This Date in Rock Music History: May 8

1961:  Ricky Nelson had a hot new song.  "Hello Mary Lou" moved from 73 to 27.


1961:  Del Shannon's "Runaway" continued to set the pace at #1 for a third week.
1962:  Engineer Ted Huntley recommended to Beatles' manager Brian Epstein that he send a demo of the band to EMI producer George Martin.
1965:  Bob Dylan shot a promotional film for "Subterranean Homesick Blues" outside of the Savoy Hotel in London, becoming one of the first artists to film a music video.








1965:  They were known then as Chad Allan & the Expressions but they would go on to become one of the top acts in the history of Canada as the Guess Who.  They first appeared on the chart with on this date with their first single, "Shakin' All Over"--5/8/65.
1965:  You could tell where this song was heading.  "Ticket To Ride" by the Beatles vaulted from 18 to 3 on this date.

    Gary Lewis & the Playboys were a solid #2...

1965:  Herman's Hermits made it two weeks in a row ruling the roost with "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter".  "Count Me In" by Gary Lewis & the Playboys was at #2 while the Beatles were third with "Ticket To Ride".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Game Of Love", the former #1 by Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders, was now at #4, "I'll Never Find Another You" from the Seekers was at 5, Petula Clark fell to #6 with "I Know A Place", Herman's Hermits were going up with their new release "Silhouettes", Freddie & the Dreamers dropped to #8 with "I'm Telling You Now", the Rolling Stones were at #9 with "The Last Time" and Sounds Orchestral found the Top 10 with the instrumental "Cast Your Fate To The Wind".
1967:  Gerry and the Pacemakers announced they were splitting up.
1970:  The Beatles released the album Let It Be on Apple Records.
1971:  "If" by Bread was #1 for the third week in a row on the Easy Listening chart.  






1971:  Three Dog Night held on to #1 for a fourth week with "Joy To The World".  The Jackson 5 moved up to challenge with "Never Can Say Goodbye" while Ocean traded places with "Put Your Hand In The Hand".  Neil Diamond and Bread were both up a long ways in just seven weeks as "I Am...I Said" was #4 and "If" ranked fifth.  The rest of the Top 10:  The great Marvin Gaye song "What's Going On", the Bells decided to "Stay Awhile" at #7, Aretha Franklin hit #8 with her version of the Simon & Garfunkel classic "Bridge Over Troubled Water", Daddy Dewdrop provided comic relief with "Chick-A-Boom" and Lobo burst into the Top 10 with "Me And You And A Dog Named Boo".
1972:  Billy Preston became the first rock artist to headline a show at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.






1975:  The Eagles appeared in concert at the Edgewater Raceway Park in Cincinnati, Ohio during the One of These Nights tour.
1976:  Spurred by sales that would eventually top 10 million, "Fernando" by ABBA was the new #1 song in the U.K.










1976:  Former Lovin' Spoonful member John Sebastian enjoyed a brief stay at #1 with "Welcome Back".  Maxine Nighingale came in second with "Right Back Where We Started From" and the Sylvers remained in their #3 position with "Boogie Fever".  Elvin Bishop made a move to #4 with "Fooled Around And Fell In Love".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Silly Love Songs" by Wings moved impressively from 12 to 5, Peter Frampton's "Show Me The Way", Diana Ross took #7 with "Love Hangover", Silver Convention was up 13-8 with "Get Up And Boogie (That's Right)", the Bellamy Brothers suffered one of the biggest tumbles from #1 in the Rock Era (1-9) with "Let Your Love Flow" and Johnnie Taylor was down with "Disco Lady".
1977:  Olivia Newton-John gave a concert at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
1978:  Donny Osmond was married at the age of 21 to his wife Debra.

1982:  Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart died of cancer at the age of 39 in Los Angeles.
1982:  "Shanghai Breezes" by John Denver led the way on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1982:  "Chariots Of Fire" from Vangelis reached #1 in its 22nd week on the chart.  Only seven #1 songs in rock history took longer to get to #1.
1993:  Mark Knopfler received an honorary degree from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.  







1993:  Whitney Houston remained at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "I Have Nothing".
1995:  Rick Nelson was inducted posthumously into the Hollywood Rock Walk.

1998:  Johnny Winter received a star on Hollywood's Rock Walk.
1998:  The Smashing Pumpkins filed a lawsuit against Westwood One, claiming the radio syndication company had breached an oral and implied agreement when they licensed an interview in 1991 with the band.
2002:  Mariah Carey signed a multiyear recording contract that gave Carey joint ownership of her own recording label.







2002:  "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen was voted as the favorite song of all-time in the U.K.  "Imagine" by John Lennon was second, "Hey Jude" third, and "Dancing Queen" by ABBA came in fourth in a poll organized by the Guinness World Records British Hit Singles book.  (Note:  some websites claim the results of the poll were released May 6.  The announcement came on May 8, according to Reuters News Service and the newspaper 'The Guardian'.) 
2003:  Elton John announced that he and lyricist Bernie Taupin would compose the score for the Broadway musical The Vampire Lestat.
2003:  Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake and Ashanti assisted the Global Medical Relief Fund's campaign to bring a badly-burned orphan in Operation Iraqi Freedom to the United States for treatment.
2005:  Akon debuted at #1 in the U.K. with "Lonely" while his album Trouble moved to #1 as well.
2008:  Maurice White and Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire and Steve Winwood were given honorary Doctorate degrees from Berklee College of Music in Boston.
2008:  Eddy Arnold, who had 22 hits early in the Rock Era, including "Make The World Go Away" in 1965, died one week shy of his 90th birthday of natural causes at a nursing home in Nashville, Tennessee.

