Saturday, September 26, 2015

This Date in Rock Music History: September 27

1963:  Cilla Black made her live television debut on Ready Steady Go! on British television singing "Love Of The Loved".
1963:  The Merseybeats opened for the Rolling Stones at the Floral Hall Ballroom in Morecambe, Lancashire, England.
1964:  Ringo Starr and Beatles manager Brian Epstein were judges along with Cilla Black and others at the National Beat Group Competition to benefit the Oxfam charity at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London.
1964:  The Beach Boys performed "I Get Around" on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1967:  The Beatles recorded producer George Martin's orchestral score and added overdubs to "I Am The Walrus" (a song they had recorded on September 5 and 6) and worked on "Fool On The Hill" in two sessions at Abbey Road Studios in London.
1968:  The Jackson 5 opened for Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight at a concert in Gary, Indiana.
1971:  Led Zeppelin appeared at the Shiei Taiikukan Hall in Hiroshima, Japan.




1975:  Linda Ronstadt released the album Prisoner in Disguise on Asylum Records.
1975:  "Do It Any Way You Wanna'" by People's Choice was the new #1 on the R&B chart.








1975:  George Harrison had a hot song moving up the charts with "You", up from 75 to 49 on this date.
1975:  John Denver hit #1 with "I'm Sorry".








1975:  Red Octopus by Jefferson Starship took a turn at #1 on the Album chart.  Honey from the Ohio Players was #2 but the Eagles were on their way back up with One of These Nights.  Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run came in fourth while Janis Ian's former #1 album Between the Lines fell to 5.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Heat Is On from the Isley Brothers, Elton John's epic Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, the Allman Brothers Band rose from 43 to 8 with Win, Lose Or Draw, the Spinners were at 9 with Pick of the Litter and Fleetwood Mac entered the Top 10 for the first time with their self-titled release.
1978:  Eric Clapton sponsored the Union of European Football Association (soccer) match between West Bromwich Albion and Galatasaray of Turkey to decide the winner of the UEFA Cup.  Following the match, Clapton presented each player with a copy of his album Slowhand.





1979:  Blondie released the album Eat to the Beat.
1979:  The Police released the album Reggatta de Blanc.
1979:  Elton John collapsed onstage at the Universal Amphitheater in Hollywood, California due to exhaustion brought on by the flu.  After 10 minutes, John returned and finished the show.










1979:  Jimmy McCulloch, lead guitarist of Thunderclap Newman and Wings, was found dead in London from heart failure due to heroin at the age of 26.
1980:  Queen remained at the top of the Album chart for a second week with The Game.
1980:  George Benson's "Give Me The Night" held on to #1 for a third week on the R&B chart.








      
            Air Supply captured fans from the release of their first song...

1980:  Diana Ross remained on top with "Upside Down", the #1 song for a fourth week.  In many markets, however, Australia's Air Supply's "All Out Of Love" was #1.  Queen trailed those two with "Another One Bites The Dust".  George Benson moved up with "Give Me The Night" while Johnny Lee was "Lookin' For Love".  The rest of the Top 10:  Paul Simon's "Late In The Evening", Eddie Rabbitt hopped up with "Drivin' My Life Away", Irene Cara's "Fame" was at #8, Larry Graham remained at 9 with "One In A Million You" and Kenny Loggins reached the Top 10 with "I'm Alright".
1986:  Lionel Richie took over at #1 on the Album chart with Dancing On the Ceiling.
1986:  Twenty-two years after its release, "Twist And Shout" by the Beatles re-entered the chart after being featured on the soundtracks to Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Back to School.




1986:  Cliff Burton, bassist of Metallica, was killed at the age of 24 when the group's bus crashed in Ljungby, Sweden.
1987:  Dolly Parton's television series Dolly debuted on ABC.
1988:  Def Leppard became the first artist of the Rock Era to sell seven million copies of consecutive albums as on this date, Hysteria joined Pyromania as a seven-million seller.  (Note:  some websites incorrectly list this date as October 14--the official RIAA website shows September 27.)










1989: Billy Joel released a huge comeback hit for him--"We Didn't Start The Fire".













1990:  Marvin Gaye was given a star posthumously on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California (1504 Vine Street).  (Note:  some sources show the event on September 28, but according to the books 'Marvin Gaye, My Brother' by Frankie Gaye and 'African Americans in Los Angeles' by Karin L. Stanford, the star was unveiled on September 27.)
1994:  The Dave Matthews Band released the album Under the Table and Dreaming(Note:  some sites show the release as September 20, but the official website for the Dave Matthews Band pegs the release as September 27.)
1995:  Time Warner Records cut ties with rap label Interscope.  A very wise and responsible choice.
1997:  Bob Dylan performed at the World Eucharistic Congress in Bologna, Italy to an audience that included the Pope.






