This Date in Rock Music History: January 19

1957:  Democratic U.S. presidents all have their own superstars to invite to play at their inaugurations.  Pat Boone was the big star to sing at the presidential inauguration of Republican U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

1957:  "Since I Met You Baby" by Ivory Joe Hunter remained #1 for a third week on the R&B chart.

1959:  The Platters achieved a #1 song with "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes".  "My Happiness" by Connie Francis was next, and previous four-week #1 "The Chipmunk Song" by the Chipmunks (David Seville) was third.  Ritchie Valens moved from 15 to 4 with "Donna" and the Crests were up nice (12-5) with "16 Candles".  The rest of the Top 10:  "A Lover's Question" from Clyde McPhatter, Billy Grammer with "Gotta' Travel On", Fats Domino was tumbling with "Whole Lotta' Loving", Lloyd Price moved from 21 to 9 with "Stagger Lee" and the Teddy Bears' big hit "To Know Him Is To Love Him" was at #10.






1962:  Jackie Wilson held on to #1 on the R&B chart for a sixth week with "Lonely Teardrops".
1962:  Steve Lawrence logged a sixth week at #1 on the Easy Listening chart with "Go Away Little Girl".
1963:  The Beatles made their first national television appearance in the U.K., performing "Please Please Me" on Thank Your Lucky Stars.
1963:  Frankie Avalon married Kathryn "Kay" Diebel .
1963:  The Rooftop Singers had a big hit as "Walk Right In" moved from #35 to #11.
1967:  The Beatles began recording "A Day In The Life" at Abbey Road Studios in London, doing the rhythm track, John Lennon's lead vocal and recording the clock alarm sound that was used in the song. 
1967:  Pink Floyd and Marmalade played a bill at the Marquee Club in London.

1967:  Lesley Gore starred as Catwoman's sidekick, Pussycat, on the popular Batman on ABC-TV.
1967:  The Monkees ruled the U.K. chart with "I'm A Believer".

















1973:  The Moody Blues released "I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock & Roll Band)".
1974:  Barbra Streisand remained at #1 on the Adult chart with "The Way We Were".









                       "Goodbye Again" from John Denver...

1974:  Jim Croce again topped the Album chart with You Don't Mess Around with Jim.  The Carpenters' former #1 compilation The Singles 1969-1973 was right behind with another album from Croce, I Got a Name, at #3.  Elton John was finally headed downward with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road while The Joker from Steve Miller Band was #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  The self-titled Bette Midler, the Soundtrack to "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" from Neil Diamond, John Denver's Greatest Hits moved from 12-8, the great album Band on the Run by Paul McCartney & Wings was #9 and Muscle of Love from Alice Cooper came in 10th.




1974:  The great song "Show And Tell" from Al Wilson reached #1, overtaking "The Joker" from Steve Miller.  Brownsville Station edged one step closer with "Smokin' In The Boy's Room".  The rest of the Top 10:  Gladys Knight & the Pips with "I've Got To Use My Imagination", Ringo Starr with "You're Sixteen", Jim Croce was down with his former #1 "Time In A Bottle", Barbra Streisand entered the Top 10 with "The Way We Were", Stevie Wonder's great song "Living For The City" was at position #8, Olivia Newton-John remained at #9 with "Let Me Be There" and Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra moved from 13-10 with one of The Top 10 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*--"Love's Theme".
1976:  The Beatles turned down a $30 million offer from promoter Bill Sargent to play together again.  The lost people of the world think it's all about money.
1977:  Pink Floyd played their album Animals for the press at Battersea Power Station in London.

1977:  Charlie Daniels and the Marshall Tucker Band played at the inauguration of U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

1977:  Aretha Franklin sang "God Bless America" at the inaugural concert for President-elect Carter.

1980:  "Brass In Pocket" by the Pretenders was the new #1 song in the U.K.











1980:  Dionne Warwick's comeback was well underway and she moved to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Deja Vu".
1980:  Michael Jackson made it three weeks in a row at #1 on the R&B chart with "Rock with You".









1980:  It had been eight years since "Ben", but Michael Jackson finally had his second solo #1 with "Rock With You". The Captain & Tennille challenged with "Do That To Me One More Time", Rupert Holmes relinquished after having one of the top songs of 1979 with "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" and Kenny Rogers was up strong with "Coward Of The County".  Stevie Wonder was on the way down with "Send One Your Love" but Tamla labelmate Smokey Robinson was up from 12-6 with "Cruisin'".  The rest of the Top 10:  Cliff Richard's second Top 10 in the U.S.--"We Don't Talk Anymore", Kool & the Gang with "Ladies Night", K.C. and the Sunshine Band with their big hit "Please Don't Go" and Little River Band slipped into the Top 10 with "Cool Change".




             
       
                             Pink Floyd's "Hey You...

1980:  Pink Floyd first reached #1 on the Album chart with The Wall after just six weeks of release.  On the Radio-Greatest Hits-Volumes I & II from Donna Summer was second with The Long Run from the Eagles #3.  Previous #1 Bee Gees Greatest was on its way down but the solid Damn the Torpedoes from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers was up to #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Stevie Wonder's Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants, Kenny from Kenny Rogers came in #7, Michael Jackson was up to 8 with Off the Wall, Styx was down with Cornerstone and Tusk from Fleetwood Mac was still in the Top 10.
1981:  Styx released the album Paradise Theater.




1981:  Hall & Oates released the single "Kiss On My List".  (Note:  some websites list the date of release as January 24, the date it debuted on the charts.  It is physically impossible for a song to be sent to radio stations, added by stations to their playlists, reported to the trade papers, and the trade papers be printed and published all on the same day.)
1983:  Lamar Williams, bassist of the Allman Brothers Band, died of cancer in Los Angeles at age 34.

