This Date in Rock Music History: March 10

1956:  The incredible Platters spent an 11th week at #1 on the R&B chart with their classic "The Great Pretender".

1958:  Most would not know this artist until a year later, but on this date, Brook Benton first appeared on the chart with his debut single "A Million Years From Nowhere".

1961:  Songwriter Jeff Barry signed a contract with Trinity Music.  With wife Ellie Greenwich, Barry became one of The Top Songwriters of the Rock Era*, with songs like "Be My Baby" for the Ronettes, "Chapel Of Love" by the Dixie Cups and "River Deep, Mountain High".

1962:  Shelley Fabares moved from #81 to 50 on this date with "Johnny Angel".

1962:  Bruce Channel had himself a #1 song with "Hey!  Baby".







1964: Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel recorded the acoustic "The Sounds Of Silence" at Columbia Records Studios in New York City. Later, the record company would add electric guitar, bass and drums, without the knowledge of either performer, and release the song as a single.
1966: The Beach Boys began recording "God Only Knows" at United Western Recorders Studio in Hollywood, California.  (Note:  there are all kinds of dates thrown around the Internet about the recording of this great love song by Brian Wilson, with some websites claiming the Beach Boys recorded the song on March 6, others on March 9, others on March 10, and still others April 11.  Keith Badman and Tony Bacon, in their book 'The Beach Boys:  The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band, on Stage and in the Studio', states that the group recorded a first instrumental track on March 8, a second on March 9, and the vocal recording was made on March 10.  Books are usually outstanding sources, since an editor and publisher have to also sign off on the facts presented within.  We believe Badman and Bacon are wrong in this instance.  The famous group of backing musicians known as The Wrecking Crew gathered for 20 takes on March 10, with vocals recorded on April 11, according to the book 'Fifty Sides of the Beach Boys:  The Songs That Tell Their Story' by Matt Dillon.  This date is confirmed by Kent Hartman, in his 2012 book 'The Wrecking Crew:  The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best-Kept Secret'.  Hartman's book lists one and only one recording session for The Wrecking Crew:  March 10.  It is inaccurate to say the Beach Boys recorded the song on any one day, but rather, they began recording on March 10, and finished April 11.)
1967:  Sonny & Cher appeared on the television show Man From U.N.C.L.E. on NBC.
1971:  Allen Klein, chosen by John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr to be the manager of the Beatles after Brian Epstein died, was barred from involvement in the group's affairs as the group resolved their remaining issues.
1973:  "Love Train" by the O'Jays was the #1 R&B hit for the fourth week.

 

Dr. Hook's newest landed them on the cover of one of the most inaccurate magazines in history...

1973:  Roberta Flack was untouchable at this point as "Killing Me Softly With His Song" remained at #1 for a third week.  "Dueling Banjos" by Eric Weissberg & Stevie Mandell would have to settle for second-best while Edward Bear's "Last Song" remained in the #3 position.  The Spinners grabbed #4 with "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love" while the O'Jays struck gold with "Love Train".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Also Sprach Zarathustra" from Deodado, one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*, Elton John's former #1 "Crocodile Rock" was now at 7, Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show had their second Top 10 with "The Cover Of The Rolling Stone", John Denver was at #9 with "Rocky Mountain High" although it remains as one of the most underrated songs of the Rock Era, and Jermaine Jackson finished the list with "Daddy's Home".
1975: Elvis Presley began what would prove to be his final recording session at RCA studios in Hollywood, California.  (Note:  some websites incorrectly list the date as March 9.  Presley recorded from March 10-12, according to the books 'The Gospel According To Elvis' by  Kevin and Tanja Crouch and 'Elvis Presley:  A Life In Music' by Ernst Jorgensen.)

1979: James Brown played at the Grand Ole Opry.
1979:  Spirits Having Flown by the Bee Gees was #1 on the Album chart once again.  Rod Stewart's Blondes Have More Fun came in second.




1979:  Poco took over at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with one of The Top 100 AC Songs of the 1970's*--"Crazy Love".










1979:  After 13 weeks of release, Gloria Gaynor made the climb to the top with "I Will Survive".  Dire Straits had their
first Top 10 with "Sultans Of Swing", which edged in at #10.












1981:  Kim Carnes released her single "Bette Davis Eyes".
1981:  Jimmy Page, lead guitarist of Led Zeppelin, made his first performance since the group called it quits, joining Jeff Beck onstage at the Hammersmith Odeon in London for three encores.
1981:  Robert Plant, former lead singer of Led Zeppelin, performed with his new group the Honeydrippers in an unannounced concert at Keele University in Keele, Staffordshire, England.  (Note:  some websites claim the group debuted on this night.  In fact, they had played the night before at the Stourbridge Wine Bar in Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, according to the book 'The Tight But Loose Files' by Dave Lewis.)

