This Date in Rock Music History: May 12

1958:  The movie Let's Rock, starring Paul Anka, Danny & the Juniors and the Royal Teens opened to audiences.

1960:  Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley appeared on Sinatra's Welcome Home Elvis television special on ABC.  Elvis sang "Witchcraft" while Sinatra sang Elvis's hit "Love Me Tender".











1962:  Billboard announced that "Big Bad John" by Jimmy Dean was the top jukebox song of 1961.
1962:  "Mashed Potato Time" by Dee Dee Sharp was the top R&B song for a third week.
1962:  Mr. Acker Bilk continued to hold down the #1 spot on the Easy Listening chart for a fourth week with "Stranger On The Shore".
1963:  Bob Dylan walked out of rehearsals for The Ed Sullivan Show after CBS censors told him he could not perform "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues".







1964:  "The Days Of Wine And Roses" was named Best Song at the Grammy Awards.  The great movie should be required viewing for all pre-teens.
1967:  Pink Floyd played Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, experimenting with quadrophonic sound.
1967:  Radio London debuted Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in its entirety.









1967:  Archie Bell of the Drells was drafted into the United States military for a tour of Vietnam.
1971:  Jerry Lee Lewis divorced his cousin Myra.
1971:  Mick Jagger married Bianca Perez Morena de Macias in St. Tropez.  Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Stephen Stills and the other members of the Stones were in attendance. 
1972:  The Rolling Stones released the album Exile on Main Street on Rolling Stones Records.  (Note:  some websites claim the album was released on April 12.  They are a month off, according to 'Mojo' magazine and other reliable sources.)
1973:  "Daniel" hit #1 for Elton John on the Adult Contemporary chart.






   
                             Dobie Gray could only reach #5 amidst stiff competition...

1973:  It was one of the best times for music in rock history.  "Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round The Ole Oak Tree" spent a fourth week at #1 for Dawn, with Stevie Wonder moving up to #2 with "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life".  Sweet's "Little Willy" remained at #3, War was at 4 with "The Cisco Kid" and Dobie Gray had #5 with "Drift Away".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Stuck In The Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel, the Edgar Winter Group's classic "Frankenstein" at #7, Vicki Lawrence at #8 with her former #1 "The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia", "Daniel" entering the Top 10 at #9 for Elton John and Donny Osmond at #10 with "The Twelfth Of Never".






1975:  10cc released the single "I'm Not In Love".  We prefer to only feature the long version.
1975:  Jefferson Starship gave a free concert in New York City's Central Park to commemorate the group's 10th anniversary.
1975:  Elite guitarist Brian May of Queen collapsed onstage after a performance at the Uris Theatre in New York City.  The group had to cancel the rest of their tour, and May flew back to London on May 16.  He was later diagnosed with hepatitis.  (Note:  some websites report that May collapsed on May 11, and several say it was May 16, 1980.  The latter couldn't be more wrong; the correct date is May 12, 1975, according to the book 'The Queen Chronology:  The Recording & Release History of the Band' by Patrick Lemieux and Adam Unger.) 










1977:  The song "Hotel California" by the Eagles was certified Gold.
1979:  Jefferson Starship gave a free concert in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, introducing new lead singer Mickey Thomas.











1979:  "Love Is The Answer", the timeless song from England Dan & John Ford Coley, remained at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1979:  Peaches & Herb remained at the top of the R&B chart for a third week with "Reunited".
1983:  Meat Loaf filed for bankruptcy.
1984:  "Hello" spent a sixth week at #1 for Lionel Richie on the Adult Contemporary chart.







1984:  "Hello" also hit #1 on the Popular chart, taking down the great Phil Collins song "Against All Odds".  The Thompson Twins had #3 "Hold Me Now" while Deniece Williams was climbing fast with "Let's Hear It For The Boy", another single from the movie Footloose.  The rest of the Top 10:  Rick Springfield's rocker "Love Somebody", Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson bragged about their conquests at #6 with "To All The Girls I've Loved Before", the Cars held steady at 7 with "You Might Think", "Footloose" was #8 for Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry's first solo hit "Oh Sherrie" entered the top 10 at #9 and Cyndi Lauper had #10--"Time After Time".

1985:  Lionel Richie earned an honorary Doctor of Music degree from his Alma mater of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
1989:  Ron Wilson, whose drumming you hear on the great instrumental "Wipe Out" by the Surfaris, died of a brain aneurysm at age 44.  (Note:  some websites report that Wilson died on May 7, while others say he died May 19.  While sadly there are no credible sources for his date of death, our best information indicates that Ron died May 12.)
1990:  Former Eagles members Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Timothy B. Schmidt performed together at a rock and roll convention in Los Angeles.
1990:  Sinead O'Connor topped the chart for a fourth week with "Nothing Compares 2 (sic) U" (sic).









