This Date in Rock Music History: November 9

1955:  The Everly Brothers recorded their first songs at the Old Tulane Hotel Studio in Nashville, Tennessee.  The duo recorded four tracks in 22 minutes.

1956:  Buddy Holly set out on his first tour.
1959:  RCA offered Sam Cooke $100,000 to leave Keen Records.

1959:  Bobby Darin registered a sixth consecutive week at #1 with "Mack The Knife".  









1960:  Ferrante & Teicher released the title track from the movie Exodus.
1961:  Brian Epstein went to the Cavern Club to witness first-hand what customers at his music store had been raving about.  He saw the Beatles perform and approached George Harrison and Paul McCartney after the show.  In his autobiography, Epstein would later write, "I was immediately struck by their music, their beat, and their sense of humour on stage - and, even afterwards, when I met them, I was struck again by their personal charm.  And it was there that, really, it all started.    A little over two months later, Epstein became the manager of the group.



1962:  The Miracles released the first song produced by Smoky Robinson--"You've Really Got A Hold On Me".
1963:  "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs was #1 for a fifth week.  "Deep Purple" by Nino Tempo & April Stevens was #2 with "Washington Square" from the Village Stompers third.  The Impressions moved from 9 to 4 with "It's All Right".  The rest of the Top 10:  Roy Orbison's "Mean Woman Blues", Dale & Grace advanced from 11 to 6 with "I'm Leaving It Up To You", Los Indios Tabajaras were up to #7 with "Maria Elena", Ray Charles was on the way down with "Busted", Elvis Presley rocketed from 25 to 9 with "Bossa Nova Baby" and Skeeter Davis had song #10--"I Can't Stay Mad At You".
1964:  Anita Humes, lead singer of the Essex, was a guest on To Tell the Truth on CBS-TV.

1966:  John Lennon viewed a private exhibition of art by Yoko Ono at the Indica gallery in London, meeting her for the first time.  Ono claimed she had never heard of him, but we now know that she had made a play for bandmate Paul McCartney just weeks prior.
1966:  The Beatles announced that they would no longer perform live.

1967:  John Lennon was on the cover of the first Rolling Stone magazine.
1968:  Robert Plant, lead singer of Led Zeppelin, married wife Maureen in West Bromwich, Sandwell, England.  The couple had their reception at the Roundhouse in London.
1968:  James Brown recorded a sixth week at #1 on the R&B chart with "Say It Loud - I'm Black And I'm Proud".



  Glen Campbell had a Top 10 album...


1968:  Cheap Thrills by Big Brother & the Holding Company was the #1 album for a fifth week but Electric Ladyland by the Jimi Hendrix Experience moved from #20 to #2.  Feliciano! from Jose Feliciano was #3 with the Rascals' Time Peace falling.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Time Has Come from the Chambers Brothers, Crown of Creation by Jefferson Airplane was #6, The Second from Steppenwolf moved from 15 to 7, the self-titled The Crazy World of Arthur Brown remained at #8, Wheels of Fire by Cream and Gentle On My Mind from Glen Campbell was #10.
1968:  Mary Hopkin owned the #1 Easy Listening song for a second week with "Those Were The Days".

1968:  Stevie Wonder moved from 79 to 35 with "For Once In My Life".









With that great Ginger Baker beat, Cream and "White Room"...

1968:  The Beatles enjoyed the biggest hit of their career as "Hey Jude" logged a seventh week at #1.  Mary Hopkin remained in the runner-up spot with "Those Were The Days" while Diana Ross & the Supremes, as they were then known, moved from 9 to 3 with "Love Child".  O.C. Smith's "Little Green Apples" was fourth with Johnny Nash moving up with "Hold Me Tight".  The rest of an excellent Top 10:  Cream at #6 with "White Room", Steppenwolf had their second big hit with "Magic Carpet Ride", the Turtles with "Elenore", The Crazy World of Arthur Brown had song #9 with "Fire" and the Grass Roots slipped to 10 with "Midnight Confessions".




1971:  Nilsson released the single "Without You".










1970:  Santana released the single "Black Magic Woman".  (Note:  many websites erroneously report the date of release as November 14, the date the song debuted on the chart.  Repeat after me:  "It is physically impossible for a song to debut on the chart the same day it is sent to radio stations."  If we can get enough people repeating that, we can all work to stop misrepresentation of facts.)
1971:  Carly Simon and James Taylor first met when Carly went to a show of Taylor's at Carnegie Hall in New York City.









