Saturday, January 17, 2015

This Date in Rock Music History: January 18

1956:  Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & the Comets became the first rock and roll album to enter the chart.  Nowadays some people think that rock and roll is something different than it really is.

1960:  The fastest-climbing song belonged to Percy Faith & His Orchestra with "The Theme From 'A Summer Place'", up from 96 to 43.
1960:  "Running Bear" by Johnny Preston was the new #1 song.
1961:  Elvis Presley hooked up with producer Hal Wallis for a five-year movie deal.  (Note:  several websites report that the contract was signed on March 1, while others say it was January 18 or January 21.  Although unfortunately no credible sources can be found as to the exact date, our best research indicates that Presley signed the contract on January 18.  Presley was discharged from active duty in the U.S. Army on March 5, 1960, and Wallis would not doubt have wanted to ink Elvis to a new contract as soon as possible.  Elvis fan sites are unfortunately our best source for this, and they indicated that the contract was signed on January 18.  There is a picture of Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, with Wallis at Paramount Studios on January 18, 1961 included in the book 'Colonel Tom Parker: The Curious Life of Elvis Presley's Eccentric Manager' by James L. Dickerson. We do not know if the picture and its date led to speculation that the contract must have been signed then.)
1964:  For the seventh week, the Singing Nun had the #1 album with her self-titled release.  Peter, Paul & Mary placed three albums in the Top 10:  In the Wind at #2, their self-titled release at #4 after 91 weeks and (moving) at #8 after 53 weeks.  The Second Barbra Streisand Album was third, followed by soundtracks to "Fun in Acapulco" and "West Side Story", the latter spending its 116 week on the chart.  
1964:  Bobby Vinton held on to #1 on the Adult chart for a third week with "There!  I've Said It Again".




1964:  Another historical day in the Rock Era--"I Want To Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles debuted at #45, the first chart hit for the group in the United States and the fastest-selling song in Capitol Records history.








         The Rip Chords with a hot topic of the day--hot cars!

1964:  Bobby Vinton had a #1 song ("There!  I've Said It Again") for a third week before the Beatles changed music forever.  The Kingsmen placed "Louie Louie" at #2 for a fourth week, "Popsicles And Icicles" by the Murmaids was third followed by Bobby Rydell's "Forget Him".  "Surfin' Bird" by the Trashmen came in fifth.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Dominique" from the Singing Nun, "Hey Little Cobra" by the Rip Chords moved from 19-7, Shirley Ellis placed "The Nitty Gritty" at #8, the Marketts' great song "Out Of Limits" moved from 20-9 and Jan & Dean reached the Top 10 with "Drag City".
1965:  The Rolling Stones recorded "The Last Time" and "Play With Fire" at RCA Studios in Hollywood, California.
1965:  Barbra Streisand and Bobby Darin sang at the presidential inauguration for U.S. President Lyndon Johnson.
1967:  Jimi Hendrix recorded a show for the Top of the Pops television show in the U.K. and then was in concert that evening at the Seven and a Half Club in Mayfair, London.
1969:  The Beatles settled a defamation of character suit that had been filed by Pete Best, drummer of the Beatles before Ringo Starr.
1969:  "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell was #1 on the Adult chart for a sixth week.




Sergio Mendes and group with their remake of the Beatles' hit...

1969:  The White Album from the Beatles was #1 for a fourth week.  Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations moved up to 2 with Fool on the Hill from Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 next.











Son of a Preacher Man by Dusty Springfield on Grooveshark                                                                       Dusty was back!

1969:  Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" lasted a sixth week at #1, relegating "I'm Gonna' Make You Love Me" from Dana Ross & the Supremes & the Temptations to #2.  Young-Holt Unlimited had a hot instrumental--"Soulful Strut" (back in the days when they knew what instruments were), and Tommy James & the Shondells were up strong with "Crimson And Clover".  The rest of the Top 10: "Hooked On A Feeling" by B.J. Thomas, Glen Campbell and "Wichita Lineman", Stevie Wonder with"For Once In My Life", the Doors moved from 18-8 with "Touch Me", Brooklyn Bridge had #9 with "Worst That Could Happen" and Dusty Springfield closed out the group with "Son Of A Preacher Man".






1973:  The Rolling Stones performed a benefit concert in Inglewood, California for Nicaraguan earthquake relief that raised $200,000.  Lead singer Mick Jagger donated $150,000 as well.








1974:  Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke of Free, Mick Ralphs of Mott the Hoople and Boz Burrell of King Crimson combined to form supergroup Bad Company.












1975:  Barry White reached #1 on the R&B chart, his sixth Top 10 in that genre and third #1 song.
1975:  The Carpenters successfully took their remake of the Marvelettes' hit "Please Mr. Postman" to #1 on the Adult chart.
1975:  Barry Manilow had the #1 song with his first release--"Mandy".  The Carpenters moved from 8 to 2 with "Please Mr. Postman" while Neil Sedaka edged up with "Laughter In The Rain".     





