Inside the Rock Era: 10/20/13

Saturday, October 26, 2013

This Date In Rock Music History: October 27

1957: The Crickets had the #1 song in the U.K. with "That'll Be The Day".

One of the brightest stars of the time. Or any time...

1957 - "Oh Boy!" by Buddy Holly & the Crickets was released with another killer song--"Not Fade Away" on the flip. (Note: numerous websites show the release as October 29, but according to the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the correct date of release was October 27.)

1958: Ricky Nelson's new hit "Lonesome Town" moved from #86 to #18.

One of the most memorable of the early hits of the Rock Era from the Big Bopper...

1958: Tommy Edwards continued to set the pace for the fifth week with "It's All In The Game". Conway Twitty had #2--"It's Only Make Believe" while the Kingston Trio moved from 8 to 3 with "Tom Dooley". Cozy Cole had #4 with "Topsy II" and Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin" came in fifth. The rest of an early Rock Era Top 10: "Tears On My Pillow" from Little Anthony & the Imperials, "Bird Dog" by the Everly Brothers", the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra was at #8 with "Tea For Two Cha Cha", Robin Luke's "Susie Darlin'" and the Big Bopper held on to #10 with "Chantilly Lace".
1960: Ben E. King recorded his first songs in the studio, and what a pair to pick--"Spanish Harlem" and "Stand By Me", both rock standards.

1962: Dionne Warwick released her first career single--"Don't Make Me Over". (Note: some websites claim the song was released in November or December, but according to both of the books 'On This Day In Black Music History' by Jay Warner and 'Burt Bacharach, Song by Song: The Ultimate Burt Bacharach Reference for Fans...' by Serene Dominic, "Don't Make Me Over" was released on October 27.)1962: The Rolling Stones recorded their first songs "Soon Forgotten", "Close Together" and "You Can't Judge A Book (By Looking At The Cover)" at Curly Clayton Studios in London.
1962: An emerging talent with a great new sound debuted with their single on this date. Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass entered the chart with "The Lonely Bull".
1962: "Only Love Can Break a Heart" by Gene Pitney was #1 on the Easy Listening chart.
1962: The Contours were at #1 for a third week on the R&B chart with "Do You Love Me".

1962: The 4 Seasons had a smash moving up the chart--"Big Girls Don't Cry" moved from 66 to 17.
1962: Bobby "Boris" Pickett remained at the top with "Monster Mash".
1963: The Beatles performed three concerts at the Cirkus in Gothenburg, Sweden.
1966: The Four Tops had the #1 U.K. song with their classic "Reach Out I'll Be There".

1964: The Supremes released the single "Come See About Me".
1969: After the album Abbey Road was finished, Ringo Starr, drummer of the Beatles, began recording a solo album Sentimental Journey, becoming the first Fab Four member to do so.
1973: "All I Know" by Art Garfunkel spent a fourth week at #1 on the Easy Listening chart.
1973: After 24 hits, Gladys Knight & the Pips finally reached #1 with "Midnight Train To Georgia", one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.

1975: Wings released the single "Venus and Mars/Rock Show".

1975: Diana Ross released the single "Theme From 'Mahogany'", the movie in which she starred in.

1975: Bruce Springsteen made the covers of both Time and Newsweek magazines.
1979: Anne Murray's "Broken Hearted Me" was #1 on the Easy Listening chart for the third straight week, giving the popular Canadian 23 weeks at #1 in her career in that genre.

"Southbound Saurez", one of the many great tracks on Led Zeppelin's new album...

1979: Led Zeppelin made it seven straight weeks at #1 on the Album chart with the great album In Through the Out Door, one of The Top 100 Albums of the Rock Era*. The Eagles' album The Long Run had debuted at #2 the previous week but could not overtake Led Zep on this day. Midnight Magic from the Commodores was third with Styx's Cornerstone moving from 10-4. Foreigner's gem Head Games was #5. The rest of the Top 10: Cheap Trick and Dream Police, the Knack were still hanging around after 18 weeks with Get the Knack , Herb Alpert had his first Top 10 album in 11 years--Rise, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall slipped to 9 after just nine weeks (it would be back) and Bob Dylan was at #10 with Slow Train Coming.

1980: Neil Diamond released his first single from the movie that he starred in (The Jazz Singer)--"Love On The Rocks".

1980: Barbra Streisand released the single "Guilty".