1973:  Billy Joel released the album Piano Man.  And a superstar was born.
1973:  The Carpenters released the album The Singles 1969-1973.
1973:  Cat Stevens made his national television debut on the show In Concert on ABC.
1974:  "My Melody Of Love" was the #1 Easy Listening song for Bobby Vinton.




1974:  Stanley, Idaho's Carole King rose to #1 on the Album chart with Wrap Around Joy.  Walls and Bridges by John Lennon took the opportunity to climb to #2 while Photographs & Memories, the posthumous greatest hits package from Jim Croce, moved from #8 to #3.  Not Fragile from BTO was #4 and America was at #5 with Holiday.
1974:  Carl Douglas maneuvered from 55 to 33 with "Kung Fu Fighting".

 

        
   Why has radio forgotten this song?  Oh well, makes this site more popular...

1974:  The great song "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" from Bachman-Turner Overdrive became the new #1 song.  Stanley, Idaho's Carole King was up to #2 with "Jazzman" while John Lennon had #3 with "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night".  America had their seventh hit since their debut in 1972 with "Tin Man", which moved from 10 to 4.  The rest of the Top 10:  John Denver's "Back Home Again" entered the list at #5, Bobby Vinton's first Top 10 song in six years--"My Melody Of Love" moved from 17 to 6, B.T. Express was on the move with "Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)", Elton John slipped with "The Bitch Is Back", Reunion's fun song "Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)" and Gordon Lightfoot scored his sixth hit and third Top 10 with "Carefree Highway". 

1981:  Sheena Easton released the single "You Could Have Been With Me". 










1981:  The Cars released their great single "Shake It Up".
1985:  Lionel Richie debuted at #40 with "Say You, Say Me".








         
    The Thompson Twins had another smash...

1985:  Jan Hammer's instrumental "Miami Vice Theme" was #1, the last instrumental of the Rock Era to reach the top.  Stevie Wonder fell with "Part-Time Lover", Tears for Fears had #3 with "Head Over Heels" and Glenn Frey was up with "You Belong To The City".  Starship edged up to #5 with "We Built This City".  The rest of the Top 10:  Whitney Houston moved down with "Saving All My Love For You", Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin moved from 15 to 7 with "Separate Lives", A-ha had song #8--"Take On Me", ABC with "Be Near Me" and the Thompson Twins jumped from 18-10 with "Lay Your Hands On Me".





1987:  Expose released their great song "Seasons Change".









1987:  Tiffany released the single "Could've Been".












1987:  Michael Jackson released the single "The Way You Make Me Feel".











1987:  Great lead singer Paul Carrack, who sang for Ace on "How Long" from 1975 and later for Mike + the Mechanics, released a solo single--"Don't Shed A Tear".
1990:  He liked all the money coming in but forgot one thing--to pay taxes.  On this date, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service seized all of the bank accounts and real estate holdings of Willie Nelson, who owed $16 million in taxes.
1991:  To promote his new Rush Street album, Richard Marx appeared in five cities in one day:  Baltimore, Maryland, New York City, Cleveland, Ohio, Chicago, Illinois, and the Burbank Airport in California.
1991:  Queen's Greatest Hits II was the number one album in the U.K.
1991:  "Forever My Lady" by Jodeci was the new #1 R&B song.

Roberta Flack scored a big comeback with help from Maxi Priest...

1991 Prince's 33rd hit and 16th Top 10, "Cream", became his fifth #1 song.  "Romantic" by Karyn White fell to #2 with Bryan Adams achieving a big hit at #3 with "Can't Stop This Thing We Started".  Jesus Jones was at #4 with "Real, Real, Real" and Michael Bolton's remake of the Percy Sledge classic "When Aa Man Loves a Woman" moved from 15-5.  The rest of the Top 10:  "O.P.P" from Naughty By Nature, Mariah Carey's former #1 "Emotions", Boyz II Men had their second Top 10 with "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday", Natural Selection fell with "Do Anything" and Roberta Flack & Maxi Priest reached the Top 10 with "Set The Night To Music".  

