This Date in Rock Music History: March 29

1961:  Governor Ernest Vandiver of Georgia declared it "Brenda Lee Day".

1963:  The Shadows had their fifth #1 in the U.K. with "Foot Tapper".
1964:  The Hollies, the Dave Clark Five, the Kinks and the Mojos began a U.K. tour at the Coventry Theatre.
1966:  Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones, was injured during a concert in Marseilles, France after a fan threw a chair at the stage, with the left leg of the chair hitting the surprised Mick just below the left eye.  Jagger had to have eight stitches.
1966:  Fans mobbed the Walker Brothers after they entered their hotel in Cheshire, England.  Two group members suffered concussions.

1967:  The Rolling Stones appeared at the Stadthalle in Bremen, Germany along with opening acts the Easybeats and the Creation.  
1967:  The Beatles began work on a new song "With A Little Help From My Friends".  The track required 10 takes of the rhythm arrangement.







 
1968:  Glen Campbell was named as the guest host of the Smothers Brothers' Summer Replacement Variety Hour on CBS-TV.
1969:  John Lennon, Black Sabbath, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown and Curved Air were among those who appeared at the London Free Easter Festival at Victoria Park in Bethnal Green.
1969:  "Galveston" by Glen Campbell set the pace on the Adult chart.
1969:  "Hair" by the Cowsills rose from 70 to 35.
1969:  Tommy Roe remained balanced at the top with "Dizzy" for a third week at #1.  






                                      "Smiling Phases" from Blood, Sweat & Tears...

1969:  Blood, Sweat & Tears soared to the top of the U.S. Album chart with their phenomenal debut album.  Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell was second with the Cream finale, Goodbye, #3. Ball from Iron Butterfly dropped in next with The White Album from the Beatles in the fifth position.  The rest of the Top 10:  In-A-Gadda-a-Vida from Iron Butterfly, Donovan's Greatest Hits moved from 11 to 7, the Greatest Hits from the Association was #8, Tom Jones remained the same with Help Yourself and TCB from Diana Ross & the Supremes with the Temptations finished the list.
1970:  Ed Sullivan debuted a series of live broadcasts in which music stars sang for servicemen in VA hospitals during the Vietnam War.  Bobby Gentry and Gladys Knight & the Pips appeared on the first show, televised on CBS.
1970:  John Lennon and Yoko Ono announced that Yoko was pregnant with the couple's first child.  Ono was pregnant in 1968, but had a miscarriage.
1973:  After Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show wrote a song about not appearing on "The Cover of the Rolling Stone", they appeared on the cover of The Rolling Stone.

1975:  Jeff Beck released his first solo album Blow By Blow.  (Note:  some websites say the album was released on March 30, but according to Gibson Guitars, the correct date is March 29.)
1975:  Earth, Wind & Fire prevailed for a second week at #1 on the R&B chart with "Shining Star".













1975:  Labelle topped the U.S. Singles chart with "Lady Marmalade".  Minnie Riperton's "Lovin' You" moved up to challenge while "Philadelphia Freedom" by Elton John rose from 11 to 3.  B.T. Express owned the #4 song with "Express".  The rest of the Top 10:  Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful", Ringo Starr had the "No No Song" at #6, Phoebe Snow edged up with "Poetry Man", Frankie Valli dropped precipitously from 1 to 8 with "My Eyes Adored You", Sugarloaf moved up with "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You" and Olivia Newton scored her fourth straight Top 10 with "Have You Never Been Mellow".






 
1975:  Led Zeppelin placed all six albums on the U.S. Album chart simultaneously.  No other act has ever matched that feat.  Physical Graffiti was #1.
1976:  Neil Young started a European tour with three concerts at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.  
1978:  David Bowie premiered his Low/Heroes 77-date World Tour at San Diego Sports Arena.
1980: The Whispers quietly grabbed the #1 spot on the R&B chart for a fifth week with "And The Beat Goes On".








1980:  It had been nearly ten years since he had a hit, but Tommy James had the new #1 song on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Three Times In Love".










  
                                             "Ride Like the Wind" from newcomer Cross...

1980:  There were two new songs in the Top 10 and were they great...Blondie advanced from 11 to 5 with "Call Me" and Christopher Cross moved from 14-9 with his debut single "Ride Like The Wind".









   
                              "Sometimes a Fantasy" from Billy Joel's new album...

