This Date in Rock Music History: May 3

1964:  Gerry & the Pacemakers performed "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" for their television debut in the United States on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1965:  The Beatles filmed sequences for their upcoming movie Help!  on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England with the British Army’s Third Tank Division.


1967:  The Hollies recorded "Carrie Anne" in two takes.
1967:  Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys went to court on charges he evaded the draft.
1968:  The Beach Boys opened a tour with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.  Shows opened with an unintelligible lecture by Yogi, and were a disaster for the group.  The tour was cancelled after five dates, with 24 concerts cancelled. 
1969:  Jimi Hendrix was arrested at Toronto International Airport for possession of narcotics.  He would die a little more than a year later, having not learned his lesson.

 

1969:  The great Mercy song "Love (Can Make You Happy)" vaulted from #52 to #15 on this date.










1969:  Now for some good news.  It was week #4 at the top for "Aquarius"/"Let The Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension.  "It's Your Thing" climbed to #2 for the Isley Brothers while the Cowsills found themselves at 3 with "Hair".  The rest of the Top 10:  "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Blood, Sweat & Tears at #4, Jerry Butler's "Only The Strong Survive", Booker T & the MG's climbing to #6 with one of rock's all-time great instrumentals, "Time Is Tight", Tommy James & the Shondells moving to position #7 with "Sweet Cherry Wine", another great instrumental, "Hawai'i Five-O" entering the top 10 at #8 for the Ventures, Simon & Garfunkel's classic "The Boxer" moving from 16-9 and Glen Campbell sliding to #10 with "Galveston".








1971:  Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds released the single "Don't Pull Your Love".
1971:  Led Zeppelin performed "Four Sticks" live for the only time of their career at K.B. Hallen in Copenhagen.










1973:  Diana Ross released the single "Touch Me In The Morning".













1975:  The Carpenters had yet another #1 Adult Contemporary song (the 12th of their career) with "Only Yesterday".
1975:  Barry White scored a #1 R&B song with "What Am I Gonna' Do With You".
1975:  The great sound of Chicago propelled the group from #68 to 43 on this date with "Old Days".








       
       The Ozarks with their great summertime hit...


1975:  There were some great songs entering the Top 10 but first--the #1 song on this date--"He Don't Love You (Like I Love You) from Tony Orlando & Dawn.  B.J. Thomas found himself at #2 with "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song".  The rest of the Top 10:  Freddy Fender's "Before The Next Teardrop Falls", Elton John's former #1 "Philadelphia Freedom" at 4, Sammy Johns rose to #5 with "Chevy Van", the Ozark Mountain Daredevils rose from 14 to 6 with "Jackie Blue", Earth, Wind & Fire entered the Top 10 with "Shining Star", the Blackbyrds easy-going hit "Walking In Rhythm" was at #8, Leo Sayer had #9 with "Long Tall Glasses" and the Carpenters shot up from 21-10 with "Only Yesterday".
1976:  Paul McCartney performed in the United States for the first time in 10 years as the Wings Over America tour premiered at the Tarrant County Convention Hall in Fort Worth, Texas.
1976:  Paul Simon, Jimmy Cliff and Phoebe Snow teamed up for a benefit concert for the New York Public Library.
1978:  The movie FM opened in Los Angeles.






1980:  "Lost In Love" by Air Supply regained the #1 spot on the Adult Contemporary chart (It would spend six weeks there.)










                                  "Her Strut", one of the Top Tracks* on Seger's new album...


1980:  Against the Wind from Bob Seger was the new #1 album in the land.  Pink Floyd was bumped out with The Wall while Billy Joel had Glass Houses at #3.  The rest of the Top 10:  Mad Love from Linda Ronstadt at #4, the Brothers Johnson were at #5 with Light Up the Night, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall was at 6, the Soundtrack to "American Gigolo" landed at #7, Journey's Departure was #8, Van Halen had #9, Women and Children First, and the debut from Christopher Cross entered the Top10 on his birthday.
1980:  Blondie achieved a third week at #1 with "Call Me".  An amazing Top Five included "Ride Like The Wind" from Christopher Cross, Air Supply's "Lost In Love", Billy Preston & Syreeta's touching "With You I'm Born Again" and Pink Floyd with "Another Brick In The Wall".









