Saturday, September 1, 2018

This Date in Rock Music History: September 2


1957:  Elvis Presley had the #1 R&B song with "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear".
1965:  The Beatles earned a Gold record for the single "Help!"
1965:  The Rolling Stones recorded a performance for the BBC-TV show Ready Steady Go!  (Note:  several websites claim that the Rolling Stones and Manfred Mann appeared on 'Ready Steady Go!' on this date.  The program aired on Fridays, which fell on September 3 and September 10 in 1965.  The Stones and Manfred Mann appeared on the show on September 10, according to 'TV.com', with footage of the Stones taped on September 2.)


Friday, August 31, 2018

This Date in Rock Music History: September 1

1953:  Buddy Holly and Bob Montgomery auditioned for KDAV's Sunday Party in Lubbock, Texas.  The duo began a Sunday afternoon slot that became The Bob and Buddy Show.
1956:  Jerry Lee Lewis (19 years old at the time) pulled up to Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee hoping for an audition with owner Sam Phillips.  Phillips was on vacation so Lewis recorded some demos to pass on to Phillips when he got back.
1957:  Buddy Holly & the Crickets, the Everly Brothers, the Drifters and Frankie Lymon performed as The Biggest Show of Stars tour began at the Paramount in Brooklyn, New York.  
1958:  "Little Star" from the Elegants was #1 on the R&B chart.  
1965:  Glen Campbell, the Kinks, James Brown and Booker T. & the M.G.'s appeared on Shindig!.
1966:  The Byrds began an 11-day run at the famous Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles.

Thursday, August 30, 2018

This Date in Rock Music History: August 31















1957: Elvis Presley performed at Empire Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
1959: Bobby Vee appeared on the music charts for the first time as "Suzie Baby" debuted.


Wednesday, August 29, 2018

This Date in Rock Music History: August 30

1959:  Carole King married songwriting partner Gerry Goffin.

1961:  The Paris Sisters released the single "I Love How You Love Me".
1962:  The Beatles played at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England in the afternoon and then joined Gerry and the Pacemakers at the Riverpark Ballroom in Chester.

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

This Date in Rock Music History: August 29

1958:  Alan Freed's  Big Beat Show 4th anniversary concert premiered at the Fox Theater in Brooklyn, New York after being turned down by the Paramount.  Frankie Avalon, Bill Haley & the Comets and Jimmy Clanton performed.
1959:  The Quarrymen got a break when the Les Stewart Quartet got into a clash amongst themselves and refused to play at the Casbah Coffee Club in Liverpool.  George Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney played in their place and after the show, the group was hired by owner Mona Best to play regular Saturday night gigs.
1960:  "Kiddio" by Brook Benton, which would go on to become one of the biggest R&B hits of the 60's, took over at #1.

Monday, August 27, 2018

This Date in Rock Music History: August 28




1961:  Elvis Presley moved from 61 to 26 on this date with "Little Sister".
1962:  Elvis Presley reported for pre-production work on the movie It Happened at the World's Fair in Culver City, California to record songs for the soundtrack album.  Presley would then travel to Seattle, Washington, site of the World's Fair, to film the movie on location.  (Note:  some websites report Elvis began filming the movie on August  27 or 28.  According to the book 'The Elvis Movies' by James L. Neibaur, filming began August 27.  But according to the official website for Graceland, Presley began work on the movie August 28.  Filming of the movie in Seattle did not begin until September 5 )
1963:  Peter, Paul & Mary performed "Blowin' In The Wind" and "If I Had A Hammer" for Civil Rights marchers gathered at the Washington Mall in Washington, D.C. to hear the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. speak.  Bob Dylan and Joan Baez also performed.

Sunday, August 26, 2018

This Date in Rock Music History: August 27



1962:  "He's A Rebel" was released on this date.  The song was credited to the Crystals, even though Phil Spector had the Blossoms record the song because the Crystals were on tour.
1964:  The Beatles performed before 14,000 fans at the Cincinnati Gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1964:  The Honeycombs topped the U.K. chart with "Have I The Right".
1965:  The Beatles visited Elvis Presley at his home at 565 Perugia Way in Bel-Air, California. 
1966:  Petula Clark moved to #1 on the Easy Listening Chart with "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love".
1966:  Everyone was singing it, because its message was the message of a generation--Stevie Wonder's version of "Blowin' In The Wind" hit #1 on the R&B chart.