1980: The Wall by Pink Floyd spent an 11th week at #1 on the Album chart, holding off the fast-charging (9-2) Against the Wind by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band.  Mad Love by Linda Ronstadt captured the #3 spot while Damn the Torpedoes from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers earned position #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Bebe Le Strange from Heart, Billy Joel climbed from 11 to 6 in just the second week of release for Glass Houses, Chuck Mangione's Fun and Games was again #8, Phoenix from Dan Fogelberg was next and Michael Jackson remained #10 with Off the Wall.

 

"The Great Gig in the Sky", one of the tracks that have made 'Dark Side of Moon" an enduring classic...

1980:  Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd spent its 303rd week on the Album chart to finally topple Tapestry, the masterpiece by Stanley, Idaho's Carole King, which had held the record for nearly a decade.  The Floyd went on to obliterate the record, staying on the charts from 1973-1988, an unbelievable 741 weeks.  With several re-entries onto the chart, the count as of late last year was 889 weeks for Dark Side.
1982:  Vangelis took home an Oscar for Best Original Score from the classic movie Chariots of Fire.
1985:  Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins was found collapsed on his hotel room floor,  Bailey suffered from exhaustion.
1985:  Jeanine Deckers, known as the Singing Nun, who reached #1 with "Dominique" in 1963, died at the age of 52 after committing suicide.  Deckers told of her financial difficulties in a suicide note, yet on that very day and unbeknownst to her, the association that collects royalties for songwriters awarded her $300,000.  Two things:  1)  It is extremely sad that a woman who devoted her life to Christ did not have more faith and 2) it is also extremely sad that a person who should recognize that money is not important placed so much importance on it that she would kill herself.

1986:  Falco moved to #1 with "Rock Me Amadeus".  Heart's "These Dreams" edged down while "Secret Lovers" by Atlantic Starr was third.
1986:  Heart held on to #1 on the AC chart for a third week with "These Dreams".
1986:  Whitney Houston had the top album for the fourth straight week, as the album passed the 52-week mark of release.
1988:  Madonna appeared in the Lincoln Center in the Broadway play Speed the Plow.







1989:  Carly Simon won the Oscar at the Academy Awards at the Shrine Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles for Best Original Song for "Let The River Run" from Working Girl.











1993:  Peabo Bryson and Regina Bell won the Oscar for Best Original Song for "A Whole New World" from Aladdin.
2001:  Elton John, Paul Simon, David Crosby and others performed at a tribute to Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
2003:  James Brown donated 400 tickets for his Houston show to members of the military.
2004:  Jon Bon Jovi and his wife celebrated the birth of son Romeo Jon.
2004:  Prince began his Musicology tour at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.  He announced that it would be the last time he would play his hits live.






 
2005:  Neil Young required brain surgery at a New York City hospital after suffering an aneurysm.










 
2007:  Bono, lead singer of U2, accepted an honorary knighthood at a ceremony in Dublin, Ireland.  









 
2008:  Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body" was #1 for a second week, giving her 80 total weeks at #1 in her career.  Wikipedia tells you that she passed Elvis Presley but that is erroneous--with her 80th week at #1, Carey and Elvis are now tied for the Rock Era record.
2009:  Guitar Hero:  Metallica was released.
2011:  Ray Herr, guitarist, bassist and singer with the Ides of March ("Vehicle" from 1970) passed away at age 64 from esophageal cancer in Hainesville, Illinois.


Born This Day:
1940:  Ray Davis, original bass singer and a founding member of Parliament and Funkadelic, was born in Sumter, South Carolina; died of respiratory problems in New Brunswick, New Jersey on July 5, 2005.
 
1943:  Chad Allen, founding member, original lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the Guess Who, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 
1943:  Evangelos Papathanassiou (Vangelis--"Chariots Of Fire") was born in Agria, Greece.  (Note:  some websites claim Vangelis was born in Volus, Greece, but according to his official website, he was born in Agria, about 8 kilometers from Volus.)









 
1944:  Terry Jacks ("Seasons In The Sun" from 1974) was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
1945:  John "Speedy" Keen, songwriter, vocalist, drummer and keyboardist for Thunderclap Newman, was born in Ealing, London; died March 21, 2002 of heart failure.













 
1947:  Bobby Kimball, lead singer of Toto, was born in Orange, Texas.
1959:  Perry Farrell, frontman for Jane's Addiction, was born in Queens, New York. (Note:  some websites say he was born in New York City, but according to 'CMJ New Music Monthly', Farrell was born in Queens.
1967:  John Popper, lead singer and a virtuoso harmonica player for  Blues Traveler, was born in Cleveland, Ohio.

