This Date in Rock Music History: September 23

1956:  Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees first appeared on television on Circus Boy on NBC-TV.

     
        16-year-old Canadian crooner with one of the early classics of the Rock Era...

1957:  "Diana" by Paul Anka took over at #1 on the R&B chart.
1960:  All four members who would become the Beatles backed Lu "Wally" Walters, bassist of Rory Storm & the Hurricanes to record the song "Summertime" in Hamburg, Germany.  John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison were already members of the Beatles while drummer Ringo Starr was a member of the Hurricanes.  Stuart Sutcliffe was with the group at the time but did not play on the recordings, nor did drummer Pete Best, who was not present in the studio.  (Note:  some websites falsely say members of the Beatles also recorded "Fever" and "September Song" on this date.  In reality, the members of the Hurricanes (including Starr), recorded the latter two songs, according to the website 'BeatlesBible'.)
1961:  Another famous date here as on September 23,1961, Stevie Wonder auditioned for Motown Records.
1961:  The Shadows' self-titled debut album was #1 on the U.K. Album chart.
1965:  The Walker Brothers owned the #1 U.K. song--"Make It Easy On Yourself".
1967:  The Mothers of Invention made their debut in the U.K. at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

                            The Box Tops reached the top with "The Letter"...

1967:  An example of what made 1967 one of the best years in the Rock Era--the progression of #1's from "Respect", "Groovin'", "Windy", "Light My Fire", "All You Need Is Love", "Ode To Billie Joe" and on this date, the Box Tops took over the coveted position with "The Letter".  That's heavy duty competition, something you always want to evaluate when looking at music.  All are members of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.  The Association had another clear winner as "Never My Love" jumped from 15-5 to enter the Top 10.
1967:  The album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles had been out 14 weeks with 13 of those at #1.  Even the Doors' solid debut could not topple it.  Flowers from the Rolling Stones was #3.
1970:  Mick Jagger met Bianca Rose Perez Moreno de Macias after a Rolling Stones concert at the Paris Olympia.  The two would later marry.
1972:  Helen Reddy was beginning to roar as "I Am Woman" moved from 87 to 65.


1972:  Country star Mac Davis crossed over to #1 with "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me".  Three Dog Night slipped with "Black & White" while Chicago was up to 3 with "Saturday In The Park".  The O'Jays had song #4--"Back Stabbers" while the classic "Alone Again (Naturally)" from Gilbert O'Sullivan was still at #5.  The rest of a solid Top 10:  "Ben", the first big solo hit for Michael Jackson, moved from 13-6 on this date, Main Ingredient was up strongly (16-7) with "Everybody Plays The Fool", Elton John edged up with "Honky Cat", the Raspberries entered the list with "Go All The Way" and Gary Glitter tumbled with "Rock and Roll Part 2".








1974:  John Lennon released the single "Whatever Gets You Through The Night" in the United States on Apple Records.  It would be released in the U.K. on October 4.
1974:  Robbie McIntosh, drummer of the Average White Band, died of drugs in Los Angeles at the age of 24.
1977:  Steely Dan released the best album of their career--Aja.
1978:  Sonny Bono made an appearance on the popular ABC-TV show Fantasy Island.
1978:  Chris Rea remained at #1 on the Easy Listening chart for a third week with "Fool (If You Think It's Over)".







1978:  Earth, Wind & Fire rose to #1 on the R&B chart with their remake of the Beatles' hit "Got To Get You Into My Life".
1978:  Donna Summer was on the move with her remake of the Richard Harris song  "MacArthur Park", up from 75 to 50.








    
                                   Nick Gilder gave us this great song from 1978...

1978:  "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey amazingly held on to #1 for a third week, but only for the moment.  On its heels was "Kiss You All Over" by Exile while Olivia Newton-John scored her 18th career hit with "Hopelessly Devoted To You".  Behind that trio, the Commodores' former #1 "Three Times A Lady", Andy Gibb's "An Everlasting Love" and yet another hit from Grease--"Summer Nights" from John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John.  The rest of the Top 10:  Boston's new release "Don't Look Back", "Hot Blooded" from Foreigner, Canada's Nick Gilder entered the Top 10 with "Hot Child In The City" and the Little River Band were up from 15-10 with "Reminiscing".
1978:  Grease returned to #1 on the Album chart after a one-week occupancy by Boston's Don't Look Back.    That gave one of the last great musicals its eighth week at the top.  Foreigner's Double Vision was third followed by Some Girls from the Rolling Stones.
1980:  With immeasurable help from Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, Barbra Streisand released her great album Guilty on Columbia Records.