1991:  Ropin the Wind by Garth Brooks was the #1 album for the fourth straight week.  Use Your Illusion II by Guns N' Roses was second, Diamonds and Pearls from Prince was #3 while the debut Metallica moved up to 4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Guns N' Roses with Use Your Illusion I, Decade of Decadence - '81-'91 from Motley Crue, Mariah Carey remained at #7 with Emotions, Public Enemy fell with Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Back, Michael Bolton entered the Top 10 with his great album Time, Love & Tenderness and Garth Brooks was at #10 after 60 weeks with No Fences.
1993:  R. Kelly released the album 12 Play.
1996:  Michael Jackson performed at Ericsson Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand.  (Note:  some websites report that MJ performed on November 10.  He performed on November 9 and 11.)

Celine Dion was one spot away with this Jim Steinman song...

1997:  After 14 weeks at #1, second only to "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men at the time, "Macarena" from Los Del Rio was finally toppled by "No Diggity" from Blackstreet.  Celine Dion remained in the #2 spot with "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" and Donna Lewis moved back up after 21 weeks with "I Love You Always Forever".  Toni Braxton was up to #5 after just three weeks with "Un-Break My Heart".  
1998:  Billy Preston, his manager Merle Otis Greene and Greene's wife Sandra were indicted on 22 counts of fraud in illegally collecting $1 million in insurance claims.
1998:  Rick James was taken to a Los Angeles hospital after suffering a stroke.
1998:  Pete Townshend performed a solo concert in England for the first time in 12 years.
1998:  Michael Jackson settled a lawsuit with The London Daily Mirror which claimed that Jackson's face had been disfigured by cosmetic surgery.  In a statement, a lawyer for the publisher said "...The Mirror has since met with the plaintiff in person and acknowledges that the photographs do not accurately represent the plaintiff's true appearance."
1999:  Herb Abramson, producer, songwriter and co-founder of Atlantic Records, died at age 82 in Henderson, Nevada.

2003:  Michael W. Smith received the Distinguished West Virginian Award for his contributions to music.
2003:  Kylie Minogue led the U.K. chart with "Slow".
2007:  Wayne Fontana (of Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders) was found guilty of arson with intent to injure by a court in Nottingham, England.  Fontana had set a police car on fire.  They didn't make Wayne too smart.
2008:  Coldplay was awarded the trophy for being the top-selling act of the year and was also named Rock Act of the Year at the World Music Awards in Monaco.  Leona Lewis won for Best Pop Female and Best New Artist, Amy Winehouse was the top Female Pop/Rock artist and Alicia Keys was named top R&B artist.  (Note:  many websites report that the Awards were held on November 10.  Those people are looking at newspaper reports from November 10--the event happened November 9, as reported in 'Billboard' magazine and other reputable sources.)
2008:  Girls Aloud had the top album in the U.K. with Out of Control.
2011:  Linda Ronstadt and Jose Feliciano received Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Latin Grammy ceremonies in Las Vegas.


Born This Day:

 1936:  Mary Travers of Peter, Paul & Mary was born in Louisville, Kentucky; died September 16, 2009 in Danbury, Connecticut from complications undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia. (Note:  some websites show her birthdate as November 7, but according to 'ABC News', 'The New York Times' and 'Billboard', Travers was born on November 9.)







1941:  Tom Fogerty, rhythm guitarist of Creedence Clearwater Revival, was born in Berkeley, California; died September 6, 1990 in Scottsdale, Arizona from AIDS after he contracted HIV from blood transfusions.
1943:  Lee Graziano, drummer of American Breed ("Bend Me Shape Me"), was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1944:  Phil May, singer of the Pretty Things ("Don't Bring Me Down"), was born in Dartford, Kent, England.




1948:  Alan Gratzer, drummer of REO Speedwagon, was born in Syracuse, New York.
1948:  Joe Bouchard, original bassist of Blue Oyster Cult, was born in Watertown, New York.
1969:  Pepa (Sandra Denton) of Salt-n-Pepa ("Shoop" and "Whatta' Man") was born in Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies.  (Note: some websites report her birth as November 7, but all the reputable sites show it as November 9.)





1973:  Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees was born in Harlan, Kentucky.
1978:  Sisqo (real name Mark Durrell Andrews) was born in Baltimore, Maryland.

Another Top R&B Group Next

Up next in The Top 100 Artists of the Seventies*...

A group that was around for a long time before they finally struck it big.  But they enjoyed a super decade, and we'll hear from them tomorrow on Inside The Rock Era!

