This Date in Rock Music History: November 17

1957:  Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps appeared on national television for the first time on The Ed Sullivan Show.  (Note:  numerous other "timeline" websites and other sites show that this date was November 25.  In the first place, The Ed Sullivan Show aired on Sunday nights, not Monday, and in 1957, Sunday fell on November 3, 10, 17 and 24th.  According to the book 'Handbook of Texas Music' by Laurie E. Jasinski, as well as the book 'Race with the Devil:  Gene Vincent's Life in the Fast Lane' by Susan VanHecke, as well as 'TV.com' and other television history sites, the correct date is November 17.)
1958:  Duane Eddy roared up the chart from 71 to 25 with "Cannonball".

1958:  The Kingston Trio hit #1 with "Tom Dooley".  
1961:  The Beatles played a lunch show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, then ventured to the Village Hall, Knotty Ash for a nighttime concert.
1962:  "Big Girls Don't Cry" was the new #1 song on the R&B chart for the 4 Seasons.

1962:  The 4 Seasons blasted into the #1 position with "Big Girls Don't Cry".  Elvis Presley edged up with "Return To Sender" while the Crystals' former #1 "He's A Rebel" was third.
1963:  Nancy Sinatra was on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1966:  "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys was #1 in the U.K.
1967:  Davy Jones, lead singer of the Monkees, opened his clothing boutique Zilch (named after a song on the Headquarters album) in Greenwich Village, New York.
1970:  Elton John recorded a show at A&R Recording Studios in New York City for live broadcast on radio station WABC-FM that was later released as the 11-17-70 album.
1973:  Billy Preston's "Space Race" took over the #1 spot on the R&B chart.
1973:  Helen Reddy moved from 59 to 29 with "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)".

                Ringo captured the moment...

1973:  Eddie Kendricks maintained with "Keep On Truckin'" at #1 while the previous #1 "Midnight Train To Georgia" by Gladys Knight & the Pips was still #2.  The DeFranco Family surprisingly had song #3--"Heartbeat - It's A Lovebeat", Ringo Starr was up to 4 with "Photograph" and Billy Preston's instrumental "Space Race" was at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Marie Osmond with "Paper Roses", the Carpenters had their 14th hit in just three years with "Top Of The World", the Rolling Stones tumbled with "Angie", Chicago had their seventh Top 10 with "Just You 'N' Me" and the late Jim Croce entered the list with "I Got A Name".

1973:  Elton John had the top album with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.  Goats Head Soup was second by the Rolling Stones and Brothers and Sisters by the Allman Brothers was awarded the #3 position.  The Who were up from 24 to 4 in their second week with Quadrophenia. 
1974:  ABBA ventured out of their native Sweden for the first time.  But not too far--just on a tour of Europe, which began at the Falkonercentret in Copenhagen, Denmark.
1976:  A Very Special Olivia Newton-John was shown on ABC television.
1976:  The Carpenters played two sold-out concerts at the Playhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland.



1977:  Neil Diamond released the single "Desiree".
1978:  Led Zeppelin recorded two takes of "All My Love" at ABBA's Polar Studios in Stockholm, Sweden for Led Zep's forthcoming album In Through the Out Door.
1979:  John Glascock, bassist of Jethro Tull in the studio, died at the age of 28 of a congenital heart valve defect in London.  (Note:  some websites show that Glascock died at age 26--he was 28 as reported by the 'BBC'.)




1979:  ABBA was verified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the top-selling group in recording history.
1979:  ABBA had their fifth #1 album in the U.K. with Greatest Hits, Volume 2.
1979:  Kool & the Gang stood on top of the R&B chart for the third week with "Ladies Night".

 

 

 1979:  "You're Only Lonely" by J.D. Souther became the new #1 song on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1979:  The Commodores enjoyed their second #1 song with "Still".
1979:  The Eagles had a stranglehold on the #1 album with their great release The Long Run.  Led Zeppelin was second with In Through the Out Door, Styx's Cornerstone was third and Tusk by Fleetwood Mac moved to 4.  The rest of the Top 10:  On the Radio--Greatest Hits Volumes I & II by Donna Summer, Midnight Magic from the Commodores, Herb Alpert's Rise was #7, Barbra Streisand edged up with Wet, One Voice from Barry Manilow captured the #9 spot and Bee Gees Greatest, a two-album set, debuted way up at #10.

1980:  John Lennon released the album Double Fantasy.









1980:  Dolly Parton released the single "9 to 5".
1980:  Aretha Franklin and Sammy Davis, Jr. performed for Queen Elizabeth in London.

1984:  The exciting Chaka Kahn had the top R&B song with "I Feel For You".





 

1984:  Giuffria had one of the fastest-moving songs as "Call To The Heart" climbed from 82 to 66.









