This Date in Rock Music History: October 26

1959:  Marty Robbins released the single "El Paso".
1959:  B.B. King and wife celebrated the birth of their daughter Shirley in Memphis, Tennessee.

1959:  "Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin was #1 for a fourth week and it wasn't even close to done. 
1961:  Bob Dylan signed with Columbia Records.
1962:  Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Marvelettes, Mary Wells, Martha & the Vandellas and the Contours were part of the Motortown Revue that began touring on this date in Washington, D.C.







1962:  The Beatles debuted on the U.K. chart with their first single "Love Me Do". 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1963:  Bobby Vinton had one of the Top Easy Listening songs of the 60's with "Blue Velvet", which remained #1 for an eighth week.









1963:  Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs ruled the roost for a third week with "Sugar Shack", one of the great hits in the early years of the Rock Era.








1964:  The Beach Boys released the single "Dance, Dance, Dance".
1964:  The Beatles finished work for their upcoming album Beatles for Sale by recording "Honey Don't" in five takes.  While in the studio, Carl Perkins, who had written Ringo Starr's vocal part, paid the Beatles a visit.







1964:  Lorne Greene released the single "Ringo".










1965:  The Beatles received Member of the British Empire medals at Buckingham Palace in London.

1967:  Pink Floyd performed for the first of three shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco, California.

 

    

       The Los Angeles group Grass Roots--part of what made the 60's so special...

1968:  The Beatles made it five weeks at the top with their landmark hit "Hey Jude", one of The Top 10 Songs of the Rock Era*.  "Little Green Apples" by O.C. Smith was second with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown falling with "Fire".  Mary Hopkin had a monster hit with 'Those Were The Days", moving up 13-4.  The rest of a solid Top 10:  The O'Kaysions with "Girl Watcher", the Grass Roots and "Midnight Confessions", Gary Puckett & the Union Gap with "Over You", Jeannie C. Riley in retreat with "Harper Valley P.T.A.", the Turtles climbed up from 14 to 9 with 'Elenore" and the Bee Gees were still in the list with "I've Gotta' Get A Message To You".




1970:  Elton John released the single "Your Song", at the time the "B" side of the "A" side "Take Me To The Pilot".
1970:  A wake for Janis Joplin was held at the Lion's Share in San Anselmo, California.  Joplin was cremated at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Mortuary in Los Angeles and her ashes were scattered from a plane into the Pacific Ocean and along Stinson Beach.
1970:  Repercussions from one of the worst days of the Rock Era--the disastrous Altamont Festival starring the Rolling Stones.  Meredith Hunter, mother of the man killed by the Hell's Angels, who had been hired to run security, sued the Stones.








1973:  Paul McCartney & Wings released the single "Helen Wheels".








   We Couldn't Get Enough of this new band--Bad Company...

1974:  A collaboration that made a lot of people happy--"Then Came You" by Dionne Warwick & the Spinners gave each artist their first #1 song on this date.  Stevie Wonder was one step away with "You Haven't Done Nothin'".  Guitarist Randy Bachman had split from the Guess Who and formed a hot new group and BTO was roaring up the chart from 17 to 6 with the great song "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet".  One of the best-sounding opens of any song you'll hear.  Carole King from Stanley, Idaho had song #4--"Jazzman" while "The Bitch Is Back" by Elton John came in fifth.  The rest of the Top 10:  newcomer Bad Company was at 6 with "Can't Get Enough", Tony Orlando & Dawn had the #7 song with "Steppin' Out" although I can tell you that few stations played it, Lynyrd Skynyrd had their first Top 10 song with "Sweet Home Alabama", which moved from 15-8, Mac Davis decided to "Stop And Smell The Roses" and the Osmonds were at 10 with "Love Me For A Reason".
1974:  John Denver's "Back Home Again" sailed to the top of the Easy Listening chart.
1974:  The outpouring of respect continued to come for the late Jim Croce, whose posthumous greatest hits collection Photographs & Memories entered the Top 10 on the album chart.

1975:  Elton John knew how to close out his highly successful tour in style.  Decked out in a sequined Los Angeles Dodger outfit, Elton played the second and final night at Dodger Stadium.
1976:  Leonard Lee of Shirley & Lee ("Let the Good Times Roll") died of a heart attack in New Orleans, Louisiana at the age of 40.  (Note:  some websites show his death as October 23, but according to the book 'Rock Obituaries:  Knocking on Heaven's Door' by Nick Talevski, the correct date is October 26.)
1978:  The Police performed for the first time in the United States at the Rat Club in Boston, Massachusetts.