1984:  Ian Gillan, songwriter and lead singer, left Black Sabbath.

1984:  Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac fame had a solo #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Got A Hold On Me".







    
                                   Annie and Dave were back in the Top 10...

1984:  "Jump" by Van Halen held on to #1 for a third week with Cyndi Lauper moving up to challenge with "Girls Just Want To Have Fun".  Nena's "99 Luftballons" lost altitude while Michael Jackson peaked at #4 with "Thriller" and another song MJ helped on--"Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell, moved to #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  the posthumous release from John Lennon--"Nobody Told Me", Huey Lewis & the News were up strong with "I Want A New Drug", the Eurythmics were back in the Top 10 for the second time with "Here Comes The Rain Again", Kenny Loggins moved from 16 to 9 with "Footloose" and former #1 "Karma Chameleon" turned and headed down.






1984:  Thriller by Michael Jackson broke the Rock Era record of 31 weeks at #1 on the Album chart, previously held by the stellar Rumours from Fleetwood Mac.  And Michael wasn't done yet.
1988: Andy Gibb died from myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) at the age of 30 in Oxford, England, following a long battle with cocaine addiction, which of course weakens the heart.
1990:  "Escapade" by Janet Jackson took over at #1 on the R&B chart.








        
                                             "What It Takes" from Aerosmith...

1990:  Forever Your Girl by Paula Abdul remained the #1 album for the sixth week with Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 once again unable to top it.  ...But Seriously from Phil Collins was third while the B-52's were up to #4 with Cosmic Thing.  The rest of the Top 10:  Girl You Know It's True not by Milli Vanilli, Billy Joel was at 6 with his latest--Storm Front, Tom Petty was still strong after 44 weeks with Full Moon Fever, Aerosmith's Pump was #8, the excellent Soul Provider from Michael Bolton and Linda Ronstadt scored another Top 10 album with Cry Like a Rainstorm - Howl Like the Wind.







1990:  Taylor Dayne scored her sixth straight Top 10 Out of the Gate* with "Love Will Lead You Back".

1992: Prince received a Lifetime Achievement award at the Soul Train Awards.








 

1997:  LaVern Baker ("I Cried A Tear" from 1958) died from cardiovascular disease at age 67.
1998:  Eric Clapton released his first studio album (Pilgrim) in nine years.

2003:  Johnny Cash was admitted to a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee for pneumonia.
2003:  The Police, AC/DC and two other acts, the Righteous Brothers and Elvis Costello, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.  The Police reunited onstage and performed "Roxanne" and "Message In A Bottle".








2004:  George Michael announced he was retiring from the music business following his album Patience.  He would only release songs on the Internet to raise money for charity.  Now there's a guy who managed his money.
2005:   Danny Joe Brown, original lead singer of Molly Hatchet ("Flirtin' With Disaster") died from renal failure due to diabetes at age 53.  (Note:  some websites report that he died on March 9, but he died on March 10, according to the newspaper 'The Sun-Sentinel' and 'Billboard'.)
2005:  In today's edition of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, Young Jeezy (real name Jay Jenkins) was arrested in South Beach, Florida for carrying a concealed firearm without a permit.
2008:  The state of Washington celebrated the induction of the Ventures into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by declaring today "Ventures Day".


Born This Day:

1940:  Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean was born in Los Angeles, California.

1947:  Tom Scholz, co-founder, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist of Boston, was born in Toledo, Ohio.
1952:  Beverly Bremers ("Don't Say You Don't Remember" from 1971) was born in Chicago, Illinois.

1963:  Jeff Ament, bassist of Pearl Jam, was born in Havre, Montana.  (Note:  'Allmusic.com and other websites claim Ament was born in Big Sandy, Montana.  The truth is that Ament was born in Havre, then moved to Big Sandy, according to the newspaper 'The Great Falls Tribune'.)

1964:  Neneh Cherry was born in Stockholm, Sweden.

1966:  Edie Brickell of Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians ("What I Am") and wife of Paul Simon, was born in Dallas, Texas.  (Note:  some websites naively report her birthplace as Oak Cliff, Texas, or Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas.  Oak Cliff is a district of Dallas, not a city or town.  Birthplaces in the U.S. are never listed as anything other than a city and state.  Oak Cliff was once a town, but it was incorporated by the city of Dallas in 1903, long before Edie was born.)

1966:  Dave Krusen, original drummer of Pearl Jam, was born in Tacoma, Washington.

1971:  Timothy Z. Mosley (Timbaland) who has produced for the Pussycat Dolls, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Nelly Furtado, Missy Elliott and others, was born in Norfolk, Virginia.