      
      George Harrison had another Top 10 album...

1975:  The Greatest Hits album from Elton John ruled the chart for an eighth week.  Fire by the Ohio Players moved to a distant 2 with Miles of Aisles from Joni Mitchell third.  John Denver moved back up after 30 weeks with Back Home Again while George Harrison moved from 13 to 5 with Dark Horse.  The rest of the Top 10: Heart Like a Wheel from Linda Ronstadt, Yes checked in at #7 with Relayer, Ringo Starr was still at #8 with Goodnight Vienna, the Average White Band entered the Top 10 with AWB and Jethro Tull tumbled mightily with War Child.





1978:  Neil Sedaka received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1984:  Van Halen kicked off a world tour at the Jacksonville Coliseum in Jacksonville, Florida.
1986:  Dionne & Friends (Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Stevie Wonder & Gladys Knight) moved to #1 with "That's What Friends Are For".  







                       "Jezebel" from Sade...

1986:  Promise by Sade entered the Top 10 on the Album chart, the only new Top 10 of the week.
1987:  Steve Winwood married Eugenia Grafton.











1988:  Def Leppard released the single "Hysteria".
1989:  Stevie Wonder became the youngest living person (38) to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.  Stevie, the Rolling Stones, the Temptations, Otis Redding, Phil Spector and Dion DiMucci were all accepted as new members, along with three other artists that have no business being in a "Hall of Fame".  
1990:  There are 194 million people in Brazil, and 90,000 of them come to see Bob Dylan in Sao Paolo, Brazil in Dylan's first show in South America.
1990:  Mel Appleby of Mel and Kim died at the age of 23 fron pneumonia after treatment for spinal cancer in Westminster, England.









1991:  Amy Grant released the single "Baby, Baby".
1991:  Three people were crushed to death at an AC/DC concert in Salt Lake City when fans rushed the stage.
1991:  The 10-day Rock in Rio II festival opened in Brazil with Prince, Joe Cocker and Guns 'N Roses.
1991:  Bob Dylan taped a performance, singing "Like A Rolling Stone" for the 10th anniversary of Late Night with David Letterman.
1992:  Tevin Campbell was the talk of the R&B genre as he took over at #1 with "Tell Me What You Want Me To Do".






1992:  Mariah Carey scored her fourth #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Can't Let Go".
1992:  Michael Jackson held on to #1 for a seventh week with "Black Or White".  Color Me Badd waited patiently with "All 4 Love" while Mariah Carey was up to #3 with "Can't Let Go".  The live "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" from Elton John & George Michael moved from 8 to 4 and "Finally" from Ce Ce Peniston was fifth.  The rest of the Top 10:  Prince achieved his 34th hit with his 17th Top 10 song--"Diamonds And Pearls", Shanice was up to #7 with "I Love Your Smile", Boyz II Men had song #8--"It's So Hard To Say Goodbye Tto Yesterday", Nirvana dropped to #9 with "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Hammer dropped with "Addam's Groove".

1992:  Garth Brooks had already spent eight weeks at #1 on the Album chart with Ropin' the Wind.  On this date, he moved back to the top, taking over from Nirvana's Nevermind, which dropped to #4.
1996:  Lisa Marie Presley filed for divorce from Michael Jackson.
1997:  Keith Diamond, producer who also wrote "Caribbean Queen" and "Suddenly" for Billy Ocean as well as songs for Donna Sumer, Sheena Easton, Michael Bolton, James Ingram and Mick Jagger, died of a heart attack in Manhattan at age 96.
1997:  Tragic Kingdom ruled for a fifth week at #1 on the Album chart for No Doubt.
1997:  Toni Braxton was on top for the seventh week with "Un-Break My Heart".  En Vogue was right behind with "Don't Let Go (Love)" with R. Kelly's smash "I Believe I Can Fly" dropping to #3.
2004:  Dido had the top album in the U.K. with Life for Rent.
2004:  Delta Goodrem made it 29 weeks at #1 of the Australian Album chart with her album Innocent Eyes.  That tied Delta with Neil Diamond's Hot August Nights for the second longest-running #1 in Australia history.

2004:  Josh Groban had the top album with Closer.
2006:  The Breakthrough jumped back up to #1 on the Album chart for Mary J. Blige.
2011:  The largest collection of Beatles memorabilia went on display in a new museum in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Over 8,500 objects were featured.

Born This Day:
1933:  Ray Dolby, engineer and inventor of the noise reduction system, Dolby NR, was born in Portland Oregon; died September 12, 2013 of leukemia in San Francisco, California.



