This Date in Rock Music History: January 5

1954:  Elvis Presley recorded a 10-minute demo tape at Memphis Recording Studio.

1957:  Pat Boone began filming the movie Bernadine.
1957:  Ivory Joe Hunter took over from Fats Domino's "Blueberry Hill" at #1 on the R&B chart.  "Since I Met You Baby" moved into the top spot after Fats had owned the position for 11 weeks.
1958:  Pat Boone was the mystery guest on the television show What's My Line? on CBS.



1959:  Buddy Holly released the single "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" on Coral Records, the final release before his death.
1959:  Jackie Wilson logged a fourth week at #1 on the R&B chart with "Lonely Teardrops".
1959:  "The Chipmunk Song" by the Chipmunks remained at #1 for a third week, holding off "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" by the Platters, which was being patient while waiting a turn.  The Teddy Bears remained third with "To Know Him Is To Love Him" and the Everly Brothers reached the fourth position with "Problems".  The rest of the Top 10:  Elvis Presley with "One Night", Connie Francis burst into the Top 10 (13-6) with "My Happiness", the Kingston Trio were headed southward with "Tom Dooley", Clyde McPhatter asked "A Lover's Question" at #8 and Billy Grammer's "Gotta' Travel On" skipped over "Whole Lotta' Loving" by Fats Domino.
1961:  The Beatles played at Litherland Town Hall in Liverpool, England.  Two members of Rory Storm & the Hurricanes--Johnny Guitar and Ringo Starr, were in the audience.  Paul McCartney played bass for the Beatles for the first time, as Stuart Sutcliffe decided to stay in Hamburg, Germany.

1963:  Steve Lawrence remained on top of the Easy Listening chart for a fourth week with "Go Away Little Girl".
1963:  The great instrumental "Telstar" by the Tornadoes remained at #1 overall for a third week.  
1965:  The Supremes began recording "Stop!  In The Name Of Love" at the Hitsville U.S.A. Studios in Detroit, Michigan  (Note:  'Rolling Stone' and other sites report that the group recorded this on January 5, as if the song was recorded in one day.  The group spent three days on the song--January 5, 7, and 11th.)
1966:  The Beatles recorded overdubs for the movie The Beatles At Shea Stadium.
1966:  The Who performed on the U.K. television show The Whole Scene Going.
1967:  Paul McCartney recorded his vocal for "Penny Lane" for the Beatles' upcoming album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.





1967:  Tommy James & the Shondells released the single "I Think We're Alone Now".
1967:  Pink Floyd was in concert at the Marquee Club in London.
1968:  Jimi Hendrix was thrown in jail in Stockholm, Sweden after going crazy and destroying everything in his room at the Goteborg Hotel.







           
  Creedence with their great song "Keep On Chooglin'"...

1969:  CCR released the album Bayou Country.

1970:  Brook Benton released the great single "Rainy Night In Georgia".

1973:  Bruce Springsteen released his debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.

1974:  Yes owned the #1 album in the U.K.--Tales from Topographic Oceans.





 

              "It's Going to Take Some Time" featuring the great flute solo by Bob Messenger...

1974:  The Carpenters had the first #1 album of the New Year as their compilation The Singles 1969-1973 took over from Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.  You Don't Mess Around with Jim by Jim Croce was #3, as fans continued to discover the greatness of the late singer/songwriter.  The Steve Miller Band fell with The Joker and the Soundtrack to "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Neil Diamond trailed.  The rest of the Top 10:  Another posthumous album from Croce--I Got a Name, rose from 12 to 6, Quadrophenia by the Who remained at #7, Ringo from Ringo Starr, Bette Midler with her self-titled release and Full Sail from Loggins & Messina.



             Al Wilson had a smash with "Show and Tell"...

1974:  Jim Croce remained at #1 with "Time In A Bottle", one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.  Steve Miller Band closed with "The Joker", passing over Helen Reddy's ("Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)".  Charlie Rich saw his former #1 "The Most Beautiful Girl" drop but Al Wilson was on the move with his great new song "Show And Tell".  The rest of a solid Top 10:  Elton John and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", Barry White was "Never, Never Gonna' Give Ya' Up", Stevie Wonder  was just beginning a great mid-70's run with his 33rd hit and 16th Top 10 song ("Living For The City") while Gladys Knight & the Pips entered the list with "I've Got To Use My Imagination".
1979:  Prince made his debut as a solo artist at the Capri Theatre in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1980:  Michael Jackson took over the #1 slot on the R&B chart with "Rock With You".
1980:  Stevie Wonder registered a third straight week at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Send One Your Love".


1980:  People were discovering the great In Through the Out Door album and on this date, Led Zeppelin moved from 64 to 42 with "Fool in the Rain".











                                  Kool and the Gang had it down...

1980:  K.C. and the Sunshine Band made a comeback of sorts with "Please Don't Go" at #1, knocking off Rupert Holmes and "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)".  Michael Jackson raced into the Top 10 with "Rock With You", moving from 11-3 and Stevie Wonder had another big hit with "Send One Your Love".  The rest of an excellent Top 10:  The Captain & Tennille's "Do That To Me One More Time" was #6, but former #1 "Babe" from Styx and "Still" from the Commodores held the next two spots, Kenny Rogers shot up from 22 to 8 with "Coward Of The County", Kool & the Gang and "Ladies Night" while Cliff Richard had a rare U.S. hit with "We Don't Talk Anymore".