                              Third Eye Blind with their biggest career hit...

1997:  Mariah Carey's "Honey" was #1 for a third week while Boyz II Men debuted at #2 with "4 Seasons Of Loneliness".  Usher stayed at 3 with "You Make Me Wanna...", LeAnn Rimes had "How Do I Live" and the Backstreet Boys slipped with 'Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Mo Money Mo Problems" from the Notorious B.I.G. with Puff Daddy & Mase, the Puffman was the big star of the time with Faith Evans and 112 on "I'll Be Missing You", the Spice Girls slipped with "2 Become 1", new group Third Eye Blind and "Semi-Charmed Life" and Jewel was at 10 with her double-sided hit "Foolish Games"/"You Were Meant For Me".
1999:  Atlanta, Georgia declared it "ZZ Top Day" after the Texas band.


2000:  U2 played from the rooftop of the Clarence Hotel (which they own) in Dublin, Ireland.  Over 4,000 fans gathered below them to listen.
2001:  Jonathan King ("Everyone's Gone To The Moon" from 1965) was found guilty of six charges of sexual assault of under-age boys.  He was later sentenced to seven years in prison.
2002:  Vince Neil of Motley Crue pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge for attacking a record producer in West Hollywood on April 28, 2002.
2003:  Carly Simon sued the Dakota building in New York City, alleging she was denied application to live there but was not refunded her $99,000 down payment.
2004:  Producer Phil Spector was charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of actress Lana Clarkson.
2006:  Jamie Lyons, lead singer of Music Explosion ("Little Bit O' Soul" in 1967), died of a heart attack at his home in Little River, South Carolina at the age of 57.
2006:  In today's Inmates Run Rap Music segment, Snoop Dogg was arrested at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California for possessing a firearm.
2007:  As part of the Clinton Global Initiative, Shakira announced in New York City that a charity group co-founded by her (The Latin America for Solidarity Foundation) would donate $40 million to assist relief efforts in earthquake-ravaged Peru and hurricane-stricken Nicaragua.  (Note:  several websites incorrectly say the announcement was made September 26.  Shakira announced the donation Thursday, September 27 in New York City.)
2007:  Dale Houston of Dale & Grace ("I'm Leaving It Up To You") died of congestive heart failure in Hattiesburg, Mississippi at the age of 67.
2008:  Bryan Morrison, manager of Pink Floyd and music publisher of the Bee Gees, Elton John, Wham!  T-Rex and Syd Barrett, died at age 66 after being in a coma for two years.  Morrison was in a polo accident at the Royal Berkshire Polo Club in England in 2006 and suffered severe brain injuries.
2008:  George Jones, lead singer of the Edsels (who wrote and sang "Rama Lama Ding Dong") died of cancer at his home in Youngstown, Ohio the age of 71.
2008:  Metallica owned the #1 album with Death Magnetic.
2010:  Tickets to what was to be the tour This Is It by Michael Jackson went on sale.
2012:  R.B. Greaves (nephew of Sam Cooke), who gave us "Take A Letter, Maria", died in Granada, California of prostate cancer at age 68.  (Note:  some sources report that he died in Inglewood, California or in Granada Hills, California.  Granada Hills is a community within Los Angeles, not a city.  According to 'Billboard', Greaves died in Los Angeles.)







2012:  Singer Frank Wilson ("Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" who wrote and produced for artists such as the Supremes, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops and the Miracles, and also created the publishing firms Traco Music and Specolite Music, died of a lung infection while being treated for prostate cancer in Duarte, California at age 71.




Born This Day:

1936:  Don Cornelius, host and producer of the long-running television show Soul Train, was born in Chicago, Illinois; shot himself at the age of 75 on February 1, 2012 in Sherman Oaks, California.
1941:  Don Nix, saxophonist for the Mar-Keys ("Last Night") and producer of albums for Jeff Beck and Freddie King, was born in Memphis, Tennessee.






1943:  Randy Bachman, guitarist of the Guess Who and co-founder of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.