                                                 Ummm--perhaps Man of the Century?


1992:  Paul Simon and Billy Joel met with the great Mikhail Gorbachev, who gave so many people freedom.  Now, our sympathies are with the Russian people who must endure yet another poor leader in Putin.











1994:  Elton John released the single "Can You Feel The Love Tonight".
1995:  Peter Tork of the Monkees made an appearance on the ABC-TV show Boy Meets World.
1998:  Garbage released their second album Version 2.0.  (Note:  many websites report the album was released May 11, but according to 'Billboard' and 'MTV', the correct date is May 12.)
2000:  Thieves stole the gates to the famous children's home Strawberry Fields in Liverpool, England.  A scrap dealer later saved the day by turning them in.







2001:  The great Perry Como, whose recording and television career spanned 50 years and whose popularity spanned generations, died shortly before his 89th birthday in Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida.
2002:  Dionne Warwick was arrested at Miami International Airport after baggage screeners found 11 marijuana cigarettes inside her lipstick container.








2003:  The great jazz artist and pianist Diana Krall confirmed her engagement to Elvis Costello.
2004:  John Whitehead of the duo McFadden & Whitehead ("Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now", the platinum single from 1979) was shot dead while fixing his car in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by two unknown gunmen.  He was 55.
2006:  Guns N' Roses played at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, previewing six songs from their upcoming Chinese Democracy album.
2011:  Stevie Wonder received an honorary degree of fine arts from Tulane University in New Orleans.


Born This Day:

1929:  Burt Bacharach, who wrote "Close To You" for the Carpenters, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" for B.J. Thomas, "Arthur's Theme" for Christopher Cross, "Heartlight" by Neil Diamond, "The Look Of Love" and "Wishin' And Hopin'" by Dusty Springfield, "What The World Needs Now Is Love" by Jackie DeShannon, "One Less Bell To Answer" by the 5th Dimension, "Baby, It's You" by the Shirelles, and many of Dionne Warwick's hits (including "I Say A Little Prayer", "Do You Know The Way To San Jose", and "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "Walk On By"), was born in Kansas City, Missouri.
1935:  Steve Knight, keyboardist of Mountain, was born in New York City; died January 19, 2013 from complications of Parkinson's disease in Riverdale, New York.









1942:  Billy Swan, who gave us "I Can Help" in 1974, was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri .
1944:  James Purify (of James & Bobby Purify--"I'm Your Puppet") was born in Pensacola, Florida.
1946:  Ian McLagan, keyboardist of Small Faces and Faces, was born in Hounslow, Middlesex, England; died December 3, 2014 in Austin, Texas, a day after he suffered a stroke.  (Note:  the newspaper 'The New York Times' reports that McLagan was born in London, and several websites report that he was born in Hounslow, London.  McLagan was born in Hounslow, Middlesex, England, according to 'Billboard' magazine and the English newspapers 'The Independent' and 'The Telegraph'.  Hounslow is now a Borough of London located in the county of Greater London, but at the time of McLagan's birth, Hounslow was located in the county of Middlesex.  Even 'The New York Times", which is nearly infallible, is not as accurate as 'Inside The Rock Era' when it comes to music news.) 

Winwood joined the Spencer Davis Group at age 15...

1948:  Steve Winwood, member of Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith and Traffic and huge solo star, was born in Handsworth, Staffordshire, England.  (Note:  some websites list Winwood's birthplace as Birmingham, England, while others say he was born in Handsworth, Birmingham, England, and others that say he was born in Great Barr, Birmingham, England, or Handsworth, West Midlands, England.  Steve was born in Handsworth, according to the book 'Encyclopedia of Pop Music Aliases, 1950-2000' by Bob Leszckak and other reputable sources.  However, Handsworth is not in the county of Birmingham, and the county of West Midlands did not exist until the Local Government Act of 1974, 26 years after Winwood was born.  No, at the time of his birth, Handsworth was part of the county of Staffordshire, and no official birth certificate will list the county as either Birmingham or West Midlands.)






1950:  Billy Squier was born in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts.
1958:  Eric Singer (real name Eric Mensinger), drummer for Kiss, was born in Cleveland, Ohio.
1961:  Billy Duffy, guitarist and songwriter of the Cult, was born in Hulme, Manchester, England.
1967:  Paul D'Amour, bass guitarist of Tool, was born in Spokane, Washington.

In Concert: Rush

From their amazing Roll The Bones tour, here is Rush with "Dreamline":

This Date in Rock Music History: May 11

1957:  Buddy Holly & the Crickets auditioned for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts television program at the KFDA studios in Amarillo, Texas but were rejected.  So much for the opinion of Arthur Godfrey.