1973:  John Charles LeCompt, guitarist of Evanescence, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.

1977:  Robin Thicke was born in Los Angeles.

1983:  Carrie Underwood was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

This Date in Rock Music History: March 9

1959:   "It's Just A Matter Of Time" by Brook Benton climbed to #1 on the R&B chart.
1960:   Since Elvis Presley had returned from service in the United States Army, the movie Jailhouse Rock was re-released.  (Note:  some websites state that the film was re-released to coincide with Presley's discharge.  As explained earlier on 'Inside The Rock Era', (see March 5 on Calendar*), Presley left active service on March 5, but he was not officially discharged from the Army Reserve until 1964.) 

1959:   "Venus" by Frankie Avalon made a nice 7-1 leap to land at #1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1961:  The Supremes released their first single "I Want A Guy".  (Note:  there is much confusion as to the date of this release, with some websites saying March 3, and others in April.  There aren't a lot of credible sources on this one, but 
Mark Ribowsky, in his book 'The Supremes:  A Saga of Motown Dreams, Success, and Betrayal", says the single was released March 9.)
1963:  The Beatles opened for Tommy Roe and Chris Montez at the East Ham Granada in London. By the end of the tour, it would be the Beatles that were the featured attraction.
1963:  "Rhythm Of The Rain" by the Cascades continued to be the song to beat on the Easy Listening chart.
1964:  The Beatles concluded the filming of train scenes (they traveled a total of 2,500 miles in six days) for the upcoming movie A Hard Day's Night.
1968:  Bob Dylan had the top album in the U.K. with John Wesley Harding.

1968:  "Love Is Blue" by Paul Mauriat was the #1 song on the Adult chart for the fourth consecutive week.
1968:   A fifth week at #1 on the Popular chart was awarded to Paul Mauriat's "Love Is Blue", one of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era* and The #1 Instrumental of the Rock Era*.

 

 

 

1970:  Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released the single "Woodstock".
















1970:  The Ides of March released the single "Vehicle".











 

1970:  After changing their name from Earth, Black Sabbath made their live debut at the Roundhouse in London.
1972:   Barbra Streisand, Carole King and James Taylor performed at a benefit concert at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California for Democratic presidential contender George McGovern.









                          Elton John's classic "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding"...

1974:  Bob Dylan put together a fourth week at #1 on the Album chart with Planet Waves. Court and Spark was second for Joni Mitchell while Carly Simon's Hotcakes moved to #3. John Denver's Greatest Hits was next while one of The Top Album Artists of the Rock Era*--Barbra Streisand moved from 16-5 with her latest The Way We Were. The rest of the Top 10: Yes with Tales From Topographic Oceans, the late Jim Croce was next with You Don't Mess Around with Jim after 55 weeks of release, Wings had #8--Band on the Run, Mike Oldfield found the Top 10 with Tubular Bells and Elton John was at #10 with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
1974: "Seasons In The Sun" by Terry Jacks took over at #1 on the Adult chart.

 

 

1974:  Two new songs graced the Top 10: the husband and wife team of Carly Simon & James Taylor with "Mockingbird" and John Denver's new one--Sunshine On My Shoulders".
1976:  Keith Moon, drummer of the Who, collapsed onstage at the beginning of a concert in the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.  This was the opening show of a Who tour of North America, and Moon had no excuse not to be physically ready.
1977:  The Jacksons' television show aired for the final time on CBS.
1979:  The Heroes of Rock & Roll, featuring clips of Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Buddy Holly, among others, was shown on ABC-TV.


 

 

1981:  James Taylor and J.D. Souther released the single "Her Town Too".
1981:  Robert Plant and his new band the Honeydrippers debuted at the Stourbridge Wine Bar in Stourbridge, West Midlands, England. 
1985:  Dead or Alive owned the #1 song in the U.K. with "You Spin Me 'Round (Like A Record)".
1985:  "Missing You", Diana Ross's tribute to the late Marvin Gaye, was #1 on the R&B chart for a third week.




 

 

 

1985:   REO Speedwagon earned a second career #1 with "Can't Fight This Feeling", bumping off Wham's "Careless Whisper", which had been there for three weeks. Glenn Frey was up to #3 with "The Heat Is On", swapping spots with "California Girls" by David Lee Roth.  Madonna moved from 18-5 with "Material Girl' in just its fifth week while the other new Top 10 songs were Julian Lennon's "Too Late For Goodbyes" and "Misled" by Kool and the Gang.
1985:   For the fifth week, "Careless Whisper" by Wham! topped the Adult Contemporary chart.
1985:  Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, producer for Little Richard ("Tutti Frutti"),  Sam Cooke ("You Send Me") and Bob Dylan (the album Shot of Love in 1981), died of pneumonia in Hacienda Heights, California.  (Note:  some websites claim Blackwell died on January 27, but the correct date is March 9, as reported in 'The Los Angeles Times'.)
1987:  John Lennon & Paul McCartney, Carole King & Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil and Sam Cooke were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York City.