2010:  Quincy Jones received an honorary Doctorate of Music from Indiana University.










Born This Day:

1940:  Ricky Nelson (real name Eric Nelson) was born in Teaneck, New Jersey; died in a plane crash near De Kalb, Texas December 31, 1985.

1940:  Toni Tennille was born in Montgomery, Alabama.
1941:  John Fred, who along with his Playboy Band gave us "Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)", was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; died of kidney disease in New Orleans, Louisiana April 15, 2005.  (Note:  some websites insist Fred died April 14, but according to the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, Fred died on April 15.)
1943:  Danny Whitten, guitarist, singer and songwriter with Neil Young's Crazy Horse, was born in Columbus, Georgia; died of a heroin overdose in Los Angeles November 18, 1972.
1943:  Paul Samwell-Smith, bass guitarist with the Yardbirds, was born in England.  (Note:  there is much confusion as to Paul's place of birth, and he has given no interviews to clear up that confusion.  Some websites say he was born in Richmond, Surrey, England, others say simply "London", while others say he was born in Twickenham, London, and still others in Twickenham, Surrey.  Twickenham (now part of the London Borough Richmond upon Thames), was previously located in the county of Middlesex until 1965, and Samwell-Smith was born long before the county change to London.  Part of Twickenham is in the county of Surrey, but again Samwell-Smith was born long before the change of counties, so each of those last two listed places of birth are false.  Unfortunately, there are no credible sources for either London or Richmond for Mr. Samwell-Smith.)
1944:  Bill Legend, drummer of T. Rex, was born in Barking, Essex, England.  (Note:  Legend says on his official website that he was born in London.  He must not know what his official birth certificate says, for in the book 'Bolan:  The Rise And Fall Of A 20th Century Superstar' by Mark Paytress, it says that Legend was born in Barking and lived in London.) 
1944:  Gary Glitter ("Rock And Roll, Part 2"), whose real name is Paul Gadd, was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England.  Glitter pleaded guilty in 1997 to 54 counts of making indecent photographs of children under 16 available on the Internet.  After being released in jail, he fled to Vietnam, where he was then convicted of molesting girls aged 11 and 12.  The weirdo earns royalties every time the sports team that you support plays his song.
1951:  Chris Frantz, founding member and drummer of the Talking Heads, and also a producer, was born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

1951:  Phillip Bailey with Earth, Wind & Fire was born in Denver, Colorado.
1953:  Billy Burnette, son of Dorsey and a singer and guitarist with Fleetwood Mac, was born in Memphis, Tennessee.

1950:  Fun-loving drummer Alex Van Halen was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.  (Note:  some websites falsely say he was born in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.  Alex later moved to Nijmegen with his family, but he was born in Amsterdam.)

1972:  Darren Hayes, singer-songwriter with Savage Garden, was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.










1975:  Enrique Iglesias was born in Madrid, Spain.
1978:  Ana Maria Lombo of Eden's Crush was born in Medellin, Columbia.

The #4 Guitarist of the Rock Era: Eddie Van Halen

Rapid-fire and innovative, the supremely talented guitarist at #4 is a wonder to behold:

#4: Eddie Van Halen, Van Halen

45 years as an active guitarist

("Eruption")

 
Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen was born January 26, 1955 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He is the lead guitarist and co-founder of the group Van Halen. Allmusic describes him as "undoubtedly one of the most influential, original and talented rock guitarists of the 20th century."

Edward's father, Jan, was a clarinet, saxophone and piano player. At the age of seven, the family moved to Pasadena, California. Eddie and older brother Alex learned to play the piano and learned classical music from a teacher in San Pedro, California. Eventually, Alex began playing the guitar and Eddie bought a drum kit and practiced for hours. When Eddie heard Alex play the drum solo for the song "Wipe Out" by the Surfaris, Eddie was annoyed that his brother had overtaken his ability and decided to learn to play the guitar. He was influenced by Cream, learning to play Eric Clapton's solos note for note. Jimmy Page was another big influence for Van Halen.

Van Halen was originally called Mammoth and included the Van Halen brothers, Mark Stone on bass and lead singer David Lee Roth.  The group changed its name to Genesis, until they find out that a group in England already had that name.  In 1974, the band replaced Stone with Michael Anthony and finally settled on the name Van Halen.  

The group played clubs in Pasadena and Hollywood.  They got a big break when they were hired to play at Gazzari's on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.  Van Halen soon became one of the stars of the L.A. music scene, playing at the famous Whisky a Go Go on occasion.  Gene Simmons of Kiss saw Van Halen at the Gazzarri in 1976 and produced a demo tape.  But Simmons backed out when Kiss management told him the group "had no chance of making it".  


In 1977, however, Ted Templeman and Mo Ostin of Warner Brothers Records saw the group at the Starwood in Hollywood and signed Van Halen to a recording contract.  The group recorded their debut album at Sunset Sound Recorders in 1977. The album peaked at #19 on the Billboard album chart, but has since become a classic, becoming a Diamond record (10 million units sold).  The album included the famous guitar solo "Eruption", which preceded Van Halen's version of the Kinks hit "You Really Got Me", and another fan favorite, "Runnin' with the Devil".  