1957:  The Everly Brothers appeared in concert for the first time on "Grand Ole Opry" in Nashville, Tennessee.

1958:  Connie Francis rose to #1 in the U.K. with "Who's Sorry Now".

1959:  "Kansas City" reached #1 for Wilbert Harrison on the R&B chart.  It would go on to post seven weeks at the top of that genre.
1959:  Dave "Baby" Cortez scored one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era* as "The Happy Organ" moved to #1.








1963:  While she was singing at a hotel in Manhattan, New York, she was heard by Quincy Jones.  Quincy got her a recording contract and on this date, Lesley Gore debuted on the chart with her first single.  It went on to reach #1, one of 19 hits in her career.
1963:  Another great act also appeared for the first time on the very same chart, quite unusual for the Rock Era.  This duo first recorded as the Paramours, and they debuted on the chart for the first time on this date with their first single.  They enjoyed 21 hits through 1974, with several great ones.  The one that got the ball rolling for the Righteous Brothers was "Little Latin Lupe Lu".
1963:  The Beatles began a 30-week run at #1 on the U.K. album chart with their debut Please Please Me.
1963:  Peter, Paul & Mary moved to the top of the Easy Listening chart with "Puff The Magic Dragon".

1963:  "I Will Follow Him", Little Peggy March's big hit, was #1 on this date for a third week, followed by "Puff The Magic Dragon" from Peter, Paul and Mary and "If You Wanna' Be Happy" by Jimmy Soul.  The Chantay's classic instrumental "Pipeline" was at #4 while Andy Williams had #5 with "Can't Get Used To Losing You".












1964:  The Beach Boys released the single "I Get Around".
1965:  The Byrds performed "Mr. Tambourine Man" on the NBC show Hullabaloo.
1967:  The Supremes, Petula Clark, the Mamas and the Papas and Bobby Darin starred on the ABC-TV special Rodgers & Hart Today.
1967:  The Bee Gees performed "New York Mining Disaster 1941" on the U.K. television show Top of the Pops.
1968:  Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass released their 10th album, The Beat of the Brass.  It would become their fifth #1 album, placing the group in the all-time top five in that department.








1968:  The Four Tops climbed from 69 to 36 with their great song "If I Were a Carpenter".













1968:  "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro, one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, was #1 for a fifth week.  Archie Bell & the Drells were headed there with "Tighten Up" while Gary Puckett & the Union Gap was at 3 with "Young Girl".  Hugo Montenegro's instrumental "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" was #4 while the Box Tops fell from 2-5 with "Cry Like A Baby".  The rest of the Top 10:  "A Beautiful Morning" by the Rascals, "Cowboys To Girls" from the Intruders at #7, "The Unicorn" was #8 for the Irish Rovers, Simon & Garfunkel shot up from 32 to 9 with "Mrs. Robinson" and the Beatles' former #1 "Lady Madonna" was at #10.








1970:  It was the end of an era, one of the most amazing times not just in rock but in music history, as the Beatles released the final single of their time together--"The Long And Winding Road".  (Note:  some websites report the single was released May 18, the same day as the 'Let It Be' album.  The usually reliable 'Beatles Bible' contradicts themselves, saying in one article that the song was released May 18, and in another that the song was released May 11.  We believe the first is a misprint, as numerous other reputable sources, including 'Rolling Stone' magazine and the books 'The Beatles Diary Volume 2:  After The Break-Up 1970-2001' by Keith Badman, 'The Beatles as Musicians:  Revolver Through the Anthology' by Walter Everett, 'All The Songs:  The Story Behind Every Beatles Release' by Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon, and '100 Things Beatles Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die' by Gillian G. Gaar all say that "The Long And Winding Road" was released in the U.S. on May 11.)

 






1970:  Three Dog Night released the single "Mama Told Me (Not To Come)". 1970:  The Soundtrack to "Woodstock" was released.













1972:  John Lennon was a guest on The Dick Cavett Show  and announced that the FBI had tapped his phone.
1973:  Paul McCartney & Wings began their first tour in Bristol, Gloucstershire, England at the Hippodrome.
1974:  Led Zeppelin met Elvis Presley after a Presley concert at the Los Angeles Forum.
1978:  Queen concluded their News of the World tour with three sold-out shows at Wembley Arena in London.
1979:  Rod Stewart appeared at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan for the first of two nights.
1980:  Thin Lizzy performed at The Guild Hall in Preston, Lancashire, England.














1981:  Moved by the tragic shooting of John Lennon earlier in the year, George Harrison wrote "All Those Years Ago", his tribute to Lennon and the group that they had enjoyed so spectacularly.  Harrison released the single in the United States on this date.










1981:  Marty Balin, former lead singer of Jefferson Starship, released the solo single "Hearts".