1987:  U2 released the album The Joshua Tree.








1987:  U2 released the single "With Or Without You".

1991:  The Clash rose to #1 in the U.K. with their song that they first released in 1982--"Should I Stay Or Should I Go". The song picked up new popularity due to a television advertisement.
1991:  Whitney Houston continued to own the #1 song on the R&B chart with "All The Man That I Need".





 

 

1991:  Whitney Houston topped the AC chart for a fourth week with "All The Man That I Need".
1991:   Mariah Carey made it three straight #1's on the Popular chart to begin her career with "Someday".
1993:  Michael Jackson was named Humanitarian of the Year at the Soul Train Music Awards.









1996:  Mariah Carey released the single "Always Be My Baby".











1996:  A historic day in the Rock Era, as "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men broke the record for weeks at #1 with 15. That broke the tie with "I'll Make Love To You" by Boyz II Men and "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston.  "One Sweet Day" would go on to score another week at #1 and is still the all-time leader with 16 weeks at the top. 

 

 

 

 

 

1997:  The self-titled Spice Girls album returned to #1 in the U.K.
1999:  Mike Anthony, guitarist who worked with the 5th Dimension and Harry Nilsson, died of a heart attack at age 68.
2000:  In today's episode of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, Da Brat (real name is the rather plain Shawntae Harris) was arrested for aggravated battery for pistol-whipping a woman at a club.
2000:   Ivo Robic ("Morgen" from 1959) died in Rijeka, Croatia at age 77.
2001:  Drug charges were dropped against Leif Garrett in Los Angeles County Superior Court when Garrett proved he had successfully completed a rehabilitation program. Good for Leif and we wish him well.
2002:  Stevie Wonder and Donny Osmond were among the performers at the opening ceremonies of the Paralympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
2004:  The newspaper The Miami Herald in Florida reported that the New York City Police Department was advising other cities on how to spy on rap stars and their ilk. The story recounted that the NYPD kept a file on Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Eminem and monitored their gang affiliations. That's the way to stop crime, and as Inside the Rock Era has chronicled, nearly all rap stars are criminals.
2004:   But they're not the only criminals. On this date, Jack White of the White Stripes pleaded guilty to assault and battery in Detroit, Michigan.
2004:  Rust Epique, guitarist of Crazy Town ("Butterfly" from 1999), died of heart failure from a heart attack in Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of 35.  (Note:  one website reports his death as being on March 15, while 'Rolling Stone' says he died "Monday night", which would have been March 8, 2004, and most websites say March 9.  Although there are no credible sources for any of the three dates, our best research indicates that Epique died March 9.)
2007:   Brad Delp, lead singer of Boston, committed suicide in Atkinson, New Hampshire.
2010:   Lloyd Price Day was declared in New Orleans and in the state of Louisiana.

Born This Day:
1925:   Billy Ford of Billy & Lillie ("La Dee Dah" from 1958) was born in Bloomfield, New Jersey; died in 1985.
1932:   Keely Smith, who had four hits with husband Louis Prima, including their version of "That Old Black Magic" in 1958, was born in Norfolk, Virginia.

1933:  Lloyd Price was born in Kenner, Louisiana.
1940:  John Cale, singer-songwriter of Velvet Underground and later a producer who has worked with Patti Smith and Squeeze, among others, was born in Garnet, Wales.

 

 

 

 
1942:   Mark Lindsay, lead singer of Paul Revere & the Raiders and a solo star, was born in Eugene, Oregon, but of course launched his career from Boise, Idaho.
1944:  Gary Leeds of the Walker Brothers ("The Sun Ain't Gonna' Shine Anymore") was born in Glendale, California.
1944:  Trevor Burton (real name Trevor Ireson), founding member and guitarist of the Move, was born in Aston, Birmingham, England.



 

 

 
1945:  Robin Trower, original guitarist of Procol Harum, was born in Catford, London.

1948:  Jeffrey Osborne, lead singer of L.T.D. and a solo star, was born in Providence, Rhode Island.




 

 
1948:  Chris Thompson, guitarist and vocalist of Manfred Mann and a solo artist, was born in Ashford, Kent, England.
1948:  Jimmie Fadden of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, was born in Long Beach, California.
1951:  Frank Rodriguez, organist of ? and the Mysterians, was born in Crystal City, Texas.