     
               Sheena Easton changed her image...

1984:  Wham! moved up to #1 with "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go".  Prince peaked at #2 with "Purple Rain" and Billy Ocean's first #1 song "Caribbean Queen" was down to #3.  Chaka Khan had song #4 with "I Feel For You" and Stevie Wonder's former #1--"I Just Called To Say I Love You" was fifth.  The rest of the Top 10:  Hall & Oates were stuck on 6 with "Out Of Touch", Tina Turner and "Better Be Good To Me", Sheena Easton had her 12th hit with "Strut", Cyndi Lauper moved in with "All Through The Night" and Lionel Richie's "Penny Lover" was #10.
1984:  Lionel Richie was making history with his seventh #1 song on the AC chart out of eight releases.  "Penny Lover" took over at the top.
1985:  Wham!  led the way on the U.K. Album chart with Make It Big.
1987:  Madonna released her compilation You Can Dance.  (Note:  some websites report the date of release as November 18--according to Madonna's official website, it was November 17.)
1990:  David Crosby broke his left leg, ankle and shoulder in an accident on his motorcycle in Los Angeles.

1990:  Debbie Gibson was the honorary chairperson at the seventh annual Music Industry Tennis Party to benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, New York.
1990:  The Rhythm of the Saints by Paul Simon moved from 11-5 on the Album chart, the only new entry in the Top 10.

 

 

 

 

1990:  Bette Midler continued her momentum as "From A Distance" remained #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for the third week.








1990:  Mariah Carey remained at #1 with "Love Takes Time".  M.C. Hammer was sitting back with "Pray" and Alias moved up to #3 with their great song "More Than Words Can Say".  Deee-Lite had song #4--"Groove Is In The Heart".  The rest of the Top 10:  Whitney Houston moved from 13 to 5 with "I'm Your Baby Tonight", her 11th Top 10 song in 13 tries, Vanilla Ice cooled off with "Ice Ice Baby", Poison and "Something To Believe In", newcomer Stevie B moved from 15-8 with "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)", James Ingram with "I Don't Have The Heart" and Bette Midler moved into the Top 10 with "From A Distance".
1992:  In what was becoming a trend, Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers received $4 million in back payments from the song "Why Do Fools Fall in Love".  What?  Corporations doing something evil by withholding money from employees?  Shocking.
1997:  Metallica released their album Reload.
1998:  Mariah Carey released the album #1's

1998:  Jewel released the album Spirit.
2000:  The two-hour documentary The Beatles Revolution was shown on ABC-TV.
2000:  Cher was a guest star on the show Will & Grace on NBC-TV.
2003:  Britney Spears (21 years old) became the youngest singer to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  In other words, they give one to anyone these days.
2003:  Arthur Conley ("Sweet Soul Music" in 1967) died of intestinal cancer in Ruurlo, The Netherlands at age 57.
2007:  The Eagles' great album Long Road out of Eden was #1.
2010  Legendary songwriters Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff had a street in front of their Philadelphia International studios named after them.

Born This Day:
1937:  Gerry McGee, guitarist of the Ventures, was born in Eunice, Louisiana.


1938:  Gordon Lightfoot was born in Orillia, Ontario, Canada.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1942:  Bob Gaudio, of the Royal Teens ("Short Shorts" from 1958) and who wrote many of the hits for the 4 Seasons with Bob Crewe and also produced several Neil Diamond albums, was born in The Bronx, New York.








1944:  Gene Clark, songwriter and guitarist for the New Christy Minstrels, the Byrds and later McGuinn, Clark & Hillman, was born in Tipton, Missouri; died of a heart attack at the age of 47 brought on by years of consumption of alcohol and drugs on May 24, 1991 in Sherman Oaks, California.







1946:  Martin Barre, lead guitarist of Jethro Tull, was born in King's Heath, Birmingham, England.
1947:  Rod Clements of Lindisfarne was born in North Shields, England.
1947:  Robert "Stewkey" Antoni, vocalist and keyboard player for the Nazz and Utopia
1955:  Peter Cox of Go West was born in Kingston, Surrey, England.
1957:  Jim Babjak, lead guitarist and founding member of the Smithereens, was born in Cartaret, New Jersey.
1967:  Ronnie Devoe of New Edition and Bell Biv Devoe was born in Boston, Massachusetts.
1967:  Ben Wilson, keyboardist of Blues Traveler, was born in Chicago, Illinois
1980:  Isaac Hanson of the group Hanson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Top Track: "Tullamore Dew/Phoenix" from Dan Fogelberg

This is an amazing sound from Dan Fogelberg from his best career album.  The prelude "Tullamore Dew" leads into the title song from Phoenix--Enjoy!

