This Date in Rock Music History: June 3

1953: Elvis Presley graduated from L.C. Humes High School in Memphis, Tennessee. Wonder if they had the foresight to vote him "Most Likely to Succeed".  (Note:  several websites claim Elvis graduated on June 2, and one says the graduation was June 14.  According to the official Graceland website, numerous Elvis websites, as well as the books 'Elvis for Dummies' by Susan Doll and 'Why Elvis Left the Building:  Revealing Seven Lost Years' by Heart Lanier Shapr, Presley graduated on June 3, 1953.)
1964:  The Rolling Stones taped a performance for the television show Hollywood Palace.  (Note:  numerous websites incorrectly identify June 3 as the date of the show.  'Hollywood Palace' on ABC-TV on Saturday nights.  Saturday in 1964 fell on June 6, and the date of the show is confirmed by both the newspaper 'The Baltimore Sun' and the book 'Overweight Sensation:  The Life and Comedy of Allan Sherman' by Mark Cohen.    What happened on June 3 was not the airing of the show but rather the taping of it.)
1964:  Just as the Beatles were preparing to tour Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, the Netherlands and Hong Kong, drummer Ringo Starr collapsed from exhaustion.  Jimmy Nicol temporarily replaced him as drummer for the Beatles for 13 days.
1967:  Jefferson Airplane appeared on American Bandstand on ABC-TV, performing the hits "White Rabbit" and "Somebody To Love".

1967:  A famous day in the Rock Era as a group from Los Angeles debuted on the chart with their first hit record.  They would go on to have 16 hits over the next six years, including two of The Top 500 Songs in the Rock Era*.  The song had been released earlier in the week, but on this date,  "Light My Fire" debuted, for the Doors.




1967:  Scott McKenzie had the biggest mover of the week, climbing from 98 to 55 with "San Francisco".

1967:  "Respect" by Aretha Franklin was the new #1 song, replacing "Groovin'" by the Young Rascals.  "I Got Rhythm" by the Happenings remained at 3 and Engelbert Humperdinck was at #4 with "Release Me".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Creeque Alley" by the the Mamas & the Papas, "Him Or Me - What's It Gonna' Be?" from Boise, Idaho's Paul Revere & the Raiders, "The Happening" from the Supremes, Arthur Conley was on his way down with "Sweet Soul Music" dropping to #8, Jefferson Airplane had #9 with "Somebody To Love" and the Temptations climbed to #10 with "All I Need".
1970:  Ray Davies flew 6,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City and changed the line "Coca cola" in the Kinks' song "Lola" to "Cherry cola" so it could be played on the noncommercial BBC Radio.
1972:  Pink Floyd released the Soundtrack to "Obscured By Clouds" on Harvest/EMI Records.  (Note:  some websites report the date of release as June 2.  It was June 3, according to the band's official website.)
1972:  The Beach Boys, Joe Cocker, Melanie, Richie Havens and Sha Na Na performed at the Crystal Palace Garden Party at the Crystal Palace Bowl in south London.
1972:  Stevie Wonder and the Rolling Stones toured together in concert, opening at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

1972:  Thick As a Brick became the new #1 album from Jethro Tull.








1972:  "Song Sung Blue" reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for Neil Diamond.  It would not back down until seven weeks later.








                                                  Keep Dr. Hook away from Sylvia...

1972:  Roberta Flack's classic "The First Time Ever I Saw your Face" dropped to #3 after six weeks at #1.  The Chi-Lites hit #1 with "Oh Girl", holding off the great new Staple Singers song, "I'll Take You There".  Al Green was up with "Look What You Done for Me" while Sammy Davis, Jr. had the surprise hit "The Candy Man".  The rest of the Top 10:  Cat Stevens with "Morning Has Broken", the Rolling Stones with "Tumbling Dice", Joe Tex said "I Gotcha'", Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, as they were then known, had their first Top 10 as "Sylvia's Mother" moved from 14 to 9 and Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen jumped in with 'Hot Rod Lincoln".
1978:  Donna Summer moved from 67 to 38 with "Last Dance".


