This Date in Rock Music History: December 2

1957:  Connie Francis appeared on the chart for the first time with "The Majesty Of Love".

1959:  Bobby Darin was on the television show This Is Your Life.





1963:  Roy Orbison released the single "Pretty Paper".
1963:  The Beatles performed "This Boy", "All My Loving" and "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and also took part in comedy sketches with Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise in the taping of an episode of the U.K. comedy The Morecambe and Wise Show at ATV's Elstree Studio Centre in Borehamwood, England.   The program aired April 18, 1964.








The Doors from their debut album--"Break On Through (to the Other Side)"...

1967:  The third Monkees album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. moved from 29-1 in its second week to take over.  Diana Ross and The Supremes Greatest Hits was second with Strange Days from the Doors #3 and the classic Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band from the Beatles still at #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  The self-titled Doors, Vanilla Fudge at #6, Bee Gees' 1st at #7, the Soundtrack to "Doctor Zhivago", the Four Tops Greatest Hits falling to 9 and Are You Experienced?  from the Jimi Hendrix Experience entered the Top 10.
1967:  Gladys Knight & the Pips hit #1 on the R&B chart with their remake of the Marvin Gaye song "I Heard It Through The Grapevine".


1967:  On this date, Donovan had one of the hottest songs with "Wear Your Love Like Heaven", up from #74 to #46.









1967:  "Daydream Believer" by the Monkees was the new #1 song.  The Cowsills edged up with their great song "The Rain, The Park & Other Things" while the previous #1 "Incense And Peppermints" from Strawberry Alarm Clock was third.  Lulu hadn't fallen far (to 4) with her former #1 "To Sir With Love" and Dionne Warwick had #5 with "I Say a Little Prayer".







1968:  The Bee Gees released the single "I Started A Joke".
1969:  Cindy Birdsong of the Supremes was kidnapped but managed to escape by jumping out of a car on the San Diego Freeway.
1969:  George Harrison joined Delaney & Bonnie onstage at Colston Hall in Bristol, England.








1971:  Led Zeppelin released the single "Black Dog".
1972:  "You Ought To Be With Me" by Al Green took over at #1 on the R&B chart.













"I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock & Roll Band)" from 'Seventh Sojourn'...

1972:  Catch Bull at Four by Cat Stevens continued as the #1 album for a third week.  All Directions by the Temptations was behind while Yes took third with Close to the Edge.  Stanley, Idaho's Carole King moved up to #4 with her new album Rhymes & Reasons and the Moody Blues had a sizzler with Seventh Sojourn--up from 12-5 after just three weeks.  The rest of the Top 10:  The "Superfly" Soundtrack, Phoenix from Grand Funk Railroad at #7, Caravanserai by Santana, Michael Jackson's Ben at #9 and The Band with Rock of Ages.






1972:  Lobo hit #1 on the Adult chart with "I'd Love You To Want Me".










1972:  The Temptations had their second career #1, their 13th Top 10 song, and their 33rd hit with "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone".  Helen Reddy was determined with "I Am Woman" while the previous #1 from Johnny Nash ("I Can See Clearly Now") fell to #3.  Lobo's great song "I'd Love You To Want Me" trailed, with Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes up to 5 with "If You Don't Know Me By Now".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Summer Breeze" from Seals & Crofts, Al Green was up to 7 with "You Ought To Be With Me", Albert Hammond bounced from 14-8 with "It Never Rains In Southern California", the Spinners and "I'll Be Around" and America had themselves another Top 10 song with "Ventura Highway".
1973:  The members of the Who were thrown in jail for causing $6,000 worth of destruction to a hotel room.







1975:  Ace released the single "How Long".
1976:  Elvis Presley began an 11-night gig at the Hilton Hotel
 in Las Vegas, Nevada to make up for shows that were canceled during the previous engagement .
1978:  Rod Stewart ruled on the U.K. chart with "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy".








   Foreigner's "Blue Morning, Blue Day" on 'Double Vision'...

1978:  52nd Street by Billy Joel was #1 on the Album chart for the third consecutive week.  Live and More by Donna Summer was runner-up every one of those weeks while comedian Steve Martin was up to 3 with A Wild and Crazy Guy.  Foreigner slipped with Double Vision and the "Grease" Soundtrack was still at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Styx's new album Pieces of Eight, Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits, Volume 2 debuted at #7, Comes a Time from Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt dropped to 9 with Living in the U.S.A. and the Rolling Stones were still in the list after 24 weeks with Some Girls.
1978:  "Le Freak" by Chic was the new R&B #1 song.
1978:  "Time Passages" by Al Stewart was #1 on the Adult chart for the fourth straight week.

