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Sunday, December 28, 2014

This Date in Rock Music History: December 29

1955:  Barbra Streisand recorded her first song, at the age of 13.
1956:  Buddy Holly and four others chased and detained a shoplifter from a store in Lubbock, Texas.
1956:  Fats Domino sat atop the R&B chart  for the 11th week with "Blueberry Hill".  

1957:  Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme married in Las Vegas, Nevada.
1958:  "Lonely Teardrops" by Jackie Wilson was the #1 R&B song.
1958:  The new single "The Little Drummer Boy" by the Harry Simeone Chorale moved from #88 to #29.
1962:  Bob Dylan played at the Troubadour folk club in London.
1962:  Steve Lawrence remained at #1 for a third week on the Easy Listening chart with "Go Away Little Girl".  



1962:  "Telstar" by the Tornadoes was the #1 song, outdistancing Chubby Checker's "Limbo Rock" and "Bobby's Girl" by Marcie Blane.  "Go Away Little Girl" by Steve Lawrence was fourth with former #1 "Big Girls Don't Cry" by the Four Seasons behind.  The rest of the Top 10:  Elvis Presley dropped with "Return To Sender", Ray Charles moved up to #7 with "You Are My Sunshine",Brook Benton and "Hotel Happiness", "Little Esther" Phillips remained the same with "Release Me", Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans were thrilled as "Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah" jumped from 16-9 and Brook Benton was at #10 with "Hotel Happiness".
1963:  The Weavers performed for the final time at Orchestra Hall in Chicago.
1966:  The Beatles began recording "Penny Lane".
1967:  Dave Mason quit the group Traffic and began a solo career.


Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) by Sly & The Family Stone on Grooveshark
1969:  Sly & the Family Stone released the single "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).













1970:  Norman Greenbaum released the single "Spirit In The Sky".
1971:  America released their self-titled debut album.










1973:  Stevie Wonder rose to #1 on the R&B chart with his classic "Living For The City".
1973:  Jim Croce took over at #1 on the Adult chart with "Time In A Bottle".
1973:  Ringo Starr shot up from 50 to 27 with "You're Sixteen".







                Brownsville Station's big hit...

1973:  The recently departed Jim Croce reached #1 with "Time In A Bottle".  Charlie Rich dropped from the top with "The Most Beautiful Girl" while Helen Reddy had another big hit with "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)" and the Steve Miller Band was at 4 with "The Joker".  The rest of the Top 10:  Elton John and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" after peaking at #2 for three weeks, Todd Rundgren with "Hello It's Me", the Carpenters were still at 7 after 13 weeks with their smash "Top Of The World", Al Wilson's great new song "Show and Tell", Brownsville Station moved up with "Smokin' In The Boy's Room" and Barry White held on to the #10 spot with "Never, Never Gonna' Give Ya Up".



1973:  Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was on top for a third straight week on the Album chart.  
1975:  Paul Kantner and Grace Slick of Jefferson Starship divorced.
1980:  Tim Hardin, folksinger and songwriter, died at age 39 in Los Angeles from drugs.
1980:  Irving Spice, who played violin for the Monkees and Grover Washington, Jr., died in New York City.




1990:  Elton John led the way on the Adult Contemporary chart for a third week with "You Gotta' Love Someone".
1994:  Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes pleaded guilty to arson charges for setting fire to and destroying boyfriend Andre Rison's $1 million Atlanta mansion.
2000:  A federal appeals court ruled that Nicholas Kussbaum, bassist for Steppenwolf, could continue to bill himself as a former member of the group.  John Kay, lead singer of the group, tried to enforce a 1980 contract in which Kussbaum agreed not to emphasize his ties with the group.
2004:  The biographical movie about Bobby Darin, Beyond the Sea, opened in theaters.
2011:  Robert Lee Dickey, "Bobby" of the duo James & Bobby Purify, died at the age of 72 in Tallahassee, Florida.

Born This Day:
1941:  Ray Thomas, singer, composer and flautist of the Moody Blues, was born in Stourport-on-Severn, England.
1942:  Rick Danko, co-lead singer and bass guitarist of the group which called itself the Band, was born in Greens Corner, Ontario, Canada; died of a heart attack in Marbletown, New York on December 10, 1999.  (Note:  There is much confusion about Rick's birthday.  The book 'All Music Guide to Country: The Definitive Guide to Country Music' by Vladimir Bogdanov, ‎Chris Woodstra, and ‎Stephen Thomas Erlewine, as well as 'Billboard' magazine, and the newspapers 'The Independent' and 'The Guardian" all say Rick was born on December 9, 1943, and the Rock Hall of Fame says he was born on December 29, 1943.   The book 'Sounds of Rebellion:  Music in the 1960s' by Brittanica Educational Publishing and the 'BBC' all show Danko's birthday as December 29, 1942, which matches his tombstone.  Ordinarily, the tombstone would be proof, but it is not correct in this instance.  Rick's brothers, as well as Rick himself when he was alive, all said that Rick was born in 1942.  According to the Dankos, Rick was born at home on December 29, 1943.  His birth was not reported right away, and when his birth certificate was printed, it contained the wrong year.  Rick never had it changed, because it meant he "got to do everything a year earlier."  'Allmusic', 'Billboard', the 'BBC', 'Brittanica Educational Publishing' and the two newspapers are wrong, and in this case, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is correct.  Some sites report his birthplace as Simcoe, Ontario, Canada--Rick was born in Greens Corner, which is near the town of Simcoe.)
1942:  Jerry Summers (real name Jerry Gross) of the Dovells ("You Can't Sit Down")
1946:  Marianne Faithfull was born in Hampstead, London.

1947:  Cozy Powell, drummer of Rainbow, Whitesnake and Black Sabbath, was born in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England; died April 5, 1998 following a car accident near Bristol, England.
1948:  Charlie Spinosa, trumpeter of John Fred & His Playboy Band ("Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)" from 1968)






1951:  Yvonne Elliman, a member for four years of the first cast of Jesus Christ Superstar and later a solo star, was born in Honolulu, Hawai'i.
1970:  Glen Phillips, singer/songwriter and guitarist of Toad the Wet Sprocket ("All I Want") was born in Santa Barbara, California.

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