Wednesday, August 3, 2011

This Day in Rock Music History: August 4

1957:  The Everly Brothers appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show to perform "Wake Up Little Susie" and "Bye Bye Love".
1958:  Billboard Magazine introduced the Hot 100, a chart that was meant to show the popularity and chart movement of single releases.



1958:  The initial chart had "Poor Little Fool" by Ricky Nelson at #1, followed by "Patricia" from Perez Prado and Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash".  Elvis Presley came in fourth with "Hard Headed Woman".  The rest of the very first Top 10:  "When" from the Kalin Twins, Duane Eddy's great instrumental "Rebel-Rouser", "Yakety Yak" by the Coasters, "My True Love" from Jack Scott at #8, "Willie And The Hand Jive" from Johnny Otis Show and "Fever", the great song from Peggy Lee.








                                                      Little Eva in all her glory...

1962:  Bobby Vinton made it four weeks in a row at #1 with "Roses Are Red", but Neil Sedaka was racing up from #8 to #2 to challenge with "Breaking Up is Hard To Do".  Brian Hyland's "Sealed With A Kiss" was song #3, followed by "The Wah Watusi" by Orlons.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Ahab, The Arab" by Ray Stevens, Speedy Gonzales" from Pat Boone, Ray Charles' former #1 "I Can't Stop Loving You" at #7, Little Eva moved from 14 to 8 with "The Loco-Motion" (written by Stanley, Idaho's Carole King), David Rose had #9--"The Stripper" and Richard Chamberlain reached #10 with the "Theme From "Dr. Kildare". 
1963:  The Beatles performed at the Queen's Theatre in Blackpool, England.  Rabid fans blocked every entrance, so the group had to go through a construction area, up and across scaffolding to the roof, where they could be lowered through a trap door.
1964:  The Troggs had the top U.K. song--"With A Girl Like You".







1964:  Another of the historic days in the Rock Era as the Animals released the single "The House Of The Rising Sun" on this date.
1965:  Bob Dylan's work on the album Highway 61 Revisited was done.  Dylan recorded "Desolation Row" and "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues".
1968:  It was the second day of the Newport Pop Festival in Costa Mesa, California.  Jefferson Airplane, the Animals, the Byrds, the Grateful Dead, Iron Butterfly, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Blue Cheer performed.
1970:  Jim Morrison was arrested for public drunkenness in Los Angeles.









1973:  Chicago VI remained at #1 on the Album chart, out-dueling The #9 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era*--The Dark Side of the Moon from Pink FloydNow & Then from the Carpenters was moving up to challenge while Living in the Material World by George Harrison was #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Diamond Girl from Seals & Crofts, Fantasy by Stanley, Idaho's Carole King, There Goes Rhymin' Simon by Paul Simon at 7, Machine Head, the great album from Deep Purple, Fresh at #9 by Sly & the Family Stone and Leon Live from Leon Russell.
1973:  "Delta Dawn" by Helen Reddy was the new #1 on the Easy Listening chart.








                                 They don't get much better than this one from Three Dog Night...

1973:  Maureen McGovern made one of the top jumps to #1 in the Rock Era when "The Morning After" went from 9-1.  Jim Croce fell after three weeks at #1 with "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown".  Wings shot up from 21-3 with "Live And Let Die", leapfrogging even Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water".  The rest of the Top 10:  The Carpenters fell after peaking at 2 with "Yesterday Once More", Seals & Crofts remained at 6 with "Diamond Girl", Diana Ross had another solo smash with "Touch Me In The Morning" reaching the Top 10, the Stories were pretty much the story of the nation with "Brother Louie" rising from #20 to #8, Billy Preston ("Will It Go 'Round In Circles") and Three Dog Night ("Shambala") were on their way down.
1975:  Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin and his family suffered injuries from a car accident on the Mediterranean island of Rhodes.  (Note:  some websites report the accident was August 5.  According to the official website for Led Zeppelin, Plant's accident was on August 4.)
1979:  20,000 people, including Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne and Michael McDonald, attended a benefit tribute to the late Lowell George of Little Feat at the Forum in Inglewood, California.
1979:  Led Zeppelin played before 120,000 at Knebworth Park in Knebworth, England.





1979:  Maxine Nightingale returned to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Lead Me On".












                                 "Gold" from John Stewart with Stevie Nicks...

1979:  "Bad Girls" by Donna Summer prevailed at #1 for a fourth week with Chic and "Good Times" in the runner-up position.  Anita Ward with "Ring My Bell" was #3, Barbra Streisand moved up strong with "The Main Event/Fight" at #4 and John Stewart had his first solo hit with "Gold".  The rest of the Top 10:  Newcomer the Knack was up from 18-6 with "My Sharona", actor David Naughton had "Makin' It" at #7, Dr. Hook registered their 14th hit and fifth Top 10 song--"When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman", Donna Summer's powerful "Hot Stuff" was at 9 and Cheap Trick fell with "I Want You To Want Me".