1980:  Paul Kantner of Jefferson Starship suffered a brain hemorrhage during a recording session.  He was able to fully recover after 15 days in a Los Angeles hospital.
1985:  George Benson hit #1 on the U.K. Album chart with The Love Songs Collection.








1985:  Glenn Frey scored his second Top 10 hit with "You Belong To The City".
1985:  Dire Straits sat in the #1 spot for the ninth week on the Album chart with Brothers in Arms.








1987:  Whitney Houston released the single "So Emotional".

Very few acts could pull off this great of a sound a cappella.  You didn't have very good ears if you didn't know this group was going to be huge.

1991:  Boyz II Men landed a #1 song on the R&B chart with "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday".
1991:  Mariah Carey couldn't miss early in her career while she had Tommy Mottola helping her.  She spent a third week at #1 with "Emotions".
1991:  Erasure climbed to #1 on the U.K. Album chart with Chorus.





1991:  The monumental album Ropin' the Wind by Garth Brooks was #1 for a third week.  
1992:  Pearl Jam set a career high when the album Vs. sold 950,000 copies in its first week.
1992:  John Fogerty and wife Julie celebrated the birth of son Tyler Jackson.








1994:  Wilbert Harrison ("Kansas City") died of a stroke at the age of 64 in a Spencer, North Carolina nursing home.
1996:  The Spice Girls kept their momentum with the #1 U.K. song "Say You'll Be There".
1996:  Celine Dion regained the #1 album with Falling Into You.  The Moment by Kenny G was second.

1999:  Singer/songwriter Hoyt Axton passed away of a heart attack at age 61 in Victor, Montana.  Axton (whose mother wrote Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel"), who penned songs for Elvis, Three Dog Night (their all-time smash "Joy to the World"), John Denver, Ringo Starr and Glen Campbell. among others, died of a heart attack at the age of 61.
2003:  The Sugababes went to #1 in the U.K. with "Hole In The Head".






2003:  Dido owned the top U.K. album with Life for Rent.
2004:  The Eagles performed in Yokohama, Japan.
2005:  Ashlee Simpson had the #1 album with I Am Me. 
2007:  In today's episode of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, T.I. was arrested for unlawfully possessing firearms, unregistered machine guns and silencers.
2008:  Girls Aloud had the #1 U.K. song with "Promise".
2007:  Donovan announced he was planning to create "The Invincible Donovan University" of transcendental meditation in Glasgow, Scotland.
2008:  Patti LaBelle sang the national anthem of the United States prior to Game Four of the World Series in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
2008:  AC/DC owned the top U.K. album with Black Ice.

Born This Day:
1944:  Allen Henderson, bassist for Them ("Gloria") was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1946:  Keith Hopwood, guitarist of Herman's Hermits, was born in Manchester, England.
1951:  William "Bootsy" Collins, bass guitarist for James Brown, Parliament and Funkadelic, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1951:  Maggie Roche, who sang backing vocals for Paul Simon, was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1952:  David Was of Was Not Was ("Walk The Dinosaur") was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1953:  Keith Strickland, drummer and guitarist with the B-52's, was born in Athens, Georgia.

1963:  Natalie Merchant was born in Jamestown, New York.
1978:  Mark Barry of BBMak ("Back There") was born in Manchester, England.

New Featured Unknown/Underrated Song: "I Only Have Eyes For You" by the Flamingos

A #11 song for the Flamingos that should have easily made the Top 10, if not #1:

 

"I Only Have Eyes For You"

Flamingos

 

Music by Harry Warren, Lyrics by Al Dubin

 

 

My love must be a kind of blind love
I can't see anyone but you
And dear, I wonder if you find love
An optical illusion, too?

Are the stars out tonight?
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
'Cause I only have eyes for you, dear
The moon may be high
But I can't see a thing in the sky
'Cause I only have eyes for you.

I don't know if we're in a garden
Or on a crowded avenue
You are here, so am I
Maybe millions of people go by
But they all disappear from view
And I only have eyes for you 

The Top 100 Artists of the Seventies So Far: #100-76

We're already hearing that this is one of your favorite music specials so far.  It only gets better from here!