1947:  Meat Loaf (real name Marvin Lee Aday) was born in Dallas, Texas.  (Note:  Meat Loaf doesn't know when he was born; he gives various dates when asked, but the book 'The Rough Guide to Rock' by Peter Buckley, "Allmusic.com", and 'Biography.com' all say that he was born on September 27, 1947.)

1953:  Greg Ham, flautist, keyboardist, percussionist and saxophone player of Men At Work, was born in Melbourne, Australia; was found dead in his home in Melbourne April 19, 2012 after suffering a heart attack.
1953:  Robbie Shakespeare, session bass guitarist for Robert Palmer, Joe Cocker, Jimmy Cliff and Peter Tosh, was born in Kingston, Jamaica.




1959:  Shaun Cassidy, actor, singer, songwriter and producer, and brother of David Cassidy, was born in Los Angeles.  (Note:  some websites report Cassidy was born in Santa Monica.  The book 'From Small Screen to Vinyl:  A Guide to Television Stars Who Made Records' by Bob Leszczak states that Shaun was born in Los Angeles.)  
1966:  Stephan Jenkins, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of Third Eye Blind, was born in San Bernardino, California.  (Note:  some websites say Jenkins was born in Indio, California or in Oakland.  Our best research indicates he was born in San Bernardino and raised in Palo Alto.)1970:  Mark Calderon of Color Me Badd was born in Bakersfield, California.
1973:  Lee Brennan, singer, songwriter, and lead singer with the group 311, was born in Carlisle, Cumbria, England.
1978:  Bradley Kirk Arnold, lead singer of 3 Doors Down, was born in Escatawpa, Mississippi.
1982:  Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1984:  Avril Lavigne was born in Belleville, Ontario, Canada.

Friday, September 25, 2015

This Date in Rock Music History: September 26

1955:  Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher married in Grossinger, New York.
1956:  The city of Tupelo, Mississippi declared Elvis Presley Day in honor of its native son.
1957:  The Monotones recorded "Book Of Love".
1957:  The classic musical West Side Story opened at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City.
1961:  Bob Dylan opened for the Greenbriar Boys at Gerde's Folk Club in New York's Greenwich Village.


1964:  The Rolling Stones released the single "Time Is On My Side".









1964:  The British continued to come over in waves.  On this date, the Kinks debuted on the U.S. chart with their first single release "You Really Got Me".
1965:  While on tour in Denmark, lead singer Roger Daltrey of the Who punched drummer Keith Moon.  Daltrey was concerned that the group was using drugs to the detriment of the group's music, and he flushed Moon's drugs down the toilet.  Moon protested, so Daltrey hit him, flattening him with one punch.  Daltrey was kicked out of the group, but when he apologized the next day, he was reinstated.
1968:  Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones was found guilty of  possession of marijuana by a jury at the Marlborough Street Magistrates Court.








1969:  The Beatles released the album Abbey Road, the last album they recorded as a group.








1970:  Tamla-Motown Records released news that the Jackson 5 had sold 10 million singles worldwide in nine months since their debut, officially a world record.
1970:  Pink Floyd performed at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the opening show of their Fall tour of North America.
1974:  John Lennon released the album Walls and Bridges in the United States (it was released on October 4 in the U.K.)
1975:  The Rocky Horror Picture Show opened in theaters.  Movie-going would never be the same.
1980:  U2 had a concert in the Cedar Ballroom in Birmingham, England.
1981:  Bruce Dickinson became the lead singer of Iron Maiden.  He made his official debut with the group one month later, October 26, in Bologna, Italy.
1981:  Genesis moved to #1 on the U.K. Album chart with Abacab.






1984:  Paul Anka received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6840 Hollywood Boulevard.
1984:  Prince released the single "Purple Rain".
1989:  Paul McCartney played several Lennon/McCartney songs live for the first time as a solo artist at the

Drammenshallen in Oslo, Norway.
1992:  Paul Simon, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Jimmy Buffett performed at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to raise money for victims of Hurricane Andrew.
1992:  Belinda Carlisle owned the top U.K. album with The Best of Belina Carlisle, Volume 1.












1997:  The initial 300,000 units of Elton John's single "Candle In The Wind 1997" sold out in Japan on the first day of release.
1998:  Prince slipped and pulled a ligament onstage in Atlantic City, New Jersey, forcing a postponement of the remainder of his U.S. tour.  After recovery, Prince resumed the tour on October 17.
1998:  Melanie B rose to #1 in the U.K. with her solo hit "I Want You Back".
1999:  Kenny Rogers put his 360-acre Beaver Dam Farms estate in Colbert, Georgia up for auction.
1999:  The Dixie Chicks landed at #1 on the Album chart with Fly.