1985:  AC/DC, the Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne and Whitesnake performed at the Rock in Rio festival in Brazil in front of an estimated 342,000 fans.






       Adams was still churning out hits from 'Reckless'...

1985:  Madonna ruled #1 for a fifth week with "Like A Virgin".  Jack Wagner remained second with "All I Need" with Chicago closing to #3 with "You're The Inspiration".  Foreigner climbed from 11 to 4 with their great song "I Want To Know What Love Is".  The rest of a dynamite Top 10:  "Easy Lover" from Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire with help from Phil Collins, Bryan Adams was up to #6 with "Run To You", Duran Duran headed down with "The Wild Boys", Pat Benatar with "We Belong", Bruce Springsteen with "Born In The U.S.A." and Wham!  was up from 20 to 10 with "Careless Whisper".






1985:  Here we have one of the most incredible stories of the Album chart in the history of the Rock Era.  Bruce Springsteen had spent four weeks at #1 way back in July with Born in the U.S.A. when the album was first released.  Prince's Purple Rain took over on August 4 and spent the next 23 weeks at #1 until January 12, 1985.  The album that finally toppled the Purple One?  Unbelievable, but it was Born in the U.S.A., which had continued to challenge week after week since it fell from #1, with 20 of those weeks at #2!












1986:  Falco released the single 'Rock Me Amadeus".  (Note:  some websites erroneously list the worldwide release date as March 28--it was released in Germany in 1985.  The release date to the rest of the world is physically impossible, since "Rock Me Amadeus" debuted on the Singles chart on February 8.  A song cannot make the Singles chart if it has not been released as a single.)    








1987:  Europe released the single "The Final Countdown".

1988:  Metallica began recording their fourth album And Justice for All at the One on One studio in Los Angeles.

1988:  Doc McGhee, manager of Bon Jovi and Motley Crue, pleaded guilty to importing more than 40,000 pounds of marijuana into the United States.  (Note:  there are numerous websites which claim that Doc McGheep, the manager of Bon Jovi and Motley Crue, pleaded guilty to this offense, but there is no such person.  The man's name is Doc McGhee.)

1991:  Enigma had the #1 U.K. song--"Sadness, Part One".
1991:  Surface moved to #1 on the R&B chart with "The First Time".









                            C+C had the dance floors filled...

1991:  Janet Jackson landed her fifth career #1 and seventh consecutive Top 10 with "Love Will Never Do (Without You)". C&C Music Factory was up to #6 with "Gonna' Make You Sweat".
1993:  Fleetwood Mac reunited just so they could play at U.S. President Bill Clinton's inauguration.  The lineup for the occasion was a virtual Who's Who in Rock Music:  Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul & Mary.
1994:  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Elton John, John Lennon, Rod Stewart, the Animals, the Grateful Dead, Bob Marley and the Band.
1997:  Madonna won a Golden Globe award for Best Actress for her role in Evita.

1998:  Pat Boone was awarded the first annual Michael the Archangel Award by the National Association of Chiefs of Police.










1998:  Carl Perkins died from throat cancer in Nashville, Tennessee at age 65.
1999:  Bizzy Bone of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony went on trial in Columbus, Ohio, for dragging a student barber down a flight of stairs.
1999:  Jean-Michel Jarre delivered a petition to the European Parliament signed by hundreds of European recording artists asking for better legal protection against music piracy on the Internet.
1999:  The Republican-controlled U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a 1998 lawsuit brought by ticket buyers against Ticketmaster, which charged that the firm engaged in anti-competitive behavior and price-fixing with promoters.



2001:  Christina Aguilera performed at the Caracas Pop Festival in Venezuela.
2001:  After huge sales from the Beates' compilation albums, Paul McCartney became the first billionaire music artist, reportedly worth $1.233 billion.
2002:  In today's Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music segment, C-Murder, whose real name is the very plain Corey Miller, was arrested in the shooting death of 16-year-old Steve Thomas at a nightclub on January 12.






          "Don't Know Why", from Norah's great album...

2003:  Come Away with Me by Norah Jones outdistanced all challengers to score the #1 album.
2004:  Jimmy Dean ("Big Bad John") was dropped by Sara Lee as the spokesman for Jimmy Dean sausages after decades of pitching the product.

2006:  Wilson Pickett ("In The Midnight Hour") died in a hospital near his home in Reston, Virginia from a heart attack at age 64.  (Note:  some websites mistakenly report his death as being in Ashburn, Virginia.  He lived in Ashburn, but died in a hospital in Reston, according to the newspaper 'The Washington Post'.)

2006:  Kristen Hall, guitarist of Sugarland, announced she was leaving the group to concentrate on songwriting.

2007:  Denny Doherty, former member of the Mamas and the Papas, died at the age of 66 of a second abdominal aortic aneurysm at his home in  Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

2008:  John Stewart, who was with the Kingston Trio, wrote "Daydream Believer" for the Monkees, and was a successful solo artist ("Gold" from 1979), died after a massive stroke at age 68 in San Diego, California. 
2010:  Phoebe Snow suffered a hemorrhagic stroke at her home in New Jersey and required emergency brain surgery.
2011:  Gwen McRae ("Rockin' Chair" from 1975) underwent successful surgery to remove her gall bladder.

Born This Day:
1932:  Richard Lester, director of the Beatles' movie A Hard Day's Night, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1935:  Bob Engemann of the Lettermen was born in Highland Park, Michigan; died January 20, 2013 in Provo Utah from complications of heart bypass surgery.