"Even the Losers", one of the great tracks on 'Damn the Torpedoes'...

1980:  Donna Summer's compilation On the Radio-Greatest Hits-Volumes I & II moved to #1 on the Album chart with the double-album compilation Bee Gees Greatest moving to #2.  Cornerstone by Styx continued to hold down #3 while Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants by Stevie Wonder and the previous #1 The Long Run from the Eagles were close behind.  The rest of an incredible Top 10:  In Through the Out Door by Led Zeppelin, The Wall from Pink Floyd moved from 20-7, Damn the Torpedoes by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Tusk from Fleetwood Mac and Michael Jackson had his biggest career album to date with Off the Wall.
1984:  The Police announced that their farewell concert would be March 2 in Australia.
1985:  Jermaine Jackson continued to top the AC chart for a third week with "Do What You Do".
1985:  Cyndi Lauper re-entered the Top 10 on the Album chart with She's So Unusual after 55 weeks of release with her debut album while a great new album, Reckless from Bryan Adams, moved to #10.
1985:  Madonna remained at #1 with her first chart-topper "Like A Virgin".  Duran Duran was second with "The Wild Boys" while the Honeydrippers edged up with their remake of "Sea Of Love".  The New Edition was right behind with "Cool It Now" and Pat Benatar had another smash with "We Belong".  The rest of the Top 10:  actor Jack Wagner with "All I Need", Hall & Oates were on the way down with "Out Of Touch", Bryan Adams moved in with "Run To You", Chicago collected hit #38 with "You're The Inspiration" and John Lennon's son Julian had a Top 10 hit with "Valotte".









1987:  Huey Lewis & the News released the single "Jacob's Ladder".
1990:  Paul McCartney was in concert at the NEC Birmingham in England.










             Suzanne Vega with her second Top 10 hit...

1991:  Madonna scored her 10th career #1 with "Justify My Love".  Stevie B finally relinquished his hold after four weeks with "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)", Bette Midler remained close behind with "From A Distance" and the Damn Yankees were up to 4 with "High Enough".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Tom's Diner" from D.N.A. with Suzanne Vega, Wilson Phillips dropped slowly with "Impulsive", Janet Jackson reached the Top 10 for the 11th time with "Love Will Never Do (Without You)", Ralph Tresvant moved to 8 with "Sensitivity", Surface was racing up (16-9) with "The First Time" and Whitney Houston's former #1 "I'm Your Baby Tonight" was now at #10.






1998:  Sonny Bono of Sonny & Cher, later mayor of Palm Springs, California and a United States Congressman, died in a skiing accident when he hit a tree at the Heavenly Ski Resort near South Lake Tahoe, California at the age of 63.
2003:  Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving after being stopped in California.  He failed the breath test and was thrown in jail.

2003:  Avril Lavigne's debut album Let Go rose to #1 in the U.K.

2004:  Britney Spears' three-day-old marriage to childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander was officially annulled.  Or to report it more accurately, the childlike Britney Spears annulled her marriage after three days.

A true hero...

2004:  A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys chased down and captured a jewel thief in the parking lot of the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.  McLean was in the hotel's boutique when he spotted the man running off with a diamond ring.
2004:  B2K ("Bump, Bump Bump") announced they were breaking up.

2004:  John Guerin, a prolific session drummer who worked with Elvis Presley, Elton John, the Beach Boys, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, Kenny Rogers, Helen Reddy, the Everly Brothers, Bread, the Association, Joni Mitchell, Sheena Easton, the Monkees, Seals & Crofts, the Byrds, Willie Nelson, Todd Rundgren, Frank Zappa and Gram Parsons, among others, died from pneumonia in West Hills, California at age 64.  (Some websites claim Guerin died on January 7.  He died January 5 according to the newspaper 'The Telegraph', 'Jazz Times' and 'MTV'.)
2005:  Danny Sugerman, manager of the Doors and writer of the biography No One Gets Out of Here Alive, died from lung cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 50.  (Note:  some websites report that Sugerman died on January 6, but it was January 5, according to the newspaper 'The Los Angeles Times'.)
2010:  Willie Mitchell ("Soul Serenade" from 1968), who also produced for Al Green and others, and owned Royal Studio, where John Mayer and Buddy Guy recorded, died at the age of 81 after suffering cardiac arrest in Memphis, Tennessee.