1986:  Dollywood (Dolly Parton's theme park) opened its gates in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
1986:  Whitney Houston remained at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Greatest Love Of All".
1986:  Robert Palmer earned a #1 song with "Addicted To Love".  The Pet Shop Boys reached #2 with "West End Girls" while former #1 "Kiss" was third for Prince & the Revolution.  Van Halen had a #4 hit with "Why Can't This Be Love".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Harlem Shuffle" from the Rolling Stones", Janet Jackson sang "What Have You Done For Me Lately", Whitney Houston was up from 12 to 7 with "Greatest Love Of All", the Outfield moved to 8 with "Your Love", Phil Collins had another hit with "Take Me Home" and the Bangles were on their way down with "Manic Monday".  
1991:  Texas Governor Ann Richards proclaimed it ZZ Top day in Texas.
1991:  Andy Williams married Debbie Haas in New York City.
1994:  The Rolling Stones promoted their upcoming Voodoo Lounge tour by sailing a boat down the Hudson River in New York City.
1997:  Katrina and the Waves won the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland by performing "Love Shine A Light".
2000:  In today's episode of Inmates Run Rap Music, DMX was sentenced to 15 days in jail for drug possession, driving without a license and unpaid parking tickets.  
2004:  Former Smith's singer Morrissey began his solo career at the Apollo Theater in New York City.
2008:  Mariah Carey had the #1 album E=MC2.


Born This Day:

 1903:  Bing Crosby (real name Harry Lillis) was born in Tacoma, Washington; died October 14, 1977 of a heart attack in La Moraleja, Spain.








1919:  Pete Seeger, one of the greatest folk singers ever, member of the Weavers, mentor to countless folk musicians, and writer of songs such as "We Shall Overcome", "Where Have All The Flowers Gone", "Turn!  Turn!  Turn!" and "If I Had a Hammer", was born in Manhattan, New York; died in his sleep January 27, 2014 in Manhattan.
1924:  Jane Morgan ("Fascination" from 1957) was born in Newton, Massachusetts.

1933:  James Brown was born in Barnwell, South Carolina; died December 5, 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia from congestive heart failure brought on by complications of pneumonia.  (Note:  we have conflicting books--the book 'Icons of Rock:  An Encyclopedia of the Legends Who Changed Music Forever' by Scott Schinder and Andy Schwartz says Brown was born in Barnwell, South Carolina, while the book 'Rhythm and Blues, Rap, and Hip-Hop' by Frank Hoffmann says James was born in Macon, Georgia.  Gotta' go against the rap and hip-hop book, especially since the official James Brown website reports that he was born in Barnwell.  Boy, the poor rap and hip-hop culture can't get anything right...)  
 




1934:  Frankie Valli, (Francis Castelluccio), leader of the Four Seasons and a solo performer, was born in Newark, New Jersey. 
1938:  Napoleon XIV (real name Jerry Samuels), who had the novelty hit "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" was born in, where else, New York City.

1950:  Mary Hopkin ("Those Were The Days") was born in Pontardawe, Wales.











1951:  Christopher Geppert (Christopher Cross) was born in San Antonio, Texas.
1959:  David Ball of Soft Cell ("Tainted Love") was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England.
1971:  Josey Scott, lead vocalist of Saliva, was born in Memphis, Tennessee.
1981:  Farrah Franklin of Destiny's Child was born in Des Moines, Iowa.

Featured Unknown/Underrated Song*: "One Hundred Ways" by James Ingram with Quincy Jones

It's a mystery why this great song didn't reach the Top 10.  But we get to feature it in our Top Unknown/Underrated Songs*:

 

"One Hundred Ways"

James Ingram with Quincy James

 

 

Written by Kathy Wakefield, Ben Wright, and Tony Coleman

 

 

Compliment what she does
Send her roses just because
If it's violins she loves
Let them play
Dedicate her favourite song
And hold her closer all night long
Love her today
Find one hundred ways

Don't forget, there could be
An old lover in her memory
If you need her so much more
Why don't you say?
Maybe she has it in her mind
That she's just wasting her time
Ask her to stay
Find one hundred ways

Being cool won't help you keep a love warm
You'll just blow your only chance
Take the time to open up your heart
That's the secret of romance

Sacrifice if you care
Buy her some moonlight to wear
If it's one more star she wants
Go all the way
In your arms tonight, she'll reflect
That she owes you the sweetest of debts
If she wants to pay
Find one hundred ways

Love her today
Find one hundred ways

Prelude to The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*: Edwin Starr's "War"

We are featuring some of the great songs just outside the magical 500 in our Prelude*.  This song was in The Top 500* for a good portion of the time since 1970--Edwin Starr's classic...