1981: Blondie released the single "The Tide Is High".
1982: Prince released the album 1999.
1984: Ozzy Osbourne and wife Sharon celebrated the birth of daughter Kelly.
1984: Big Country topped the U.K. Album chart with Steel Town.
1984: Stevie Wonder had the #1 song on the R&B chart for a third week--"I Just Called To Say I Love You".

1984: Stevie Wonder also was the leader of the Adult Contemporary chart for the third week with "I Just Called To Say I Love You".

1985: Lionel Richie released the single "Say You Say Me".

1986: Billy Joel released the single "This Is The Time".

1986: Chicago released their 40th career single--"Will You Still Love Me?".
1988: The U2 movie Rattle and Hum premiered in the group's hometown at the Savoy Cinema of Dublin, Ireland.
1988: After 232 shows, Def Leppard finished its highly successful Hysteria Tour at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington.
1990: Michael Waite of Musical Youth was thrown in jail for four years for his part in a robbery.
1990: Paul Simon owned the top U.K. album with The Rhythm of the Saints.
1990: M.C. Hammer held on to #1 on the Album chart for the 20th week with Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, the fifth longest of the Rock Era.
1990: Mariah Carey had the #1 AC hit "Love Takes Time".
1991: Jimmy Dean ("Big Bad John") married Donna Meade in Varina, Virginia.
1991: Mariah Carey's fifth consecutive #1 to start her career--"Emotions" was on top again, giving the singer who used to be inspiring her 14th week at #1 in two years.
1992: Cher was denied permission to build a house in Malibu, California and filed suit. She later won the lawsuit and did build a home there.

1995: Gloria Estefan became the first rock artist (and still the only one) to receive a call from the Pope (Pope Paul II) to perform. On this date, Estefan performed for the Pope in Rome to celebrate his 50th anniversary in the priesthood.
1995: Selena's murderess was sentenced to life in prison by a Texas jury.
1998: Samantha Fox was arrested for drunk driving.
2002: The Foo Foo Fighters had the #1 album in the U.K. with One by One.

2002: Tom Dowd, left, producer of numerous acts including Chicago, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, Kenny Loggins, Eric Clapton, Cream, Sonny & Cher, the Rascals, Dusty Springfield, the Drifters, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Meat Loaf and the Allman Brothers Band, died in Aventura, Florida of emphysema at age 77.

2003: Tom Petty received a Legend Award at the Radio Music Awards show.
2003: He might as well be a rapper--he certainly had the right temperament. Scott Weiland, lead singer of the Stone Temple Pilots, was arrested for DUI in Los Angeles after he drove his car into a parked van.

2004: Rod Stewart's new style was paying off. He scored his first #1 album in 25 years with Stardust: The Great American Songbook Volume III.
2007: Keith Richards, guitarist of the Rolling Stones, marched with 15,000 people through Chichester, England, to protest proposed Sussex funding cuts for St. Richard's Hospital.
2008: When Daryl Hall, who was scheduled to sing the national anthem of the United States prior to Game Five of the World Series in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, came down with the flu, John Oates took his place.
2010: Twenty-five global premieres of the posthumous Michael Jackson movie This Is It were featured around the world.
2014: Taylor Swift released the album 1989, which sold 1.287 million copies its first week.

Born This Day:

1933: Floyd Cramer ("Last Date") was born in Samti, Louisiana; died of lung cancer in Nashville, Tennessee December 31, 1997. (Note: most websites incorrectly report his birthplace as Shreveport, Louisiana. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shows it as Samti.)
1942: Lee Greenwood ("God Bless the U.S.A.") was born in South Gate, California.
1945: Dick Dodd, lead singer and drummer with the Standells ("Dirty Water"), was born in Hermosa Beach, California; died November 29, 2013 in Fountain Valley, California of cancer.
1945: Mark Ryan, bass guitarist for Quicksilver Messenger Service from 1971-75, was born in Jacksonville, Florida.
1949: Garry Tallent, longtime bassist of the E Street Band, was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1949: Byron Allred, keyboardist of the Steve Miller Band, was born in Logan, Utah.
1951: Ken K. Downing, founder, songwriter and guitarist of Judas Priest, was born in West Bromwich, England.
1953: Peter Dodd, guitarist of the Thompson Twins("Hold Me Now" from 1984)

1958: Simon LeBon, lead singer and lyricist for Duran Duran, was born in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England
1967: Scott Weiland, lyricist and vocalist of Velvet Underground and the Stone Temple Pilots, was born in Santa Cruz, California.