  1978:  Johnny Mathis went 21 years and 31 single releases between #1's until finally his duet with Deniece Williams, "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" hit #1 on this date.  John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John climbed up to 2, Andy Gibb edged up one with "Shadow Dancing" and Wings tumbled to #4 with their former #1 "With A Little Luck".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Feels So Good" at #5 from Chuck Mangione, "The Closer I Get To You" by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, Atlanta Rhythm Section edged up to #7 with "Imaginary Lover", George Benson was at 8 with "On Broadway", ABBA moved from 13 to 9 with "Take A Chance On Me" and Player had a second Top 10 with "This Time I'm In It For Love".
1989:  Pink Floyd appeared in concert at Olympijsky Stadium in Moscow, Russia.
1989:  Queen had the #1 album in the U.K. with The Miracle.
1990:  Sheena Easton, the Average White Band, Big Country, Wet Wet Wet and others performed at the Big Day Festival in Glasgow, Scotland.
1993:  U2 signed a $60 million, six-album deal over the next 10 years with Island Records.
1994:  Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam married Beth Liebling in Rome, Italy.


1995:  Bryan Adams posted his fourth #1 song with "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?".
2000:  The truth was beginning to come out about Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers Band.  Betts was arrested after pulling a knife on his wife and then fleeing.  When police apprehended him, Betts was sent to a psychiatric unit.
2001:  Shaggy began four weeks at the top of the U.K. chart with "Shaggy".



                                                 "Fade" helped Staind realize a #1 album...

2001:  Staind had the #1 album with Break the Cycle.
2002:  Quite a lineup at the Queen's Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace in London--Paul McCartney, Elton John, Sting, Brian Wilson, Cliff Richard, Ozzy Osbourne, the Corrs and S Club 7 performed.
2003:  The Doors settled a lawsuit with departed drummer Stewart Copeland.  Copeland had filed the lawsuit arguing breach of contract after Ty Dennis replaced him in the reunited group.



2006:  Red Hot Chili Peppers were on top with the album Stadium Arcadium.









2011:  Andrew Gold, backup singer for Linda Ronstadt, and solo artist with the hits "Thank You For Being A Friend" and "Lonely Boy", died in his sleep of heart failure in Encino, California at the age of 59 after being treated for renal cancer.  (Note:  some websites report Gold died in Los Angeles.  He died in Encino according to the newspaper 'The New York Times'.)


Born This Day:
1939:  Ian Hunter, singer-songwriter of Mott the Hoople and a solo artist, was born in Oswestry, Shropshire, England.  (Note:  some websites report that Ian was born in 1946, but according to his official website, he was born in 1939.)  

1942:  Curtis Mayfield, lead singer of the Impressions and a solo star, was born in Chicago, Illinois; died December 26, 1999 in Roswell, Georgia after his health had steadily deteriorated after being paralyzed in 1990.  (Note:  some websites claim he died in Atlanta, Georgia, but he died at North Fulton Regional Hospital in Roswell, Georgia, according to 'CBS News'.)
1946:  Eddie Holman ("Hey There Lonely Girl") was born in Norfolk, Virginia.
1946:  Michael Clark, drummer of the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Byrds, was born in Spokane, Washington; died December 19, 1993 in Treasure Island, Florida of liver failure, the result of years of heavy alcohol consumption.  (Note:  some websites report that Clark was born in New York City, which isn't very specific anyway, given that there are five independent boroughs which make up the city of New York.  While there are no credible sources, our best research indicates he was born in Spokane.)  
1947:  Mickey Finn, percussionist of T. Rex, was born in Coulsdon, Surrey, England; died of alcohol-related liver problems on January 11, 2003 in Croydon, London, England.  (Note:  some websites report Finnwas born in Thornton Heath, Surrey, England.  Several websites report Finn died in Croydon, Surrey England.  According to the newspaper 'The Independent', he was born in Coulsdon.  Croydon has not been a part of Surrey since 1965 after the Local Government Act of 1963.  Since Finn died 40 years after that change took place, it is impossible for him to have died in Croydon, Surrey, for it was a part of Greater London.)

1950:  Suzi Quatro was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1950:  Deniece Williams was born in Gary, Indiana.
1952:  Billy Powell, keyboard player for Lynyrd Skynyrd, was born in Corpus Christi, Texas; died January 28, 2009 of a suspected heart attack in Orange Park, Florida.






1954:  Dan Hill was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
1962:  David Cole, one-half of C&C Music Factory, who also produced for Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, James Brown and others, was born in Johnson City, Tennessee; died January 24, 1995 of complications from AIDS.
1965:  Mike Gordon, bassist and vocalist of Phish, was born in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
1971:  Ariel Hernandez, singer of No Mercy, was born in Havana, Cuba.  (Note:  some websites report that Ariel was born in Miami, Florida.  While no credible sources exist, our best research indicates he was born in Havana and fled to Miami.)
1971.  Gabriel Hernandez, singer with No Mercy and twin brother of Ariel, was born in Havana, Cuba (see above).
1985:  Tavion La'Corey Mathis of Pretty Ricky

This Date in Rock Music History: June 2

1957:  Johnnie Ray had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Yes Tonight Josephine".