This Date in Rock Music History: November 16

1959:  "Mr. Blue" by the Fleetwoods finally dislodged "Mack The Knife" by Bobby Darin as the #1 song after six weeks.  But Macky would be back for more.

1960:  The Shirelles released the single written by Stanley, Idaho's Carole King--"Will You Love Me Tomorrow".
1962:  The Beatles recorded for their second appearance on Radio Luxembourg for The Friday Spectacular program at the EMI Records headquarters in Manchester Square in London.  The group was interviewed before a live audience and performed "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You".  The show aired on November 23.
1963:  "Dominique" by the Singing Nun moved from 64 to 19.
1963:  "Deep Purple" by Nino Tempo & April Stevens was the new #1 song, as "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs moved out after five weeks.
1963:  "It's All Right" by the Impressions was #1 on the R&B chart for a second week.

1963:  Peter, Paul & Mary ruled the Album chart as the memorable trio had the #1 album In the Wind, #6 (Moving) and #8 (Peter, Paul and Mary).  Barbra Streisand owned #2--The Second Barbra Streisand Album while Elvis' Golden Records, Volume 3 by Elvis Presley was third.
1964:  The Animals recorded "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood".
1965:  Frank Sinatra was featured on Sinatra:  An American Original with Walter Cronkite on CBS-TV.
1966:  The Temptations released their Greatest Hits package.

1968:  Led Zeppelin performed at the Manchester College of Science & Technology in Manchester, England.

1968:  Electric Ladyland by the Jimi Hendrix Experience moved into the #1 position on the Album chart, sparking an interest in his first album Are You Experienced?, which re-entered the Top 10 at #8 after 65 weeks of release. 
1968:  Mary Hopkin remained at #1 on the Easy Listening chart with "Those Were The Days".






1968:  We were first introduced to the new singer with the gravelly voice on this date--Joe Cocker released his first career single, a remake of the Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends".
1968:  "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell showed it was going to be a factor as it jumped up from #67 to #23 on this date.






         The Turtles were slow to move out of the Top 10...

1968:  The Beatles registered an eighth straight week at #1 with "Hey Jude", second in the Rock Era at the time to Bobby Darin's "Mack The Knife".  The great Mary Hopkin song "Those Were The Days" was second for a third week with the Supremes at #3 with "Love Child".  Steppenwolf's rocker "Magic Carpet Ride" moved from 7 to 4.  The rest of an excellent Top 10:  "Hold Me Tight" from Johnny Nash, Cream's "White Room" remaining at #6, O.C. Smith with "Little Green Apples", Johnnie Taylor moved from 21 to 8 with "Who's Making Love", Dion was up from 18-9 with "Abraham, Martin and John" and the Turtles were still hanging around with  "Elenore".





1971:  New artist Cat Stevens released the first single of his career on this date--"Wild World".

1972:  America released their fine album Homecoming.












The Rolling Stones challenged for the top spot...


1974:  Walls and Bridges by John Lennon took over at the top of the Album chart with Jim Croce's Photographs & Memories coming in second.  The Rolling Stones moved from 19-3 with It's Only Rock 'N Roll and America's great album Holiday was #4, swapping places with Not Fragile from BTO.  
1974:  Neil Diamond hit #1 for the second time (the other being "Song Sung Blue") on the Easy Listening chart with "Longfellow Serenade".
1974:  Barry Manilow debuted on the chart with his first single "Mandy".

Gordon Lightfoot had his third Top 10 hit with "Carefree Highway"

1974:  John Lennon and Elton John moved up to #1 with "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night".  B.T. Express closed in with "Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)" and Bobby Vinton's comeback hit "My Melody Of Love" was third.  America was solid at #4 with "Tin Man", John Denver's "Back Home Again" was #5 again and Billy Swan swooped up from #15 to #6 with "I Can Help".  The rest of the Top 10:  Neil Diamond scored the eighth Top 10 of his career with "Longfellow Serenade", Reunion was up with "Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)", Carl Carlton entered the list with "Everlasting Love" and Gordon Lightfoot had song #10 with "Carefree Highway".









1976:  Al Stewart released the single "Year of the Cat".
1976:  Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys granted an interview for the first time in eight years on the television show Old Grey Whistle Test on BBC in the U.K.









1977:  Rush was awarded Gold albums for 2112, All the World's a Stage and A Farewell to Kings.
1978:  Queen performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1979:  The Infinity record label, which included Hot Chocolate, Orleans, Rupert Holmes, and Spyro Gyra among its acts, closed its doors and was absorbed by MCA.
1985:  U2 debuted their own record label Mother Records.
1985:  Sade had the top U.K. album with Promise.
1985:  "Separate Lives" by Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin took over as the new #1 Adult Contemporary chart.