1980:  David Bowie replaced Phillip Anglim in the title role for the play "The Elephant Man" at the Booth Theatre in New York City.  (Note:  some websites erroneously put Bowie's debut on Broadway as November 15, 1990.  It was not in 1990, nor was it on November 15, according to the book 'Philosophizing Rock Performance:  Dylan, Hendrix, Bowie' by Wade Hollingshaus. 
1982:  Brenda Lee was inducted into the Georgia Hall of Fame.
1986:  James Brown, Freddie Jackson and Melba Moore headed an anti-crack rally at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.
1989:  The Eurythmics owned the #1 U.K. album with We Two Are One.



                         Cher was back in a big way with this Diane Warren song...

1989:  The public chose "Girl I'm Gonna' Miss You" by Milli Vanilli to be #1 which speaks volumes as to the quality out at the time, as well as the listening public at that time.  Warrant held down #2 with "Heaven" while Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time" was at #3.  Skid Row came in next with "18 And Life" while Madonna's "Cherish" was moving up.  The rest of the Top 10:  Gloria Estefan registered her 10th hit ("Don't Wanna' Lose You"), with seven of those going Top 10, Surface slipped up with "Shower Me With Your Love", Janet Jackson was up from 15-8 with "Miss You Much", New Kids on the Block were down with "Hangin' Tough" and Paula Abdul's "Cold Hearted" closed out the list.
1989:  A better representation of what was really popular was the Adult Contemporary chart as the Bee Gees remained at #1 with "One".
1995:  Michael Jackson made it four weeks atop the R&B chart with "You Are Not Alone".



                          Sophie B. Hawkins made it into a loaded Top 10...

1995:  The great song "Gangsta's Paradise" from Coolio prevailed for a third week at #1.  Michael Jackson's "You Are Not Alone" hung tight at 2 followed by classic #1's "Kiss From A Rose" and "Waterfalls".  The rest of the Top 10:  Janet Jackson with "Runaway", All-4-One edged up with "I Can Love You Like That", Shaggy teamed up with Rayvon on the double-sided "Boombastic"/"Summer Time", Luniz was at 8 with "I Got 5 On It", Hootie & the Blowfish with "Only Wanna' Be With You" and Sophie B. Hawkins cracked the Top 10 with "As I Lay Be Down".










1997:  Elton John released the single that was his tribute to Princess Diana--"Candle In The Wind 1997" in the United States.
1997:  MCA Records re-released the debut album Show Your Hand by the Average White Band to commemorate the group's 25th anniversary.
1997:  Elektra Records released the album The Next Voice You Hear:  The Best of Jackson Browne.
1997:  The Rolling Stones began their first American tour in three years with a concert at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.

1999:  Bono of U2 met the Pope John Paul II in Castelgandolfo, Italy to discuss his initiative for ending Third World debt.  (Note:  some websites claim the meeting took place on September 22 at the Vatican.  It was September 23 in Castelgandolfo, according to 'CNN', MTV and the newspaper 'The Guardian'.)
1999:  While Bono was at that historic meeting with the Pope, Shirley Manson of Garbage unveiled her line of lip gloss.
2001:  Kylie Minogue reached #1 in the U.K. with "Can't Get You Out of My Head".
2001:  Jay-Z had the #1 album with The Blueprint.






2002 Sting won an Oscar for Best Musical Performance for Sting In Tuscany...All This Time.
2003:  Outkast released the two-album set of solo releases Speakerboxxx/The Love Below on LaFace Records.
2003:  Dave Matthews released a solo album, Some Devil on RCA Records.
2006:  The #1 album was B'Day by Beyonce.
2007:  James Blunt went to #1 on the U.K. Album chart with All the Lost Souls.

2010:  The Ray Charles Memorial Library opened in Los Angeles.
2011:  Clarence Johnson of the Chi-Lites, who left the group in 1964 before they became popular to become a producer (he worked with Deniece Williams among others), died in Olympia Fields, Illinois.  (Note:  several websites incorrectly state Johnson died in Chicago, Illinois.  He died in St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields, a village in Cook County.)




