Here's another of the top album tracks of the Rock Era that we want to showcase. It is from the best album the Cougar Man ever put out--Scarecrow:
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Friday, January 4, 2013
This Date in Rock Music History: January 5
1954: Elvis Presley recorded a 10-minute demo tape at Memphis Recording Studio.
1957: Pat Boone began filming the movie Bernadine.
1957: Ivory Joe Hunter took over from Fats Domino's "Blueberry Hill" at #1 on the R&B chart. "Since I Met You Baby" moved into the top spot after Fats had owned the position for 11 weeks.
1958: Pat Boone was the mystery guest on the television show What's My Line? on CBS.
1959: Buddy Holly released the single "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" on Coral Records, the final release before his death.
1959: Jackie Wilson logged a fourth week at #1 on the R&B chart with "Lonely Teardrops".
1959: "The Chipmunk Song" by the Chipmunks remained at #1 for a third week, holding off "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" by the Platters, which was being patient while waiting a turn. The Teddy Bears remained third with "To Know Him Is To Love Him" and the Everly Brothers reached the fourth position with "Problems". The rest of the Top 10: Elvis Presley with "One Night", Connie Francis burst into the Top 10 (13-6) with "My Happiness", the Kingston Trio were headed southward with "Tom Dooley", Clyde McPhatter asked "A Lover's Question" at #8 and Billy Grammer's "Gotta' Travel On" skipped over "Whole Lotta' Loving" by Fats Domino.
1961: The Beatles played at Litherland Town Hall in Liverpool, England. Two members of Rory Storm & the Hurricanes--Johnny Guitar and Ringo Starr, were in the audience. Paul McCartney played bass for the Beatles for the first time, as Stuart Sutcliffe decided to stay in Hamburg, Germany.
1963: Steve Lawrence remained on top of the Easy Listening chart for a fourth week with "Go Away Little Girl".
1963: The great instrumental "Telstar" by the Tornadoes remained at #1 overall for a third week.
1965: The Supremes began recording "Stop! In The Name Of Love" at the Hitsville U.S.A. Studios in Detroit, Michigan (Note: 'Rolling Stone' and other sites report that the group recorded this on January 5, as if the song was recorded in one day. The group spent three days on the song--January 5, 7, and 11th.)
1966: The Beatles recorded overdubs for the movie The Beatles At Shea Stadium.
1966: The Who performed on the U.K. television show The Whole Scene Going.
1967: Paul McCartney recorded his vocal for "Penny Lane" for the Beatles' upcoming album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
1967: Tommy James & the Shondells released the single "I Think We're Alone Now".
1967: Pink Floyd was in concert at the Marquee Club in London.
1968: Jimi Hendrix was thrown in jail in Stockholm, Sweden after going crazy and destroying everything in his room at the Goteborg Hotel.
Creedence with their great song "Keep On Chooglin'"...
1969: CCR released the album Bayou Country.
1970: Brook Benton released the great single "Rainy Night In Georgia".
"It's Going to Take Some Time" featuring the great flute solo by Bob Messenger...
1974: The Carpenters had the first #1 album of the New Year as their compilation The Singles 1969-1973 took over from Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. You Don't Mess Around with Jim by Jim Croce was #3, as fans continued to discover the greatness of the late singer/songwriter. The Steve Miller Band fell with The Joker and the Soundtrack to "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Neil Diamond trailed. The rest of the Top 10: Another posthumous album from Croce--I Got a Name, rose from 12 to 6, Quadrophenia by the Who remained at #7, Ringo from Ringo Starr, Bette Midler with her self-titled release and Full Sail from Loggins & Messina.
Al Wilson had a smash with "Show and Tell"...
1974: Jim Croce remained at #1 with "Time In A Bottle", one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*. Steve Miller Band closed with "The Joker", passing over Helen Reddy's ("Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)". Charlie Rich saw his former #1 "The Most Beautiful Girl" drop but Al Wilson was on the move with his great new song "Show And Tell". The rest of a solid Top 10: Elton John and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", Barry White was "Never, Never Gonna' Give Ya' Up", Stevie Wonder was just beginning a great mid-70's run with his 33rd hit and 16th Top 10 song ("Living For The City") while Gladys Knight & the Pips entered the list with "I've Got To Use My Imagination".
1979: Prince made his debut as a solo artist at the Capri Theatre in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1980: Michael Jackson took over the #1 slot on the R&B chart with "Rock With You".
1980: Stevie Wonder registered a third straight week at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Send One Your Love".
1980: People were discovering the great In Through the Out Door album and on this date, Led Zeppelin moved from 64 to 42 with "Fool in the Rain".
Kool and the Gang had it down...
1980: K.C. and the Sunshine Band made a comeback of sorts with "Please Don't Go" at #1, knocking off Rupert Holmes and "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)". Michael Jackson raced into the Top 10 with "Rock With You", moving from 11-3 and Stevie Wonder had another big hit with "Send One Your Love". The rest of an excellent Top 10: The Captain & Tennille's "Do That To Me One More Time" was #6, but former #1 "Babe" from Styx and "Still" from the Commodores held the next two spots, Kenny Rogers shot up from 22 to 8 with "Coward Of The County", Kool & the Gang and "Ladies Night" while Cliff Richard had a rare U.S. hit with "We Don't Talk Anymore".
"Even the Losers", one of the great tracks on 'Damn the Torpedoes'...
1980: Donna Summer's compilation On the Radio-Greatest Hits-Volumes I & II moved to #1 on the Album chart with the double-album compilation Bee Gees Greatest moving to #2. Cornerstone by Styx continued to hold down #3 while Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants by Stevie Wonder and the previous #1 The Long Run from the Eagles were close behind. The rest of an incredible Top 10: In Through the Out Door by Led Zeppelin, The Wall from Pink Floyd moved from 20-7, Damn the Torpedoes by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Tusk from Fleetwood Mac and Michael Jackson had his biggest career album to date with Off the Wall.
1984: The Police announced that their farewell concert would be March 2 in Australia.
1985: Jermaine Jackson continued to top the AC chart for a third week with "Do What You Do".
1985: Cyndi Lauper re-entered the Top 10 on the Album chart with She's So Unusual after 55 weeks of release with her debut album while a great new album, Reckless from Bryan Adams, moved to #10.
1985: Madonna remained at #1 with her first chart-topper "Like A Virgin". Duran Duran was second with "The Wild Boys" while the Honeydrippers edged up with their remake of "Sea Of Love". The New Edition was right behind with "Cool It Now" and Pat Benatar had another smash with "We Belong". The rest of the Top 10: actor Jack Wagner with "All I Need", Hall & Oates were on the way down with "Out Of Touch", Bryan Adams moved in with "Run To You", Chicago collected hit #38 with "You're The Inspiration" and John Lennon's son Julian had a Top 10 hit with "Valotte".
1987: Huey Lewis & the News released the single "Jacob's Ladder".
1990: Paul McCartney was in concert at the NEC Birmingham in England.
Suzanne Vega with her second Top 10 hit...
1991: Madonna scored her 10th career #1 with "Justify My Love". Stevie B finally relinquished his hold after four weeks with "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)", Bette Midler remained close behind with "From A Distance" and the Damn Yankees were up to 4 with "High Enough". The rest of the Top 10: "Tom's Diner" from D.N.A. with Suzanne Vega, Wilson Phillips dropped slowly with "Impulsive", Janet Jackson reached the Top 10 for the 11th time with "Love Will Never Do (Without You)", Ralph Tresvant moved to 8 with "Sensitivity", Surface was racing up (16-9) with "The First Time" and Whitney Houston's former #1 "I'm Your Baby Tonight" was now at #10.
1998: Sonny Bono of Sonny & Cher, later mayor of Palm Springs, California and a United States Congressman, died in a skiing accident when he hit a tree at the Heavenly Ski Resort near South Lake Tahoe, California at the age of 63.
2003: Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving after being stopped in California. He failed the breath test and was thrown in jail.
2004: A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys chased down and captured a jewel thief in the parking lot of the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. McLean was in the hotel's boutique when he spotted the man running off with a diamond ring.
2004: B2K ("Bump, Bump Bump") announced they were breaking up.
2004: John Guerin, a prolific session drummer who worked with Elvis Presley, Elton John, the Beach Boys, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, Kenny Rogers, Helen Reddy, the Everly Brothers, Bread, the Association, Joni Mitchell, Sheena Easton, the Monkees, Seals & Crofts, the Byrds, Willie Nelson, Todd Rundgren, Frank Zappa and Gram Parsons, among others, died from pneumonia in West Hills, California at age 64. (Some websites claim Guerin died on January 7. He died January 5 according to the newspaper 'The Telegraph', 'Jazz Times' and 'MTV'.)
2005: Danny Sugerman, manager of the Doors and writer of the biography No One Gets Out of Here Alive, died from lung cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 50. (Note: some websites report that Sugerman died on January 6, but it was January 5, according to the newspaper 'The Los Angeles Times'.)
2010: Willie Mitchell ("Soul Serenade" from 1968), who also produced for Al Green and others, and owned Royal Studio, where John Mayer and Buddy Guy recorded, died at the age of 81 after suffering cardiac arrest in Memphis, Tennessee.
Born This Day:
1923: Sam Phillips, the founder of Sun Records who discovered Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, was born near Florence, Alabama; died of respiratory failure in Memphis, Tennessee on July 30, 2003.
1929: Wilbert Harrison ("Kansas City" from 1959) was born in Charlotte, North Carolina; died of a stroke in a Spencer, North Carolina nursing home on October 26, 1994.
1930: Don Rondo ("White Silver Sands") was born in Ware, Massachusetts; died January 27, 2011 after a battle with lung cancer.