1962:  "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles was the new #1 song in the United States, replacing "Stranger On The Shore".
1962:  "Stranger On The Shore" was #1 for the seventh week on the Easy Listening chart for Mr. Acker Bilk.

1964:  The Rolling Stones made their American debut at the Lynn High School football field in Lynn, Massachusetts.  Johnny Rivers and Bobby Goldsboro opened the show.
1965:  Bob Dylan and girlfriend Sara Lownds returned to the United States after living in Britain for a while.  The two would marry in November.
1966:  The Who were in concert at the Grona Lund in Stockholm, Sweden.

1967:  A historic day as the Beatles released the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in the United States.  The album had been released the previous day in the U.K.










             Unfortunately, some people didn't want to be part of the solution...

1969:  Tommy James & the Shondells released the classic single "Crystal Blue Persuasion".













1969:  Kenny Rogers & the First Edition released the single "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town".
1972:  Dion reunited with the Belmonts at Madison Square Garden in New York City.








                  Mama may not have taken the Kodachrome, but technology did...

1973:  Paul Simon watched as his "Kodachrome" rapidly moved up the chart, moving from 57 to 28.
1973:  ELO began their first tour of the United States at San Diego Stadium in San Diego, California.
1973:  "My Love" from Paul McCartney & Wings moved to #1 on the Easy Listening chart.
1973:  Red Rose Speedway, the new album from Paul McCartney & Wings, pulled away from the competition in its fourth week of release, moving from 13 to 1.  The album it displaced at #1 was the Beatles/1967-1970 (the "Blue" album).

1973:  Paul McCartney & Wings made it a triple crown with the new #1 song "My Love".  Elton John found himself at #2 with his biggest hit to that point with "Daniel".  Edgar Winter Group tumbled to 3 with "Frankenstein" while Sylvia's solo hit "Pillow Talk" was at #4.

1975:  The Bee Gees released the album that would launch them into superstardom, Main Course, on RSO Records.  (Note:  some websites naively place the date of release in the United States as "August, 1975".  This is news to the Bee Gees, their producers, RSO Records, all trade magazines, and all radio station personnel.  Main Course debuted on the Album chart on June 21--pretty tough for that to occur if it hadn't been released yet.)
1978:  Bruce Springsteen released the album Darkness on the Edge Of Town.
1978:  Crystal Gayle hosted Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers on The Midnight Special on NBC-TV.

1979:  The debut album from previously unknown Rickie Lee Jones was generating talk and moved into the Top 10 on this date.











1979:  "Hot Stuff" gave Donna Summer her third #1 song after "Last Dance" and "MacArthur Park".  "Hot Stuff" was one of a select few songs I called "Disco Rock", for it really was a melding of two musical styles.  Had more songs been like this, disco would have lasted much longer.  Peaches & Herb relented from their hold on #1 with "Reunited" while the Bee Gees edged closer with "Love You Inside Out".  Supertramp had their first Top 10 with "The Logical Song".   
1984:  Wham! reached #1 in the U.K. with "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go".
1984:  "Time After Time" from newcomer Cyndi Lauper distanced itself on the Adult Contemporary chart, reaching the #1 position.
1984:  Huey Lewis & the News had the fastest-rising song within the Top 10 with "The Heart Of Rock & Roll", moving from 13 to 8.

1986:  Peter Cetera released the single "Glory Of Love".
1987:  Whitney Houston released her follow-up album Whitney on Arista Records.  (Note:  several websites claim the album was released May 28.  According to 'Billboard' magazine, the album arrived June 2.)
1989:  48 year-old Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones married 19 year-old Mandy Smith.  He couldn't find anyone close to his own age who would have him.
1990:  We were introduced to a new young singer with a powerful voice on this date as Mariah Carey first appeared on the scene with "Vision Of Love", her first chart hit.  She would give us many more great songs until she changed.








1990:  "Do You Remember" by Phil Collins moved into the #1 slot on the Adult Contemporary chart.
2008:  Bo Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Florida at the age of 79.
2010:  Randy Newman earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2010:  Paul McCartney received the Gershwin Prize for popular song from the Library of Congress by United States President Barack Obama at the White House.