1985:  After 26 releases, Starship reached #1 for the first time with "We Built This City".  Glenn Frey's "You Belong To The City" was second, pushing the previous #1 "'Miami Vice' Theme" by Jan Hammer to #3.  Tears for Fears were tumbling with "Head Over Heels" and Stevie Wonder was down with "Part-Time Lover".  The rest of the Top 10:  Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin edged up with "Separate Lives" a new group called Mr. Mister broke into the list with "Broken Wings", Heart achieved their fourth Top 10 song with "Never", ABC peaked at #9 with "Be Near Me" and thee Thompson Twins peaked at #10 with "Lay Your Hands On Me".
1987:  Topper Headon, drummer of the Clash, was put away for 15 months at Maidstone Crown Court in England for supplying heroin to a man who died as a result.
1988:  Stan Love, former manager of the Beach Boys and the brother of lead singer Mike Love, was sentenced to five years probation for embezzling more than $1,000,000 from the group.
1989:  Stevie Nicks and Richard Marx were in concert at the NEC in Birmingham, England.
1991:  Enya achieved a #1 album in the U.K. with her incredible release Shepherd Moons.
 
    Amy Grant with another smash from 'Heart In Motion'...

1991:  Prince owned the #1 song with "Cream" and Bryan Adams peaked at #2 with "Can't Stop This Thing We Started".  It would be time to begin searching for a new #1 and Michael Bolton's "When A Man Loves A Woman" would start the list.  Boyz II Men moved up with "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" while PM Dawn was up from 11-5 with "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss".  The rest of the Top 10:  Roberta Flack and Maxi Priest had song #6--"Set The Night To Music", "O.P.P." by Naughty By Nature, Amy Grant enjoyed another Top 10 as "That's What Love Is For" moved from 17-8, Karyn White's former #1 "Romantic" was #9 and Guns N' Roses burst into the Top 10 with "Don't Cry".
1991:  By this time, the Adult chart was a far more accurate portrayal of the most popular songs and Michael Bolton already had three weeks at #1 with his remake of the Percy Sledge classic "When A Man Loves a Woman".

1993:  Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams & Sting released their single "All For Love".  (Please click on "Play" icon in the top left-hand portion of the video...)
1994:  Dino Valente, singer with Quicksilver Messenger Service who also wrote the timeless classic "Get Together", one of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*, died in Danbury, Connecticut at the age of 57.
1996:  The Spice Girls rocketed to #1 on the U.K. Album chart with their self-titled release.




1996:  Anthology Volume 3 by the Beatles was the #1 album, making the group the only act in the Rock Era to have three #1 albums in a 12-month period.

2001:  A life-sized statue of Sonny Bono was unveiled in Palm Springs, California.
2004:  U2 played a concert before about 20 contest winners at their studio in Dublin, Ireland.


Born This Day:
1916:  Herb Abramson, co-founder of Atlantic Records, was born in Brooklyn, New York; died in Henderson, Nevada on November 9, 1999.
1933:  Garnet Mimms of the Enchantments ("Cry Baby") was born in Ashland, West Virginia.
1938:  Troy Seals, a member of James Brown's band and a cousin of Dash Seals of Seals & Crofts, was born in Bighill, Kentucky.
1940:  John Ryanes of the Monotones ("Book Of Love") was born in Newark, New Jersey; died May 30, 1972 in Newark.
1943:  Blue Lovett, songwriter, vocalist, and co-founder with the Manhattans ("Shining Star') and later a producer, was born in Jersey City, New Jersey.
1948:  Chi Coltrane, songwriter and solo artist ("Thunder And Lightning") was born in Racine, Wisconsin.
1949:  Pattie Santos, lead singer of the group It's a Beautiful Day ("White Bird"); died in a car crash near Healdsburg, California on December 14, 1989 after drinking and speeding before missing a curve and crashing into two trees.
1959:  Harry Rushakoff, drummer of Concrete Blonde, was born in Chicago

1964:  Diana Krall, one of the best-selling jazz artists in history, was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.

1969:  Bryan Abrams of Color Me Badd ("I Adore Mi Amor") was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
1979:  Trevor Penick of O-Town ("All or Nothing" from 2000) was born in San Bernadino County, California.