If you're just discovering it, we started on October 1 with #100.  Here are the first 25:

#100:  ZZ Top

#99:  Journey

#98:  Cheap Trick

#97:  AC/DC

#96:  Van Halen

#95:  Jefferson Starship

#94:  Bachman-Turner Overdrive

#93:  England Dan & John Ford Coley

#92:  Neil Sedaka

#91:  Kansas

#90:  KISS

#89:  Ringo Starr

#88:  Seals & Crofts

#87:  John Lennon

#86:  Andy Gibb

#85:  Beatles

#84:  Gordon Lightfoot

#83:  K.C. and the Sunshine Band

#82:  Temptations

#81:  Jim Croce

#80:  Stylistics

#79:  Little River Band

#78:  Michael Jackson

#77:  Dr. Hook

#76:  Bob Dylan 

Jack Bruce Has Died

Jack Bruce, the bassist in the group Cream, died today in Suffolk, England of liver disease at the age of 71.  Bruce also worked with Manfred Mann, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, and many others.  Rest in Peace, Jack!

 

Lined Up Tomorrow on Inside The Rock Era

As you can tell, we have gotten into some amazing artists in The Top 100 Artists of the Seventies* music special. 

Up next, an artist who first burst onto the scene for an amazing live album, and to this day, he is still known for his stellar live performances.

Catch his story and incredible music on Inside The Rock Era tomorrow!

Bob Dylan, The #76 Artist of the Seventies*

Inside The Rock Era is featuring one of the most prestigious of our music specials, The Top 100 Artists of the Seventies*.  We've done some features on individual genres the last two months, but to be one of the elite members of this group, to say they are one of the best for the decade no matter what the genre, that says a lot.  We are saluting one artist per day, and this party is going to go into the new year!

This artist got his start in the 60's, and accomplished his greatest achievements in that decade.  Still, Bob Dylan was a force in the decade to follow, and makes The Top 100* here as well.

Dylan's songs "Blowin' In The Wind" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'" of the 60's are some of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*.  He began his career in folk music, because rock and roll songs "weren't serious or realistic enough for me".  Robert Zimmerman, as he was first known by his real name, performed his first shows at the Ten O'Clock Scholar, a coffeehouse near him in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

In 1960, Zimmerman changed his stage name to Bob Dylan, dropped out of college and later relocated to New York City.  There, he visited his musical idol, Woody Guthrie, who was seriously ill in the hospital.  Dylan began playing clubs around Greenwich Village.  It was a magical time and place to be, with a new generation finding new ways to express themselves, all under the larger Rock umbrella.

In fact, The Bitter End, one of the most famous of the Bleecker Street venues, is referred to as "the birthplace of Bob Dylan".  Be sure to spend some time there if you are ever in New York City.  Dylan gathered material from many folk singers around the Village, including Fred Neil and Odetta.  Later in the year, he played harmonica on an album by Caolyn Hester, which introduced him to producer John Hammond.

Hammond signed Dylan to Columbia Records in October of 1961.  But when Bob's first album sold only 5,000 copies in a year, some around Columbia referred to Dylan as "Hammond's Folly", and suggested dropping his contract.  But Hammond strongly defended Dylan, who was also importantly supported by labelmate Johnny Cash.

In 1962, Bob legally changed his name to Bob Dylan and hired Albert Grossman as his manager.  Dylan's second album was his breakthrough.  The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan contained "Blowin In The Wind", later made into a classic by Peter, Paul and Mary.  Dylan's masterpiece ushered in the era of the protest song and of socially conscious lyrics that had been absent in popular recorded music up to that time.

Fellow folk singer Joan Baez was instrumental in aiding Dylan's rise to international fame.  The pair became romantically linked, and Baez invited Bob onstage during her concerts.  Dylan made a bold and monumental move in 1965 with his album Bringing It All Back Home, his first with electronic instruments.  He then performed his first electric show at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival as the headliner.

Dylan continued as one of the most important performers of the 60's, with some even calling him "the voice of his generation".  In 1970, Bob released the album Self Portrait, which was scorched by critics, but has since gone Gold.  "Wigwam" from the album only reached #41.  Dylan had ended the 60's in brilliance, but he started the 70's with everyone scratching their heads.  But his Gold album later in the year, New Morning, was much better.  It included "If Not For You", which George Harrison included on his album All Things Must Pass, and was later a hit for Olivia Newton-John.

 

 

One of the better tracks on the album is "Went To See The Gypsy".  (Click on the "Play" Icon in the upper left-hand corner of the rectangle above...)