Born This Day:

1930:  Jimmy Jones (the original version of "Handy Man" and "Good Timin'" from 1960) was born in Birmingham, Alabama; died August 2, 2012 in Aberdeen, North Carolina.  (Note:  several websites report that he was born in 1937.  According to his obituary in the newspaper 'The Aberdeen Times', he was born in 1930.  This is confirmed by a photo of Jimmy's gravestone above.)
1932:  Sammy Turner ("Lavender-Blue" from 1959) was born in Paterson, New Jersey.
1936:  Otis Williams of the Charms (six hits in the early Rock Era, including "Ivory Tower" from 1966) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.


1941:  Charlie Watts, drummer of the Rolling Stones, was born in London.












1944:  Marvin Hamlisch, pianist and composer, was born in Manhattan, New York; died August 6, 2012 of respiratory arrest in Los Angeles.  (Note:  some websites lazily say Hamlisch was born in New York City.  New York is of course made up of independent boroughs, each of which is a separate county of New York State, and Marvin was born on the island of Manhattan.)
1950:  Antone Tavares of the sibling group Tavares was born in Providence, Rhode Island.
1951:  Steve Brookins of .38 Special








1954:  Michael Steele (real name Susan Thomas) of the Runaways and the Bangles was born in Pasadena, California.
1960:  Tony Hadley, vocalist of Spandau Ballet, was born in Islington, London, England.
1962:  Thor Eldon Jonsson, co-founder and guitarist of the Sugarcubes, was born in Reykjavik, Iceland.
1970:  B-Real (real name Louis Freese) of Cypress Hill was born in South Gate, California.

Five Best: Joni Mitchell

Well, when you've put out a lifetime of songs that are some of the best in history, "Five Best*", which for some artists indeed represents their best, is a joke for Joni Mitchell.  With Joni, she has "Five Best" on an album.  So of course, she's another artist in which I won't dare stop at five or even 10. I'm featuring 30 great Joni Mitchell songs and that doesn't even scratch the surface of this deep musical treasure chest.   In fact, I won't even attempt to rank them, because I believe it's almost impossible to do for a star of this magnitude.  

You see, Joni's songs touch your soul in different ways, and you're going to have your favorites based on your life experiences.  She doesn't allow herself to be trapped by verse-chorus slavery.  I like featuring more than five in this feature when I believe the artist has said much more than the public has heard.  It sounds wierd to say Joni Mitchell is somewhat "undiscovered", for she is loved and adored by millions, but I do believe that is true for her body of work and for the billions of people who have not heard her music.  Heck, I love her songs and have my favorites, but when putting this together, discovered more gems than I was familiar with.  

She's an artist for the ages--enjoy!

"Help Me"

"A Case of You"



"The Arrangement"



"Court and Spark"



"Free Man In Paris"



"Refuge of the Roads"


"Amelia"



"Woodstock"



"Last Time I Saw Richard"



"Chinese Cafe"



"Raised On Robbery"



"The Circle Game"



"Marcie"




"Chelsea Morning"



"You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio"



"Blue"

"River"



"Heijira"



"California"

 
"Both Sides Now"



"For Free"



"Big Yellow Taxi"



"Rainy Night House"



"Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"



"Conversation"



"All I Want"



"My Old Man"



"Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire"



"Trouble Child"



"Carey"

Hits List: Bon Jovi

This hard-rockin' band from New Jersey didn't catch fire right away, but when they did, they became one of the hottest bands in the world. In recent years, it seems it has been the United States that has missed the boat on this group or more accurately, the misguided way in which the U.S. interprets which songs are "popular", failing to see that it's the adults who control the airwaves, not the kids.  Here is the complete Hits List for Bon Jovi:

1984:  "Runaway" (#84)
            "She Don't Know Me" (#48)
            "Burning for Love"
1985:  "Only Lonely"
            "In and Out of Love"
            "The Hardest Part is the Night" (#68 U.K.)
            "Silent Night"