Discography: Pearl Jam

This Seattle, Washington alternative group has now sold nearly 60 million albums worldwide.  There's some great albums in here--the complete discography from Pearl Jam:

Studio Albums:

1991  Ten (#2, #2 in Canada, #3 New Zealand)
1993  Vs. (#1, #1 Australia, #1 Canada, #1 New Zealand, #1          Sweden, #1 The Netherlands, #1 Norway)
1994  Vitalogy (#1, #1 Australia, #1 New Zealand, #1                      Sweden, #2 Canada)
1996  No Code (#1, #1 Australia, #1 Canada, #1 New                      Zealand, #1 Sweden)
1998  Yield (#2, #1 Australia, #1 New Zealand, #1 Norway,              #2 Canada)
2000  Binaural (#2, #1 Australia, #1 New Zealand)
2002  Riot Act (#5, #1 Australia, #2 New Zealand)
2006  Pearl Jam (#2, #2 Australia, #2 Canada, #2 The                    Netherlands, #2 New Zealand, #2 Belgium)

2009  Backspacer (#1, #1 Australia, #1 Canada, #1 New                  Zealand)
2013  Lightning Bolt (#1, #1 Australia, #1 Canada, #1                      Ireland, #1 Belgium)

Live Albums:
1994  Dissident - Live in Atlanta 
1998  Live on Two Legs (#15, #4 Australia, #7 Canada)
2004  Live at Benaroya Hall (#18, #10 Canada)
2006  Live in NYC 12/31/92 
         Live at Easy Street 
2007  Live at the Gorge 05/06 (#36)
         Live at Lollapalooza 
2011  Live on Ten Legs (#21, #2 Canada, #9 The                            Netherlands)
2011  9.11.2011 Toronto, Canada 

Compilations:
2003  Lost Dogs (#15)
2004  Rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991-2003)--#16, #2                  Australia, #3 New Zealand)

2011  Pearl Jam Twenty (#10)

This Date in Rock Music History: November 15

1956:  Elvis Presley appeared in a movie for the first time as Love Me Tender opened at the Paramount Theatre in New York City.  (Note:  there are conflicting reports of the date of the premiere.  The books 'Icons of Rock:  An Encyclopedia of the Legends Who Changed Music Forever' by Scott Schinder and Andy Schwartz and 'Elvis:  Day by Day' by Peter Guralnick and Ernst Jorgensen state that the movie premiered on November 15.  The newspaper 'The Examiner' and The Graceland.com website also show the premiere as the 15th.  The books 'The Elvis Movies' by James L. Neibaur and 'Elvis Presley:  A Biography' by Kathleen Tracy state that the premiere was on November 16.  This would be a tossup to determine the accurate date, unless those sources all saw the picture of the marquee above, which clearly shows that the premiere was on the 15th...)   

1964:  Peter & Gordon appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.  (Note:  some websites report the date as November 9, but according to 'TV.com' and other online sites where you can watch video of the performance, it was November 15.)
1965:  The Beatles finished recording the album Rubber Soul.






1965:  The Rolling Stones performed "Get Off Of My Cloud", which aired on Hullabaloo on NBC-TV on this date.







1969:  The Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, where the Beatles performed in their early years, announced it was closing its doors at the end of the month.








1969:  Glen Campbell enjoyed the top Easy Listening song with "Try A Little Kindness".










1969:  We first heard of a new group called the Jackson 5 as their first single "I Want You Back" debuted on the chart.











     
               R.B. Greaves had a huge hit

1969:  The 5th Dimension remained at #1 with "Wedding Bell Blues" while the Beatles crowded around with "Come Together" at #2 and "Something" at #3.  Blood, Sweat & Tears rose from 8-4 with "And When I Die" and Smith was still at #5 with "Baby It's You".  The rest of the Top 10:  Two former #1's--"I Can't Get Next To You" by the Temptations and "Suspicious Minds" from Elvis Presley, the Flying Machine were at #8 with "Smile A Little Smile For Me", the Archies' former #1 "Sugar, Sugar" and R.B. Greaves took a leap from 18-10 with "Take A Letter Maria".

1969:  Abbey Road by the Beatles spent a third week at #1 on the Album chart with CCR's Green River second.
1972:  America released their fine album Homecoming.
1972:  Harry Chapin and his wife celebrated the birth of son Joshua Burke.









1974:  The Doobie Brothers released the single "Black Water".
1975:  ABBA were in the United States for the only time in their career, performing "S.O.S." and "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" on American Bandstand on ABC-TV.








1975:  Silver Convention achieved a #1 song on the R&B chart with "Fly, Robin, Fly".
1975:  Diana Ross had another big solo hit as the "Theme Rrom 'Mahogany' (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" moved from 79 to 53.








1975:  "Island Girl" by Elton John was the #1 song for a third week as "Lyin' Eyes" officially would have to settle for being one of the top #2 songs of the Rock Era--many stations had it #1, however.  The Four Seasons were up to #3 with "Who Loves You", their biggest hit since "Let's Hang On" in 1965.  Jefferson Starship edged up with "Miracles" while Linda Ronstadt's double-sided hit "Heat Wave"/"Love Is A Rose" was at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  K.C. and the Sunshine Band moved from 19 to 6 with "That's The Way (I Like It)", Natalie Cole's "This Will Be", Morris Albert had song #8 with "Feelings", the Captain & Tennille with "The Way I Want to Touch You" and War rode into the Top 10 with "Low Rider".
1977:  Debby Boone had the #1 Easy Listening song with "You Light Up My Life".
1978:  Barbra Streisand released her Greatest Hits Volume 2 package.
1978:  Echo & the Bunnymen made their live debut at Eric's Club in Liverpool, England.