2003:  Robert Palmer, solo star and lead singer with Power Station, died of a heart attack at the age of 54 in Paris, France.









2004:  Green Day ruled the U.K. Album chart with American Idiot.
2007:  Paul Rodgers, classic lead singer of Free, Bad Company and the Firm, married former Miss Canada, Cynthia Kereluk.  (Note:  some websites report the marriage took place on September 22, while others say it was September 24.  According to the official website of Paul Rodgers, he married Cynthia on September 26.)
2012:  Marty Fortson, singer and guitarist with the Rivieras ("California Sun"), died in South Bend, Indiana at age 67.



Born This Day:

1925:  Marty Robbins ("El Paso") was born in Glendale, Arizona; died December 8, 1982 from respiratory failure in Nashville, Tennessee six days after suffering a heart attack.
1926:  Julie London ("Cry Me A River") was born in Santa Rosa, California; died October 18, 2000 in Encino, California after being in poor health since a stroke in 1995.
1931:  George Chambers of the Chambers Brothers ("Time Has Come Today") was born in Flora, Mississippi.
1941:  Joseph Bauer, drummer of the Youngbloods, was born in Memphis, Tennessee; died in September, 1982 of a brain tumor in Memphis.


1945:  Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music was born in Washington, Tyne and Wear, England.
1947:  Lynn Anderson, who gave us the great song "Rose Garden", was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota; died July 30, 2015 of a heart attack in Nashville, Tennessee.







1948:  Olivia Newton-John was born in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England.
1951:  Stuart Tosh of the Alan Parsons Project, who also toured with 10cc and Pilot ("Magic" from 1975), was born in Aberdeen, Scotland.








1954:  Ace guitarist Craig Chaquico of Jefferson Starship and later Cusco, was born in Sacramento, California.  (Note:  many sources report his birth as September 25, but both his talent agency (In Demand Talent) and his record company (Blind Pig Records) list his birth as 9/26 in his biography.)
1954:  Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos was born in Hermosillo, Mexico.
1958:  Kris "Angelo" Moe of Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids was born in Lanesboro, Minnesota; died July 8, 2005 after batting ALS for 13 years.
1962:  Tracey Thorn of Everything But the Girl was born in Brookmans Park, Hertfordshire, England.  
1965:  Cindy Herron of En Vogue and an actress (Batman Forever) was born in San Francisco, California.






1972:  Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1981:  Christina Milian, actress and singer ("Dip It Low" from 2004), was born in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

This Date in Rock Music History: September 25

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1954:  Elvis released his second single on Sun Records--"Good Rockin' Tonight".
1956:  "Love Me Tender" by Elvis Presley became the first single in history to sell a million copies before its release.









                       Barry Mann from one of the funnest times to be alive...

1961:  Bobby Vee continued to set the pace on the Singles chart with "Take Good Care Of My Baby".  Dick & DeeDee moved from 15-2 with "The Mountain's High" and "Michael" from the Highwaymen came in third. Roy Orbison saw "Crying" latch on to position #4 while the novelty song "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavor (On The Bedpost Over Night)" by Lonnie Donegan was #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Elvis Presley moved into the list for the 26th time with "Little Sister", Barry Mann moved up 10 with "Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)", the Jive Five had song #8--"My True Story", Johnny Tillotson's "Without You" and Elvis Presley also had #10 with "(Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame".
1964:  The Temptations began recording the song that would become their biggest hit--"My Girl"--at the Motown Hitsville U.S.A. Studios in Detroit, Michigan.
1964:  Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, refused an offer of 3 1/2 million pounds to sell his management contract to a group of U.S. businessmen.


1965:  Fontella Bass released the single "Rescue Me".










1965:  The Rolling Stones released the single "Get Off Of My Cloud" in the United States.  The group waited until October 22 to release the single in the U.K.









1965:  The Beatles cartoon premiered on ABC-TV.  The show would run until September 7, 1969.
1965:  James Brown had the top R&B song for an eighth week--"Papa's Got A Brand New Bag".









                             Dylan had himself a Top 10 album...