1978:  It didn't take long for "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" to reach #1--just six weeks for Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond.  Of course, they would go on to have many more great songs but at the time of their smash collaboration, they had a combined 65 hits with 15 Top 10's and four #1's.  Donna Summer slipped to second after three weeks at the top with her remake of "MacArthur Park".  Ambrosia peaked at 3 with "How Much I Feel" while "Le Freak" by Chic was just around the corner and Gino Vannelli had his biggest career hit--"I Just Wanna' Stop".  The rest of the Top 10:  Foreigner's "Double Vision", Alicia Bridges was at 7 with "I Love The Nightlife", Al Stewart edged up with "Time Passages", Billy Joel was becoming a force with "My Life" moving 16-9 and Dr. Hook had a Top 10 with "Sharing The Night Together".
1979:  Stevie Wonder performed the album Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants with the National Afro-American Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
1979:  Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge divorced.
1982:  David Blue, who was with Bob Dylan' Rolling Thunder Revue and wrote "Outlaw Man" which the Eagles did in 1973, died of a heart attack at the age of 41 while jogging in Washington Square in New York City.
1983:  The video that would become legendary--"Thriller" was shown for the first time on television.
1986:  Jerry Lee Lewis checked into the Betty Ford Clinic to overcome an addiction to painkillers.

1989:  "Here and Now" by Luther Vandross was the new #1 song on the R&B chart.










1989:  Aerosmith moved from 85 to 59 with "Janie's Got A Gun".










1989:  Phil Collins had the new Adult Contemporary #1 with the great song "Another Day In Paradise".












1991:  Nirvana released the single "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
1991:  In yet another decision which revealed corporate greed among record companies, the United States Supreme Court ruled that B.J. Thomas, the Shirelles and Gene Pitney were owed $1.2 million in royalties they had earned but were never paid by their employer.






1995:  The Guinness Book of World Records announced that The Sign by Ace of Base was the top-selling debut album of all-time with 19 million copies sold worldwide.









1995:  One of the hottest songs on this date was "The World I Know" by Collective Soul, which moved from 62 to 51.









1995:  An historic day in the Rock Era as the collaboration between Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men--"One Sweet Day" debuted at #1.  That dropped Whitney Houston to second after a week with "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)".  "Hey Lover" from LL Cool J was third followed by "Fantasy" from Mariah Carey and the great song "Gangsta's Paradise" from Coolio.  The rest of the Top 10:  R. Kelly dropped with "You Remind Me Of Something", Janet Jackson had #7 with "Runaway", TLC's great song "Diggin' On You" was #8, "Name" from the Goo Goo Dolls was stuck on 9 and "Tell Me" by Groove Theory wrapped up the list.
1996:  Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows fell during a concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, severing a ligament and tearing cartilage in his knee.




1997:  Janet Jackson released the single "Together Again".
1998:  Jimmy Buffett gave a benefit concert in Mobile, Alabama for victims of Hurricane George.
2000:  The Smashing Pumpkins played their final concert at the Metro Club in Chicago, Illinois.
2001:  Valerie Jones, who sang backing vocals for Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls, Teddy Pendergras, Lou Reed and Betty Everett, died in Detroit, Michigan of an undisclosed illness at age 45.
2001:  Daniel Bedingfield owned the #1 song in the U.K. with "Gotta' Get Thru This".
2001:  Creed rose to the top of the Album chart with Weathered.
2002:  Peter Garrett quit the group Midnight Oil after 25 years.

2003:  Alicia Keys released her second album The Diary of Alicia Keys.