1980:  Kenny Rogers' 12th solo hit became his first career #1 as "Lady" moved into the coveted position.  That moved "Woman In Love" by Barbra Streisand out as adult songs dominated the chart.  Donna Summer was at #3 with "The Wanderer" and Queen remained at #4 with "Another One Bites The Dust".  The rest of the Top 10:  Diana Ross and "I'm Coming Out", Stephanie Mills was up to #6 with "Never Knew Love Like This Before", Steve Wonder's "Master Blaster" took position #7, the Pointer Sisters dropped with their huge hit "He's So Shy", Leo Sayer bumped into the Top 10 with "More Than I Can Say" and John Lennon jumped from 32-10 in only his third week with his first big hit in six year--"(Just Like) Starting Over".










1983:  Culture Club released the single "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" in the United States.










1984:  Glenn Frey released his solo single "The Heat Is On".












1984:  Billy Ocean released the follow-up to "Caribbean Queen"--"Loverboy".  (Note:  one website shows the release as December 1, an impossibility since it is physically and logistically impossible for a song to debut on the chart (December 1) on the date it is released.)










                 Eddie Money with his biggest career hit...

1986:  For the second week, Boston held on to #1 with "Amanda".  The Human League were at #2 with "Human", Madonna's "True Blue" took home the #3 prize and Eddie Money was fourth with "Take Me Home Tonight".  Newcomers Bon Jovi had their first Top 10 with "You Give Love A Bad Name".  The rest of the Top 10:  "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On" by Robert Palmer, Cameo's "Word Up", Sun Valley, Idaho's Peter Cetera teamed with Amy Grant to enter the Top 10 with "The Next Time I Fall", Oran "Juice" Jones moved "The Rain" to #9 and Cyndi Lauper dropped with "True Colors".

                Winwood's classic had become a fixture in the Top 10...and for All-Time...


1986:  Boston's Third Stage was #1 on the Album chart for the third week while former #1 Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi was still hanging around and Fore!  by Huey Lewis & the News remained third.  Cyndi Lauper's True Colors came in #4 and Tina Turner dropped to #5 with Break Every Rule.  The rest of the Top 10:  Dancing on the Ceiling from Lionel Richie, Steve Winwood's great album Back in the High Life, the Soundtrack to "Top Gun", The Bridge by Billy Joel at #9 and Madonna snuck into the Top 10 with True Blue.
1988:  Queensryche opened for Metallica as their tour of North America kicked off at the Toledo Sports Arena in Toledo, Ohio.
1990:  Frank Farian, producer of Milli Vanilli, admitted that Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus of the group didn't actually sing any notes on their album and lip-synched in live performances.



1997:  Robyn had the highest-debuting song with "Show Me Love".
1997:  Elton John spent a sixth week at #1 with "Candle In The Wind 1997", his tribute to the late Princess Diana.  It was Elton's 66th career hit, his 27th Top 10 and ninth #1.  Usher was a distant #2 with "You Make Me Wanna'" while LeAnn Rimes had #3--"How Do I Live".
2003:  The city of Augusta, Georgia announced plans to construct a statue of James Brown and rename a music festival in the singer's honor.
2005:  Madonna released the album Confession on a Dance Floor.  (Note:  some websites show the date of release as November 11, but it was the 15th, according to the official Madonna website.)

Born This Day:

1932:  Petula Clark was born in Epsom, England.

 

 

 

 

 

1932:  Clyde McPhatter, vocalist with the Drifters and Billy Ward & the Dominoes and a solo artist ("A Lover's Question" from 1958), was born in Durham, North Carolina; died June 13, 1972 in New York City of a heart attack from complications from heart, liver and kidney disease brought on by years of drinking alcohol.  (Note:  some websites report Clyde's birth year as either 1931 or 1933, but according to the book 'Rock Obituaries:  Knocking on Heaven's Door' by Nick Talevski, as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website and other credible sources, he was born in 1932.)  
1937:  Little Willie John ("Fever") was born in Cullendale, Arkansas.






1945:  Anni-Frid Lyngstad of ABBA was born in Ballangen, Norway.  (Note:  some websites show her birthplace as Narvik, Norway, but she was born in Ballangen, which is just outside of Narvik, according to the newspaper 'The Daily Mail'.)
1949:  Steve Fossen, founding member and bassist of Heart 
1953:  Alexander O'Neal, solo artist who also co-produced the album Control for Janet Jackson, was born in Natchez, Mississippi.
1954:  Tony Thompson, drummer of Chic and the Power Station and session musician for Diana Ross, Rod Stewart and Duran Duran, was born in Queens, New York; died November 12, 2003 in Encino, California, less than a month after being diagnosed with kidney cancer.
1957:  Joe Leeway of the Thompson Twins was born in Islington, London.