 1941:  Bobby Goldsboro ("Honey" from 1968) was born in Marianna, Florida.
1941:  David Ruffin, vocalist with the Temptations who also had a solo hit with "Walk Away From Love" in 1975, was born in Whynot, Mississippi; died from drugs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 1, 1991.
1953:  Brett Hudson of the Hudson Brothers was born in Portland, Oregon.
1957:  Tom Bailey, vocalist and keyboardist of the Thompson Twins, was born in Halifax, Yorkshire England.
1959:  Bob Rosenberg of Will to Power ("Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird" from 1988) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  (Note:  one website claims Rosenberg was born in Florida; he was born in Philadelphia, then later moved to Florida, according to 'Billboard'.)
1971:  Jonathan Davis, lead singer with Korn, was born in Bakersfield, California.
1973:  Luther Dickinson, guitarist of the Black Crowes beginning in 2007, was born in Memphis, Tennessee.
1974:  Christian Burns of BBMak ("Back Here" from 2001) was born in Liverpool, England.
1983:  Samantha Mumba ("Gotta' Tell You") was born in Dublin, Ireland.

Featured Unknown/Underrated Song*: "Marrakesh Express" by CSN

The debut single by Crosby, Stills & Nash only peaked at #28.  Not a lot of foresight by radio station Music Directors at the time:
 
 

"Marrakesh Express"
Crosby, Stills & Nash
 
Lyrics and Music by Graham Nash
 
 
Looking at the world through the sunset in your eyes
Traveling the train through clear Moroccan skies
Ducks and pigs and chickens call
Animal carpet wall to wall
American ladies five-foot tall in blue

Sweeping cobwebs from the edges of my mind
Had to get away to see what we could find
Hope the days that lie ahead
Bring us back to where they've led
Listen not to what's been said to you

Wouldn't you know we're riding on the Marrakesh Express
Wouldn't you know we're riding on the Marrakesh Express
They're taking me to Marrakesh
All aboard the train, all aboard the train

I've been saving all my money just to take you there
I smell the garden in your hair

Take the train from Casablanca going south
Blowing smoke rings from the corners of my mouth
Colored cottons hang in the air
Charming cobras in the square
Striped djellebas we can wear at home Well, let me hear you now

Wouldn't you know we're riding on the Marrakesh Express
Wouldn't you know we're riding on the Marrakesh Express
They're taking me to Marrakesh

Wouldn't you know we're riding on the Marrakesh Express
Wouldn't you know we're riding on the Marrakesh Express
They're taking me to Marrakesh
All on board the train, all on board the train
All on board

[Ending (Electric Guitars)] 

Calendar Correction: Jethro Tull

Numerous websites claim that Jethro Tull played its first concert in the United States on January 24, opening for Led Zeppelin in New York City.

While it is true that this was the first U.S. concert for Jethro Tull, they did not open for Led Zeppelin.  Jethro Tull played at the Fillmore East in New York City on both January 24 and January 25, but they opened for Blood, Sweat & Tears.      The book Jethro Tull:  A History of the Band 1968-2001 by Scott Allen Nollen confirms this information.  This information is corroborated by the official website for the Fillmore East.  Jethro Tull then opened for groups such as Led Zeppelin and Vanilla Fudge in subsequent days at bars and clubs.  The official website for Led Zeppelin also confirms that Led Zep was in Boston, Massachusetts on January 24.

Calendar Correction: Elvis Presley

Heads-up for you DJ's who plan your shows a week in advance.  Other websites show that on January 24, 1957, Elvis Presley recorded ("Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear".  This is categorically wrong.  He recorded the songs for his Loving You soundtrack album at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California between January 15 and January 18.  According to the official Graceland website, Presley recorded "Teddy Bear" on January 15.

A gentle reminder:  we will only be publicizing these calendar corrections for a few more months, at which time the Calendar* of Inside The Rock Era will be as accurate as possible to the best of our abilities and using extensive research.  It will certainly be the most accurate source available.  By August of this year, if you continue to use the other popular calendar sites (such as On This Day, About.com, This Day in Music, etc.) and other inaccurate websites such as Rolling Stone, MTV, AllMusic.com, VH-1, and Billboard, you're on your own.  All of the above sites that we originally based our Calendar* on contain numerous errors, many with 100 or more errors.

Friday, January 16, 2015

This Date in Rock Music History: January 17

1963:  The Beatles played their usual lunchtime show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England and then performed at the Majestic Ballroom in Birkenhead.  It was time to look for bigger venues, though, as every ticket had been sold in advance at the Majestic and hundreds of fans were turned away.

1966:  The Turtles released the single "You Baby".
1966:  NBC Television bought the rights to the Monkees series, which they scheduled for the fall.
1967:  The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded a performance for Radio Luxembourg's Ready Steady Radio.