 

1985:  "Smooth Operator" reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for Sade.












1985:  Madonna's fourth Top 10 in a row became her second #1--"Crazy For You".  U.S.A. for Africa fell after four weeks with "We Are The World".  Simple Minds had their biggest career hit with their song from the great movie The Breakfast Club--"Don't You (Forget About Me)".  The rest of a solid Top 10:  "Rhythm Of The Night" from DeBarge, Murray Head with "One Night In Bangkok", the Power Station edged up with "Some Like It Hot", Sade's "Smooth Operator" was winning over listeners, Wham scored another Top 10 with "Everything She Wants", Animotion was still hot with "Obsession" and Tears for Fears exploded into the Top 10 with "Everybody Wants To Rule The World".







1987:  Bob Seger released the single 'Shakedown".












1990:  Ritchie Valens was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame posthumously by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
1991:  Fairweather Johnson, the follow-up to the wildly successful Cracked Rear View album, debuted at #1 for Hootie & the Blowfish.  It would turn out to disappoint, however.  The Score, from the Fugees was #2, while Alanis Morissette was still at #3 in her 46th week with Jagged Little Pill.







1991:  Roxette moved to #1 with "Joyride".  Amy Grant's "Baby Baby" still was in there at #2.  Other notable songs--Rod Stewart and "Rhythm Of My Heart" at #7, Mariah Carey with "I Don't Wanna' Cry" and Extreme rushed from 16 to 9 with "More Than Words".
1995:  Jimmy Vaughn, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray performed on the popular PBS series Austin City Limits in a tribute to the late Steve Ray Vaughan, who died in a helicopter crash.  The five guitarists had played with Vaughan in his last concert on August 26, 1990.
1997:  Ernie Fields (cover of "In The Mood") died at age 92.  (Note:  several websites claim that Fields was 91 when he died.  He was born August 28, 1904, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society and the books 'Blues:  A Regional Experience' by Bob L. Eagle and Eric S. LeBlanc and 'Handbook of Texas Music' by Laurie E. Jasinski.  That makes Fields 92 years old on his date of death.)
2001:  Oasis and the Black Crowes performed at the Hard Rock in Paradise, Nevada.  (Note:  some websites say the concert was at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Paradise is a census-designated place adjacent to Las Vegas.  The concert was at the Hard Rock in Paradise.)
2002:  Aerosmith's Tom Hamilton found out that his Cape Cod home was destroyed by fire.  The house was under construction at the time.  (Note:  several websites claim the fire was May 12, but it was Saturday night, May 11, according to the local newspaper, 'The Barnstable Patriot'.)
2003:  Noel Redding, bassist for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, died in Clonakilty, Ireland at the age of 57.
2007:  The Mamas and the Papas, Otis Redding and Al Kooper were inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk.

2014:  Ed Gagliardi, bassist for the great rock group Foreigner, died of cancer at the age of 62.








Born This Day:

1941:  Eric Burdon, singer-songwriter of the Animals, and later a member of War, was born in Walker-on-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England.
1943:  Les Chadwick, bass guitarist of Gerry and the Pacemakers, was born in Aigburth, Lancashire, England.  (Note:  some websites naively say Chadwick was born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England.  This is a physical impossibility.  The county of Merseyside was not created until the Local Government Act of 1974, 31 years after Chadwick was born.  Other sites say Chadwick was born in Aigburth, Liverpool, England.  Aiburth is a suburb of Liverpool, and Liverpool has never been a county.  Chadwick was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.)
1943:  Arnie Satin of the Dovells ("You Can't Sit Down") was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.



1947:  Butch Trucks, drummer and one of the founding members of the Allman Brothers Band, was born in Jacksonville, Florida.
1955:  Mark Herndon, drummer of Alabama, was born in Springfield, Massachusetts.

1955:  Jonathan Jeczalik, co-founder of the Art of Noise and producer of Yes, ABC, Kate Bush and Dollar, was born in Oxfordshire, England.

In Concert: Earth, Wind & Fire

Here's the legendary group performing "Fantasy" and "Sing A Song" from 1981:

