Friday, August 1, 2014

This Date in Rock Music History: August 2

1953:  Skeeter Davis was injured in a car crash outside Cincinnati in which her singing partner, Betty Jack Davis, was killed.  
1957:  The Official Elvis Presley Fan Club was started in the U.K.
1961:  The Beatles began their famous gig as headliners at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England.







1962:  Robert Zimmerman legally changed his name to Bob Dylan.
1962:  Aretha Franklin performed on American Bandstand.
1964:  The Beatles returned to perform at Gaumont Cinema in Bournemouth, England.  An unknown group called the Kinks opened for them.















1965:  A new group appeared on the scene on this date.  Lovin' Spoonful released their debut single "Do You Believe In Magic" to radio stations.
1969:  Badfinger recorded "Come And Get It", produced in Abbey Road Studios by Paul McCartney.











1969:  Three Dog Night released the single "Easy To Be Hard".
1969:  Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Airplane, the Byrds, B.B. King, Lighthouse, and the Crazy World of Arthur Brown performed on the second day at the Atlantic City Pop Festival at the Atlantic City Race Track in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
1969:  "Spinning Wheel" reached the top for Blood, Sweat & Tears on the Easy Listening chart.











        
                                                             The Shondells had the perfect 60's sound...

1969:  Ahh, the great year of 1969--Zager & Evans remained at #1 with their all-time classic "In The Year 2525", while the great summer hit "Crystal Blue Persuasion" by Tommy James & the Shondells remained at #2 and "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat & Tears was next.  All three have been members of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* (the first two still are.)  Stevie Wonder was at #4 with one of the top ballads of his career--"My Cherie Amour".  The rest of the Top 10:  "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" by Jr. Walker & the All-Stars, Kenny Rogers & the First Edition moved from 15 to 6 with "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town", Neil Diamond was up nicely (13-7) with "Sweet Caroline", the Rolling Stones jumped 28-8 with "Honky Tonk Women", Andy Kim was stuck at 9 with "Baby, I Love You" and the Beatles' controversial "The Ballad Of John And Yoko" was done.
1970:  "The Wonder Of You" by Elvis Presley became his 16th #1 song in the U.K.
1971:  Creedence Clearwater Revival played at the Assembly Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
1972:  People in the music business were well aware of him, but he didn't have a solo single until "That's the Way God Planned It", which first charted on this date.  His first big hit "Outa-Space" came three years later and then he hit #1 a year after that with "Will It Go 'Round in Circles"--Billy Preston.
1972:  Brian Cole, bass guitarist and one of the founding members of the Association, was yet another star that died of drugs in Los Angeles at age 29.
1973:  The Mamas and the Papas filed a lawsuit against Dunhill Records for over a million dollars in unpaid royalties.
1974:  Bob Dylan re-signed with Columbia Records after being in the Elektra tent for a couple of LP's.  (Note:  some websites report Dylan re-signed on August 10, but according to the book 'The Mammoth Book of Bob Dylan' by Sean Egan, the switch occurred August 2.)
1974:  Mama Cass (the great lady of the Mamas & Papas) was cremated.  Fellow members John and Michelle Phillips and Sonny Bono were on hand.
1975:  "Fight the Power, Part 1" was #1 for the Isley Brothers on the R&B chart.
1975:  Glen Campbell had the top Adult Contemporary song with "Rhinestone Cowboy".
1975:  K.C. and the Sunshine Band was up from #51 to #32 with their first hit "Get Down Tonight".




                                         Elton had one of his biggest hits from Captain Fantastic....

1975:  The Eagles scored their second straight #1 with "One Of These Nights".  "I'm Not In Love" by 10cc was a pretty potent #2 while the Bee Gees were climbing fast with "Jive Talkin'".  Olivia Newton-John had song #4--"Please Mr. Please while the former #1 "The Hustle" from Van McCoy dropped to #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Elton John's great song "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", Melissa Manchester was up with "Midnight Blue", Wings were on their way down with the former #1 "Listen To What the Man Said", Gwen McCrae had the #9 song "Rockin' Chair" and Bazuka reached the list with "Dynomite".








1975:  The Eagles also had the top album with One of These Nights.  The Captain & Tennille moved up with Love Will Keep Us Together while the Isley Brothers were third with The Heat Is On.  Elton John's masterpiece Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy was at #4 with another fine album--Venus and Mars by Wings at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Cut the Cake from the Average White Band, Made in the Shade from the Rolling Stones, James Taylor at 8 with Gorilla, Earth, Wind & Fire had #9--That's the Way of the World and the Greatest Hits package from Cat Stevens moved into the Top 10.
1976:  Peter Watts, road manager of Pink Floyd, was found dead in Notting Hill, England from a heroin overdose.  
1977:  The Who bought the Shepperton film studios in London for half a million dollars.
1980:  Deep Purple hit #1 in the U.K. with their album Deepest Purple.