 

 

 

In 1972, Dylan recorded songs for the "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" Soundtrack and played a role in the movie.  While the film was a failure, the song "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" emerged as a hit, reaching #12.

The self-titled Dylan was his fourth consecutive album of the decade to sell over 500,000 copies and achieve Gold status.  But, unlike in the previous decade, Bob's songs did not resonate with the masses.   "A Fool Such As I" (at #55) was his best effort from the album.

When the Columbia Records contract expired, Dylan signed with David Geffen's label, Asylum.  In 1974, Dylan released the album Planet Waves with similar results--a half-million albums sold and what people in the music business call "stiffs" (releases that go nowhere), as "On A Night Such As This" stalled at #44.  For Dylan fans, "You Angel You" is another track worth checking out.  Bob utilized The Band as backing musicians for the album while preparing for a major tour.

Dylan went on a coast-to-coast North American tour with tTe Band, Bob's first tour in seven years.  It was a huge success, and Dylan also released his first live album in 1974, Before The Flood, which became his seventh Platinum album, but the first of the decade.

Meanwhile, Columbia made a major push to get Dylan back.  And Bob was miffed that despite the successful tour, Asylum had only sold 700,000 copies of Planet Waves.  So he re-signed with Columbia.

But really, it wasn't the record label but the material.  After the tour, Dylan and his wife were publicly estranged.  Bob jotted down his thoughts in a small red notebook about relationships and splits.  He quickly went to work on a new album, but delayed its release so he could re-record half of the songs at Sound 80 Studios in Minneapolis.  His brother, David Zimmerman, assisted with production.  When completed, Dylan had returned to the form he showed in the mid-60's with the album Blood on the Tracks.  That project included two of his greatest songs.  "Tangled Up In Blue" peaked at #31.

Critics at the time dismissed the album, but now have reversed course (which is why people, especially artists, should never listen to critics).  Bill Wyman writes in Salon.com:


'Blood on the Tracks' is his (Dylan's) only flawless album and his best produced; the songs, each of them, are constructed in disciplined fashion.  It is his kindest album and most dismayed, and seems in hindsight to have achieved a sublime balance between the logorrhea-plagued excesses of his mid-1960s output and the self-consciously simple compositions of his post-accident years.


Novelist Rick Moody called Blood on the Tracks "the truest, most honest account of a love affair from tip to stern ever put down on magnetic tape."

Blood on the Tracks became just the second album in Dylan's career to sell over two million copies.  It had nothing to do with the record label; it was far superior to Planet Waves.   One of the great tracks on the album is "Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts".

 

 

 

 

 

Another solid track is "Simple Twist Of Fate".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another song popular with Dylan fans is "You're Going to Make Me Lonesome When You Go" .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another song worth checking out on the album is "Shelter From The Storm".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That summer, Dylan visited boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, who had been imprisoned for a triple murder in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1966.  Dylan wrote the song "Hurricane", making a case for Carter's innocence, which he released as the first single from the album Desire.  At eight minutes and 32 seconds, extremely long for a radio station to play, "Hurricane" still made it to #33 in the United States.

Dylan embarked on the Rolling Thunder Revue, a tour featuring over one hundred performers from a resurgent Greenwich Village, that included Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and Roger McGuinn.  "Isis" is another top track on Desire.

 

 

 

 

 

    

Desire also sold over two million copies, Dylan's last studio album to achieve that figure.  The last half of the tour was documented in the television special and album Hard Rain.  "Mozambique" peaked at #54.  

The tour also spawned the four-hour film Renaldo and Clara, complete with concert footage and reminiscences.  The movie was ripped by critics and had a very limited run at the box office.

In 1976, Dylan appeared along with other guests at The Band's "farewell" concert.  The Last Waltz, a chronicle of the show which included about half of Dylan's set, was released in 1978.

In 1978, Dylan performed 114 shows in Japan, the Far East, Europe and the United States to about two million people.  Concerts in Tokyo were recorded and released as the double live album Bob Dylan At Budokan.  The tour grossed more than $20 million.

Dylan then rented rehearsal space in Santa Monica, California to record the album Street-Legal.  It was praised as one of his finest albums of the decade, but featured poor sound recording and mixing, the result of Dylan's imperfections as a studio artist.  One track that stands out is "Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power)".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the late 70's, Dylan became a born-again Christian, and released one of his strongest albums of the decade, Slow Train Coming, in 1979.  It included his biggest hit since "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" in 1973, the single "Gotta' Serve Somebody".  The latter reached #24, but is another of his Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another amazing track on the album is "Precious Angel".