2003:  Simon & Garfunkel's reunion tour took the legendary duo to Madison Square Garden and their first concert in New York City in 10 years.  The concert was recorded and released as the DVD Old Friends:  Live on Stage.
2003:  Alice Cooper was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2006:  Beyonce signed a deal that would net her more money than any other African-American actress for her role in Dreamgirls.
2006:  Mariska Veres, singer of the Shocking Blue ("Venus" from 1970), died at the age of 59 from cancer in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Born This Day:
1906:  Dr. Peter Carl Goldmark, who invented the long-playing record in 1945; died in a car crash on December 7, 1977 in Westchester County, New York.
1941:  Tom McGuinness, bass guitarist with Manfred Mann, was born in Wimbledon, London, England.
1942:  Ted Bluechel, drummer of the Association, was born in San Pedro, California.
1943:  Dave Munden of the Tremeloes ("Silence Is Golden") was born in Dagenham, Essex, England.
1948:  Scott Simon of Sha Na Na was born in Boston, Massachusetts.
1952:  Abel Zarate, vocalist and guitarist with Malo ("Suavecito" from 1972), was born in Manila, the Philippines.

1960:  Rick Savage, founding member and bassist of Def Leppard, was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.
1968:  Nate Mendel, bass guitarist of the Foo Fighters, was born in Richland, Washington.
1970:  Treach (real name Anthony Criss) of Naughty By Nature was born in Newark, New Jersey.  (Note:  some websites show that Anthony was born in East Orange, New Jersey.  According to agent Roger Paul, as well as the book 'And It Don't Stop:  The Best American Hip-Hop Journalism of the Last 25 Years' by Raquel Cepeda, Criss was born in Newark and moved to East Orange when he was two years old.)







1978:  Nelly Furtado was born in Victoria, British Columbia.
1978:  Chris Wolstenholme, bassist of Muse, was born in Rotherham, Yorkshire, England.
1981:  One of the low points of the Rock Era--Britney Spears was born in McComb, Mississippi.

The Best 150 Christmas Songs of All-Time, December 1

As a holiday treat, Inside the Rock Era will present The Best Christmas Songs of All-Time*.  Rather than give them to you all at once, which would require a good deal of time to sort through, we are featuring six per day, beginning today and going through Christmas Day, for a total of 150 songs.  We aren't going to "count them down" or anything, because we want to feature some of the great songs at the start of the month as well.  So the 150 songs are well mixed in terms of quality. 

Plus, I tried to find at least one great version of the traditional songs to mix in with the secular songs.  So make sure you check out the blog every day to properly "get in the spirit" before you start your day.  Here are the first six:

"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"

 by Johnny Mathis

Meredith Wilson (who did music for The Music Man) wrote this song in 1951.  It was been recorded by several artists.  Johnny Mathis' version picked up popularity when it was included in the movie Home Alone 2:  Lost in New York, but it has always been a holiday favorite.  It is included because Mathis sings it joyfully.  The backing vocals, which alternate often with Mathis, add substantially to the song's appeal as well.

"Silent Night"

 by Boyz II Men

The song "Stille Nacht" with German lyrics was written by the priest Father Joseph Mohr with music from Franz Haver Gruber in Obendorf bei Salzburg, Austria. Second Bishop John Freeman Young of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida wrote the English translation that is often heard today.

There are several versions of this great song included--it perhaps is the Christmas song which most fits what should be the mood of the season. An amazing performance by Boyz II Men sung A Capella. The Boyz sing it with great reverence, which was the way it was written. 

"Go Tell It on the Mountain"

 by Mahalia Jackson

The third song today is an African-American spiritual written by John Wesley Work, Jr. and dating back to at least 1865.

This version is included in The Best Christmas Songs of All-Time* because Mahalia sings it with great passion and conviction.  I believe she captures the original intent better than anyone else.

"Winter Wonderland"

 by the Eurythmics

This winter song has become a Christmas standard.  Richard B. Smith wrote the words after Central Park in his hometown of Honesdale, Pennsylvania was covered in snow.  Felix Bernard put the message to music.  

Over 150 artists have recorded the song.  One of the best versions is this one by the Eurythmics.  The musical accompaniment and the interlude from Annie Lennox of the duo add considerably to the song.  Winter can be drudgery, to be sure, but these aspects of the song convey the fun aspect of winter.

"Silver Bells"

 by Kenny G

Jay Livingston and Ray Evans wrote this song that was first performed by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell in 1950 for the movie The Lemon Drop Kid.

The song has been recorded by hundreds of artists despite the song being one of the newest of what we call Christmas standards.  This song is included because, as an instrumental, it is naturally unique from vocal versions.  Kenny G is one of the best artists for Christmas songs and his great sax playing adds much to this song.  His ad-libbing captures the celebratory nature of the song, ringing silver bells to celebrate the season.