1932: Johnny Adams ("Reconsider Me" from 1969) was born in New Orleans, Louisiana; died of cancer September 14, 1998 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
1934: Phil Ramone, songwriter, violinist, recording engineer, and legendary producer of the best albums that Billy Joel did as well as albums by Elton John, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Chicago, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Barry Manilow, Rod Stewart, Olivia Newton-John, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Gloria Estefan, Guess Who, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Richard Marx, Sheena Easton, Peter, Paul and Mary and Ray Charles, among others, was born in South Africa; died March 30, 2013 in Manhattan, New York after being hospitalized for an aortic aneurysm.
1940: George Malone of the Monotones; died October 5, 2007 of a stroke in Avondale, Arizona.
1949: George Brown, drummer of Kool & the Gang, was born in Jersey City, New Jersey.
1950: Chris Stein, co-founder and guitarist of Blondie, was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1964: Grant Young, drummer of Soul Asylum ("Runaway Train"), was born in Iowa City, Iowa. (Note: some websites show his birth year as 1963; he was born in 1964 according to 'MTV'.)
1957: Ivory Joe Hunter took over from Fats Domino's "Blueberry Hill" at #1 on the R&B chart. "Since I Met You Baby" moved into the top spot after Fats had owned the position for 11 weeks.
1958: Pat Boone was the mystery guest on the television show What's My Line? on CBS.
1959: Buddy Holly released the single "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" on Coral Records, the final release before his death.
1959: Jackie Wilson logged a fourth week at #1 on the R&B chart with "Lonely Teardrops".
1959: "The Chipmunk Song" by the Chipmunks remained at #1 for a third week, holding off "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" by the Platters, which was being patient while waiting a turn. The Teddy Bears remained third with "To Know Him Is To Love Him" and the Everly Brothers reached the fourth position with "Problems". The rest of the Top 10: Elvis Presley with "One Night", Connie Francis burst into the Top 10 (13-6) with "My Happiness", the Kingston Trio were headed southward with "Tom Dooley", Clyde McPhatter asked "A Lover's Question" at #8 and Billy Grammer's "Gotta' Travel On" skipped over "Whole Lotta' Loving" by Fats Domino.
1961: The Beatles played at Litherland Town Hall in Liverpool, England. Two members of Rory Storm & the Hurricanes--Johnny Guitar and Ringo Starr, were in the audience. Paul McCartney played bass for the Beatles for the first time, as Stuart Sutcliffe decided to stay in Hamburg, Germany.
1963: The great instrumental "Telstar" by the Tornadoes remained at #1 overall for a third week.
1965: The Supremes began recording "Stop! In The Name Of Love" at the Hitsville U.S.A. Studios in Detroit, Michigan (Note: 'Rolling Stone' and other sites report that the group recorded this on January 5, as if the song was recorded in one day. The group spent three days on the song--January 5, 7, and 11th.)
1966: The Beatles recorded overdubs for the movie The Beatles At Shea Stadium.
1966: The Who performed on the U.K. television show The Whole Scene Going.
1967: Paul McCartney recorded his vocal for "Penny Lane" for the Beatles' upcoming album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
1967: Tommy James & the Shondells released the single "I Think We're Alone Now".
1967: Pink Floyd was in concert at the Marquee Club in London.
1968: Jimi Hendrix was thrown in jail in Stockholm, Sweden after going crazy and destroying everything in his room at the Goteborg Hotel.
Creedence with their great song "Keep On Chooglin'"...
1969: CCR released the album Bayou Country.
1970: Brook Benton released the great single "Rainy Night In Georgia".
1973: Bruce Springsteen released his debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.
1974: Yes owned the #1 album in the U.K.--Tales from Topographic Oceans.
1974: The Carpenters had the first #1 album of the New Year as their compilation The Singles 1969-1973 took over from Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. You Don't Mess Around with Jim by Jim Croce was #3, as fans continued to discover the greatness of the late singer/songwriter. The Steve Miller Band fell with The Joker and the Soundtrack to "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Neil Diamond trailed. The rest of the Top 10: Another posthumous album from Croce--I Got a Name, rose from 12 to 6, Quadrophenia by the Who remained at #7, Ringo from Ringo Starr, Bette Midler with her self-titled release and Full Sail from Loggins & Messina.
Al Wilson had a smash with "Show and Tell"...
1974: Jim Croce remained at #1 with "Time In A Bottle", one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*. Steve Miller Band closed with "The Joker", passing over Helen Reddy's ("Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)". Charlie Rich saw his former #1 "The Most Beautiful Girl" drop but Al Wilson was on the move with his great new song "Show And Tell". The rest of a solid Top 10: Elton John and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", Barry White was "Never, Never Gonna' Give Ya' Up", Stevie Wonder was just beginning a great mid-70's run with his 33rd hit and 16th Top 10 song ("Living For The City") while Gladys Knight & the Pips entered the list with "I've Got To Use My Imagination".
1979: Prince made his debut as a solo artist at the Capri Theatre in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1980: Michael Jackson took over the #1 slot on the R&B chart with "Rock With You".
1980: Stevie Wonder registered a third straight week at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Send One Your Love".
1980: People were discovering the great In Through the Out Door album and on this date, Led Zeppelin moved from 64 to 42 with "Fool in the Rain".
Kool and the Gang had it down...
1980: K.C. and the Sunshine Band made a comeback of sorts with "Please Don't Go" at #1, knocking off Rupert Holmes and "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)". Michael Jackson raced into the Top 10 with "Rock With You", moving from 11-3 and Stevie Wonder had another big hit with "Send One Your Love". The rest of an excellent Top 10: The Captain & Tennille's "Do That To Me One More Time" was #6, but former #1 "Babe" from Styx and "Still" from the Commodores held the next two spots, Kenny Rogers shot up from 22 to 8 with "Coward Of The County", Kool & the Gang and "Ladies Night" while Cliff Richard had a rare U.S. hit with "We Don't Talk Anymore".
"Even the Losers", one of the great tracks on 'Damn the Torpedoes'...
1980: Donna Summer's compilation On the Radio-Greatest Hits-Volumes I & II moved to #1 on the Album chart with the double-album compilation Bee Gees Greatest moving to #2. Cornerstone by Styx continued to hold down #3 while Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants by Stevie Wonder and the previous #1 The Long Run from the Eagles were close behind. The rest of an incredible Top 10: In Through the Out Door by Led Zeppelin, The Wall from Pink Floyd moved from 20-7, Damn the Torpedoes by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Tusk from Fleetwood Mac and Michael Jackson had his biggest career album to date with Off the Wall.
1984: The Police announced that their farewell concert would be March 2 in Australia.
1985: Jermaine Jackson continued to top the AC chart for a third week with "Do What You Do".
1985: Cyndi Lauper re-entered the Top 10 on the Album chart with She's So Unusual after 55 weeks of release with her debut album while a great new album, Reckless from Bryan Adams, moved to #10.
1985: Madonna remained at #1 with her first chart-topper "Like A Virgin". Duran Duran was second with "The Wild Boys" while the Honeydrippers edged up with their remake of "Sea Of Love". The New Edition was right behind with "Cool It Now" and Pat Benatar had another smash with "We Belong". The rest of the Top 10: actor Jack Wagner with "All I Need", Hall & Oates were on the way down with "Out Of Touch", Bryan Adams moved in with "Run To You", Chicago collected hit #38 with "You're The Inspiration" and John Lennon's son Julian had a Top 10 hit with "Valotte".
1987: Huey Lewis & the News released the single "Jacob's Ladder".
1990: Paul McCartney was in concert at the NEC Birmingham in England.
Suzanne Vega with her second Top 10 hit...
1991: Madonna scored her 10th career #1 with "Justify My Love". Stevie B finally relinquished his hold after four weeks with "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)", Bette Midler remained close behind with "From A Distance" and the Damn Yankees were up to 4 with "High Enough". The rest of the Top 10: "Tom's Diner" from D.N.A. with Suzanne Vega, Wilson Phillips dropped slowly with "Impulsive", Janet Jackson reached the Top 10 for the 11th time with "Love Will Never Do (Without You)", Ralph Tresvant moved to 8 with "Sensitivity", Surface was racing up (16-9) with "The First Time" and Whitney Houston's former #1 "I'm Your Baby Tonight" was now at #10.
1998: Sonny Bono of Sonny & Cher, later mayor of Palm Springs, California and a United States Congressman, died in a skiing accident when he hit a tree at the Heavenly Ski Resort near South Lake Tahoe, California at the age of 63.
2003: Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving after being stopped in California. He failed the breath test and was thrown in jail.
2003: Avril Lavigne's debut album Let Go rose to #1 in the U.K.
2004: Britney Spears' three-day-old marriage to childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander was officially annulled. Or to report it more accurately, the childlike Britney Spears annulled her marriage after three days.
A true hero...
2004: A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys chased down and captured a jewel thief in the parking lot of the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. McLean was in the hotel's boutique when he spotted the man running off with a diamond ring.
2004: B2K ("Bump, Bump Bump") announced they were breaking up.
2005: Danny Sugerman, manager of the Doors and writer of the biography No One Gets Out of Here Alive, died from lung cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 50. (Note: some websites report that Sugerman died on January 6, but it was January 5, according to the newspaper 'The Los Angeles Times'.)
2010: Willie Mitchell ("Soul Serenade" from 1968), who also produced for Al Green and others, and owned Royal Studio, where John Mayer and Buddy Guy recorded, died at the age of 81 after suffering cardiac arrest in Memphis, Tennessee.
Born This Day:
1923: Sam Phillips, the founder of Sun Records who discovered Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, was born near Florence, Alabama; died of respiratory failure in Memphis, Tennessee on July 30, 2003.
1929: Wilbert Harrison ("Kansas City" from 1959) was born in Charlotte, North Carolina; died of a stroke in a Spencer, North Carolina nursing home on October 26, 1994.
1930: Don Rondo ("White Silver Sands") was born in Ware, Massachusetts; died January 27, 2011 after a battle with lung cancer.