1939:  Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers was born in Chicago, Illinois; died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (a combination of emphysema and bronchitis) after a lifetime of smoking in Burbank, California on January 3, 2013.  (The Country Music Hall of Fame claims Phil was born in Chicago, Illinois, but the book '1950s American Style:  A Reference Guide by Daniel Niemeyer says he was born in Brownie, Kentucky.  Photographer Jerry Spies, who grew up across the street from the Everlys, said that older brother Don was born in Brownie, but the family moved to Chicago soon after, and Phil was born in Chicago.)1939:  Sam T. Brown, session guitarist for James Brown among others, was born in St. Louis, Missouri; died December 28, 1977 in Bloomington, Indiana.





 

1943:  Janis Joplin was born in Port Arthur, Texas; died October 4, 1970 in Hollywood, California from drugs.











1944:  Shelley Fabares ("Johnny Angel") was born in Santa Monica, California.
1944:  Laurie London ("He's Got The Whole World In His Hands" from 1958) was born in Bethnal Green, East London.









1945:  Rod Evans, original lead singer of Deep Purple, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland.  (Note:  some websites report that Rod was born in Slough, England, but according to the book 'Smoke on the Water:  The Deep Purple Story' by Dave Thompson, Evans was born in Edinburgh, then moved to Slough with his family.)










1946:  Dolly Parton was born in Locust Ridge, Tennessee.  (Note:  some websites report his birthplace as the less specific Sevier County, Tennessee.  According to the official 'Dollywood' website, Dolly was in fact born in Locust Ridge.)
1948:  Harvey Hinsley of Hot Chocolate was born in Northampton, England.









1949:  Robert Palmer was born in Batley, Yorkshire, England; died of a heart attack September 26, 2003 in Paris, France.
1950:  Francis Buchholz of the Scorpions was born in Hannover, Germany.  (Note:  you will see some websites spell his birthplace as Hanover--that is the English spelling; the correct German spelling is Hannover.)









1951:  Dewey Bunnell of America was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England.
1952:  Eric Leeds, multi-instrumentalist who worked with Prince, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  (Note:  some websites report his birthplace as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  According to the official websites for both Leeds and Prince, Eric was born in Milwaukee before his family moved to Pittsburgh.)









1953:  Michael Boddicker, film composer and session musician who played synthesizer on the albums Thriller, Bad and Dangerous from Michael Jackson, was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 
1957:  Mickey Virtue, keyboardist and founding member of UB40, was born in Birmingham, England.  
1963:  Caron Wheeler of Soul II Soul was born in London.  
1969:  Trey Lorenz ("Someone To Hold" from 1992) was born in Florence, South Carolina.
1971:  John Wozniak, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of Marcy Playground, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Up Next in The Top 100 Female Artists*

One of the hottest stars of today will be featured tomorrow on Inside The Rock Era!

Faith Hill, The #42 Female Artist of the Rock Era

Hill was born in Ridgeland, Mississippi, and raised in the nearby town of Star.  She made her first public performance at a 4-H luncheon when she was seven.  When she was a teenager, Faith was a regular performer at churches throughout the area.  At age 17, she formed a band that played at local rodeos.  She attended Hinds Community college, but she quit school to move to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue her dream of becoming a singer.

Faith auditioned to become a backup singer for Reba McEntire but was not successful and thus became a secretary at a music publishing firm.  However, a co-worker heard Hill singing to herself one day, and soon the head of the company encouraged Faith to become a demo singer for the firm.  Hill also sang backup vocals for songwriter Gary Burr, who performed his songs at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.  Bob Saporiti, executive of Warner Brothers Records, heard one of the performances, and eventually signed Hill to a recording contract.   

Faith released her debut album Take Me as I Am in 1993.  She became the first female in 30 years to enjoy a #1 Country hit for four consecutive weeks when "Wild One" accomplished the feat.  Faith's cover of "Piece of My Heart" also went to #1 in the genre, and helped the album sell three million copies. 

Hill had to delay the recording of her second album due to surgery to repair a ruptured blood vessel on her vocal chords.  She finally completed the project and released It Matters to Me in 1995.  The title song was her fourth #1 Country song and she achieved another three million in sales of this album as well.

The following spring, Hill began a tour with country singer Tim McGraw.  During the tour, they fell in love and were married on October 6.  Faith then took four years off from touring to begin a family.  Hill and McGraw recorded "It's Your Love", which was #1 on the Country charts for six weeks, and reached #7 overall.  The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals: 

In 1998, Hill exploded into the mainstream with her album Faith.  "This Kiss" was a monster across-the-board smash--#1 on the Country chart, #3 Adult Contemporary and #7 on the Hot 100 chart, and earned another Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

The album Faith was nominated at the Grammys for Best County Album.  Hill and McGraw earned another Grammy nomination that year for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for the song "Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me".  "Let Me Let Go" also hit #1 Country from the album, and was nominated for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, competing with "Breathe" for the honor. 

To capitalize on the uptick in her popularity and album sales, Hill released the album Breathe, which became her first #1 album.  The title track was another multi-format smash, reaching #1 on both the Adult Contemporary and Country charts and #2 on the "Popular" chart.  She won the Grammy for Best Country Female Vocal Performance.

Hill won three American Music Awards:  Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist, Favorite Country Female Artist and Favorite Country Album.  She also captured Grammys for Best Country Album and Best Country Collaboration With Vocals (with McGraw on "Let's Make Love").  Breathe

has now gone over the nine-million mark in sales.  The second single, "The Way You Love Me", reached #3 Adult Contemporary and #7 overall in the U.S. and #1 in Canada.

In 2000, Hill went on an extensive tour with her husband.  She was featured in VH1's Behind the Music, VH1 Divas 2000, and also starred in a CBS television special and was featured on Lifetime's Intimate Portraits series.  Faith appeared on the cover of numerous magazines, performed at the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards, and performed the U.S. National Anthem at the Super Bowl.  

She recorded "Where Are You Christmas" for the wildly popular full-length movie remake of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  It became one of The Top Christmas Songs of All-Time*.