"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"

 by the Carpenters

One of the most popular of the secular Christmas songs, this was written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie.  It was first sung on Eddie Cantor's radio show in November of 1934.  There were orders for 100,000 copies of sheet music the next day and 400,000 by Christmas.

Another of the top Christmas performers is the Carpenters.  They have several songs included among The 150 Best Christmas Songs of All-Time*.  Karen's voice in many ways sounds like Christmas; she definitely had a gift from God.

This Date in Rock Music History: December 1

1956:  The rock & roll movie Shake, Rattle and Rock opened in theaters.  (Note:  there are several websites which call the movie 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' (presumably after the Bill Haley song of the same name).  There was no such movie in the 50's; there was a film series of the 90's called 'Shake, Rattle and Roll'.  The movie that opened on this date was a comedy called Shake, Rattle and Rock, according to 'Turner Classic Movies' and other authoritative sites.)

1956:  "Blueberry Hill" by Fats Domino was the #1 R&B song for the seventh week.
1957:  Buddy Holly & the Crickets, Sam Cooke and the Rays made their debut on The Ed Sullivan Show.  Holly & the Crickets performed "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue" while Sam Cooke sang "You Send Me".
1958:  "Topsy II" by Cozy Cole spent a sixth week at #1 on the R&B chart.

1958:  The Teddy Bears had the #1 song with "To Know Him Is To Love Him".
1960:  Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee married.
1961:  Brian Epstein met with Decca Records to discuss a deal for a hot new band he was interested in called the Beatles.  This led to Decca A&R man Mike Smith going to the Cavern in Liverpool to hear the group, and an audition by a nervous young group of musicians with Decca on January 1, 1962.  In one of the classic music blunders of all-time, Decca turned the group down after their audition in favor of Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, telling Epstein, "The Beatles have no future in show business."  (Note:  several websites report that Epstein was the Beatles' manager when he met with Decca for the first time.  This is not true--after being impressed by the group at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, Epstein worked feverishly behind the scenes to follow his instincts that the group could be a landmark act before beginning serious negotiations with the group.  The Beatles did not form a loose managerial agreement with Epstein to hire him as their manager until after a meeting on December 10, and signed a management contract to this effect on January 24, 1962, according to the book 'Read the Beatles:  Classic and New Writings on the Beatles' by June Skinner Sawyers and numerous credible sources.)

1961:  While Epstein was working on his vision, the Beatles did their usual lunchtime show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool and headlined a six-act Big Beat Session at the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton in Wallasey, England.  The Ballroom was named after a tower that had since been torn down, but, at 567 feet, was Britain's tallest building when it was built in 1900.  This was the third time the Beatles had performed in the Ballroom.
1962:  Brenda Lee registered a fourth week at #1 on the Easy Listening chart with "All Alone Am I".
  
    I write "I'm Sorry" but my letter keeps coming back...

1962:  The 4 Seasons held on to #1 for a third week with "Big Girls Don't Cry".  Elvis Presley had one of the top #2 songs of the Rock Era with "Return To Sender".  Marcie Blane was up to 3 with "Bobby's Girl" while Chubby Checker edged up with "Limbo Rock".  The rest of the Top 10:  "All Alone Am I" from Brenda Lee, "Don't Hang Up" from Orlons at #6, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass moved from 11-7 with their great instrumental "The Lonely Bull", "Ride!" from Dee Dee Sharp, the Crystals slipped with their big hit "He's A Rebel" and Neil Sedaka was down to 10 with "Next Door To An Angel".




1965:  The Zombies released the single "Tell Her No".
1964:  The Who played the first of 22 straight nights at the Marquee Club in London.
1965:  The Rolling Stones were at the PNE Agrodome in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on their second American tour.
1966:  Jimi Hendrix signed a management deal with Yameta, a company owned by managers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp of the Who.

1966:  Tom Jones found himself at #1 in the U.K. with his version of "Green, Green Grass of Home".
1967:  Ringo Starr flew to Rome, Italy to begin filming the movie Candy.
1967:  Jimmie Rodgers ("Honeycomb" in 1957) was found with a fractured skull on the San Diego Freeway in California after he was stopped by an off-duty policeman.  The policeman's account was the he stopped Rodgers after his driving was erratic, and then Rodgers fell and hit his head when he got out of the car.  Rodgers survived, but had no memory of how he suffered the injuries.
1968:  Janis Joplin performed with Big Brother & the Holding Company for the final time at a Dog Family benefit show in San Francisco, California.