1932: Johnny Adams ("Reconsider Me" from 1969) was born in New Orleans, Louisiana; died of cancer September 14, 1998 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
1934: Phil Ramone, songwriter, violinist, recording engineer, and legendary producer of the best albums that Billy Joel did as well as albums by Elton John, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Chicago, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Barry Manilow, Rod Stewart, Olivia Newton-John, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Gloria Estefan, Guess Who, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Richard Marx, Sheena Easton, Peter, Paul and Mary and Ray Charles, among others, was born in South Africa; died March 30, 2013 in Manhattan, New York after being hospitalized for an aortic aneurysm.
1940: George Malone of the Monotones; died October 5, 2007 of a stroke in Avondale, Arizona.
1949: George Brown, drummer of Kool & the Gang, was born in Jersey City, New Jersey.
1950: Chris Stein, co-founder and guitarist of Blondie, was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1964: Grant Young, drummer of Soul Asylum ("Runaway Train"), was born in Iowa City, Iowa. (Note: some websites show his birth year as 1963; he was born in 1964 according to 'MTV'.)
Thursday, January 3, 2013
This Date in Rock Music History: January 4
1936: Billboard magazine debuted the first music chart that based results on national sales.
1950 RCA Victor Records announced that they would begin manufacturing long-playing records.
1954: Elvis Presley recorded "Casual Love" and "I'll Never Stand In Your Way" in his second recording session in Memphis, Tennessee. Studio manager Sam Phillips heard the session and asked Elvis to leave his phone number.
1957: Elvis Presley went in for a pre-induction medical checkup at Kennedy Veterans Hospital, prior to being called up from the United States Army.
1961: Jörgen Ingmann released "Apache", one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*.
1963: Eydie Gorme released the single "Blame It On The Bossa Nova".
1963: Bob Dylan spent his second day shooting the television play Madhouse in Castle Street.
1964: Bobby Vinton had the top Easy Listening song with "There! I've Said It Again".
1964: Bobby Vinton rolled to the #1 song with "There! I've Said It Again". The Kingsmen peaked at 2 with "Louie Louie" while the Singing Nun fell from her perch with "Dominique".
1965: Gary Lewis & the Playboys released their first career single "This Diamond Ring".
1965: Leo Fender sold the Fender Guitar Company to CBS for $13 million.
1967: The Doors released their debut album.
1969: Glen Campbell rode on top of the Adult chart for the fourth week with "Wichita Lineman".
It was indeed a "Soulful Strut"...
1969: Marvin Gaye made it four weeks at #1 with "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", holding off Stevie Wonder's "For Once In My Life", which peaked at #2. Diana Ross & the Supremes & the Temptations moved from 7-3 with "I'm Gonna' Make You Love Me" while Young-Holt Unlimited surged from 16 to 4 with "Soulful Strut", one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era* and Glen Campbell was at #5 with "Wichita Lineman". The rest of the Top 10: "Cloud Nine" from the Temptations, Diana Ross & the Supremes' former #1 "Love Child", the Classics IV were at position #8 with "Stormy", Johnnie Taylor and "Who's Making Love" while B.J. Thomas jumped into the Top 10 with "Hooked On A Feeling".
1970: George Harrison recorded the second guitar solo and Paul McCartney, Harrison and Ringo Starr re-recorded vocals for "Let It Be", the final recording session for the Beatles. John Lennon was not present at this session--the final time all four were in the studio together was August 20, 1969.
1973: Lamar Williams joined the Allman Brothers, replacing the late Berry Oakley.
1975: Elton John remained at #1 for the sixth week on the Album chart with his Greatest Hits album. War Child by Jethro Tull was #2 again, followed by Neil Diamond's Serenade and Fire from the Ohio Players. Joni Mitchell's new live release, Miles of Aisles, moved from 13-5. The rest of the Top 10: John Denver with Back Home Again, Verities & Balderdash by Harry Chapin, Free and Easy from Helen Reddy at #8, Ringo Starr had one of his biggest career albums with Goodnight Vienna and BTO moved back into the Top 10 with Not Fragile.
1975: Elton John took his remake of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" to #1 while Barry White edged up with "You're The First, The Last, My Everything". Carl Douglas was at #3 with "Kung Fu Fighting", Paul McCartney & Wings were at #4 with "Junior's Farm"/"Sally G" and Neil Sedaka reached #5 with "Laughter In The Rain". The rest of the Top 10: Helen Reddy's former #1 "Angie Baby", Ringo Starr with "Only You", Stevie Wonder moved up with "Boogie On Reggae Woman", the Carpenters registered their 12th Top 10 hit out of 16 releases with "Please Mr. Postman" and newcomer Barry Manilow reached the Top 10 for the first time with "Mandy".
1976: Mal Evans, former roadie and bodyguard of the Beatles, was shot to death at this apartment in Los Angeles by the L.A.P.D. after he alledgedly pointed a loaded rifle at officers.
1979: The Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, the famous spot where the Beatles performed often in the early years, reopened its doors.
1986: Phil Lynott, bassist and singer of Thin Lizzy, died in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England at the age of 35 from kidney, liver and heart failure due to blood poisoning and multiple abscesses caused by drug abuse. Hey, but it felt good at the time...Lame.
1986: "Say You, Say Me" by Lionel Richie was #1 again on the Adult Contemporary chart for a fifth week.
1986: Lionel Richie remained in the #1 slot for the third week on the Popular chart with "Say You, Say Me".
1988: Belinda Carlisle released the single "I Get Weak".
1992: The album Stars by Simply Red returned to #1 in the U.K.
1992: Shanice continued to set the pace on the R&B chart for a third week with "I Love Your Smile".
1992: Richard Marx continued to have the #1 Adult Contemporary song for the third week with "Keep Coming Back".
Color Me Badd with their huge hit...
1992: Michael Jackson continued to own the top song with "Black Or White", #1 for a fourth week. Boyz II Men remained second with "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday". Color Me Badd were still at 3 with "All 4 Love", Mariah Carey moved up with "Can't Let Go" and PM Dawn fell with "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss".
"Seduces Me" from Celine...
1997: No Doubt had the top album for a third week with Tragic Kingdom. Falling Into You by Celine Dion was second.
1991: In today's edition of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, Vanilla Ice spent the night in jail after ripping out some of his wife's hair. Loser.
2004: Ray Davies, lead singer of the Kinks, wasn't as fortunate as McLean. Davies was shot in the leg while running after two men who stole his girlfriend's purse in New Orleans, Louisiana. Davies was taken to the Medical Center but his injuries were not serious. (Note: several websites report the shooting as being on January 5. News reports appeared on the 5th, describing the event, which took place on January 4, according to 'CNN', 'Rolling Stone', and the newspaper 'The Guardian'.)
2005: Ashlee Simpson was booed offstage during her performance at the Orange Bowl.
2006: The body of Barry Cowsill was identified with dental records by Dr. Louis Cataldie, head of the Louisiana state hurricane morgue in Carville. Cowsill's body was discovered December 28 on the Cartres Street Wharf but was not identified until Cataldie made his announcement. The 51-year-old former bassist of the Cowsills ("Hair") is believed to have died as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
2006: Jamie Foxx had the #1 album with Unpredictable.
2008: Britney Spears was carried out of her home on a stretcher and taken into police custody after officials were called in a dispute involving her three children. Spears was ordered to hand her children to her ex-husband Kevin Federline.
2011: Gerry Rafferty, leader of Stealer's Wheel ("Stuck In The Middle With You") and a solo star ("Baker Street" and others) died at the age of 63 after a long illness at his daughter's home in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England of liver failure.
Born This Day:
1946: Arthur Conley ("Sweet Soul Music") was born in McIntosh County, Georgia; died after a long battle with intestinal cancer on November 17, 2003 in Ruurlo, the Netherlands. (Note: prominent music sites like 'Rolling Stone' and 'Allmusic.com', as well as 'The Los Angeles Times' and 'The Independent' all claim that Conley was born in Atlanta, Georgia and some websites list his place of birth as Hinesfield, Georgia. But according to the book 'Encyclopedia of Pop Music Aliases' by Bob Leszczak, the well-respected 'National Public Radio', and the newspapers 'The New York Times' and 'The Guardian, Conley was born in McIntosh County, near Atlanata. Several places list his birthplace as McIntosh, Georgia--there is no such city; the correct name is McIntosh County)
1956: Bernard Sumner (real name Bernard Dicken), founding member, singer and guitarist of New Order, and also a member of Joy Division, was born in Manchester, England. (Note: some websites claim he was born in Salford, but the newspaper 'The Independent" and the magazines 'Billboard' and 'GQ' state that Bernard was born in Manchester.)
1958: Marcel King, lead vocalist of Sweet Sensation ("Sad Sweet Dreamer" from 1974), was born in Manchester, England; died of a cerebral hemorrhage October 5, 1995.
1960: Michael Stipe, songwriter and lead singer of R.E.M., was born in Decatur, Georgia.
1965: David Glasper, lead singer of Breathe ("Hands To Heaven"), was born in Cardigan, Mid Wales, England.
1967: Benjamin Darvill, multi-instrumentalist of the Crash Test Dummies ("Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" from 1993), now a solo artist going by the name of Son of Dave, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
1954: Elvis Presley recorded "Casual Love" and "I'll Never Stand In Your Way" in his second recording session in Memphis, Tennessee. Studio manager Sam Phillips heard the session and asked Elvis to leave his phone number.
1957: Elvis Presley went in for a pre-induction medical checkup at Kennedy Veterans Hospital, prior to being called up from the United States Army.
1957: Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis introduced Solomon Burke on The Steve Allen Show.
1960: Marty Robbins moved to #1 with "El Paso". 1961: Jörgen Ingmann released "Apache", one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*.
1963: Eydie Gorme released the single "Blame It On The Bossa Nova".
