be" (long version)...

1975:  Including his collaboration with Neil Sedaka on "Bad Blood", Elton John scored his sixth career #1 as "Island Girl" moved from 8 to 1 after just four weeks of release.  The bridesmaid, the double-sided "Calypso" and "I'm Sorry" by John Denver, continued in that position while Jefferson Starship had one of their biggest hits with "Miracles".  The Eagles were stationary with "Lyin' Eyes" and the Spinners completed a great Top 5 with "Games People Play".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Who Loves You", the comeback hit for the 4 Seasons, Morris Albert and "Feelings", "Bad Blood" from Neil Sedaka and Elton, Linda Ronstadt's double-sided "Heat Wave"/"Love is a Rose" was #9 and Natalie Cole entered the Top 10 for the first time with "This Will Be".
1980:  Barbra Streisand's "Woman in Love" continued to top the Adult Contemporary chart for a fourth week.

1980:  Diana Ross was getting attention with her new release "It's My Turn", the title track from the movie, which moved from 86 to 63.








1983:  The Rolling Stones released the single "Undercover of the Night".
1986:  10 years since their debut album, Boston scored its third straight #1 album with Third Stage.  






 
                               Baker with a big hit...

1986:  Cyndi Lauper held on to #1 with "True Colors" with Tina Turner's "Typical Male" peaking at #2.  Robert Palmer was there with "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On" and Boston moved up to 4 with "Amanda".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Human" by the Human League, Madonna's 10th consecutive Top 10 "True Blue" moved from 13-6, Janet Jackson dropped with "When I Think Of You", Anita Baker was at 8 with "Sweet Love", Eddie Money had one of his biggest hits as "Take Me Home Tonight" moved from 15-9 and Lisa Lisa & Cult Jame closed out the group with "All Cried Out".

1991:  Nirvana released the album MTV Unplugged in New York.
1991:  Eddie Kendricks (lead singer of the Temptations and a solo star ("Keep On Truckin'") returned home from a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia after having a lung removed due to cancer.  Kendricks, a lifelong smoker, vowed to give up the addiction, but it was too late--he died the following October at age 52.
1992:  "I Will Here For You" by Michael W. Smith was the #1 Adult Contemporary song.


1993:  The Gin Blossoms released the single "Found Out About You".
1993:  In today's episode of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, Flavor Flav (what a catchy name--not!) was arrested for attempted murder and possession of a weapon.








1994:  Boyz II Men released the single "On Bended Knee".
1994:  Megadeth released the album Youthanasia.
1997:  Aqua moved to #1 in the U.K. with "Barbie Girl".








1997:  Paula Cole debuted on the chart at #19 with "I Don't Want To Wait".









           One-half of a dynamite double-sided smash...

1997:  "Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John was #1 for a fourth week.  Usher would have to settle for having one of the top #2's of the Rock Era with "You Make Me Wanna'".  LeAnn Rimes was behind them with "How Do I Live" while Boyz II Men remained at #4 with "4 Seasons Of Loneliness".  The rest of the Top 10:  Allure and 112 with "All Cried Out", "My Love Is The Shhh!" by Somethin' for the People with Trina & Tamara, Jewel's blockbuster double-sided "Foolish Games" and "You Were Meant for Me" at #7, the Backstreet Boys were still at #8 after 19 weeks with "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)", Mariah Carey's "Honey" dripped down to #9 and Chumbawamba's great song "Tubthumping" was #10.
2000:  Robbie Williams offered to donate his bone marrow to save the life of a fan after meeting with Johanna MacVicar, who had leukemia.  Williams asked his fans to sign up as potential donors after being told of the severe shortage of male donors.


2003:  Bruce Springsteen joined Michael J. Fox to perform "Light of Day", Springsteen's  title song from the 1987 movie that starred Fox, for the opening night of a two-day benefit for Parkinson's Disease at the Stone Pony in New Jersey.
2003:  In Episode Two of Dangerous Inmates Run rap Music, both members of the duo Mobb Deep were arrested for possession of marijuana, crack and an illegal handgun.
2004:  Terry Knight, former manager of Grand Funk Railroad, was murdered at his home while defending his daughter in Killeen, Texas.  Knight was 61.
2005:  Lyle "Skitch" Henderson, a conductor who worked with Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and also was the leader of The Tonight Show orchestra, died of natural causes in New Milford, Connecticut at the age of 87.
2005:  Westlife had the top U.K. song with "You Raise Me Up".
2006:  The best album of the times was the Soundtrack to "Hannah Montana".  The Rock has fallen fast.
2008:  Jimmy Carl Black, singer and drummer of the Mothers of Invention, who also worked with The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Turtles, Joe Cocker and the Grateful Dead, died of lung cancer in Siegsdorf, Germany at the age of 70.
2008:  Kenny Chesney had the top album with Lucky Old Sun.
2010:  Tom Jones was given the British Music Industry Trust Award in London.

Born This Day:
1936:  Andre Williams (real name Zeffrey Williams), who was a producer and songwriter for Motown, was born in Bessemer, Alabama.  (Note:  several websites claims Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois, but according to the Michigan Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he was born in Besemer, then moved to Chicago with his family when he was a child."
1937:  Bill Anderson ("Still" from 1963) was born in Columbia, South Carolina.

1940  Barry Sadler ("The Ballad of the Green Berets") was born in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
1946:  Rick Grech, bass guitarist for Traffic who also appeared on an album by Blind Faith, was born in Bordeaux, France; died of kidney and liver failure as a result of alcoholism in Leicester, England on March 17, 1990.
1947:  Bob Weston, a guitarist for Fleetwood Mac in their early days, who also played for Graham Bond and Long John Baldry, was born in Plymouth, Devon, England; died January 3, 2012 of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

1949:  David Foster, musician, composer, arranger and producer, who has worked with the Bee Gees, Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Gordon Lightfoot, Madonna, Olivia Newton-John, Michael Jackson and scores of others, was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.






1950:  Dan Peek, guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist for the group America, was born in Panama City, Florida; died in his sleep in Farmington, Missouri on July 24, 2011.
1951:  Ronald Bell, keyboardist of Kool & the Gang, was born in Youngstown, Ohio.
1954:  Chris Morris, guitarist of Paper Lace ("The Night Chicago Died" from 1974), was born in Nottingham, England.
1959:  Eddie MacDonald, bassist for the Alarm, was born in St. Asaph, Wales.



1962:  Anthony Kiedis, lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
1962:  Mags Furuholmen, guitarist and keyboard player of A-ha, was born in Oslo, Norway.







1963:  Rick Allen, drummer of Def Leppard, was born in Dronfield, Derbyshire, England.
1981:  LaTavia Roberson of Destiny's Child was born in Houston, Texas.