Prelude to The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*: "If You Don't Know Me By Now" by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes

We are now just 19 days from the beginning of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.  Here's another of the great songs in our Prelude*--Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes...

Calendar* Clarification: Reginald Dwight Changes His Name

Some websites insist that Reginald Dwight changed his name to Elton John in 1972.  The naïve website owners just might be tipped off by the 1969 album Empty Sky, which just happens to be the debut solo release by Elton John.  Gold Mine magazine and the newspaper The Examiner are among the credible sources which confirm the correct year that Reggie became Elton John as 1968.

The most listened to songs of the Prelude* thus far...

We are well into our special Prelude to The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, playing well over 200 thus far.  It's interesting to note the songs that you have listened to the most so far, which are shown below.  We say that because your tastes are pretty much in line with where the songs rank in our trademarked music database that ranks The Top 5000 Songs*.  Many of the ones that are your favorites were among the final cuts for the special, and the order of the songs is pretty close to the order we have.  Imagine that.  The database must be pretty spot on.  And there are some even better songs in the last days of the Prelude*.

Here are the Prelude* songs that have the most page views so far:

1.    "Because I Love You" by Stevie B
2.    "Urgent" by Foreigner
3.    "Old Time Rock And Roll" by Bob Seger
4.    "Touch Me" by the Doors"
5.    "Baby, Baby" by Amy Grant
6.    "Barbara Ann" by the Beach Boys
7.    "Heaven" by Bryan Adams
8.    "Higher And Higher" by Rita Coolidge
9.    "Smoke On The Water" by Deep Purple
10.  "Young Girl" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap
11.  "Easy To Be Hard" by Three Dog Night
12.  "Drivin' My Life Away" by Eddie Rabbitt
13.  "Bad Girls" by Donna Summer
14.  "Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down
15.  "Angel" by Fleetwood Mac
16.  "Sympathy For The Devil" by the Rolling Stones
17.  "Mr. Bojangles" by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
18.  "Sherry" by the 4 Seasons
19.  "Cherish" by Kool and the Gang
20.  "Slip Slidin' Away" by Paul Simon
21.  "My Boyfriend's Back" by the Angels
22.  "He's So Fine" by the Chiffons
23.  "Hey Ya!" by OutKast
24.  "The End Of The Innocence" by Don Henley
25.  "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield
26.  "One Less Bell To Answer" by the 5th Dimension
27.  "One Fine Day" by the Chiffons
28.  "Cracklin' Rosie" by Neil Diamond
29.  "Rubberband Man" by the Spinners
30.  "Anything For You" by Gloria Estefan
31.  "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly
32.  "Start Me Up" by the Rolling Stones
33.  "Surfin' USA" by the Beach Boys
34.  "Vogue" by Madonna
35.  "Green River" by CCR
36.  "Double Vision" by Foreigner
37.  "Stuck In The Middle With You" by Stealer's Wheel
38.  "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" by Elton John
39.  "Working My Way Back To You" by the Spinners
40.  "Take A Letter Maria" by R.B. Greaves 

This Date in Rock Music History: May 2

1956:  For the first time in chart history, five songs were in both the popular and the R&B Top 10.  They were Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel", "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins, "Long Tall Sally" from Little Richard, "Magic Touch" by the Platters and "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.
1960 - Production began on Elvis Presley's G.I. Blues.  It was his first post-Army movie. 


                                                 King went his own way...


1960:  Ben E. King left the Drifters and signed with ATCO Records.
1960:  The Everly Brothers had the ninth-fastest rising song in rock history (74-15) with "Cathy's Clown".  
1961:  The Beatles played at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg, Germany.
1963:  The Beatles were #1 in the U.K. with the first of 11 consecutive #1's--"From Me To You".







1964:  The Beatles had already invaded America, setting the stage for a huge invasion of talented British acts.  On this date, we were introduced to another.  They first appeared on the chart with a version of the Buddy Holly hit "Not Fade Away".  And the career of the Rolling Stones was underway.
1964:  The debut album from the Rolling Stones spent the first of 12 weeks at the top in the U.K.