We Are One Week Away...

We think the music special The Top 100 Female Artists of the Rock Era* will live up to the hype.  You may agree or disagree with the rankings, but what's important is that the special honors The Top 100 Female Artists* like no one has before.  You will be astounded by the achievements and reminded by the life's work of these great women.

Remember that the special considers only an artist's achievement under each name that they record under.  To be eligible, the artist must either be a solo performer, or a member of an all-female group (No males allowed!).  Thus, Cher's work with Sonny and Stevie Nicks' work with Fleetwood Mac, for example, do not count in the copyrighted* formula that determines the rankings.  As we will point out often during the special, additional work outside of their solo career is best awarded in the special The Top 100 Women in Rock*, which Inside The Rock Era will also produce in the future.

As hard as it is to believe in 2013, there was a time in the Rock Era when women were not given a great deal of respect, certainly as artists in control of their own career.  That has changed radically, with women writing their own songs, playing their own instruments, producing their own albums, etc.  As women have taken charge of their own careers, they have been a dominant force in the industry, and many of The Top 100 Female Artists* are from the last 10-20 years.

They have amazing stories, and even more amazing music.  You won't want to miss it--The Top 100 Female Artists of the Rock Era* kicks off next Thursday, November 21 on Inside The Rock Era!  

This Date in Rock Music History: November 14

1960:  "It's Now Or Never" by Elvis Presley became the fastest-selling single ever in the U.K. at the time, moving 780,000 copies in a week.

1960:  Cozy Cole began a 20-week goodwill tour of Africa that was sponsored by the United States State Department.
1960:  Jerry Butler moved back to the #1 spot on the R&B chart with "He Will Break Your Heart".





1960:  Ray Charles moved to #1 for the first time with his ninth hit--"Georgia On My Mind".  
1961:  The Everly Brothers recorded "Crying In The Rain".
1962:  The Beatles played the final performance of a 14-night run at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany.  It was the second of three stints for the group at the Star.
1964:  The Supremes reigned on the R&B chart for a third week with their first big hit "Baby Love".

1964:  Johnny Rivers moved up from 61 to 33 with "Mountain Of Love".









            "Last Kiss" sounds as good now as ever...

1964:  "Baby Love" was #1 for a third week for the Supremes, temporarily holding off "Leader Of The Pack" from the Shangri-Las.  J. Frank Wilson & the Cavaliers dropped with "Last Kiss".  Jay & the Americans marched to #4 with "Come A Little Bit Closer" and the Honeycombs were there at #5 with "Have I The Right?".  The rest of the Top 10:  Dean Martin and "The Door Is Still Open to My Heart", Manfred Mann's former #1 "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", Betty Everett & Jerry Butler were on their way down with "Let It Be Me", the Zombies had a big hit with "She's Not There", which jumped from 22-9 and Bonanza's Lorne Greene had a surprising hit at #10 with "Ringo".

1967:  Pink Floyd opened for the Jimi Hendrix Experience on a tour of the U.K., with the first show on this day at the famous Royal Albert Hall in London.
1969:  Led Zeppelin began work on their third album, recording "Since I've Been Loving You" at Olympic Studios in London.
1969:  "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies topped the U.K. chart.







1970:  The Osmonds released their first single--"One Bad Apple".











1970:  Gladys Knight & the Pips released "If I Were Your Woman".
1970:  Led Zeppelin III continued to set the bar on the Album chart with Abraxas by Santana #2 and James Taylor remaining in the third position with Sweet Baby James.  The only new entry into the Top 10 surged to get there--Sly & the Family Stone jumped from 48 to 10 in the second week of release for their Greatest Hits package.
1970:  The Jackson 5 remained at #1 on the R&B chart for the sixth consecutive week with their first release--"I'll Be There".
1970:  "We've Only Just Begun" by the Carpenters was the #1 Easy Listening song for the sixth straight week.

          Brian Hyland had grown up since "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini"...

1970:  The Jackson 5 continued to have the #1 song for a fifth week with "I'll Be There".  The Carpenters were runners-up for a third week with "We've Only Just Begun" and James Taylor's first hit "Fire And Rain" was third.  The Partridge Family moved from 7 to 4 with "I Think I Love You", leaping over R. Dean Taylor's "Indiana Wants Me".  The rest of the Top 10:  Sugarloaf with "Green-Eyed Lady", Smokey Robinson & the Miracles grabbed their fifth Top 10 in 37 releases with "The Tears Of A Clown", 100 Proof Aged in Soul had #8 officially with "Somebody's Been Sleeping" although few radio stations played it, Brian Hyland had his first Top 10 in eight years with "Gypsy Woman", moving from 18-9 and Bread inched up with "It Don't Matter To Me".