Born This Day:

1930:  Soul superstar Ray Charles was born in Albany, Georgia; died June 10, 2004 in Beverly Hills, California of alcoholic liver disease and hepatitis C.
1939:  Guitar ace Roy Buchanan was born in Ozark, Alabama; died August 14, 1988 by hanging himself while in police custody.






1943:  Julio Iglesias was born in Madrid, Spain.
1943:  Steve Boone, bass guitarist of Lovin' Spoonful, was born in Camp Lejeune U.S. Marine Corps base in North Carolina. 
1943:  Wallace Scott of the Whispers, twin brother of Water, was born in Fort Worth, Texas.
1943:  Walter Scott of the Whispers was born in Fort Worth, Texas.  
1943:  John Banks, founding member and drummer of the Merseybeats, was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England; died April 20, 1988 of throat cancer in Tel Aviv, Israel.
1945:  Paul Petersen, actor who had several hits including the Top 10 "My Dad" in 1962, was born in Glendale, California.
1947:  Jerry Corbetta, founder, keyboardist and lead singer of Sugarloaf ("Don't Call Us, We'll Call You" and "Green-Eyed Lady") was born in Denver, Colorado.
1947:  Neal Smith, drummer with Alice Cooper, was born in Akron, Ohio.

1949:  Bruce Springsteen was born in Long Branch, New Jersey.  (Note:  some sites report his birthplace as Freehold, New Jersey.  Springsteen was born in a hospital in Long Branch according to the book 'The Words and Music of Bruce Springsteen' by Rob Kirkpatrick; he grew up in Freehold.)










1959:  Martin Page, who has written many songs such as "We Built This City" for Starship and "These Dreams" for Heart as well as his own "In The House Of Stone And Light", was born in Southampton, Hampshire, England.











1970:  Ani DiFranco was born in Buffalo, New York.
1972:  Jermaine Dupri, rapper, songwriter and producer, was born in Asheville, North Carolina.  (Note:  some sources report his birthplace as Atlanta, Georgia.  'The Encyclopedia of African American Popular Culture' lists it as Asheville, and the ebook 'Media Now, 2010 Update: Understanding Media, Culture, and Technology', reports his birthplace as Asheville, and that he moved to Atlanta, where he graduated from high school.)
1979:  Erik-Michael Estrada of O-Town was born in Bronxville, New York.  (Note:  several websites naively say Estrada was born in the Bronx, New York.  That is a different place than Bronxville (15 miles north of Manhattan), the place where Estrada was born.)
1985:  Diana Ortiz of Dream was born in San Fernando Valley, California.

This Date in Rock Music History: September 22

1956:  We were first introduced to a great new act as the first single by the Coasters--"One Kiss Led To Another" debuted on this date.
1957:  Bobby Helms made his television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, singing "My Special Angel".

1958:  With permission from the United States Army, Elvis Presley gave one last press conference at the Military Ocean Terminal in Brooklyn, New York before joining his 3rd Armored Division on the USS General Randall on the way to Bremerhaven, Germany.  (Note:  some websites report Elvis left Brooklyn on September 19.  He left his base at Fort Hood, Texas on September 19, but departed for Germany from Brooklyn on September 22, according to the official Graceland website.)

1958:  Connie Francis had the top U.K. song with "Carolina Moon, Stupid Cupid".

1958:  Tommy Edwards had one of the great early songs of the Rock Era with "It's All In The Game", which on this date reached #1 on the R&B chart.
1960:  The Beatles performed for the 37th consecutive night of a 48-night stay at the Indra Club, on Grosse Freiheit in Hamburg, West Germany.
1962:  Bob Dylan first appeared at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan, New York.

1962:  "Green Onions" by Booker T. and the MG's returned to #1 on the R&B chart.
1964:  Fiddler on the Roof opened at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway in Manhattan, New York, the first of 3,242 performances.  The classic musical became the first play in history to record 3,000 performances on Broadway.
1964:  Herman's Hermits reached #1 in the U.K. with a song written by Carole King of Sun Valley, Idaho with her husband Gerry Goffin--"I'm Into Something Good".
1965:  The Supremes began recording the song "I Hear A Symphony" at Motown Records' Hitsville U.S.A. Studios in Detroit, Michigan.  The song was finished September 30.