1972:  The Eagles released the single "Peaceful Easy Feeling".
1973:  Helen Reddy took over at #1 on the Adult chart with "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)".










1973:  The Carpenters had their 10th Top 10 song out of 12 releases and this one--"Top Of The World" became their second #1.  Ringo Starr slipped with "Photograph", Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" moved from 9-3 and Billy Preston was at 4 with "Space Race".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Keep On Truckin'" from Eddie Kendricks, Chicago's great song "Just You 'N' Me" was #6, switching spots with "Midnight Train To Georgia" from Gladys Knight & the Pips, Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes were up with "The Love I Lost", the DeFranco Family came in ninth with "Heartbeat - It's A Lovebeat" and Charlie Rich had #10--"The Most Beautiful Girl".




  The incredible "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding"...


1973:  Elton John continued to pace the album chart for the fourth week with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.








1978:  The Doobie Brothers released the album Minute by Minute.
1979:  For the third straight week, J.D. Souther was on top the Adult Contemporary chart with "You're Only Lonely".









1979:  "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles moved from 65 to 44 on this date.
1979:  "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes entered the Top 10.








       
       The Eagles tell it like it is, sad but true...

1979:  The Eagles were flying high, perched on top of the Album chart for the fifth week with their great album The Long Run.  On the Radio-Greatest Hits-Volumes I & II by Donna Summer moved to #2 while former #1 In Through the Out Door by Led Zeppelin was still at #3.  Tusk from Fleetwood Mac remained fourth with Stevie Wonder taking position #5--Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants.  The rest of the Top 10:  Rise from Herb Alpert, Styx's Cornerstone after peaking at #2, Wet from Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow remained at #9 with One Voice and the double-album Bee Gees Greatest was #10.




1980:  Dan Fogelberg released the single "Same Old Lang Syne".











1980:  U2 opened for the Talking Heads at the Hammersmith Palais in London.
1982:  A very famous day in the Rock Era as Michael Jackson released the album Thriller.








1984:  Ashford & Simpson moved into the #1 slot on the R&B chart with "Solid".
1984:  Lionel Richie's "Penny Lover" was the new #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.








1984:  The "Purple Rain" Soundtrack by Prince tied More of the Monkees for the fourth-most weeks at #1 on the Album chart to that time with 18.  Born in the U.S.A. from Bruce Springsteen continued to challenge with Private Dancer from Tina Turner third and Volume One by the Honeydrippers peaking at #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Big Bam Boom from Hall & Oates, "The Woman in Red" Soundtrack at #6, Can't Slow Down by Lionel Richie not doing so, in fact up 1 after 56 weeks, Sports from Huey Lewis & the News still hot after 61 weeks, Suddenly from Billy Ocean at #9 and Chicago moved into the Top 10 with Chicago 17.




1986:  Lee Dorsey ("Ya Ya") died of emphysema in New Orleans, Louisiana at the age of 61.
1988:  Steve Winwood and his wife celebrated the birth of daughter Elizabeth Dawn.
1989:  Sly Stone (of Sly & the Family Stone) was sentenced to 55 days in county jail for driving under the influence of cocaine.

                  "Something to Save", one of the great tracks on 'Listen without Prejudice'...

1990:  To the Extreme by Vanilla Ice was #1 for the fourth week with the previous #1 Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em from MC Hammer still second.  Mariah Carey's debut was third followed by The Rhythm of the Saints from Paul Simon and Whitney Houston was up from 22-5 with I'm Your Baby Tonight.  The rest of the Top 10:  Recycler from ZZ Top, The Razors Edge by AC/DC dropping to #7, Wilson Phillips still hanging around after 34 weeks, Bette Midler at #9 with Some People's Lives and the classic George Michael album Listen Without Prejudice at #10.
1990:  Whitney Houston owned the top R&B song--"I'm Your Baby Tonight".