1980:  Emotional Rescue was the #1 album again for the Rolling Stones, holding off Glass Houses by Billy Joel, which was on its way up again.  The highly underrated Hold Out by Jackson Browne was up from #9 to #3.  The Soundtrack to the blockbuster "The Empire Strikes Back" was at #4 while one of the great soundtracks of the Rock Era--"Urban Cowboy" was at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Queen moved up from 16 to 6 with The Game, Pete Townshend had a great solo album Empty Glass, the Commodores were at 8 with Heroes, Diana Ross entered the Top 10 with Diana and McCartney II was at #10.








1980:  "Magic" by Olivia Newton-John took over the #1 spot from Billy Joel's "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me".  It was Olivia's 25th hit, 10th Top 10 and fourth #1.  Elton John had a strong #3 with "Little Jeannie" while the Spinners remained at #4 for the third week with "Cupid/I've Loved You For A Long Time".  The rest of a solid Top 10:  The Manhattans had song #5--"Shining Star", the S.O.S. Band with "Take Your Time (Do It Right)", Paul McCartney & Wings were at 7 with "Coming Up", Rocky Burnette remained at 8 with "Tired Of Toein' The Line", the Rolling Stones registered their 19th Top 10 and 41st overall hit with "Emotional Rescue" while Christopher Cross's beautiful "Sailing" cruised up from 17 to 10.
1982:  Jose Feliciano married Susan Omillan.
1983:  James Jamerson, elite bass guitarist who played on countless classics for Motown artists, died at the USC hospital in Los Angeles after a long struggle with alcoholism at the age of 47.  Jamerson played on "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye, "My Girl" by the Temptations, "You Can't Hurry Love" by the Supremes, "Reach Out I'll Be There" and "Bernadette" by the Four Tops, "Dancing In The Street" by Martha and the Vandellas, and "I Was Made To Love Her" and "For Once In My Life" by Stevie Wonder, just to name a few. 
1986:  Chris DeBurgh reached #1 in the U.K. with "The Lady In Red".








1986:  The Soundtrack to "Top Gun" remained at #1 on the Album chart, holding off So from Peter Gabriel and Invisible Touch by Genesis.  Janet Jackson's great album Control was still in the Top 5, while Madonna moved from 9 to 5 with True Blue.  The rest of the Top 10:  Billy Ocean's Love Zone, Patti LaBelle had The Winner in You at #7, the debut from Whitney Houston was still at #8 after an incredible 71 weeks on the chart, Bob Seger's solid album Like a Rock, and the Moody Blues were at 10 with The Other Side of Life.







         
                                                                  Kenny Loggins was flying high on the chart...

1986:  Former Chicago lead singer Peter Cetera of Sun Valley, Idaho climbed to #1 with "Glory Of Love".  Peter Gabriel's stay at #1 was brief; he dropped with "Sledgehammer" while Kenny Loggins had #3--"Danger Zone".  Madonna's powerful "Papa Don't Preach" was at #4, another former #1 "Invisible Touch" by Genesis was at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Mad About You" from former Go-Go Belinda Carlisle, "Love Touch" from Rod Stewart, "Nasty" by Janet Jackson was on its way down after peaking at #3, Jermaine Stewart said "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off" and that was good enough for a Top 10 record while the Pet Shop Boys were at #10 with "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money).








1986:  Sun Valley, Idaho's  Peter Cetera could not be stopped with a third week at #1 on the AC chart for "Glory Of Love".
1987:  Billy Joel was in concert at the Lenin Sports and Concert Complex in Leningrad.
1987:  David Martin, founding member, bass guitarist, and co-writer of "Wooly Bully" for Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs, died at age 50 from a heart attack in Garland, Texas.
1991:  Rick James was arrested in Los Angeles for the sex torture of a 24-year-old woman.
1996:  The Eagles performed at the NYNEX Arena in Manchester, England.
1997:  It took not one, not two, but three artists to record a #1 song as Puff Daddy & Faith Evans with 112 remained there with "I'll Be Missing You".  Meredith Brooks placed "Bitch" at #2 for a fourth week while the Backstreet Boys had "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart).  