Born This Day:

1923:  Sam Phillips, the founder of Sun Records who discovered Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, was born near Florence, Alabama; died of respiratory failure in Memphis, Tennessee on July 30, 2003.
1929:  Wilbert Harrison ("Kansas City" from 1959) was born in Charlotte, North Carolina; died of a stroke in a Spencer, North Carolina nursing home on October 26, 1994.
1930:  Don Rondo ("White Silver Sands") was born in Ware, Massachusetts; died January 27, 2011 after a battle with lung cancer.
1932:  Johnny Adams ("Reconsider Me" from 1969) was born in New Orleans, Louisiana; died of cancer September 14, 1998 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

1934:  Phil Ramone, songwriter, violinist, recording engineer, and legendary producer of the best albums that Billy Joel did as well as albums by Elton John, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Chicago, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Barry Manilow, Rod Stewart, Olivia Newton-John, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Gloria Estefan, Guess Who, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Richard Marx, Sheena Easton, Peter, Paul and Mary and Ray Charles, among others, was born in South Africa; died March 30, 2013 in Manhattan, New York after being hospitalized for an aortic aneurysm.
1940:  George Malone of the Monotones; died October 5, 2007 of a stroke in Avondale, Arizona.
1949:  George Brown, drummer of Kool & the Gang, was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. 
1950:  Chris Stein, co-founder and guitarist of Blondie, was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1964:  Grant Young, drummer of Soul Asylum ("Runaway Train"), was born in Iowa City, Iowa.  (Note:  some websites show his birth year as 1963; he was born in 1964 according to 'MTV'.)

Petula Clark, The #56 Female Artist of the Rock Era

We don't want the great feats of Petula Clark to go unnoticed in the news of the day.  Petula is The #56 Female Artist of the Rock Era*:

http://top5000-rocketman5000.blogspot.com/2014/01/petula-clark-56-female-artist-of-rock.html

Tributes Pour In For Phil Everly

 As the world learns the sad news of Phil Everly's death and mourns the loss, tributes have begun coming in from all over:

Brother Don said:

I was listening to one of my favorite songs that Phil wrote and had an extreme emotional moment just before I got the news of his passing,” Don Everly wrote in a statement to  Associated Press. “I took that as a special spiritual message from Phil saying goodbye. Our love was and will always be deeper than any earthly differences we might have had.

Duane Eddy, who produced Everly's first solo album, described his death as "a huge blow".  Eddy said of the brothers:  "It was the most beautiful sound you'll ever hear, I think, of two voices."

Brian May, guitarist of Queen, said he had lost a huge piece of his youth and described the brothers as heroes.  On his website, May wrote "RIP Phil Everly...you were magic.  I have tears in my eyes."

Albert Lee, another elite guitarist who was musical director for the brothers' reunion concert and performed with them for more than two decades, said they had a unique sound.

"There was nothing like it. It was a combination of their country upbringing and when they became teenagers they fell in love with rock and roll," he told BBC News. "They sounded like no one else."

Neil Portnow, president and CEO of the Recording Academy, issued this tribute late last night:

Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Phil Everly was part of one of the most prominent vocal duos of the rock era. Joined by his brother Don in the Everly Brothers, the duo’s superb and flawless harmonies influenced some of music’s most iconic acts, including the Beach Boys and the Beatles. Their profound impact on pop and rock music is still heard today, and will continue to live on in future generations. Phil Everly was a groundbreaking artist, and he leaves an indelible and timeless mark on music and our industry. Our sincerest condolences go out to his family, friends and those who were inspired by his outstanding talent.


Linda Ronstadt, who enjoyed a big hit with her cover of "When Will I Be Loved" in 1975, said: 

They had the sibling sound. The information of your Dna is carried in your voice, and you can get a sound that you never get with someone who's not blood-related to you. And they were both such good singers, they were one of the foundations, one of the cornerstones of the new rock'n'roll sound.


Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day, who recently released a tribute album with Norah Jones called Foreverly, said on Twitter:  "The Everly Brothers go way back far as I can remember hearing music. Those harmonies live on forever. We're gonna miss you Phil. Gratitude."

Klaus Meine of the Scorpions said "RIP Phil Everly...your music lives forever in my heart."

The group a-ha wrote on their website "...I'll do my crying in the rain."

Jerry Naylor, who replaced Buddy Holly in the Crickets after Holly's death, told Vintage Rock 'n' Roll Examiner, “The Everly Brothers, Phil and Don, were the unmatchable foundation for Rockabilly / Rock and Roll vocal harmonizing. Their pure sound on recordings and powerfully performed live in concert stimulated Buddy Holly, The Crickets and our Liberty Years Crickets when I was the lead singer."

 
    The Everly Brothers live on The Ed Sullivan Show...

Lyricist Sir Tim Rice posted on Twitter:  "Death of the great Phil Everly one of the saddest musical exits of all time for me. He and Don more influential than even they knew."

Other celebrities who have commented on Everly's passing include Charlie Daniels, Nancy Sinatra and Rita Wilson.  The famous Los Angeles radio station K-EARTH posted to their website:  "We lost another legend."

Neil McCormick of The Telegraph in London wrote:

Perhaps the saddest thing about Phil Everly's death is knowing his voice will never align with his brother Don’s again. The Everlys were the essence of harmony, the most human and potent of all musical techniques, two voices singing complementary melodies so perfectly joined in rhythm, phrasing, nuance and tone that they blend seamlessly into a new melody, almost as if the two voices don’t so much become one as three. It is, at its best, something supernatural. And the Everlys were the best.