Van Halen opened for Black Sabbath for a year and attracted a considerable following.  In 1978, Van Halen II was released, which included the hit "Dance the Night Away".  The group released Women and Children First in 1980 and Fair Warning the following year.  But Eddie's desire for more serious, complex songs were at odds with Roth's love of more pop songs.

Diver Down was more successful then each of the previous two releases, and Van Halen made the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest-paid single appearance for a group:  $1.5 million for a 90-minute performance at the 1983 US Festival.  But friction increased between Eddie and Roth.


Eddie approached Gene Simmons of Kiss about the possibility of replacing Ace Frehley.  Simmons and brother Alex persuaded Eddie to stay with Van Halen.  In 1982, producer Quincy Jones invited Eddie to play the guitar solo for Michael Jackson's song "Beat It".

Eddie had just built his own recording studio, 5150 Studios, and Van Halen recorded the album 1984.  "Jump" became one of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era* and was nominated for a Grammy.  The album also included "Panama" and "I'll Wait", and was well-received by fans and critics, peaking at #2 behind Thriller by Michael Jackson.


Despite the great success of 1984, the tour sharpened differences and the band broke up.  But really, it was only Roth that was gone, and Sammy Hagar replaced Roth in July, 1985.  Hagar sang lead and played rhythm guitar on the albums 5150, OU812, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and Balance.  For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge won a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal and all four albums reached #1, something never achieved with Roth.  5150 contained "Why Can't This Be Love", "Dreams" and "Love Walks In".  Van Halen's 1986 Tour was filmed and released as Live Without a Net.


"When It's Love" became another big hit in 1988, reaching #5.  In 1995, Van Halen opened for Bon Jovi on a stadium tour of Europe.

However, tensions increased between Hagar and the Van Halen Brothers as again Eddie and Alex wanted more complex lyrics.  Work was underway on a compilation album and Hagar was reluctant to work on a "Best of" package until a new album came out, and didn't want a compilation that included both his and Roth's work as lead vocalist.


There are varied accounts about how Hagar left the group, but original lead singer David Lee Roth came back and did two new songs with the group for the album Best of Volume 1, but the reunion was short-lived--Roth left again after a couple of months.


Van Halen held auditions for the new lead and chose Gary Cherone, former front man for Extreme.  The Van  Halen III album, however, was not well received, selling just a million copies, a low by Van Halen standards.  The group went into the studio in 1999 to record several songs but the project was unfinished and Cherone too departed.

In 1999, Eddie had to have hip replacement surgery, the result of his many acrobatic acts on stage.  In 2001, Eddie confirmed that he had also been undergoing treatments for tongue cancer.  But Eddie's health problems prevented the group from sustained recording or touring and the band was dropped from Warner Brothers.


Eddie's only live performances during this time were when he joined Mountain on stage in 2002 and what was to be a private audience jam at NAMM in 2003.  Eddie, however, showed up late and intoxicated, and spent most of his time talking to the audience, most of which was incoherent.  As a result of this embarrassing incident, Peavey Guitars dropped Eddie from their roster and ceased making EVH signature products.

In 2003, Hagar began working with the Van Halen's and in March, 2004, the group announced that Hagar would reunite with the band for a compilation release and a Summer concert tour of the United States.  The Summer tour grossed nearly $55 million but reviews were mixed.  Afterwards, things broke down and both Hagar and Anthony admitted that Eddie had alcohol problems.  

Hagar returned to solo work and Anthony joined him for a tour.  Eddie appeared at the Elton John Academy Awards party in 2004 and in December, Eddie donated the black and yellow guitar featured on the Van Halen II album at "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott's funeral, saying it was always a favorite of Dimebag's.  The Van Halen brothers joined Kenny Chesney onstage in 2006 and Eddie performed in July at the House of Petals in Los Angeles.


In 2007, Van Halen was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  Eddie's wife, Valerie Bertinelli, filed for divorce and in 2007, Eddie entered rehabilitation for alcohol use.   In September, the group reunited with Roth for a tour of the U.S., originally to be 25 dates.  But the tour went off very well and a second leg was added in 2008. The reunion tour was the highest grossing in Van Halen history, bringing in almost $93 million.   In 2009, Eddie and Janie Liszewski were married at his Studio City estate.  In 2011, Eddie attended the winter NAMM Show to present his new Wolfgang guitars.

 Van Halen entered the studio again on January 17, 2011 for work on the group's first studio album since 1998.  It would be the first full-length album to feature Roth in over 27 years.  A Different Kind of Truth was released on February 7, 2012.

Van Halen has sold 75 million albums and rank 19th in the United States with 56 million in sales.  They are one of only five rock bands with two albums selling over 10 million copies.

                               (Solo from 1985...)

Eddie has left a lasting influence on numerous guitarists.  He is one of the most skilled and innovative guitarists ever  Van Halen is famous of the use of two-handed tapping, natural and artificial harmonics, vibrato and tremolo picking.  His sense of melody and rhythm are refreshing, and Eddie's use of both has challenged current guitarists.  Eddie's unbelievable solo on "Eruption" (the prelude to "You Really Got Me") was voted #2 of all-time when Guitar World magazine polled readers on The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.

"Eruption" showcased the tapping technique, which required both left and right hands on the guitar neck. Van Halen will also hold the pick between his thumb and middle finger, leaving the index finger free for tapping.  Eddie holds a patent for a flip-out support device which attaches to the rear of the guitar, which orients the face of the guitar upward rather than forward. 