1980:  Boz Scaggs released the single "Look What You've Done For Me".
1980:  Pink Floyd began a six-night stint performing "The Wall" at Earls Court in London.  (Note:  some websites say the Floyd began a five-night gig, but according to the official website for Pink Floyd, the group performed six nights at Earls.)
1984:  Phil Collins married Jill Tavelman.











1984:  Purple Rain was the new #1 album from Prince, taking over from Born in the U.S.A by Bruce Springsteen.  Sports from Huey Lewis & the News made it an outstanding top three.  Victory by the Jacksons was up to #4, Can't Slow Down by Lionel Richie was still at #5 and Heartbeat City from the Cars rolled in at #6.  The rest of the Top 10:  Out of the Cellar from Ratt, Soundtracks to "Ghostbusters" (moving 19-8) and "Breakin'", and the Van Halen album 1984 at #10.
1984:  Lionel Richie posted his seventh #1 Adult Contemporary song and second from the album Can't Slow Down when "Stuck On You" reached the summit.






1986:  Anita Baker released the single "Sweet Love".
1990:  M.C. Hammer (Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em) spent an eighth week at #1 on the Album chart with Wilson Phillips close behind.  
1990:  Mariah Carey hit #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with her first release, "Vision Of ove".









1990:  Mariah Carey became one of a select few to reach #1 with their debut single, as "Vision Of Love" climbed to the top on this date.  Billy Idol waited his turn that would never come with "Cradle Of Love".
2000:  Craig David topped the U.K. charts with "7 Days".
2002:  Bruce Springsteen had the top album with The Rising.
2005:  Little Milton (Campbell--"We're Gonna' Make It") died of a stroke in Memphis, Tennessee at age 70.
2007:  Lee Hazlewood died of kidney cancer in Henderson, Nevada at age 78.  Hazlewood wrote "These Boots Were Made For Walkin'" for Nancy Sinatra and produced Duane Eddy and Graham Parsons.  (Note:  some websites report he died in Las Vegas, but according to 'Billboard', he died in Henderson.)
2009:  Martha Reeves lost in her re-election to the City Council of Detroit, Michigan.









2010:  Taylor Swift released the single "Mine".
2012:  Stuart Swanlund, a guitarist with the Marshall Tucker Band, died in Chicago, Illinois of natural causes at the age of 54.
2012:  Johnnie Bassett, guitarist and singer who worked with Tina Turner, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Dinah Washington, Little Willie John and others, died of liver cancer at age 76 in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.  (Note:  some websites report Bassett died in Detroit, Michigan.  According to the official website for Mack Records and the newspaper 'USA Today', Bassett died at Saint John Hospital in Grosse Pointe.)
2014:  The Eagles comeback album Hell Freezes Over was certified as having sold nine million copies in the U.S.




Born This Day:
1901:  Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1936:  Elsbeary Hobbs, bassist and one of the founding members of the Drifters, was born in New York City; died of throat and lung cancer from smoking on May 31, 1996 in New York City.










1940:  Larry Knechtel, bassist and keyboardist with Bread and an esteemed session musician with Simon & Garfunkel, the Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Duane Eddy, the Doors and the Mamas and the Papas, was born in Bell, California; died of an apparent heart attack on August 20, 2009 in Yakima, Washington.  
1940:  Timi Yuro ("Hurt" from 1961) was born in Chicago, Illinois; died of cancer March 30, 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Note:  some websites say she was born in 1941; according to 'Billboard' she was born in 1940.)
1943:  David Carr of the Fortunes was born in Leyton, Essex, England; died July 16, 2011 of a heart attack at the age of 67.  (Note:  some websites claim Carr was born in Leyton, London.  That is an impossibility, seeing as at the time of his birth (1943), London was not a county.  In 1943, Leyton was part of the county of Essex.)
1947:  Paul Layton of the New Seekers was born in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England.








1951:  Roy Flowers of Sweet Sensation ("Sad Sweet Dreamer" from 1975) was born in Kingston, Jamaica.
1952:  Marie Ni Bhraonain (real name Máire Ní Bhraonáin) of Clannad, the "First Lady of Celtic Music", was born in Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland.
1959:  Robbin Crosby, guitarist with Ratt, was born in La Jolla, California; died of drugs June 6, 2002 in Los Angelesat the age of 42.
1962:  Paul Reynolds, guitarist of A Flock of Seagulls, was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.

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