1964:  The Beatles' Second Album reached #1 in its second week, the first LP to achieve the feat.  The Beatles also had the #2 album with Meet the Beatles!, while the Soundtrack to "Hello, Dolly!" was #3, Introducing...the Beatles was #4 and Al Hirt's Honey in the Horn was in the #5 spot.
1964:  One smash hit after another in succession--the Beatles moved from 67 to 32 with "Love Me Do".









1964:  The Beatles held on to #1 for a fifth week with "Can't Buy Me Love".  Even more impressive, it was the 14th week in a row that the Beatles had owned the #1 song (from "I Want to Hold Your Hand" to "She Loves You" to "Can't Buy Me Love").
1965:  The Rolling Stones performed on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1966:  Frank Sinatra released the single "Strangers in the Night".  (Note:  some websites report the single was released May 6.  "Strangers In The Night" debuted on the charts on May 7.  It is physically impossible for a song to be released by a record company, listened to and added to radio station playlists, reported by the radio stations to the trade papers, and the trade papers printed and published, in two days.)








1966:  Simon & Garfunkel released the single "I Am a Rock".













1966:  Dusty Springfield released the single "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me".
1967:  The Beach Boys abandoned recording sessions for the proposed album Smile.  (Note:  One website says the sessions were abandoned on May 18.    According to the book 'Heroes and Villains:  Essays on Music, Movies, Comics, and Television' by Steven S. Gaines, the Beach Boys made the announcement on May 2 via a press release.) 

 

1967:  The Beach Boys appeared at the Adelphi Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.
1969:  Elvis Presley finished filming his last movie, Change of Habit.
1969:  The Beatles continued recording "Something", written by George Harrison for his wife Patti Boyd.  No vocals were recorded yet, but the group did 36 takes of the song, with John Lennon on piano and Billy Preston on organ.
1969:  Pink Floyd appeared at the Manchester Chamber of Commerce in England.
1969:  Popular session drummer Benny Benjamin died of a stroke brought on by alcoholism and drugs, at age 43.  Benjamin played for Stevie Wonder, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations and the Four Tops.

1969:  Norman Greenbaum had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Spirit In The Sky".
1970:  Tyrone Davis moved to #1 on the R&B chart with "Turn Back The Hands Of Time".










1970:  One of the hottest new songs was "My Baby Loves Lovin'" by White Plains, which shot up from 87 to 62 on this date.











                              The Guess Who were moving up with "American Woman"...


  1970:  "ABC" by the Jackson 5 remained at #1 while the Beatles held steady at #2 with "Let It Be".  Norman Greenbaum was #3 with "Spirit In The Sky".  The rest of the Top 10:  Guess Who's double-sided hit "American Woman"/"No Sugar Tonight" was #4, John Lennon's "Instant Karma" slid to #5, the Friends of Distinction moved up to 6 with "Love Or Let Me Be Lonely", Edison Lighthouse remained in the Top 10 with "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)", Badfinger dropped with "Come And Get It", the Ides of March rocketed from 19-9 with "Vehicle" and Tyrone Davis was at 10 with "Turn Back The Hands Of Time".








1970:  Make it nine weeks in a row at #1 for Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel.  The album had spent all but three weeks at #1.  Deja Vu, the great album by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, hung in there at #2 with the Beatles' Hey Jude at 3.  The rest of the Top 10:  Santana at #4, Chicago II at 5, Led Zeppelin II at #6, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5 was #7, Steppenwolf 'Live' was #8, Psychedelic Shack from the Temptations came in at #9 and American Woman by the Guess Who was #10.
1972:  Bruce Springsteen played a brief set for John Hammond of CBS Records in New York.  Hammond was so impressed that he arranged a full-fledged audition for Springsteen at the Gaslight Club in New York for other executives from CBS.  Obviously, Springsteen met with their approval as well.
1977:  Eric Clapton recorded "Wonderful Tonight".





1977:  Barry Manilow released the single "Looks Like We Made It".
1979:  The Who appeared in concert for the first time following the death of drummer Keith Moon at the Rainbow Theatre in London.  Kenney Jones was the group's new drummer.
1981:  Smokey Robinson owned the top R&B song for a fifth week with "Being with You".