Prelude to The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*: "I Love You Always Forever" by Donna Lewis

We are zeroing in on The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, which begins May 21 on Inside The Rock Era.

Here's one of The Top #2 Songs of the Rock Era* from Donna Lewis...

Calendar Correction: The Who

Some websites report that the Who supported Donovan at the Wembley Town Hall on Pail 1, 1965.  The concert was at the Brent Town Hall in Wembley Park, which is located in the London borough of Brent.  The building was originally built as Wembley Town Hall, but it became Brent Town Hall when the boroughs of Wembley and Willesden were changed in 1965 to form Brent.  Brent Town Hall has been listed as a Grade II building since 1990.

Calendar* Correction: Beatles at The Top Ten Club

Some websites report that the Beatles played The Top Ten Club in Hamburg, Germany from March 26-July 2.  On March 26, the Beatles performed at the Casbah Club in Liverpool, and didn't arrive in Hamburg until the 27th, according to The Beatles Bible.  According to the source, their last show was July 1 before traveling back to England.  

Calendar* Correction: Elvis Presley Screen Test

Several websites claim that on April 1, 1956, Elvis Presley had a screen test at Paramount Studios in Hollywood for the movie The Rainmaker.  They're fooling you.    According to the books Elvis Presley:  194 Success Facts -Everything you Need to Know about Elvis Presley by Helen French and Elvis Presley:  The King of Rock 'n' Roll by Jean-Pierre Hornbach, as well as numerous other credible sources, Presley did his screen tests on March 26-28. 

Prelude to The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*: Elvis Presley, with "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"

We are giving the best songs outside of The Top 500* their due.  While they cannot be included in that elite group, we want to feature them nonetheless.  Plus, if you're following along, you should be able to accurate predict the songs in The Top 500*!

Billboard magazine had a case of amnesia a few years ago when they said that Mariah Carey had passed Elvis Presley in #1 songs and Madonna had passed the King in Top 10 songs.  Neither is true, and the source is none other than Billboard themselves.  These days, people don't know what "double-sided hits" are, because there aren't any.  But back when some of the best artists (the Beatles, Elvis, CCR, etc.) did it, Billboard counted a double sided hit as two hits--if the double-sided hit reached #1, both songs reached #1.  They later had a change of heart, but that doesn't rewrite history.  Each side of the 45 was a legitimate hit, and "Don't Be Cruel"/"Hound Dog" is the biggest double-sided hit of all-time--both songs were monster #1 songs.  Inside The Rock Era recently did a feature on double-sided hits.

Presley had 18 #1's, and he is thus tied with Carey in that department.

Did Elvis put his feelings in order with "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You", or did he add the last one to get the reaction he wanted from his woman?  Here is Elvis with one of those 18 #1's...

Prelude to The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*: Deep Purple with "Smoke On The Water"

We're getting ready to present our updated version of The Top 500 Songs*, and in this special Prelude*, we go back to 1973 for this classic which just missed the list...

This Date in Rock Music History: March 28

1942: Frank Sinatra appeared on the charts for the first time with "Night And Day".
1957: Elvis Presley appeared live at the Chicago International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois.

1958: Eddie Cochran recorded "Summertime Blues".
1958: Buddy Holly began the first night of a 43-date tour with two performances at Brooklyn's Paramount Theater. The show produced by Alan Freed also featured Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Danny & the Juniors, Frankie Lymon, the Diamonds, the Chantels, Larry Williams, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Billy Ford, Ed Townsend, Jo-Ann Campbell and the Pastels.
1959: Frankie Avalon had a great song at #1--"Venus".
1960:  Brenda Lee recorded "I'm Sorry".  (Note:  some websites report that Brenda recorded her big hit on March 28, 1959, but according to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the correct date is March 28, 1960.)
1960:  Percy Faith remained at #1 for a sixth week with the classic instrumental, "The Theme From 'A Summer Place'".  Bobby Rydell was second with "Wild One".








1961: Ahhh, the days when music was fun..."Blue Moon" by the Marcels was #1.
1964: Madame Tussauds in London unveiled the wax images of the Beatles, the first pop stars to be honored.










1964:  While the Beatles were changing music forever, Louis Armstrong held on to his style with "Hello, Dolly!" and paved the way on the Easy Listening chart.
1964:  Meet the Beatles!  was #1 on the Album chart for the seventh week and Introducing...The Beatles was #2.
1964:  The Beatles scored one of the highest debuts in the Rock Era to that point as "Can't Buy Me Love" came in at #27.