Top Track: "Street Kids" from Elton John

You know the album Rock of the Westies has the hits "Island Girl", "Grow Some Funk of Your Own" and "I Feel Like a Bullet (in the Gun of Robert Ford)". Another quality track on the album is this one:

Friday, October 25, 2013

This Date In Rock Music History: October 26

1959: Marty Robbins released the single "El Paso".
1959: B.B. King and wife celebrated the birth of their daughter Shirley in Memphis, Tennessee.

1959: "Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin was #1 for a fourth week and it wasn't even close to done.
1961: Bob Dylan signed with Columbia Records.
1962: Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Marvelettes, Mary Wells, Martha & the Vandellas and the Contours were part of the Motortown Revue that began touring on this date in Washington, D.C.

1962: The Beatles debuted on the U.K. chart with their first single "Love Me Do".

1963: Bobby Vinton had one of the Top Easy Listening songs of the 60's with "Blue Velvet", which remained #1 for an eighth week.

1963: Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs ruled the roost for a third week with "Sugar Shack", one of the great hits in the early years of the Rock Era.

1964: The Beach Boys released the single "Dance, Dance, Dance".
1964: The Beatles finished work for their upcoming album Beatles for Sale by recording "Honey Don't" in five takes. While in the studio, Carl Perkins, who had written Ringo Starr's vocal part, paid the Beatles a visit.

1964: Lorne Greene released the single "Ringo".

1965: The Beatles received Member of the British Empire medals at Buckingham Palace in London.

1967: Pink Floyd performed for the first of three shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco, California.

The Los Angeles group Grass Roots--part of what made the 60's so special...

1968: The Beatles made it five weeks at the top with their landmark hit "Hey Jude", one of The Top 10 Songs of the Rock Era*. "Little Green Apples" by O.C. Smith was second with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown falling with "Fire". Mary Hopkin had a monster hit with 'Those Were The Days", moving up 13-4. The rest of a solid Top 10: The O'Kaysions with "Girl Watcher", the Grass Roots and "Midnight Confessions", Gary Puckett & the Union Gap with "Over You", Jeannie C. Riley in retreat with "Harper Valley P.T.A.", the Turtles climbed up from 14 to 9 with 'Elenore" and the Bee Gees were still in the list with "I've Gotta' Get A Message To You".

1970: Elton John released the single "Your Song", at the time the "B" side of the "A" side "Take Me To The Pilot".
1970: A wake for Janis Joplin was held at the Lion's Share in San Anselmo, California. Joplin was cremated at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Mortuary in Los Angeles and her ashes were scattered from a plane into the Pacific Ocean and along Stinson Beach.
1970: Repercussions from one of the worst days of the Rock Era--the disastrous Altamont Festival starring the Rolling Stones. Meredith Hunter, mother of the man killed by the Hell's Angels, who had been hired to run security, sued the Stones.

1973: Paul McCartney & Wings released the single "Helen Wheels".

We Couldn't Get Enough of this new band--Bad Company...

1974: A collaboration that made a lot of people happy--"Then Came You" by Dionne Warwick & the Spinners gave each artist their first #1 song on this date. Stevie Wonder was one step away with "You Haven't Done Nothin'". Guitarist Randy Bachman had split from the Guess Who and formed a hot new group and BTO was roaring up the chart from 17 to 6 with the great song "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". One of the best-sounding opens of any song you'll hear. Carole King from Stanley, Idaho had song #4--"Jazzman" while "The Bitch Is Back" by Elton John came in fifth. The rest of the Top 10: newcomer Bad Company was at 6 with "Can't Get Enough", Tony Orlando & Dawn had the #7 song with "Steppin' Out" although I can tell you that few stations played it, Lynyrd Skynyrd had their first Top 10 song with "Sweet Home Alabama", which moved from 15-8, Mac Davis decided to "Stop And Smell The Roses" and the Osmonds were at 10 with "Love Me For A Reason".
1974: John Denver's "Back Home Again" sailed to the top of the Easy Listening chart.
1974: The outpouring of respect continued to come for the late Jim Croce, whose posthumous greatest hits collection Photographs & Memories entered the Top 10 on the album chart.