1967:  The Beatles were featured on the cover of Time Magazine.
1969:  Diana Ross was a guest on the popular television show Laugh In on NBC.
1969:  Three Dog Night, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, James Brown, Tom Jones, Janis Joplin, and Oliver  performed on the debut of the new weekly television show The Music Scene, which debuted on ABC.  A promotional film of "Ballad Of John And Yoko"/"Give Peace A Chance" by the Beatles was also shown.  (Note:  most websites show that Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, and Cass Elliot performed that night, but Archival Television Audio, which is accredited by The Guinness Book of World Records,  indicates the performers are as shown above.)
1972:  David Bowie began his first tour of the United States.
1973:  The Rolling Stones topped the Album chart in the U.K. with Goat's Head Soup.
1973:  Soul group Tavares made its debut on the chart with their first single "Check It Out".
1973:  Brothers and Sisters by the Allman Brothers Band was the top album for a third week.
1973:  Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" took over at the top of the R&B chart.

 1973:  The great song "My Maria" from B.W. Stevenson took over at #1 on the Easy Listening chart.













                                               Stevie was at his creative peak...

1973:  Marvin Gaye took over at #1 with "Let's Get It On".  Grand Funk was up nicely to #2 with "We're An American Band" and the former #1 "Delta Dawn" from Helen Reddy dropped to 3.  Paul Simon had the #4 song--"Loves Me Like A Rock".  The rest of the Top 10:  Tony Orlando & Dawn with "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose", the Stories were still at 6 with their former #1 "Brother Louie", Cher moved from 11-7 with "Half Breed", Stevie Wonder had his 32nd hit and 15th Top 10 with "Higher Ground" and the Isley Brothers catapulted into the Top 10 with "That Lady".
1974:  The Sonny Bono Comedy Revue Show debuted on ABC-TV.  It struggled to find an audience.
1978:  Leif Garrett dabbled in acting when he starred in dual roles on the ABC-TV show Wonder Woman.
1979:  Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Chaka Khan performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City fourth night of the five-night No Nukes concerts. 
1979:  Gary Numan owned the #1 U.K. song--"Cars".
1979:  "Rise" by Herb Alpert was the #1 Adult Contemporary song.

        Led Zeppelin was still #1 with one of The Top 100 Albums of the Rock Era*...


1979:  Led Zeppelin remained the owners of the #1 album with In Through the Out Door.  The former #1 Get the Knack from the Knack was still at 2 while Bob Dylan moved from 14-3 with one of his best career albums, Slow Train Coming.  Supertramp was still at 4 with Breakfast in America.  The rest of the Top 10:  Chic & Risque, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall at #6, the Commodores brought Midnight Magic, Earth, Wind & Fire had #8--I Am, the Cars rolled down with Candy-O and Robin Williams was at #10 with Reality...What a Concept.
1979:  Kenny Rogers had a hot song with "You Decorated My Life", which moved from 60 to 37.




 
           They don't get much better than "The Devil Went Down To Georgia"...

1979:  The Knack had one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* as "My Sharona" spent a fifth week at #1.  Earth, Wind & Fire remained at #2 with "After The Love Has Gone".  The Charlie Daniels Band by this time had reached #1 in a few cities with "The Devil Went Down To Georgia", which Billboard placed at #3.  Herb Alpert's big comeback song "Rise" moved from 12-4 and Maxine Nightingale had Song #5--"Lead Me On".  The rest of the Top 10:  Robert John's first hit since his remake of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"--"Sad Eyes", the Little River Band was at 7 with "Lonesome Loser", Dionne Warwick remained at 8 with "I'll Never Love This Way Again", the Commodores were back with "Sail On" and ELO dropped with "Don't Bring Me Down".

1980:  John Lennon was one of the first to sign a recording contract with Geffen Records on this date and less than two months later, released the final album of his career on that label.