I

n 2001, Hill recorded "There You'll Be" for the "Pearl Harbor" Soundtrack.  It gave her a #1 AC smash, and was #10 overall in the United States, #1 in Canada and #3 in the U.K.  The song was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and earned Faith a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Faith released the album Cry in 2002, which yielded the title song that reached #1 on the AC chart and #3 in Canada.  "Cry" won the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and the album was nominated for Best Country Album.

Hill captured the People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Musical Performer.  Cry has now sold over three million copies.  The single "One" also landed in the Adult Contemporary Top 10 at #7.

Hill released the album Fireflies in 2005, which gave her one final career Top 10--"Like We Never Loved At All", a #9 hit on the AC chart.  Hill and McGraw won the Grammy for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals.

Hill earned her fourth American Music Award for Favorite Female Country Artist.  "Mississippi Girl" from the album was a #1 Country song and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and Fireflies was nominated for Best Country Album.

In 2006, after a six-year hiatus from touring, Hill and McGraw went on the Soul2Soul II Tour.  It grossed over $90 million and was named Major Tour of the Year by Pollstar, beating out Madonna and the Rolling Stones.  

In 2009, Hill performed "America the Beautiful" at the pregame show of Super Bowl XLIII.  In October, Hill released her first fragrance titled Faith Hill Parfumes.  In 2010, Faith released a second fragrance, True.    

Hill has five Grammy Awards to her credit; she's been nominated 15 times.  She has sold over 40 million albums, and had nine hits with five reaching the Top 10.  

This Date in Rock Music History: January 18

1956:  Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & the Comets became the first rock and roll album to enter the chart.  Nowadays some people think that rock and roll is something different than it really is.

1960:  The fastest-climbing song belonged to Percy Faith & His Orchestra with "The Theme From 'A Summer Place'", up from 96 to 43.
1960:  "Running Bear" by Johnny Preston was the new #1 song.
1961:  Elvis Presley hooked up with producer Hal Wallis for a five-year movie deal.  (Note:  several websites report that the contract was signed on March 1, while others say it was January 18 or January 21.  Although unfortunately no credible sources can be found as to the exact date, our best research indicates that Presley signed the contract on January 18.  Presley was discharged from active duty in the U.S. Army on March 5, 1960, and Wallis would not doubt have wanted to ink Elvis to a new contract as soon as possible.  Elvis fan sites are unfortunately our best source for this, and they indicated that the contract was signed on January 18.  There is a picture of Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, with Wallis at Paramount Studios on January 18, 1961 included in the book 'Colonel Tom Parker: The Curious Life of Elvis Presley's Eccentric Manager' by James L. Dickerson. We do not know if the picture and its date led to speculation that the contract must have been signed then.)
1964:  For the seventh week, the Singing Nun had the #1 album with her self-titled release.  Peter, Paul & Mary placed three albums in the Top 10:  In the Wind at #2, their self-titled release at #4 after 91 weeks and (moving) at #8 after 53 weeks.  The Second Barbra Streisand Album was third, followed by soundtracks to "Fun in Acapulco" and "West Side Story", the latter spending its 116 week on the chart.  
1964:  Bobby Vinton held on to #1 on the Adult chart for a third week with "There!  I've Said It Again".




1964:  Another historical day in the Rock Era--"I Want To Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles debuted at #45, the first chart hit for the group in the United States and the fastest-selling song in Capitol Records history.








         The Rip Chords with a hot topic of the day--hot cars!

1964:  Bobby Vinton had a #1 song ("There!  I've Said It Again") for a third week before the Beatles changed music forever.  The Kingsmen placed "Louie Louie" at #2 for a fourth week, "Popsicles And Icicles" by the Murmaids was third followed by Bobby Rydell's "Forget Him".  "Surfin' Bird" by the Trashmen came in fifth.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Dominique" from the Singing Nun, "Hey Little Cobra" by the Rip Chords moved from 19-7, Shirley Ellis placed "The Nitty Gritty" at #8, the Marketts' great song "Out Of Limits" moved from 20-9 and Jan & Dean reached the Top 10 with "Drag City".
1965:  The Rolling Stones recorded "The Last Time" and "Play With Fire" at RCA Studios in Hollywood, California.
1965:  Barbra Streisand and Bobby Darin sang at the presidential inauguration for U.S. President Lyndon Johnson.
1967:  Jimi Hendrix recorded a show for the Top of the Pops television show in the U.K. and then was in concert that evening at the Seven and a Half Club in Mayfair, London.
1969:  The Beatles settled a defamation of character suit that had been filed by Pete Best, drummer of the Beatles before Ringo Starr.
1969:  "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell was #1 on the Adult chart for a sixth week.




Sergio Mendes and group with their remake of the Beatles' hit...

1969:  The White Album from the Beatles was #1 for a fourth week.  Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations moved up to 2 with Fool on the Hill from Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 next.











                                                                      Dusty was back!

1969:  Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" lasted a sixth week at #1, relegating "I'm Gonna' Make You Love Me" from Dana Ross & the Supremes & the Temptations to #2.  Young-Holt Unlimited had a hot instrumental--"Soulful Strut" (back in the days when they knew what instruments were), and Tommy James & the Shondells were up strong with "Crimson And Clover".  The rest of the Top 10: "Hooked On A Feeling" by B.J. Thomas, Glen Campbell and "Wichita Lineman", Stevie Wonder with"For Once In My Life", the Doors moved from 18-8 with "Touch Me", Brooklyn Bridge had #9 with "Worst That Could Happen" and Dusty Springfield closed out the group with "Son Of A Preacher Man".






1973:  The Rolling Stones performed a benefit concert in Inglewood, California for Nicaraguan earthquake relief that raised $200,000.  Lead singer Mick Jagger donated $150,000 as well.








1974:  Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke of Free, Mick Ralphs of Mott the Hoople and Boz Burrell of King Crimson combined to form supergroup Bad Company.