1981:  Sheena Easton's debut song "Morning Train" reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart on this date.
1981:  Easton pulled off a double feat with the #1 song on the popular music chart as well.  Kim Carnes made an 18-7 move up with "Bette Davis Eyes".









1983:  The Kinks released their comeback single "Come Dancing".












                                           Spandau Ballet had a worldwide smash...


1983:  Spandau Ballet hit #1 in the U.K. with "True".
1987:  The Cutting Crew owned the new #1 song--"(I Just) Died in Your Arms".








1987:  "The Finer Things" by Steve Winwood remained at #1 for a second week on the Adult Contemporary chart.












1991:  Paula Abdul released the single "Rush, Rush".
1991:  On a budget of $61,000, Nirvana reserved 16 days at the Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California to begin recording the album Nevermind.
1992:  The Cure reached #1 in the U.K. with their album Wish.
1992:  Bonnie Raitt received an honorary Doctor of Music Degree from Berklee College of Music.







1994:  Lisa Loeb released the single "Stay (I Missed You)".
2000:  Bobbi Martin ("For The Love Of Him" from 1970) died of cancer at the age of 56 in Baltimore, Maryland.









1997:  The Wallflowers performed in the parking lot of the Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando, Florida to raise money for Kids for the World.  (Note:  several websites inaccurately report that the concert occurred on May 3.  It was on May 2, according to the newspaper 'The Orlando Sentinel'.)
2005:  The members of Cream got together to perform four concerts (May 2, 3, 5 & 6) at London's Royal Albert Hall 36 years after they had broken up.  
2006:  Donna D'Errico from Baywatch filed for divorce from Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx.  (Note:  some websites report that D'Errico filed the divorce on May 3.  It was May 2, according to 'CBS News'.) 








2007:  Organizers in Wroclaw, Poland were trying to get 1,876 guitarists to the city's square to set a Guinness World Record for the biggest guitar ensemble in history.  The guitarists would all play "Hey Joe" by Jimi Hendrix.
2008:  Chad Kroeger of Nickelback was banned from driving for one year following his conviction of drunk driving.  Kroger had almost twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system.
2008:  Ringo Starr:  Off the Record debuted on HBO.
2014:  Jessica Cleaves, singer with the Friends of Distinction, died in Los Angeles at the age of 65.

Born This Day:

1929:  Link Wray, groundbreaking guitarist who pioneered the distorted guitar sound and invented the power chord, was born in Dunn, North Carolina; died November 5, 2005 of heart failure in Copenhagen at the age of 76.
1933:  Bunk Gardner, who played woodwinds and tenor sax 
for Mothers of Invention, was born in Cleveland, Ohio.
1936: Engelbert Humperdinck (real name Arnold George Dorsey) was born in Madras (now Chennai), India.
1945: Randy Cain, founding member of the Delfonics ("La-La (Means I Love You)" from 1968), was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died April 9, 2009 in Maple Shade Township, New Jersey.





1945:  Goldy McJohn, keyboardist of Steppenwolf
1946:  Bob Henrit, drummer of Argent and the Kinks, was born in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England.












1946:  Lesley Gore was born in Brooklyn, New York; died of lung cancer in Manhattan February 16, 2015.  (Note:  some websites claim Gore was born in New York City, but she was born in Brooklyn, according to the newspaper 'The New York Times'.)











1950:  Lou Gramm, great lead singer of Foreigner and a solo performer, was born in Rochester, New York.
1951:  Jo Callis, keyboardist, lead guitarist and songwriter for the Human League, was born in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England.
1954:  Prescott Niles, bassist of the Knack, was born in New York City.
1956:  David Rhodes, guitarist for Peter Gabriel and later a producer, was born in London.
1961:  Dr. Robert (real name Bruce Robert Howard), singer/songwriter of the Blow Monkeys ("Digging Your Scene" from 1986), was born in Haddington, Scotland.
1985:  Lily Allen was born in Hammersmith, London.

Prelude to The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*: "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin

Though never released as a single, this great song has enough album sales to rank very high in the Rock Era.  It just misses the all-time Top 500*--"Kashmir"...

Ben E. King Passes Away

Ben E. King, former vocalist with the Drifters, who struck it Gold as a solo artist with "Stand By Me", "Spanish Harlem" and "Supernatural Thing", died yesterday of natural causes in Teaneck, New Jersey at the age of 76.