1965:  For the third week, Help! by the Beatles was the #1 album, well ahead of #2 Look At Us from Sonny & Cher.  The amazing Soundtrack to "The Sound of Music" was third, followed by The In Crowd from The Ramsey Lewis Trio and Out of Our Heads by the Rolling Stones.  The rest of the Top 10:  Herman's Hermits On Tour, Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) from the Beach Boys, the Soundtrack to "Mary Poppins" at #8, Bringing It All Back Home by Bob Dylan and Beatles VI at #10.
1965:  "You Were On My Mind" by We Five was #1 for the fourth week on the Easy Listening chart.
1965:  Barry McGuire's plea was not ignored--"Eve Of Destruction" became the #1 song on this date. 




1967:  The Beatles began recording "Fool On The Hill" at Abbey Road Studios in London.  No, it wasn't about Congressman John Boehner.
1968:  Mary Hopkin's memorable song "Those Were The Days" topped the U.K. chart.
1969:  John Lennon recorded 26 takes of "Cold Turkey", his autobiographical song about breaking an addiction to heroin, with help from Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Yoko Ono and Klaus Voorman.  The last take was judged to be the best, but Lennon remade it three days later, and that version was later released as the single.
1970:  Janis Joplin recorded "Me And Bobby McGee".
1970:  Ringo Starr released the album Beaucoup of Blues in the U.K.  It would be released September 28 in the United States.
1970:  The Partridge Family series debuted on ABC-TV.


1971:  David Bowie performed at Friars in Aylesbury, England.  (Note:  numerous websites report that America also was there, but the group had to cancel as they were touring with Cat Stevens instead, as the above advertisement from the group shows.)
1971:  Deep Purple topped the U.K. Album chart with Fireball.
1971:  Joan Baez ruled the Easy Listening chart for a fourth week with "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down".






                                            Beware of the handshake!

1971:  Billboard had Donny Osmond's "Go Away Little Girl" #1 for a third week, when I can tell you that most stations had other songs at #1.  Rod Stewart was officially #2 with "Maggie May", Bill Withers remained at 3 with "Ain't No Sunshine", Joan Baez had #4 with "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and Aretha Franklin's great song "Spanish Harlem" was on its way down.  The rest of the Top 10:  Paul & Linda McCartney's former #1 "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" was now 6, the Undisputed Truth had "Smiling Faces Sometimes", the Carpenters moved into the Top 10 with "Superstar", the Dramatics told us "Whatcha' See Is Whatcha' Get" and Rare Earth were at #10 with "I Just Want to Celebrate".



1971:  Stanley, Idaho's Carole King spent a 15th week at #1 with her monumental album Tapestry.  That was three weeks shy of the Rock Era record at the time held by More of the Monkees.  






                            Venice, Italy--one of the great cities of the world--help save it!


1976:  Wings played a charity concert to raise money for the restoration of art treasures that had suffered water damage in St. Marks Square in Venice, Italy.
1976:  "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" drove K.C. and the Sunshine Band to #1 for a third week.

1976:  "If You Leave Me Now" from Chicago was the new #1 on the Easy Listening chart.






                                       Ronstadt was becoming a superstar...

1976:  Frampton Comes Alive!  by Peter Frampton stood alone at the top of the Album chart for the eighth week.  Silk Degrees from Boz Scaggs was a strong second with Linda Ronstadt's Hasten Down the Wind close behind.  The self-titled Fleetwood Mac was now moving back up after 61 weeks of release.  The rest of the Top 10:  Wild Cherry, War with their Greatest Hits package, Spirit from John Denver at #7, Spitfire by Jefferson Starship, All Things in Time by Lou Rawls at #9 and Chicago X.



1980:  John Bonham, drummer of Led Zeppelin, died at the age of 32 of asphyxiation in Clewer, England on his own vomit due to a drinking binge.  The legendary group broke up after deciding that Bonham could not be replaced.
1981:  The Rolling Stones recorded a concert at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that would later be released on the DVD Let's Spend the Night Together.
1982:  Queen performed "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Under Pressure" on Saturday Night Live on NBC-TV.
1982:  "Love Will Turn You Around" by Kenny Rogers topped the Adult Contemporary chart.






 Don't allow your radio station to play the short version of this great Alan Parsons song!