Van Halen achieved his distinctive tone by using the EVH "Frankenstrat" guitar, a 100-watt Marshall amp, a Variac (used to lower the voltage of the amp to change the tone) and effects such as an Echoplex, an MXR Phase 90, a MXR Flanger and EQ's.  

Also, Eddie tuned his guitar to flat E, or "Hendrix's tuning".  The open G and B provided a justly intonated third, almost unheard of in distorted-guitar rock and allowed Van Halen to use major chords not previously featured in the genre.  When run through a distorted amplifier, the major third on a conventionally-tuned guitar sounded distracting and almost dissonant.  Before Van Halen, most metal rock avoided the use of that major third.  


Eddie used a volume technique in the instrumental "Cathedral".  He hit notes on the fretboard with one hand while rolling the volume knob with the other.  This changed the attack and decay of the notes so they resembled the sound of keyboards.  This "volume swells" sound was originally popularized by progressive rock groups like Genesis, Focus, Yes and Rush but was performed with a volume pedal, at a slower pace.  Thus, Van Halen achieved the same sound much easier and with better results.

Van Halen built his Frankenstrat guitar using a Boogie Bodies factory 2nd body and neck and a single vintage Gibson PAF humbucker pickup sealed in molten surfboard was done at home in a coffee can to reduce microphonic feedback.  Eddie installed the humbucker in the bridge position.  Eventually, he repainted the guitar with Frankenstein artwork, changed the neck, removed part of the pick guard and installed a Floyd Rose vibrato unit.  


In 1979, Eddie began playing a black, rear-loaded Charvel.  Charvel later produced that model, along with the Frankenstrat and the red, white and black model as the EVH Art Series Guitars.  Van Halen also played an Ibanez Destroyer and in 1983, began using a variation of the Kramer Pacer guitar with a hockey-stick headstock, which became known as the "5150".  He had a Floyd Rose vibrato on it and included his art work.

Van Halen has also used a Steinberger GL-2T guitar and an EVH signature "Music Man" guitar from Ernie Ball.  Eddie named his Peavy signature Wolfgang guitars after his son, Wolfgang.  These guitars included a "D-Tuna", which allowed the guitarist to tune the low E string down to D with the turn of a knob.


Recently, Eddie has worked with Fender to produce a replica of the Frankenstrat.  Fender produces the EVH brand of amps and musical instrument equipment, beginning with the EVH Brand 5150 III amplifier.  

In his early years, Eddie used a 100-watt Marshall.  For Van Halen's debut album, Eddie used a Celestion speaker cabinet.  From the mid-1980's, Eddie has used the Master/Slave slaving amplifier setup, using a Tube Amplifier and a H&H MOSFET power amplifier.  When Eddie and Peavey had an arrangement, Van Halen used the 5150 Amplifiers, which he partially designed.


Van Halen used the Original, Script-Logo MXR Phase 90, the MXR Flanger, a Six-Band Graphic Equalizer, Two Maestro Echoplexes and the Univox EC-80 Echo.


The Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo was released in 1977.  Van Halen collaborated with Floyd Rose on improvements to the Tremolo.  Eddie also pioneered mainstream use of the TransTrem system, which allows for the effect of an instant "capo", increasing the pitch of all strings by up to a minor third or lowering the pitch by as much as a perfect fourth.

Eddie has worked with several other artists away from the group Van Halen.  In addition to his famous guitar work on "Beat It", Eddie collaborated with Brian May of Queen on the Star Fleet Project in 1983, recorded several instrumentals for the movie The Wild Life, provided the score for the television movie The Seduction of Gina and played bass on Sammy Hagar's solo album I Never Said Goodbye in 1987.  Eddie also played bass on Steve Lukather's debut album in 1989, co-wrote and played a song with Tony Iommi and other Black Sabbath members on the Cross Purposes album and done soundtrack work for the movies Over the Top, Twister, Back to the Future and Lethal Weapon 4, performed guitar solos on Roger Waters' work in the movie The Legend of 1900.


Eddie received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his expertise on the guitar.  The star is located right next to that of Jimi Hendrix.

Eddie doesn't just play guitar.  It is part of his body, and the emotion comes right through it.  If you can make a minute and 42 second long solo of pure shredding that is recognized everywhere ("Eruption") that is special.  Eddie is going out on another tour, giving fans one more shot at seeing the #4 Guitarist of the Rock Era*...Eddie Van Halen.  

This Date in Rock Music History: May 7

1955:  Elvis Presley performed at the Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach, Florida.


1955:  Although "Rock Around The Clock" was not a hit when released the year before, it had picked up renewed interest by virtue of its inclusion in the movie The Blackboard Jungle, and was consequently re-released by Bill Haley & His Comets.  And a new era was born.  If you like rock music in any of its forms, you have this song to thank.  It convinced DJ's, radio station management, and most importantly executives at record companies that rock & roll was a viable form of music.
1958:  The Champs performed their #1 smash "Tequila" on American Bandstand.
1964:  The Searchers scored their third #1 song in the U.K. with "Don't Throw Your Love Away".










1966:  The Rolling Stones released the single "Paint It Black" in the United States.
1966:  The #1 album continued to be Going Places by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, followed closely by the group's Whipped Cream & Other Delights.  Color Me Barbra by Barbra Streisand was #3.  The rest of the Top 10:  Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) by the Rolling Stones, the Soundtrack to "The Sound of Music" was #5, Ballads of the Green Berets by SSgt. Barry Sadler fell to #6, Nancy Sinatra had #7 with Boots, the Supremes' I Hear a Symphony was #8, The Dave Clark Five's Greatest Hits was #9 and If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears by the Mamas and the Papas was #10.
1966:  The Percy Sledge classic "When A Man Loves A Woman" was on top for the first of four weeks on the R&B chart.