1964:  "She Loves You" from the Beatles was #1 for the second week, giving the band nine straight weeks at the top.  The group also were at #2 with their former #1 song of seven weeks--"I Want To Hold Your Hand".  The Beatles were also #3 with their new song "Twist And Shout" and #4 with "Please Please Me".  The Four Seasons fell with "Dawn (Go Away)" and the Beach Boys slipped with "Fun, Fun, Fun".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Suspicion" from Terry Stafford, Louis Armstrong climbed up with "Hello, Dolly!", Bobby Vinton moved into the Top 10 with My Heart Belongs To Only You" and the Dave Clark Five joined the invasion with "Glad All Over".  
1967: John Lennon recorded his lead vocal for "Good Morning, Good Morning" for the upcoming album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at Abbey Road studios in London and Paul McCartney added a lead guitar solo to the track.
1967: Van Morrison recorded "Brown Eyed Girl" at A&R Studios in New York City.
1969: Ringo Starr announced that the Beatles would make no more public appearances.







1970: Crosby, Stills and Nash released "Woodstock".
1970: Simon and Garfunkel had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Bridge Over Troubled Water".










               Do you know where the Bridge Over Troubled Water is?
       

1970:  Simon and Garfunkel owned the #1 Adult song for the fifth week with "Bridge Over Troubled Water".
1970:  Simon and Garfunkel were still on top after five weeks overall with "Bridge Over Troubled Water".  The Beatles made their move (6-2) with "Let It Be" while John Lennon edged up with "Instant Karma".  The Jaggerz had their one and only, "The Rapper" while Edison Lighthouse were up to #5 with "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)".  The rest of the Top 10:  The Jackson 5 were up from 14-6 with "ABC", the Hollies remained in the #7 spot with the timeless "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", Norman Greenbaum moved in with "Spirit In The Sky", Chairmen of the Board slipped to #9 with "Give Me Just A Little More Time" and Badfinger was a determined group with a 23-10 move for "Come And Get It".





                                        "Baby Driver" from Simon & Garfunkel...

1970:  Simon and Garfunkel remained in the #1 position on the Album chart with the landmark Bridge Over Troubled Water.  Hey Jude from the Beatles took second with Led Zeppelin II falling.  The Doors were fourth with Morrison Hotel/Hard Rock Cafe while Santana was up to #5 with their self-titled release.  The rest of an superb Top 10:  Chicago II, Abbey Road by the Beatles, CCR were at #8 with Willy and the Poorboys, Tom Jones Live in Las Vegas captured #9 and Hello, I'm Johnny Cash by Johnny Cash (It better be, or we have an impostor...) was tenth.
1973: Led Zeppelin released the album Houses of the Holy.








1973:  The Doobie Brothers released the single "Long Train Runnin'".
1974: Queen appeared at Aberystwyth University in Wales.
1974:  Arthur Crudup, who wrote Elvis Presley's first hit "That's All Right Mama", died of a heart attack in Nassawadox, VA at age 68.

1976: Genesis began their first North American tour with Phil Collins on lead vocals at the Century Theatre in Buffalo, New York.
1977: Pink Floyd began the first of four sold-out shows at New Bingley Hall at the Staffordshire County Showground in Stafford, England.
1981: Elton John's cover of the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" was released as a tribute to John Lennon following his death.
1981:  Yarbrough & Peoples lasted a fifth week at #1 on the R&B chart with "Don't Stop The Music".









1981:  John O'Banion had the week's top debuting song with "Love You Like I Never Loved Before", one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.
1981: Blondie had the world's first (and best) #1 rap song with "Rapture", which began a two-week run at the top.  "Woman" from John Lennon was second with Styx peaking at #3 with "The Best Of Times".  REO Speedwagon's first #1 song, "Keep On Loving You", fell to 4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Don McLean's remake of the Roy Orbison hit "Crying", Neil Diamond and "Hello Again", Dolly Parton with "9 To 5", Grover Washington, Jr. enlisted the help of Bill Withers and it paid off as "Just The Two Of Us" vaulted from 23 to 8, Hall & Oates had their 13th hit but just their fourth Top 10 with "Kiss On My List" and Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb remained at #10 with "What Kind Of Fool".





1981:  Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb combined for a third week at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with their great duet "What Kind Of Fool".
1981:  REO Speedwagon held on to #1 on the Album chart for a sixth week with Hi Infidelity.