1975: Elton John knew how to close out his highly successful tour in style. Decked out in a sequined Los Angeles Dodger outfit, Elton played the second and final night at Dodger Stadium.
1976: Leonard Lee of Shirley & Lee ("Let the Good Times Roll") died of a heart attack in New Orleans, Louisiana at the age of 40. (Note: some websites show his death as October 23, but according to the book 'Rock Obituaries: Knocking on Heaven's Door' by Nick Talevski, the correct date is October 26.)
1978: The Police performed for the first time in the United States at the Rat Club in Boston, Massachusetts.

1980: Paul Kantner of Jefferson Starship suffered a brain hemorrhage during a recording session. He was able to fully recover after 15 days in a Los Angeles hospital.
1985: George Benson hit #1 on the U.K. Album chart with The Love Songs Collection.

1985: Glenn Frey scored his second Top 10 hit with "You Belong To The City".
1985: Dire Straits sat in the #1 spot for the ninth week on the Album chart with Brothers in Arms.

1987: Whitney Houston released the single "So Emotional".

Very few acts could pull off this great of a sound a cappella. You didn't have very good ears if you didn't know this group was going to be huge.

1991: Boyz II Men landed a #1 song on the R&B chart with "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday".
1991: Mariah Carey couldn't miss early in her career while she had Tommy Mottola helping her. She spent a third week at #1 with "Emotions".
1991: Erasure climbed to #1 on the U.K. Album chart with Chorus.

1991: The monumental album Ropin' the Wind by Garth Brooks was #1 for a third week.
1992: Pearl Jam set a career high when the album Vs. sold 950,000 copies in its first week.
1992: John Fogerty and wife Julie celebrated the birth of son Tyler Jackson.

1994: Wilbert Harrison ("Kansas City") died of a stroke at the age of 64 in a Spencer, North Carolina nursing home.
1996: The Spice Girls kept their momentum with the #1 U.K. song "Say You'll Be There".
1996: Celine Dion regained the #1 album with Falling Into You. The Moment by Kenny G was second.

1999: Singer/songwriter Hoyt Axton passed away of a heart attack at age 61 in Victor, Montana. Axton (whose mother wrote Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel"), who penned songs for Elvis, Three Dog Night (their all-time smash "Joy to the World"), John Denver, Ringo Starr and Glen Campbell. among others, died of a heart attack at the age of 61.
2003: The Sugababes went to #1 in the U.K. with "Hole In The Head".

2003: Dido owned the top U.K. album with Life for Rent.
2004: The Eagles performed in Yokohama, Japan.
2005: Ashlee Simpson had the #1 album with I Am Me.
2007: In today's episode of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, T.I. was arrested for unlawfully possessing firearms, unregistered machine guns and silencers.
2008: Girls Aloud had the #1 U.K. song with "Promise".
2007: Donovan announced he was planning to create "The Invincible Donovan University" of transcendental meditation in Glasgow, Scotland.
2008: Patti LaBelle sang the national anthem of the United States prior to Game Four of the World Series in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
2008: AC/DC owned the top U.K. album with Black Ice.

Born This Day:
1944: Allen Henderson, bassist for Them ("Gloria") was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1946: Keith Hopwood, guitarist of Herman's Hermits, was born in Manchester, England.
1951: William "Bootsy" Collins, bass guitarist for James Brown, Parliament and Funkadelic, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1951: Maggie Roche, who sang backing vocals for Paul Simon, was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1952: David Was of Was Not Was ("Walk The Dinosaur") was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1953: Keith Strickland, drummer and guitarist with the B-52's, was born in Athens, Georgia.

1963: Natalie Merchant was born in Jamestown, New York.
1978: Mark Barry of BBMak ("Back There") was born in Manchester, England.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

This Date in Rock Music History: October 25

1958: Cliff Richard made his radio debut on Saturday Night on the BBC.

1962: Paul Petersen performed "My Dad" on The Donna Reed Show in ABC-TV.
1962: Ronnie Smith, who replaced Buddy Holly as lead singer of the Crickets for the remainder of the Winter Dance Party after Holly died in a plane crash, hung himself in a Texas state hospital after he had been committed for drug abuse. The Day the Music Died indeed.
1963: Ricky Nelson and his wife celebrated the birth of daughter Tracy in Santa Monica, California.
1963: The Beatles began their first tour of Sweden, playing at the Nya Aulan, Sundstavagen in Karistad.
1964: The Rolling Stones made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing "Around And Around" and "Time Is On My Side".

