This Date in Rock Music History: November 16

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

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

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

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

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






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






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

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





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

1972:  America released their fine album Homecoming.












The Rolling Stones challenged for the top spot...


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

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

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









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









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





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

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

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




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

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


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

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

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

While you're marveling at Paul Simon's work in the decade...

Be sure and tune in tomorrow for another great artist of the decade, who put out some solid albums, especially in his early years.

The #54 Artist of the Seventies* is next--tomorrow on Inside The Rock Era!

Paul Simon, The #55 Artist of the Seventies*

Paul Simon started out his career in the duo Tom & Jerry, but before long, they changed their name to Simon & Garfunkel and made history as one of The Top Duos of the Rock Era*.  With Art Garfunkel, Simon wrote and sang classics like "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "Mrs. Robinson", "The Boxer", and "The Sound Of Silence" .

After the breakup of Simon & Garfunkel, Paul began to record his material as a solo artist.  He released his self-titled debut album in 1972.  The single "Mother And Child Reunion" preceded the album, peaking in the Top 5 in every major country in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The album went Platinum and went to #1 in the U.K., Sweden, Finland, and Norway, and peaked at #4 in the United States.  Simon's next single, "Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard", stalled at #22, but with it reaching #6 on the Adult chart, proved to be one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another Top Track* on the album was this gem--"Duncan".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simon came up with another Platinum album in 1973, There Goes Rhymin' Simon.  The smash single "Kodachrome" led the way at #1 in Canada and #2 in the U.S.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

T

The album generated another huge hit, as "Loves Me Like A Rock" went to #1 on the Adult chart and #2 overall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We want to feature another Top Track* on the #1 album There Goes Rhymin' Simon--"American Tune".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simon came up with another outstanding album in 1975, in fact, one of the best in his career, with Still Crazy After All These Years, which went Gold.  Paul brought in Phil Ramone to produce the album, darker than previous easy-going releases as it followed Simon's divorce.  A duet with Phoebe Snow resulted in the #9 Adult hit "Gone At Last".

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still Crazy became another #1 album for Paul.  The single "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" hit #1 in the United States and Canada, and was #2 in France.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simon won Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Male Performance.  Simon's title song at #40 overall is another of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs*; it achieved #5 on the Adult chart in the U.S. and #10 in France.

In 1976, Simon organized a benefit concert at Madison Square Garden to raise money for the New York Public Library.  Paul worked on the movie Shampoo, and he played a role in the Woody Allen movie Annie Hall. 

 

 

 

In 1977, Simon released his Greatest Hits compilation album as a solo performer, and it has now sold over two million copies.  The new release "Slip Slidin' Away" is another of his great lyrical works, reaching #2 in Canada, and #4 on the Adult chart and #5 overall in the United States and #10 in France.

Simon joined Garfunkel and James Taylor for the big Adult hit "Wonderful World" in 1978.

Simon & Garfunkel have reunited several times, in 1975 for the Top 10 song "My Little Town", in 1981 for the famous concert in New York City's Central Park that drew over 500,000 music fans, and in 2004 for an international tour that concluded before 600,000 in Rome, Italy.

Simon continued his songwriting magic well into the 80's with albums such as the masterpiece Graceland.  He still records and wins awards to this day.  Whether it's with Garfunkel or as a solo artist, Paul Simon is one of the bright lights of the Rock Era.

Simon sold over four million albums in the 70's, and achieved 10 solo hits in the decade, with  5 of those going Top 10 and 1 #1 song.

Simon was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys, bringing his total to 12.  In 1998, the Simon & Garfunkel album Bridge Over Troubled Water was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Paul became a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when he was admitted as a solo performer in 2001--he and Garfunkel were honored in 1990.  Simon was also honored as MusicCares Person of the Year in 2001.

The following year, Simon was one of five people recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors, America's highest tribute to performing artists.  In 2005, Simon was saluted as a BMI Icon.  According to BMI, Simon had amassed almost 75 million airplays on the radio for his songs.  In 2006, Time Magazine named Paul one of the "100 People Who Shaped the World".

In 2007, Simon was the inaugural recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.  In 2010, Simon received an honorary degree from Brandeis University, where he performed "The Boxer" at the main commencement ceremony.  In 2011, Simon was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Science.  The following year, he was awarded the Polar Music Prize. 

This Date in Rock Music History: November 15

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

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






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







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








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










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











     
               R.B. Greaves had a huge hit

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

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









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








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








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

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










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










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












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










                 Eddie Money with his biggest career hit...

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

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


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



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

Born This Day:

1932:  Petula Clark was born in Epsom, England.

 

 

 

 

 

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






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

Misinformation on the Web...

You'll see soon on all the "timelines" out there that Arlo Guthrie released the song "Alice's Restaurant Massacree", or "Alice's Restaurant" for short, on November 22, 1967.


Not true.  The song was never released as a single, as it was too long to be released (or even fit) on a 45 record.  The album on which it appears, also called Alice's Restaurant, was released in September.  So September is the only official release date for the album, and the song is an album track, not a single.  And the song "Alice's Restaurant" was never released.

Guthrie premiered the song at the famous Newport Folk Festival on July 16, 1967.

Top 100 Artists of the Seventies* Checklist--#100-56:

Inside The Rock Era began this musical spectacular on October 1 with #100.  Be sure to listen to each segment soon while the YouTube videos are still active.  And remember too that this is a ranking of artists in the Seventies, not for all-time.