This Date in Rock Music History: May 10

1960:  The Liverpool group the Beatals changed their name to the Silver Beetles.  The group, which included Stu Sutcliffe on bass and drummer Tommy Moore, along with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, auditioned to be the backing group for Billy Fury, Johnny Gentle or Duffy Power at the Blue Angel (formerly known as the Wyvern Social Club), a club owned by manager Allan Williams.   Fury, Gentle, and Power were all looking for bands, and four other groups, including Gerry and the Pacemakers, auditioned the same day.  Moore was late, so the group used Johnny Hutchinson, the drummer from the group the Cassanovas, another auditioning group.  Despite the fact that the drummer had never practiced with them, the Silver Beetles were still the class of the five.  Fury indicated that this was the band for him.  Moore then came staggering through the door and took over on drums.  Not too long afterwards, Fury abruptly decided that he didn't need a band, and the Silver Beetles were subsequently assigned to back Gentle on an upcoming tour of Scotland.  (Note:  some websites claim that the group changed their name to the Silver Beetles on May 20, but according to the book 'The Beatles As Musicians:  The Quarry Men Through Rubber Soul' by Walter Everett, the name change occurred on May 10.  Some websites say that the group changed their name from Johnny & the Moondogs to the Silver Beetles on this date.  According to 'The Beatles Bible', the group stopped using the name Johnny & the Moondogs in January, and briefly called themselves the Beatals before switching to the Silver Beetles.)
1963:  The Rolling Stones recorded their first songs, including their version of Chuck Berry's "Come On", at Olympic Studios in London.

1964:  Dusty Springfield made her television debut singing "I Only Want To Be With You" on the CBS program The Ed Sullivan Show.
1965:  The Beatles recorded "Dizzie Miss Lizzy" and "Bad Boy".
1965:  The Rolling Stones recorded part of "Satisfaction" at Chess Studios in Chicago.
1966:  Janis Joplin was invited to San Francisco by her friend Chet Helms.  Helms wanted her to  audition for a group he was managing--Big Brother and the Holding Company.
1967:  British police arrested Mick Jagger, Keith Richard and Brian Jones for various drug offenses.
1968:  Jim Morrison, seeing what he thought was abuse of audience members by policemen, incited a riot at a Doors concert at the Chicago Coliseum.
1969:  Tricia Nixon, daughter of United States President Richard Nixon, invited the Temptations and the Turtles to perform at a White House Ball.
1969:  She sang backup for Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Leon Russell and Delaney & Bonnie but on this date, Rita Coolidge debuted on the chart with her own first single--"Turn Around And Love You".

1969:  On the Threshold of a Dream by the Moody Blues reached #1 on the U.K. Album chart.










                          Iron Butterfly had their first and only Top Ten album...

1969:  The Soundtrack to "Hair" by the Original Cast was #1 on the Album chart for a third week, holding off the great debut from Blood, Sweat & Tears.  Glen Campbell's Galveston was #3, Donovan's Greatest Hits came in fourth and Cloud Nine from the Temptations was #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Nashville Skyline from Bob Dylan, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly remained at 7, Help Yourself from Tom Jones was #8, CCR came in at #9 with Bayou Country and another Glen Campbell entry, Wichita Lineman closed the Top 10.
1969:  The Beatles scored one of the top debuts in rock history with "Get Back", which debuted at #10 on this date.
1972:  Status Quo opened for Slade at Gt. George's Hall in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.
1974:  Eric Clapton recorded "I Shot the Sheriff".
1974:  Led Zeppelin celebrated their new record label, Swan Song, with a dinner at the Bel Air Hotel in Los Angeles.
1974:  The Who sold out four shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City (80,000 tickets).





1975:  She studied songwriting under Paul Simon at the University School of the Arts in the early 1970's and sang backup for Bette Midler.  She would go on to have 15 hits but she made a big impression with her first single, "Midnight Blue", which debuted on the chart on this date...for Melissa Manchester.








   
                           The great track "Shooting Star" from Bad Company...


1975:  Chicago VIII remained atop the Album chart for a second week, with That's the Way of the World from Earth, Wind & Fire at #2.  Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti fell to #3 in its ninth week on the chart, Have You Never Been Mellow from Olivia Newton-John was #4 and the posthumous release Crash Landing from Jimi Hendrix came in fifth.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Soundtrack to "Funny Lady", the Soundtrack to "Tommy" at #7, Straight Shooter from Bad Company was eighth, An Evening With John Denver came in at #9 and Alice Cooper's Welcome To My Nightmare was #10.
1975:  Apple Records, the record company owned by the Beatles, dissolved.
1975:  Stevie Wonder performed a free concert at the Washington Monument for 125,000 people in Washington, D.C. as part of "Human Kindness Day" in the nation's capital.
1979:  Bob Dylan recorded the great track "Precious Angel" along with "When You Gonna' Wake Up" and "Slow Train" for his upcoming album Slow Train Coming at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama.