1990:  Whitney Houston was on fire with her eighth #1 and 11th Top 10 song out of just 15 releases.  "I'm Your Baby Tonight" took over from Mariah Carey's "Love Takes Time".  Stevie B was coming up fast with "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Groove Is In The Heart" by Deee-Lite, Bette Midler had #5--"From A Distance", Poison was stuck on 6 with "Something To Believe In", Alias dropped after peaking at 2 with "More Than Words Can Say", UB40 moved into the Top 10 with their remake of "The Way You Do The Things You Do", Wilson Phillips had yet another smash from their debut album, moving from 15-8 with "Impulsive" and Tony!  Toni!  Tone!  fell with "Feels Good".
1990:  Bette Midler remained at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for the fifth consecutive week with "From A Distance".
1994:  In today's episode of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, we go to a courtroom where Tupac Shakur was convicted of sexually abusing a woman in a hotel room.  He was later sentenced to 1 1/2 to 4 1/2 years in prison.  Woo Hoo!
1995:  An auction of Frank Sinatra's possessions netted over $2 million.
1996:  Irving Gordon, songwriter who wrote "Unforgettable" for Nat King Cole, died of cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 81.

1997:  Kenny G set a new world record when he held a note on his saxophone for 45 minutes and 47 seconds and J&R Music World in New York City.
1999:  Krist Novoselic of Nivana and Kim Thayil, elite guitarist of Soundgarden had a concert in Seattle, Washington to protest the World Trade Organization summit there.
1999:  A bonus segment of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music:  Jay-Z stabbed a man at a party at the Kit Kat Klub in Manhattan, New York. Remind me not to invite him or anyone associated with him to any of my parties.  Jay-Z was sentenced to three years.
2003:  Not one, two, but three episodes of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music on this date (which pretty much proves the point).  Police in Fontana, California issued a warrant for rapper and producer DJ Quik, who was wanted in connection with an assault on his sister.
2004:  Marianne Faithfull collapsed from chronic exhaustion and suffered a seizure in Milan, Italy, forcing cancellation of the remaining dates of her European tour.

2004:  U2 debuted at #1 on the Album chart with How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.


Born This Day:
1930:  Matt Monro ("Walk Away" from 1964) was born in Shoreditch, London; died February 7, 1985 of liver cancer in London.

1933:  Lou Rawls was born in Chicago, Illinois; died January 6, 2006 in Los Angeles, California of lung and brain cancer.  (Note:  several websites claim Rawls was born in 1935.  When in doubt, check the tombstone, which clearly shows that Lou was born in 1933.)
1934:  Billy Paul ("Me and Mrs. Jones") was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1938:  Sandy Nelson, who gave us the great instrumental "Let There Be Drums", was born in Santa Monica, California.
1944:  Eric Bloom, lead singer of Blue Oyster Cult, was born in Brooklyn, New York.  (Note:  some websites claim that Bloom was born in New York City.  According to Dean Guitars, which Bloom endorses, and census records, Eric was born in Brooklyn.)
1944:  John Densmore, drummer of the Doors, was born in Los Angeles.

1945:  Bette Midler was born in Honolulu, Hawai'i.

1946:  Gilbert O'Sullivan was born in Waterford, Ireland.
1963:  Sam Reid, keyboardist and founding member of Glass Tiger ("Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone"), was born in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
1971:  Greg Upchurch, drummer for Puddle of Mudd who joined 3 Doors Down in 2005, was born in Bayou Cane, Louisiana.

1977:  Brad Delson, lead guitarist of Linkin Park, was born in Agoura Hills, California.

This Date in Rock Music History: November 30

1954:  Nat King Cole played the first of six nights at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York.

1960:  The Shirelles re-released the single "Dedicated To The One I Love".  (Note:  some websites claim the single was released in December of 1961.  It was first released in April of 1959, then re-released after "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" became a hit.  The second time, it debuted on the chart on December 26, 1960, so it is physically impossible for the song to chart in 1960 and then not be released until 1961.) 

1960:  The Beatles performed for the final time at the Kaiserkeller in Hamburg, Germany, wrapping up a 56-night run.
1963:  "She Loves You" returned to #1 on the U.K. chart. 
1963:  With the Beatles, was #1 on the Album chart in the U.K. on this date.  (Note:  several websites erroneously say that the album was the first million-seller in the U.K.  Not true.  The Soundtrack to "South Pacific" achieved that feat this month, while 'With the Beatles" did not reach one million until 1965.)






