Saturday, September 12, 2015

This Date in Rock Music History: September 13

1958:  Cliff Richard made his British television debut singing "Move It" on the program Oh Boy.
1959:  Elvis Presley met Priscilla Beaulieu while he was in the United States Army in West Germany. 
1962:  Elvis Presley collected his 12th U.K. #1 with "She's Not You".



1964:  How's this for an amazing concert?  The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Dusty Springfield, the Miracles, the Searchers, Martha & the Vandellas, the Shangri-La's, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Jay & the Americans, the Contours, the Dovells, the Newbeats, and Millie Small shared a bill for the conclusion of Murray The K's (iconic DJ on WINS) 10-day Big Holiday Show (September 4-13) at the Fox Theatre in Brooklyn, New York.






The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel on Grooveshark
1965:  It was a famous day in Rock Era history as Simon & Garfunkel released the single "The Sound Of Silence". (Note: some websites show varying dates of the release, but Steve Sullivan, in his book 'The Encyclopedia of Popular Music' shows the date of release as September 13.)











 
1965:  As if that wasn't enough, the Beatles released the single "Yesterday" in the U.S.  It had been released in the U.K. on August 6.
1965:  The Steve Lawrence Show premiered on CBS-TV with guest Lucille Ball.
1969:  John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Plastic Ono Band debuted live at the Rock 'n' Roll Revival Concert at Varsity Stadium at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  The Doors, Eric Clapton, Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent & Bo Diddley also performed.






1969:  Kool and the Gang first appeared on the chart as their first single "Kool And The Gang" debuted.
1971:  Paul & Linda McCartney celebrated the birth of daughter Stella in London.
1974:  Stevie Wonder went on his first tour since his very scary car accident that nearly took his life in August of 1973, performing at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.  (Note:  several websites say the Nassau Coliseum is located in Long Island, New York.  Long Island is not a city, and if you tried to address a letter there, you'd get it back.  Nassau is located in Uniondale.)






1979:  ABBA ventured to the other side of the Atlantic for the first time (and only time) in their career, opening up at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
1980:  George Benson hit #1 on the R&B chart with "Give Me The Night".







               
          "Hold On, Hold Out", one of the top tracks on Browne's #1 album...

1980:  Hold Out, the great album by Jackson Browne, moved to #1, replacing Emotional Rescue from the Rolling Stones.  The Soundtrack to "Urban Cowboy" was third, followed by The Game by Queen and Diana from Diana Ross.  The rest of the Top 10:  Christopher Cross, the "Fame" Soundtrack, Give Me the Night by George Benson at #8, Glass Houses from Billy Joel, and the "Xanadu" Soundtrack.







       
                                                   Eddie Rabbitt cruised into the Top 10 on this date...

1980:  Diana Ross remained at #1 with "Upside Down" while Australia's Air Supply moved to challenge with "All Out Of Love".  The Rolling Stones were still at 3 with "Emotional Rescue" while newcomer Irene Cara moved up with "Fame".  The rest of the Top 10:  Christopher Cross and his former #1 "Sailing", George Benson and "Give Me The Night", Paul Simon had "Late In The Evening", Johnny Lee with "Lookin' For Love" from the great Soundtrack to "Urban Cowboy", Queen moved from 23 to 9 with "Another One Bites The Dust" and Eddie Rabbitt posted another Top 10 hit with "Drivin' My Life Away".
1985:  Glenn Frey and Don Henley won MTV Video Music Awards for "Smuggler's Blues" and "The Boys Of Summer", respectively.  Henley won four trophies on the night.
1993:  Max Weinberg, drummer of the E Street Band, became the leader of the house band for Late Night with Conan O'Brien on NBC-TV.





1993:  Ace of Base released the single "All That She Wants".  (Note:  some websites naively say the single was released September 18.  "All That She Wants" debuted on the Singles chart on September 18.  It is physically impossible for a song to be released by a record company, mailed to radio stations, listened to and added to radio station playlists, reported to trade papers, and printed and published by the trade papers, all in one day.)
1996:  Tupac Shakur died six days after being shot in Las Vegas, Nevada from internal bleeding at the age of 25.  You live a life like that, you die like that.
1998:  Julian Lennon began a tour of Japan.
1998:  Mel B of the Spice Girls married Jimmy Gulzar in Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England.
1998:  Lauryn Hill had the top album with The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.







