Saturday, February 20, 2016

This Date in Rock Music History: February 21

1952:  Jerry Lee Lewis married his first wife at the age of 17.
1958:  The first Flying V guitar, by Gibson, was shipped from a factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Friday, February 19, 2016

This Date in Rock Music History: February 20

1949:  Ricky Nelson joined his parents, Ozzie and Harriet, on their radio show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
1958:  Buddy Holly released his self-titled album on Coral Records, which included "Peggy Sue" and "Rave On".
1958:  Buddy Holly & the Crickets, the Everly Brothers, Bill Haley & the Comets, Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmie Rodgers opened up the Big Gold Record Stars Tour in Florida.
1963:  The Beatles drove all night from Liverpool to London to perform "Love Me Do" and "Please Please Me" on the live lunchtime BBC radio show Parade of the Pops, an appearance that lasted just over four minutes.  They then drove 160 miles for a concert that night at the Swimming Baths in Doncaster, Yorkshire.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

This Date in Rock Music History: February 19

1956:  Elvis Presley performed three shows (2, 5 and 8 p.m.) at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in Tampa, Florida.

  1957:  Tab Hunter topped the U.K. chart with "Young Love", one of the great songs early in the Rock Era.
1958:  Carl Perkins left Sun Records to sign a deal with Columbia.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

This Date in Rock Music History: February 18




1956:  The Platters ruled the R&B chart for the seventh week with "The Great Pretender".
1959:  Elvis Presley performed after hours at the Lido Club in Paris, France while on leave from the United States Army.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

This Date in Rock Music History: February 17

1955:  Little Richard sent his first audition tape to Specialty Records.

1958:  The Silhouettes stood tall at #1 for a third week on the R&B chart with "Get A Job".

Answers to Song Opening Quiz

Yesterday, we presented the opening lyrics to 10 songs, and asked you to name the title of the song.  Today, the answers are revealed:


The List of Grammy Winners for 2016

Record of the Year: Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk"
Album of the Year: Taylor Swift, 1989
Best New Artist: Meghan Trainor
Best Rock Performance: Alabama Shakes, "Don't Wanna Fight"
Best Musical Theater Album: Hamilton
Song of the Year: Ed Sheeran, "Thinking Out Loud"
Best Country Album: Chris Stapleton, Traveller
Best Rap Album: Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk"
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: Kendrick Lamar feat. Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat, "These Walls"
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern
Best Pop Solo Performance: Ed Sheeran, "Thinking Out Loud"
Best Rap Song: Kendrick Lamar, "Alright"
Best Alternative Music Album: Alabama Shakes, Sound & Color
Best Rock Album: Muse, Drones
Best Rap Performance: Kendrick Lamar, "Alright"
Best Rock Song: Alabama Shakes, "Don't Wanna Fight"
Best R&B Album: D'Angelo and the Vanguard, Black Messiah
Best Urban Contemporary Album: The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
Best R&B Performance: The Weeknd, "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)"
Best R&B Song: D'Angelo and The Vanguard, "Really Love"
Best Traditional R&B Performance: Lalah Hathaway, "Little Ghetto Boy"
Best Dance/Electronic Album: Skrillex and Diplo, Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ãœ
Best Dance Recording: Skrillex and Diplo With Justin Bieber, "Where Are Ü Now"
Best Music Video: Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar, "Bad Blood"
Best Country Duo/Group Performance: Little Big Town, "Girl Crush"
Best Country Song: Little Big Town, "Girl Crush"
Best Music Film: Amy Winehouse, Amy
Best Rap/Song Collaboration: Common & John Legend, "Glory"
Best Pop Vocal Album: Taylor Swift, 1989
Best Country Solo PerformanceChris Stapleton, "Traveller"
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album: Tobymac, This Is Not a Test
Best Roots Gospel Album: The Fairfield Four, Still Rockin' My Soul
Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album: Pitbull, Dale
Best Latin Pop Album: Ricky Martin, A Quien Quiera Escuchar (Deluxe Edition)
Best Comedy Album: Louis C.K., Live at Madison Square Garden
Best Spoken Word Album: Jimmy Carter, A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety
Score Soundtrack for Visual MediaBirdman
Best Gospel AlbumIsrael & Newbreed, Covered: Alive Is Asia [Live] (Deluxe)
Best Gospel Performance/Song: Kirk Franklin, "Wanna Be Happy?"
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song: Francesca Battistelli, "Holy Spirit"
Best Contemporary Classical Composition: Stephen Paulus, Paulus: Prayers & Remembrances
Best Classical Solo Vocal Album: Joyce DiDonato and Antonio Pappano, Joyce & Tony - Live From Wigmore Hall
Best Classical Instrumental Solo: Augustin Hadelich, "Dutilleux: Violin Concerto, L'Arbre Des Songes"
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance: Eighth Blackbird, "Filament"
Best Choral Performance: Charles Bruffy, "Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil"
Best Opera Recording: Saito Kinen Orchestra; SKF Matsumoto Chorus & SKF Matsumoto Children's Chorus, "Ravel: L'Enfant Et Les Sortilèges; Shéhérazade"
Producer of the Year, Classical: Judith Sherman
Best New Age Album: Paul Avgerinos, Grace
Best Surround Sound Album: Roger Waters, Amused to Death
Best Orchestral Performance: Boston Symphony Orchestra, "Shostakovich: Under Stalin's Shadow - Symphony No. 10"
Best Classical Compendium: Giancarlo Guerrero, Paulus: Three Places of Enlightenment; Veil of Tears & Grand Concerto
Best Regional Roots Music Album: Jon Cleary, Go Go Juice
Best Folk Album: Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn
Best Blues Album: Buddy Guy, Born to Play Guitar
Best Bluegrass Album: The Steeldrivers, The Muscle Shoals Recordings
Best Americana Album: Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free
Best American Roots Song: Jason Isbell, "24 Frames"
Best American Roots Performance: Mavis Staples, "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean"
Best Tropical Latin Album: Rubén Blades With Roberto Delgado & Orchestra, Son De Panamá
Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano): Los Tigres Del Norte,Realidades - Deluxe Edition
Best Children's Album: Tim Kubart, Home
Best World Album: Angélique Kidjo, Sings
Best Reggae Album: Morgan Heritage, Strictly Roots
Best Latin Jazz Album: Eliane Elias, Made in Brazil
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: Maria Schneider, The Thompson Fields
Best Jazz Instrumental Album: John Scofield, Past Present
Best Jazz Vocal Album: Cécile McLorin Salvant, For One to Love
Best Surround Sound Album: James Guthrie and Joel Plante, Amused To Death
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk (Dave Audé Remix)"
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Alabama Shakes, Sound & Color
Best Historical Album: Various artists; The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: Various Artists, The Rise & Fall Of Paramount Records, Volume Two (1928-32)
Best Album Notes: Joni Mitchell, Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced
Best Recording Package: Sarah Dodds, Shauna Dodds & Dick Reeves; Asleep at the Wheel, Still the King: Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals: Maria Schneider, "Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)"
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella: Avi Kaplin, Kirstin Taylor, Kevin K.O. Olusola; "Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy"
Best Instrumental Composition: Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, "The Afro Latin Jazz Suite"
MusiCares Person of the Year: Lionel Richie

Monday, February 15, 2016

This Date in Rock Music History: February 16

1953:  "Venus" was the name of Frankie Avalon's newest, and it rose from #99 to #53 on this date.
 
1959:  The Fleetwoods released the single "Come Softly To Me".

Song Opening Quiz

A good time for another quiz on how well you know the openings to songs.  Below are the opening lines to some of the great songs of the Rock Era.  See how many song titles you can name.  The answers tomorrow on Inside The Rock Era!

1.  
How can you tell me how much you miss me
When the last time I saw you you wouldn't even kiss me



2.
Those schoolgirl days, of telling tales and biting nails are gone.


3.
First when there's nothing
But a slow glowing dream



4.  
My father married a pure Cherokee
My mother's people were ashamed of me



5.
Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.


6.
So much for your promises
They died the day you let me go
Caught up in a web of lies
But it was just too late to know



7.
I can turn a gray sky blue.
I can make it rain, whenever I wanted to.
Oh, I
I can build a castle from a single grain of sand.



8.
Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying


9.
Well the south side of Chicago
Is the baddest part of town
And if you go down there
You better just beware



10.
Seventy-three men sailed up from the San Francisco Bay,
Rolled off of their ship and here's what they had to say.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

This Date in Rock Music History: February 15

1958: The Dick Clark Show premiered on ABC-TV, with guests Pat Boone, Connie Francis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Ray.
1959:  Bobby Vee performed his first professional concert (as the "Winter Dance Party" was unpaid), traveling with the Shadows to earn $15 each.