1967:  The Daily Mail in England published a story citing a local council survey that found 4,000 holes in the road in Lancashire.  John Lennon noted it and included the information in the song "A Day In The Life".
1969:  Elton John released one of his first singles, "Lady Samantha" in England.
1970:  The Doors performed the first of several concerts at the Felt Forum in New York City.  The shows were recorded and later released on their Absolutely Live album.
1970:  Billy Stewart ("Summertime") and three of his band members died in Neuse River near Smithfield, North Carolina after Stewart's car swerved off a bridge into the river below.  Stewart was 32.

     
             Beatles closed out 'Abbey Road' in style...

1970:  Led Zeppelin II became the new #1 album, replacing the Beatles' Abbey Road, which had been on top for 11 weeks.  Willy and the Poorboys from CCR came in third, followed by Tom Jones Live In Las Vegas and Let It Bleed by the Rolling Stones.  The rest of the Top 10:  Was Captured Live at the Forum by Three Dog Night, the debut from Blood, Sweat & Tears, the self-titled Engelbert Humperdinck slipped in at #8, Santana with their self-titled release and Puzzle People from the Temptations.
1970:  B.J. Thomas remained at #1 on the adult chart for a sixth week with "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head".





1970:  The top mover of the week was Brook Benton's "Rainy Night in Georgia", up from #100 to #70.











        Ferrante & Teicher with their theme from the movie...

1970:  B.J. Thomas made it three weeks at #1 with "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head".  The Shocking Blue made a strong move (6-2) with their fabulous "Venus", leapfrogging "I Want You Back" from the Jackson 5.  Former #1 "Someday We'll Be Together" by the Supremes captured the #4 spot, ahead of "Whole Lotta' Love" from Led Zeppelin.  The rest of the Top 10:  another former #1--"Leaving On A Jet Plane" from Peter, Paul & Mary, Elvis Presley entered the list with his 112th career hit "Don't Cry Daddy", Tommy Roe edged up with "Jam Up Jelly Tight", CCR's double-sided "Down On The Corner" and "Fortunate Son" and Ferrante & Teicher moved into the Top 10 with "Midnight Cowboy".
1971:  Marvin Gaye sang the United States national anthem at Super Bowl V in Miami, Florida.





1972:  Neil Young released the single "Heart Of Gold".











1972:  Paul Simon released the single "Mother And Child Reunion".
1972:  Street signs were erected outside Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion in a ceremony, as a section of Highway 51 South in Memphis, Tennessee (previously Bellevue Boulevard) was renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard.  The Memphis City Council had voted to make the change in June of 1971.
1974:  Bob Dylan released the album Planet Waves.








  
                       The brilliant title track from Joni Mitchell...

1974:  Joni Mitchell released the incredible album Court and Spark.
1975:  Bob Dylan released the great album Blood on the Tracks (Note:  some websites claim the release date was January 20, but it was the 17th, according to both 'MTV' and "Allmusic.com".
1975:  Blondie and Television performed at GBGB's in New York City.
1996:  The Blues Brothers made their first appearance on Saturday Night Live on NBC-TV.




            Garfunkel's remake of the Flamingo's hit pushes his album into the Top 10...

1976:  Gratitude by Earth, Wind & Fire was the new #1 album, edging out previous #1 Chicago IX, the group's Greatest Hits package.  History/America's Greatest Hits was still a strong #3, followed by the new release from Joni Mitchell--The Hissing of Summer Lawns.  The rest of the Top 10:  Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits, Paul Simon with Still Crazy After All These Years, Windsong from John Denver, Family Reunion by the O'Jays, K.C. and the Sunshine Band with their debut and Art Garfunkel had a Top 10 album with Breakaway.





1976:  "Wake Up Everybody" was the call to action by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes that reached #1 on the R&B chart.











    
            The perfect group for winter weather...

1976:  Barry Manilow reached the top with "I Write The Songs".  Diana Ross had another smash with "Theme From 'Mahogany' (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" while previous #1 "Convoy" from C.W. McCall fell to third.  The Ohio Players weren't going away with "Love Rollercoaster" while Sweet enjoyed one of their biggest hits--"Fox On The Run".  The rest of the Top 10:  "I Love Music" from the O'Jays, Donna Summer's first big hit "Love To Love You Baby", Hot Chocolate warmed up from 14-8 with "You Sexy Thing", Paul Anka chalked up his 46th hit with "Times Of Your Life" and former Temptation David Ruffin was in the Top 10 with "Walk Away From Love".
1978:  Simple Minds played their first gig at the Satellite City in Glasgow, Scotland.  (Note:  several websites claim the concert was July 17, 1978, but according to the band's official website, they played their first show at Satellite City on January 17.)




1981:  Bass guitarist Nikki Sixx left the group London and began rehearsing with drummer Tommy Lee and vocalist/guitarist Greg Leon.  Thus, Motley Crue was born.










   "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" from AC/DC...