 

 

 

 

 
1958:   Martin Fry of ABC was born in Stockport, Cheshire, England.  (Note:  some websites incorrectly report that Fry was born in Manchester, England--he was born in Stockport, Cheshire, England, according to ABC's official website as well as the 'BBC'.)
1968:  Robert Sledge, bassist of Ben Folds Five
1980:   Chingy (real name Howard Bailey, Jr.) was born in St. Louis, Missouri.
1987:  Bow Wow (real name is Shad Moss) was born in Columbus, Ohio, the home of Ohio State University. Why doesn't that surprise me?

This Date in Rock Music History: March 8

1961:  That hard-working group the Beatles did three shows today, their usual lunchtime performance at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England and concerts at the Aintree Institute and Hambleton Hall in Liverpool.

1962:  The Beatles made their debut on the BBC in Great Britain on Teenager's Turn (recorded the night before), performing "Dream Baby", "Maybelline" and "Please Mr. Postman".

1964:  The Dave Clark 5 made their debut appearance by performing "Glad All Over"on The Ed Sullvan Show.
1966:  Bob Dylan recorded "Just Like A Woman" for his upcoming Blonde On Blonde album at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.

1966:  Lulu and the Hollies opened a tour in Warsaw, Poland.

1968:  The Fillmore East opened at Second Avenue and Sixth Street in New York City.
1968:  The Elvis Presley movie Stay Away Joe opened in theaters.
1969:  The Small Faces broke up when lead singer Steve Marriott left the group.  The group played their final show at the Springfield Theatre in Jersey on the Channel Islands.  Remaining members Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan and Kenny Jones recruited guitarist Ronnie Wood and lead singer Rod Stewart and formed the group the Faces.
1969:  James Brown had his 8th #1 on the R&B chart--"Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose".  Yeah.










1969:  Glen Campbell moved from #87 to #47 with "Galveston".











1969:  Sly & the Family Stone held off all challengers for a fourth week at #1 with one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*--"Everyday People".  CCR jumped to their favorite spot of #2 with "Proud Mary".  The Foundations were sturdy at #3 with "Build Me Up Buttercup" while Tommy Roe was a man on the move (10-4) with "Dizzy".  The rest of the Top 10:  Tommy James & the Shondells with their smash "Crimson And Clover", Jay & the Americans were at #6 with "This Magic Moment" Dionne Warwick reached the Top 10 for the sixth time with "This Girl's In Love With You", Smokey Robinson & the Miracles with "Baby, Baby Don't Cry", the Doors dropped with "Touch Me" and 1910 Fruitgum Company moved to #10 with "Indian Giver".

1970:  Diana Ross was in concert for the first time as a solo artist with an eleven-day engagement at Monticello's in Framingham, Massachusetts.

1973:  Ron Mckernan, keyboardist of the Grateful Dead, died at age 27 from liver failure brought on by, you guessed it, alcohol poisoning.

1974:  John Denver recorded "Annie's Song" and "Thank God I'm A Country Boy".

1974:  Bad Company appeared live for the first time at the Newcastle City Hall in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England.
1975:  Carole King was a guest star on The Mary Tyler Moore show on CBS-TV.
1975:  B.T. Express had the top R&B song, one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*--"Express".
1975:  "Have You Never Been Mellow" by Olivia Newton-John was the new #1 on the Adult chart.

                       The Doobie Brothers contributed this gem to a great time in music...

1975:  Olivia Newton-John had hit #1 one year before with "I Honestly Love You".  Now, she had her second #1 as "Have You Never Been Mellow" rose to the top.  The Doobie Brothers were right behind with "Black Water" with Frankie Valli's solo hit "My Eyes Adored You" in third.  Labelle was creating excitement with "Lady Marmalade" and America edged up with "Lonely People".  The rest of the Top 10:  Styx and their breakthrough hit "Lady", which rose from 10-6, the Eagles fell from #1 with "Best Of My Love", Minnie Riperton jumped from 22 to 8 with "Lovin' You", the Average White Band with "Pick Up The Pieces" and ELO scored their first career Top 10 with "Can't Get It Out Of My Head".









1976:  Silver Convention released the single "Get Up And Boogie".
1979:  The John Denver and the Ladies (Tina Turner and Cheryl Ladd) television special was broadcast on ABC-TV.  (Note:  you will find several reported dates of the broadcast (February 28, November 25, and November 29).  The correct date is March 8, according to the books 'Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials' and 'Television Specials:  5,336 Entertainment Programs, 1936-2012', both by Vincent Terrace, as well as Cheryl Ladd's official website.)
1980:  Chuck Mangione returned to #1 for a third week on the Adult Contemporary chart with his theme to the Winter Olympics--"Give It All You Got".
1980:  You didn't have to be a genius to know where this song was going--"Call Me" by Blondie moved from 61 to 28 on this date.