1963: Bob Dylan spent his second day shooting the television play Madhouse in Castle Street.
1964: Bobby Vinton had the top Easy Listening song with "There! I've Said It Again".
1964: Bobby Vinton rolled to the #1 song with "There! I've Said It Again". The Kingsmen peaked at 2 with "Louie Louie" while the Singing Nun fell from her perch with "Dominique".
1965: Gary Lewis & the Playboys released their first career single "This Diamond Ring".
1965: Leo Fender sold the Fender Guitar Company to CBS for $13 million.
1967: The Doors released their debut album.
1969: Glen Campbell rode on top of the Adult chart for the fourth week with "Wichita Lineman".
It was indeed a "Soulful Strut"...
1969: Marvin Gaye made it four weeks at #1 with "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", holding off Stevie Wonder's "For Once In My Life", which peaked at #2. Diana Ross & the Supremes & the Temptations moved from 7-3 with "I'm Gonna' Make You Love Me" while Young-Holt Unlimited surged from 16 to 4 with "Soulful Strut", one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era* and Glen Campbell was at #5 with "Wichita Lineman". The rest of the Top 10: "Cloud Nine" from the Temptations, Diana Ross & the Supremes' former #1 "Love Child", the Classics IV were at position #8 with "Stormy", Johnnie Taylor and "Who's Making Love" while B.J. Thomas jumped into the Top 10 with "Hooked On A Feeling".
1970: George Harrison recorded the second guitar solo and Paul McCartney, Harrison and Ringo Starr re-recorded vocals for "Let It Be", the final recording session for the Beatles. John Lennon was not present at this session--the final time all four were in the studio together was August 20, 1969.
1973: Lamar Williams joined the Allman Brothers, replacing the late Berry Oakley.
Joni Mitchell's double live album...
1975: Elton John remained at #1 for the sixth week on the Album chart with his Greatest Hits album. War Child by Jethro Tull was #2 again, followed by Neil Diamond's Serenade and Fire from the Ohio Players. Joni Mitchell's new live release, Miles of Aisles, moved from 13-5. The rest of the Top 10: John Denver with Back Home Again, Verities & Balderdash by Harry Chapin, Free and Easy from Helen Reddy at #8, Ringo Starr had one of his biggest career albums with Goodnight Vienna and BTO moved back into the Top 10 with Not Fragile.
1975: Elton John took his remake of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" to #1 while Barry White edged up with "You're The First, The Last, My Everything". Carl Douglas was at #3 with "Kung Fu Fighting", Paul McCartney & Wings were at #4 with "Junior's Farm"/"Sally G" and Neil Sedaka reached #5 with "Laughter In The Rain". The rest of the Top 10: Helen Reddy's former #1 "Angie Baby", Ringo Starr with "Only You", Stevie Wonder moved up with "Boogie On Reggae Woman", the Carpenters registered their 12th Top 10 hit out of 16 releases with "Please Mr. Postman" and newcomer Barry Manilow reached the Top 10 for the first time with "Mandy".
1976: Mal Evans, former roadie and bodyguard of the Beatles, was shot to death at this apartment in Los Angeles by the L.A.P.D. after he alledgedly pointed a loaded rifle at officers.
1979: The Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, the famous spot where the Beatles performed often in the early years, reopened its doors.
1986: Phil Lynott, bassist and singer of Thin Lizzy, died in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England at the age of 35 from kidney, liver and heart failure due to blood poisoning and multiple abscesses caused by drug abuse. Hey, but it felt good at the time...Lame.
1986: "Say You, Say Me" by Lionel Richie was #1 again on the Adult Contemporary chart for a fifth week.
1986: Lionel Richie remained in the #1 slot for the third week on the Popular chart with "Say You, Say Me".
1988: Belinda Carlisle released the single "I Get Weak".
1992: The album Stars by Simply Red returned to #1 in the U.K.
1992: Shanice continued to set the pace on the R&B chart for a third week with "I Love Your Smile".
1992: Richard Marx continued to have the #1 Adult Contemporary song for the third week with "Keep Coming Back".
Color Me Badd with their huge hit...
1992: Michael Jackson continued to own the top song with "Black Or White", #1 for a fourth week. Boyz II Men remained second with "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday". Color Me Badd were still at 3 with "All 4 Love", Mariah Carey moved up with "Can't Let Go" and PM Dawn fell with "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss".
"Seduces Me" from Celine...
1997: No Doubt had the top album for a third week with Tragic Kingdom. Falling Into You by Celine Dion was second.
1991: In today's edition of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, Vanilla Ice spent the night in jail after ripping out some of his wife's hair. Loser.
2004: Ray Davies, lead singer of the Kinks, wasn't as fortunate as McLean. Davies was shot in the leg while running after two men who stole his girlfriend's purse in New Orleans, Louisiana. Davies was taken to the Medical Center but his injuries were not serious. (Note: several websites report the shooting as being on January 5. News reports appeared on the 5th, describing the event, which took place on January 4, according to 'CNN', 'Rolling Stone', and the newspaper 'The Guardian'.)
2005: Ashlee Simpson was booed offstage during her performance at the Orange Bowl.
2006: Jamie Foxx had the #1 album with Unpredictable.
2008: Britney Spears was carried out of her home on a stretcher and taken into police custody after officials were called in a dispute involving her three children. Spears was ordered to hand her children to her ex-husband Kevin Federline.
2011: Gerry Rafferty, leader of Stealer's Wheel ("Stuck In The Middle With You") and a solo star ("Baker Street" and others) died at the age of 63 after a long illness at his daughter's home in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England of liver failure.
1946: Arthur Conley ("Sweet Soul Music") was born in McIntosh County, Georgia; died after a long battle with intestinal cancer on November 17, 2003 in Ruurlo, the Netherlands. (Note: prominent music sites like 'Rolling Stone' and 'Allmusic.com', as well as 'The Los Angeles Times' and 'The Independent' all claim that Conley was born in Atlanta, Georgia and some websites list his place of birth as Hinesfield, Georgia. But according to the book 'Encyclopedia of Pop Music Aliases' by Bob Leszczak, the well-respected 'National Public Radio', and the newspapers 'The New York Times' and 'The Guardian, Conley was born in McIntosh County, near Atlanata. Several places list his birthplace as McIntosh, Georgia--there is no such city; the correct name is McIntosh County)
1956: Bernard Sumner (real name Bernard Dicken), founding member, singer and guitarist of New Order, and also a member of Joy Division, was born in Manchester, England. (Note: some websites claim he was born in Salford, but the newspaper 'The Independent" and the magazines 'Billboard' and 'GQ' state that Bernard was born in Manchester.)
1958: Marcel King, lead vocalist of Sweet Sensation ("Sad Sweet Dreamer" from 1974), was born in Manchester, England; died of a cerebral hemorrhage October 5, 1995.
1960: Michael Stipe, songwriter and lead singer of R.E.M., was born in Decatur, Georgia.
1965: David Glasper, lead singer of Breathe ("Hands To Heaven"), was born in Cardigan, Mid Wales, England.
1967: Benjamin Darvill, multi-instrumentalist of the Crash Test Dummies ("Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" from 1993), now a solo artist going by the name of Son of Dave, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
This Date in Rock Music History: January 3
1955: Elvis Presley performed in Booneville,Virginia.
1957: Fats Domino recorded "I'm Walkin'".
1960: Bobby Darin and Connie Francis performed together on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1963: The Beatles began a four-date tour in Scotland at the Two Red Shoes Ballroom in Elgin to promote their debut single "Love Me Do". The tour was to have begun the previous night, but the date was canceled due to a snowstorm. (Note: many websites incorrectly state that the tour began on January 1. The first scheduled date was January 2, and it was canceled, so the tour actually began on January 3.)
1964: The Beatles re-released the single "Please Please Me" in the United States on Vee Jay Records, a little over a week after Capitol finally released their first Beatles song, "I Want To Hold Your Hand".
1964: The Beatles appeared on television in the United States for the first time as a performance of "She Loves You" in Bournemouth, England was shown on The Jack Paar Show.
1966: The Beatles appeared on Hullabaloo, performing "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Out".
1967: Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys refused to be sworn in after receiving a draft notice from the United States Army, saying he was a conscientious objector.
1968: For the fourth consecutive week, Marvin Gaye held on to #1 on the R&B chart with "I Heard It Through The Grapevine".
1970: The Beatles recorded the song "I Me Mine", the final song they recorded together.
1970: Davy Jones, lead singer of the Monkees, announced he was leaving the group, a year after Peter Tork quit.
1969: B.J. Thomas owned the #1 Adult song for a fourth week with "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head".
1970: Thomas moved to #1 overall with "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" as "Someday We'll Be Together" by Diana Ross & the Supremes slipped to third. Peter, Paul & Mary remained in between those two while CCR's double-sided smash--"Down On The Corner"/'Fortunate Son" was fourth again. Steam's former #1 was still at 5--"(Na Na Hey Hey) Kiss Him Goodbye" while Led Zeppelin reached #6 with "Whole Lotta' Love". The rest of the Top 10: "I Want You Back" from the Jackson 5, the Shocking Blue moved from 19 to 8 in their fourth week of release with "Venus", Neil Diamond was at #9 with "Holly Holy" and Bobby Sherman hopped in with "La La La (If I Had You)".
1974: Bob Dylan and the Band began a tour at Chicago Stadium in Illinois, Dylan's first American tour in eight years. Don't worry--he more than made up for it by doing a tour every year for the next 50. Just funnin', Bob.
1976: Paul Anka continued his comeback by landing the #1 song on the Adult chart with "Times Of Your Life".
1976: Former Temptation David Ruffin scored a #1 R&B solo hit with "Walk Away From Love".
1976: The Bay City Rollers hit #1 with their first single release--"Saturday Night".
"Questions 67 & 68" from Chicago's compilation album...