1983:  Irene Cara released her remarkable single "Flashdance".
1987: Arizona, the home for bad laws, is the backdrop for this item--the Doobie Brothers shifted a concert scheduled for Phoenix to Las Vegas instead to protest Arizona Governor Evan Mecham's decision to rescind Martin Luther King Day. (I'm not making this stuff up.  Arizona really did that.)
1987: Mel and Kim at the #1 song in the UK with "Respectable".







         
                                                      Genesis scored their fifth Top 10 hit...

1987:  Club Nouveau took the Bill Withers classic "Lean On Me" to #1, holding off Starship's "Nothing's Gonna' Stop Us Now".  Janet Jackson slipped from her peak of #2 with "Let's Wait Awhile", and Genesis was up to #4 with "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Mandolin Rain" from Bruce Hornsby & the Range, Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram were at 6 with "Somewhere Out There", Expose were up to #7 with "Come Go With Me", Europe advanced into the Top 10 with "The Final Countdown", Crowded House were up from 14 to 9 with the great song "Don't Dream It's Over" and Aretha Franklin & George Michael moved from 17-10 with "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)".
1991: Conor Clapton, Eric's four-year-old son was buried in England with Phil Collins and George Harrison attending the funeral.  Conor died after falling out of an apartment window in New York City.
1992: Over $100,000 worth of damage was caused to the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in California when Ozzy Osbourne foolishly invited the first two rows of the audience on stage.
 
1992: Pearl Jam appeared at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago with Smashing Pumpkins as the opening act.
1992:  "Save The Best For Last" by Vanessa Williams was the new #1 on the R&B chart.
1992:  Vanessa Williams also rose to #1 on the AC chart with "Save The Best For Last".









1992:  Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was one of the hottest songs, rising from #81 to #49, 16 years after it first was a smash hit.
1992:  Garth Brooks lassoed the competition for an 18th week at #1 with Ropin' the Wind on the Album chart, tied for seventh all-time.
1995: Singer Jimmy McShane of Baltimora ("Tarzan Boy") died of AIDS in Derry, Northern Ireland.
1996: Phil Collins announced he was leaving Genesis for a solo career.
1998: KISS played the first of five sold-out shows at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.





   
                         "Us", one of the top tracks on 'Let's Talk About Love'...

1998:  The "Titanic" Soundtrack was #1 on the Album chart for the 10th week.  Ray of Light from Madonna remained second with Celine Dion taking #3 with Let's Talk About Love.
1999:  French artist Mr. Oizo had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Flat Beat".
2001: The artist formerly known as Puffy and Puff Daddy said on MTV that he wanted to be called P. Diddy. In August of 2005, he changed his mind again and said he wanted to be known as "Diddy".
2002: Gloria and Emilio Estefan obtained a permanent restraining order against Venezuelan actor-singer Juan Carlos Diaz.
2003: Avril Lavigne announced that she was covering Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" for a charity CD benefiting victims of the Iraq War.
2003: Officials in Manchester, England canceled an upcoming Bruce Springsteen concert after residents complained about noise levels.
2003:  Rusty Draper, who had 11 hits in the early Rock Era including a version of "The Shifting, Whispering Sands" in 1955, died of pneumonia in Bellevue, Washington at the age of 80.
2004: Usher held down #1 on the U.K. Album chart with Confessions.
 
2005: U2 officially kicked off their Vertigo Tour at the iPayOne Center in San Diego, California. U2 played 131 dates in North America, Europe, South America and Japan.









 
2005: Queen started their first tour without the late Freddie Mercury and bassist John Deacon at the Brixton Academy in London. Paul Rodgers took over lead vocals.
2005: Tony Christie was #1 on both the U.K. Singles and Album charts with "(Is This The Way To) Amarillo" and Definitive Collection.
2005: Rich Cronin, former vocalist with LFO ("Summer Girls") was diagnosed with leukemia.
2009: Kelly Clarkson began a two-week stay at #1 on the U.S. Album chart with All I Ever Wanted.
2013:  Hugh McCracken, famous on-demand session guitarist and harmonica player, and also an arranger and producer, died of leukemia in New York City at age 70.  McCracken played with Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel, Aretha Franklin, Kenny Loggins, James Taylor, Hall & Oates, John Lennon, the Four Seasons, Roberta Flack, B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, Steely Dan, the Monkees, Eric Carmen, Van Morrison, Gary Wright, Carl Perkins, Phoebe Snow, and Donald Fagen, just to name a few. 