While with the Drifters, King sang lead on songs such as "Save The Last Dance For Me" and "There Goes My Baby".  
The Drifters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.






King embarked on a solo career in 1960, coming up with the classic "Stand By Me".  The song was inducted into the United States Library of Congress National Recording Registry.

Gary U.S. Bonds wrote the following on Facebook after learning of King's death:



"With an extremely heavy heart, I must say goodbye to one of the sweetest, gentlest and gifted souls that I have had the privilege of knowing and calling my friend for more than 50 years - Mr. Ben E. King."



Rest in peace, Ben E--we loved your music!






 

While you're waiting for The Top 500*...

Inside The Rock Era has four years worth of articles, music specials, facts, and information about the Rock Era.

Check out the dozens of Discographies* of the top artists of the Rock Era...

Listen to hundreds of Unknown/Underrated Songs* on 20 pages.  You are sure to find some new favorite songs!

Check out Hits List* for a chronicled list of all the hits of the top stars...

Another of our most popular features is the Five Best*, which features the five best songs from your favorite artists...

Captured Live in Concert* enables you to listen to and view great footage of artists performing their best songs, many of them are rare...

Blog Highlights* includes links to the most important news events and music specials in our four-year history...

You don't have to wait for The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* to view and listen to great music specials.  We have a list and links of all that we have featured in four years!  We know you'll spend a lot of time on the Charts and Lists* page...

And, if you want to know what song was #1 on your birthday, or just the news events on a specific day, utilize our Calendar*...

There's oodles of music information, news, and fun things daily on Inside The Rock Era!

Calendar* Correction: 2002 U.K. Favorite Song Poll

Some websites claim that on May 6, 2002, the Guinness World Records British Hit Singles book announced that "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen was voted as the favorite song of all-time in the U.K.

Guinness World Records did name "Bohemian Rhapsody" as the favorite song in the U.K., but the poll results were announced May 8, according to Reuters News Service and the newspaper The Guardian. 

Calendar* Correction: Berklee College of Music Degrees for James Taylor and Natalie Cole

Inside The Rock Era continues to clean up Internet Misinformation, and on May 6, 1995, we found more of it.

Several websites claim that James Taylor and Natalie Cole received honorary degrees from Berklee College of Music in Boston on May 6.  This is erroneous.  According to the official website for Berklee, the commencement ceremony was held on May 7, 1995, not May 6.

Prelude to The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*: "Touch Me In The Morning" from Diana Ross

On May 21, Inside The Rock Era is proud to present the new updated 2015 version of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.  First broadcast in 1979, The Top 500* has changed much then.  It has, in fact, gotten better because we have had 36 years of music since then, and the standard has risen extremely high.

Before that, though, enjoy the songs in our Prelude*, such as this #1 from Ms. Ross...

This Date in Rock Music History: May 1

1955:  Elvis Presley played three concerts at the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1955:  Leonard Chess signed Chuck Berry to a recording contract.

1957:  The Kingston Trio formed in Palo Alto, California.
1957:  Elvis Presley was on the cover of the first issue of 16 Magazine.
1961:  Tony Orlando had his first hit with "Halfway To Paradise".
1961:  "(Dance The) Mess Around" by Chubby Checker is on the list of biggest movers of all-time.  The song never peaked great , but on this date it was one of the hottest songs around, moving from 79-28.
1961:  Del Shannon continued to own the #1 song with "Runaway", one of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era*.
1962:  The Beatles began a month-long gig at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany.
1965:  One of rock's great instrumentals, "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" by Sounds Orchestral reached the summit on the Adult Contemporary chart.





                                      "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"...

1965:  The Soundtrack to "Mary Poppins" continued to set the pace on the Album chart for the fourth straight week.  Introducing Herman's Hermits was #2, the Soundtrack to "Goldfinger" came in third and the Beach Boys Today!  was #4.  The rest of the Top 10 Albums:  The Rolling Stones, Now!  was #5, the "Sound of Music" Soundtrack was #6, Ramblin Rose spent its 100th week on the chart for Nat "King" Cole at #7, The Return of Roger Miller fell to #8, the Soundtrack to "My Fair Lady" was #9 and Andy Williams had the #10 album with Dear Heart.
1965:  The Beatles rose from 56 to 19 with "Ticket To Ride".