1976: Chicago IX, the group's greatest hits package, was #1 for a fourth week on the Album chart. The great live album Gratitude from Earth, Wind & Fire remained #2 while History, America's Greatest Hits was #3. Joni Mitchell was a strong #4 with The Hissing of Summer Lawns and Paul Simon was Still Crazy After All These Years.
1979: Although the song didn't appear on the chart until six weeks later, a new wave group released their first single on this date. Blondie released "Heart Of Glass".
1979: The Hype appeared at McGonagils in Dublin, Ireland. We know them better by the name they took on later--U2.
1981: Kool & the Gang were flying high as "Celebration" remained #1 on the R&B chart for the third straight week.
1981: John Lennon remained at #1 with the song released just weeks before his death--"(Just Like) Starting Over".
1983: The Greg Kihn Band released the single "Jeopardy".
1983: The group After the Fire released the single "Der Kommissar".
1984: Huey Lewis & the News released the single "I Want A New Drug".
1987: Aretha Franklin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the first woman to be so honored. Then when you have the induction of acts like the Beastie Boys and others, it really cheapens Aretha's selection.
1987: Billy Ocean continued to have the #1 Adult Contemporary song with "Love Is Forever".
1987: The Bangles were at their peak with "Walk Like An Egyptian", holding on to #1 for the third week.
1992: Jim Kerr, lead singer of Simple Minds, married Patsy Kensit at the Kensington & Chelsea Registry Office in London.
1992: Whitney Houston was at #1 for the fifth week with "I Will Always Love You".
1995: Byron MacGregor ("The Americans") died from pneumonia in Detroit, Michigan at age 46.
2001: In today's edition of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, Vanilla Ice was arrested and thrown in jail in Broward County, Florida after a fight with his wife. Better just to not be with him in the first place, sweetheart.
2003: Joe Strummer, co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the Clash, was cremated. The funeral procession took his remains by the Elgin pub in West London where the group played some of their early shows.
2012: Bob Weston, guitarist for Fleetwood Mac, Graham Bond and Long John Baldry, died of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage in Barnet, London at the age of 64.
2013: Phil Everly, half of one of the greatest duos in music history as the Everly Brothers, died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (a combination of emphysema and bronchitis) in Burbank, California at age 74 after a lifetime of smoking. Phil and brother Don churned out 38 hits, more than any other duo ever, and enjoyed 15 Top 10 hits and four #1 songs.
Born This Day:
1926: George Martin (second from left, above), producer of the Beatles, was born in Holloway, London. (Note: some websites claim Martin was born in Highbury, but according to the newspaper 'The Guardian', the book 'Tune In: The Beatles: All These Years' by Mark Lewisohn, 'MTV', and the magazine 'Salon', George was born in Holloway, London.)
1941: Van Dyke Parks, lyricist on the Beach Boys album Smile, who also wrote, arranged and produced with the Byrds, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson, Ry Cooder and Keith Moon, was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
1945: Stephen Stills, vocalist and elite guitarist of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash and a solo artist, was born in Dallas, Texas.
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1946: John Paul Jones, bassist of Led Zeppelin, who also played on and arranged songs for the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds and Jeff Beck, was born in Sidcup, Kent, England.
1955: Helen O'Hara of Dexy's Midnight Runners ("Come On Eileen" from 1983) was born in Bristol, England. (Note: websites claim she was born on either November 5 or 8 of 1956, but the 'BBC' states she was born on January 3.)
1957: Fats Domino recorded "I'm Walkin'".
1960: Bobby Darin and Connie Francis performed together on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1963: The Beatles began a four-date tour in Scotland at the Two Red Shoes Ballroom in Elgin to promote their debut single "Love Me Do". The tour was to have begun the previous night, but the date was canceled due to a snowstorm. (Note: many websites incorrectly state that the tour began on January 1. The first scheduled date was January 2, and it was canceled, so the tour actually began on January 3.)
1964: The Beatles re-released the single "Please Please Me" in the United States on Vee Jay Records, a little over a week after Capitol finally released their first Beatles song, "I Want To Hold Your Hand".
1964: The Beatles appeared on television in the United States for the first time as a performance of "She Loves You" in Bournemouth, England was shown on The Jack Paar Show.
1966: The Beatles appeared on Hullabaloo, performing "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Out".
1967: Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys refused to be sworn in after receiving a draft notice from the United States Army, saying he was a conscientious objector.
1968: For the fourth consecutive week, Marvin Gaye held on to #1 on the R&B chart with "I Heard It Through The Grapevine".
1970: The Beatles recorded the song "I Me Mine", the final song they recorded together.
1970: Davy Jones, lead singer of the Monkees, announced he was leaving the group, a year after Peter Tork quit.
1969: B.J. Thomas owned the #1 Adult song for a fourth week with "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head".
1970: Thomas moved to #1 overall with "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" as "Someday We'll Be Together" by Diana Ross & the Supremes slipped to third. Peter, Paul & Mary remained in between those two while CCR's double-sided smash--"Down On The Corner"/'Fortunate Son" was fourth again. Steam's former #1 was still at 5--"(Na Na Hey Hey) Kiss Him Goodbye" while Led Zeppelin reached #6 with "Whole Lotta' Love". The rest of the Top 10: "I Want You Back" from the Jackson 5, the Shocking Blue moved from 19 to 8 in their fourth week of release with "Venus", Neil Diamond was at #9 with "Holly Holy" and Bobby Sherman hopped in with "La La La (If I Had You)".
1974: Bob Dylan and the Band began a tour at Chicago Stadium in Illinois, Dylan's first American tour in eight years. Don't worry--he more than made up for it by doing a tour every year for the next 50. Just funnin', Bob.
1976: Paul Anka continued his comeback by landing the #1 song on the Adult chart with "Times Of Your Life".
1976: Former Temptation David Ruffin scored a #1 R&B solo hit with "Walk Away From Love".
1976: The Bay City Rollers hit #1 with their first single release--"Saturday Night".
"Questions 67 & 68" from Chicago's compilation album...
1976: Chicago IX, the group's greatest hits package, was #1 for a fourth week on the Album chart. The great live album Gratitude from Earth, Wind & Fire remained #2 while History, America's Greatest Hits was #3. Joni Mitchell was a strong #4 with The Hissing of Summer Lawns and Paul Simon was Still Crazy After All These Years.
1979: Although the song didn't appear on the chart until six weeks later, a new wave group released their first single on this date. Blondie released "Heart Of Glass".
1979: The Hype appeared at McGonagils in Dublin, Ireland. We know them better by the name they took on later--U2.
1981: Kool & the Gang were flying high as "Celebration" remained #1 on the R&B chart for the third straight week.
1981: John Lennon remained at #1 with the song released just weeks before his death--"(Just Like) Starting Over".
1983: The Greg Kihn Band released the single "Jeopardy".
1983: The group After the Fire released the single "Der Kommissar".
1984: Huey Lewis & the News released the single "I Want A New Drug".
1987: Aretha Franklin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the first woman to be so honored. Then when you have the induction of acts like the Beastie Boys and others, it really cheapens Aretha's selection.
1987: Billy Ocean continued to have the #1 Adult Contemporary song with "Love Is Forever".
1987: The Bangles were at their peak with "Walk Like An Egyptian", holding on to #1 for the third week.
1992: Jim Kerr, lead singer of Simple Minds, married Patsy Kensit at the Kensington & Chelsea Registry Office in London.
1992: Whitney Houston was at #1 for the fifth week with "I Will Always Love You".
1995: Byron MacGregor ("The Americans") died from pneumonia in Detroit, Michigan at age 46.
2001: In today's edition of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, Vanilla Ice was arrested and thrown in jail in Broward County, Florida after a fight with his wife. Better just to not be with him in the first place, sweetheart.
2012: Bob Weston, guitarist for Fleetwood Mac, Graham Bond and Long John Baldry, died of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage in Barnet, London at the age of 64.
2013: Phil Everly, half of one of the greatest duos in music history as the Everly Brothers, died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (a combination of emphysema and bronchitis) in Burbank, California at age 74 after a lifetime of smoking. Phil and brother Don churned out 38 hits, more than any other duo ever, and enjoyed 15 Top 10 hits and four #1 songs.
Born This Day:
1926: George Martin (second from left, above), producer of the Beatles, was born in Holloway, London. (Note: some websites claim Martin was born in Highbury, but according to the newspaper 'The Guardian', the book 'Tune In: The Beatles: All These Years' by Mark Lewisohn, 'MTV', and the magazine 'Salon', George was born in Holloway, London.)
1941: Van Dyke Parks, lyricist on the Beach Boys album Smile, who also wrote, arranged and produced with the Byrds, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson, Ry Cooder and Keith Moon, was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
1946: John Paul Jones, bassist of Led Zeppelin, who also played on and arranged songs for the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds and Jeff Beck, was born in Sidcup, Kent, England.
1955: Helen O'Hara of Dexy's Midnight Runners ("Come On Eileen" from 1983) was born in Bristol, England. (Note: websites claim she was born on either November 5 or 8 of 1956, but the 'BBC' states she was born on January 3.)
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
This Date in Rock Music History: January 2
1926: The first issue of Melody Maker went on sale.
1964: The Rolling Stones performed "I Wanna' Be Your Man", a song written for them by the Beatles, on Top of the Pops in the U.K.
1965: Freddie Garrity of Freddie & the Dreamers ("I'm Telling You Now") was thrown out of the windshield of his car in an accident in South Mimms, Hertfordshire, England. (Note: some websites report the date of the accident as January 26, but our best research indicates it was on January 2.)
1965: Petula Clark nearly took "Downtown" into the Top 10 in its third week of release but she had to stop at a traffic light and only moved from 41 to 12.
1965: Elvis Presley had his eighth #1 album as the Soundtrack to "Roustabout" climbed to the top.
"She's A Woman" gave the Beatles two songs in the Top Five.
