This Date in Rock Music History: June 26

1955:  Decca Records announced that Bill Haley & the Comets had sold three million records in 13 months.
1955:  Elvis Presley played the first of three concerts at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.  (Note:  several websites claim Presley played at Kessler Air Force Base.  There is no such base in Mississippi--the correct spelling is Keesler.)
1961:  Little did we realize it at the time, but a group that would enjoy tremendous success in the '70s and '80s was first introduced on this date.  The Spinners debuted on the chart with their first single, "That's What Girls Are Made For".

Captured Live in Concert: Adele with "Rolling In The Deep"

Adele sings one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* live at Royal Albert Hall in London:

This Date in Rock Music History: June 25

1961:  Elvis Presley recorded "(Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame)" in Nashville, Tennessee.





1962:  Bent Fabric released the 45 "Alley Cat".
1964:  Elvis Presley rose to #1 in the U.K. with "It's Over".











1966:  Neil Diamond performed "Solitary Man" during his American national television debut on American Bandstand on ABC-Tv.
1966:  It was a heck of a show at the Hollywood Bowl.  The Beach Boys, Byrds, Lovin' Spoonful and Percy Sledge performed.
1966:  The Temptations had the new #1 R&B song with "Ain't Too Proud To Beg".

This Date in Rock Music History: June 24

1957:  A keyboard-banging star first emerged on the charts. He would go on to score 18 hits in the early years of the Rock Era.  On this date, Jerry Lee Lewis debuted with his first single--"Whole Lotta' Shakin' Goin' On". 

1957:  It was a magical time on the R&B chart.  "Searchin'" by the Coasters, which would go on to become one of The Top R&B Songs of the Rock Era* with 12 weeks at #1, spent its third week at the top.
1959:  Ricky Nelson sang "I Got A Feeling" on his family's television program The Ozzie & Harriet Show.

Stairway To Victory

A jury in Los Angeles today ruled in favor of Led Zeppelin and songwriters Robert Plant and Robert Page, saying Led Zep did not steal its classic song "Stairway To Heaven" from another band.

The members of Led Zeppelin put out a statement saying they were "grateful" that the jury "ruled in our favor, putting to rest questions about the origins of 'Stairway to Heaven' and confirming what we have known for 45 years."

The song, which ranked #19 of the last 60 years in the book The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, has helped sell 23 million albums in the U.S. and over 37 million worldwide, and the plaintiffs wanted a share of that.

The estate of Randy Wolfe, deceased musician of Spirit, who used to tour with Led Zeppelin, had claimed that Led Zeppelin copied important note patters in the first two minutes of "Stairway To Heaven" from the '60s group Spirit and their song "Taurus".  "Taurus" was released four years before "Stairway To Heaven" appeared on the untitled Zeppelin album often called Led Zeppelin IV.   

The plaintiff failed to show that Plant and Page were familiar with "Taurus," and that the works were substantially similar.

This Date in Rock Music History: June 23

1958:  A new singer named Bobby Darin debuted on the charts with his first hit song--"Splish Splash", which eventually landed in the Top 10.

Which of the following was NOT a hit by the Eagles?

In this music quiz, choose from the following list the song that was not one of the Eagles' many hits:


James Dean
Take It To The Limit
Hotel California
Take It Easy
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Heartache Tonight
New York Minute
The Long Run
Tequila Sunrise
Witchy Woman

The answer after the break...

This Date in Rock Music History: June 22

1956:  Elvis Presley began three days of concerts at the Paramount in Atlanta, Georgia.
1958:  Vic Damone had the #1 song in the U.K. with "On The Street Where You Live".

1959:  "Kansas City" by Wilbert Harrison, one of the top R&B songs of the Rock Era, remained at #1 for a seventh week for that format.
1960:  Hank Ballard & the Moonlighters performed on American Bandstand.
1961:  The Beatles recorded "Ain't She Sweet", "Cry For A Shadow", "When The Saints Go Marching In", "Why", "Nobody's Child" and "My Bonnie".  (Note:  some websites falsely say the songs were recorded June 24.  According to the book 'The Beatles Encyclopedia:  Everything Fab Four' by Kenneth Womack and several other reputable sources, the Beatles recorded these songs in a session on June 22.)

Top Tracks, Part 14

Here is the final page of our current list of Top Tracks*:

Top Tracks, Part 13

We've now added 14 pages to our featuring highlighting great album songs.  Check out all these and those from the links below:

Top Tracks, Part 12

Here are some more standout tracks from our feature:

Top Track: "Gallows Pole" by Led Zeppelin

Inside The Rock Era features, from time to time, some of the great album tracks of all-time.  While not "hits", they are tracks that stand out on an album.  One such standout is this one from Led Zeppelin III:

This Date in Rock Music History: June 21

1948:  Columbia Records began mass production of the amazing new product--the 33 1/3 RPM long-playing record.  The format would dominate music sales well into the 1980s.
1955:  Elvis Presley appeared in concert at Beaumont, Texas.




1961:  Bobby Vee recorded "Take Good Care Of My Baby".
1966:  The Rolling Stones sued 14 New York City hotels that refused to let the band stay there, accusing them of "discrimination on account of national origin."  Did they ever think it might have been because of the people they were?
1966:  The Marquee Club in London was all abuzz about that new guitarist with the Yardbirds.  Jimmy Page appeared in concert for the first time with his new group.

Discography: Depeche Mode

This group based solely on synthesizers released 13 studio albums from 1981-2005.  Here is the complete Depeche Mode Discography* of albums that have charted in either the United States or the U.K.:

Studio Albums:
1981:  Speak & Spell (#192, #10 U.K.)
1982:  A Broken Frame (#177, #8 U.K.)
1983:  Construction Time Again (#6 U.K.)
1985:  Some Great Reward, (#54, #5 U.K.) Platinum
1986:  Black Celebration (#90, #4 U.K.), Gold
1987:  Music For The Masses (#35, #10 U.K.), Platinum
1990:  Violator (#7, #2 U.K.), Triple Platinum

1993:  Songs Of Faith And Devotion (#1, #1 U.K.), Platinum
1997:  Ultra (#5, #1 U.K.), Gold
2001:  Exciter (#8, #9 U.K.), Gold
2005:  Playing The Angel (#7, #6 U.K.)
2009:  Sounds Of The Universe (#3, #2 U.K.)
2013:  Delta Machine (#6, #2 U.K.)

Live Albums:
1989:  101 (#45, #5 U.K.), Gold
1993:  Songs Of Faith And Devotion/Live... (#193, #46)
2014:  Depeche Mode Live In Berlin (#64 U.K.)


Compilations:
1984:  People Are People (#71), Gold
1985:  Catching Up With Depeche Mode (#113), Platinum
1998:  The Singles 86-98 (#38, #5 U.K.), Platinum
1999:  The Singles 81-85 (#114, #6 U.K.)
2001:  The Singles 81-98 (#103 U.K.)
2004:  Remixes 81-04 (#24 U.K.)
2006:  The Best of Depeche Mode, Volume 1 (#148, #18 U.K.)
2011:  Remixes 2:  81-11 (#105, #24 U.K.)

This Date in Rock Music History: June 20

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