1981:  Double Fantasy by John Lennon was the #1 album for a fourth week, but Crimes of Passion from Pat Benatar was better.  Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits came in third, with Stevie Wonder's Hotter Than July and the "Jazz Singer" Soundtrack trailing.  The rest of the Top 10:  AC/DC with Back In Black, the Police edged up with Zenyatta Mondatta, Barbra Streisand's fine Guilty album was #8, Steely Dan held on with Gaucho and Blondie was up to #10 with Autoamerican.
1981:  "I Love A Rainy Night" from Eddie Rabbitt took over at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1981:  Kool & the Gang made it five weeks at #1 on the R&B chart with "Celebration".






1981:  Pat Benatar had the hottest mover with "Treat Me Right", up from 68 to 50.
1986:  Olivia Newton-John and her husband celebrated the birth of daughter Chloe in Los Angeles.
1987:  The Whole Story by Kate Bush was #1 on the U.K. Album chart.








1987:  Luther Vandross had himself a #1 R&B hit with the great song "Stop To Love".
1987:  Billy Joel had the top AC song with "This Is the Time".
            








     
           Madonna was back with another smash...


1987:  Gregory Abbott was on top of the Popular chart with "Shake You Down".  Robbie Nevil had the next best song with "C'est La Vie", Duran Duran was down with "Notorious" and the previous #1 "Walk Like An Egyptian" from the Bangles was now fourth.  The rest of the Top 10:  "At This Moment" from Billy Vera & the Beaters, Janet Jackson's "Control", Madonna moved from 15 to 7 with "Open Your Heart", Genesis had a smash with "Land Of Confusion", Survivor was at 9 with "Is This Love" and Wang Chung slipped down with "Everybody Have Fun Tonight".

1987:  Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi easily overtook Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Live/1975-1985 for a second week at #1 on the Album chart.  
  1990:  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Simon & Garfunkel, the Four Seasons, the Who, the Four Tops, the Kinks, the Platters, plus an artist who has no business in a "Hall of Fame".
1992:  Michael Jackson...the Legend Continues aired on CBS television.

1994:  Salt "N" Pepa and En Vogue combined to release the single "Whatta' Man".
1996:  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, Gladys Knight plus a whole lot of people that have no business in a "Hall of Fame".








  


1998:  All Saints rose to #1 in the U.K. with "Never Ever".
2000:  Santana, Garth Brooks, Shania Twain and Lauryn Hill each won two statues at the American Music Awards.
2001:  In today's segment of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, jury selection in the gun possession and bribery trial of Sean "Puffy"Combs began.  The charges were a result of a December, 1999 shooting at Club New York.
2003:  Eric Clapton and wife Melia celebrated the birth of daughter Ella Mae.
2003:  A long-lost recording by John Lennon and Mick Jagger started a bidding war at a London auction.  The record ("Too Many Cooks") was recorded in 1974 with Jagger singing and Lennon playing guitar.  It was never released because the two artists were signed to different record companies.

 2006:  Isaac Hayes was sent to a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee after collapsing from exhaustion.
2008:  The Police played at Westpac Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand on their reunion tour.
2009:  James Taylor fell during rehearsals for the Presidential Inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama and required 50 stitches.
2009:  Bobby Rydell married his second wife, Linda.





2011:  Don Kirshner, promoter who gave us the Monkees, the Archies and Rock Concert, died of heart failure at the age of 75 in Boca Raton, Florida.
2012:  Johnny Otis ("Willie And The Hand Jive" from 1958), composer, arranger, singer, drummer and percussionist, talent scout and producer, died of natural causes at the age of 90 in Los Angeles.


Born This Day--Birthdays of Rock Era Personalities:
1927:  Eartha Kitt ("Santa Baby") was born in North, South Carolina; died from colon cancer December 25, 2008 at her home in Weston, Connecticut. 
1930:  Lolita ("Sailor" from 1960) was born in St Pölten, Austria; died from cancer June 30, 2010 in Salzburg.  



1943:  Chris Montez ("Let's Dance") was born in Los Angeles.
1945:  William Hart of the Delfonics ("La-La Means I Love You" from 1968) was born in Washington, D.C.








  1949:  Mick Taylor, guitarist of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers who joined the Rolling Stones in 1969 and also worked with Bob Dylan, Jack Bruce of Cream and Mike Oldfield, was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England.  
1953:  Sheila Hutchinson of the Emotions ("Best Of My Love" from 1977) was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1954:  Cheryl Bentyne of Manhattan Transfer ("Boy From New York City" from 1981) was born in Mount Vernon, Washington.
1955:  Steve Earle, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, was born in Fort Monroe, Virginia.  (Note:  some websites list his birthplace as Hampton, Virginia, but according to Earle's official website, he was born in Fort Monroe.) 




  1956:  Paul Young ("Everytime You Go Away") was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, England.