                                            Boise, Idaho's Paul Revere & the Raiders...

1966:  The Mamas and the Papas rose to #1 with "Monday, Monday", displacing "Good Lovin'" by the Young Rascals.  "Sloop John B" by the Beach Boys was #3, followed by "(You're My) Soul And Inspiration" from the Righteous Brothers and "Kicks", the great anti-drug song by Paul Revere & the Raiders.
1967:  Jimi Hendrix played two concerts at Brian Epstein's Saville Theatre in London.
1968:  Aretha Franklin recorded a live album at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France.







1968:  Reginald Dwight changed his name to Elton John.  (Note:  some websites insist this happened in 1972.  The naïve website owners just might be tipped off by the 1969 album 'Empty Sky', which just happens to be the debut solo release by Elton John.  'Gold Mine' magazine and the newspaper 'The Examiner' are among the credible sources which confirm the correct year as 1968.)

1970: The fabulous Temptations released the single "Ball Of Confusion". 
1970:  Pink Floyd performed at the home of UCLA, Pauley Pavilion, in Los Angeles.
1971:  Three Dog Night chalked up a fourth week at #1 with "Joy To The World".  Lobo moved from 16 to 10 with "Me And You And A Dog Named Boo".










1973:  Three Dog Night released the single "Shambala".











1973:  George Harrison released the single "Give Me Love--Give Me Peace On Earth" on Apple Records.
1977:  Deniece Williams had the #1 U.K. song with "Free".
1977:  Marvin Gaye had the #1 R&B song with "Got To Give It Up".
1977:  Yvonne Elliman was #1 for a second week on the Adult Contemporary chart with her cover of "Hello Stranger".








          
                                          "Carry On Wayward Son" from Kansas...

1977:  The Eagles charted a sixth week at #1 on the Album chart with Hotel California, all with The #2 Album of the Rock Era*--Rumors by Fleetwood Mac, which just happened to be #2 on this date, bearing down on it.  The Soundtrack to A Star Is Born was third with Marvin Gaye Live at the London Palladium in fourth.  Stevie Wonder's epic Songs in the Key of Life edged out the debut from Boston--three of the all-time Top 10 albums were out at the same glorious time.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Soundtrack to "Rocky", the Isley Brothers with Go For Your Guns, Jethro Tull edged up with Songs from the Wood and Kansas grabbed #10 with Leftoverture.







1977:  The Eagles moved to #1 with "Hotel California".  Leo Sayer was right behind "When I Need You" while previous #1 "Southern Nights" from Glen Campbell slipped.  Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke" was hot (moving 9-4), former #1 "Don't Leave Me This Way" from Thelma Houston came in fifth and newcomer Jennifer Warnes had "Right Time Of The Night".  The rest of the Top 10:  "So In To You" by the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Natalie Cole's "I've Got Love On My Mind", the Climax Blues Band moved up to #9 with "Couldn't Get It Right" and Rose Royce hit the Top 10 with their follow-up to "Car Wash", "I Wanna' Get Next to You".
1978:  Bob Dylan sold 90,000 tickets in less than eight hours for upcoming shows at the Wembley Empire Pool in London.
1983:  Style Council debuted at an anti-nuclear benefit in London.






                                             Pink Floyd's "Your Possible Pasts"...

1983:  Thriller by Michael Jackson was the top album for the 11th week.  Journey's Frontiers remained a distant runner-up while Kilroy Was Here from Styx was third.  Def Leppard's Pyromania advanced to #4 while former #1 Business As Usual by Men At Work was still strong after 45 weeks.  The rest of the Top 10;  The Final Cut from Pink Floyd, the self-titled Lionel Richie, H2O from Hall & Oates was number 8, Rio by Duran Duran and Bob Seger's new album, The Distance, moved to #10.
1983:  "I Won't Hold You Back" by Toto was #1 for a second week on the Adult Contemporary chart.










1984:  The Cars released the single "Magic" on Elektra Records.











1986:  John Mellencamp joined with farmers outside the Farmers Home Administration office in Chillicothe, Missouri to protest farm conditions.
1988:  "Nite And Day" by Al B. Sure! was #1 on the R&B chart.
1988:  Terence Trent D'Arby reached #1 in his 17th week with "Wishing Well".  Gloria Estefan moved to challenge with "Anything For You".








1988:  Gloria Estefan remained at #1 for a third week with "Anything For You" on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1988:  The "Dirty Dancing" Soundtrack was #1 on the Album chart for the 18th week, followed by Faith from George Michael.
1991:  Wilson Pickett was arrested for driving drunk and threatening a neighbor, who happened to be the mayor, in Englewood, New Jersey.
1994:  Aerosmith played the first of seven nights at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.
1994:  Pink Floyd remained at #1 on the Album chart for a third week with The Division Bell.





1994:  "The Sign" by Ace of Base, which had already spent four weeks at #1 and another four at #2, returned to the top position.  
1995:  James Taylor and Natalie Cole received honorary degrees from Berklee College of Music in Boston.  (Note:  several websites claim that Taylor and Cole received their degrees on May 6.  This is impossible, since the official website for Berklee reports that the commencement ceremony in 1995 was held May 7.  Taylor and Cole received their honorary degrees on that date.)
1998:  Steve Perry left Journey to embark on a solo career.