1971:  The Faces with lead singer Rod Stewart released the single "Stay with Me".
1981:  The Police arrived at #1 on the U.K. chart with "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic".










1983:  Lionel Richie released the single "Running With the Night".

 

 

 

 

1983:  Culture Club released the single "Karma Chameleon".

1984:  Yes released their comeback album 90125.
1987:  Sonny and Cher reunited and sang "I Got You Babe" on Late Night with David Letterman.
1987:  George Michael's Faith topped the U.K. Album chart.








She was no longer a Go-Go but she still was a woman on the move...

1987:  There were two new entries in the Top 10--former Go-Go Belinda Carlisle jumped from 11-5 with "Heaven is a Place on Earth" and Richard Marx was up to #10 with "Should've Known Better".





1987:  The Soundtrack to "Dirty Dancing" took over as the #1 album.








1988:  Bon Jovi released the single "Born To Be My Baby".
1990:  Pete Townshend of the Who announced that he was bisexual in an interview with Newsweek magazine.
1992:  John Cascella, keyboardist with John Mellencamp, was found dead in his car in Indianapolis, Indiana after apparently suffering a heart attack at age 36.
1992:  Bon Jovi owned the #1 album in the U.K. with Keep the Faith.
1992:  The Heights jumped into the #1 position with "How Do You Talk To An Angel".  Boyz II Men had set an existing Rock Era record the week before with a 13th week at #1 for "End Of The Road".  PM Dawn was at #3 with "I'd Die Without You" and Shai moved from 12 to 4 with "If I Ever Fall in Love".


1992:  Michael Bolton took the great Bee Gees song "To Love Somebody" to the top of the Adult Contemporary chart.
1995:  R. Kelly released his self-titled album.
1996:  Michael Jackson married Debbie Rowe in Sydney, Australia.
2000:  Limahl, formerly with Kajagoogoo ("Too Shy") and also a solo artist, escaped death when the tour bus he was traveling on crashed after catching on fire. 
2004:  Paul McCartney, Bono of U2, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Robbie Williams, Snow Patrol, the Darkness and Keane recorded a new version of "Do They Know It's Christmas?".
2004:  U2 reached the top of the U.K. chart with "Vertigo".

2004:  Usher won American Music Awards for Favorite Male Artist and Favorite Album (Confessions).  Rapper Kanye West acted like a baby when he didn't win Best New Artist and stormed out of the building.  (Note:  numerous websites erroneously report that the awards were given out on November 15.  November 15 was the date of newspaper reports, which as everyone knows are printed the day after news happens.  The American Music Awards are presented on Sunday, which in 2004 occurred on November 14.)
2004:  Michel Columbier, who co-wrote the score for the movie Purple Rain, died of cancer in Santa Monica, California at the age of 65.

Born This Day:

1938:  Cornell Gunter, originally with the Platters and an original member of the Coasters, was born in Coffeyville, Kansas ; died February 26, 1990 when he was shot while in his car in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Note:  some websites insist on reporting his birth year as 1938, contrary to what his gravestone shows.
1940: Freddie Garrity, the lead singer of Freddie & the Dreamers ("I'm Telling You Now") was born in Crumpsall, Greater Manchester, England.
1944:  Scherrie Payne, younger sister of Freda ("Band of Gold") and a member of the Supremes from 1973-1977, was born in Detroit, Michigan.  (Note:  some websites show her birthday as November 4--the book 'Motown Encyclopedia' by Graham Betts says November 14.)



1949:  James "J.Y." Young, guitarist of Styx, was born in Chicago, Illinois.

1951:  Stephen Bishop ("On and On") was born in San Diego, California.
1951:  Frankie Banali, drummer of Quiet Riot, was born in Queens, New York.
1951:  Barry Brandt, drummer of Angel, was born in Washington, D.C.
1952:  Alec John Such, bassist of Bon Jovi, was born in Yonkers, New York.




1954:  Yanni, New Age superstar, was born in Kalamata, Greece.

 

 

 

 

 

1964:  Joseph ("DJ Run") Simmons of Run-DMC was born in Queens, New York.
1964:  Nic Dalton, bass guitarist of the Lemonheads, was born in Canberra, Australia.  (Note:  some websites show Nic was born in Sydney--he was born in Canberra, and later moved to Sydney, according to his official website.)
1968:  Brian Yale, bass guitarist of Matchbox 20

1974:  Adina Howard ("Freak Like Me" from 1995) was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 
1975:  Travis Barker, drummer of Blink-182, was born in Fontana, California.