1958:  Jez Strode, drummer of Kajagoogoo
1959:  Susanna Hoffs, guitarist and lead singer of the Bangles, was born in Los Angeles.
1960:  John Crawford, bassist and keyboardist with Berlin ("Take My Breath Away" from 1986)
1961:  Dave Collard, keyboardist with the JoBoxers, was born in Bristol, England.
1964:  Andy Rourke, bass guitarist with the Smiths, was born in Manchester, England.
1971:  Jon Wysocki, drummer of Staind ("It's Been Awhile"), was born in Northampton, Massachusetts.
1971:  Kid Rock (real name Robert James Richie) was born in Romeo, Michigan.
1984:  Calvin Harris, singer-songwriter who has written and produced songs for Kylie Minogue, was born in Dumfries, Scotland, U.K.

Michael Gerke Has Died


Michael Gerke, the tour manager of the Scorpions for 30 years, known as "Commander" by the group, has passed away January 16 at age 58.  The group made the announcement in an emotional statement on their website.

Calendar Clarification: Buddy Holly

Inside The Rock Era is about halfway through our overhaul of the popular Calendar* feature.  When we are finished, we are confident it will be the best and most reliable source of past music events available.  We know that you DJ's rely on accurate information, and when we find discrepancies with other websites, we will point that out.  We have come across yet another instance in which information from those other sites is incorrect.

You will find many websites which say that Buddy Holly recorded his last songs on January 22, 1959 in his apartment in New York City.  This is not true, for Holly left early that day for Milwaukee for the infamous Winter Dance Party, a tour on which he would never return from. 

While it is true that Holly had been recording 14 songs that included just Holly and his acoustic guitar, he did not record them on the 22nd.  After much research, we have determined that  Holly made his last recordings ( "That's What They Say", "What To Do", "Peggy Sue Got Married," "That Makes It Tough", "Crying, Waiting Hoping" (often shown incorrectly as just "Crying"), "Learning The Game", "Wait 'Til The Sun Shines Nellie", "Drown In My Own Tears", "Maria Elena" (which is mostly Buddy's wife Maria talking and the noise of the apartment), "Dearest", "Love Is Strange", "Smoky Joe's Café"  "Buddy's Guitar", and "Slippin' And Slidin'") from early December to late January alone with an acoustic guitar and an Ampex reel to reel tape recorder in his apartment in New York City.  The website http://edsel.myrmid.com/buddy/buddy.html appears to be the most reliable information on these last recordings. 
The first two were recorded December 3, "Peggy Sue Got Married" was recorded December 5, "That Makes It Tough" was recorded December 8, "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" was recorded December 14, and "Learning The Game" was recorded on December 17.  The last eight songs were recorded sometime between January 1 and January 19, but there is no exact record, and they definitely were not recorded on December 22.  The songs were later released posthumously with dubs added and are referred to as "The Apartment Tapes".

Thankfully, these songs were finally put into CD form, which you can buy, called Down the Line:  Rarities.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

This Date in Rock Music History: January 16

1956:  Tennessee Ernie Ford had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Sixteen Tons".
1957:  Little Richard recorded "Lucille".

1957:  The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England first opened its doors.  It will forever be remembered as the place where the Beatles got their start.










1961:  "Shop Around" by the Miracles was the new #1 on the R&B chart. 












1964:  The Beatles played two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France.  Even better, they received word from across the ocean that their first single in America--"I Want to Hold Your Hand", was selling 10,000 copies an hour in New York City alone.
1964:  The Dave Clark Five owned the #1 U.K. song with "Glad All Over".
1965:  The Guess Who released their debut album Shakin' All Over.
1965:  Julie Rogers had the top Adult song for the third week--"The Wedding".



    
   The Searchers were in amongst the heavyweights...

1965:  The Supremes achieved their third straight #1 song with "Come See About Me".  That sent "I Feel Fine" by the Beatles to the runner-up spot with the Searchers finding #3 with "Love Potion Number Nine".  "Downtown" from Petula Clark, which had roared from 87 to 41 to 12 to 5 in its chart run was temporarily slowed, only edging up to #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  the Righteous Brothers were going to be a factor with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling", Bobby Vinton's big hit "Mr. Lonely" was now sixth, "The Jerk" from the Larks, Little Anthony & the Imperials were at #8 with "Goin' Out Of My Head", Marvin Gaye moved from 15 to 9 with "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You" and Del Shannon placed "Keep Searchin'" at 10.




1967:  The Rolling Stones released the single "Ruby Tuesday".
1969:  Here's a great show--Creedence Clearwater Revival and Fleetwood Mac in their early days, both at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, California.









           The instrumental "Born to Move" from Pendulum...

1971:  George Harrison's All Things Must Pass was #1 on the Album chart for a third week.  Abraxas, the former #1 from Santana, was still at #2 and Stephen Stills remained third with his self-titled release.  Sly & the Family Stone checked in with Greatest Hits and The Partridge Family Album was fifth.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Soundtrack to "Jesus Christ Superstar", Pendulum from Creedence Clearwater Revival, Grand Funk Railroad were at #8 with Live Album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, and Led Zeppelin III.