Dylan failed to find the Top 10 in the Seventies, despite 20 single releases.  But as pointed out, he had several underrated songs and top-notch album tracks, and his 70's albums have sold 10.5 million copies.  And as the success of his tours in the decade showed, he was still a major force in the music business.

Dylan has been inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  In 2008, Dylan received a special citation from the Pulitzer Prize jury for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.  In 2012, Bob received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Barack Obama.

This Date in Rock Music History: October 25

1958:  Cliff Richard made his radio debut on Saturday Night on the BBC.

1962:  Paul Petersen performed "My Dad" on The Donna Reed Show in ABC-TV.
1962:  Ronnie Smith, who replaced Buddy Holly as lead singer of the Crickets for the remainder of the Winter Dance Party after Holly died in a plane crash, hung himself in a Texas state hospital after he had been committed for drug abuse.  The Day the Music Died indeed.
1963:  Ricky Nelson and his wife celebrated the birth of daughter Tracy in Santa Monica, California.
1963:  The Beatles began their first tour of Sweden, playing at the Nya Aulan, Sundstavagen in Karistad.  
1964:  The Rolling Stones made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing "Around And Around" and "Time Is On My Side".

1967:  The Monkees released "Daydream Believer".
1968:  The Jimi Hendrix Experience released the album Electric Ladyland.







 

1968:  Led Zeppelin made their live debut at the Great Hall at Surrey University in England.  (Note:  numerous websites incorrectly show the date as October 15.  It is believed that the group performed under the name the New Yardbirds on October 15 in Surrey, but according to the book 'Led Zeppelin:  A Celebration' by Dave Lewis, the group played its final performance under the name the Yardbirds on October 19 in Liverpool, and according to the group's official website, as well as the book 'Whole Lotta' Led Zeppelin:  The Illustrated History of the Heaviest Band of All-Time' by Jon Bream, the band made its live debut as Led Zeppelin in Surrey on October 25 (even though promotional posters continued to bill them as the New Yardbirds).)
1969:  Pink Floyd released the album Ummagumma.
1969:  Johnny Winter and Led Zeppelin performed before 17,000 at the Boston Garden in Massachusetts.
1969:  "Sugar, Sugar" moved into the #1 position for the Archies on the U.K. chart, where it would stay for eight weeks.
1969:  For the fourth straight week at #1 on the R&B chart, the Temptations were on fire with "I Can't Get Next To You".
1969:  Stevie Wonder made a nice move (94 to 59) with "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday".
1969:  We first began to hear of a great guitarist with a unique sound as Santana debuted on the chart with their first single--"Jingo".

                          1969--One of the great times in the Rock Era that included Smith...

1969:  The Temptations remained at #1 with one of their biggest career hits--"I Can't Get Next To You".  Sly & the Family Stone would have to settle for #2 this time with "Hot Fun In The Summertime".  The former #1 classic by the Archies--"Sugar, Sugar" was still at #3 after 14 weeks while Oliver's "Jean" was at #4 and Elvis Presley was moving up with "Suspicious Minds".  The rest of the Top 10:  Bobby Sherman's "Little Woman", "Wedding Bell Blues" the new smash by the 5th Dimension, Smith moved from 13 to 8 with "Baby It's You", the Cuff Links were up to 9 with "Tracy" and Lou Christie entered the Top 10 with "I'm Gonna' Make You Mine".
1969:  Green River by CCR was #1 on the Album chart for a fourth week but something was happening that even it couldn't contend with.  Johnny Cash At San Quentin was #2 and the Rolling Stones rolled backwards with Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Volume 2).  In one of the biggest chart moves in Rock Era history, the Beatles moved from #178 to #4 with Abbey Road.  Pretty good sign that it's an album for all-time.  The rest of the Top 10:  Blind Faith with their self-titled album, In-A Gadda-Da-Vida from Iron Butterfly, the great debut from Blood, Sweat & Tears, Isaac Hayes with Hot Buttered Soul (that sounds tasty...), the Best of Cream and Santana with their great debut.

1971:  Jonathan Edwards released the single "Sunshine".
1973:  The Osmonds performed at the Apollo in Glasgow, Scotland.
1973:  Rick Nelson was a guest star on The Streets of San Francisco on ABC-TV.