One fan wrote: "All I can say is thanks for much of the soundtrack to my youth."  Another said: "Everly Brothers: the greatest two-part harmony singing ever recorded."  Another said "Everly Brothers = National Treasure."  Yet another said: "The sun has set on one-half of a musical institution."

Phil Everly Has Died

Phil Everly, who along with brother Don was a groundbreaker in the Rock Era as the Everly Brothers, has died at the age of 74.

Patricia Aidem, spokeswoman at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, confirmed his death yesterday.  Everly died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to a lifetime of smoking, according to a story in The Los Angeles Times.

The Everly Brothers featured pitch-perfect harmonies that had tremendous influence on everyone who followed them.  Among those influenced by the duo:  the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, the Bee Gees, the Hollies and the Eagles, among many, many others.  The Everly Brothers were certainly one of The Top Duos of the Rock Era*, and of all-time, but they were without question the most important. 

Phil and Don were the sons of Ike and Margaret Everly, country and western singers themselves.  The brothers initially sang with their parents in live performances and on radio.  In the mid-'50's, Phil and Don moved to Nashville, Tennessee to began their career as songwriters, before signing a recording contract with Cadence Records. 

The Everly Brothers accomplished the rare feat of releasing what turned out to be a classic with their first 45, "Bye Bye Love", in 1957.  It rocketed to #2 for four weeks and immediately established the duo as a force to be reckoned with.  It remained a best-seller for 27 weeks, almost unheard of at the time, and sold over one million copies.

So great was the influence of the Everly Brothers on another of Rock's all-time best duos, Simon & Garfunkel, that the latter actually formed after hearing "Bye Bye Love":

"Bye Bye Love" was "the first thing that really killed me," Paul Simon once recalled. He called Art Garfunkel immediately upon hearing the song, according to a Simon biography, and the two set to work on their own act.

Simon & Garfunkel eventually began including "Bye Bye Love" in their concerts, and in later years, brought the Everly Brothers on stage so fans could hear two of the greatest duos in history perform the song together.

  The Everly Brothers' follow-up was even bigger.  "Wake Up Little Susie" became one of four career #1 songs, remaining at the top for four weeks and also going Gold.  It is still one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.

Phil and Don released "All I Have to Do Is Dream" in 1958, and the public again responded by buying over one million copies of the record.  It went to #1 for five weeks, and is also one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.

After hearing 'All I Have to Do Is Dream", the Beatles, which had just added George Harrison to the group, immediately wanted to cover it.  "When we first heard it ("All I Have to Do Is Dream"), it blew us away, Paul McCartney said in a new biography.  McCartney later paid tribute by mentioning "Phil and Don" in his 1976 hit, "Let 'Em In".

With Don's lower voice often in perfect diatonic thirds with Phil's higher voice, the brothers established a trademark sound.  "Bird Dog" also hit #1 that year and became their fourth Gold record.



The flip side of "Bird Dog" became another big hit, and is one of the best examples of their timeless harmonies.

The duo also landed in the Top 10 with "Problems", "('Til) I Kissed You", and "Let It Be Me", before scoring another member in The Top 500 Songs Club*--"Cathy's Clown".  That smash also reached #1 for five weeks and went Gold.

Other Top 10 hits included "When Will I Be Loved", "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)", "Walk Right Back", "Ebony Eyes", "Crying in the Rain" and "That's Old Fashioned (That's The Way Love Should Be)".  In all, the Everly Brothers posted 37 hits, with 15 of those reaching the Top 10.  They had more Hot 100 hits than any other duo in history.

A complete Hits List* of the Everly Brothers can be found here:

http://top5000-rocketman5000.blogspot.com/2013/03/hits-list-everly-brothers.html

In 1986, the Everly Brothers were one of the first ten acts inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Neil Young introduced them, and noted that every musical group he belonged to had tried and failed to copy the Everly Brothers' harmonies.

The Everly Brothers were presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997 at the Grammy Awards.  As Bob Dylan once said, "We owe these guys everything.  They started it all."

Rest in Peace, Phil.  You will always be remembered as one of the greats!

She Was Dynomite!

A big star in the 1960's who has held on to place in The Top 100 Female Artists at #55*.  She will be featured tomorrow on Inside The Rock Era!

Petula Clark, The #56 Female Artist of the Rock Era

Petula was born in Epsom, England, and sang in the chapel choir as a child. Early on, she was interested in theatre, but her first public performances were as a singer, singing with an orchestra accompanying her in the entrance of Bentall's Department Store in Kingston upon Thames in 1939. A chance beginning at age nine launched Petula in her career, and she would be on radio, film, television and in the newspapers by the time she reached seventeen.

In October, 1942, Petula attended a BBC broadcast with her father in the hopes of sending a message to an uncle stationed overseas. However, the broadcast was interrupted by an air raid, as England was being attacked by the Nazi regime in Germany. During the bombing, the show's producer requested that someone perform to settle the jittery audience gathered in the theatre. Clark volunteered, and sang "Mighty Lak' a Rose" to great response. She then repeated the performance for the radio audience when the show resumed, and would appear in nearly 500 programs designed to entertain the English troops.