1980:  "Call Me" by Blondie beat back the competition for #1, but "Ride Like The Wind" was #2 for the third week in a row.  Air Supply remained at 3 with their first hit "Lost In Love", Billy Preston & Syreeta hung in at 4 "With You I'm Born Again" and Pink Floyd was stuck at 5 with "Another Brick In The Wall".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Fire Lake" from Bob Seger, Billy Joel's "You May Be Right" at #7, "Sexy Eyes" from Dr. Hook at #8, "Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer", the collaboration from Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes, and Jimmy Ruffin's "Hold On To My Love" coming in at #10.
1982:  In the "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" department:  drummer Topper Headon of the Clash decided to go.  (Note:  some websites claim that Topper left the group on May 24, but the correct date is May 10, according to 'The Drum Channel'.)
1985:  The Go-Go's, the most popular self-contained all-girl group in music history to that time (writing songs and playing their own instruments) announced they were breaking up.
1986:  Paul Simon was the guest on Saturday Night Live.  He  performed "You Can Call Me Al", "Graceland" and "Homeless" from his landmark Graceland album.



1986:  The Pet Shop Boys moved up to #1 with "West End Girls", taking over the spot occupied by Robert Palmer's "Addicted To Love".  Whitney Houston was #3 with "Greatest Love Of All" and Van Halen came in fourth with "Why Can't This Be Love".  The rest of the Top 10:  Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done For Me Lately" at #5, the Outfield with "Your Love", Phil Collins' hit "Take Me Home" at #7, the Miami Sound Machine moving into the Top 10 with "Bad Boy", "Harlem Shuffle" from the Rolling Stones tumbling to #9 and "If You Leave" at #10, giving Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark their first Top 10.






1999:  Shel Silverstein died of a heart attack at the age of 68 in Key West, Florida.  Silverstein, who designed cartoons, wrote plays, poems and stories, also wrote songs such as "The Cover Of The Rolling Stone" and "Sylvia's Mother" for Dr. Hook, "A Boy Named Sue" for Johnny Cash and "The Unicorn" for the Irish Rovers.
2000:  Bobby Brown was arrested at Newark International Airport in New Jersey for violating his probation.
2000:  Michael Bolton lost an appeal against a court ruling that he stole part of his 1991 song "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" from an Isley Brothers song.
2003:  American Life by Madonna was the new #1 album.

2003:  Paul McCartney performed a benefit concert in Rome, Italy.  Proceeds went to Adopt-a-Minefield and to a restoration project for the Colosseum.
2004: Glen Campbell pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and leaving the scene of a car wreck the previous November in Phoenix.  He was sentenced in June to 10 days in jail.
2005:  Seal married German supermodel Heidi Klum on a beach in Mexico near Seal's home on the Costa Careyes.
2007:  A concert was held at the Barbican Centre in London in tribute to ex-frontman Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd, who had recently passed away.






2008:  The Bee Gees were honored with a Blue Plaque that was placed at the former London home of Robert Stigwood, the band's long-time manager and producer.
2010:  The Eagles played the second night at the General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia as part of the highly-successful Long Road Out Of Eden Tour.

Born This Day:

1938: Henry Fambrough, an original vocalist with the Spinners, was born in Detroit, Michigan.  (Note:  some websites report Henry was born in 1935, but 'Billboard' magazine indicates he was born in 1938.)

1946: Dave Mason, elite guitarist with Traffic and a solo artist, was born in Worcester, England.  ('Billboard' magazine reports Mason was born in 1944, but the book 'Legends of Rock Guitar:  The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists' by Pete Prown and Harvey P. Newquist says that Mason was born in 1946, and his talent agency, Richard De La Font Agency, confirms the 1946 date.) 






 

1946: Donovan was born in Glasgow, Scotland.

1946: Graham Gouldman, songwriter and guitarist of 10cc, was born in Broughton, Northamptonshire, England.  (Note:  the Songwriters Hall of Fame and 'Allmusic.com' report he was born in Manchester, but according to 'The Manchester Evening News' and 'The Manchester Beat', Gouldman was born in Broughton.) 

1947: Jay Ferguson, songwriter and lead singer of Spirit and later a solo artist, was born in Burbank, California.

1951: Ron Banks, founder and lead singer of the Dramatics, was born in Detroit, Michigan; died March 4, 2010 of a heart attack in Detroit, Michigan.

1952: Lee Brilleaux (Dr. Feelgood), was born in Durban, South Africa; died April 7, 1994 of lymphoma in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England.
1952:  Sly Dunbar, session drummer for Joe Cocker, Jimmy Cliff and Robert Palmer, was born in Kingston, Jamaica.

1957:  Sid Vicious (real name:  John Simon Ritchie), bassist of the Sex Pistols; died February 2, 1979 from drugs while awaiting a trial for murder.

1960:  Bono (Paul Hewson), lead singer of U2, was born in Dublin, Ireland.
1961:  Danny Carey, drummer for Tool, was born in Lawrence, Kansas.
1967:  Young MC (real name:  Marvin Young) was born in Neasden, London, England.  (Note:  some websites claim he was born in London.  According to the official website for Young MC, he was born in Neasden, a small town near London.)
1968:  Richard Patrick, guitarist and vocalist of Filter and once a member of Nine Inch Nails, was born in Needham, Massachusetts.
1971:  Craig Mack was born in Trenton, New Jersey.