1967: The Monkees released "Daydream Believer".
1968: The Jimi Hendrix Experience released the album Electric Ladyland.

1968: Led Zeppelin made their live debut at the Great Hall at Surrey University in England. (Note: numerous websites incorrectly show the date as October 15. It is believed that the group performed under the name the New Yardbirds on October 15 in Surrey, but according to the book 'Led Zeppelin: A Celebration' by Dave Lewis, the group played its final performance under the name the Yardbirds on October 19 in Liverpool, and according to the group's official website, as well as the book 'Whole Lotta' Led Zeppelin: The Illustrated History of the Heaviest Band of All-Time' by Jon Bream, the band made its live debut as Led Zeppelin in Surrey on October 25 (even though promotional posters continued to bill them as the New Yardbirds).)
1969: Pink Floyd released the album Ummagumma.
1969: Johnny Winter and Led Zeppelin performed before 17,000 at the Boston Garden in Massachusetts.
1969: "Sugar, Sugar" moved into the #1 position for the Archies on the U.K. chart, where it would stay for eight weeks.
1969: For the fourth straight week at #1 on the R&B chart, the Temptations were on fire with "I Can't Get Next To You".
1969: Stevie Wonder made a nice move (94 to 59) with "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday".
1969: We first began to hear of a great guitarist with a unique sound as Santana debuted on the chart with their first single--"Jingo".

1969--One of the great times in the Rock Era that included Smith...

1969: The Temptations remained at #1 with one of their biggest career hits--"I Can't Get Next To You". Sly & the Family Stone would have to settle for #2 this time with "Hot Fun In The Summertime". The former #1 classic by the Archies--"Sugar, Sugar" was still at #3 after 14 weeks while Oliver's "Jean" was at #4 and Elvis Presley was moving up with "Suspicious Minds". The rest of the Top 10: Bobby Sherman's "Little Woman", "Wedding Bell Blues" the new smash by the 5th Dimension, Smith moved from 13 to 8 with "Baby It's You", the Cuff Links were up to 9 with "Tracy" and Lou Christie entered the Top 10 with "I'm Gonna' Make You Mine".
1969: Green River by CCR was #1 on the Album chart for a fourth week but something was happening that even it couldn't contend with. Johnny Cash At San Quentin was #2 and the Rolling Stones rolled backwards with Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Volume 2). In one of the biggest chart moves in Rock Era history, the Beatles moved from #178 to #4 with Abbey Road. Pretty good sign that it's an album for all-time. The rest of the Top 10: Blind Faith with their self-titled album, In-A Gadda-Da-Vida from Iron Butterfly, the great debut from Blood, Sweat & Tears, Isaac Hayes with Hot Buttered Soul (that sounds tasty...), the Best of Cream and Santana with their great debut.

1971: Jonathan Edwards released the single "Sunshine".
1973: The Osmonds performed at the Apollo in Glasgow, Scotland.
1973: Rick Nelson was a guest star on The Streets of San Francisco on ABC-TV.

1974: Barry White released the single "You're the First, the Last, My Everything".
1975: Art Garfunkel's remake of the Flamingos' 1959 hit "I Only Have Eyes for You" was the #1 song in the U.K.
1975: Five years after they split, Simon & Garfunkel's one-song reunion "My Little Town" roared up from 81 to 47.

The Starship was flying high...

1975: "Bad Blood" remained at #1, done by Neil Sedaka & Elton John. John Denver held steady at #2 with one of The Top #2 songs of the Rock Era*--the double-sided "Calypso" and "I'm Sorry". Jefferson Starship ("Miracles") and the Eagles ("Lyin' Eyes") remained at 3 and 4, respectively, while the Spinners rolled up to #5 with "Games People Play". The rest of the Top 10: Morris Albert and "Feelings", the 4 Seasons and "Who Loves You", Elton John rose from 36 to 8 with "Island Girl", Sweet fell after peaking at #5 with their great song "Ballroom Blitz" and Tavares had their first Top 10 with "It Only Takes A Minute".

The Pointers found that shy guys were where it was at...