 
         The Spinners with their remake of the Four Seasons' hit...

1980:   Queen lasted a third week at #1 with "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", holding off Teri DeSario and K.C.'s "Yes, I'm Ready".  Dan Fogelberg's "Longer" moved to third while Andy Gibb had his sixth consecutive Top 10 with "Desire", second only to Gary Lewis & the Playboys and Lovin' Spoonful (7 straight Top 10's) at that time in the Rock Era for most Top 10's Out of the Gate*.  The rest of the Top 10:  Pink Floyd moved from 10-6 with "Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 2", the Captain & Tennille with "Do That To Me One More Time", the Spinners' medley "Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me, Girl" edged up, Rupert Holmes moved from 16 to 9 with "Him" and Shalamar was good "The Second Time Around".





                     
                                              "In the Flesh" from 'The Wall".

1980:  Pink Floyd's The Wall was #1 on the Album chart for the eighth week.  Damn the Torpedoes by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers was a solid #2 with Dan Fogelberg's excellent Phoenix album next.  Rush was making Permanent Waves at #4 while the new Michael Jackson album--Off the Wall was still strong after 28 weeks.  The rest of the Top 10:  Donna Summer's compilation (On the Radio-Greatest Hits-Volumes I & II), the Eagles won out in The Long Run, the Whispers with their self-titled debut, Kenny from Kenny Rogers and Chuck Mangione moved from 29 to 10 with Fun and Games.

1986:  Diana Ross had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Chain Reaction", a song written for her by the Bee Gees.
1986:  For the third week, Starship controlled the AC chart with "Sara".
1986:  "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston was the new #1 on the R&B chart.





                                                     "All At Once" from Whitney...

1986:  After 50 weeks, Whitney Houston's debut album incredibly returned to #1.  It had previously peaked at #2 on October 26.  Just a sign of things to come.  Promise by Sade was still second with former #1 Welcome to the Real World by Mr. Mister falling this week.  Barbra Streisand's highly successful The Broadway Album was behind that trio with the self-titled Heart leading that group's comeback.  The rest of the Top 10:  Scarecrow from John Cougar Mellencamp, Starship was back with Knee Deep in the Hoopla, Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits was #8 after 40 weeks, Ozzy Osbourne and The Ultimate Sin while Simple Minds was stuck at #10 with Once Upon a Time.
1997:  The Spice Girls told us what we really, really want--"Wannabe" at #1 for the third week.  

2003:  Mark Knopfler, lead singer and lead guitarist of Dire Straits, suffered a broken collarbone, a broken shoulder blade, and six broken ribs when his motorcycle collided with a car in mid-morning traffic.  Not the best place to be riding a motorcycle.
2003:  Singer Adam Faith, who produced Roger Daltrey's first solo effort, died of a heart attack in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England at the age of 62.  (Note:  some websites report that Faith died on March 7.  He died on March 8, according to the newspaper 'The Guardian'.)

2004:  Bryan McFadden quit Westlife, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.

2008:  Bjork exposed China for what they are when the country set stricter rules on performance after the singer shouted "Tibet, Tibet" at a concert in Shanghai.
 

2009:  A blue plaque was unveiled at the Marquee Club in Soho, London to signify the club's historic importance.  The Marquee was not only a great concert spot, but also the site where the Who played 29 times.  The Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds are among the other stars that began careers at the Marquee.

2009:  U2's album No Line on the Horizon was #1 in the U.K.
2010:   In today's edition of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, Lil' Wayne was sentenced to a year in prison after being arrested for gun possession and began serving time behind bars.
2011:  Mike Starr, bassist and singer with Alice in Chains, died at the age of 44 from "an overdose of prescription drugs" in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Born This Day:

1942:  Ralph Ellis of the Swinging Blue Jeans ("Hippy Hippy Shake" from 1964) was born in Liverpool, England.

1943:  Andrew Semple, guitarist and vocalist with the Fortunes ("Build Me Up Buttercup"), was born in Glasgow, Scotland.

1945:  Mickey Dolenz, vocalist and drummer with the Monkees, was born in Los Angeles.











1946:  Randy Meisner, guitarist and vocalist with Poco and the Eagles and a solo artist, was born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

1944:  Carole Bayer Sager, famous songwriter who penned songs for Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond ("Heartlight"), Celine Dion ("The Prayer"), Phil Collins, Dionne Warwick ("That's What Friends Are For"), Carly Simon ("Nobody Does It Better"), Melissa Manchester ("Don't Cry Out Loud" and "Midnight Blue"), Christopher Cross ("Arthur's Theme"), Leo Sayer ("When I Need You"), Gene Pitney, Dolly Parton, the Mindbenders ("A Groovy Kind of Love") and many others and the wife of fellow songwriter Burt Bacharach, was born in New York City.