1980:  Hall & Oates released their remake of the classic Righteous Brothers hit "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling".  It was actually pretty good as remakes of classics go.  (Note:  one naive website claims the single was released September 25.  The song debuted on the Singles chart on September 27.  As all those who work in the industry know, the deadline for reporting new additions to radio station playlists is the Wednesday preceding the Saturday publication of trade papers.  In 1980, Wednesday of that week fell on September 24, making a release date of September 25 impossible.)
1981:  Songwriter Harry Warren, who wrote over 800 songs including "I Only Have Eyes For You" for the Flamingos, "That's Amore'" for Dean Martin and "Chattanooga Choo Choo", which the Glenn Miller Band turned into a classic, died at the age of 87 in Los Angeles.
1983:  The Everly Brothers, who barely communicated for 10 years, reunited for the first of two historic shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
1984:  Billy Ocean ruled the R&B chart for the fourth week with "Caribbean Queen".




1984:  Former Babys lead singer John Waite hit #1 with his solo hit "Missing You".

1984:  Survivor had one of the fastest-rising songs as the great track "I Can't Hold Back" moved from 85 to 64.










                 The Pointer Sisters had the biggest album of their career...


1984:  Prince made it eight weeks at #1 on the Album chart with Purple Rain, holding off Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. again.  Huey Lewis & the News were still at #3 after 51 weeks with Sports.  Tina Turner remained at 4 with Private Dancer and the Cars' great album Heartbeat City was at #5.  That is as fine a Top Five as you'll ever see.  The rest of the Top 10:  Julio Iglesias with 1100 Bel Air Place, Lionel Richie and Can't Slow Down at #7, Ratt's Out of the Cellar, the Soundtrack to "Ghostbusters" at #9 and the Pointer Sisters entered the list with Break Out.

1985:  Boston released the single "Amanda".











1985:  The first Farm Aid concert was at Memorial Stadium on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign, Illinois,  The concert featured John Mellencamp, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Neil Young and Willie Nelson and raised $10 million for farmers in the United States.  It was such a success that Farm Aid became an annual event.

1989:  Irving Berlin, one of the greatest songwriters in American history, whose "White Christmas" is one of the top-selling singles of all-time, died in his sleep at the age of 101 in New York City.  Berlin wrote an estimated 1,500 songs, including the scores of 19 Broadway shows and 18 motion pictures.  Among the other great Berlin songs:  "God Bless America", "Always", "There's No Business Like Show Business", "Puttin' On The Ritz" and "Count Your Blessings (Instead Of Sheep)".  Berlin's songs were recorded by Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Linda Ronstadt, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Cher, Dean Martin, Doris Day, Eddie Fisher, Fred Astaire, Ethel Merman, Judy Garland, Louis Armstrong and Al Jolson, just to name a few.
1990:  Nirvana performed at the Motor Sports International Garage in Seattle, Washington.






Phil Collins employed the great horns of Earth, Wind & Fire for this great song...

1990:  Wilson Phillips remained at the top with "Release Me".  Jon Bon Jovi's solo hit "Blaze Of Glory" would have to settle for #2.  Two new entries in the Top 10--Phil Collins with "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven" at #7 and George Michael moved from 18-8 with "Praying For Time".
1991:  Bryan Adams set a U.K. record when "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" remained at #1 for a 12th week.
1995:  Time Warner and Turner Broadcasting System announced a $7.5 million merger.

2000:  The Red Hot Chili Peppers closed out a successful tour at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington.
2000:  Liam Gallagher of Oasis and his wife were divorced in London.
2000:  In today's segment of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, Stanley Howse of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony was sentenced to 12 years at Pleasant Valley State Prison for pulling an AK-47 on two men.



2003:  Jon Bon Jovi and bandmate Richie Sambora became co-owners of the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League.
2004:  Nelly owned the top two spots on the Album chart with Suit and Sweat.
2004:  In today's second segment of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, Lil' Kim's bodyguard was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his involvement in a 2001 shootout.
2005:  Jimmy Page was made an honorary citizen of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for his work with Casa Jimmy (Jimmy's House).  Page opened the house in 1998 which had supported 300 street children.

2006:  The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson--"Chantilly Lace") was posthumously saluted with a Texas State Historical Marker in his honor placed at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in his hometown of Beaumont, Texas.
2010:  Eddie Fisher ("Heart" from 1955) died at age 82 of complications from hip surgery in Berkeley, California.






2012:  Howard Scott, sound engineer and producer who helped introduce the long-playing vinyl record in 1948 and was a producer with Columbia, Sony and MGM, died of cancer in Reading, Pennsylvania at age 92.

Born This Day:
1930:  Joni James ("How Important Can It Be?") was born in Chicago, Illinois.