Featured Unknown/Underrated Song: "Baba O'Riley" by the Who

Here's a song from the Who album Who's Next that was never released as a single.  But its popularity since then has proven it should have not only been a single, but a Top 10 song:

"Baba O'Riley"

Who

 

Lyrics and Music by Pete Townshend

 

 

Out here in the fields
I fight for my meals
I get my back into my living
I don't need to fight
To prove I'm right
I don't need to be forgiven

Don't cry
Don't raise your eye
It's only teenage wasteland

Sally ,take my hand
Travel south crossland
Put out the fire
Don't look past my shoulder
The exodus is here
The happy ones are near
Let's get together
Before we get much older

Teenage wasteland
It's only teenage wasteland
Teenage wasteland
Oh, oh
Teenage wasteland
They're all wasted!

Simon & Garfunkel, The #62 Artist of the Seventies*

Some groups are so talented they can make our list with one album in the decade.  The Beatles did it with one album in 1970 and scattered single releases afterwards, and The #62 Artist* did the same thing.  One of the most popular duos of all-time rattled off 12 hits in the 60's, including classics such as "The Sound of Silence" and "Mrs. Robinson", then split after the studio album Bridge Over Troubled Water in 1970.

By 1969, Art Garfunkel had begun a career in acting, and the relationship between he and Paul Simon had deteriorated.  In fact, their album was supposed to include twelve tracks, but the two couldn't agree on the twelfth one, so there were only eleven songs.  "The Boxer" had already been released and gone on to great things in 1969, prior to the time eligible for this special.

The title song exploded upon release, reaching #1 on the Popular chart for six weeks and topping the Adult chart as well, and also hitting #1 in the U.K., Canada, New Zealand, and France.  It has now sold over six million copies, and is one of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era*.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The follow-up, "Cecilia", continued the momentum by going all the way to #1 in the Netherlands, #2 in Germany, #4 in the United States, and #6 in both Australia and Austria.  Like its predecessor, "Cecilia" went Gold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, Simon & Garfunkel released the single "El Condor Pasa", which did far better in Europe, as evidenced by its #1 standing in Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, and Austria.  It only peaked at #18 in the U.S.

But the album had already taken off, and it has been in the stratosphere ever since, going to #1 on the Album chart and selling by last count eight million copies.  It is one of The Top 100 Albums of the Rock Era*.

Most great albums go far beyond their single releases, and Bridge Over Troubled Water is no exception.  There's a live cover of "Bye Bye Love" that the duo recorded in Ames, Iowa that is included on the album.  Fittingly, later reunion concerts by Simon & Garfunkel included bringing the Everly Brothers on stage for historic performances of the song that featured two of The Top Duos of the Rock Era*.

 

 

 

 

 

Another fan favorite from the album is "Keep The Customer Satisfied".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just like acts such as the Who have many good songs that weren't hits, this fantastic duo does as well. We will feature a few more cuts from this amazing album.  This one is "The Only Living Boy In New York".

 

 

 

 

 

 

The duo closes the album with "Song For The Asking".

When it came time to present the Grammy Awards, Simon & Garfunkel were up for the major awards Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year, the latter two for the title song.  They won all three, quite a send-off to their career, and they also captured Grammys for Best Contemporary Song, Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists, and Best Engineered Record.

If the pair did nothing else, the phenomenal success of their final studio album would have garnered them a spot in The Top 100 for the Seventies*.  But there's more to the story.

In 1972, Columbia Records released Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits.  Of course, most of the material was from the 60's, but the label released "America" as a single.  It only reached #97 at the time, but the shortsightedness of radio at the time can be overlooked, seeing as fans have taken to the song in increasing numbers.

 

 

 

 

 

Another outstanding track revived by the album was the "live" version of "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" featuring Garfunkel's amazing vocal.

The compilation has now sold over 14 million; of course as stated, most of the material is from the 60's, so those sales do not count in compiling the rankings--we only count sales from their 70's material.

Simon went on to a highly successful solo career, and Garfunkel too has had his share of hits on the Adult chart along with appearances in films.

Unlike some groups, including the Beatles and Creedence Clearwater Revival, these two were able to reconcile for brief but memorable reunions.  In 1972, they performed at Madison Square Garden for U.S. presidential candidate George McGovern, and they appeared on Saturday Night Live in 1975.