#100:  ZZ Top

#99:  Journey

#98:  Cheap Trick

#97:  AC/DC

#96:  Van Halen

#95:  Jefferson Starship

#94:  Bachman-Turner Overdrive

#93:  England Dan & John Ford Coley

#92:  Neil Sedaka

#91:  Kansas

#90:  KISS

#89:  Ringo Starr

#88:  Seals & Crofts

#87:  John Lennon

#86:  Andy Gibb

#85:  Beatles

#84:  Gordon Lightfoot

#83:  K.C. and the Sunshine Band

#82:  Temptations

#81:  Jim Croce

#80:  Stylistics

#79:  Little River Band

#78:  Michael Jackson

#77:  Dr. Hook

#76:  Bob Dylan

#75:  Peter Frampton

#74:  Heart

#73:  Cars

#72:  O'Jays

#71:  Who

#70:  Guess Who

#69:  Jackson Browne

#68:  Lynyrd Skynyrd

#67:  Aretha Franklin

#66:  George Harrison

#65:  Eric Clapton

#64:  Grand Funk

#63:  Bad Company

#62:  Simon & Garfunkel

#61:  Spinners

#60:  Marvin Gaye

#59:  Roberta Flack

#58:  War

#57:  Steely Dan

#56:  Supertramp

While enjoying Supertramp...

next up in The Top 100 Artists of the Seventies*...an amazing songwriter with few peers...

Join us tomorrow on Inside The Rock Era!

Supertramp, The #56 Artist of the Seventies*

Originally The #56 Artist of the Seventies* was called Daddy.  They formed in 1969 before changing their name to Supertramp the following year.  Rick Davies, bassist Roger Hodgson, guitarist Richard Palmer, and Keith Baker on percussion joined after answering an advertisement in the weekly music newspaper, Melody Maker.

Davies and Hodgson wrote most of the group's music, with Palmer contributing the lyrics.  Baker was soon replaced by Robert Millar, and the group performed at the P.N. Club in Munich, Germany.  Supertramp was one of the first groups to be signed to the new U.K. division of A&M Records.  They released their self-titled album in 1970 in the U.K. and Canada (and later in the U.S. in 1977).  The album was thoroughly praised by the critics, but critics don't buy a lot of albums and thus don't carry a lot of weight.

Dave Winthrop (flute and saxophone) joined the group and Supertramp received considerable exposure at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970.  Palmer and Millar both left the group prior to the album Indeliby Stamped in 1971.  Hodgson switched to guitar, and the group hired bassist Frank Farrell and Kevin Currie on percussion.  With the departure of Palmer, Hodgson and Davies began writing the group's lyrics as well.

But the album sold less than the debut, and all of the original members of Supertramp quit except Hodgson and Davies.  Bad move for the others, but good news for the group, for afterwards, Supertramp found the members that made it click.  Bassist Dougie Thomson came aboard, and the group also hired Bob Siebenberg on drums and percussion and John Helliwell on saxophone and other woodwinds.  During this time, Hodgson began playing keyboards, especially the Wurlitzer electric piano, which he would become famous for.

In 1975, Supertramp came up with the album Crime of the Century, a #4 album in the U.K.  "Dreamer" was a minor hit in their native Britain, but DJ's flipped the 45 over in the United States and discovered the great song "Bloody Well Right", which at #35 is one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*. (Please click on the "Play" icon in the top left-hand portion of the video...)

 

 

 

 

 

The album also contains one of The Top Tracks of the Rock Era*, an amazing song called "School".

The single led the album to #4 on the chart and Gold status.  Supertramp's next album, Crisis?  What Crisis? did not get the airplay, the sales, or the hits that its predecessor did.  So the group went back to the drawing board.

 

 

 

 

 

In 1977, Supertramp came back with the album Even in the Quietest Moments.  The single "Give A Little Bit" roared up to #2 in the Netherlands, #8 in Canada, and reached #15 in the United States.

The album went Gold, and Supertramp had developed a loyal and significant cult following.  But nothing they had recorded prepared either themselves or the public for what came next.

 

 

In 1979, the group released the album of their career.  Breakfast In America prophetically announced their arrival in the U.S.  As hit after hit and supreme album track after album track emerged, it was clear to anyone that this was an amazing release.  "The Logical Song" topped the Canadian chart, went to an underrated #6 in the United States and #7 in the U.K.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast in America spawned four hit songs, more than their first five albums combined.  The title song reached #9 in the U.K. and should have been about that high everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The album went to #1 for six weeks in the U.S., and topped Album charts all over the world:  Germany, Canada, Australia, France, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland.  Supertramp released the single "Goodbye Stranger" next, a #5 song in Canada and #15 in the United States.

Breakfast in America went on to sell over four million copies in the U.S. alone, and has now topped 20 million worldwide.  Inside The Rock Era placed it as The #23 Album of the Rock Era*.

 

 

The great song "Take The Long Way Home" went to #4 in Canada and #10 in the U.S.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But that's just part of the story, as you would fully expect from one of the top albums of all-time.  This is the incredible track "Gone Hollywood"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the great tracks on the album is this ballad--"Lord Is It Mine".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supertramp headed out on the road to promote the album, a 10-month, 120-date tour that broke all previous concert attendance records in Europe and Canada.  Breakfast in America also contained this phenomenal track--"Child of Vision".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another solid track is "Just Another Nervous Wreck".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We close the tribute to The #56 Artist of the Seventies* with "Casual Conversations".

Supertramp continued recorded into the early 80's, but Hodgson moved to the secluded mountains of northern California and recorded a solo album, which was never released.  Hodgson was still in the group, but he was far away from the other members, not only in geographic location but in his mind.  After the group's album ...Famous Last Words, Hodgson announced he was leaving the band.

To this day, Hodgson only allows videos of himself singing Supertramp songs without the group--he does not allow any YouTube videos of Supertramp performing his songs.  Supertramp has released four further albums, selling millions of records.