2003:  The White Stripes performed at the Greek Amphitheatre in Berkeley, California.










2003:  Mary J. Blige had the #1 album with Love & Life.
2005:  Justin Jeffre of 98 Degrees received 708 votes in the primary election for mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio.
2005:  Jimi Hendrix's home in Seattle, Washington where he grew up was saved from demolition.  The building was made into a community center opposite the cemetery where Hendrix was buried in 1970.
2008:  The Ray Davies musical Come Dancing, which Ray himself starred in, opened at the Stratford East Theatre in London.

Born This Day:
1922:  Charles Brown ("Please Come Home For Christmas") was born in Texas City, Texas; died of congestive heart failure on Oakland, California on January 21, 1999.
1939:  Dave Quincy, saxophonist and songwriter of Manfred Mann's Earth Band ("Blinded By The Light" from 1977)
1941:  David Clayton-Thomas, one of the all-time great lead singers from Blood, Sweat & Tears, was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England.







1944:  Peter Cetera of Sun Valley, Idaho, the lead singer of Chicago for many years before a successful solo career, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1952:  Randy Jones of the Village People was born in Raleigh, North Carolina.
1952:  Don Was of Was (Not Was) was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1954:  Steven John Kilbey, lead singer, songwriter and bassist with the Church, was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England.




1961:  Dave Mustaine, founder, songwriter, guitarist and lead vocalist of Megadeth, was born in La Mesa, California.
1965:  Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr, who has played drums and worked with the Who, the Spencer Davis Group, Oasis and Johnny Marr, was born in Hammersmith, London, England.
1967:  Steve Perkins, drummer and songwriter of Jane's Addiction, was born in Los Angeles, California.
1967:  Timothy Owens, singer with Judas Priest, was born in Akron, Ohio.
1975:  Joe Rooney, singer and lead guitarist with Rascal Flatts, was born in Baxter Springs, Kansas.
1977:  Fiona Apple was born in Manhattan, New York.

Calendar* Correction: Broken Legs for Graham Nash

Some websites say that Graham Nash broke both legs after his sailboat was hit by a large wave in Hawai'i on September 13, 1999.  Everything about that is true, except the date.  According to the Hawai'i newspaper The Star Bulletin, the incident occurred on September 12.

Calendar* Correction: Sting Theatre Debut

Some websites say sting made  his debut in the theatre when he performed in the Threepenny Opera at the National Theater on Sepember 13, 1989 in Washington, D.C.  His debut was Thursday, September 14th, according to the newspapers The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times.

Calendar* Correction: Sting Solo Debut


Some websites claim Sting performed at the San Diego State University Amphitheater in San Diego, California on September 13, 1985.  Many say he began his first solo tour on this date.  While it was Sting's first solo show in North America, he had done several shows in Paris, France and Tokyo in the months preceding the concert in San Diego.  And it was on August 13, as you can see from the ticket stub pictured above.

Friday, September 11, 2015

This Date in Rock Music History: September 12

Calendar* Correction: ABC Show 20/20 Examination of Elvis Presley's Death

Some websites report that the ABC show 20/20 presented an in-depth investigation into the death of Elvis Presley on September 12, 1980, while others say it aired September 13.  Neither are correct.  The show was broadcast on Thursdays until 1987, when it moved to its current slot on Fridays.  In 1980, Thursday fell on September 11.  The expose raised so many questions that the official case was reopened.

Calendar* Correction: Recording of Bob Dylan's 'Blood on the Tracks'

The magazine Uncut reports that Bob Dylan began recording the album Blood on the Tracks on September 12, 1974.   They don't have their facts straight.  According to Glenn Berger, assistant to Phil Ramone, Dylan began recording on the beginning of the Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanal, which in 1974 began September 16.

Calendar* Correction: Birth of Bernie Dwyer

Some websites claim Bernie Dwyer, drummer of Freddie & the Dreamers, was born on September 11, 1941.  According to the newspaper The Manchester Beat, Dwyer was born in 1940. 

Calendar* Correction: Postponement of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez

Some websites report that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck postponed their wedding on September 11, 2003.  News reports were published that day, but People magazine, which broke the story, reported the news September 10.  Despite the denials of both Lopez and Affleck at the time that they were splitting for good, the two never got married.