While they were at it, Simon & Garfunkel stopped off at the studio and recorded the single "My Little Town".  The song appeared on both Simon's album Still Crazy After All These Years and Garfunkel's album Breakaway, and reached #9 on the Popular chart, but was a #1 hit among Adults.

 

 

 

 

 

The pair then recorded the single "Wonderful World" along with James Taylor in 1977, another #1 Adult smash.

Simon & Garfunkel famously held a free concert in New York City's Central Park in September of 1981 before an estimated 500,000 fans, although many who were there put the figure much higher than that. 

They have reunited for highly successful tours since and have recorded other hits in the 80's and beyond.  In 1990, Simon & Garfunkel were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2003, the popular duo received the Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Simon & Garfunkel sold ten million albums from their work in the Seventies, and scored six more hits, with half of those going Top 10 and their #1 classic "Bridge Over Troubled Water", plus they provided many more Top Tracks* from their one studio album in 1970.  

This Date in Rock Music History: November 8

Lots of drummers born on this date, and other important music news--here we go!

1953:  Buddy Holly began his radio show (called The Buddy and Jack Show, with Jack Neal, on KDAV in Lubbock, Texas.

1957:  The Elvis Presley movie Jailhouse Rock opened nationally in theaters.  (Note:  numerous websites claim that the movie opened in theaters on October 21, but the book 'Elvis Presley:  Silver Screen Icon' by Steve Templeton states that the movie premiered in Memphis, Tennessee on October 17, but opened nationally on November 8.)
1958:  The Soundtrack to "South Pacific" took over as the #1 album in the U.K.  It would set the Rock Era record in the U.K. with 115 weeks at #1.
1961:  Brian Epstein called the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England to purchase a ticket to see the Beatles perform.  He became their manager shortly after seeing the group.








1961:  Chubby Checker, who had already seen "The Twist" go to #1, re-released it on this date.









1961:  The Tokens released the single "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".










1963:  Jan & Dean released the single "Drag City".
1963:  Dusty Springfield began her first tour as a solo artist, performing with the Searchers, Freddie & the Dreamers and Brian Poole & the Tremeloes in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1963:  Bobby Vee, the Ronettes and Little Eva were in concert in Teaneck, New Jersey on the first date of Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars tour.
1964:  The Beatles performed two concerts at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, England.  Mary Wells was among the opening acts.

1965:  The Vogues released the single "Five O'Clock World".
1965:  The Beatles recorded "Think For Yourself", a George Harrison song written for their upcoming album Rubber Soul.
1965:  The Dave Clark Five performed for Queen Elizabeth at the Royal Variety Show at the London Palladium.

1966:  The Jimi Hendrix Experience performed at the Big Apple Club in Munich, Germany.
1967:  Nilsson recorded the song "Everybody's Talkin'" in one take.
1967:  The movie How I Won the War starring John Lennon opened in the United States.
1967:  The Foundations had the top U.K. song with "Baby, Now That I've Found You".
1968:  John Lennon granted a divorce to Cynthia Powell Lennon.
1968:  Aretha Franklin broke her leg in a fall in a hotel in Honolulu, Hawai'i, causing her to perform two concerts in a wheelchair.

1969:  "Baby, I'm for Real" by the Originals replaced "I Can't Get Next To You" by the Temptations as the top R&B song.






 

                                                                       BS & T come back into the Top 10...


1969:  Abbey Road by the Beatles was #1 again on the Album chart with Green River from CCR providing the closest competition.  Johnny Cash At San Quentin was third followed by the Blind Faith album and I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!  by Janis Joplin.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Rolling Stones with Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2), the debut from Crosby, Stills & Nash, Isaac Hayes' Hot Buttered Soul at #8, the self-titled Santana and Blood, Sweat & Tears re-entered the Top 10 in its 41st week.
         
                                                                      Reminiscing of those summer days...

1969:  The 5th Dimension achieved their second career #1 with "Wedding Bell Blues", which sent "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley to #2.  The Beatles roared from 10 to 3 with "Come Together" while the former #1 "I Can't Get Next To You" by the Temptations remained at #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Smith and "Baby It's You", another former #1, "Sugar, Sugar" from the Archies, "Hot Fun In The Summertime" from Sly & the Family Stone, Blood, Sweat & Tears moved from 17-8 with "And When I Die", the Beatles scored their 30th Top 10 song in just five years with "Something" and the Flying Machine landed at #10 with "Smile A Little Smile For Me".