This Date in Rock Music History: May 9

1958:  Disc Jockey Alan Freed quit radio station WINS in New York City after they refused to stand behind him in the wake of recent charges of inciting a riot at a Boston concert.

Bill Black's Combo pictured with the Beatles during a tour...


1960:  The great instrumental "White Silver Sands" by Bill Black's Combo was #1 for the third out of four weeks on the R&B chart.
1960:  Elvis Presley held on to #1 for a third week with "Stuck On You".  Incredibly, it was Elvis's 74th week at #1 in his career.  All this in just five years.
1963:  The Rolling Stones signed a contract with manager Andrew Loog Oldham's company Impact, agreeing to license their records in the U.K. to Decca Records.







1964:  Few people can match this performance with their first single.  On this date, we were first introduced to this duo.  They debuted on the chart with "A World Without Love",
which would go on to reach #1 for...Peter & Gordon.
1964:  The Animals, Chuck Berry and the Nashville Teens played at the Astoria Theatre in London.









1964:  "Hello, Dolly!" by Louis Armstrong ended the Beatles' 14-week monopoly at #1.  The Beatles were still second with "Do You Want to Know A Secret".  Mary Wells moved up with "My Guy", leapfrogging "Bits And Pieces" from the Dave Clark Five, while the Beatles' former #1--"Can't Buy Me Love", was fifth.
1964:  The Beatles' Second Album continued to top the chart with Meet the Beatles! coming in second.  Hello, Dolly! remained at #3, the Dave Clark Five moved up to #4 with Glad All Over and Al Hirt had the fifth-biggest album with Honey in the Horn.
1966:  The Doors auditioned to be the house band at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.
1966:  Karen Carpenter signed her first recording contract with Magic Lamp Records at the age of 16.
1967:  Sandy Shaw had the #1 record in the U.K. with "Puppet On A String".





1970:  Tyrone Davis owned the #1 song on the R&B chart for the second consecutive week with "Turn Back The Hands Of Time".









        
                                         Remember this one from Marmalade?

1970:  The Guess Who scored their only #1 song with "American Woman"/"No Sugar Tonight".  "ABC" by the Jackson 5 slipped while the Beatles were at 3 with "Let It Be".  The Ides of March moved from 9 to 4 with "Vehicle".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Spirit In The Sky", #1 in most places for Norman Greenbaum, the Friends of Distinction with "Love or Let Me Be Lonely", Ray Stevens surprised everyone with a 16-7 move for "Everything Is Beautiful", John Lennon with "Instant Karma", Tyrone Davis wanted to "Turn Back The Hands Of Time" and the Marmalade moved in with "Reflections Of My Life".
1973:  Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones, contributed $150,000 for victims of a Nicaraguan earthquake, adding to the $350,000 raised in a benefit concert by the group.
1974:  Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie performed "Blowin In The Wind" and "Spanish Is The Loving Tongue" for a benefit concert for Chile at New York City's Felt Forum. 
1974:  Bruce Springsteen gave a two-hour performance at the Harvard Square Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts in opening for Bonnie Raitt.  Jon Landau, who would later become the manager and producer for Springsteen, famously said in Boston's The Real Paper, "I saw the future of rock and roll and its name is Bruce Springsteen."  (Note:  some websites report that the concert was at the Boston Arena.  According to the newspaper 'The Boston Globe', the concert was at Harvard Square Theatre in Cambridge.)
1974:  The Eagles performed at the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for their On the Border tour.
1978:  Fee Waybill of the Tubes fell off a stage in England, breaking his leg.
1981:  "Morning Train" by Sheena Easton remained at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

1981:  It wasn't a huge hit, but still a tasty song by Lee Ritenour.  On this date, it was the hottest new song, rising from 80 to 65--"Is It You".
1981:  Styx had a #1 album with Paradise Theater, knocking off Hi Infidelity from REO Speedwagon.  Arc of a Diver by Steve Winwood was #3 followed by the Who's Face Dances and the great Grover Washington, Jr. album Winelight.  The rest of the Top 10:  Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap by AC/DC, Moving Pictures from Rush, Another Ticket by Eric Clapton at #8, Double Fantasy from John Lennon and Dad Loves His Work by James Taylor at #10.
1987:  Starship began a four-week stay at #1 in the U.K. with "Nothing's Gonna' Stop Us Now".  It made lead singer Grace Slick the oldest woman (48) to ever hit #1 in the U.K.