1982:  "Abracadabra" completed Steve Miller's comeback by being crowned #1.  John Cougar (Mellencamp) was up to #2 with "Jack & Diane".  The previous #1 "Hard To Say I'm Sorry" from Chicago preceded Survivor's former #1 "Eye Of The Tiger".  Melissa Manchester remained at 5 with "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" and the Alan Parsons Project had one of their biggest hits with "Eye In The Sky". The rest of the Top 10:  The debut hit from Men At Work--"Who Can It Be Now?" moved from 12 to 7, Jackson Browne entered the list with "Somebody's Baby", John Cougar (Mellencamp) also had #9 with "Hurts So Good" and Donna Summer earned the 12th Top 10 of her career with "Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)".
1982:  American Fool by John Cougar (Mellencamp) was #1 on the Album chart for a third week.
1990:  The city of Macon, Georgia named Little Richard Boulevard in honor of the 50's star.
1990:  Drummer Dave Grohl joined Nirvana.

1993:  Nirvana's In Utero was #1 on the U.K. Album chart.


 1993:  Sisters With Voices (SWV) remained at #1 on the R&B chart with "Right Here"/"Human Nature".

1993:  In Pieces by Garth Brooks was #1 on the Album chart.








  Mariah back in much better times for her...


1993:  "Dreamlover" by Mariah Carey was #1 for a third week.
1994:  Offspring debuted in the U.K. with a concert at The Princess Charlotte Club in Leicester.
1999:  Stephen Canaday of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils was killed at age 55 in Nashville, Tennessee when a vintage World War II plane he was riding in rolled and crashed into a tree.  
2000:  Bono of U2 met with the president of the World Bank in Prague, Czechoslovakia to discuss his plan for debt relief of the third world.





2003:  Shania Twain began a world tour at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
2004:  Thom Yorke of Radiohead spoke at the "No To Star Wars" rally (the weapons defense system, not the movie) outside an Air Force base in Yorkshire, England.






2012:  Andy Williams, legendary singer ("Moon River", "Can't Get Used To Losing You", "More", and "Butterfly", among many others) died of bladder cancer at age 84 in Branson, Missouri.

Born This Day:
1933:  Erik Darling, a member of the Weavers, the Tarriers and the Rooftop Singers, was born in Baltimore, Maryland; died in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on August 3, 2008 after battling lymphoma.
1933:  Ian Tyson of Ian & Sylvia and writer of the song "Four Strong Winds" for the Brothers Four in 1963, was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
1939:  Joseph Jessie Russell of the Persuasions, who also worked with Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell and Don McLean, was born in Henderson, North Carolina; died May 5, 2012 in Brooklyn, New York after a long struggle with diabetes.
1940:  Wade Flemons, pianist with Earth, Wind & Fire, was born in Coffeyville, Kansas; died of cancer in Battle Creek, Michigan on October 13, 1993.
1943:  Gary Alexander, guitarist and vocalist of the Association, was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
1943:  John Locke, keyboardist and songwriter with Spirit ("I Got A Line On You"), was born in Los Angeles; died of cancer on August 4, 2006 in Ojai, California.
1945:  Onnie McIntyre, guitarist and vocalist of the Average White Band, was born in Lennoxtown, Scotland.
1946:  Jerry Penrod, bassist for Iron Butterfly, was born in San Diego, California.
1955:  Zucchero (real name Adelmo Fornaciari), an Italian rock singer who collaborated with Eric Clapton, Randy Jackson of the Jackson 5, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Cocker and Miles Davis, was born in Roncocesi, Italy.
1955:  Steve Severin, bassist and keyboard player of Siouxsie & the Banshees, was born in London.

1968:  Will Smith, superstar actor, rapper and all-around great guy, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  (Note:  some websites report Will was born in Wynnefield, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadlephia.  He was born in Philadelphia and lived in Wynnefield, according to the book 'Will Smith:  Box Office Superstar' by Matt Doeden.) 
1974:  Richie Edwards, bass guitarist of the Darkness, was born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England.
1980:  T.I. (Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr.) was born in Atlanta, Georgia.

This Date in Rock Music History: September 24

1955:  Elvis Presley performed on The Louisiana Hayride at the Shreveport Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, broadcast on KWKH-TV.  
1955:  Chuck Berry was on top of the R&B chart for the eighth straight week with "Maybellene".

1957:  An historic day in the Rock Era as Elvis Presley released the single "Jailhouse Rock" on RCA Victor Records.
1957:  Disc jockey Alan Freed's fourth movie, Mister Rock and Roll, featuring footage of Chuck Berry, Clyde McPhatter, Frankie Lymon and Little Richard, debuted at the Paramount Theatre in New York City.
1958:  The Platters recorded the song "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" in Paris, France.