1971:  Don McLean released the epic single "American Pie".












1971:  The album Led Zeppelin IV appeared in music stores.  The album did not contain the name of the group at all, just four bizarre runic symbols, which led many to call the album Four Symbols.  (Note:  although some websites report the release as November 12, it was in fact November 8, as cited in the book 'From A Whisper to A Scream:  The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin' by Dave Lewis.)
1971:  Paul McCartney launched his new group Wings with a party at the Empire Ballroom in London.


1975:  The Carpenters released their remake of the Marvelettes' song "Please Mr. Postman".














1974:  Ivory Joe Hunter ("Since I Met You Baby" from 1957) died of lung cancer in Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 60.
1975:  Elton John was named the godfather to John and Yoko Lennon's son Sean.





1975:  "Low Rider" by War was the new #1 on the R&B chart.
1975:  The Captain & Tennille followed up "Love Will Keep Us Together" with another #1 on the Easy Listening Chart--"The Way I Want To Touch You".






1975:  Nowadays, it is commonplace because of the lack of competition but on this date, Elton John's Rock of the Westies became just the second album in the history of the Rock Era to debut at #1, following Elton's Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.  After finally scoring a #1 album with Red Octopus, Jefferson Starship had to relinquish the spot after one week.  Wish You Were Here from Pink Floyd was third followed by Prisoner of Disguise from Linda Ronstadt.  The rest of the Top 10:  Windsong from John Denver, Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen, Jethro Tull remained at #7 with Minstrel in the Gallery, George Harrison's Extra Texture, David Crosby & Graham Nash teamed for the #9 album Wind on the Water and Paul Simon had a winner on his hands with Still Crazy After All These Years, a Top 10 entrant after just three weeks.







1976:  Elton John released the single "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word".
1977:  Suzi Quatro debuted on Happy Days on ABC-TV as Leather Tuscadero.

1980:  The #1 album in the U.K. was Guilty by Barbra Streisand.

1985:  The Sting concert movie Bring On the Night opened in theaters.
1986:  Berlin achieved a #1 song in the U.K. with "You Take My Breath Away".
1986:  The Police had the top album in the U.K. with Every Breath You Take--the Singles.








1986:  Carly Simon was enjoying a big comeback with "Coming Around Again", which moved from 97 to 78 on this date.
1986:  Jason Newstead, new bassist with Metallica, performed live with the group for the first time.
1986:  Although they had several other songs that were better, Boston amazingly had their first and only #1 song on this date with "Amanda".  That's why the competition is always critical in analyzing chart peaks.
1986:  Sun Valley, Idaho's Peter Cetera teamed with Amy Grant for the #1 Adult Contemporary song "The Next Time I Fall".
1987:  Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys married Dean Martin's daughter, Gina.








1993:  Celine Dion released the single "The Power Of Love".
1994:  Sonny Bono was elected to the United States House of Representatives from California.
1995:  Michael Jackson teamed with Sony Corporation of America to create the third-largest music publishing company in the world with over 100,000 songs.







1997:  Jewel's album Pieces of You re-entered the Top 10 after 89 weeks of release.
1998:  Robbie Williams scored his second #1 album in the U.K. with I've Been Expecting You.
2003:  Duran Duran reunited for a 25th Anniversary Tour, beginning at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
2008:  AC/DC registered the #1 album with Black Ice.
2009:  Mark Owen of Take That married Emma Ferguson at Cawdor Parish Church near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.


Born This Day:

1927:  Patti Page (real name Clara Ann Fowler), who had 43 hits in the early years of the Rock Era, including "Let Me Go Lover" and "Allegheny Moon", was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma; died January 1, 2013 in Encinitas, California.  (Note:  many websites show her birthplace as Muskogee.  She later lived in several towns including Muskogee, but she was born in Claremore, according to 'The Los Angeles Times' and several other newspapers.)
1942:  John Perez, drummer with the Sir Douglas Quintet ("She's About a Mover") 
1944:  Robert Nix, drummer of the Classics IV and the Atlanta Rhythm Section, was born in Blakely, Georgia; died May 20, 2012 in Memphis, Tennessee.
1944:  Bonnie Bramlett of Delaney & Bonnie ("Never Ending Song of Love" from 1971) was born in Alton, Illinois.  (Note:  some websites report her birthplace as Acton, Illinois--there is no such town.)
1945:  Don Murray, drummer of the Turtles, was born in Glendale, California; died March 22, 1996 for post-operative complications from ulcer surgery in Santa Monica, California.
1945:  Butch Rillera, drummer of Redbone ("Come And Get Your Love" from 1973)

1946:  Roy Wood, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and founder of the Move and Electric Light Orchestra, was born in Birmingham, England.
1946:  John Martin, drummer of Dr. Feelgood

1947:  Minnie Riperton ("Lovin' You" from 1975) was born in Chicago, Illinois; died July 12, 1979 at the age of 31 from breast cancer.