1987:  The Cutting Crew remained at #1 with "(I Just) Died In Your Arms".  Jody Watley was #2 with "Looking For A New Love" while U2 held down #3 "With Or Without You".  The rest of the Top 10:  "La Isla Bonita" from Madonna, "Don't Dream It's Over", the former #1 for Crowded House now at #5, "Sign 'O' The Times" from Prince at 6, Chris DeBurgh scored his first Top 10 with an 16-8 jump for "The Lady In Red", Fleetwood Mac was at 9 with "Big Love" and Aretha Franklin & George Michael slid to #10 with "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)".
1987:  Atlantic Starr moved into the #1 slot on the R&B chart with "Always".
1987:  The Joshua Tree continued to set the pace on the Album chart for U2.  Licensed To Ill by the Beastie Boys was at 2 with Slippery When Wet from Bon Jovi still hanging around the top.  The rest of the Top 10:  Look What the Cat Dragged In from Poison, Paul Simon's landmark Graceland album, Sign 'O' the Times by Prince at #6, Trio from Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris at #7, Europe's The Final Countdown at #8, Bryan Adams at #9 with Into the Fire and Whitesnake moved from 19-10 with their self-titled album.

1987:  "The Finer Things" by Steve Winwood spent a third week atop the Adult Contemporary chart.
1992:  Will Smith married songwriter Sheree Zampino.
1992:  Bruce Springsteen appeared on Saturday Night Live on NBC-TV.








1992:  "Under The Bridge" gave the Red Hot Chili Peppers their first Top 10 song.










1992:  "Hazard" by Richard Marx was the new #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1995:  Elton John won the Polar Music Prize in Sweden.
1998:  Brian Wilson, genius of the Beach Boys, began to make a remarkable comeback from mental illness when he performed his first-ever solo concert at the Norris Cultural Center in St. Charles, Illinois.  His heart-wrenching story is captured in the great movie Love and Mercy.










1998:  The Soundtrack to "Titanic" was #1 on the Album chart for the 16th week in a row with One Step at a Time from George Strait and another soundtrack, City of Angels close behind.  Let's Talk About Love by Celine Dion was #4 followed by the great debut from Savage Garden that held down #5.
2003:  Wyclef Jean of the Fugees signed with J Records.
2009:  Anne Murray received an honorary degree from University of Prince Edward Island in Canada.


Born This Day:
1937: Dave Prater (Sam and Dave) was born in Ocilla, Georgia; died in a one-car automobile accident in Sycamore, Georgia on April 9, 1988.
1937: Sonny Curtis of the Crickets (also wrote songs for the Everly Brothers) was born in Meadow, Texas
1939: Nokie Edwards, guitarist of the Ventures, was born in Lahoma, Oklahoma.
1941: Pete Birrell, bassist of Freddy & the Dreamers, was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England.
1941: Danny Rapp, lead singer of Danny & the Juniors, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died April 5, 1983 of an apparent suicide in Parker, Arizona.

1942: Tommy Roe was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
1943: Bruce Milner, keyboardist of Every Mother's Son, was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1944: Don Dannemann, lead singer of The Cyrkle, was born in Brooklyn, New York.









1944: Richie Furay of Buffalo Springfield and Poco, was born in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
1945: Steve Katz, guitarist of Blood, Sweat and Tears and also a producer, was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1946: Clint Holmes ("Playground In My Mind") was born in Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.  (Note:  some websites naively say Holmes was born in Bournemouth, Dorset, England.  Bournemouth was part of the county of Hampshire until 1974, when the Local Government Act made it part of Dorset.  But that was long after Holmes was born, and a check of his birth certificate will show that he was born in the county of Hampshire, not Dorset.) 








1949: Billy Joel was born in the Bronx, New York.  (Note:  some websites say he was born in New York City, others say Billy was born in Long Island, New York.  First off, Long Island is not a city but just an island.  Joel confirms on his website that he was born in the Bronx.)
1950: Tom Petersson, bassist with Cheap Trick, was born in Rockford, Illinois.
1953: John Edwards, bass guitar player for Status Quo, was born in Chiswick, London. 
1962:  Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode was born in Chigwell, Essex, England.  (Note:  some websites report Gahan was born in Epping, England, or Epping, Essex, England.  According to the official website for Depeche Mode, Gahan says he was born in Chigwell,)
1971:  Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan, bassist and a founding member of Oasis, was born in Manchester, England.  (Note:  several websites report Paul was born in Barton-upon-Irwell, Lancashire, England.  Oasis websites report that McGuigan was born in Manchester.  Although no credible sources exist for his birthplace, our best information indicates he was born in Manchester.)
1975:  Ryan "Nik" Vikedal, drummer for Nickelback, was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
1975:  Tamia (Tamla Marilyn Washington) was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.