1975:  Barry White reached #1 on the R&B chart, his sixth Top 10 in that genre and third #1 song.
1975:  The Carpenters successfully took their remake of the Marvelettes' hit "Please Mr. Postman" to #1 on the Adult chart.
1975:  Barry Manilow had the #1 song with his first release--"Mandy".  The Carpenters moved from 8 to 2 with "Please Mr. Postman" while Neil Sedaka edged up with "Laughter In The Rain".     





      
      George Harrison had another Top 10 album...

1975:  The Greatest Hits album from Elton John ruled the chart for an eighth week.  Fire by the Ohio Players moved to a distant 2 with Miles of Aisles from Joni Mitchell third.  John Denver moved back up after 30 weeks with Back Home Again while George Harrison moved from 13 to 5 with Dark Horse.  The rest of the Top 10: Heart Like a Wheel from Linda Ronstadt, Yes checked in at #7 with Relayer, Ringo Starr was still at #8 with Goodnight Vienna, the Average White Band entered the Top 10 with AWB and Jethro Tull tumbled mightily with War Child.

1978:  Neil Sedaka received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1984:  Van Halen kicked off a world tour at the Jacksonville Coliseum in Jacksonville, Florida.
1986:  Dionne & Friends (Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Stevie Wonder & Gladys Knight) moved to #1 with "That's What Friends Are For".  







                       "Jezebel" from Sade...

1986:  Promise by Sade entered the Top 10 on the Album chart, the only new Top 10 of the week.
1987:  Steve Winwood married Eugenia Grafton.










1988:  Def Leppard released the single "Hysteria".
1989:  Stevie Wonder became the youngest living person (38) to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.  Stevie, the Rolling Stones, the Temptations, Otis Redding, Phil Spector and Dion DiMucci were all accepted as new members, along with three other artists that have no business being in a "Hall of Fame".  
1990:  There are 194 million people in Brazil, and 90,000 of them come to see Bob Dylan in Sao Paolo, Brazil in Dylan's first show in South America.
1990:  Mel Appleby of Mel and Kim died at the age of 23 fron pneumonia after treatment for spinal cancer in Westminster, England.









1991:  Amy Grant released the single "Baby, Baby".

1991:  Three people were crushed to death at an AC/DC concert in Salt Lake City when fans rushed the stage.

1991:  The 10-day Rock in Rio II festival opened in Brazil with Prince, Joe Cocker and Guns 'N Roses.
1991:  Bob Dylan taped a performance, singing "Like A Rolling Stone" for the 10th anniversary of Late Night with David Letterman.
1992:  Tevin Campbell was the talk of the R&B genre as he took over at #1 with "Tell Me What You Want Me To Do".






1992:  Mariah Carey scored her fourth #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Can't Let Go".
1992:  Michael Jackson held on to #1 for a seventh week with "Black Or White".  Color Me Badd waited patiently with "All 4 Love" while Mariah Carey was up to #3 with "Can't Let Go".  The live "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" from Elton John & George Michael moved from 8 to 4 and "Finally" from Ce Ce Peniston was fifth.  The rest of the Top 10:  Prince achieved his 34th hit with his 17th Top 10 song--"Diamonds And Pearls", Shanice was up to #7 with "I Love Your Smile", Boyz II Men had song #8--"It's So Hard To Say Goodbye Tto Yesterday", Nirvana dropped to #9 with "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Hammer dropped with "Addam's Groove".

1992:  Garth Brooks had already spent eight weeks at #1 on the Album chart with Ropin' the Wind.  On this date, he moved back to the top, taking over from Nirvana's Nevermind, which dropped to #4.
1996:  Lisa Marie Presley filed for divorce from Michael Jackson.
1997:  Keith Diamond, producer who also wrote "Caribbean Queen" and "Suddenly" for Billy Ocean as well as songs for Donna Sumer, Sheena Easton, Michael Bolton, James Ingram and Mick Jagger, died of a heart attack in Manhattan at age 96.
1997:  Tragic Kingdom ruled for a fifth week at #1 on the Album chart for No Doubt.
1997:  Toni Braxton was on top for the seventh week with "Un-Break My Heart".  En Vogue was right behind with "Don't Let Go (Love)" with R. Kelly's smash "I Believe I Can Fly" dropping to #3.
2004:  Dido had the top album in the U.K. with Life for Rent.
2004:  Delta Goodrem made it 29 weeks at #1 of the Australian Album chart with her album Innocent Eyes.  That tied Delta with Neil Diamond's Hot August Nights for the second longest-running #1 in Australia history.

2004:  Josh Groban had the top album with Closer.

2006:  The Breakthrough jumped back up to #1 on the Album chart for Mary J. Blige.
2011:  The largest collection of Beatles memorabilia went on display in a new museum in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Over 8,500 objects were featured.

Born This Day:
1933:  Ray Dolby, engineer and inventor of the noise reduction system, Dolby NR, was born in Portland Oregon; died September 12, 2013 of leukemia in San Francisco, California.

 1941:  Bobby Goldsboro ("Honey" from 1968) was born in Marianna, Florida.
1941:  David Ruffin, vocalist with the Temptations who also had a solo hit with "Walk Away From Love" in 1975, was born in Whynot, Mississippi; died from drugs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 1, 1991.
1953:  Brett Hudson of the Hudson Brothers was born in Portland, Oregon.
1957:  Tom Bailey, vocalist and keyboardist of the Thompson Twins, was born in Halifax, Yorkshire England.
1959:  Bob Rosenberg of Will to Power ("Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird" from 1988) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  (Note:  one website claims Rosenberg was born in Florida; he was born in Philadelphia, then later moved to Florida, according to 'Billboard'.)
1971:  Jonathan Davis, lead singer with Korn, was born in Bakersfield, California.
1973:  Luther Dickinson, guitarist of the Black Crowes beginning in 2007, was born in Memphis, Tennessee.
1974:  Christian Burns of BBMak ("Back Here" from 2001) was born in Liverpool, England.
1983:  Samantha Mumba ("Gotta' Tell You") was born in Dublin, Ireland.