1947:  Mike Allsup, guitarist of Three Dog Night, was born in Oakdale, California.




 

1948:  Little Peggy March (who had the #1 "I Will Follow Him" at age 14 in 1963, still the youngest female to ever have a #1 song), was born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania.

1948:  Mel Galley, guitarist of Whitesnake ("Here I Go Again" from 1987), was born in Cannock, Staffordshire, England; died from cancer of the esophagus in Heath Hayes, Staffordshire, England on July 1, 2008.

1954:  Cheryl Baker of Bucks Fizz was born in Bethnal Green, London.

1957:  Clive Burr, drummer of Iron Maiden, was born in East Ham, London; died March 12, 2013 in London of complications from multiple sclerosis.

1958:  Gary Numan ("Cars" from 1980) was born in Hammersmith, London.

1960:  Richard Darbyshire, lead singer and songwriter of Living in a Box (the song "Living In A Box) and also a producer, was born in Stockport, Cheshire, England.

1964:  Peter Gill, drummer of Frankie Goes To Hollywood, was born in Liverpool, England.

1968:  Shawn Mullins ("Lullabye" from 1999) was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
1978:  Kameelah Williams, lead singer of 702, was born in Las Vegas, Nevada.

1979:  Tom Chaplin, lead vocalist and lead guitarist of Keane, was born in Hastings, East Sussex, England.  (Note:  some websites claim Tom was born in Battle, East Sussex, England.  According to the 'BBC', Chaplin was born in Hastings.

This Date in Rock Music History: March 7

1956:  Kay Starr ("Rock And Roll Waltz") suffered a serious car accident after running a stop sign in Corona, California.  She was hospitalized with neck, arm and leg injuries.

1960:  Percy Faith remained perched at the top for a third week with the great instrumental "Theme From 'A Summer Place'".  
1964:  Al Hirt had the top Easy Listening song for the third week with "Java".












1964:  Those lucky enough to be alive were seeing history unfold before their eyes.  The Beatles, who had launched their American careers on The Ed Sullivan Show just weeks before, now had the #1 song in the land for the sixth straight week with "I Want To Hold Your Hand".  And that was how it all began.  Reinforcements came in the form of "She Loves You" at #2 and "Please Please Me" at #4 and soon, it was a full-scale invasion.  
1964:  Meet the Beatles, the second U.S. album from the group, was #1 for a fourth week with their first one, Introducing...the Beatles, in the #2 position.  Here was what the Rock Era sounded like prior to the Beatles:  Al Hirt with Honey in the Horn at #3, Peter, Paul & Mary with In the Wind, The Singing Nun with her self-titled debut, Nancy Wilson with Yesterday's Love Songs/Today's Blues moving from 13-6, the Soundtrack to "Charade" from Henry Mancini & His Orchestra, the Soundtrack to "Hello, Dolly!" moving from 25-8, The Wonderful World of Andy Williams and There!  I've Said It Again from Bobby Vinton.  Just in case you doubt that the Beatles changed music forever.











1967:  The Beatles recorded overdubs for "Lovely Rita" including harmony vocals and effects.

1967:  Sandra Dee received a divorce from Bobby Darin.

1970:  Sly & the Family Stone spent a fifth week atop the R&B chart with "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).

"The Only Living Boy in New York" on the incredible final album from Simon & Garfunkel...

1970:  The great album Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel moved to #1 after just four weeks, toppling Led Zeppelin II.  Former #1 Abbey Road by the Beatles was still a strong third after 21 weeks.  Willy and the Poorboys, the great new one from Creedence Clearwater Revival was fourth with Chicago II edging up to #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  The debut from the Jackson 5 (Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5), Hello, I'm Johnny Cash, which moved from 13-7, Was Captured Live at the Forum by Three Dog Night, the self-titled Engelbert Humperdinck and Santana at #10 with their self-titled release.








                        The Chairmen of the Board with their first single...