1965:  Herman's Hermits had one of the fastest-rising songs to #1 in the Rock Era on this date.  "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter" debuted at #12 in its first week on April 16, rose to #2 the next week and on this date in 1965 was the new #1 song.  Only 11 songs in history that did not debut at #1 got to #1 quicker.
1967:  The F.B.I. arrested Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys for avoiding the draft.
1967:  Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.  
1969:  Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash taped a special for television at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
1969:  The Who debut their rock opera Tommy for members of the media at Ronnie's Jazz Club in London.  (Note:  several websites claim the debut was May 2, but the correct date is May 1, according to the official website of the Who.)
1971:  The Soundtrack to "Jesus Christ Superstar" overtook Pearl by the late Janis Joplin as the #1 album.  Up to Date from the Partridge Family was third while Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young moved from #14 to #4 with their live album 4 Way Street.  
1971:  The Jackson 5 rose to #1 on the R&B chart with "Never Can Say Goodbye".
1971:  "If" by Bread spent a second week at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.






1971:  "Joy To The World" by Three Dog Night remained at #1 for a third week while "Put Your Hand In The Hand" by Ocean would peak at #2.  The Jackson 5 slid up one with "Never Can Say Goodbye".  The rest of the Top 10:  "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye at #4, Neil Diamond's "I Am...I Said" was song #5, "If" from Bread moved up to 6, the Bells were at 7 with "Stay Awhile", Paul McCartney dropped to #8 with "Another Day", the Temptations came in next with their former #1 "Just My Imagination" and Daddy Dewdrop was a one-hit wonder with "Chick-A-Boom".
1972:  Paul Simon released his self-titled first album as a solo performer.
1972:  The O'Jay's were at #1 on the R&B chart with their great song "Livin' For the Weekend".
1973:  Bachman-Turner Overdrive released their self-titled debut album.









1973:  It was declared to be "Marvin Gaye Day" in Washington, D.C.
1973:  The Carpenters performed at a White House dinner for West German Chancellor Willy Brandt.











1975:  The Rolling Stones announced their North American tour by playing "Brown Sugar" on the back of a flatbed truck while driving down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.










1976:  The Captain & Tennille released their cover of the Miracles' hit "Shop Around".
1976:  Barry Manilow had the #1 Adult Contemporary song with "Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again".











1976:  The Bellamy Brothers had their first and only #1 with "Let Your Love Flow".  Maxine Nightingale had a solid #2 with "Right Back Where We Started From", the Sylvers were up to 3 with "Boogie Fever" and John Sebastian climbed up with "Welcome Back".  The rest of the Top 10:  The Commodores maintained at 5 with their great song "Sweet Love", Johnnie Taylor fell to #6 with "Disco Lady", Peter Frampton's first hit "Show Me The Way" was at #7, Elvin Bishop had #8 with "Fooled Around And Fell In Love", Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was #9 and Diana Ross soared from 29-10 with "Love Hangover".







           
                  "Say You Love Me", one of the top tracks from 'Fleetwood Mac'...

1976:  Led Zeppelin moved to a familiar spot on the Album chart with Presence, displacing Wings at the Speed of Sound at #1.  Eagles/Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 was third while Queen's A Night at the Opera spent a second week at #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Eargasm from Johnnie Taylor, Frampton Comes Alive!  from Peter Frampton, Marvin Gaye moved into the Top 10 with I Want You, the self-titled Fleetwood Mac was still going strong after 40 weeks, the Captain & Tennille's follow-up album Song of Joy and Robin Trower Live!  moved up to #10.
1980:  Fleetwood Mac performed at the Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle, Washington.
1979:  Elton John became the first rock musician to perform in Israel, beginning a tour there at the Philharmonic Hall in Jerusalem.
1982:  The "Chariots of Fire" Sountrack was the #1 album for a third week.  The Go-Go's climbed back up with Beauty and the Beat, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts were at 3 with I Love Rock-n-Roll, Rick Springfield remained in the #4 spot with Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet and the debut from Asia was #5.
1982:  "Chariots Of Fire" by Vangelis was on top for a fifth week in a row on the Adult Contemporary chart.


1982:  Asia vaulted from #55 to 20 with their debut single, "Heat Of The Moment".