Born This Day:
1945:  Chuck Portz, bass guitarist of the Turtles, was born in Santa Monica, California.
1948:  John Evan, keyboardist for Jethro Tull, was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England.
1948:   Milan Williams, who played keyboards, brass and guitar for the Commodores, was born in Okolona, Mississippi; died July 9, 2006 in Houston, Texas of cancer.  (Note:  one website reports that Williams died in Midland, Texas, but 'Billboard' states that the correct place of death is Houston.)
1948:  Bernadette Peters was born in Queens, New York.
1957:  Cindy Wilson, founding member, songwriter and vocalist with the B-52's ("Love Shack"), was born in Athens, Georgia.
1966:   Cheryl James (Salt of Salt-n-Pepa) was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1969:  James Atkin of EMF was born in Birmingham, England.
 

1986:  Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (Lady Gaga) was born in New York City.

Prelude to The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*: "Barbara Ann" from the Beach Boys

One of the great songs just outside The Top 500* is actually a song that used to be in the list.  In this brand new updated version, "Barbara Ann" just misses...

This Date in Rock Music History: March 27

1958: CBS announced the invention of stereophonic records.  The new discs could be played on existing record players, but when played on new stereo players, the listener could hear a much richer and fuller sound.








 

1961:  Every once in a while, OK, once in a "Blue Moon", a song comes around as good as this one--the Marcels jumped from 21 to 6 on this date.
964:  The Beatles owned the top six positions on the Australian Pop chart.
1965:  Jr. Walker & the All-Stars were at the top of the R&B chart for a third week with "Shotgun".
1965:  Roger Miller dominated the Adult chart for the seventh week with "King Of The Road".







1965:  Petula Clark shouted "I Know a Place" and she was in a hurry to get there, vaulting from #94 to #50.










1965:  The Supremes landed their fourth #1 song in the U.S. with "Stop!  In The Name of Love".
1966:  On a tour of the U.K., Roy Orbison fell off a motorcycle, fracturing his foot.  Orbison had to play the remaining dates while sitting on a stool.
1967:  The Young Rascals recorded "Groovin'".






1967:  A new British act first appeared on the radio.  The Who debuted with their first single 'I Can't Explain".











1967:  Jefferson Airplane released the single "Somebody To Love".  (Note:  some websites claim the single was released April 1, the date it first appeared on the Singles chart.  Repeat after me:  it is physically impossible for a song to be released to radio stations, listened to and added to radio station playlists, reported to trade papers, and printed and published by the trade papers, all in the same day.)









 
1967:  Fats Domino appeared in concert for the first time in the U.K. at London's Saville Theatre.  The Bee Gees and Gerry and the Pacemakers were the opening acts.
1967:  The Beatles were awarded the Ivor Novello award for "Michelle", the most performed song in the U.K. in 1966.
1968:  The Bee Gees began a 24-date tour of the U.K. at London's Royal Albert Hall.  Also on the tour were the Foundations.








1968:  The Beatles had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Lady Madonna", their 14th #1 song.
1971:  Bruce Springsteen & Friendly Enemies opened for the Allman Brothers Band in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Tickets were $4.
1971:  The youth of the world continued to mourn their dead as Pearl by Janis Joplin was #1 on the Album chart and The Cry of Love from Jimi Hendrix was third.








1971:  Marvin Gaye took over at #1 on the R&B chart with his classic "What's Going On".











1971:  Ocean had one of the hottest new songs as "Put Your Hand In The Hand" rose from 71 to 37.









                                       Harrison was proving he could write great songs too...

1971:  For the second week, "Me And Bobby McGee" by the late Janis Joplin was #1.  The Temptations were close behind in the rear view mirror with "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)".  Tom Jones fell from his peak of #2 with "She's A Lady" and the other version of "Proud Mary", by Ike &Tina Turner, was #4 this week.  George Harrison had the only new Top 10 song with "What Is Life".
1972:  Elvis Presley recorded "Burning Love".












1972:  The ultra-talented 5th Dimension released the single "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All".
1973: Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead was arrested after police found cocaine and LSD in his car after Garcia was pulled over for speeding in New Jersey.
1976: Paul McCartney and Wings had to postpone a tour of the U.S. for three weeks after guitarist Jimmy McCulloch fell in the hotel bathroom and broke a finger.
1976:  Ketchum, Idaho's Carole King took over at #1 on the Adult chart with "Only Love Is Real".
1976:  Johnnie Taylor remained at #1 for a third week on the R&B chart with "Disco Lady".