Clark performed in front of King George VI and Winston Churchill, and became known as "Britain's Shirley Temple". She was considered a mascot by the British Army, whose troops plastered their tanks with photos of Petula for good luck as they advanced into battle. While performing in 1944, Clark was discovered by film director Maurice Elvey, and Petula starred in the movie Medal for the General. She starred in several B-films, but also worked with Anthony Newley in Vice Versa and Alec Guinness in The Card and I Know Where I'm Going!

Clark began her television career with an appearance on Cabaret Cartoons, and she hosted two of her own shows on BBC, the self-titled series Petula Clark and Pet's Parlour.

In 1947, Clark met Joe Henderson at the Maurice Publishing Company.  The two became linked both musically and romantically.  Two years later, Petula recorded for both Polygon and Decca Records and enjoyed several early hits in the U.K. in the mid-1950s ("The Little Shoemaker", "Majorca", "Suddenly There's A Valley" and "With All My Heart".  The former became her first Top 10 song in the U.K., and a #1 record in Australia.

But it took the American public 13 years to discover her.

In 1957, Clark performed in Paris, where she met the man that would become her longtime publicist, collaborator, and future husband, Claude Wolff.  Wolff signed her with Vogue Records in France, and Petula toured France and Belgium.  Meanwhile, Polygon was gobbled up and Clark became part of the famous Pye Records family in the U.K.  She began recording in German, French, Italian and Spanish and was establishing herself as a European star.  "Sailor" hit #1 in the U.K. and #2 in France in 1961.  

 

In fact, Clark's success in her native England and in France was nearly identical.  "Romeo" and "My Friend The Sea" also landed in the Top 10 in the U.K. in the early 1960s.  In 1964, Clark wrote the French Soundtrack to A Couteaux Tires (aka Daggers Drawn). 

But Clark's career was floundering.  Composer-arranger Tony Hatch, who had been working with her, flew to Petula's home in Paris with new songs.  Initially, Clark wasn't interested, until Hatch played a few chords of an unfinished song inspired by his trip to New York City.  Petula told Hatch that if he could write lyrics as good as the melody, she wanted to record the song as her next single.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Clark was performing in Canada when the song first hit the airwaves.  "Downtown" was released in four different languages in late 1964, and it hit #1 in the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany and Italy and #2 in the U.K. and Ireland.  It sold three million copies in the U.S. alone, and won the Grammy Award for Best Rock and Roll Recording.  It was one of the top songs of 1965, and is one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.

"Downtown" was the first of fifteen straight Top 40 hits in the U.S.  "I Know A Place" was lined up next, and it shot up to #3.

Petula, or "Pet" as she was affectionately called, hit #1 again in 1966 with "My Love".

In 1966, Clark released the single "A Sign Of The Times", which peaked at #2 on the Easy Listening chart and #11 overall.

The follow-up ("I Couldn't Live Without Your Love") was even bigger, a #1 Easy Listening smash and #9 overall.

"Colour My World" peaked at #16 in the U.S. and #10 in Australia.

"This Is My Song", which Clark also recorded in French, German and Italian, reached #1 in the U.K., France and Ireland, #3 in the United States and #4 in Canada.

Clark's success was now worldwide, and she frequently appeared on television shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dean Martin Show, Hullabaloo and Shindig!  In 1968, Petula hosted her own television special on NBC.  While singing a duet of "On the Path Of Glory" with guest Harry Belafonte, she took hold of his arm, inadvertently making television history.

A representative of Chrysler, the show's sponsor, was dismayed, fearing the moment would incur the racist bigotry of viewers in the South.  When he suggested a different take, with the two performers standing well away from each other.  Clark and her husband, Wolff, who was the executive producer of the show, refused.  The rest of the world, of course, wasn't as biased as people in the American South.  The program aired on April 8, 1968 to high ratings and critical acclaim.  

Clark hosted two other specials, another one for NBC and one on ABC, before starring in the television series This is Petula Clark from 1966-1968.  Pet starred in two successful musical films, In Finian's Rainbow in 1968 (in which she earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress-Motion Picture Musical or Comedy) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips in 1969.

Clark toured in the United States throughout the late 60's, performing in clubs such as the Copacabana in New York City, the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles and the Empire Room at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, where she continually smashed attendance records.  Clark supported the launch of Herb Alpert and his A&M record label, which became one of the world's biggest and most successful. 

Clark's final Top 10 was this one, which hit #1 in Australia and #5 in the U.S. and Canada: ("Don't Sleep) In The Subway".

While Petula's songs in the 1970's did not enjoy the success of the previous decade, she continued to tour worldwide, and appeared in ads for Coca Cola, Plymouth, Burlington Industries and Chrysler.  She hosted the television series The Sound of Petula in 1973 and 1974.  By the mid-part of the decade, Clark scaled back her career to focus on her family.  

In 1981, at the urging of her children, Clark returned to the theatre playing the role of Maria in The Sound of Music in London.  Clark's initial run of six months had to be extended to thirteen to accommodate the huge demand for tickets.  Petula continued to star in theatre, performing in Candida, Someone Like You, and making her Broadway debut in 1993 in Blood Brothers.