1980: Barbra Streisand registered the fifth #1 song of her career with "Woman In Love", taking over from Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust". The Pointer Sisters slid up with "He's So Shy", the former #1 "Upside Down" from Diana Ross took a turn for the worse and "Real Love" by the Doobie Brothers amazingly was at #5. The rest of the Top 10: An obvious big hit for Kenny Rogers as "Lady" jumped from 17-6, Donna Summer collected her 11th Top 10 song--"The Wanderer", Air Supply's huge hit "All Out Of Love" was #8, Kenny Loggins dropped after peaking at #7 and Stephanie Mills joined the party with "Never Knew Love Like This Before".
1980: Guilty by Barbra Streisand took over at #1 on the Album chart after just three weeks of release. That sent The Game by Queen to #2 while the Doobie Brothers hopped to 3 with One Step Closer. Diana by Diana Ross was fourth followed by the sensational Crimes of Passion album from Pat Benatar. The rest of the Top 10: The "Xanadu" Soundtrack, Give Me the Night from George Benson, The Cars stalled at 8 with Panorama, the new Back in Black Album by AC/DC was making noise and Paris from Supertramp was #10.

1980: Streisand made it a sweep of the top three charts with the #1 AC song as well--"Woman in Love".
1985: R.E.M., the Smiths and Tom Waits performed at Tyne Tree Television Studios in Newcastle, England.
1986: Mark Knopfler, singer/songwriter, founder and elite guitarist of Dire Straits, broke his collarbone after crashing in a celebrity car race prior to the Australian Grand Prix.
1986: Toto enjoyed the #1 Adult Contemporary song--"I'll Be Over You".

1986: Gregory Abbott's great song "Shake You Down" moved to #1 on the R&B chart.

1986: Bon Jovi first moved into the #1 position on the Album chart with Slippery When Wet after seven weeks of release. The great Fore! album from Huey Lewis & the News slipped from the top spot while Boston's third album, Third Stage, moved from 15 to 3. The "Top Gun" Soundtrack was #4 with Lionel Richie's Dancing on the Ceiling trailing.
1988: Chico and Bobby DeBarge of the group DeBarge were convicted of trafficking cocaine in Michigan.

1991: Bill Graham, whose concert promotion boosted the careers of the Rolling Stones, the Who, Bob Dylan, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Janis Joplin, the Allman Brothers Band and more, died when a helicopter he was riding in hit the top of a Pacific Gas and Electric transmission tower near Sears Point (northwest of Vallejo, California) and exploded. (Note: some websites report Graham's death as October 26, but according to 'The New York Times", as well as the tombstone above, one can plainly see he died on Friday, October 25.)
1991: Margo Sylvia of the Tuneweavers ("Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" from 1957) died at age 55 in San Diego, California of a heart attack and stroke.

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1992: Roger Miller ("King of the Road"), who won eleven Grammy Awards as a songwriter and seven Tony Awards for his work in Big River, died in Los Angeles of lung and throat cancer at the age of 56.
1993: Radiohead opened for Tears for Fears at the Aladdin Theater in Las Vegas.

1995: Cliff Richard was honored with knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.
1997: The Spice Girls owned the top song in the U.K. with "Spice Up Your Life".
1997: The Velvet Rope by Janet Jackson debuted at #1. Other good albums in the Top 10: Evolution by Boyz II Men, Butterfly from Maria Carey, Fleetwood Mac's The Dance, Aquarium from Aqua and Songbook - A Collection of Hits by Trish Yearwood.
1997: "Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John was #1 for a third week. And it wasn't even close to done.
2000: William Martin, drummer of Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs ("Wooly Bully" from 1965), died of a heart attack at his home in Sykesville, Maryland the age of 56.

2002: Richard Harris, actor and singer who had the original hit with "MacArthur Park", died of cancer at age 72 in Camden, London.
2003: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Pearl Jam, the Dave Matthews Band and Incubus were among the performers on the first of two days at the Bridge School Benefit in Mountain View, California.
2003: Dave Buckner, drummer of Pearl Jam, married Mia Tyler during a performance by Mia's Dad Stephen of Aerosmith in Las Vegas, Nevada.

2004: Robbie Williams' Greatest Hits was the best album in the U.K.
2006: Andy Taylor, guitarist of Duran Duran, quit the band for the second time.
2006: Ronnie James Dio, Tommy Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward (all part of Black Sabbath) reformed as Heaven and Hell.

