Thursday, June 7, 2012

This Date in Rock Music History: June 8

1961:  Elvis Presley's movie Wild in the Country premiered.  (Note:  some websites claim the movie was released June 15, but that is physically impossible, since a review in the newspaper 'The New York Times' appeared on June 10.  According to 'Turner Classic Movies', it opened on June 8.)
1963: "Another Saturday Night" from Sam Cooke occupied the #1 spot on the R&B chart.




                                       Cole could deliver a song like no one else...

1963:  Lesley Gore remained at #1 with "It's My Party" but Kyu Sakamoto was climbing fast (10-2) with "Sukiyaki".  The Crystals were at #3 with "Da Doo Ron Ron", Al Martino had "I Love You Because" and the Dovells were at 5 with "You Can't Sit Down".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Two Faces Have I" from Lou Christie was song #6, Jimmy Soul's "If You Wanna' Be Happy" tumbled to #7, Bill Anderson had #8 with "Still", Nat King Cole's great song "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer" moved from 16-9 and the Beach Boys were on their way down with "Surfin' U.S.A.".
1967:  Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones joined the Beatles in the studio on saxophone to record "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)".
1967:  Procol Harum had the #1 U.K. song with "A Whiter Shade Of Pale".
1968:  The 5th Dimension moved from 95 to 53 with "Stoned Soul Picnic".
1968:  "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing" from Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell was #1 on the R&B chart.
1968:  "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert took over at #1 on the Easy Listening chart.  It would not relinquish that position for 10 weeks.

                                              "Mony Mony" was movin' up...

1968:  "Mrs Robinson" from Simon & Garfunkel was #1 again on the Popular chart.  Archie Bell & the Drells slid up to 2 with "Tighten Up" while Herb Alpert's classic "This Guy's In Love With You" moved from 11-3.  Hugo Montenegro's former #1 "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" was at #4 and Tommy James & the Shondells made #5 with "Mony Mony".  The rest of the Top 10:  Ohio Express remained at 6 with "Yummy Yummy Yummy", Richard Harris had a hit with "MacArthur Park", the Rascals were going down with "A Beautiful Morning", Aretha Franklin her 20th hit and seventh Top 10 with "Think" and the former #1 "Honey", one of the Top Songs of the Rock Era* from Bobby Goldsboro, was now at 10.

                                         "America" helped Bookends become a classic...

1968:  The great album Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel was #1 for a third week with the former #1 Soundtrack to "The Graduate" remaining at #2.  







1970:  Bread released the single "Make It With You".
1970:  The van of Deep Purple was impounded by East German police after it "mistakenly got too close to the border".  Silly Deep Purple.
1974:  Rick Wakeman announced he was leaving the group Yes for a solo career.







1974:  The great song "Rock Your Baby" by George McCrae moved from 93 to 62.  It would finish the decade as the top-selling song of the '70s.
1974:  "Sundown" by Gordon Lightfoot was the new #1 on the Easy Listening chart.






                                "Raised on Robbery", from the great Joni Mitchell...

1974:  Band on the Run by Paul McCartney & Wings was the new #1 album, replacing the Soundtrack to "The Sting" by Marvin Hamlisch.  Cat Stevens held down #3 with Buddha and the Chocolate Box while Maria Muldaur was at #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  John Denver's Greatest Hits remained at 5, Gordon Lightfoot moved to #6 with Sundown, Chicago VII was at #7, Grand Funk slipped with Shinin' On, Joni Mitchell's great album Court and Spark entered the Top 10 and Elton John was at #10, 34 weeks since the release of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.




1974:  "Band on the Run", one of The Top Songs of the Rock Era* by Paul McCartney & Wings was the new #1 song.  "For the Love of Money" by the O'Jays was the only new song in the Top 10.
1979:  It was a Midnight Special worth staying up for.  Gloria Gaynor hosted Paul McCartney & Wings, Rod Stewart and Bad Company.
1982:  Simon and Garfunkel began their first reunion tour ar the Hippodrome D'auteuil in Paris, France.
1985:  The Style Council owned the top album in the U.K. with Our Favourite Shop.
1985:  "Rock Me Tonight" by Freddie Jackson was #1 on the R&B chart for a second week.

                                       Newcomers Katrina & the Waves with their positive song...

1985:  Tears for Fears" were on top with "Everybody Wants To Rule The World".  Katrina & the Waves entered the Top 10 with "Walking On Sunshine".  
1991:  Bruce Springsteen married Patti Scialfa in Los Angeles.
1991:  Spellbound, featuring "Rush Rush" and "Blowing Kisses In The Wind" from Paula Abdul was the #1 album.  