1976: The Four Seasons had their 44th career hit but the first #1 song for them in 11 years (since "Rag Doll") with "December, 1963 (Oh What A Night)".  Gary Wright was going to be a factor with "Dream Weaver" while the Captain & Tennille scored their third straight hit with "Lonely Night (Angel Face)".  Eric Carmen's former #2 smash "All By Myself" was next with "Disco Lady" by Johnnie Taylor making a move.  The rest of the Top 10:  Rufus with "Sweet Thing", Aerosmith's "Dream On" became a hit three years after its initial release, the Bellamy Brothers shot up from 17 to 8 with "Let Your Love Flow", Maxine Nightingale was up from 14-9 with "Right Back Where We Started From" and the Bay City Rollers edged in with "Money Honey".  






                                             "Power of Love" from Gary Wright...

1976:  Few groups had achieved enough success to release a compilation album after just five years, but on this date, The Eagles Greatest Hits 1971-1975, which had only been out four weeks, spent a third week at #1.  Frampton Comes Alive!  by Peter Frampton hung in at #2 with Ketchum, Idaho's Carole King third with Thoroughbred.  Paul Simon had just captured the Grammy for Album of the Year and rose to #4 with Still Crazy After All These Years.  The rest of the Top 10:  Desire from Bob Dylan, Station to Station by David Bowie, Bad Company edged up with Run with the Pack, Queen's breakthrough, A Night at the Opera, was #8, Gary Wright's impressive album The Dream Weaver, rose to #9 after 32 weeks while the self-titled Fleetwood Mac was #10.








1978:  Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta released the single "You're the One That I Want".  (Note:  some websites erroneously say that the single was released in May.  The song debuted on the Singles chart on April 1, 1978.  It is physically impossible for a song to be included on the Singles chart if it has not been released as a single.)
1979: Eric Clapton married Patti Harrison (ex-wife of George), the woman Clapton had infamously written about in "Layla", in Arizona.
1979: Bruce Springsteen's first video, "Rosalita" premiered on BBC-TV.
1981: AC/DC released the album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap in the United States. It had been a hit in their native Australia five years earlier.
1982: Ronnie Lane (Small Faces and Faces bass player) was admitted to a hospital for treatment of multiple sclerosis. Lane died 15 years later.





"Take Me to the Top", one of the top tracks on 'Get Lucky'...

1982:  The Go-Go's held on to #1 on the Album chart for the fourth week with Beauty and the Beat, just ahead of Freeze-Frame from the J. Geils Band.  Joan Jett & the Blackhearts were right behind with I Love Rock-n-Roll, the Soundtrack to "Chariots of Fire" was fourth and Escape was holding steady for Journey.  The rest of the Top 10: Ghost in the Machine from the Police, Olivia Newton-John moved up with Physical, Foreigner's excellent album 4, comedians Bob & Doug McKenzie still hadn't taken off with Great White North and Loverboy grabbed the final spot with their great album Get Lucky.
1982:  Bertie Higgins continued to own the #1 Adult Contemporary song with "Key Largo".





1982:  Joan Jett & the Blackhearts had reached #1 and they weren't letting go with "I Love Rock 'N Roll".  Journey remained #2 for a fifth week with "Open Arms" and the Go-Go's had their biggest career hit with "We Got The Beat".  Stevie Wonder was stuck on 4 with "That Girl", keeping Air Supply from moving up with "Sweet Dreams".  The rest of the Top 10:  Olivia Newton-John with "Make A Move On Me", the J.Geils Band slipped with their former #1--"Centerfold", Vangelis ran into the Top 10 with "Chariots Of Fire", Buckner & Garcia had their novelty hit "Pac-Man Fever" about one of the top video games ever produced and the J. Geils Band wasted no time with a follow-up as "Freeze-Frame shot up from 18 to 10. 
1984: Metallica made their U.K. live debut at the famous Marquee Club in London.
1986: Van Halen began their 112-date North American tour at the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport. It was the first VH tour with Sammy Hagar aboard.

1987: Borrowing a page from the Beatles, U2 performed from the roof of a store in downtown Los Angeles to shoot the video "Where The Streets Have No Name". Traffic came to a standstill and thousands of spectators stopped to watch. The police had to stop the video to bring normalcy.