            Santana's first smash "Black Magic Woman"...

1971:  George Harrison had one of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era*, as his solo release "My Sweet Lord" remained at #1 for a fourth week.  Dawn was one step away with "Knock Three Times", while there was a logjam at 3, 4 and 5 with "One Less Bell To Answer" from the 5th Dimension, Santana's "Black Magic Woman" and "I Think I Love You" from the Partridge Family.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Bee Gees had their 14th career hit, but first Top 10 in three years with "Lonely Days", King Floyd joined the group with "Groove Me", the Supremes were at 8 with "Stoned Love", Barbra Streisand kept the theme going with "Stoney End" and the former #1 "The Tears Of A Clown" from Smokey Robinson & the Miracles was now at #10.





1972:  Ross Bagdasarian, who went by the name David Seville ("Witch Doctor" from 1958) and created the famous Chipmunks ("The Chipmunk Song" and others), died of a heart attack at the age of 52 in Beverly Hills, California.
1973:  Bruce Springsteen appeared at the University of Villanova in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before an audience of 25 people.  If he was to be the "future of rock and roll", he'd better get going.






1975:  Paul McCartney & Wings arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana to begin recording the album Venus and Mars.
1976:  Donny and Marie Osmond hosted the television series Donny & Marie, which premiered on this date on ABC.
1977:  David Soul rose to #1 on the U.K. chart with "Don't Give Up On Us".









1978:  Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel and James Taylor combined for a great remake of "(What A) Wonderful World".
1979:  Cher and Gregg Allman divorced.
1980:  Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton attended a reception to celebrate the release of The Summit, a Swan Song Records compilation to benefit the International Year of the Child.








1982:  Earth, Wind & Fire had one of The Top 100 R&B Songs of the 80's* as "Let's Groove" spent an eighth week at #1.
1982:  "Yesterday's Songs" by Neil Diamond held on to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for a fifth week.
1982:  Juice Newton had the only new Top 10 song with her remake of "The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)".
   
                      "Night Life" from Foreigner...

1982:  Foreigner's album 4 returned to #1 on the chart, making it the sixth week the incredible release was at the top.  Escape from Journey was now #2 with previous #1 For Those About to Rock We Salute You from AC/DC third.  The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra had a major hit with Hooked on Classics, which moved from 13-4, while Raise! by Earth, Wind & Fire was #5.  The rest of a solid Top 10:  Tattoo You from the Rolling Stones, Bella Donna from Ms. Stevie Nicks, the J. Geils Band had their first Top 10 album with Freeze Frame, the Police tumbled with Ghost in the Machine and Barbra Streisand's compilation album Memories was #10.











1984:  The Eurythmics released the single "Here Comes The Rain Again".
1986:  ABBA reunited briefly to record "Tivedshambo" for their former manager Stig Anderson on the Swedish television show This is Your Life.  The show was televised on January 18.








1988:  Tina Turner's concert at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, drew 182,000, the largest audience ever for a solo artist at the time.
1988:  Belinda Carlisle had a worldwide smash and hit #1 in the U.K. with "Heaven Is A Place on Earth".
1988:  Fleetwood Mac reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Everywhere".







Could’ve Been by Tiffany on Grooveshark       
                Tiffany introduced herself with this song...

1988:  George Harrison reached # with "Got My Mind Set On You", knocking Whitney Houston from the top after one week with "So Emotional".  Michael Jackson had his 11th Top 10 song in the last seven years with The Way You Make Me Feel".  Meanwhile, INXS was up to #4 with their great song "Need You Tonight" and Tiffany's breakthrough hit "Could've Been" moved from 14 to 5.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Bangles registered their fifth career hit with their remake of the Simon & Garfunkel hit "Hazy Shade Of Winter", a live version of "Candle In The Wind" by Elton John reached #7, Taylor Dayne was at position #8 with "Tell It To My Heart", "Faith" from George Michael and Whitesnake was at #10 with "Is This Love".
1988:  "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson spent a fourth week at #1 on the R&B chart.



1989:  Debbie Gibson released the single "Lost In Your Eyes".











1989:  The Fine Young Cannibals released the single "She Drives Me Crazy".  (Note:  some websites claim the song was released on January 1--this is impossible, as there is no mail delivery on January 1, much less on a Sunday (which is the day of the week that January 1 fell on in 1989.  Even if there were, there would be no one at the radio station to listen to it on that day.)