Paula Abdul, The #43 Female Artist of the Rock Era

Abdul was born in San Fernando, California.  She began taking dance lessons early in life in ballet, jazz and tap.  She was a cheerleader and an honor student at Van Nuys High School, graduating in 1978.  In 1980, she appeared in the low-budget independent movie, Junior High School.

Abdul studied broadcasting at California-Northridge.  In her freshman year, Paula was selected from over 700 candidates for the cheerleading squad of the Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball team.  Within a year, she became head choreographer of the Laker Girls.

In fact, Abdul was discovered by the Jacksons, after a few members of the group had watched her while attending a Lakers game.  The Jacksons signed Paula to do the choreography for the video to their single "Torture".  The success of that video propelled Abdul to high demand as a choreographer, as it was the height of music videos.  She was chosen to be the choreographer for the Jacksons' Victory tour.

Abdul choreographed many videos during the 1980's, including videos for the Control album for Janet Jackson.  As choreographer, Abdul won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography in a Video for Jackson's "Nasty".  She choreographed sequences for the giant keyboard scene in the movie Big starring Tom Hanks.  She also has choreographed for the movies Jerry Maguire, The Running Man, Action Jackson, American Beauty, Coming to America and Oliver Stone's The Doors.  

In 1987, Abdul won an American Music Award for Choreography on the ZZ Top video for "Velcro Fly".  She used her own savings to make a demo tape, although her voice was relatively untrained.  She worked tirelessly on her singing, helped by her vocal coach and producers.  She released a pair of singles, achieving a Top 10 on the R&B chart with "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me". 

In 1988, Paula released her debut album Forever Your Girl.  The LP showed both its overall strength and longevity when it took 64 weeks to reach #1 on the Album chart, and then stayed there for 10.  The lead single was an out-and-out smash, reaching #1 for four weeks in the United States, #1 in the Netherlands, #2 in Sweden and Norway, #3 in the U.K., Germany and Switzerland, and Top 10 nearly everywhere in the world.

Abdul was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Straight Up".  Paula's choreography experience served her well in her solo career.  Her video for "Straight Up" was nominated for six MTV Video Music Awards, and it won four:  Best Female Video, Best Dance Video, Best Choreography in a Video, and Best Editing in a Video.

The album would go on to sell over seven million copies in the United States alone, one of the biggest debut albums in music history.  The follow-up was "Forever Your Girl", well chosen because it gave Paula her second consecutive #1 song in the U.S. and Canada.

Abdul won Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist at the American Music Awards, a remarkable and nearly unprecedented achievement for a new artist.  She also won the award for Favorite Dance Artist and was nominated for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist and Favorite Pop/Rock Album for Forever Your Girl.  "Cold Hearted" made it three in a row for the likable new star, reaching #1 in the U.S. and #2 in Canada.

Abdul re-released "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me", and this time, it landed at #3 in the United States and #5 in Canada.

The album was becoming a blockbuster, and a fifth single was culled from the release, and amazingly, "Opposites Attract" became her fourth #1 from the album in the United States, Canada and Australia; it was #2 in the U.K. and #4 in the Netherlands.

The video for "Opposites Attract" won the Grammy for Best Music Video, and earned Abdul six more MTV Video Music nominations--Best Female Video, Best Dance Video, Best Breakthrough Video, Best Direction, Best Choreography and Best Special Effects. 

In 1989, Abdul was further recognized for her work when she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for The Tracey Ullman Show.  The following year, Paula won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for The 17th Annual American Music Awards.  She also captured the People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Musical Performer.

In 1991, Abdul released the album Spellbound, which sold three million copies in the U.S. and seven million copies worldwide.  The first single was "Rush, Rush", yet another #1 song for five consecutive weeks.    It was also #1 in Canada, #2 in Australia, and a Top 10 smash worldwide.

Abdul was nominated for another MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video for "Rush Rush".  Paula starred in a popular Diet Coke commercial in which she danced with a digital image of her idol, a young Gene Kelly.  Paula was on fire, and she scored another #1 with "The Promise Of A New Day", #1 in the U.S. and #2 in Canada.

Paula won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Musical Performer for the second straight year.  In December, Abdul was honored with her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, an amazing accomplishment for just two albums.  It may sound strange, but her #6 hit "Blowing Kisses In The Wind" was nonetheless underrated.

Abdul uncharacteristically placed her next two singles ("Vibeology" and "Marry Me") outside of the Top 10.  She successfully battled the eating disorder bulimia nervosa, but she released just one album after that--Head Over Heels in 1995, and had no other Top 10 songs.

In 1997, Abdul starred in the ABC television movie Touched by Evil.  She co-wrote "Spinning Around" with the intention of releasing it as the lead single for another album.  But the project never materialized, and the song was given to Kylie Minogue, who enjoyed a #1 hit in several countries around the world.      

Although Abdul wasn't recording, she continued to serve as the choreographer for several movies, including the remake of Reefer Madness in 1998.  

Abdul burst into the limelight again when she appeared as one of three judges for the wildly popular music competition show American Idol.  Paula served in that capacity from 2002-2009, earning $5 million per season, and she drove ratings sky high for the show.  She received two straight nominations at the Emmy Awards for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program for Idol in 2002 and 2003.  Abdul also was a judge on the U.K. talent show The X Factor.  

In 2007, Paula premiered her own jewelry in the U.S., which resulted in 15 sellouts of her first jewelry collection involving over 34,000 pieces.  In 2010, Abdul co-founded AuditionBooth.com, a website that allows aspiring talents to connect with casting directors, producers, and managers.