Born This Day:

1924: Earl Palmer, a first call session drummer for Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell, the Monkees, the Mamas and the Papas, Little Richard, Duane Eddy, and many, many others, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana; died September 19, 2008 in Banning, California after a long illness. (Note: several websites report he died in New Orleans, however 'The Los Angeles Times" story shows that he died in Banning.) Palmer played on songs such as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" by the Righteous Brothers, "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena" and "Dead Man's Curve" by Jan & Dean, "La Bamba" and "Donna" by Ritchie Valens, "The Lonely Bull" by Herb Alpert, "Summertime Blues" by Eddie Cochran, "Rockin' Robin" by Bobby Day, and numerous R&B songs. Palmer also played drums on scores of movies and television theme songs, including The Flintstones, Mission : Impossible, Green Acres, The Brady Bunch, M*A*S*H, Ironside, The Odd Couple, Mannix, I Dream of Jeannie, and Peyton Place.
1937: Jeanne Black ("He'll Have to Stay") was born in Pomona, California.

1942: Helen Reddy was born in Melbourne, Australia. (Note: some websites claim she was born in 1942, but in Reddy's book 'The Woman I Am: A Memoir', she was born in 1941).
1943: Roy Lynes, keyboardist of Status Quo ("Pictures Of Matchstick Men"), was born in Redhill, Surrey, England. (Note: some websites say he was born on November 25, but 'AllMusic.com' and other reputable sites place his birth on October 25.)
1943: Dick Dodds, lead singer and drummer of the Standells ("Dirty Water"), was born in Hermosa Beach, California; died of cancer in Fountain Valley, California November 29, 2013.

1944: Jon Anderson, lead singer of Yes, was born in Accrington, Lancashire, England.
1944: Taffy Danoff, singer-songwriter of Starland Vocal Band ("Afternoon Delight" from 1976), was born in Washington, D.C.

1947: Glenn Tipton, guitarist of Judas Priest, was born in Blackheath, England.
1950: Chris Norman of Smokie ("If You Think You Know How to Love Me" from 1975), who also teamed with Suzi Quatro for her 1979 hit "Stumblin' In", was born in Redcar, North Yorkshire, England.
1951: Richard Lloyd, singer/songwriter and guitarist for the group Television, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1955: Matthias Jabs, guitarist of the Scorpions, was born in Hanover, Germany.
1957: Robbie McIntosh, guitarist of the Pretenders, was born in Sutton, Surrey, England.
1959: Christina Amphlett, lead singer of the Divinyls, was born in Geelong, Victoria, Australia; died April 21, 2013 in New York City of breast cancer and multiple sclerosis.
1961: Chad Smith, drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, was born in Richfield, Minnesota.
1963: John Leven, bassist of Europe, was born in Stockholm, Sweden.
1968: "Speech" (Chad Thomas) of Arrested Development
1970: Ed Robertson, founder, songwriter, lead singer and guitarist of Barenaked Ladies, was born in Scarbourough, Ontario, Canada.

1984: Katy Perry was born in Santa Barbara, California.

1985: Ciara was born in Austin, Texas.

Four Weeks Away!

We are exactly four weeks away from the premiere of The Top 100 Female Artists of the Rock Era*. We're excited about it, one of the best music specials to be presented thus far on Inside The Rock Era. Mark your calendar for November 21, as we salute each of the 100 female artists with their own day. The special continues through February 28, but you won't want to miss any of it!

Five Best: Pink Floyd

While operating mostly out of the mainstream for years, this legendary English group had their one and only big hit with "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" in 1980. That really marked the time when their album sales began to pick up to the monumental status we see today. Dark Side of the Moon, of course, was on the album charts for longer than any other album, but its sales in the early days weren't astronomical. Rather, it was a steady good seller. What the album "Another Brick in the Wall" did was not only draw attention to the album The Wall, but it got millions of people listening to Pink Floyd that had never done so. That's what hits do. It not only did that (inspired people who grew up at the same time that the group was recording music to listen more to them), but it attracted a new generation of fans.

In this case, though, it was really the first time that the masses began to appreciate this band for what it is, a band that sifts through complex messages that often have several different meanings, and mixes it with expert, precise, stellar music played by great musicians.

The Five Best* category on Inside The Rock Era showcases those artists that in fact have at least five great songs to feature. There are several artists, however, in which five songs doesn't even begin to capture their story. You can tell which artists are the best in history by those in which five isn't enough. In those cases, we will feature more than five.

With Pink Floyd, their catalog presents an opportunity to feature 20 or more fairly easily. We broke it down to 19 tracks that we believe are the cream of the crop. Enjoy!