1974:  Barry White released the single "You're the First, the Last, My Everything".
1975:  Art Garfunkel's remake of the Flamingos' 1959 hit "I Only Have Eyes for You" was the #1 song in the U.K.
1975:  Five years after they split, Simon & Garfunkel's one-song reunion "My Little Town" roared up from 81 to 47.







                 The Starship was flying high...

1975:  "Bad Blood" remained at #1, done by Neil Sedaka & Elton John.  John Denver held steady at #2 with one of The Top #2 songs of the Rock Era*--the double-sided "Calypso" and "I'm Sorry".  Jefferson Starship ("Miracles") and the Eagles ("Lyin' Eyes") remained at 3 and 4, respectively, while the Spinners rolled up to #5 with "Games People Play".  The rest of the Top 10:  Morris Albert and "Feelings", the 4 Seasons and "Who Loves You", Elton John rose from 36 to 8 with "Island Girl", Sweet fell after peaking at #5 with their great song "Ballroom Blitz" and Tavares had their first Top 10 with "It Only Takes A Minute".

     The Pointers found that shy guys were where it was at...

1980:  Barbra Streisand registered the fifth #1 song of her career with "Woman In Love", taking over from Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust".  The Pointer Sisters slid up with "He's So Shy", the former #1 "Upside Down" from Diana Ross took a turn for the worse and "Real Love" by the Doobie Brothers amazingly was at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  An obvious big hit for Kenny Rogers as "Lady" jumped from 17-6, Donna Summer collected her 11th Top 10 song--"The Wanderer", Air Supply's huge hit "All Out Of Love" was #8, Kenny Loggins dropped after peaking at #7 and Stephanie Mills joined the party with "Never Knew Love Like This Before".
1980:  Guilty by Barbra Streisand took over at #1 on the Album chart after just three weeks of release.  That sent The Game by Queen to #2 while the Doobie Brothers hopped to 3 with One Step Closer.  Diana by Diana Ross was fourth followed by the sensational Crimes of Passion album from Pat Benatar.  The rest of the Top 10:  The "Xanadu" Soundtrack, Give Me the Night from George Benson, The Cars stalled at 8 with Panorama, the new Back in Black Album by AC/DC was making noise and Paris from Supertramp was #10.

1980:  Streisand made it a sweep of the top three charts with the #1 AC song as well--"Woman in Love".
1985:  R.E.M., the Smiths and Tom Waits performed at Tyne Tree Television Studios in Newcastle, England.
1986:  Mark Knopfler, singer/songwriter, founder and elite guitarist of Dire Straits, broke his collarbone after crashing in a celebrity car race prior to the Australian Grand Prix.
1986:  Toto enjoyed the #1 Adult Contemporary song--"I'll Be Over You".




1986:  Gregory Abbott's great song "Shake You Down" moved to #1 on the R&B chart.









1986:  Bon Jovi first moved into the #1 position on the Album chart with Slippery When Wet after seven weeks of release.  The great Fore! album from Huey Lewis & the News slipped from the top spot while Boston's third album, Third Stage, moved from 15 to 3.  The "Top Gun" Soundtrack was #4 with Lionel Richie's Dancing on the Ceiling trailing.  
1988:  Chico and Bobby DeBarge of the group DeBarge were convicted of trafficking cocaine in Michigan.

1991:  Bill Graham, whose concert promotion boosted the careers of the Rolling Stones, the Who, Bob Dylan, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Janis Joplin, the Allman Brothers Band and more, died when a helicopter he was riding in hit the top of a Pacific Gas and Electric transmission tower near Sears Point (northwest of Vallejo, California) and exploded. (Note: some websites report Graham's death as October 26, but according to 'The New York Times", as well as the tombstone above, one can plainly see he died on Friday, October 25.)
1991:  Margo Sylvia of the Tuneweavers ("Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" from 1957) died at age 55 in San Diego, California of a heart attack and stroke.






1992:  Roger Miller ("King of the Road"), who won eleven Grammy Awards as a songwriter and seven Tony Awards for his work in Big River,  died in Los Angeles of lung and throat cancer at the age of 56. 
1993:  Radiohead opened for Tears for Fears at the Aladdin Theater in Las Vegas.





