This Date in Rock Music History: June 19

1960:  The Kingston Trio debuted their radio show on CBS Radio.
1961:  Producer Bert Kaempfert signed a contract with the Beatles.  (Note:  several websites claim that Kaempfert signed a contract with the Beat Boys, who they later said became the Beatles, on July 20, 1961.  The Beatles were never known as the Beat Boys; in fact, by July of 1960, the group changed their name permanently to the Beatles.  John Lennon first formed a group called the Black Jacks, which became the Quarrymen, Johnny and the Moondogs, the Beatals, the Silver Beetles, the Silver Beats, and the Silver Beatles, before the group settled on the name the Beatles.

The contract was not signed on July 20.  As you can see from the above document, which became the first Beatles contract to be auctioned in 2011, the contract was signed June 19.)

Attrell Cordes of P.M. Dawn Has Died

Singer Attrell Cordes, who went by the stage name of Prince Be in the group P.M. Dawn died yesterday in New Jersey after suffering from diabetes and renal kidney disease.  

Attrell and Jarrett Cordes formed the group in the late 1980's and enjoyed the big hits "Set Adrift On memory Bliss" and "I'd Die Without You". 

Attrell was 46.

This Date in Rock Music History: June 18

1948:  Columbia Records displayed its new 33 1/3 long-playing record in New York City.  The new format allowed 23 minutes per side as opposed to 3 minutes for a 78 RPM record.

This Date in Rock Music History: June 17

1933:  A man by the name of Vernon Presley married a woman by the name of Gladys Smith in Ponotoc, Mississippi.  They would give berth to a son, Elvis, a year-and-a-half later.
1954:  Danny Cedrone, guitarist who can be heard on the famous song "Rock Around The Clock", died 10 days after recording the record after falling down a staircase.  (Note:  some websites insist Danny died on July 17, 1954.  The correct date of death is June 17, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and the book 'Legends of Rock Guitar:  The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists' by Pete Prown and Harvey P. Newquist.)

 

This Date in Rock Music History: June 16

1956:  The world was introduced to a guy on this date that would become a superstar.  Roy Orbison humbly debuted on the chart with "Ooby Dooby".
1958:  This famous R&B group originally known as the Roosters would go on to register 39 hits, but on this date, they first appeared on the charts with "For Your Precious Love", the first single for Jerry Butler & the Impressions.
1959:  Russ Conway had the top U.K. hit with "Roulette".
1961:  Gary "U.S." Bonds appeared on American Bandstand.
1962:  "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles was #1 on the R&B chart for the fourth week in a row.
1965:  Bob Dylan recorded "Like A Rolling Stone."   (Note:  some websites report that Dylan recorded the song on June 14 and others say it was on June 15.  According to 'Rolling Stone' magazine, Bob recorded it on June 16.)
1965:  Petula Clark and Gary Lewis & the Playboys appeared on the television show Shindig!

Featured Unknown/Underrated Song*: "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins

As much success as Phil Collins had, both as a solo performer and with Genesis, you would think this song would have done better.  It only reached #19, making this easily one of the best songs in this category:

In The Air Tonight

Phil Collins

Lyrics and Music by Phil Collins

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
And I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, Oh Lord
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord, oh Lord

Well, if you told me you were drowning
I would not lend a hand
I've seen your face before my friend
But I don't know if you know who I am
Well, I was there and I saw what you did
I saw it with my own two eyes
So you can wipe off that grin,
I know where you've been
It's all been a pack of lies

And I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
Well, I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord
I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
And I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord, oh Lord

Well I remember, I remember don't worry
How could I ever forget,
It's the first time, the last time we ever met
But I know the reason why you keep your silence up,
No you don't fool me
The hurt doesn't show
But the pain still grows
It's no stranger to you and me

And I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
Well, I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord
I can feel it in the air tonight, oh Lord, oh Lord
But I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord
I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
But I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord
I can feel it in the air tonight, oh Lord, oh Lord, oh Lord
But I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord, oh Lord

This Date in Rock Music History: June 15

1958 - The Platters sang "Twilight Time" on The Ed Sullivan Show. 
1958:  The all-music show Oh Boy was broadcast for the first time in the U.K.
1959:  Paul Anka's "Lonely Boy" was the only new entry into the Top 10, but it made a huge move--18-8 on this date.  

Henry McCullouch Has Died

Henry McCullough, guitarist with Paul McCartney & Wings from 1971-73, died this morning in Ballywindelland, Ballymoney, Northern Ireland.  McCulloch, who suffered a heart attack four years ago, never fully recovered, according to his agent, Nigel Martyn.  



McCullough is best known for his improvised solo on the #1 song "My Love" and also played on another #1 song, "Live And Let Die".  He also worked with the group Donovan, Joe Cocker (who he performed with at Woodstock), Marianne Faithfull, People, Spooky Tooth and Eric Burdon, among others, was 72. 

This Date in Rock Music History: June 14

1963:  The Beatles performed at the new Brighton Tower in England, with Gerry & the Pacemakers opening.
1964:  250,000 people in Australia were on hand to greet the Beatles in Melbourne.
1965:  Paul McCartney of the Beatles recorded the song "Yesterday" in two takes.  It was a significant departure from the Beatles' norm, as McCartney was the only group member on the song.

The Top 30 Songs of 2006 Checklist

Here are links to all three segments of The Top Songs of 2006*:


#30-21:
#20-11:
#10-1:

The Top 30 Songs of 2006*: #10-1

In 2006, the population of the United States went over 300 million while the Pittsburgh Steelers toppled the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 to win the Super Bowl.  In college football, Boise State capped its rise to elite status by defeating Oklahoma 43-42 in overtime to win the Fiesta Bowl in what many fans and experts called the greatest college football game ever played.

In music, these 10 songs led the way:

Chips Moman Has Died

Chips Moman, who helped revive the career of Elvis Presley and also produced for Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas and Willie Nelson, died in LaGrange, Georgia one day after his 79th birthday.  Moman had been suffering from a disease of the lungs.

Moman also wrote "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" for B.J. Thomas, which won him a Grammy Award.

Moman worked for Stax Records before founding the American Sound Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.

This Date in Rock Music History: June 13

1958 - Frank Zappa graduated from Antelope Valley High in Lancaster, CA. 
1960:  Little Brenda Lee took a giant leap up the charts, moving from 76 to 38 with "I'm Sorry".

The Top 30 Songs of 2006*: #20-11

In 2006, the NASA spacecraft Cassini-Huygens detected liquid geysers shooting from the Saturn moon Enceladus, indicating a possible presence of water.  The Winter Olympics were held in Turin, Italy.   Anja Pärson of Sweden won the gold medal in the women's slalom and took bronze in the downhill and combined.  Meanwhile, the social networking website Twitter was founded.  In sports, the Miami Heat turned back the Dallas Mavericks 4 games to 2 to win the National Basketball Association Championship while the St. Louis Cardinals ran over the Detroit Tigers 4 games to 1 to win the World Series.

In music, these songs were among the year's best: