Sunday, September 28, 2014

This Date in Rock Music History: September 29

1956:  The Oh Susanna Show, a strange name for what actually was The Gale Storm Show, debuted on CBS-TV and would air for five seasons.
1956:  Bill Haley owned five of the top songs in the U.K.--"Rockin' Through the Rye", "Saints Rock n' Roll", "Rock Around the Clock", "Razzle Dazzle"and "See You Later, Alligator".
1956:  Elvis Presley's double-sided smash "Hound Dog"/"Don't Be Cruel" resumed the #1 position on the R&B chart.

1957:  Buddy Holly and the Crickets recorded "Maybe Baby".
1958:  "It's All in the Game" by Tommy Edwards was the new #1 song.
1960:  Ricky Valance rose to #1 on the U.K. chart with "Tell Laura I Love Her".









1962:  "He's a Rebel" by the Crystals moved from 66 to 44 on this date.
1962:  "Sherry" by the 4 Seasons continued to be the #1 song for the third week.
1963:  The Rolling Stones began their first tour of the U.K. at the New Victoria in London, opening for Bo Diddley, Little Richard and the Everly Brothers.
1966:  The Animals held auditions for a new guitarist at the Birdland Club in London.  Noel Redding jammed with a guitarist that Animals member Chas Chandler had discovered (Jimi Hendrix) before the two headed off to a pub.  Hendrix invited Redding to play bass for the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

1967:  Drummer Mickey Hart joined the Grateful Dead on stage at the Straight Theater, and immediately became a permanent member.
1967:  The Rolling Stones parted ways with manager Andrew Loog Oldham.
1969:  The Doors were in concert at the Lincoln Center's 7th Film Festival in New York City.
1971:  Sweet, Dave Edmunds and Rockpile appeared in concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, while Gilbert O'Sullivan made his live debut that night.
1972:  Cat Stevens played at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
1973:  Stevie Wonder posted his eighth #1 on the R&B chart--"Higher Ground".

                        "Jessica" from the Allman Brothers...

1973:  Brothers and Sisters by the Allman Brothers held the #1 spot on the album chart for the fourth week.  We're an American Band by Grand Funk would settle for #2 with Killing Me Softly from Roberta Flack third.  Los Cochinos from the hilarious Cheech & Chong was #4 and the great album Innervisions from Stevie Wonder was #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Let's Get It On from Marvin Gaye moved from 11-6, Deliver the Word from War, Long Hard Climb by Helen Reddy was stuck on 8, Chicago VI by Chicago and the epic Pink Floyd album The Dark Side of the Moon was in the final spot of the Top 10.


1973:  Grand Funk celebrated their first #1 song--"Were An American Band".  Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" was #2 with Cher looming next with "Half Breed".  Paul Simon remained at #4 with "Loves Me Like a Rock" and Helen Reddy dropped to position #5 with "Delta Dawn".  The rest of the Top 10:  Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground", Tony Orlando & Dawn slipped with "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose", the Isley Brothers were up to #8 with "That Lady", B.W. Stevenson made the Top 10 with "My Maria" and the Allman Brothers scored the only Top 10 of their career with "Ramblin' Man".



1974:  John Lennon was a guest DJ on WNEW-FM in New York.









1975:  The Bee Gees released one of their great hits--"Nights On Broadway".
1976:  Jerry Lee Lewis was charged with shooting a firearm within city limits.  He was aiming to shoot a soda bottle at his birthday party but instead hit his bass guitarist, Norman Owens, twice in the chest.

1977:  Billy Joel released the album The Stranger.
1977:  The band for James Brown walked out on him in Hallandale, Florida, complaining of being underpaid and overworked.  Welcome to the club.
1979:  The Police had the top song in the U.K. with "Message in a Bottle".
 
 


 1979:  Lobo reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Where Were You When I Was Falling In Love".

1979:  Michael Jackson ruled the R&B chart for the fourth consecutive week with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".








1979:  On this date, 16-year-old France Joli had one of the fastest-rising songs (63-40) with "Come To Me".  As it turned out, she would forever have one of The Most Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.
1979:  Foreigner had arrived.  Their great third album Head Games debuted at #19 on the album chart.





    LRB with one of their best albums...


1979:  In Through the Out Door had been out just four weeks but three of those were at #1 for their final classic album.  The Knack was still at #2 with the impressive Get the Knack and Bob Dylan remained at 3 with Slow Train Coming.  Supertramp's great Breakfast In America was #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Risque by Chic, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall, a little Midnight Magic from the Commodores at #7, Earth, Wind & Fire held on to #8 with I Am, Candy-O from the Cars, and the Little River Band scored a Top 10 album with First Under the Wire.





1979:  The Knack made it six weeks at #1 with "My Sharona".









1980:  Kenny Rogers released the single "Lady".









1980:  Pat Benatar released the single "Hit Me With Your Best Shot".
1980:  Elvis Costello and the Stray Cats performed at the Rainbow in London.
1983:  Andy Gibb appeared on the series Gimme' a Break on ABC-TV.








1984:  Billy Ocean made it four straight weeks at #1 on the R&B chart with "Caribbean Queen".










1984:  Prince owned the #1 single ("Let's Go Crazy") album (Purple Rain) and movie (Purple Rain) simultaneously, joining the Beatles as the only act to ever achieve the feat.  Prince knocked John Waite from the top after a short stay with "Missing You".  The Cars were up to 3 with "Drive" but Cyndi Lauper dropped with "She Bop".  Stevie Wonder's latest--"I Just Called To Say I Love You" was up to #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Tina Turner's smash "What's Love Got To Do With It", Scandal with "The Warrior", Sheila E. moved up with "The Glalmorous Life", Bananarama edged up to #9 with "Cruel Summer" and Bruce Springsteen's latest from Born in the U.S.A. was "Cover Me".



1986:  Madonna released the single "True Blue".









1986:  Wang Chung released "Everybody Have Fun Tonight".









1986:  Billy Idol released the single "To Be A Lover".
1990:  The album Listen Without Prejudice by George Michael debuted at #22.

1990:  Prince topped the R&B chart for the seventh time in his career with "Thieves in the Temple".










George Michael from his masterpiece Listen Without Prejudice

1990:  Nelson topped the chart with "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection".  Maxi Priest closed to #2 with "Close To You" and the former #1 "Release Me" from Wilson Phillips was third.  Jon Bon Jovi dropped to #4 with "Blaze Of Glory", George Michael was up strong with "Praying for Time" and Phil Collins was on the move with "Something Happened On the Way To Heaven".
1991:  Metallica kicked off a tour at the Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois.
1992:  Singer/songwriter Paul Jabara died from lymphoma related to the AIDS virus in Los Angeles at age 44.  Jabara wrote "Last Dance" for Donna Summer and "The Main Event/Fight" for Barbra Streisand.

1994:  The Pointer Sisters received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.










1996:  Alanis Morissette wrapped up her first tour at The Summit in Houston, Texas.
1997:  Bobby Sheehan of Blues Traveler was arrested for possession of cocaine in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.







1997:  United States President Bill Clinton awarded Don Henley with a National Medal of the Humanites for his work on the Walden Woods Project.  In 1990, Henley founded Walden Woods organization, dedicated to protecting the historic woods in Massachusetts where author and philosopher Henry David Thoreau first championed the concept of land conservation.  Walden Woods has protected vast tracts from commercial development, has created the environmental educational initiative for students (www.worldwidewaldens.org), and maintains the most important library of Thoreau-related material in the world.
1998:  The family of Frank Sinatra filed suit against Ross Stores, Inc. for copyright infringement, saying The Sinatra Collection of 75 songs was not authorized.


2002:  Kelly Clarkson rode a wave to #1 with "A Moment Like This".
2004:  The five-piece drum set for Keith Moon of the Who sold for $215,772 in London setting a auction record for a set of drums.
2004:  Bono of U2 addressed the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, England about AIDS and world poverty.
2005:  "Gold Digger" by Kanye West was the #1 song for the fourth week in a row.
2006:  Weezer sued Miller Brewing Company, which used the band's image in print ads without permission.

2011:  Sylvia Robinson of the duo Mickey & Sylvia and founder and CEO of Sugar Hill Records died at the age of 75 from congestive heart failure.


Born This Day:

1907:  Gene Autry, a huge Country star who also crossed over with the Christmas songs "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer", was born in Tioga, Texas; died October 2, 1998 of lymphoma in Studio City, California.  Autry was also the original owner of the Anaheim Angels baseball team, and is the only person in history to earn stars in all five categories on the Hollywood Walk of Fame--film, television, music, radio, and live performance.
1930:  Billy Strange, who co-wrote "Limbo Rock" for Chuck Berry and "A Little Less Conversation" for Elvis Presley, and worked with the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, the Everly Brothers, Nat King Cole and Jan & Dean, was born in Long Beach, California; died February 22, 2012 at the age of 81 in Nashville, Tennessee.

1935:  Jerry Lee Lewis was born in Ferriday, Louisiana.
1939:  Tommy Boyce, half of the duo Boyce & Hart, who had the hit "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight", and also wrote "I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" and "Last Train To Clarksville" for the Monkees, was born in Charlottesville, Virginia; in later years he suffered from depression, experienced a brain aneurysm and committed suicide on November 23, 1994.
1943:  Manuel Fernandez of Los Bravos; committed suicide May 20, 1967.
 
1944:  Mike Post, engineer, songwriter, and producer, who wrote themes to the television shows Hill Street BluesMagnum, P.I., L.A. Law, The Rockford Files, and The Phil Donahue Show, was born in Berkeley, California.
1944:  Tommy Boyce of Boyce and Hart ("I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" from 1968) was born in Charlottesville, Virginia; committed suicide November 23, 1994.





1948:  Mark Farner, guitarist of Grand Funk, was born in Flint, Michigan.
1948:  Mike Pinera, guitarist of Iron Butterfly, Alice Cooper and Blues Image ("Ride Captain Ride") was born in Tampa, Florida.
1965:  Ian Baker, keyboardist of Jesus Jones ("Right Here, Right Now"), was born in Carshalton, Surrey, England.
1968:  Brad Smith of Blind Melon ("No Rain") was born in West Point, Mississippi.
1969:  Donald DeGrate, vocalist of Jodeci ("Freak 'N' You" from 1995), was born in Hampton, Virginia.

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