1986:  "You Give Love a Bad Name" (#1, #14 U.K., #2 Canada, #23 Australia, #21 Ireland)
1987:  "Livin' On A Prayer" (#1, #4 U.K., #1 Canada, #3 Australia, #12 Switzerland, #4 Ireland)
            "Wanted Dead or Alive" (#7, #13 U.K., #17 Australia, #13 Canada, #6 Ireland)
            "Never Say Goodbye" (#21 U.K., #26 Australia)
            "Edge of a Broken Heart"
1988:  "Bad Medicine" (#1, #17 U.K., #5 Canada, #4 Australia, #14 Switzerland, #10 Ireland)
1989:  "Born to Be My Baby" (#3, #22 U.K., #30 Australia, #25 Switzerland, #7 Ireland)
            "I'll Be There for You" (#1, #18 U.K., #2 Canada, #23 Australia, #15 Switzerland, #6 Ireland)
            "Lay Your Hands On Me" (#7, #18 U.K., #17 Canada, #23 Australia, #16 Switzerland, #8 Ireland)
            "Living In Sin" (#9, #35 U.K., #19 Canada, #64 Australia, #20 Switzerland, #17 Ireland)

1990:  "Blaze of Glory" (#1)
            "Miracle" (#12)
1992:  "Levon"
1993:  "Keep the Faith" (#29, #5 U.K., #5 Canada, #10 Australia, #3 Switzerland, #5 Ireland)--underrated.
            "Bed of Roses" (#10, #13 U.K., #2 Canada, #10 Australia, #9 Switzerland, #15 Ireland)
            "In These Arms" (#27, #9 U.K., #6 Canada, #10 Australia, #23 Switzerland, #10 Ireland)
            "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" (#97, #17 U.K., #27 Canada, #24 Australia, #35 Switzerland, #14 Ireland)
            "I Believe" (#11 U.K., #40 Australia, #34 Switzerland, #25 Ireland)

1994:  "Dry County (#9 U.K., #31 Australia, #10 Switzerland, #18 Ireland)
            "Always" (#4, #2 U.K., #1 Canada, #2 Australia, #1 Switzerland, #1 Ireland)
            "Please Come Home for Christmas" (#7 U.K., #6 Ireland)
1995:  "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night" (#7 U.K., #18 Canada, #10 Australia, #11 Switzerland, #6 Ireland)
            "This Ain't a Love Song" (#14, #6 U.K., #2 Canada, #4 Australia, #4 Switzerland, #5 Ireland)
            "Something for the Pain" (#76,. #8 U.K., #19 Canada, #14 Australia, #10 Switzerland, #8 Ireland))
            "Lie To Me" (#88, #10 U.K., #20 Canada, #20 Australia, #20 Switzerland, #11 Ireland)
1996:  "These Days" (#7 U.K., #38 Australia, #31 Switzerland, #22 Ireland)
             "Hey God" (#13 U.K., #44 Canada, #21 Ireland)
1999:  "Real Life" (#21 U.K., #52 Canada, #52 Australia, #22 Switzerland)

2000:  "It's My Life (#33, #3 U.K., #17 Canada, #1 Australia, #1 Switzerland, #5 Ireland)
            "Say It Isn't So" (#10 U.K., #9 Australia, #58 Switzerland, #16 Ireland)
            "Thank You for Loving Me" (#57, #12 U.K., #34 Australia, #26 Switzerland, #19 Ireland)
2001:  "One Wild Night (2001)" (#10 U.K., #34 Canada, #35 Australia, #31 Switzerland, #21 Ireland)
             "Wanted Dead or Alive" (live)
2002:  "Everyday" (#5 U.K., #1 Canada, #5 Australia, #6 Switzerland, #11 Ireland)
            "Bounce"
            "Misunderstood" (#21 U.K., #19 Canada, #33 Australia, #57 Switzerland, #37 Ireland)
2003:  "All About Lovin' You" (#9 U.K., #29 Canada, #31 Australia, #33 Switzerland, #16 Ireland)
            "The Distance"
            "It's My Life (2003)" (#33, #3 Australia)

2005:  "Have a Nice Day" (#53, #6 U.K., #7 Canada, #8 Australia, #10 Switzerland, #18 Ireland)
            "Who Says You Can't Go Home" (#23, #5 U.K., #57 Switzerland, #30 Ireland)
2006:  "Welcome to Wherever You Are" (#19 U.K., #46 Switzerland, #23 Ireland)
2007:  "You Want To) Make a Memory" (#27, #33 U.K., #4 Canada, #5 Switzerland)
            "Summertime" (#39 Canada)
            "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore" (with LeAnn Rimes) 
            "Lost Highway" (#39 Canada)
2008:  "Whole Lotta' Leavin'" 
2009:  "We Weren't Born to Follow" (#68, #25 U.K., #29 Canada, #62 Australia, #14 Switzerland, #41 Ireland)
2010:  "Superman Tonight" 
            "When We Were Beautiful"
            "What Do You Got?" (#23 Canada)

2011:  "No Apologies"
            "This Is Our House"


That's 32 hits for the group with 10 going Top 10 and 5 of those going all the way to #1.