Clark stayed active into the new millennium with recordings and concerts and appearances throughout the world.  In 2010, Clark was named President of the Hastings Musical Festival, and she toured Australia, New Zealand and Canada to sellout crowds.  A French album of all new material was released in 2012. 

In 1998, Clark received the Commander of the Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II.  In 2004, her landmark classic, "Downtown", was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  In 2012, Petula was given the Medaille du Commandeur de l'ordre des Arts et des Letters de France.

Clark has enjoyed 59 hits in either the U.K., the U.S., or both, and has sold over 68 million records in her fabulous career.  

This Date in Rock Music History: January 4

1936:  Billboard magazine debuted the first music chart that based results on national sales.

1950  RCA Victor Records announced that they would begin manufacturing long-playing records.
1954:  Elvis Presley recorded "Casual Love" and "I'll Never Stand In Your Way" in his second recording session in Memphis, Tennessee.  Studio manager Sam Phillips heard the session and asked Elvis to leave his phone number.  
1957:  Elvis Presley went in for a pre-induction medical checkup at Kennedy Veterans Hospital, prior to being called up from the United States Army.

1957:  Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis introduced Solomon Burke on The Steve Allen Show.

1960:  Marty Robbins moved to #1 with "El Paso".  

1961:  Jörgen Ingmann released "Apache", one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*.












1963:  Eydie Gorme released the single "Blame It On The Bossa Nova".
1963:  Bob Dylan spent his second day shooting the television play Madhouse in Castle Street.
1964:  Bobby Vinton had the top Easy Listening song with "There!  I've Said It Again".
1964:  Bobby Vinton rolled to the #1 song with "There!  I've Said It Again".  The Kingsmen peaked at 2 with "Louie Louie" while the Singing Nun fell from her perch with "Dominique".







1965:  Gary Lewis & the Playboys released their first career single "This Diamond Ring".
1965:  Leo Fender sold the Fender Guitar Company to CBS for $13 million.









1967:  The Doors released their debut album.
1969:  Glen Campbell rode on top of the Adult chart for the fourth week with "Wichita Lineman".










It was indeed a "Soulful Strut"...

1969:  Marvin Gaye made it four weeks at #1 with "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", holding off Stevie Wonder's "For Once In My Life", which peaked at #2.  Diana Ross & the Supremes & the Temptations moved from 7-3 with "I'm Gonna' Make You Love Me" while Young-Holt Unlimited surged from 16 to 4 with "Soulful Strut", one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era* and Glen Campbell was at #5 with "Wichita Lineman".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Cloud Nine" from the Temptations, Diana Ross & the Supremes' former #1 "Love Child", the Classics IV were at position #8 with "Stormy", Johnnie Taylor and "Who's Making Love" while B.J. Thomas jumped into the Top 10 with "Hooked On A Feeling".
1970:  George Harrison recorded the second guitar solo and Paul McCartney, Harrison and Ringo Starr re-recorded vocals for "Let It Be", the final recording session for the Beatles.  John Lennon was not present at this session--the final time all four were in the studio together was August 20, 1969.   
1973:  Lamar Williams joined the Allman Brothers, replacing the late Berry Oakley.

              Joni Mitchell's double live album...

1975:  Elton John remained at #1 for the sixth week on the Album chart with his Greatest Hits album.  War Child by Jethro Tull was #2 again, followed by Neil Diamond's Serenade and Fire from the Ohio Players.  Joni Mitchell's new live release, Miles of Aisles, moved from 13-5.  The rest of the Top 10:  John Denver with Back Home Again, Verities & Balderdash by Harry Chapin, Free and Easy from Helen Reddy at #8, Ringo Starr had one of his biggest career albums with Goodnight Vienna and BTO moved back into the Top 10 with Not Fragile.

1975:  Elton John took his remake of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" to #1 while Barry White edged up with "You're The First, The Last, My Everything".  Carl Douglas was at #3 with "Kung Fu Fighting", Paul McCartney & Wings were at #4 with "Junior's Farm"/"Sally G" and Neil Sedaka reached #5 with "Laughter In The Rain".  The rest of the Top 10:  Helen Reddy's former #1 "Angie Baby", Ringo Starr with "Only You", Stevie Wonder moved up with "Boogie On Reggae Woman", the Carpenters registered their 12th Top 10 hit out of 16 releases with "Please Mr. Postman" and newcomer Barry Manilow reached the Top 10 for the first time with "Mandy".
1976:  Mal Evans, former roadie and bodyguard of the Beatles, was shot to death at this apartment in Los Angeles by the L.A.P.D. after he alledgedly pointed a loaded rifle at officers.



1979:  The Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, the famous spot where the Beatles performed often in the early years, reopened its doors.
1986:  Phil Lynott, bassist and singer of Thin Lizzy, died in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England at the age of 35 from kidney, liver and heart failure due to blood poisoning and multiple abscesses caused by drug abuse.  Hey, but it felt good at the time...Lame.
1986:  "Say You, Say Me" by Lionel Richie was #1 again on the Adult Contemporary chart for a fifth week.




1986:  Lionel Richie remained in the #1 slot for the third week on the Popular chart with "Say You, Say Me".