Calendar* Correction: Death of Terome "T-Bone" Hannon

Some websites say that  Terome "T-Bone" Hannon, bassist for Jewel, died of a stroke on September 11.  He died September 4, according to MTV; what occurred on September 11 was that Jewel canceled her tour because of the loss of Hannon.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

This Date in Rock Music History: September 11


Wednesday, September 9, 2015

This Date in Rock Music History: September 10

1963:  Andrew Loog Oldham, manager of the Rolling Stones, invited Paul McCartney and John Lennon to the Studio 51 Jazz Club in London where the Stones were rehearsing.  The two Beatles were working on the song "I Wanna' Be Your Man", and finished it at the rehearsal when they found out the Rolling Stones needed another song.  The  Stones recorded it for their album. .
1963:  The Beatles received the award for Top Vocal Group of the Year from the Variety Club of Great Britain at a luncheon at the Savoy Hotel in London.
1964:  Nineteen year-old Rod Stewart recorded his first single "Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl" with the Hoochie Koochie Men.  Future Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones played on the song.
1964:  The Kinks had the top song in the U.K. with "You Really Got Me".
1965:  The Byrds spend a second session recording the song "Turn!  Turn!  Turn!" at Columbia Studios in Los Angeles. (They began recording on September 1 and finished the song with three more sessions September 14-16.)
1965:  Revolver by the Beatles shot up from #45 to #1 to leave no doubt which was the top album.  
                                     The Hollies had this great song in the Top 10...

1966:  The Supremes scored their seventh #1 song out of 17 released with "You Can't Hurry Love".  Donovan barely had time to get comfortable at the position with "Sunshine Superman", which fell to #2.  The Beatles had hit #45 in their first three years with "Yellow Submarine".  The Happenings fell with "See You In September" while the former #1 "Summer In The City" from Lovin' Spoonful was song #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Wilson Pickett & "Land of 1,000 Dances", "Sunny" from Bobby Hebb, Lee Dorsey remained at 8 with "Working In The Coal Mine", the Hollies popped from 18 to 9 with "Bus Stop" and "Guantanamera" by the Sandpipers moved into the Top 10.
1968:  The Beatles posted their 15th #1 song in the U.K. with "Hey Jude".
1970:  Michael Nesmith of the Monkees celebrated the birth of his daughter Jessica.


1975:  KISS released the double album Alive, which featured live performances of tracks on their first three albums, on Casablanca Records.
1975:  Bob Dylan recorded "Hurricane", "Oh Sister" and "Simple Twist If Fate" for the television special The World of John Hammond, Hammond being the man who signed him to Columbia Records, to be broadcast on December 13.








1977:  The Sanford Townsend Band had the only new entry in the Top 10 on this date--"Smoke From A Distant Fire".
1977:  Carly Simon ("Nobody Does It Better") took over the #1 spot on the Adult chart from then-husband James Taylor ("Handy Man"), believed to be the only time in the Rock Era that an artist has replaced their spouse at #1.







1977:  The album Rumours by Fleetwood Mac tied the existing Rock Era record for weeks at #1, set in 1967 by the album More of the Monkees.  On this date, the two were tied for that mark with 18. 
1979:  Patti Smith ("Because The Night" from 1978) told an audience of 85,000 in Florence, Italy she was retiring from live performances.  She wanted to spend more time with husband Fred "Sonic" Smith of MC5.
1980:  Peter Comita replaced Tom Peterson in Cheap Trick.







1983:  Michael Sembello, formerly the guitarist for Stevie Wonder, completed a charge up to #1 with "Maniac", taking the place of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" from the Eurythmics.  Men Without Hats had song #3--"The Safety Dance" while Taco was "Puttin' On The Ritz".  The rest of the Top 10:  Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It" from the album An Innocent Man, the Police with their former #1 "Every Breath You Take", Donna Summer with her 24th career hit "She Works Hard For The Money", Bonnie Tyler moved from 15-8 with her great song "Total Eclipse Of The Heart", Michael Jackson was at 9 with "Human Nature" and Culture Club fell with "I'll Tumble 4 (sic) Ya".
1983:  The album Thriller by Michael Jackson regained the #1 position to notch week #20 at the top spot. 




1984:  The comeback train was full steam ahead and on this date Tina Turner released the single "Better Be Good To Me". 
1988:  Phil Collins reached #1 in the U.K. with "A Groovy Kind Of Love".