This Date in Rock Music History: June 1

1956:  Doris Day signed a five-year recording contract with Columbia Records in excess of $1 million, which at the time was the biggest deal in Columbia history.
1957:  Sam Cooke recorded "Summertime" at Radio Recorders in West Hollywood, California.
1957:  Nat King Cole, Andy Williams, Ricky Nelson and Patti Page starred in the television special Five Stars for Springtime on NBC.

1598:  Private Elvis Presley arrived home at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee on two weeks furlough from the United States Army.  He later returned for advanced tank training on June 14.  (Note:  many websites incorrectly say he completed the training on June 1.  By June 1, Presley was already at his Graceland home in Memphis, Tennessee, according to the book 'The Elvis Archives' by Todd Slaughter.  Presley arrived at Fort Hood on March 28 to begin the training, and according to the magazine 'Texas Monthly', Presley completed his training on May 31.)  

1959:  "The Battle Of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton moved into the #1 position vacated by Wilbert Harrison's "Kansas City".  Bobby Darin owned #3 with "Dream Lover".  

1961:  Elvis Presley posted his eighth #1 song in the U.K. with "Surrender".






1963:  "It's My Party" shot up from #9 to #1, giving Lesley Gore her only #1 song.  Jimmy Soul dropped to 2 with "If You Wanna' Be Happy" and Al Martino closed with "I Love You Because".  The Beach Boys were on their way down with "Surfin' U.S.A." and the Crystals had a monster hit moving from 13 to 5--"Da Doo Ron Ron".  The rest of the Top 10:  Lou Christie at 6 with "Two Faces Have I", the Dovells "You Can't Sit Down" entering the Top 10 at #7, Little Peggy March with her former #1 "I Will Follow Him", Brenda Lee had #9--"Losing You" and Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki" moved from 20 to 10.







1964:  The Dave Clark Five released the single "Can't You See That She's Mine".
1964:  Dolly Parton knew where she wanted to be.  She moved to Nashville, Tennessee one day after she graduated from high school.
1964:  The Rolling Stones arrived at Kennedy Airport in New York City to begin their first tour of the United States.
1966:  The Beatles recorded overdubs on "Yellow Submarine".
1967:  Fairport Convention debuted live at St. Michael's Church Hall in Golders Green, London.
1967:  The Beatles released the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in Britain.  The album was certified Gold on its first day.  The group released the album in the United States on June 2.
1968:  John Sebastian left the group Lovin' Spoonful to pursue a solo career.  (Note:  some websites report that he left on October 12, but both the official group website and the book 'Echoes of the Sixties' by Marti Similey Childs and Jeff March state that Sebastian left in June.)
1968:  Guitarist Dave Mason rejoined Traffic after quitting the group just six months prior.
1968:  Hugo Montenegro held down #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for a third week with "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly".

1968:  A very famous day in the Rock Era as "Mrs. Robinson", one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, reached #1 for Simon & Garfunkel.  Hugo Montenegro had a winner with "The Good, the Bad And The Ugly".  The Rascals remained at 3 with "A Beautiful Morning" and former #1 "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell & the Drells found itself at #4.  Another classic--"Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro was still in the Top 10 and Ohio Express moved from 24-6 with their hit "Yummy Yummy Yummy".  Tommy James & the Shondells entered the Top 10 with "Mony Mony".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing" from Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, "Cowboys To Girls" by the Intruders at #9 and Dionne Warwick was stuck at 10 with "Do You Know The Way To San Jose".

1969:  John Lennon recorded "Give Peace A Chance" in his  hotel room (room 1742 of the La Hotel Reine Elizabeth in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.)  Lennon finished the song about 3 A.M. the next morning, and the song lives on to this day.  (Note:  several websites claim that Lennon recorded the song on April 7 in a hotel room in Toronto.  According to Christie's auction house, the song was recorded June 1 in room 1742 of the La Hotel Reine Elizabeth in Montreal.  This information is confirmed by the newspapers 'The Star' and 'The Seattle Times'.)
1970:  Black Sabbath released their debut album in the United States.  It had been released February 13 in the U.K.