1982:  Joan Jett & the Blackhearts remained at #1 for a seventh week with one of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era*, "I Love Rock & Roll".
1986:  Hugo Peretti, writer and producer of many great songs, died at age 69 in Englewood, New Jersey.  Peretti is responsible for "Can't Help Falling In Love" by Elvis Presley, "Twistin' The Night Away" by Sam Cooke, "Shout" by the Isley Brothers, "The Hustle" by Van McCoy, "You Make Me Feel Brand New" by the Stylistics and dozens of other hits.
1993:  Silk held on to #1 on the R&B chart for an eighth and final week with "Freak Me".










1993:  "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston from the movie The Bodyguard was #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1996:  Ben Folds Five made their U.K. debut at the 100 Club in London.
1995: Metallica began recording the album Load.  (Note:  some websites claim the group began recording on February 15, but the correct date is May 1, according to the band's official website.)
1997:  Rick Parfitt, guitarist with Status Quo, underwent a quadruple heart bypass operation.

1999:  An exhibition of Paul McCartney's paintings opened in Siegen, Germany.

2003:  The Dixie Chicks began their tour at the BI-Lo Center in Greenville, South Carolina with opening acts Joan Osbourne and Michelle Branch.
2003:  Soul great Barry White suffered a stroke after being hospitalized for kidney failure.  (Note:  some websites mistakenly say White had the stroke on May 2.  The news was reported May 2 in morning papers, but he suffered the stroke on May 1, as reported by 'Billboard' and other reputable sources.)
2004:  Usher spent a fifth week at #1 (out of 9) with the album Confessions.
2005:  Nine Inch Nails closed the show at the Coachella Festival at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California.  Others who performed were New Order and Mos Def.
2005:  Bruce Springsteen's album Devils and Dust debuted at #1 in the U.K.
2005:  Tony Christie remained at #1 for the seventh week in a row in the U.K. with "(Is This The Way To) Amarillo."

2005:  Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 debuted at #1 with his debut album Something To Be.  It was the first time a solo performer from a rock group had ever debuted at #1 with his first album.
2006:  Johnny Paris of Johnny & the Hurricanes ("Red River Rock") died of leukemia in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the age of 65.

Born This Day:
1929:  Sonny James was born in Hackleburg, Alabama.


1939:  Judy Collins was born in Seattle, Washington.
1939:  Willie Ackerman, drummer who played on "El Paso" by Marty Robbins and "Amos Moses" for Jerry Reed, and also worked with the Monkees, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Roger Miller, Patsy Cline and Louis Armstrong among others, was born in Nashville, Tennessee; died in his sleep on December 13, 2012 in Nashville.

1945:  Rita Coolidge was born in Lafayette, Tennessee.  (Note:  some websites claim Coolidge was born in Nashville, Tennessee, but according to the book 'Kristofferson:  The Wild American' by Stephen Miller, Rita was born in Lafayette.)1946:  Nick Fortuna, bassist of the Buckinghams, was born in Chicago, Illinois
1949:  Jim Clench, bassist for April Wine and later in Bachman Turner Overdrive; died November 3, 2010 in Montreal.









1953:  Glen Ballard, songwriter and lead singer of Argent, who wrote ("Man In The Mirror" for Michael Jackson, and "Ironic" and 'Hand In My Pocket" for Alanis Morissette, and "You're In Love" for Wilson Phillips, among others) and also was a producer (Jagged Little Pill for Morissette, and albums by Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, Dave Matthews Band, Josh Groban, Wilson Phillips, and Curtis Stigers, among others), was born in Natchez, Mississippi.  (Note:  some websites list his birth as March 1, but according to Ballard's official website and other credible sources, he was born on May 1.)

1954:  Ray Parker, Jr. of Raydio ("Jack And Jill" from 1978) and solo performer, was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1957:  Steve Farris, guitarist of Mr. Mister, was born in Fremont, Nebraska.
1959:  Phil Smith, saxophone player of Haircut One-Hundred ("Love Plus One" from 1982), was born in Redbridge, Essex, England.
1966:  Johnny Colt, bass guitarist of the Black Crowes, was born in Cherry Point, North Carolina.
1968:  D'Arcy Wretzky, original bass player of the Smashing Pumpkins, was born in South Haven, Michigan.