1943:  Toni Basil ("Mickey") was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1951:  David Coverdale, singer/songwriter of Deep Purple and Whitesnake, was born in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Riding of Yorkshire, England.
1953:  Richard Fairbrass of Right Said Fred ("I'm Too Sexy" from 1991) was born in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, England.  (Note:  some websites report Fairbrass was born in East Grinstead, Sussex, England.  He was born in Kingston-Upon-Thames and later grew up in East Grinstead.)  

1956:  Debby Boone was born in Hackensack, New Jersey.
1957:  Johnette Napolitano, singer, songwriter and bassist of Concrete Blonde, was born in Hollywood, California.








1960:  Joan Jett of the Runaways and leader of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts was born in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.  (Note:  some websites falsely say she was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  She was born in Wynnewood, a suburb of Philadelphia, according to her Pinterest page.)
1975:  Michael Lawrence Tyler, who adopted the stage name of Mystikal ("Stutter" from 2001) was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This Date in Rock Music History: September 21

1957:  Elite guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black quit as backup musicians for Elvis Presley after a salary dispute with Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker.

1959:  "Shout" by the Isley Brothers was their first single release and it debuted on this date in history.
1959:  "I Want To Walk You Home" from Fats Domino topped the R&B chart.
1959:  The instrumental "Sleep Walk" from Santo & Johnny moved to #1.  The Browns slipped after four weeks at the top with "The Three Bells".  Lloyd Price remained at 3 with "I'm Gonna' Get Married" while the Everly Brothers scored their 14th hit and sixth Top 10 with "('Til) I Kissed You".  The rest of the Top 10:  Phil Phillips and "Sea Of Love", another instrumental--"Red River Rock" from Johnny & the Hurricanes, the classic "Mack The Knife" moved up to 7 for Bobby Darin, Sarah Vaughan had song #8--"Broken-Hearted Melody", Fats Domino said "I Want To Walk You Home" and Paul Anka shot up from 29 to 10 with "Put Your Head On My Shoulder".
1961:  The busy Beatles played at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England by day and appeared with Gerry & the Pacemakers and Rory Storm & the Hurricanes at Litherland Town Hall in Liverpool by night.

1963:  Bobby Vinton made it three weeks at #1 on the Easy Listening chart with "Blue Velvet".
1964:  Elvis Presley was appointed "special deputy sheriff" in Shelby County, Tennessee.
1965:  The Moody Blues performed at Royal Albert Hall in London.
1965:  The Who began a tour of Scandinavia at De Marathon in The Hague, the Netherlands.  (Note:  most websites report this date as September 22, and say that lead singer Roger Daltrey punched drummer Keith Moon on the 22nd.  That incident happened on the 26th--more on that in the September 26th edition of the 'Calendar.'  Joe McMichael and "Irish Jack" Lyons, in their book 'The Who Concert File', report the beginning of the tour on September 21.)
1968:  Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell stayed at #1 for a fourth week on the R&B chart with "You're All I Need To Get By".



1968:  The Crazy World of Arthur Brown roared up the chart from 60 to 15 with "Fire".










1968:  The Bee Gees had the hottest song within the Top 10 as they went up from 23-9 with "I've Gotta' Get A Message To You".
1970:  Santana released the album Abraxas.
1970:  Freda Payne rose to #1 in the U.K. with "Band Of Gold".
1972 - ABC-TV debuted the show In Concert, created by promoter Don Kirshner.  Alice Cooper appeared in the first episode with a show taped at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.
1974:  Carl Douglas had the top song in the U.K. with "Kung Fu Fighting".
1974:  Barry White remained at #1 for the third week on the R&B chart with "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe".
1974:  Olivia Newton-John had the top Easy Listening song for the second week with "I Honestly Love You".


 
1974:  Barry White enjoyed his first overall #1 with "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe".  Andy Kim moved to challenge with "Rock Me Gently" but Olivia Newton-John was close behind with "I Honestly Love You", which moved from 12 to 3.  Billy Preston was up with "Nothing From Nothing" while Eric Clapton fell badly with "I Shot The Sheriff".  The rest of the Top 10:  Dionne Warwick & the Spinners and "Then Came You", Paul Anka's former #1 "(You're) Having My Baby" was down to 7, the Guess Who had their 20th career hit with "Clap For The Wolfman", Stevie Wonder entered the Top 10 with "You Haven't Done Nothin'" and Johnny Bristol had song #10--"Hang On In There Baby".
1974:  Stevie Wonder remained at #1 on the Album chart with Fulfillingness' First Finale.  Bad Company's debut was in the #2 slot.