1971:  Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel remained #1 on the album chart and the Soundtrack to "The Graduate" was still #2.
1971:  Harry Nilsson began recording his great album Nilsson Schmilsson in London.
1971:  The birthplace of Elvis Presley, a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi was opened to the public.
1971:  Chicago began a world tour at the Royal Albert Hall on London.
1972:  Pink Floyd began recording Dark Side of the Moon at the Abbey Road studios in London.  (Note:  many websites say the recording began January 18, 1973, but Pink Floyd first recorded "Us And Them" on June 1, 1972.)
1974:  Linda Ronstadt began recording her album Heart Like a Wheel in Los Angeles, California.

1974:  Gordon Lightfoot had his second Top 10 song with "Sundown".
1974:  Bachman-Turner Overdrive finally reached the Top 10 with Bachman-Turner Overdrive II in its 20th week on the Album chart.  The album contained the hit "Takin' Care Of Business".








1974:  The Carpenters' great song "I Won't Last A Day Without You" was #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1975:  The Rolling Stones introduced their new guitarist Ron Wood on his first tour with the Stones, playing their first show at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
1977:  James Taylor released the album JT.
1978:  U2 performed outdoors in the parking lot of the Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, Ireland.
1980:  Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin bought actor Michael Caine's mansion for 900,000 pounds (in excess of $1.25 million).
1982:  Madness had the #1 U.K. song with "House Of Fun".
1983:  The Police released the album Synchronicity in the United States.  It was released June 17 in the U.K.
1984:  Nate Nelson, lead singer for the Flamingos "(I Only Have Eyes For You", before joining the Platters in 1964, died of heart disease in Boston, Massachusetts at the age of 52.  (Note:  several websites claim he died June 2.  When stories appear in newspapers, they are about news that happened the previous day.  According to 'The New York Times', Nelson died June 1.)
1985:  Sting released his solo album The Dream of the Blue Turtles.
1985:  Bruce Springsteen kicked off the European leg of his Born in the U.S.A. Tour at the Slane Castle in Slane, County Meath, Ireland.  (Note:  several websites incorrectly say that Slane Castle is in Dublin.  The Castle is in Slane, a village in the County of Meath, about 47 kilometers from Dublin.)

                        Sade had her first hit...


1985:  It was a pretty solid Top 10 on this date.  Wham! had #1 with "Everything She Wants" but Tears For Fears were headed there with "Everybody Wants To Rule The World".  Harold Faltermeyer stood ready at #3 with "Axel F".  Simple Minds' song from The Breakfast Club was on its way down at #4 while the smooth voice of Billy Ocean was evident on "Suddenly".  Talking about smooth, Sade's "Smooth Operator" was at #6 and Bryan Adams burst into the Top 10 with "Heaven".  Howard Jones had song #8--"Things Can Only Get Better" while Mary Jane Girls were at 9 with "In My House" and Kool & the Gang" slipped inside the Top 10 with "Fresh".
1985:  "Suddenly" by Billy Ocean was #1 for a second week on the Adult Contemporary chart.

1991:  Paul Abdul's album Spellbound debuted at #5.
1991:  R.E.M. had a #1 album in Out Of Time.  Time, Love & Tenderness, the great Michael Bolton album, fell to #2 and Mariah Carey was still there at #3 after 49 weeks on the chart.
1991:  Seal owned the #1 album in the U.K. with his self-titled album.
1991:  Sting was a guest on the debut of a new Soviet television show Rock Steady.
1991:  Mariah Carey held on to #1 for a second week with her great song "I Don't Wanna' Cry".  Extreme was making their move with "More Than Words" at #3.  
1991:  David Ruffin of the Temptations and a solo artist, died from cocaine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1994:  Matt Sorum, drummer of the Cult and Guns N' Roses, filed for divorce from wife Kai.