Abdul is tied with Diana Ross for sixth among female solo performers with six #1 songs in her career.  Had she recorded more albums, Abdul would have ranked much higher.  But her string of chart success in a short period is phenomenal, nonetheless.

Paula has sold over 21 million albums worldwide.  Abdul hasn't generated the number of hits that some others in this range have; she makes it here on the quality of those hits, giving us some of the greatest songs of her time.  She racked up 11 hits in eight years, with eight Top 10 songs (73% of her hits) and 6 #1's (54.5% of her hits).

This Date in Rock Music History: January 17

1963:  The Beatles played their usual lunchtime show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England and then performed at the Majestic Ballroom in Birkenhead.  It was time to look for bigger venues, though, as every ticket had been sold in advance at the Majestic and hundreds of fans were turned away.

1966:  The Turtles released the single "You Baby".

1966:  NBC Television bought the rights to the Monkees series, which they scheduled for the fall.
1967:  The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded a performance for Radio Luxembourg's Ready Steady Radio.









1967:  The Daily Mail in England published a story citing a local council survey that found 4,000 holes in the road in Lancashire.  John Lennon noted it and included the information in the song "A Day In The Life".
1969:  Elton John released one of his first singles, "Lady Samantha" in England.
1970:  The Doors performed the first of several concerts at the Felt Forum in New York City.  The shows were recorded and later released on their Absolutely Live album.
1970:  Billy Stewart ("Summertime") and three of his band members died in Neuse River near Smithfield, North Carolina after Stewart's car swerved off a bridge into the river below.  Stewart was 32.

     
             Beatles closed out 'Abbey Road' in style...

1970:  Led Zeppelin II became the new #1 album, replacing the Beatles' Abbey Road, which had been on top for 11 weeks.  Willy and the Poorboys from CCR came in third, followed by Tom Jones Live In Las Vegas and Let It Bleed by the Rolling Stones.  The rest of the Top 10:  Was Captured Live at the Forum by Three Dog Night, the debut from Blood, Sweat & Tears, the self-titled Engelbert Humperdinck slipped in at #8, Santana with their self-titled release and Puzzle People from the Temptations.
1970:  B.J. Thomas remained at #1 on the adult chart for a sixth week with "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head".





1970:  The top mover of the week was Brook Benton's "Rainy Night in Georgia", up from #100 to #70.











        Ferrante & Teicher with their theme from the movie...

1970:  B.J. Thomas made it three weeks at #1 with "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head".  The Shocking Blue made a strong move (6-2) with their fabulous "Venus", leapfrogging "I Want You Back" from the Jackson 5.  Former #1 "Someday We'll Be Together" by the Supremes captured the #4 spot, ahead of "Whole Lotta' Love" from Led Zeppelin.  The rest of the Top 10:  another former #1--"Leaving On A Jet Plane" from Peter, Paul & Mary, Elvis Presley entered the list with his 112th career hit "Don't Cry Daddy", Tommy Roe edged up with "Jam Up Jelly Tight", CCR's double-sided "Down On The Corner" and "Fortunate Son" and Ferrante & Teicher moved into the Top 10 with "Midnight Cowboy".
1971:  Marvin Gaye sang the United States national anthem at Super Bowl V in Miami, Florida.





1972:  Neil Young released the single "Heart Of Gold".











1972:  Paul Simon released the single "Mother And Child Reunion".
1972:  Street signs were erected outside Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion in a ceremony, as a section of Highway 51 South in Memphis, Tennessee (previously Bellevue Boulevard) was renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard.  The Memphis City Council had voted to make the change in June of 1971.
1974:  Bob Dylan released the album Planet Waves.








  
                       The brilliant title track from Joni Mitchell...
1974:  Joni Mitchell released the incredible album Court and Spark.
1975:  Bob Dylan released the great album Blood on the Tracks.  (Note:  some websites claim the release date was January 20, but it was the 17th, according to both 'MTV' and "Allmusic.com".
1975:  Blondie and Television performed at GBGB's in New York City.
1996:  The Blues Brothers made their first appearance on Saturday Night Live on NBC-TV.

            Garfunkel's remake of the Flamingo's hit pushes his album into the Top 10...

1976:  Gratitude by Earth, Wind & Fire was the new #1 album, edging out previous #1 Chicago IX, the group's Greatest Hits package.  History/America's Greatest Hits was still a strong #3, followed by the new release from Joni Mitchell--The Hissing of Summer Lawns.  The rest of the Top 10:  Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits, Paul Simon with Still Crazy After All These Years, Windsong from John Denver, Family Reunion by the O'Jays, K.C. and the Sunshine Band with their debut and Art Garfunkel had a Top 10 album with Breakaway.





1976:  "Wake Up Everybody" was the call to action by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes that reached #1 on the R&B chart.











    
            The perfect group for winter weather...

1976:  Barry Manilow reached the top with "I Write The Songs".  Diana Ross had another smash with "Theme From 'Mahogany' (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" while previous #1 "Convoy" from C.W. McCall fell to third.  The Ohio Players weren't going away with "Love Rollercoaster" while Sweet enjoyed one of their biggest hits--"Fox On The Run".  The rest of the Top 10:  "I Love Music" from the O'Jays, Donna Summer's first big hit "Love To Love You Baby", Hot Chocolate warmed up from 14-8 with "You Sexy Thing", Paul Anka chalked up his 46th hit with "Times Of Your Life" and former Temptation David Ruffin was in the Top 10 with "Walk Away From Love".
1978:  Simple Minds played their first gig at the Satellite City in Glasgow, Scotland.  (Note:  several websites claim the concert was July 17, 1978, but according to the band's official website, they played their first show at Satellite City on January 17.)