1974:  Guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter came over from Steely Dan and joined the Doobie Brothers.  Baxter, who had previously done studio work for the Doobies, had learned that Steely Dan was retiring from the road.
1974:  Walter Brennan ("Old Rivers"), who was chiefly an Oscar-winning actor in addition to a recording artist, died of emphysema at the age of 80 in Oxnard, California.
1976:  The Bee Gees released the album Children of the World.

1978:  Chic released their classic single "Le Freak" on Atlantic Records.  The song went on to become the top-selling record on Atlantic to that time.  (Note:  one website claims the song was released September 29.  "Le Freak" debuted on the Singles chart on September 28.  It is physically impossible for a song to be included on the Singles chart if it has not yet been released as a single.)










1979:  Rupert Holmes, up to this point a songwriter for other artists, decided to release one for himself--"Escape (The Pina Colada Song)".











1979:  Earth, Wind & Fire saluted this date in their 1979 hit "September"..."Do you remember the 21st night of September?"
1980:  The Michael Schenker Group made their British debut at Bristol's Colston Hall.
1980:  Elton John signed a six-year deal with Geffen Records.
1981:  Adam and the Ants had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Prince Charming".
1985:  Madonna had the #1 album in the U.K. with Like A Virgin.



       


          
                                    Madonna had another Top 10 hit..

1985:  Dire Straits reached #1 with "Money For Nothing".  Madonna made it seven Top 10 songs in a row as "Dress You Up" moved from 14-10.
1985:  Kool & the Gang registered a fifth consecutive week at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with their classic "Cherish".






                                      Heart made a huge comeback...


1985:  Dire Straits continued to hold on to #1 on the Album chart with Brothers in Arms.  Sting was stuck at 2 with The Dream of the Blue Turtles while Tears For Fears owned #3--Songs From the Big Chair.  Bruce Springsteen was in his 66th week with Born in the U.S.A. and Bryan Adams' Reckless was still at #5 after 44 weeks of release.  The rest of a great Top 10:  Phil Collins and No Jacket Required, Billy Joel with Greatest Hits, Volume I & Volume II, Whitney Houston's debut at #8, the self-titled Heart at 9 and Motley Crue was bringing up the rear with Theatre of Pain.






1986:  Dionne Warwick was honored for her "exceptional service" in the fight against AIDS by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
1987:  This isn't the best way to go out.  Jaco Pastorius, bass guitarist for Weather Report, who also worked with Joni Mitchell, David Sanborn and others, died at age 35 after trying to break into the Midnight Club in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after he had been barred, and employees of the Club beat him into a coma on the morning of September 12. 
1988:  While on their 232-date world tour, Def Leppard played the first of three nights at the Brendan Byrne Arena (now known as the Izod Center) in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
1989:  The Bangles broke up.
1989:  U2 played at the Perth Entertainment Centre in Perth, Australia.
1991:  Status Quo ("Pictures Of Matchstick Men") set a world record when they played four arenas in the U.K. in 11 hours and 11 minutes.  The group played at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, the Glasgow Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham and Wembley Arena in London.  The "Rock 'Til You Drop' event took over a year to plan and raised over £2000,000 for children's charities. It took four stages, 60 drums, 200 amplifiers, 62 guitars, 165 cymbals, 12 miles of cable, 50 cameras, 2000,000 watts of power, 25000 lights, 250 crew, 8 helicopters, 5 jets, 20 limousines and 16 police escorts.
1991:  Dire Straits had the #1 album in the U.K. with On Every Street.

1991:  Curtis Stigers from Boise, Idaho had the week's fastest-rising song--"I Wonder Why", which moved from 81 to 60.

1991:  Color Me Badd moved up to the #1 spot with "I Adore Mi Amor".  Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch with Loleatta Holloway was up from 6-2 with "Good Vibrations" and Boyz II Men reached the third position with "Motownphilly".  C + C Music Factory had song #4--"Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...".  The rest of the Top 10:  The previous #1 from Paula Abdul--"The Promise Of A New Day", Bryan Adams and his former #1 "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You". Michael Bolton was stuck with "Time, Love And Tenderness", Cathy Dennis was facing "Too Many Walls" at #8, Firehouse had their one and only Top 10 with "Love Of A Lifetime" and Rod Stewart and the Temptations joined forces for "The Motown Song" at #10.