1949:  Bonnie Raitt was born in Burbank, California.
1949:  Alan Berger, bass guitarist with Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes
1951:  Gerald Alston, singer with the Manhattans ("Kiss And Say Goodbye" and "Shining Star" with the Manhattans), was born in Henderson, North Carolina.









1954:  Rickie Lee Jones ("Chuck E's In Love" from 1979) was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1954:  Ricky Lawson, drummer who worked with Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston,  Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Phil Collins, Quincy Jones, Eric Clapton, Toto, Steely Dan, Bette Midler, George Benson, and many others, was born in Detroit, Michigan; died December 23, 2013 in Long Beach, California.
1959:  Alan Frew, lead singer of Glass Tiger, was born in Coatbridge, Scotland. (Note:  some websites report Frew was born on August 11, but according to the official website for the Thunder Bay Blues Festival, where Frew played in July of 2015, he was born on November 8).
1957:  Porl Thompson, guitarist, saxophonist and keyboardist of the Cure, was born in Wimbledon, London, England.
1958:  Terry Lee Miall, drummer of Adam and the Ants, was born in London.







1961:  Leif Garrett ("I Was Made For Dancin'" from 1979) was born in Hollywood, California.
1970:  Diana King ("Shy Guy" from 1995) was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica.

Queued Up Next...

A legendary group which called it quits in 1970, but their one album and a few scattered other singles are enough to land a spot high up in The Top 100 Artists of the Seventies*.

Don't miss them tomorrow on Inside The Rock Era!

Bad Company, The #63 Artist of the Seventies*

This English group formed when two former members of Free, lead singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke, joined guitarist Mick Ralphs of Mott the Hoople and bassist Boz Burrell from King Crimson.  The idea for the group name came from a book of Victorian morals.

Bad Company signed a recording contract with Swan Song Records in North America and with Island in other countries.   Armed with that, and the securing of manager Peter Grant (who also managed Led Zeppelin), the group released their self-titled debut album in 1974.  It became a huge hit throughout the world, reaching #1 on the Album chart.  The single "Can't Get Enough" went to #5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The album contains numerous Top Tracks*, including "Movin' On", which reached #19.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The album Bad Company has now sold over five million copies in the U.S. alone.  The title track remains a fan favorite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We will feature four other album tracks.  While not released as singles, they nevertheless are factored in to Bad Company's ranking in this music special.  This is "Rock Steady".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This great number is "Ready For Love".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another solid track on the album is "Don't Let Me Down".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The group had the capability to write reflective lyrics that most other rock groups could not.  This is "Seagull".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With that gem of a debut behind them, Bad Company released Straight Shooter in 1975.  It gave the group a #3 album, and spawned the single "Good Lovin' Gone Bad", a #36 song.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The follow-up was perhaps the single that should have been released first, "Feel Like Makin' Love", which reached #10.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Feel Like Makin' Love" led the album to Triple Platinum status.  The album contains another of Bad Company's greatest songs, "Shooting Star".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Run With the Pack also went Triple Platinum.  "Young Blood" was its top single at #20. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another track should have been released from the album.  This is "Silver, Blue And Gold".

In 1977, Bad Company released the album Burnin' Sky, the least received of the group's albums to date.

 

 

 

 

 

In 1979, the group came back with another Top 5 album, Desolation Angels.  The single "Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy" reached #13.

Bad Company didn't care for performing in large arenas, and Grant lost interest in management in general after the death of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham in 1980.  With Grant out of the picture, Bad Company fell apart.

The group reformed a few years later, although Rodgers went on to other projects.  The original lineup has reunited several times, and a version of Bad Company continues to perform to this day. 

Bad Company sold over 15.5 million albums in the Seventies, and they achieved nine hits with two Top 10 songs, as well as numerous Top Tracks* in the decade to achieve their #63 ranking*.