1988:  Belinda Carlisle released the single "I Get Weak".
1992:  The album Stars by Simply Red returned to #1 in the U.K.
1992:  Shanice continued to set the pace on the R&B chart for a third week with "I Love Your Smile".
1992:  Richard Marx continued to have the #1 Adult Contemporary song for the third week with "Keep Coming Back".





Color Me Badd with their huge hit...

1992:  Michael Jackson continued to own the top song with "Black Or White", #1 for a fourth week.  Boyz II Men remained second with "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday".  Color Me Badd were still at 3 with "All 4 Love", Mariah Carey moved up with "Can't Let Go" and PM Dawn fell with "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss".







"Seduces Me" from Celine...

1997:  No Doubt had the top album for a third week with Tragic Kingdom.  Falling Into You by Celine Dion was second.
1991:  In today's edition of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, Vanilla Ice spent the night in jail after ripping out some of his wife's hair.  Loser.
2004:  Ray Davies, lead singer of the Kinks, wasn't as fortunate as McLean.  Davies was shot in the leg while running after two men who stole his girlfriend's purse in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Davies was taken to the Medical Center but his injuries were not serious.  (Note:  several websites report the shooting as being on January 5.  News reports appeared on the 5th, describing the event, which took place on January 4, according to 'CNN', 'Rolling Stone', and the newspaper 'The Guardian'.)
2005:  Ashlee Simpson was booed offstage during her performance at the Orange Bowl. 

2006:  The body of Barry Cowsill was identified with dental records by Dr. Louis Cataldie, head of the Louisiana state hurricane morgue in Carville.  Cowsill's body was discovered December 28 on the Cartres Street Wharf but was not identified until Cataldie made his announcement.  The 51-year-old former bassist of the Cowsills ("Hair") is believed to have died as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 
2006:  Jamie Foxx had the #1 album with Unpredictable.
2008:  Britney Spears was carried out of her home on a stretcher and taken into police custody after officials were called in a dispute involving her three children.  Spears was ordered to hand her children to her ex-husband Kevin Federline.

2011:  Gerry Rafferty, leader of Stealer's Wheel ("Stuck In The Middle With You") and a solo star ("Baker Street" and others) died at the age of 63 after a long illness at his daughter's home in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England of liver failure.   

Born This Day:
1946:  Arthur Conley ("Sweet Soul Music") was born in McIntosh County, Georgia; died after a long battle with intestinal cancer on November 17, 2003 in Ruurlo, the Netherlands.  (Note:  prominent music sites like 'Rolling Stone' and 'Allmusic.com', as well as 'The Los Angeles Times' and 'The Independent' all claim that Conley was born in Atlanta, Georgia and some websites list his place of birth as Hinesfield, Georgia.  But according to the book 'Encyclopedia of Pop Music Aliases' by Bob Leszczak, the well-respected 'National Public Radio', and the newspapers 'The New York Times' and 'The Guardian, Conley was born in McIntosh County, near Atlanata.  Several places list his birthplace as McIntosh, Georgia--there is no such city; the correct name is McIntosh County)
1956:  Bernard Sumner (real name Bernard Dicken), founding member, singer and guitarist of New Order, and also a member of Joy Division, was born in Manchester, England.  (Note: some websites claim he was born in Salford, but the newspaper 'The Independent" and the magazines 'Billboard' and 'GQ' state that Bernard was born in Manchester.)
1958:  Marcel King, lead vocalist of Sweet Sensation ("Sad Sweet Dreamer" from 1974), was born in Manchester, England; died of a cerebral hemorrhage October 5, 1995.

1960:  Michael Stipe, songwriter and lead singer of R.E.M., was born in Decatur, Georgia.
1965:  David Glasper, lead singer of Breathe ("Hands To Heaven"), was born in Cardigan, Mid Wales, England.
1967:  Benjamin Darvill, multi-instrumentalist of the Crash Test Dummies ("Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" from 1993), now a solo artist going by the name of Son of Dave, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 

The #57 Female Artist of the Rock Era: Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie picked up the guitar at an early age.  She graduated from Oakwood Friends School in Poughkeepsie, New York and enrolled in Harvard University in 1967.  She met blues promoter Dick Waterman, who relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the next year.  Many local musicians went with him, including Raitt, who saw it as a great opportunity.

In 1970, while performing at the Gaslight Cafe in New York, Raitt was spotted by several record company scouts.  Bonnie signed with Warner Brothers Records and released her self-titled debut album in 1971.  The press took notice, especially of Raitt's ability as a guitarist.

 Raitt was also respected by her peers, but the general public knew little of her.  She released the album Give It Up in 1972, and many critics believe it to be her best album.  But she couldn't break through because she lacked a strong single--the key to reaching a large number of people.  The album Takin' My Time met with similar lackluster sales.

Raitt was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1975, but now album reviews were mixed with Streetlights in 1974 and Home Plate the following year.

Then in 1977, Raitt recorded Sweet Forgiveness, which featured a cover of "Runaway".  The song only reached #57, but it was her biggest hit to date, and it led to a bidding war between Warner Brothers and Columbia.  James Taylor had just left Warner Brothers for Columbia, and Warner had signed Paul Simon away from Columbia, so Warner Brothers didn't want to lose Bonnie.