1965:  Petula Clark released the single "Downtown".











1965:  Lou Christie released the single "Lightnin' Strikes".
1968:  Cheap Thrills by Big Brother & the Holding Company took over as the #1 album.
1968:  Mary Hopkin ruled the Easy Listening chart for a fifth week with "Those Were The Days".
1969:  Simon & Garfunkel's television special Songs of America was broadcast.
1969:  Here's a show for you:  King Crimson, Iron Butterfly, Ten Years After, the Band, Janis Joplin, Steppenwolf, the Moody Blues and the Rolling Stones in concert at the International Raceway Festival in West Palm Beach, Florida.
1969:  The Monkees appeared in what would be their final live performance in 15 years at the Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California.

1970:  Dave Edmunds released the single "I Hear You Knocking".










1971:  Al Green released the single "Let's Stay Together".  (Note:  one website reports the release as 1972--the song debuted on both the R&B and Popular charts on December 4, making it physically impossible for the song to be released after it charted.)
1974:  Neil Sedaka's big comeback hit "Laughter In Rhe Rain" remained on top of the Adult chart for a second week.








      The Three Degrees with their Supremesesque smash...

1974:  Billy Swan enjoyed a second week at #1 with "I Can Help" but newcomer Carl Douglas moved to challenge with "Kung Fu Fighting".  The Three Degrees were up from 8 to 3 with "When Will I See You Again".  B.T. Express backtracked with "Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)" and Neil Diamond ("Longfellow Serenade") and Carl Carlton ("Everlasting Love") held on to their positions.  The rest of the Top 10:  "My Melody Of Love" by Bobby Vinton, Bachman-Turner Overdrive  scored their first Top 10 hit, and it appeared to be a big one, as "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" rocketed up from 34 to 8, Harry Chapin edged up with "Cat's In The Cradle" and Helen Reddy achieved her 10th career hit and fifth Top 10 with "Angie Baby".

                   The title track from Not Fragile...

1974:  Elton John's Greatest Hits moved from #47 to #1 on the Album chart.  That bumped the Rolling Stones album It's Only Rock 'N Roll from the top after just one week.  BTO's breakthrough Not Fragile was third with Walls and Bridges from John Lennon moving to 4.











1977:  The Atlanta Rhythm Section released the single "So In To You".







 

1980:  Pink Floyd released the double album The Wall.
1982:  Bassist Ron McGovney played for the final time with Metallica at the Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco, California.
1985:  Wham!  had the #1 song in the U.K. with "I'm Your Man".
1985:  "Separate Lives" stood alone on the Adult Contemporary chart for a third week for Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin.




             
                         New group Mr. Mister...

1985:  Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin had the #1 song with "Separate Lives".  Starship flew down after two weeks with "We Built This City" while Mr. Mister was up to #3 with "Broken Wings".  Glenn Frey's "You Belong To The City" dropped after peaking at #2, Heart remained the same with "Never" and the Thompson Twins peaked at #6 with "Lay Your Hands On Me".  The rest of the Top 10:  Aretha Franklin with "Who's Zoomin' Who", Arcadia sung about "Election Day", Eddie Murphy had a hit with "Party All The Time" and ZZ Top hopped out of their "Sleeping Bag" to move from 14-10. 
1991:  Rob Pilatus of Milli Vanilli attempted suicide at the Mondrain Hotel in Los Angeles.
1991:  Dangerous by Michael Jackson topped the U.K. Album chart.
      
        Remembering this great one from Paula...

1991:  PM Dawn collected their second #1 song with "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss", moving Michael Bolton out of the top spot with "When A Man Loves A Woman".  Michael Jackson ripped up the chart from 35 to 3 with "Black Or White", Boyz II Men were a fixture with "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday", Prince's "Cream" dropped to #5 and Paula Abdul had the #6 song--"Blowing Kisses In The Wind".  The rest of the Top 10:  Color Me Badd moved from 21-7 with "All 4 Love", Naughty By Nature had "O.P.P.", Natural Selection entered the list with "Do Anything" and Bryan Adams dropped with his big hit "Can't Stop This Thing We Started".
1991:  Amy Grant had the new #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart--her great song "That's What Love Is For".