1991:  Metallica's "Black Album" was #1 for the fourth week, holding off Unforgettable With Love from Natalie Cole and Rush, which debuted at #3 with their great album Roll the Bones.
1991:  Bryan Adams reigned for an eighth week on the Adult Contemporary chart with "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You".
1993:  Nirvana released the album In Utero.  (Note:  Some sites report the release as September 13, but the official Nirvana website shows the release as September 21.)
1996:  The Fugees were at #1 on the Singles chart in the U.K. with "Ready Or Not".
1996:  R.E.M. owned the top album in the U.K. with New Adventures in Hi-Fi.





                                           Donna Lewis owned the runner-up spot...

1996:  "Macarena" by Los Deo Rio spent an eighth week at #1.  Donna Lewis remained at #2 with one of the top #2 songs of the Rock Era*--"I Love You Always Forever"--it was now in its fifth week as the bridesmaid. 
1999:  Alanis Morissette and Everlast performed on the new live music show "Reverb" on HBO-TV.

2000:  Bono of U2 testified on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. in an effort to get debt relief approved for third world nations.
2000:  The Red Hot Chili Peppers filmed a concert at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon for later inclusion on the DVD Off the Map.








2001:  Superstars joined forces to help raise money for families of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks of September 11.  "America:  A Tribute to Heroes" was shown on 35 broadcast and cable networks and raised over $150 million in pledges.
2002:  Pink scored the #1 U.K. song with "Just Like A Pill".
2003:  Duran Duran was in concert at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California.
2004:  How far they sink.  Cat Stevens, who changed his name to Yusuf Islam, was denied entry into the United States after his name was on an anti-terrorist watch list because of ties to the loser group Hamas.




2011:  After 31 years and 15 studio albums, R.E.M. announced they were splitting up.


Born This Day:
1923:  Jimmy Young, a disc jockey who had a hit with his version of "Unchained Melody" in 1955, was born in Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England.
1932:  Don Preston, singer, songwriter and guitarist of Mothers of Invention, was born in Flint, Michigan.

1936:  Dickey Lee, who had a hit with "Patches" in 1962, was born in Memphis, Tennessee.
1944:  Jesse Ed Davis, popular session guitarist with John Lennon, Eric Clapton, the Monkees, Steve Miller, Jackson Browne and Harry Nilsson, was born in Norman, Oklahoma; died June 22, 1988 when he collapsed in a laundry room in Venice, California from heroin use.






1947:  Don Felder, ace guitarist of the Eagles, was born in Gainesville, Florida.
1954:  Phil Taylor, drummer of Motorhead, was born in Hasland, Derbyshire, England; died November 11, 2015 of liver failure.  (Note:  some websites report Taylor was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England or simply say he was born in Chesterfield.  Taylor was born in Hasland, which is a suburb of Chesterfield.  To say he was born in Chesterfield is not true, since Chesterfield is not a county but a city.  Derbyshire is the correct County of Birth)
1959:  Corinne Drewery of Swing Out Sister was born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England.







1967:  Faith Hill was born in Ridgeland, Mississippi.  (Note:  some sources claim Hill was born in Jackson, Mississippi or Star, Mississippi (south of Jackson).  Hill was adopted in Star, but she was born in Ridgeland, a town north of Jackson.)
1967:  Timmy T ("One More Try" from 1991) was born in Fresno, California.
1967:  Tyler Stewart, drummer of Barenaked Ladies, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
1968:  Trugoy (David Jude Jolicoeur) of De La Soul was born in Brooklyn, New York.







1972:  Liam Gallagher, former frontman of Oasis, was born in Burnage, Manchester, England.
1972:  David Silveria, drummer of Korn, was born in San Leandro, California.
1973:  Jimmy Constable of 911 was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.  (Note:  some websites report Jimmy was born in Toxteth, Liverpool.  Toxteth is merely an area of Liverpool; it is not a city.)
1977:  Sam Rivers, bassist of Limp Bizkit, was born in Jacksonville, Florida.