1991:  Extreme took over at #1 with "More Than Words".  "I Wanna' Sex You Up" from Color Me Badd was #2 but Paula Abdul was making her move with "Rush, Rush".  Mariah Carey fell to #4 with "I Don't Wanna' Cry" and Michael Bolton fell to 5 with "Love Is A Wonderful Thing".  The rest of the Top 10:  R.E.M. at 6 with "Losing My Religion", Hi-Five had the #7 song with "I Like The Way (The Kissing Game)", EMF's smash "Unbelievable" was up to #8, Whitney Houston had her 16th hit and 13th Top 10 with "Miracle" and Luther Vandross moved into the list with "Power Of Love/Love Power".
1991:  "I Don't Wanna' Cry" by Mariah Carey was #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, which by that time had taken over as the top music format.
1996:  Accomplished songwriter Carole Bayer Sager married Robert Davy.

1996:  Toni Braxton had an incredible debut at #7 with "You're Makin' Me High/Let It Flow".  The double-sided hit was one of the highest debuts of the Rock Era.
1996:  The Score by the Fugees was #1 on the Album chart for the third week.  Soundgarden debuted at #2 with Down on the Upside.  Jagged Little Pill from Alanis Morisette was still hanging around at #4 after 50 weeks.
1999:  Prince released The Hits Collection home video.
2003:  Dave Buckner, drummer of Papa Roach, announced his engagement to Mia Tyler, the daughter of Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler.  With people from those backgrounds, you might expect it not to last long and it didn't--just two years.






2003:  Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil was made a Member of the Order of Australia by Queen Elizabeth II.
2004:  T-Boz of TLC filed for divorce from husband, Mack 10, alleging the rapper was unfaithful and threatened to kill her.  What about rap music didn't T-Boz understand?
2010:  The Eagles began their summer tour at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.


Born This Day:
1940:  Nancy Sinatra was born in Jersey City, New Jersey.
1940:  Sherman Garnes of Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers and also an actor was born in New York City; died February 26, 1977 of a heart attack in New York City.
1941:  Clarence Haskins of Funkadelic was born in Elkins, West Virginia.
1942:  Chuck Negron, who once sang with Three Dog Night but doesn't any longer, was born in the Bronx, New York.  (Note:  several websites lazily say Negron was born in New York City, which means he could have been born in one of several boroughs.  Chuck was born in the Bronx, according to Fred Bronson in his book 'Billboard Book of Number One Hits'.)







1944:  Boz Scaggs was born in Canton, Ohio.










1951:  Bonnie Tyler was born in Skewen, Wales.  (Note:  some websites, including the notorious 'Allmusic.com', claim Bonnie was born in Swansea, Wales.  Skewen is near Swansea, but being born near Swansea is not the same as being born there.  According to the book 'The Billboard Book of Number One Hits' by Fred Bronson, Bonnie was born in Skewen.)
1953:  Jeff Rich, drummer of Status Quo and Climax Blues Band, was born in Hackney, London.  (Note:  some websites report Rich was born in London.  London is both a city and county, and listing a birthplace only as London implies the person was born in the city of London.  Rich was born in Hackney, which is a borough located in the county of London.)







1960:  Mick Hucknall, lead singer of Simply Red, was born in Manchester, England.
1962:  Nick Rhodes, keyboardist of Duran Duran was born in Moseley, Warwickshire, England.  (Note:  some websites claim Nick was born in Birmingham, and some say he was born in the county of West Midlands.  The county of West Midlands was not created until 1974, making it impossible for him to have been born in the county of West Midlands.  He was born in Mosely, according to his mother, Sylvia.)
1965:  Rob Pilatus of Milli Vanilli was born in New York City; died of drugs and alcohol April 2, 1998.  (Note:  some websites claim Rob was born in Frankfurt or Munich, Germany.  According to the newspaper 'The Independent', he was born in New York City and grew up with adoptive parents in Frankfurt.  Some websites claim Rob died on April 3.  According to the newspaper 'The Los Angeles Times', Pilatus died on April 2.)
1967:  Neil Mitchell, keyboard player for Wet Wet Wet, was born in Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, Scotland.
1970:  Nicci Gilbert of Brownstone was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1977:  Kanye West was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
1981:  Alex Band, singer, songwriter and musician of the Calling, was born in Los Angeles, California.

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