1965: The Beatles made it two straight weeks at #1 with "I Feel Fine". The Supremes were lined up at #2 to try to return to the top spot, "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton was third and the Beatles had another smash--"She's A Woman" at #4. The Searchers were moving up strong (11-5) with "Love Potion Number Nine". The rest of the Top 10: "Goin' Out Of My Head" from Little Anthony & the Imperials, the Zombies' great song "She's Not There" was at position #7, "Amen" from the Impressions emphatically moved into the Top 10, the Larks had #9--"The Jerk" and Julie Rogers was at #10 with "The Wedding".
1968: Police in Newark, New Jersey actually confiscated a shipment of the new John Lennon album Two Virgins, which featured a nude cover.
1969: The Beatles began filming for the documentary Let It Be at Twickenham Studios in London.
1969: Led Zeppelin and opening act Alice Cooper performed for the first of four nights at Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles.
1970: Its Cliff Richard, a musical variety series starring the popular British singer, premiered on BBC-TV. It would run in 1971, 1972, 1974, and 1976.
1971: All Things Must Pass by George Harrison had a quick trip to the top of the Album chart, just three weeks. Abraxas by Santana, the great album that it was, nonetheless fell to second while the self-titled Stephen Stills was #3. The Partridge Family Album moved from 9 to 4 while the Live Album from Grand Funk Railroad remained fifth. The rest of the Top 10: Greatest Hits from Sly & the Family Stone, the Soundtrack to "Jesus Christ Superstar", the great Close to You album from the Carpenters, Led Zeppelin III fell from 8 to 9 and Pendulum by CCR moved from 15 to 10 in just its second week.
1971: The 5th Dimension delivered yet another great song as "One Less Bell To Answer" moved to #1 on the Adult chart.
1971: Dave Edmunds had the fastest-rising song, as "I Hear You Knocking" pounded its way up from 90 to 62.
1975: The Allman Brothers Band were named Outstanding Community Organization by the Georgia Department of Corrections.
1975: John Lennon won a legal victory when U.S. District Court Judge Richard Owen ruled that Lennon and his lawyers would have access to Department of Immigration files pertaining to his deportation case. Lennon had contended for years that President Richard Nixon was trying to have him deported because of his opposition to the Vietnam War and his criticism of Nixon. The files contained information that proved that Lennon was right.
1978: Jackson Browne released the single "Running On Empty".
1980: Larry Williams ("Short Fat Fannie" and "High School Dance") was found dead in his home in Los Angeles with a gunshot wound to the head. It was never confirmed to be the result of a murder or suicide. (Note: There is considerable confusion as to the date that Williams died. The 'BBC', as well as the book 'Encyclopedia of the Blues' by Edward Komara, state that the correct date was the 2nd. The book 'The All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul' by Vladimir Bogdanov says the correct date was January 7. Ordinarily, a check of tombstone photos would provide the best evidence, but Williams lies in an unmarked grave next to his wife in Inglewood Park Cemetery. Therefore, since 'Allmusic' is the only major source that puts the date as January 7, and since the 'BBC' is more reputable, and we also have Edward Komara's book to back them up, we have to go with January 2.)
1981: ABBA stayed a sixth week at #1 on the U.K. Album chart with the great album Super Trouper.
1981: Neil Diamond held on to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for the third week with "Yesterday's Songs".
1983: Michael Jackson released the single "Billie Jean".
1988: George Michael released the single "Father Figure".
1988: Mike + the Mechanics released the single "The Living Years" in the United States (it had been released December 3 in the U.K.
1990: Rod Stewart and Ronald Isley released the single "This Old Heart Of Mine".
1993: For the fifth week, Whitney Houston was perched atop the R&B chart with "I Will Always Love You".
1993: Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" posted its sixth consecutive week at #1.
1993: "I Will Always Love You" was also #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for a third week for Ms. Houston.
1996: Arrested Development broke up.
1997: Randy California, guitarist from Spirit ("I Got A Line On You") drowned at age 45 off the coast of Molokai Island in Hawai'i, trying to save his 12-year-old son who had been caught in the undertow. (Note: some websites report that Randy died on January 3; however, although his body has never been found, the official date of death was declared as January 2, according to 'Business Week', the newspaper 'The Independent', and the book Stars of David: Rock'n'roll's Jewish Stories by Scott R. Benarde.)
2001: Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue and wife Donna celebrated the birth of daughter Frankie Jean Sixx.
2001: Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland of Destinys Child settled a lawsuit with former members LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson, who claimed that Beyonce and Kelly forced them out of the group. However, Luckett and Roberson went ahead with charges against the group's manager (Knowles' father Matthew).
2004: Daniel Bedingfield ("If You're Not The One") flipped his Jeep Cherokee in New Zealand and suffered neck injuries and lacerations.
Green Day's great song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"...
2005: Green Day had the #1 album on the America chart with American Idiot.
2007: "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley was the #1-seller of 2006 in the U.K., selling 700,000 copies.
2008: Josh Groban, who burst onto the scene with "You Raise Me Up" in 2007, had the top-selling album of the year with Noel, which sold 3.7 million copies.
2009: Taylor Swift sold the most albums in 2008 with four million units.
Born This Day:
1936: Roger Miller, singer, songwriter and musician ("King Of The Road"), was born in Fort Worth, Texas; died October 25, 1992 of cancer in Los Angeles.
1946: "Chick" Churchill, keyboard player of Ten Years After ("I'd Love To Change The World"), was born in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England.
1954: Glenn Goins, singer and guitarist of Parliament, was born in Plainfield, New Jersey; died of Hodgkin's lymphoma on July 29, 1978.
1975: Douglas Seann Robb, lead singer of Hoobastank, was born in Agoura Hills, California.
1965: Freddie Garrity of Freddie & the Dreamers ("I'm Telling You Now") was thrown out of the windshield of his car in an accident in South Mimms, Hertfordshire, England. (Note: some websites report the date of the accident as January 26, but our best research indicates it was on January 2.)
1965: Petula Clark nearly took "Downtown" into the Top 10 in its third week of release but she had to stop at a traffic light and only moved from 41 to 12.
1965: Elvis Presley had his eighth #1 album as the Soundtrack to "Roustabout" climbed to the top.
"She's A Woman" gave the Beatles two songs in the Top Five.
1965: The Beatles made it two straight weeks at #1 with "I Feel Fine". The Supremes were lined up at #2 to try to return to the top spot, "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton was third and the Beatles had another smash--"She's A Woman" at #4. The Searchers were moving up strong (11-5) with "Love Potion Number Nine". The rest of the Top 10: "Goin' Out Of My Head" from Little Anthony & the Imperials, the Zombies' great song "She's Not There" was at position #7, "Amen" from the Impressions emphatically moved into the Top 10, the Larks had #9--"The Jerk" and Julie Rogers was at #10 with "The Wedding".
1968: Police in Newark, New Jersey actually confiscated a shipment of the new John Lennon album Two Virgins, which featured a nude cover.
1969: The Beatles began filming for the documentary Let It Be at Twickenham Studios in London.
1969: Led Zeppelin and opening act Alice Cooper performed for the first of four nights at Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles.
1970: Its Cliff Richard, a musical variety series starring the popular British singer, premiered on BBC-TV. It would run in 1971, 1972, 1974, and 1976.
1971: Taking a cue from the Jackson 5, another family group first appeared on the chart. The Osmonds' first single "One Bad Apple", debuted on this date.
One of the great early songs from Zeppelin--"Immigrant Song"...
One of the great early songs from Zeppelin--"Immigrant Song"...
1971: All Things Must Pass by George Harrison had a quick trip to the top of the Album chart, just three weeks. Abraxas by Santana, the great album that it was, nonetheless fell to second while the self-titled Stephen Stills was #3. The Partridge Family Album moved from 9 to 4 while the Live Album from Grand Funk Railroad remained fifth. The rest of the Top 10: Greatest Hits from Sly & the Family Stone, the Soundtrack to "Jesus Christ Superstar", the great Close to You album from the Carpenters, Led Zeppelin III fell from 8 to 9 and Pendulum by CCR moved from 15 to 10 in just its second week.
1971: The 5th Dimension delivered yet another great song as "One Less Bell To Answer" moved to #1 on the Adult chart.
1971: Dave Edmunds had the fastest-rising song, as "I Hear You Knocking" pounded its way up from 90 to 62.
1975: The Allman Brothers Band were named Outstanding Community Organization by the Georgia Department of Corrections.
1975: John Lennon won a legal victory when U.S. District Court Judge Richard Owen ruled that Lennon and his lawyers would have access to Department of Immigration files pertaining to his deportation case. Lennon had contended for years that President Richard Nixon was trying to have him deported because of his opposition to the Vietnam War and his criticism of Nixon. The files contained information that proved that Lennon was right.
1978: Jackson Browne released the single "Running On Empty".
1980: Larry Williams ("Short Fat Fannie" and "High School Dance") was found dead in his home in Los Angeles with a gunshot wound to the head. It was never confirmed to be the result of a murder or suicide. (Note: There is considerable confusion as to the date that Williams died. The 'BBC', as well as the book 'Encyclopedia of the Blues' by Edward Komara, state that the correct date was the 2nd. The book 'The All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul' by Vladimir Bogdanov says the correct date was January 7. Ordinarily, a check of tombstone photos would provide the best evidence, but Williams lies in an unmarked grave next to his wife in Inglewood Park Cemetery. Therefore, since 'Allmusic' is the only major source that puts the date as January 7, and since the 'BBC' is more reputable, and we also have Edward Komara's book to back them up, we have to go with January 2.)
1981: ABBA stayed a sixth week at #1 on the U.K. Album chart with the great album Super Trouper.
1981: Neil Diamond held on to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for the third week with "Yesterday's Songs".
1983: Michael Jackson released the single "Billie Jean".