1958:  The Kingston Trio released the single "Tom Dooley".
1958:  Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen were guests on the premiere of The Donna Reed Show on ABC-TV.
1966:  Jimi Hendrix and new manager Chas Chandler, formerly of the Animals, arrived in London.  On the flight across the pond, Hendrix changed his first name from Jimmy to Jimi.
1966:  The Temptations took over the R&B chart with "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep".






1966:  Roger Williams topped the Easy Listening chart for the sixth week with "Born Free".







  Los Angeles band the Association gave us one of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era*...

1966:  The Association reached #1 for the first time with the song "Cherish".  The Supremes fell back with "You Can't Hurry Love", Donovan had song #3 with "Sunshine Superman" and the Beatles were submersing with "Yellow Submarine".  The rest of the Top 10:  The Hollies and "Bus Stop", the Temptations entered the Top 10 with "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep", Los Bravos made an 18-7 move with "Black Is Black", ? & the Mysterians were up from 25 to 8 with "96 Tears", the Beach Boys with "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and the Four Tops were up from 26-10 with "Reach Out (I'll Be There)".
1966:  Revolver by the Beatles was the #1 album for the third straight week.  Going Places by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass crept back in the Top 10 after 49 weeks of release.
1967:  The Beatles concluded filming of Magical Mystery Tour at West Malling Air Station in Maidstone, Kent with the ballroom finale of "Your Mother Should Know.

1968:  The Vogues were awarded a Gold record for the song "Turn Around, Look At Me".
1969:  Deep Purple performed "Concerto for Group and Orchestra" with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall in London.
1971:  Yes began a tour at the Exmouth Pavilion in Devon, England with new keyboardist Rick Wakeman aboard.  (Note:  several websites show the beginning of the tour in Leicester on September 30, but the tour began on September 24 in Devon, according to numerous sources.)
1971:  John Lennon was a guest on The Dick Cavett Show.
1971:  The Jackson 5 appeared on the cover of Life magazine.
1973:  ABBA began recording the Waterloo album.






1973:  Chicago released the single "Just You 'N Me".
1975:  Rod Stewart had the #1 U.K. song with "Sailing".
1977:  The first Elvis Presley convention was held in Memphis, Tennessee.
1977:  The #1 Easy Listening song was "Nobody Does It Better" by Carly Simon for the third week.






                                    Newcomer Foreigner was anything but cold...

1977:  The Emotions returned to #1, making it five weeks for "Best Of My Love".  The Floaters had to settle for #2 with "Float On" while another hit from Rumours--"Don't Stop" kept Fleetwood Mac in the limelight.  K.C. and the Sunshine Band were up with "Keep It Comin' Love" and the Brothers Johnson were at 5 with "Strawberry Letter 23".  The rest of the Top 10:  Andy Gibb's previous #1 "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" tumbled, ELO moved up with "Telephone Line", Meco's instrumental "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" moved from 13-8, Shaun Cassidy had a hit with the Eric Carmen song "That's Rock 'N' Roll" and Foreigner cracked the list with "Cold As Ice".





1977:  Rumours by Fleetwood Mac was #1 for a record 20th week.  It wasn't done yet.
1980:  As mixing of the upcoming Double Fantasy album was being wrapped up at Record Plant East in New York City, John Lennon gave one of his last interviews to Lisa Robinson of 97-FM in Buffalo, New York.
1983:  UB40 picked up the #1 album in the U.K. with Labour of Love.






      
                         The Eurythmics with one of their biggest career hits...

1983:  Billy Joel earned his second #1 song with "Tell Her About It", holding off Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse Of The Heart".  Men Without Hats were a solid 3 with "The Safety Dance" while the former #1 "Maniac" from Michael Sembello found itself now at #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Air Supply enjoyed their eighth Top 10 song out of 10 releases with "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All", the Eurythmics fell with the former #1 "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)", Michael Jackson's "Human Nature", Taco stabilized at #8 with "Puttin' On The Ritz", the Stray Cats entered the Top 10 with "(She's) Sexy + 17" and Asia was at 10 with "Don't Cry".






1983:  "Tell Her About It" was the new Adult Contemporary #1 song for Billy Joel.
1983:  Synchronicity continued to battle Michael Jackson's Thriller as the Police owned the #1 album for the 11th week.  The Soundtrack to "Flashdance" was third followed by Def Leppard's Pyromania and An Innocent Man from Billy Joel.