1989:  Simply Red released their remake of the great song by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, "If You Don't Know Me By Now".
1991: Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block was arrested after setting fire to carpets at the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. 
1992:  "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley went over three million in sales.  (Note:  numerous websites erroneously report that the song was certified as having sold three million in 1958.  This simply isn't true--it didn't happen until 1992 and anyone can check out the RIAA Gold & Platinum Database to verify that the correct date was March 27, 1992.)
1993:  "Freak Me"by Silk was #1 for a third week on the R&B chart.







1993: Snow captured the #1 song in America for the third week with "Informer".  Other noteworthy songs in the Top 10:  "Don't Walk Away" from Jade, Duran Duran's excellent "Ordinary World", Whitney Houston rose from 9 to 6 with "I Have Nothing", passing her own song "I'm Every Woman", Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle combined for "A Whole New World", Arrested Development and their great song "Mr. Wendal" and Bon Jovi remained in the #10 position with "Bed Of Roses".









1995: Elton John and Tim Rice won the Oscar for Best Original Song with "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" from  the movie The Lion King.
1995: Tupac Shakur's Me Against the World went #1 on the Album charts. It marked the first time that youth in America had given someone a #1 album that was in jail for sexual assault.








1997: The ever-popular Will Smith had the #1 song in the U.S. with "Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It".
1998: Construction began on Alice Cooper's new Alice Cooper'stown Restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona.
2000: Singer-songwriter Ian Dury died of metastatic colorectal cancer at the age of 57.
2001: Christina Aguilera signed a sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola, a month after Britney Spears had signed a deal to promote Pepsi.
2002: Jennifer Lopez hit #1 with "Ain't it Funny".






 
2003: John Lennon's childhood home at 251 Menlove Avenue in Liverpool was opened to the public.
2003: The Rolling Stones had to postpone their Hong Kong concerts over fears of the spread of the killer Asian flu, a severe acute respiratory virus.
2006: Former Village People "policeman" Victor Willis was arrested in San Francisco, California by real police after he disappeared from a drug and gun trial. Willis was facing charges on possession of cocaine in July of 2005.
2006: Ne-You was #1 in the U.K. with "So Sick".
2007: Scott Weiland's (Velvet Revolver) wife was arrested on suspicion of burning over $10,000 of his belongings outside their home after police found a bin of smoldering clothes.
2008:  On today's edition of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, Remy Ma (name even sounds like a criminal) was convicted of assault in Manhattan Supreme Court after shooting another woman in New York City outside a nightclub in July, 2007.  
2013:  Gordon Stoker, singer with the Jordanaires, who backed Elvis Presley on such songs as "Don't Be Cruel" and "Are You Lonesome Tonight", and also worked with Connie Francis, Johnny Horton, Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, Julie Andrews and Tammy Wynette, died in Brentwood, Tennessee at the age of 88.
2014:  Keyboardist Christine McVie rejoined Fleetwood Mac after being away from the group for 16 years.  The Mac embarked on a North American tour.


Born This Day:
 
1927:  Mo Ostin, record executive who managed Reprise Records with Frank Sinatra, signed Jimi Hendrix to a contract and brought R.E.M. to Warner Brothers, was born in New York City.







 
1950: Tony Banks, keyboardist of Genesis, was born in East Hoathly, Sussex, England.  (Note:  'Allmusic.com claims Banks was born in East Heathly, England.  There is no such city; the name of the town is East Hoathly, and to be professional, you always want to add the name of the county.)


1953:  Walter Stocker, lead guitarist of the Babys, who also toured with Rod Stewart and Air Supply, was born in London.
1959:  Andrew Farriss, keyboardist of INXS, was born in Perth, Australia.  (Note:  some websites claim Farriss was born in Cottesloe, Australia, but according to the official website for INXS, Andrew was born in Perth.)
1962:  Jann Arden ("Insensitive" from 1994) Springbank, Alberta, Canada.  (Note:  some websites say Arden was born in Springbank. She was born in Calgary, then moved to Springbank, according to the book 'Famous Female Musicans' by Ruth Solski.)
1964:  Clark Datchler of Johnny Hates Jazz ("Shattered Dreams) was born in Sutton, Surrey, England.
1965:  Johnny April, bassist for Staind, was born in Enfield, Connecticut. 
 
1970:  Mariah Carey was born in Huntington, New York.
1970:  Brendan Hill, drummer and original member of Blues Traveler, was born in London.

1975:  Fergie, vocalist of the Black Eyed Peas, was born in Hacienda Heights, California.