1996:  Jewel debuted on the Singles chart with "Who Will Save Your Soul", her first career release.  The song had originally been released as a single to coincide with the release of the album Pieces of You in February of 1995.  But it did not catch on until 15 months later.  (Note:  some websites claim that the song was released June 1 or June 4 of 1996.  As stated above, the song was initially released in 1995, and it was re-released, but much earlier than June.  It is physically impossible for a song to be included on the Singles chart if it has not been released as a single.  The song had already been released as a single by May 4, according to an article in 'The Los Angeles Times'.)
1997:  Kenny Rogers married Wanda Miller in Athens, Georgia.  (Note:  some websites report the marriage took place in Atlanta, Georgia.  It was on Rogers' ranch near Athens, according to 'People' magazine.)
1998:  Deja vu for Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots.  He was arrested again for drug possession in Manhattan, New York.
1999:  Blink 182 released their great album Enema of the State on MCA Records.
2000:  The movie Honest, starring three members of All Saints, was pulled from theaters after disastrous box office results.
2000:  The Dixie Chicks performed at the Winnipeg Arena in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
2003:  Paul McCartney finished a world tour at the place where it all started for the Beatles--Liverpool, England.  McCartney played before fans at King's Dock.
2003:  Paul Gray, bass guitarist of Slipknot, was arrested in multiple drug and alcohol charges after running a red light and hitting another car in Des Moines, Iowa.  Gray failed two alcohol tests and was arrested for not only drunk driving but possession of marijuana, cocaine and drug paraphernalia.  In other words, a little more than license, registration and proof of insurance was found in his car.

2004:  Sum 41, trying to help the Congo by making a documentary drawing attention to that country's problems, were forced to leave after an outbreak of rebel violence in the Congo's civil war.
2006:  Jack White of the White Stripes married Karen Elson, a model who appeared in the "Blue Orchid" video.  The couple was married in a canoe at the confluence of the Rio Negro and Rio Solimões rivers.  (Note:  some websites report that the wedding took place at the confluence of the Amazon, Rio Negro and Solimones rivers.  The confluence of the rivers is called the Meeting of Waters, but it isn't the confluence of three rivers, but rather two.  The correct spelling of the name is Rio Solimões, which is the name given to the upper section of the Amazon River in Brazil--it is not a separate river.  For six kilometers (about 3.7 miles), the two rivers run side by side without mixing until they meet up at the Meeting of Waters.)
2006:  Snow Patrol had to cancel three dates after singer Gary Lightbody got laryngitis.
2006:  Chamillionaire had the #1 song with "Ridin'".
2007:  Artists including Bryan Adams, Oasis and the Fray worked with original engineer Geoff Emerick to record their own versions of the songs on the epic Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album to commemorate the 40th anniversary of its release.

Born This Day:
1921:  Nelson Riddle, the trombonist-arranger for several orchestras including Tommy Dorsey's, who arranged for Frank Sinatra, worked with Linda Ronstadt, was an Oscar-winning composer and wrote the theme to the "Batman" television show, was born in Oradell, New Jersey; died October 6, 1985 of cardiac and kidney failure in Los Angeles.

1934:  Pat Boone was born in Jacksonville, Florida.
1965:  Linda Scott, who had 11 hits early in the Rock Era, including "I've Told Every Little Star" from 1961 (#3), was born in Queens, New York.
1945:  James William McCarty, who played guitar for Bob Seger and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, was born in Detroit, Michigan.

1947:  Ron Wood, guitarist of the Jeff Beck Group, Faces and later the Rolling Stones, was born in Hillingdon, Middlesex, England.  (Note:  some websites naively say Wood was born in Hillingdon, London.  Hillingdon was historically in the county of Middlesex until the London Government Act of 1963 made Hillingdon a borough of Greater London, a law which took effect in 1965.  As Wood was born in 1947, it is impossible for him to have been born in the County of London, and you will never see London listed as his county of birth on an official birth certificate.)
1959:  Alan Wilder, vocalist of Depeche Mode, was born in Acton, Middlesex, England.  (Note:  some websites report Wilder was born in London, but he was born in Acton, according to a quote from him in the book 'Stripped:  Depeche Mode' by Jonathan Miller.  Acton was a town in the county of Middlesex until 1965, when the London Government Act of 1963 placed it within the borough of Ealing in Greater London.  Since Wilder was born six years prior to the change, he was born in the county of Middlesex, and you will never see London listed as his county of birth on an official birth certificate.)  
1960:  Simon Gallup, bass guitarist of the Cure, was born in Duxhurst, Surrey, England.
1963:  Mike Joyce, drummer of the Smiths, was born in Fallowfield, Lancashire, England.  (Note:  some websites lazily say Joyce was born in Manchester, which is both a city and a county in England.  He was born in Fallowfield, Manchester, according to the official website for the Smiths.  Further, the listing of Manchester as the county of Fallowfield in 1963 is inaccurate.  Up until the Local Government Act of 1972, Fallowfield was located in the county of Lancashire, and the change to Manchester did not take effect until 1974.  Thus, when Joyce was born, he was born in the county of Lancashire, and you will never see Manchester listed as the county on his official birth certificate.)





1974:  Alanis Morissette was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.