1988: George Michael released the single "Father Figure".
1988: Mike + the Mechanics released the single "The Living Years" in the United States (it had been released December 3 in the U.K.
1990: Rod Stewart and Ronald Isley released the single "This Old Heart Of Mine".
1993: For the fifth week, Whitney Houston was perched atop the R&B chart with "I Will Always Love You".
1993: Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" posted its sixth consecutive week at #1.
1993: "I Will Always Love You" was also #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for a third week for Ms. Houston.
1996: Arrested Development broke up.
1997: Randy California, guitarist from Spirit ("I Got A Line On You") drowned at age 45 off the coast of Molokai Island in Hawai'i, trying to save his 12-year-old son who had been caught in the undertow. (Note: some websites report that Randy died on January 3; however, although his body has never been found, the official date of death was declared as January 2, according to 'Business Week', the newspaper 'The Independent', and the book Stars of David: Rock'n'roll's Jewish Stories by Scott R. Benarde.)
2001: Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue and wife Donna celebrated the birth of daughter Frankie Jean Sixx.
2001: Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland of Destinys Child settled a lawsuit with former members LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson, who claimed that Beyonce and Kelly forced them out of the group. However, Luckett and Roberson went ahead with charges against the group's manager (Knowles' father Matthew).
2004: Daniel Bedingfield ("If You're Not The One") flipped his Jeep Cherokee in New Zealand and suffered neck injuries and lacerations.
2005: Green Day topped the U.K. Album chart with American Idiot.
Green Day's great song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"...
2005: Green Day had the #1 album on the America chart with American Idiot.
2007: "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley was the #1-seller of 2006 in the U.K., selling 700,000 copies.
2008: Josh Groban, who burst onto the scene with "You Raise Me Up" in 2007, had the top-selling album of the year with Noel, which sold 3.7 million copies.
2009: Taylor Swift sold the most albums in 2008 with four million units.
Born This Day:
1936: Roger Miller, singer, songwriter and musician ("King Of The Road"), was born in Fort Worth, Texas; died October 25, 1992 of cancer in Los Angeles.
1946: "Chick" Churchill, keyboard player of Ten Years After ("I'd Love To Change The World"), was born in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England.
1954: Glenn Goins, singer and guitarist of Parliament, was born in Plainfield, New Jersey; died of Hodgkin's lymphoma on July 29, 1978.
1975: Douglas Seann Robb, lead singer of Hoobastank, was born in Agoura Hills, California.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Happy New Year! This Date in Rock Music History: January 1
1955: Elvis Presley performed at Eagles Hall in Houston, Texas.
1956: "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley & the Comets returned to #1 in the U.K.
1957: Love the title--A new rock & roll show, Cool for Cats, premiered on BBC television in the U.K.
1959: Elvis Presley wrecked his BMW while driving on the Autobahn in Germany.
1962: The Beatles auditioned for Decca Records, playing 15 songs for the A&R man. He declined to sign them, opting instead to sign the Tremeloes. Bad career move for the A&R man.
1964: The Beach Boys recorded "Fun Fun Fun" at United Western Recorders in Hollywood, California.
1964: The first Top of the Pops show aired on BBC television in the U.K. from an old church hall in Manchester, England. DJ Jimmy Saville introduced the show, featuring the Dave Clark Five ("Glad All Over") the Rolling Stones ("I Wanna' Be Your Man") and the Hollies ("Stay"). The first song played was "I Only Want To Be With You" by Dusty Springfield. Other groups featured on film were the Beatles ("I Want To Hold Your Hand"), Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Gene Pitney and Freddie & the Dreamers.
1965: The Yardbirds, featuring a young guitarist named Eric Clapton, were in concert for two shows at the Odeon Cinema in Hammersmith, London.
1965: James Brown logged a sixth week at #1 on the R&B chart with "I Got You (I Feel Good)".
1966: Whipped Cream & Other Delights by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass was #1 on the Album chart for a sixth week. The album had already been on the chart for 34 weeks, quite a bit back then. Again, you want to look at achievements within context and the fact that it dominated for that time is impressive. In fact, the group was second only to the Beatles for album sales in the 1960's.
1966: Simon & Garfunkel's breakthrough song "The Sound Of Silence" became their first #1. Look out from behind, though, as the Beatles jumped from 11 to 2 in only their third week with "We Can Work It Out".
1966: Ricky Nelson filmed the final episode of The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet.
1967: Gary Lewis of Gary Lewis & the Playboys and Jerry's son, was drafted into the United States Army.
1967: The Grateful Dead and Big Brother & the Holding Company performed at the New Year's Wail/Whale in Panhandle Park in San Francisco, California.
1967: The Doors made their television debut on KTLA-TV Channel 5 in Los Angeles, performing "Break On Through".
1971: To celebrate the Beatles' ten years in the music business, Radio Luxembourg played seven continuous hours of Beatles music.
1972: Three Dog Night became the first rock band to be included in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California.
"Rock and Roll" from 'Led Zeppelin IV'...
1972: Stanley, Idaho's Carole King made it two straight #1 albums in a row as she followed up the epic Tapestry with Music. Led Zeppelin IV was second with Cat Stevens moving up to #3 with Teaser and the Firecat. Chicago At Carnegie Hall edged up and Grand Funk Railroad reached #5 with E Pluribus Funk. The rest of the Top 10: The previous #1 There's a Riot Goin' On from Sly & the Family Stone, Don McLean at #7 with American Pie, Santana III was eighth, Tapestry from King was #9 after 39 weeks and All In the Family from the landmark television show of the same name was #10.
1972: Three Dog Night started the New Year with the new Adult #1--"An Old Fashioned Love Song".
1972: With one smash hit at the top, Three Dog Night continued the momentum, as "Never Been tT Spain" moved from #81 to #43 in its second week on the chart.
Jonathan Edwards with "Sunshine"...
1972: Melanie continued to have the right formula with "Brand New Key" at #1. Don McLean closed to #2 with "American Pie" while Sly & the Family Stone's former #1 "Family Affair" and "An Old Fashioned Love Song" by Three Dog Night trailed. The rest of the Top 10: Michael Jackson and "Got To Be There", the Chi-Lites remained in the #6 spot with "Have You Seen Her", Dennis Coffey & the Detroit Guitar Band reached #7 with "Scorpio", Jonathan Edwards moved to #8 with "Sunshine", David Cassidy's remake of "Cherish" was #9 and fellow teen idol Donny Osmond was at #10 with "Hey Girl/I Knew You When".
1976: Robert Plant, lead singer of Led Zeppelin, walked for the first time without assistance after his August, 1975 crash in Greece.
1977: The Roxy reopened as a punk club in London with the Clash performing.
1977: Genesis performed at the newly renovated Rainbow Theatre in London.
1977: Wings flew over the U.K. chart with "Mull Of Kintyre", a song that would go on to be #1 for nine weeks.
1978: The Little River Band released the single "Lady".
1979: Bruce Springsteen's cheek was ripped open when some dunce in the crowd in Richfield, Ohio threw a lighted firecracker on stage.
1980: Rush released their seventh studio album--Permanent Waves.
1980: Cliff Richard became the third rock act (following the Beatles and Elton John) to receive an MBE from the Queen of England.
1982: ABBA, who did a grand total of one tour in North America, performed for the final time in Stockholm, Sweden.
1984: Alexis Korner, whose band Blues Incorporated was a linchpin in the British Rock Family Tree, as chronicled on Inside the Rock Era, died from lung cancer in London at the age of 55. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Jack Bruce and Manfred Mann are just a few of the musicians who played with Korner in Blues Incorporated.
1985: Kylie Minogue appeared on television in the premiere of the Australian soap opera The Henderson Kids. (Note: some websites insist Minogue appeared on the show in 1989. 'The Henderson Kids' only ran two seasons, 1985 and 1986.)
1985: Although they have since strayed far, far, far away, VH-1 premiered as an adult contemporary video channel.
1987: The Cutting Crew released the single "(I Just) Died in Your Arms".
1988: Prince played a charity concert after midnight in aid of the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless at his Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
1990: In one of the shrewder moves of the Rock Era, Polygram purchased the rights to the ABBA catalog.
1991: Buck Ram, songwriter ("Only You" for the Platters) and producer for both the Platters and Penguins, died at the age of 73 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
1994: One of Mariah Carey's last great songs, "Hero", was #1 for a second week while former #1 "Again" by Janet Jackson was second. Ace of Base remained third with "All That She Wants" while the new collaboration between Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams & Sting--"All For Love" moved to #4. Meat Loaf was still at #5 with "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" and Toni Braxton climbed up to 6 with "Breathe Again". Another good song in the Top 10 was Michael Bolton's "Said I Loved You...But I Lied".
2002: After messing up "friend" George Harrison's marriage and then dumping Harrison's wife, Eric Clapton married 25-year-old Melia McEnery in a secret ceremony at the 15th Century St. Mary Magdalene Church in Ripley, Surrey, England.
2002: Gavin Rossdale of Bush proposed to Gwen Stefani of No Doubt. Apparently, no doubt that she would say "Yes".
2002: Alicia Keys captured five Grammy Awards for her amazing album Songs in A Minor.
2002: Dido's Life for Rent finished 2001 as the top-selling album in the U.K.
2011: Chuck Berry collapsed on stage at Congress Theater in Chicago, Illinois. He was helped off stage, only to return 15 minutes later. Berry was then forced off almost immediately. The 84 year-old then re-emerged to tell fans he wasn't able to continue.
2013: Patti Page ("Tennessee Waltz") died in Encinitas, California at the age of 85.
Born This Day:
1942: Country Joe McDonald was born in Washington, D.C. (Note: several websites, including some prominent music ones, incorrectly say that Country Joe was born in El Monte, California. According to the official website for Joe, he was born in Washington, D.C., then moved with his family to El Monte.)