1991:  Garth Brooks' monumental album Ropin' the Wind was #1 for the eighth week.  MC Hammer had #2--Too Legit to Quit.  Other albums of note--Genesis debuted at #4 with We Can't Dance, Nevermind from Nirvana slipped to #5 after just eight weeks, the self-titled Metallica was #7, Time, Love & Tenderness from Michael Bolton entered the Top 10 and Garth Brooks fever was running high as his previous album No Fences entered the Top 10 after 63 weeks of release.
1994:  Tupac Shakur was shot five times during a robbery outside a recording studio in New York City, the day before the verdict in his sexual abuse trial.

        "Don't Speak"--the great track on Tragic Kingdom...

1996:  The good albums on the chart were Tragic Kingdom from No Doubt, which was #3 after 46 weeks, Celine Dion had #4--Falling Into You, Toni Braxton's Secrets entered the Top 10 with Secrets and the Best of Volume 1 from Van Halen was #10.
1996:  Barbra Streisand and Bryan Adams hooked up for a fast-rising song--"I Finally Found Someone", up from 28 to 11.
1996:  Blackstreet remained at #1 for a fifth week with "No Diggity", holding off Toni Braxton's "Un-Break My Heart" for now.
1999:  Don "Sugarcane" Harris, guitarist who worked with Little Richard, John Mayall and Frank Zappa, was found dead in his apartment from drugs in Los Angeles at the age of 61.  (Note:  some websites show his death as November 27, but 'The Guardian" newspaper, as well as the book 'Rock Obituaries:  Knocking on Heaven's Door' by Nick Talevski, show that Don's death was November 30.) 
2003:  Joey Ramone Place (the corner of Bowery and 2nd Street) was named in New York City for the musician from the Ramones.
2005:  System of a Down held the #1 spot on the Album chart with Hypnotize.
2006:  Cheffins auctioneers in Cambridge, England sold the final belongings of Syd Barrett, once with Pink Floyd.  The two-day sale raised a grand total of $233,786.
2008:  Take That achieved a #1 song in the U.K. with "Greatest Day".

Born This Day:
1914:  Allan Sherman ("Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah" from 1963) was born in Chicago, Illinois; died of emphysema at his home in West Hollywood, California on November 20, 1973.  (Note:  several websites show his death as November 21, but the Hillside Memorial Park, where Sherman is buried, shows his death as November 20.)



1929:  Dick Clark, longtime host of American Bandstand, was born in Mount Vernon, New York; died of a heart attack in Santa Monica, California on April 18, 2012.
1937:  Luther Ingram ("[If Loving You is Wrong] I Don't Want to Be Right") was born in Jackson, Tennessee; died of heart failure in Belleville, Illinois on March 19, 2007.  (Note:  some websites place his birth year as 1937, but 'USA Today' reports that it was 1944.)
1937:  Frank Ifield ("I Remember You" from 1962) was born in Coundon, Coventry, England.
1943:  Leo Lyons, bassist of Ten Years After ("I'd Love To Change The World"), was born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England.




1944:  Rob Grill, singer, songwriter and bassist of the Grass Roots, was born in Los Angeles; died July 11, 2011 in a hospital in Orlando, Florida after sustaining a head injury several weeks before from falling after suffering a stroke in Lake County, Florida.  

1945:  Roger Glover, songwriter, producer, bassist and keyboardist of Deep Purple, was born in Brecon, Wales.

1954:  June Pointer of the Pointer Sisters, was born in Oakland, California; died April 11, 2006 in Los Angeles after suffering a stroke in February and being diagnosed with cancer shortly before her death.
1953:  David Sancious, keyboard player and guitarist and an early member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, was born in Long Branch, New Jersey.  (Note:  some websites mistakenly say his birthplace was Asbury Park, New Jersey; David's official website shows that he was born in Long Branch.)
1954:  George McArdle, bass guitarist of the Little River Band, was born in Melbourne, Australia. 





1955:  Billy Idol was born in Stanmore, Middlesex, England.
1957:  John Ashton, founding member and guitarist of the Psychedelic Furs, was born in Forest Gate, London.
1958:  Stacey Q ("Two Of Hearts" from 1985) was born in Fullerton, California. 
1965:  Paul Wheeler, guitarist of Icehouse






1968:  Des'ree ("You Gotta' Be") was born in London.









1973:  John Moyer, bassist of Disturbed, was born in El Paso, Texas.
1978:  Clay Aiken was born in Raleigh, North Carolina.