1998:  Eddie Rabbitt died of lung cancer in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 56.
1999:  Lisa Stansfield made her acting debut in the U.K. comedy Swing at Leicester Square in London.
2002:  Stanley, Idaho's Carole King was a guest star for a third time on the WB Networks show Gilmore Girls.
2003:  TNT and TBS announced they had signed Justin Timberlake to cover sports for the two cable channels.  Timberlake reported from the PGA championship, NBA playoffs, and NASCAR races for the TNT network, and covered college football and Major League Baseball contests for TBS.
2003:  Fleetwood Mac began their Say You Will tour at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.
2003:  Pete Townshend of the Who was cleared of possessing pornographic images of children, but was found guilty of accessing a child pornography website in 1999.  He was placed on a national register of sex offenders for five years.
2005:  Giacomo, a 50-1 longshot owned by Jerry Moss, founder of A&M Records, won the Kentucky Derby in Louisville.
2006:  Snow Patrol had the #1 album in the U.K. with Eyes Open.

2006:  Gnarls Barkley continued to rule the Singles chart with their great song "Crazy".
2009:  Dolly Parton received an honorary Doctorate Degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
2011:  Michael McDonald and Mavis Staples of the Staple Singers received honorary degrees to the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

2011:  John Maus of the Walker Brothers ("The Sun Ain't Gonna' Shine Anymore") died of liver cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 67.

Born This Day:
1927:  Jim Lowe ("The Green Door") was born in Springfield, Missouri.

1931:  Teresa Brewer was born in Toledo, Ohio; died of neuromuscular disease at her home in New Rochelle, New York on October 17, 2007.

1939:  Johnny Maestro (real name John Mastrangelo) of the Crests ("Sixteen Candles") and Brooklyn Bridge ("The Worst That Could Happen") was born in Manhattan, New York; died March 24, 2010 of cancer in Cape Coral, Florida.  (Note:  some websites claim Maestro was born in Brooklyn, and others say he was born in New York City.  The truth is that Johnny was born on the east side of Manhattan, according to the newspaper 'The New York Times'.)

1939:  Jimmy Ruffin ("What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted") was born in Collinsville, Mississippi; died November 17, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
1943:  Rick Westwood, guitarist of the Tremeloes ("Silence Is Golden"), was born in Dagenham, Essex, England.
1943:  Thelma Houston was born in Leland, Mississippi.  (Note:  several websites report Houston was born in 1946.  While no credible sources exist for her birth year, our best research indicates Thelma was born in 1943.)
1946:  Bill Danoff of Starland Vocal Band ("Afternoon Delight") was born in Springfield, Massachusetts.
1946:  Bill Kreutzmann, drummer of the Grateful Dead, was born in Palo Alto, California.
1948:  Pete Wingfield ("Eighteen With A Bullet") was born in Liphook, Hampshire, England.
1960:  Ann Dudley of Art of Noise was born in Chatham, Kent, England.
1961:  Phil Campbell, lead guitarist with Motorhead, was born in Pontypridd, Wales.

1969:  Eagle-Eye Cherry ("Save Tonight"), son of Don Cherry and brother to Nenah, was born in Stockholm, Sweden.

The #5 Guitarist of the Rock Era: Carlos Santana

Recapping the Top 10* so far:  #10 was the unique Duane Allman, Steve Vai was #9, legendary B.B. King came in at #8, John McLaughlin landed at #7 and Stevie Ray Vaughan was featured yesterday at #6.


One of the great and versatile veterans of the Rock Era graces the Top 100 next:

#5:  Carlos Santana, Santana

49 years as an active guitarist

(Solo at JazzFest 2008)

Carlos Augusto Alves Santana was born July 20, 1947 in Autlan de Navarro, Jalisco, Mexico. With his band, Santana, Carlos pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion and brought Latin American rhythms to the forefront of the music scene in the 1970's. His guitar tone is instantly recognizable and Santana has featured some of the most melodic guitar riffs of all-time.

Carlos began playing violin at age five and the guitar at age eight.  He was influenced by Ritchie Valens, one of the few Latinos in rock and roll, as well as B.B. King.  The Santana family moved to Tijuana and then to San Francisco, California.  Carlos graduated from Mission High School and was accepted into two universities but turned them both down.  Instead, Carlos took lessons from famous guitarist Javier Batiz, who taught him a completely different style of soloing.

After working for several years as a dishwasher and making what money he could be performing, Carlos decided to devote himself full-time to music.  In 1966, things began breaking his way all on the same day.  During a Sunday matinee show at Bill Graham's Fillmore West in San Francisco, Paul Butterfield was unable to perform.  Graham had to assemble an impromptu group of musicians on the spot and Santana's manager, Stan Marcum, immediately suggested Carlos.  Graham agreed and in the subsequent jam session, Santana's guitar work drew raves from both the audience and Graham.  

Later that year, Carlos formed the Santana Blues Band, which included bassist David Brown and keyboardist Gregg Rolie.  With their unique blend of rock, jazz, blues, salsa and African rhythms, the band gained a quick following in San Francisco and adopted the name Santana.  After a memorable performance at Woodstock in 1969, the group signed with Columbia Records.