1995:  Cliff Richard was honored with knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.
1997:  The Spice Girls owned the top song in the U.K. with "Spice Up Your Life".
1997:  The Velvet Rope by Janet Jackson debuted at #1.  Other good albums in the Top 10:  Evolution by Boyz II Men, Butterfly from Maria Carey, Fleetwood Mac's The Dance, Aquarium from Aqua and Songbook - A Collection of Hits by Trish Yearwood.
1997:  "Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John was #1 for a third week.  And it wasn't even close to done.
2000:  William Martin, drummer of Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs ("Wooly Bully" from 1965), died of a heart attack at his home in Sykesville, Maryland the age of 56.

2002:  Richard Harris, actor and singer who had the original hit with "MacArthur Park", died of cancer at age 72 in Camden, London.
2003:  Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Pearl Jam, the Dave Matthews Band and Incubus were among the performers on the first of two days at the Bridge School Benefit in Mountain View, California.
2003:  Dave Buckner, drummer of Pearl Jam, married Mia Tyler during a performance by Mia's Dad Stephen of Aerosmith in Las Vegas, Nevada.

2004:  Robbie Williams' Greatest Hits was the best album in the U.K.
2006:  Andy Taylor, guitarist of Duran Duran, quit the band for the second time.
2006:  Ronnie James Dio, Tommy Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward (all part of Black Sabbath) reformed as Heaven and Hell.

Born This Day:

1924:  Earl Palmer, a first call session drummer for Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell, the Monkees, the Mamas and the Papas, Little Richard, Duane Eddy, and many, many others, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana; died September 19, 2008 in Banning, California after a long illness.  (Note:  several websites report he died in New Orleans, however 'The Los Angeles Times" story shows that he died in Banning.)  Palmer played on songs such as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" by the Righteous Brothers, "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena" and "Dead Man's Curve" by Jan & Dean, "La Bamba" and "Donna" by Ritchie Valens, "The Lonely Bull" by Herb Alpert, "Summertime Blues" by Eddie Cochran, "Rockin' Robin" by Bobby Day, and numerous R&B songs.  Palmer also played drums on scores of movies and television theme songs, including The Flintstones, Mission : Impossible, Green Acres, The Brady Bunch, M*A*S*H, Ironside, The Odd Couple, Mannix, I Dream of Jeannie, and Peyton Place.  
1937:  Jeanne Black ("He'll Have to Stay") was born in Pomona, California.

1942:  Helen Reddy was born in Melbourne, Australia. (Note:  some websites claim she was born in 1942, but in Reddy's book 'The Woman I Am:  A Memoir', she was born in 1941).
1943:  Roy Lynes, keyboardist of Status Quo ("Pictures Of Matchstick Men"), was born in Redhill, Surrey, England. (Note: some websites say he was born on November 25, but 'AllMusic.com' and other reputable sites place his birth on October 25.)
1943:  Dick Dodds, lead singer and drummer of the Standells ("Dirty Water"), was born in Hermosa Beach, California; died of cancer in Fountain Valley, California November 29, 2013.





1944:  Jon Anderson, lead singer of Yes, was born in Accrington, Lancashire, England.
1944:  Taffy Danoff, singer-songwriter of Starland Vocal Band ("Afternoon Delight" from 1976), was born in Washington, D.C.







1947:  Glenn Tipton, guitarist of Judas Priest, was born in Blackheath, England.
1950:  Chris Norman of Smokie ("If You Think You Know How to Love Me" from 1975), who also teamed with Suzi Quatro for her 1979 hit "Stumblin' In", was born in Redcar, North Yorkshire, England.
1951:  Richard Lloyd, singer/songwriter and guitarist for the group Television, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1955:  Matthias Jabs, guitarist of the Scorpions, was born in Hanover, Germany.
1957:  Robbie McIntosh, guitarist of the Pretenders, was born in Sutton, Surrey, England.
1959:  Christina Amphlett, lead singer of the Divinyls, was born in Geelong, Victoria, Australia; died April 21, 2013 in New York City of breast cancer and multiple sclerosis.
1961:  Chad Smith, drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, was born in Richfield, Minnesota.
1963:  John Leven, bassist of Europe, was born in Stockholm, Sweden.
1968:  "Speech" (Chad Thomas) of Arrested Development
1970:  Ed Robertson, founder, songwriter, lead singer and guitarist of Barenaked Ladies, was born in Scarbourough, Ontario, Canada.

1984:  Katy Perry was born in Santa Barbara, California.

1985:  Ciara was born in Austin, Texas.