1981:  Bass guitarist Nikki Sixx left the group London and began rehearsing with drummer Tommy Lee and vocalist/guitarist Greg Leon.  Thus, Motley Crue was born.










   "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" from AC/DC...

1981:  Double Fantasy by John Lennon was the #1 album for a fourth week, but Crimes of Passion from Pat Benatar was better.  Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits came in third, with Stevie Wonder's Hotter Than July and the "Jazz Singer" Soundtrack trailing.  The rest of the Top 10:  AC/DC with Back In Black, the Police edged up with Zenyatta Mondatta, Barbra Streisand's fine Guilty album was #8, Steely Dan held on with Gaucho and Blondie was up to #10 with Autoamerican.
1981:  "I Love A Rainy Night" from Eddie Rabbitt took over at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1981:  Kool & the Gang made it five weeks at #1 on the R&B chart with "Celebration".






1981:  Pat Benatar had the hottest mover with "Treat Me Right", up from 68 to 50.
1986:  Olivia Newton-John and her husband celebrated the birth of daughter Chloe in Los Angeles.
1987:  The Whole Story by Kate Bush was #1 on the U.K. Album chart.








1987:  Luther Vandross had himself a #1 R&B hit with the great song "Stop To Love".
1987:  Billy Joel had the top AC song with "This Is the Time".
            








     
           Madonna was back with another smash...


1987:  Gregory Abbott was on top of the Popular chart with "Shake You Down".  Robbie Nevil had the next best song with "C'est La Vie", Duran Duran was down with "Notorious" and the previous #1 "Walk Like An Egyptian" from the Bangles was now fourth.  The rest of the Top 10:  "At This Moment" from Billy Vera & the Beaters, Janet Jackson's "Control", Madonna moved from 15 to 7 with "Open Your Heart", Genesis had a smash with "Land Of Confusion", Survivor was at 9 with "Is This Love" and Wang Chung slipped down with "Everybody Have Fun Tonight".
1987:  Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi easily overtook Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Live/1975-1985 for a second week at #1 on the Album chart.  
  1990:  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Simon & Garfunkel, the Four Seasons, the Who, the Four Tops, the Kinks, the Platters, plus an artist who has no business in a "Hall of Fame".
1992:  Michael Jackson...the Legend Continues aired on CBS television.

1994:  Salt "N" Pepa and En Vogue combined to release the single "Whatta' Man".
1996:  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, Gladys Knight plus a whole lot of people that have no business in a "Hall of Fame".








  
1998:  All Saints rose to #1 in the U.K. with "Never Ever".
2000:  Santana, Garth Brooks, Shania Twain and Lauryn Hill each won two statues at the American Music Awards.
2001:  In today's segment of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, jury selection in the gun possession and bribery trial of Sean "Puffy"Combs began.  The charges were a result of a December, 1999 shooting at Club New York.
2003:  Eric Clapton and wife Melia celebrated the birth of daughter Ella Mae.
2003:  A long-lost recording by John Lennon and Mick Jagger started a bidding war at a London auction.  The record ("Too Many Cooks") was recorded in 1974 with Jagger singing and Lennon playing guitar.  It was never released because the two artists were signed to different record companies.

 2006:  Isaac Hayes was sent to a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee after collapsing from exhaustion.
2008:  The Police played at Westpac Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand on their reunion tour.
2009:  James Taylor fell during rehearsals for the Presidential Inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama and required 50 stitches.
2009:  Bobby Rydell married his second wife, Linda.





2011:  Don Kirshner, promoter who gave us the Monkees, the Archies and Rock Concert, died of heart failure at the age of 75 in Boca Raton, Florida.
2012:  Johnny Otis ("Willie And The Hand Jive" from 1958), composer, arranger, singer, drummer and percussionist, talent scout and producer, died of natural causes at the age of 90 in Los Angeles.


Born This Day--Birthdays of Rock Era Personalities:
1927:  Eartha Kitt ("Santa Baby") was born in North, South Carolina; died from colon cancer December 25, 2008 at her home in Weston, Connecticut. 
1930:  Lolita ("Sailor" from 1960) was born in St Pölten, Austria; died from cancer June 30, 2010 in Salzburg.  



1943:  Chris Montez ("Let's Dance") was born in Los Angeles.
1945:  William Hart of the Delfonics ("La-La Means I Love You" from 1968) was born in Washington, D.C.

  1949:  Mick Taylor, guitarist of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers who joined the Rolling Stones in 1969 and also worked with Bob Dylan, Jack Bruce of Cream and Mike Oldfield, was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England.  
1953:  Sheila Hutchinson of the Emotions ("Best Of My Love" from 1977) was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1954:  Cheryl Bentyne of Manhattan Transfer ("Boy From New York City" from 1981) was born in Mount Vernon, Washington.
1955:  Steve Earle, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, was born in Fort Monroe, Virginia.  (Note:  some websites list his birthplace as Hampton, Virginia, but according to Earle's official website, he was born in Fort Monroe.) 

  1956:  Paul Young ("Everytime You Go Away") was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, England.











1958:  Jez Strode, drummer of Kajagoogoo
1959:  Susanna Hoffs, guitarist and lead singer of the Bangles, was born in Los Angeles.
1960:  John Crawford, bassist and keyboardist with Berlin ("Take My Breath Away" from 1986)
1961:  Dave Collard, keyboardist with the JoBoxers, was born in Bristol, England.
1964:  Andy Rourke, bass guitarist with the Smiths, was born in Manchester, England.
1971:  Jon Wysocki, drummer of Staind ("It's Been Awhile"), was born in Northampton, Massachusetts.
1971:  Kid Rock (real name Robert James Richie) was born in Romeo, Michigan.
1984:  Calvin Harris, singer-songwriter who has written and produced songs for Kylie Minogue, was born in Dumfries, Scotland, U.K.