 



1989:  Michael Jackson wrapped up the highly successful Bad tour with  the first of five nights at the Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles.  Jackson donated more than $1 million to a charitable organization fighting child cruelty.
1990:  Ike Turner was convicted of driving under the influence of cocaine and was sentenced to four years in prison.
1991:  The Byrds and Wilson Pickett were the deserving artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.
1992:  Mick Jagger attended the premiere of Freejack, the movie in which he starred in, at Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

1992:  Eric Clapton recorded an "unplugged" session that included his hit "Tears In Heaven" and an acoustic version of "Layla".  The work went on to win six Grammy Awards including Record of the Year.
1993:  Bob Dylan and Quincy Jones & His Orchestra performed at an Inaugural Ball for U.S. President Bill Clinton.
1993:  Whitney Houston collected a seventh week at #1 on the R&B chart with the across-the-board smash "I Will Always Love You".
1993:  Whitney Houston held a grip on #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for the fifth week with "I Will Always Love You".

1993:  "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston continued its climb up history with an eighth week at #1.  That moved Whitney into a four-way tie and at that time only seven songs had spent more weeks at #1.
1994:  The movie Out of Darkness starring Diana Ross aired on ABC-TV.  (Note:  some websites erroneously say the movie was on CBS.  It was the 'Sunday Night Movie' on ABC, according to the newspaper 'The Seattle Times' and other credible sources.)











1995:  Dionne Farris released the single "I Know".  (Note:  some websites claim the song was released on January 31 and March of 1995.  "I Know" entered the singles charts on January 28, so both of those dates above would have been impossible.  A song cannot enter a singles chart if it has not been released as a single.)
1996:  Acting on a tip that a drug trafficker's team was leaving Montego Bay, Jamaica, authorities mistakenly fired on Jimmy Buffett's seaplane.  Bono of U2 was also in the plane with Buffett and fortunately, no one was hurt.
1996:  Richard Kermode, keyboardist with Janis Joplin's Kozmic Blues Band, died of cancer in Denver, Colorado at the age of 49.
1999:  Brandy had the #1 song with "Have You Ever".
2000:  Will Jones of the Coasters died at the age of 71 from the effects of diabetes in Long Beach, California.




2001:  Bjork won the Outstanding Dramatic Performance award from the National Board of Review for her role in Dancer in the Dark.
2002:  Part of the I-10 freeway in California was named "The Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway".
2004:  Lisa Loeb ("I Miss You") and guitarist boyfriend Dweezil premiered a new show (Dweezil & Lisa) on the Food TV network.
2004:  Oasis fired drummer Alan White.  (Note:  several websites report this took place on January 17, but the members of Oasis confirmed the firing on their official website on January 16.)






2005:  Rekindled interest in Elvis Presley songs fueled some incredible happenings on the U.K. chart.  The re-released "One Night" took over at #1 for "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis to become the 1000th #1 song in the U.K., as the king accomplished the rare feat of replacing himself at #1, and all this 28 years after his death.
2007:  Bob Dylan and his brother bought Aultmore House, a mansion in the Scottish Cairngorms National Park near Nethybridge, Inverness-shire.
2009:  Boy George was sentenced to 15 months in jail for falsely imprisoning a male escort.  Don't ask.

Born This Day:
1937:  Bob Bogle, guitarist with the Ventures, was born in near Wagoner, Oklahoma; died June 14, 2009 of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. in Vancouver, Washington(Note:  some websites, including 'Allmusic.com', erroneously say Bogle was born in Portland, Oregon.  He was born on a farm near Wagoner, then moved with his family to California and later to Porland, according to the newspaper 'The Washington Post' and other credible sources.)
1939:  Raymond Philips, founding member and co-lead singer of the Nashville Teens ("Tobacco Road" from 1964), was born in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, South Wales.
1942:  Billy Francis, keyboardist with Dr. Hook, was born in Ocean Springs, Mississippi; died November 6, 2006 from a motorcycle accident in San Francisco, California.  (Note:  some websites show Billy born in Los Angeles, but according to reliable information, he was born in Ocean Springs, then later moved to California.)
1942:  Barbara Lynn ("You'll Lose A Good Thing" from 1962) was born in Beaumont, Texas.

1943:  Ronnie Milsap was born in Robbinsville, North Carolina.











1944:  Jim Stafford ("Spiders And Snakes") was born in Eloise, Florida.  (Note:  some websites claim Stafford was born in Winterhaven, Florida, while others list his birthplace as Branson, Missouri.  Stafford performs in Branson, but he was born in Eloise, a town near Winterhaven, according to the book 'Country Music Humorists and Comedians' by Loyal Jones.  






1959:  Sade (real name Helen Folsade Adu) was born in Ibadan, Nigeria.
1962:  Paul Webb, bassist of Talk Talk ("It's My Life") was born in Essex, England.
1965:  Maxine Jones of En Vogue was born in Paterson, New Jersey.







1979:  Aaliyah was born in Brooklyn, New York; died in a plane crash in the Bahamas on August 25, 2001.
1981:  Nick Valensi, guitarist with the Strokes, was born in New York City.