1988:  The song with that unforgettable guitar open--"Sweet Child O' Mine" from Guns N' Roses was the new #1 song with Robert Palmer's "Simply Irresistible" and "Perfect World" from Huey Lewis & the News trailing.  "Monkey" slid down for George Michael and Van Halen had song #5 with "When It's Love".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Fast Car" from Tracy Chapman, Taylor Dayne was up with "I'll Always Love You", #8 belonged to the New Edition and "If It Isn't Love", Bobby McFerrin was all smiles with "Don't Worry Be Happy", which moved from 15-9, and Kenny Loggins collected his 18th hit with "Nobody's Fool".
1988:  Def Leppard registered a fifth week at #1 on the Album chart with Hysteria, now in its 56th week.  It was an interesting test of endurance as Guns N' Roses had the #2 album Appetite for Destruction, which was in its 55th week.










1990:  Will Smith made his television debut in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
1994:  Boyz II Men remained at #1 on the R&B chart for a fourth week with "I'll Make Love To You".







1995:  Cyndi Lauper received an Emmy Award for her guest appearance on the television show Mad About You.
1996:  Ray Coleman died of cancer at the age of 59 in Shepperton, England.  Coleman was a prominent journalist with the U.K. weekly magazine Melody Maker throughout the career of the Beatles and into the mid-'70s, and was nearing completion of a biography on Phil Collins.  (Note:  several websites claim Coleman died on September 11.  He died on September 10, according to the newspaper 'The New York Times'.)
1998:  Gary Glitter ("Rock And Roll, Pt. 2" from 1973) appeared in court on child pornography charges.  The predatory paedophile was convicted not only this time but several other times of committing obscene acts with underage girls.  
2003:  Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck postponed their wedding because of a media frenzy.  (Note:  some websites report the postponement occurred September 11.  News reports were published that day, but 'People' magazine, which broke the story, reported the news September 10.)
2005:  Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, John Mellencamp, Usher, Coldplay, Green Day, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Dave Matthews Band, Rob Thomas, Nine Inch Nails, Kanye West and Beck were among those who performed in a four-hour benefit ReAct Now:  Music And Relief event on the MTV channels for victims of Hurricane Katrina.  
2005:  Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, session guitarist who recorded with Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder, Frank Zappa and others, died of lung cancer at the age of 81 in Orange, Texas. 
2007:  Girls Aloud broke the U.K. record for consecutive Top 10 songs by a female act when "Sexy" gave the group their 16th in a row.  The group later extended that streak to 20.
2008:  Peter Gabriel was given the Ambassador of Conscience Award from Amnesty International in London at the Hard Rock Cafe in London.
2009:  Newspapers reported that Phil Collins would have to give up drumming for medical reasons.  However, Collins later clarified his situation on the Genesis website:  "There isn't any drama regarding my 'disability' and playing drums," Collins writes. "Somehow during the last Genesis tour I dislocated some vertebrae in my upper neck and that affected my hands. After a successful operation on my neck, my hands still can't function normally," Collins said.   "Maybe in a year or so it will change, but for now it is impossible for me to play drums or piano. I am not in any 'distressed' state, stuff happens in life."  (Note:  some websites somehow claim the news of Collins not being able to drum again was reported on April 25, 2008.  So not only do people get it wrong; they can't even get the news of the false rumors right!  The news appeared in the newspapers 'The Guardian', 'The Mirror' and 'The Daily Mail'.)


Born This Day:
1898:  Waldo Semon, the inventor of vinyl in 1926, the substance used to make LP and 45 records, was born in Demopolis, Alabama; died May 26, 1999 at the age of 100 in Hudson, Ohio.

1942:  Danny Hutton of Three Dog Night was born in Buncrana, Donegal, Ireland.









1945:  Jose Feliciano was born in Lares, Puerto Rico.
1949:  Barriemore Barlow, drummer and percussionist of Jethro Tull, was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.