1984:  Hall & Oates released the single "Out Of Touch".  (Note:  one website naively says the song was released October 4.  "Out Of Touch" debuted on the Singles chart on September 29.  It is physically impossible for a song to be included on the Singles chart if it has not yet been released as a single.)
1984:  Culture Club reached #1 in the U.K. with "Karma Chameleon".
1988:  James Brown was arrested in Georgia after eluding police in a two-state car chase.  He was later convicted of illegal possession of firearms and drugs and failure to stop for police and sentenced to six years in jail.  
1988:  The Hollies owned the #1 song in the U.K. with "He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother", which had picked up new popularity after being featured in a beer commercial.






1988:  Bobby McFerrin took over at #1 with his positive song "Don't Worry Be Happy".  Guns N' Roses slipped to 2 with "Sweet Child O' Mine" and Taylor Dayne edged up with "I'll Always Love You".  Robert Palmer fell after a long run with "Simply Irresistible" and Leppard had their third Top 10 song from Hysteria--"Love Bites".  The rest of the Top 10:  Huey Lewis & the News with "Perfect World", Peter Cetera from Sun Valley, Idaho with "One Good Woman", the New Edition dropped with "If It Isn't Love", Kenny Loggins had the #9 song--"Nobody's Fool" and Cheap Trick joined the party with their remake of the Elvis Presley classic "Don't Be Cruel".
1988:  Peter Cetera owned the top Adult song with "One Good Woman", #1 for the fourth straight week.
1988:  Appetite For Destruction by Guns N' Roses returned to #1 on the Album chart, displacing the great album Hysteria by Def Leppard, which was spending its 58th week on the chart.
1989:  Prince performed on the 15-year anniversary of Saturday Night Live on NBC-TV.
1991:  Nirvana released the album Nevermind.
1994:  Boyz II Men presided over the R&B chart for the sixth week with "I'll Make Love To You".








1994:  II by Boyz II Men remained at #1 on the Album chart, ahead of Soundtracks to "The Lion King" and "Forrest Gump".  Green Day was up to 4 with Dookie while Stone Temple Pilots held down #5 with Purple.  The rest of the Top 10:  Offspring with Smash, The 3 Tenors In Concert 1994 from Carreras, Domingo and Pavarotti, the self-titled debut from Candlebox, Counting Crows and August and Everything After at #9 with Sweden's Ace of Base wrapping up the list with The Sign.
1994:  Boyz II Men remained at #1 for the fifth straight week with "I'll Make Love To You" while Lisa Loeb held on to #2 for the fifth week after dropping from the top spot with "Stay (I Missed You)".
1997:  Larry Hall ("Sandy" from 1959) died of cancer at the age of 57.
2000:  Madonna was on top of the U.K. Album chart with Music.



2003:  The Dave Matthews Band performed in front of 100,000 at a charity concert in New York City's Central Park.  The concert was recorded and later released as a live album.






2003:  Gordon Lightfoot was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.



Born This Day:
1933:  Mel Taylor, drummer of the Ventures, was born in Brooklyn, New York; died of lung cancer on August 11, 1996 in Tarzana, California.  
1936:  Jim Henson, creator and voice of the Muppets on "Rubber Duckie" and "Rainbow Connection", was born in Greenville, Mississippi; died of Group A steptococcus on May 16, 1990 in Manhattan, New York.
1940:  Barbara Allbut of the Angels was born in Orange, New Jersey.
1941:  Linda McCartney of Wings was born in New York City, New York; died when breast cancer spread to her liver April 17, 1998 in Tucson, Arizona.  (Note:  a spokesman from the McCartney family initially released a statement saying she had died in Santa Barbara, California to throw off the media so the family could grieve privately.  Some websites still report that she died in Santa Barbara--apparently they are still thrown off...)








1942:  Gerry Marsden of Gerry & the Pacemakers was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.  (Note:  Some websites report Marsden was born in Toxteth, England.  Toxteth is not a city but an inner city era of Liverpool.)
1942:  Phyllis "Jiggs" Allbut of the Angels was born in Orange, New Jersey.
1944:  Rosa Lee Hawkins of the Dixie Cups was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1946:  Carson Osten, bassist with Todd Rundgren in Nazz and Utopia, and also a creator of comics including Mickey Mouse and Goofy for Disney Studios, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died December 22, 2015 in Thousand Oaks, California.
1946:  Jerry Donahue, guitarist of Fairport Convention and Fotheringay, was born in Manhattan, New York.
1971:  Marty Cintron III, who has sold over eight million albums with No Mercy, was born in the Bronx, New York.
1971:  Peter Salisbury, drummer of the Verve, was born in Bath, Somerset, England.