1970:  Simon & Garfunkel's new single "Bridge Over Troubled Water" had been out for five weeks and two of those were at 1.  The world's favorite #2 band--CCR was in their familiar position with their double-sided "Travelin' Band"/"Who'll Stop The Rain", Sly & the Family Stone's former #1 "Thank You" was now third but Brook Benton headed up strong (9-4) with "Rainy Night In Georgia".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Hey There Lonely Girl" from Eddie Holman, the Tee Set's one and only hit--"Ma Belle Amie", the Jaggerz headed into the Top 10 with "The Rapper" (the good kind--long before a group of misfits ruined the word...), Chairmen of the Board moved from 16 to 8 with "Give Me Just A Little More Time", B.J. Thomas was still in the Top 10 after 19 weeks with his #1 classic "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" and the Hollies were making their own story as "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" jumped from 17 to 10.
1971:  Harold McNair, saxophone and flute player who worked with Quincy Jones, Donovan, Melanie and Ginger Baker's Air Force, died of lung cancer in Westminster, London, England at age 39.  (Note:  some websites report that McNair died in London, or in Maida Vale, London, England.  Maida Vale is a residential district, not a city.  It is located in the city of Westminster, which is in the county of London.)
1973:  While new signee Bruce Springsteen was giving a performance to celebrate his contract with Columbia Records, A&R man John Hammond suffered a heart attack.  John just got a little excited when the dollar signs started floating around in his head.

1976:  A likeness of Elton John was unveiled at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in London.  Elton was the first rock star to be so honored since the Beatles.









1977:  Boz Scaggs released the single "Lido Shuffle".








 

 
   
             Benatar's remake of a Rascals song helped fuel sales.

1981:  REO Speedwagon was #1 on the Album chart with Hi Infidelity for the third straight week.  Double Fantasy remained second from the late John Lennon, "The Jazz Singer" Soundtrack by Neil Diamond came in third, just ahead of Styx with Paradise Theater.  The rest of the Top 10: Zenyatta Mondatta from the Polica, Crimes of Passion from Pat Benatar, Blondie's Autoamerican, Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits at #8, AC/DC was still in the Top 10 after 29 weeks with Back In Black and Kool and the Gang entered the list with Celebrate!













1985:  U.S.A. for Africa released the charity single "We Are The World".











1987:  Bon Jovi controlled the chart for a fourth week with "Livin' On A Prayer".  Huey Lewis & the News had a solid #2 with "Jacob's Ladder" while the Jets were up to 3 with "You Got It All".  Bruce Hornsby & the Range moved from 12-9 with "Mandolin Rain" and Janet Jackson had her fifth career Top 10 with "Let's Wait Awhile".
1987:  The Jets had the #1 R&B song with "You Got It All".









1988:  Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine released the single "Anything For You".
1988:  Gordon Huntley, pedal steel guitarist who was a member of Matthews Southern Comfort and also played for Elton John, Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard and others, died of cancer.

1992:  Michael Jackson moved to #1 on the R&B chart with "Remember The Time".        






 

     
                                               Grant had hit the mainstream...

1992:  Three new songs moved into the Top 10 and upped the quality--"Save The Best For Last" from Vanessa Williams at #5, Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" at #6 and Amy Grant edged in at #10 with "Good For Me".
1992:  "Missing You Now" by Michael Bolton and Kenny G. moved to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1994:  The United States Supreme Court ruled that parodies that make fun of an original work can be considered "fair use" and do not require permission from the copyright holder.









1998:  Madonna had her eighth #1 song in the U.K. with "Frozen".
2001:  Jerry Collins, formerly with the Trammps ("Disco Inferno") was convicted of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault of his wife.

2004:  Britney Spears rose to #1 in the U.K. with "Toxic".

2009:  In today's edition of Inmates Run Rap Music, Coolio, whose real name is the rather plain Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was arrested for possession of crack cocaine at Los Angeles International Airport.
2013:  Peter Banks, guitarist, singer and keyboardist with Yes, died in London of heart failure at the age of 65.


Born This Day:
1942:  Hamilton Bohannon, drummer and bandleader for Motown Records, was born in Newman, Georgia.
1943: Chris White, songwriter and bassist of the Zombies and Argent ("Hold Your Head Up"), was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire, England.

1946:  Peter Wolf (real name Peter Blankfield), lead singer of the J. Geils Band ("Freeze-Frame") was born in the Bronx, New York.  (Note:  'Allmusic.com says Wolf was born in New York City.  United Press International states Peter was born in the Bronx.  UPI is far more professional and more credible.)
1946:  Matthew Fisher, singer-songwriter and organist of Procol Harum ("A Whiter Shade Of Pale"), and a producer, was born in Addiscombe, Croydon, England.
1952: Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1952: Jules Shear, who wrote "All Through The Night" for Cyndi Lauper and "If She Knew What She Wants" for the Bangles, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1962: Taylor Dayne (real name Leslie Wunderman) was born in Baldwin, New York.  (Note:  some websites mistakenly list her birthplace as Long Island, New York, or Baldwin, Long Island, New York.  Baldwin is a hamlet and census-designated area.  If one were to write someone living in Baldwin, they would use Baldwin, New York as the city and state.  Long Island is not a state, nor it is a city (as those who report Long Island, New York as Dayne's birthplace say); it is an island within the state of New York.)

1967:  Randy Guss of Toad the Wet Sprocket