The self-titled Santana debut album, featuring the single "Evil Ways", was released and reached #4 on the album chart. Santana then recorded their second album, Abraxas, released in 1970.  It reached #1 and featured one of the all-time classics, "Black Magic Woman".  The group, however, wasn't satisfied with the result.  This led to Mike Shrieve replacing Bob Livingston.  Marcus Malone had to quit because of personal problems and Michael Carabello came back on board.  Percussionist Jose Chepito Areas also joined the band during this time.

But differences in musical direction began to appear, as Rolie and others wanted to continue to play hard rock.  Santana wanted to branch out to explore more jazzy elements, influenced by his interest in Miles Davis and John Coltrane.  Chepito Areas had a near-fatal brain hemorrhage, and Santana replaced him first with Willie Bobo, then Coke Escovedo.  Others in the group, most notably Carabello, believed it was wrong to perform without Areas.  Thus, the band began to disintegrate.

Elite guitarist Neal Schon was invited to join the band for the album Santana III.  This gave the group two incredible guitarists.  Areas was now well and Santana also enlisted the help of the Tower of Power horn section, Luis Gasca of Malo, and other session musicians.  The album reached #1 and included "No One to Depend On" and "Everybody's Everything".


But tension continued and drug use became a problem.  Carabello left on bad terms, with James Mingo Lewis hired as a replacement prior to a concert in New York City.  David Brown left because of substance abuse.  A tour of South America was canceled when students in Lima, Peru, protested policies of the U.S. government.  The events of the tour led Santana believe that he needed to make changes, both in his personal life and in the band.


In 1972, the remaining members of the group began working on Caravanserai.  Session musicians James Mingo Lewis and Armando Peraza (percussion) and bassists Tom Rutley and Doug Rauch, along with keyboardists Wendy Haas and Tom Coster were brought in.  After the album, Rolie and Schon left and would eventually form the nucleus of Journey.  The album marked a change in direction towards jazz fusion.  It originally did not sell well but eventually achieved platinum status.  The title track from Caravanserai was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. 


Carlos became a big fan of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and guitarist John McLaughlin, the guitarist featured at #7 on Inside the Rock Era.  McLaughlin introduced Santana and his wife Deborah to guru Sri Chinmoy, who accepted them as disciples in 1973.  Santana and McLaughlin recorded the album Love, Devotion, Surrender with members of Santana and the Mahavishnu Orchestra.

But with key members Rolie and Schon gone, Santana had to reinvent the band.  The new lineup was Armando Peraza and Chepito Areas on percussion, bassist Doug Rauch, Michael Shrieve on drums and keyboardists Tom Coster and Richard Kermode.  Jazz vocalist Leon Thomas was recruited for a tour of Japan, with the live fusion album, Lotus, the product of that tour.  Santana recorded the album Welcome, a further foray into jazz fusion and spiritually-influenced lyrics.


Carlos joined John Coltrane's widow, Alice Coltrane, for the album Illuminations, which included esoteric jazz with Eastern Indian and classical influences.  ex-Miles Davis musicians Jack DeJohnette and Dave Holland also played on the album. 

 Santana replaced band members again, with vocalist Leon Patillo and soprano saxophonist Jules Broussard joining, bassist David Brown returning and Kermode, Thomas and Rauch departing.  The new lineup recorded Borboletta in 1974.  Drummer Leon Chancler joined the band to replace Shrieve, who wanted to pursue a solo career.


Although album reviews were good, many longtime Santana fans were being alienated by the new music.  Manager Bill Graham convinced Carlos to go back to the streetwise, heavier music that had made Santana famous.  Vocalist Greg Walker was added for the 1976 album Amigos.  The album had a strong funk and Latin sound and featured the great instrumental "Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)".


The lineup continue to change in the latter part of the decade.  A highlight was Santana's cover of the Zombies' hit, "She's Not There", featured on the album Moonflower in 1977.  Meanwhile, Santana recorded the solo albums Oneness:  Silver Dreams - Golden Reality in 1979 and The Swing of Delight in 1980.  The albums featured Santana's heroes:  Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Tony Williams from Miles Davis' 1960's quintet.

Life as a famous rock musician conflicted with the spiritual lifestyle that Sri Chinmoy dictated.  Carlos became disillusioned with Cinmoy's refusal to allow Santana and Deborah to start a family and he also felt his own fame was being used to increase the visibility of the guru.  Santana and Deborah ended their association with Cinmoy in 1982.


The early part of the decade featured the songs "Winning" and the underrated "Hold On".  Carlos then recorded another solo album with Keith Olson and producer Jerry Wexler.  It was a chance for Carlos to get in touch with his early musical experiences in Tijuana with remakes of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love" and Chuck Berry's "Havana Moon", the title track.  Willie Nelson, Booker T. Jones and the Fabulous Thunderbirds were guest musicians on the album.  Santana also did the film score to the movie La Bamba, based on the life of Ritchie Valens.

The group's album Beyond Appearances did not sell well but Graham landed a spot at the Live Aid concert for Santana.  The band's performance there proved Santana was still a top live draw.  In 1986, the group recorded the album Freedom.  Carlos made several live appearances, jamming with Weather Report, John Lee Hooker, Vernon Reid of Living Colour and jazz pianist McCoy Tyner.  