1950:  Joe Perry, elite guitarist of Aerosmith, was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
1950:  Don Powell, drummer of Slade ("Run Runaway"), was born in Bilston, Staffordshire, England  (Note:  some sites show birth year as 1946; his official website shows 1950.)
1951:  Pete Tolson, bass guitarist for Pretty Things, was born in Bishops Stortford, Hertsfordshire, England.
1955:  Pat Mastelotto, drummer with Mr. Mister, was born in Chico, California.
1956:  Johnnie Fingers of the Boomtown Rats  (Note:  some websites claim Johnny Fingers of the Boomtown Rats was born on this date.  There has never been a member of the group by that name.  The correct spelling is Johnnie.)
1957:  Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama was born in Dunshaughlin, County Meath, Ireland, near Dublin. 
1957:  Carol Decker, lead singer of T'Pau ("Heart And Soul"), was born in Huyton, Lancashire, England.
1966:  Robin Goodridge, drummer of Bush, was born in Crawley, Sussex, England.
1966:  Miles Zuniga, songwriter, singer and guitarist with Fastball, was born in Laredo, Texas.
1968:  Big Daddy Kane of the Juice Crew was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1980:  Mikey Way, bass guitarist for My Chemical Romance, was born in Newark, New Jersey.

This Date in Rock Music History: September 9

1954, Elvis Presley played at the opening of the Lamar-Airways Shopping Center in Memphis, Tennessee.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Calendar* Correction: ABBA in Concert on BBC-TV

Some websites report that the television special ABBA in Concert was broadcast on September 9, 1980 on BBC-TV.  The show aired September 7, according to BBC.

Calendar* Correction: Marriage of Yusuf Islam, the former Cat Stevens

Many websites claim that Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens) married Fauzia Ali at the Kensington Mosque in England on September 7, 1979.  The correct date is September 7, and the two were married at the Regent's Park Mosque in London, according to the newspaper The Muslim Observer.  Several sites misspell both his Islamic name as Yusef, and his bride's as Fouzia.  The correct spellings are Yusuf and Fauzia.

Monday, September 7, 2015

This Date in Rock Music History: September 8

Sunday, September 6, 2015

This Date in Rock Music History: September 7

1957:  Sam Cooke released the single "You Send Me" on Keen Records.


New Featured Unknown/Underrated Song*: "Photograph" by Def Leppard

The album Pyromania represented Def Leppard on the verge of superstardom.  "Photograph" stopped short of the Top 10 at #12:

"Photograph"
Def Leppard



Written by Steve Clark, Rick Savage, Rick Willis, Mutt Lange and Joe Elliott

Huh!
I'm outa luck, outa love
Gotta photograph, picture of
Passion killer, you're too much
You're the only one I wanna touch
I see your face every time I dream
On every page, every magazine
So wild so free so far from me
You're all I want, my fantasy

Oh, look what you've done to this rock 'n' roll clown
Oh Oh, look what you've done

Photograph - I don't want your
Photograph - I don't need your
Photograph - All I've got is a photograph
But it's not enough

I'd be your lover, if you were there
Put your hurt on me, if you dare
Such a woman, you got style
You make every man feel like a child
You got some kinda hold on me
You're all wrapped up in mystery
So wild so free so far from me
You're all I want, my fantasy

Oh, Look what you've done to this rock'n'roll clown
Oh Oh, Look what you've done

[Repeat chorus]

You've gone straight to my head

Calendar* Correction: Dorothy McGuire

One website claims that Dorothy McGuire of the McGuire Sisters ("Sincerely" from 1955 and "Sugartime" from 1958) and noted actress for roles in Gentleman's Agreement, A Summer Place, Three Coins in the Fountain, Old Yeller, The Greatest Story Ever Told and Swiss Family Robinson, among others, died on September 14.  The respected newspaper The New York Times and CBS News both reported that McGuire died on September 7.

Calendar* Clarification: Connie Stevens' Filming of Saving Grace'

Some websites report that Connie Stevens began filming Saving Grace, her debut as a movie director, in Boonville, Missouri.  Although Stevens spent time filming in Boonville, she began filming the movie at the Arrow Rock Country Store in Arrow Rock, Missouri, according to the newspaper The Marshall-Democrat News.

Calendar* Correction: Death of Keith Moon

Numerous websites incorrectly say that Keith Moon, drummer of the Who, died after taking the drug Hemenephirin.  There is no such drug.  Moon died after taking Himinevrin, according to Billboard magazine.  Himinevrin contains the active ingredient Clomethiazol, used to combat the effects of acute alcohol withdrawal, according to the book GC/MS in Clinical Chemistry by Petra Gerhards, Ulrich Bons, and Jürgen Sawazki.