1942: Billy Francis (William Francis Jr.), keyboardist with Dr. Hook, was born in Ocean Springs, Mississippi; died May 23, 2010 in Seymour, Missouri.
1946: Boz Burrell of Bad Company was born in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, England; died September 21, 2006 of a heart attack at his home in Spain. (Note: 'Allmusic.com' reports that Burrell was born August 1; that is in conflict with two respected newspapers--'The Los Angeles Times' and 'The Independent', which both say that Boz was born January 1.)
1950: Morgan Fisher, keyboardist of Mott the Hoople and later a producer, was born in Mayfair, London.
1952: Andy Johns, noted producer and engineer, who worked with the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell, Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, the Steve Miller Band, Jethro Tull, Free, Cinderella, Ten Years After, Humble Pie and Joe Satriani, was born in Leatherhead, Surrey, England; died April 7, 2013 at the age of 71 in Los Angeles from complications of a stomach ulcer. (Note: some websites claim Johns was born in Epsom, Surrey, England, but 'The New York Times" reported that he was born in Leatherhead.)
1958: Michael Penn, singer/songwriter ("No Myth") and brother of Sean, was born in New York City.
1958: Joseph Saddler (Grandmaster Flash) was born in Bridgetown, West Indies
1957: Love the title--A new rock & roll show, Cool for Cats, premiered on BBC television in the U.K.
1959: Elvis Presley wrecked his BMW while driving on the Autobahn in Germany.
1962: The Beatles auditioned for Decca Records, playing 15 songs for the A&R man. He declined to sign them, opting instead to sign the Tremeloes. Bad career move for the A&R man.
1964: The Beach Boys recorded "Fun Fun Fun" at United Western Recorders in Hollywood, California.
1964: The first Top of the Pops show aired on BBC television in the U.K. from an old church hall in Manchester, England. DJ Jimmy Saville introduced the show, featuring the Dave Clark Five ("Glad All Over") the Rolling Stones ("I Wanna' Be Your Man") and the Hollies ("Stay"). The first song played was "I Only Want To Be With You" by Dusty Springfield. Other groups featured on film were the Beatles ("I Want To Hold Your Hand"), Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Gene Pitney and Freddie & the Dreamers.
1965: The Yardbirds, featuring a young guitarist named Eric Clapton, were in concert for two shows at the Odeon Cinema in Hammersmith, London.
1965: James Brown logged a sixth week at #1 on the R&B chart with "I Got You (I Feel Good)".
1966: Whipped Cream & Other Delights by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass was #1 on the Album chart for a sixth week. The album had already been on the chart for 34 weeks, quite a bit back then. Again, you want to look at achievements within context and the fact that it dominated for that time is impressive. In fact, the group was second only to the Beatles for album sales in the 1960's.
1966: Simon & Garfunkel's breakthrough song "The Sound Of Silence" became their first #1. Look out from behind, though, as the Beatles jumped from 11 to 2 in only their third week with "We Can Work It Out".
1966: Ricky Nelson filmed the final episode of The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet.
1967: Gary Lewis of Gary Lewis & the Playboys and Jerry's son, was drafted into the United States Army.
1967: The Grateful Dead and Big Brother & the Holding Company performed at the New Year's Wail/Whale in Panhandle Park in San Francisco, California.
1967: The Doors made their television debut on KTLA-TV Channel 5 in Los Angeles, performing "Break On Through".
1967: Sonny and Cher were barred from the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, because they supported the people who rioted on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.
1968: For the first time in history, LP sales outpaced sales of singles with 192 million units sold.1971: To celebrate the Beatles' ten years in the music business, Radio Luxembourg played seven continuous hours of Beatles music.
1972: Three Dog Night became the first rock band to be included in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California.
"Rock and Roll" from 'Led Zeppelin IV'...
1972: Stanley, Idaho's Carole King made it two straight #1 albums in a row as she followed up the epic Tapestry with Music. Led Zeppelin IV was second with Cat Stevens moving up to #3 with Teaser and the Firecat. Chicago At Carnegie Hall edged up and Grand Funk Railroad reached #5 with E Pluribus Funk. The rest of the Top 10: The previous #1 There's a Riot Goin' On from Sly & the Family Stone, Don McLean at #7 with American Pie, Santana III was eighth, Tapestry from King was #9 after 39 weeks and All In the Family from the landmark television show of the same name was #10.
1972: Three Dog Night started the New Year with the new Adult #1--"An Old Fashioned Love Song".
1972: With one smash hit at the top, Three Dog Night continued the momentum, as "Never Been tT Spain" moved from #81 to #43 in its second week on the chart.
Jonathan Edwards with "Sunshine"...
1972: Melanie continued to have the right formula with "Brand New Key" at #1. Don McLean closed to #2 with "American Pie" while Sly & the Family Stone's former #1 "Family Affair" and "An Old Fashioned Love Song" by Three Dog Night trailed. The rest of the Top 10: Michael Jackson and "Got To Be There", the Chi-Lites remained in the #6 spot with "Have You Seen Her", Dennis Coffey & the Detroit Guitar Band reached #7 with "Scorpio", Jonathan Edwards moved to #8 with "Sunshine", David Cassidy's remake of "Cherish" was #9 and fellow teen idol Donny Osmond was at #10 with "Hey Girl/I Knew You When".
1976: Robert Plant, lead singer of Led Zeppelin, walked for the first time without assistance after his August, 1975 crash in Greece.
1977: The Roxy reopened as a punk club in London with the Clash performing.
1977: Genesis performed at the newly renovated Rainbow Theatre in London.
1977: Wings flew over the U.K. chart with "Mull Of Kintyre", a song that would go on to be #1 for nine weeks.
1978: The Little River Band released the single "Lady".
1979: Bruce Springsteen's cheek was ripped open when some dunce in the crowd in Richfield, Ohio threw a lighted firecracker on stage.
1980: Rush released their seventh studio album--Permanent Waves.
1980: Cliff Richard became the third rock act (following the Beatles and Elton John) to receive an MBE from the Queen of England.
1982: ABBA, who did a grand total of one tour in North America, performed for the final time in Stockholm, Sweden.
1984: Alexis Korner, whose band Blues Incorporated was a linchpin in the British Rock Family Tree, as chronicled on Inside the Rock Era, died from lung cancer in London at the age of 55. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Jack Bruce and Manfred Mann are just a few of the musicians who played with Korner in Blues Incorporated.
1985: Kylie Minogue appeared on television in the premiere of the Australian soap opera The Henderson Kids. (Note: some websites insist Minogue appeared on the show in 1989. 'The Henderson Kids' only ran two seasons, 1985 and 1986.)
1985: Although they have since strayed far, far, far away, VH-1 premiered as an adult contemporary video channel.
1987: The Cutting Crew released the single "(I Just) Died in Your Arms".
1988: Prince played a charity concert after midnight in aid of the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless at his Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
1990: In one of the shrewder moves of the Rock Era, Polygram purchased the rights to the ABBA catalog.
1991: Buck Ram, songwriter ("Only You" for the Platters) and producer for both the Platters and Penguins, died at the age of 73 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
1994: One of Mariah Carey's last great songs, "Hero", was #1 for a second week while former #1 "Again" by Janet Jackson was second. Ace of Base remained third with "All That She Wants" while the new collaboration between Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams & Sting--"All For Love" moved to #4. Meat Loaf was still at #5 with "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" and Toni Braxton climbed up to 6 with "Breathe Again". Another good song in the Top 10 was Michael Bolton's "Said I Loved You...But I Lied".
2002: After messing up "friend" George Harrison's marriage and then dumping Harrison's wife, Eric Clapton married 25-year-old Melia McEnery in a secret ceremony at the 15th Century St. Mary Magdalene Church in Ripley, Surrey, England.
2002: Gavin Rossdale of Bush proposed to Gwen Stefani of No Doubt. Apparently, no doubt that she would say "Yes".
2002: Alicia Keys captured five Grammy Awards for her amazing album Songs in A Minor.
2002: Dido's Life for Rent finished 2001 as the top-selling album in the U.K.
2011: Chuck Berry collapsed on stage at Congress Theater in Chicago, Illinois. He was helped off stage, only to return 15 minutes later. Berry was then forced off almost immediately. The 84 year-old then re-emerged to tell fans he wasn't able to continue.
2013: Patti Page ("Tennessee Waltz") died in Encinitas, California at the age of 85.
Born This Day:
1942: Country Joe McDonald was born in Washington, D.C. (Note: several websites, including some prominent music ones, incorrectly say that Country Joe was born in El Monte, California. According to the official website for Joe, he was born in Washington, D.C., then moved with his family to El Monte.)
1942: Billy Francis (William Francis Jr.), keyboardist with Dr. Hook, was born in Ocean Springs, Mississippi; died May 23, 2010 in Seymour, Missouri.
1946: Boz Burrell of Bad Company was born in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, England; died September 21, 2006 of a heart attack at his home in Spain. (Note: 'Allmusic.com' reports that Burrell was born August 1; that is in conflict with two respected newspapers--'The Los Angeles Times' and 'The Independent', which both say that Boz was born January 1.)
1950: Morgan Fisher, keyboardist of Mott the Hoople and later a producer, was born in Mayfair, London.
1952: Andy Johns, noted producer and engineer, who worked with the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell, Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, the Steve Miller Band, Jethro Tull, Free, Cinderella, Ten Years After, Humble Pie and Joe Satriani, was born in Leatherhead, Surrey, England; died April 7, 2013 at the age of 71 in Los Angeles from complications of a stomach ulcer. (Note: some websites claim Johns was born in Epsom, Surrey, England, but 'The New York Times" reported that he was born in Leatherhead.)
1958: Michael Penn, singer/songwriter ("No Myth") and brother of Sean, was born in New York City.
1958: Joseph Saddler (Grandmaster Flash) was born in Bridgetown, West Indies