In 1988, Santana organized a reunion of past members of the band for a series of concerts and CBS Records released a 20-year compilation, Viva Santana!.  Santana also formed an all-instrumental group including Wayne Shorter on saxophone, keyboardist Patrice Rushen, Alphonso Johnson on bass, Armando Peraza and Chepito Areas on percussion and drummer Leon Chancler.  This lineup set out on a brief tour which drew rave reviews.  Santana released the solo album, Blues for Salvador, which was rewarded with a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

In 1990, Santana ended his 22-year association with Columbia Records and signed with Polygram.  The next year, Carlos played guitar for Ottmar Liebert's album Solo Para Ti, which included a cover of Santana's song "Samba Pa Ti".  


Sales of Santana fell in the 1990's and by the end of the decade, he didn't have a contract.  But Clive Davis, former head man at Columbia and now at Arista Records, signed the great guitarist and encouraged him to record an album with younger artists.  These included Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, Everlast, Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Cee-Lo, Mana and others.

The result was the album Supernatural, one of the masterpieces of the Rock Era, that reintroduced Santana to a new generation.  The lead single, co-written and sung by Thomas, was a high-energy song filled with great guitar riffs by Santana.  "Smooth" spent 12 weeks at #1 and catapulted the album to #1 as well.  "Maria Maria", with the Product G&B, hit #1 for another 10 weeks.  Supernatural exploded into a worldwide hit and sold over 15 million copies in the United States alone.


Supernatural won nine Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Best Rock Album and Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Smooth".  Several songs besides "Smooth" were singled out for artistic excellence--"Maria Maria" won for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, "El Farol" won for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, "The Calling" won for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, "Put Your Lights On" won for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and "Love of My Life" was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.  In 2001, Santana played guitar on the song "Whatever Happens" for the Michael Jackson album Invincible.

In 2002, Santana again recorded an album with guest musicians including Seal, Chad Kroeger of Nickelback and Michelle Branch.  Shaman featured "The Game of Love" with Branch and "Why Don't You & I" with Kroeger.  Both were Top 10 singles, with "The Game of Love" becoming one of the top Adult Contemporary songs of the year and earning a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.


In 2005, Carlos was honored as a BMI Icon at the BMI Latin Awards, an award given to a creator who has been "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers".  Santana collaborated with Herbie Hancock for the album Possibilities and played guitar on the song "Illegal" for Shakira.  

Santana's album All That I Am in 2005 featured work with Michelle Branch ("I'm Feeling You"), Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Kirk Hammett of Metallica, Sean Paul, Joss Stone and the Wreckers.  In 2006, Santana toured Europe, with his son Savador Santana and his band opening for him.


In 2007, Santana performed on the single "No Llores" for Gloria Estefan and played on Chad Kroeger's hit "Into the Night".  The album Marcelo Vieira's Acoustic Sounds included Carlos's trademark melodic guitar riffs.


Santana performed at the 2009 American Idol Finale with the top 13 finalists and led his 10-member all-star band through a tour of Europe.  


Santana credits Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Mike Bloomfield and Peter Green as influences.

 

(Solo at the Fillmore...)

Carlos can play any musical style.  He can play great expressive slow blues leads, virtuoso solos and he is an accomplished acoustic guitarist.  Santana's sound is instantly identifiable, in the way he uses vertical vibrato or straight tones on held notes instead of standard vibrato, his impeccable sense of complex rhythm and phrasing, and his awesome trill technique.


Santana is not the fastest guitarist in The Top 100, nor is he the most technical.  But no one plays with more passion and clarity, and his melodic guitar playing are a treat in a music world that seems to have forgotten how.  Carlos can make the guitar sing with unbelievable nuances and energy.  In addition, his playing has stood the test of time, picking up millions of new fans beginning with his Supernatural album.



Santana played a red Gibson SG Special with P-90 pickups at Woodstock.  He played several Gibson Les Paul's and a black Gibson SG Special on his first few albums, then switched to a Yamaha SG 175B in 1975.  In 1982, Carlso used a PRS Custom 24 guitar and in 1988, he endorsed the Signature PRS Santana I.  Beginning in 1999, the PRS guitars included the high-end Santana II model known as "Supernatural".  In 2008, Santana and Paul Reed Smith developed the PRS Santana MD "The Multidimensional", which combines the best features of previous models.  Santana's guitar necks and fretboards are made out of a single piece of Brazilian Rosewood, which creates the smooth, memorable tone for which Carlos is famous for.  Carlos also plays the Alvarez Yairi CY127CE classical guitar.


Santana plugs his guitars into multiple amplifiers:  Mesa Boogie Mark I, Dumble Overdrive Reverb and a Bludotone.  A three-way amp switcher is included on Carlos's pedal board so he can switch between amps depending on the sound he wants.  Often, the amplifiers are blended together, producing a richer tone.  Carlos uses Brown or Marshall 4x12 cabinets with Celestion G12M Greenback speakers.  Early in his career, Santana used a GMT transistor amplifier stack and a Fender Twin.  


Santana's PRS guitar is connected to a Mu-Tron wah wah pedal (more recently, a Dunlop 535Q wah) and a T-Rex Replica delay pedal.  Carlos is another player that doesn't use many effects, preferring to let his natural ability speak for itself.  He has occasionally used an Ibanez Tube Screamer, an Electro Harmonix Big Muff distortion and a Heil talk box. 


Musicians from Prince to Kirk Hammett were influenced by Santana. 

The Santana lineup of the first two albums was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Santana plays the guitar as if it is an extension of himself, with so much passion.  Through various lineups of the group, Santana has proven he is versatile and can add his own unique sound to nearly any style of music.  The great Carlos Santana checks in at #5 for the Rock Era*...