The 1979 album The Glow was met with poor reviews and modest sales.  But Bonnie received attention when she was nominated for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female for "You're Gonna' Get What's Coming".

Later in the year, Raitt helped organize five MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy) concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City.  The shows featured co-founders Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, John Hall and Raitt, as well as Bruce Springsteen, the Doobie Brothers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, James Taylor, Carly Simon and many others.  The shows led to a three-record Gold album for Warner Brothers as well as the feature film No Nukes.

In 1982, Raitt attempted to go back to the sound of her earlier music on the album Green Light. But many compared the record to New Wave music.  The album received the best reviews Raitt had gotten in years (and earned her a second Grammy nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance--Female for the album).

But sales did not improve and Warner Brothers was not pleased.  After finishing work on the album Tongue & Groove (which was shelved indefinitely) in 1983, Raitt was dropped from the label.

Despite her problems, Raitt continued touring and sang and appeared in the video of "Sun City", the anti-apartheid song written by Steven Van Zandt.  Bonnie continued her political activism by performing in Farm Aid and Amnesty International concerts, and traveled to Moscow, Russia in 1987 to perform in the first Soviet/American Peace Concert.

Raitt was nominated again at the Grammys for Best Rock Vocal Performance, this time for "No Way To Treat A Lady".

Later in the year, Raitt sang backing vocals for Roy Orbison's television special, then began writing new material for a Disney tribute album, Stay Awake.  She enlisted the help of production wiz Don Was at Capitol Records.  Bonnie loved the results, and hooked up with Was for her next album.

After 20 years, that would be the one that clicked.  Raitt released Nick of Time in 1989 and it rose to #1 after Raitt received critical respect at the Grammy Awards.  Bonnie captured three Grammys for Nick of Time (for Album of the Year, and she won Best Rock Vocal Performance--Female and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the album).  She achieved all of this notoriety despite the lack of hits, although several songs on the album are underrated.  Her first single from the LP was "Have A Heart", which reached #49.

The title song was a #10 song on the Adult Contemporary chart, but was extremely underrated overall at #92.

"Thing Called Love" was another fine cut on the album, which has now sold over six million copies in the United States.

We'll also feature "Love Letter" from the album.

Raitt also won a fourth Grammy (Best Traditional Blues Recording) for her work with John Lee Hooker on "I'm In The Mood".

Raitt followed up the success with three more Grammy Awards for her work on the album Luck of the Draw.  She won the honor for Best Rock Vocal Solo Performance which recognized the entire album, and another (Best Female Pop Vocal Performance) for the song that achieved what still is the only Top 10 song of her career--"Something To Talk About".

"Something To Talk About" was also nominated for Record of the Year.  Together with Delbert McClinton, Raitt captured the Grammy for Best Rock Group Vocal Performance for "Good Man, Good Woman.

Bonnie reached #18 with "I Can't Make You Love Me".

Raitt's outstanding back-to-back albums earned her the nomination for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist at the American Music Awards.  Another outstanding track on the eight-million seller Luck of the Draw that was nominated for Grammy Album of the Year was "Not The Only One", which peaked at #34.

In 1994, Raitt won Best Pop Album for Longing In Their Hearts, which became her second #1 album.  She was nominated for Album of the Year and earned three nominations for the song "Love Sneakin' (sic) Up On You".  It was nominated for Record of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Rock Vocal Performance--Female, but was only ranked #19. 

"You" is another great reason to buy the album.  The red-hot period of commercial success between 1990 and 1995 was over, but as pointed out several times, this ranking isn't just about hits and top-selling albums.  In 1995, Raitt recorded the song "You Got It" for the movie Boys on the Side, nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the Grammys.

Also that year, Raitt released the live album Road Tested, which gave her three more Grammy nominations (and one win) as well as an Emmy nomination for mixing on the album.  Road Tested was nominated for Best Rock Album, with her collaboration with Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and Jimmie Vaughan earning Raitt the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

"Burning Down The House" was also recognized at the Grammys with a nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance--Female.

The 1998 album Fundamental went platinum, and the following year, Bonnie and Jackson Browne were nominated for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals at the Grammy Awards for "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine".

In 2000, Bonnie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Raitt's next effort, Silver Lining, earned her two more nominations from her respectful peers at the Grammys.  The first came for another Best Rock Vocal Performance--Female for "Gnawin' On It".

"Time Of our Lives" also was nominated in the same category the next year.

The hits may have dried up, but the nominations kept coming.  In 2005, Raitt released the album Souls Alike, which gave her another Top 20 album and the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance nomination for "I Will Not Be Broken".

Raitt went seven years before releasing the album Slipstream, and it won a Grammy for Best Americana Album at the Grammys. It is her best work in years and one of the best albums of her career. This is "Used To Rule The World".

Bonnie delivered an excellent remake of the Gerry Rafferty hit "Right Down The Line".


Raitt has six career Grammys to her credit, and another 17 nominations. Few artists in history have been that recognized.