1997:  The Soundtrack to "Men In Black" was #1 on the Album chart but Sarah McLachlan debuted at #2 with Surfacing.  Missy Elliott debuted at #3 with Supa Dupa Fly.  The Spice Girls were still in the Top 5 with Spice after 24 weeks.  The rest of the Top 10:  Prodigy with The Fat of the Land, Hanson had #6--Middle of Nowhere, God's Property was next with their self-titled release, Tim McGraw had #8 with Everywhere, the Wallflowers had a fine album at #9 (Bringing Down the Horse) after 55 weeks while the durable Pieces of You by Jewel was still in the Top 10 after 75 weeks of release.
1999:  Barry White was hospitalized in San Diego, California from exhaustion.
2000:  Madonna premiered her video of "Music".
2000:  Rushworth & Dreaper in Liverpool, England closed their doors after 150 years.  They had supplied instruments to the Beatles and other Liverpool groups.
2001:  New Orleans International Airport was renamed Louis Armstrong Airport after the great trumpet player.
2001:  Ron Townson of the 5th Dimension died of heart failure in Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of 68.
2003:  KISS and Aerosmith began their tour together at the Ctnow.com Meadows Music Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
2003:  The funeral for the late great of soul Barry White, who died July 4, was held in Los Angeles.  Jermaine Jackson, Isaac Hayes and Tyrese were among those in attendance.
2004:  Eric Clapton bought a controlling interest in Cordings, a men's clothing store which opened in 1839 and had supplied riding boots to the Royal Family, to prevent it from closing.
2004:  Bono of U2 performed at the funeral of Susan Buffett, the late wife of billionaire Warren Buffett.
2006:  LeToya had the #1 album with her self-titled release.










2012:  Jimmy Jones ("Handy Man" and "Good Timin'") died in Aberdeen, North Carolina at the age of 82. (Note:  some websites report that he died at age 75, however, he was born in 1930, according to the newspapers 'Aberdeen Sun-Times', 'The Independent', and 'The Telegraph'.)


Born This Day:
1937:  Garth Hudson, organist, keyboardist and saxophonist of the Band, was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.  (Note:  some websites, including the infamous 'Allmusic.com', claim Garth was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  They don't know what Garth himself knows, that he was born in Windsor, as stated on his official website.)
1939:  Edward Patten of the Pips was born in Atlanta, Georgia; died February 25, 2005. (Note:  some websites say Patten was born August 27, but according to the book 'Motown:  The Golden Years:  More than 100 rare photographs' by Bill Dahl, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the newspaper 'The Independent', Edward was born August 2.)
1941:  Doris Kenner of the Shirelles was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina; died February 4, 2000 of breast cancer in Sacramento, California.  (Note:  some websites, including 'MTV' and 'Allmusic.com', claim Kenner was born in Passaic, New Jersey.  She was born in Goldsboro and moved with her family to Passaic as a teenager.  Moving somewhere as a teenager doesn't qualify as being "born" there.)





1944:  Jim Capaldi, drummer and founding member of Traffic, who later performed with George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, was born in Evesham, Worcestershire, England; died of stomach cancer in London on January 28, 2005.
1948:  Andy Fairweather-Low, guitarist and founder of Amen Low who also toured with Eric Clapton and Roger Waters, was born in Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales.  (Note:  'Allmusic.com' says he was born in Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales, while other sites claim he was born in Ystrad Mynach, Wales or Hengoed, Wales.  While there are no credible sites for his birthplace, our best research indicates that Andy was born in Cardiff.)








1951:  Andrew Gold, singer multi-instrumentalist and producer, was born in Burbank, California; died June 3, 2011 in his sleep of heart failure in Encino, California after being treated for renal cancer at the age of 59.  (Note:  some websites show he died in Los Angeles, but Andrew died in Encino, according to the newspaper 'The Los Angeles Times'.)
1951:  Joe Lynn Turner, singer of Rainbow and Deep Purple, was born in Hackensack, New Jersey.
1957:  Butch Vig, drummer with Garbage and producer of Sonic Youth, the Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana, was born in Viroqua, Wisconsin.  (Note:  several websites report Butch was born in 1955, but according to the book 'Punks:  A Guide to an American Subculture' by Sharon M. Hannon, Viq was born in 1957.)
1959:  Apollonia (Patty Kotero), a member of the band Prince & the Revolution and the female lead in the movie Purple Rain, was born in Santa Monica, California.
1961:  Pete DeFreitas, drummer of Echo & the Bunnymen, was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; died in a motorcycle accident June 14, 1989 in Longdon Green, Staffordshire, England.
1970:  Zelma Davis of C+C Music Factory was born in Monrovia, Liberia.

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