Saturday, September 29, 2012

Hits List: Cat Stevens

For over 40 years, Cat Stevens has written and sang songs he believed in.  Here is his complete Hits List:

1966:  "I Love My Dog" (#28 U.K., #47 Canada, #21 Netherlands)
1967:  "Matthew and Son" (#2 U.K., #84 Canada)
            "I'm Gonna' Get Me a Gun" (#6 U.K.)
            "A Bad Night" (#20 U.K., #30 Netherlands)
            "Kitty" (#47 U.K.)
1970:  "Lady D'Arbanville" (#8 U.K., #69 Canada, #2 Netherlands)
            "Father and Son" (#28 Netherlands)

1971:  "Wild World (#11, #21 Easy Listening, #14 Canada)--underrated.
            "Moonshadow" (#30, #10 EL, #22 U.K., #20 Canada)
            "Peace Train" (#7, #1 EL, #3 Canada)

1972:  "Morning Has Broken" (#6, #1 EL, #4 Canada, #9 U.K., #5 Netherlands, #4 Norway
            "Can't Keep It In" (#13 U.K., #5 Norway)
1973:  "Sitting" (#16, #17 EL, #14 Canada)
            "The Hurt" (#31, #38 EL, #25 Canada)

1974:  "Oh Very Young" (#10, #2 EL, #9 Canada)
            "Another Saturday Night" (#6, #12 EL, #9 U.K., #1 Canada, #27 Netherlands)
1975:  "Ready" (#26, #20 Canada)
            "Two Fine People" (#33, #39 EL, #34 Canada)
1976:  "Banapple Gas" (#41, #65 Canada, #7 Netherlands)
1977:  "(Remember the Days of the) Old School Yard" (#33, #28 EL, #44 U.K., #27 Canada)
            "Sweet Jamaica" (#98 Canada)
1978:  "Was Dog a Doughnut?" (#70, #53 R&B, #79 Canada)
1979:  "Bad Brakes" (#83)

(As Yusuf)
2004:  "Father and Son" (with Ronan Keating--#2 U.K., #84 Netherlands)
2006:  "Heaven"
2009:  "Thinking 'Bout You"
            "Roadsinger (To Warm You Through the Night)"

Friday, September 28, 2012

This Date in Rock Music History: September 29

1956:  The Oh, Susanna Show, a strange name for what actually was The Gale Storm Show, debuted on CBS-TV and would air for five seasons.
1956:  Bill Haley owned five of the top songs in the U.K.--"Rockin' Through The Rye", "Saints Rock n' Roll", "Rock Around The Clock", "Razzle Dazzle"and "See You Later, Alligator".
1956:  Elvis Presley's double-sided smash "Hound Dog"/"Don't Be Cruel" resumed the #1 position on the R&B chart.

1957:  Buddy Holly and the Crickets recorded "Maybe Baby".
1958:  "It's All in the Game" by Tommy Edwards was the new #1 song.
1960:  Ricky Valance rose to #1 on the U.K. chart with "Tell Laura I Love Her".










1962:  "He's a Rebel" by the Crystals moved from 66 to 44 on this date.
1962:  "Sherry" by the 4 Seasons continued to be the #1 song for the third week.
1963:  The Rolling Stones began their first tour of the U.K. at the New Victoria in London, opening for Bo Diddley, Little Richard and the Everly Brothers.
1966:  The Animals held auditions for a new guitarist at the Birdland Club in London.  Noel Redding jammed with a guitarist that Animals member Chas Chandler had discovered (Jimi Hendrix) before the two headed off to a pub.  Hendrix invited Redding to play bass for the Jimi Hendrix Experience.





1967:  Drummer Mickey Hart joined the Grateful Dead on stage at the Straight Theater for the second set of their show and immediately became a permanent member.
1967:  The Rolling Stones parted ways with manager Andrew Loog Oldham.
1969:  The Doors were in concert at the Lincoln Center's 7th Film Festival in New York City.
1971:  Sweet, Dave Edmunds and Rockpile appeared in concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, while Gilbert O'Sullivan made his live debut that night.
1972:  Cat Stevens opened his 11-date American tour at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
1973:  Stevie Wonder posted his eighth #1 on the R&B chart--"Higher Ground".




                                          "Jessica" from the Allman Brothers...

1973:  Brothers and Sisters by the Allman Brothers held the #1 spot on the Album chart for the fourth week.  We're an American Band by Grand Funk would settle for #2 with Killing Me Softly from Roberta Flack third.  Los Cochinos from the hilarious Cheech & Chong was #4 and the great album Innervisions from Stevie Wonder was #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Let's Get It On from Marvin Gaye moved from 11-6, Deliver the Word from War, Long Hard Climb by Helen Reddy was stuck on 8, Chicago VI by Chicago and the epic Pink Floyd album The Dark Side of the Moon was in the final spot of the Top 10.








1973:  Grand Funk celebrated their first #1 song--"Were An American Band".  Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" was #2 with Cher looming next with "Half Breed".  Paul Simon remained at #4 with "Loves Me Like A Rock" and Helen Reddy dropped to position #5 with "Delta Dawn".  The rest of the Top 10:  Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground", Tony Orlando & Dawn slipped with "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose", the Isley Brothers were up to #8 with "That Lady", B.W. Stevenson made the Top 10 with "My Maria" and the Allman Brothers scored the only Top 10 of their career with "Ramblin' Man".







1974:  John Lennon was a guest DJ on WNEW-FM in New York.
1975:  Jackie Wilson collapsed while singing "Lonely Teardrops" at the Latino Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.  The heart attack Wilson suffered that day caused brain damage at the age of 41 and he died nine years later after spending the rest of his life in hospitals.  (Note:  several websites incorrectly state that Wilson collapsed in Cherry Hill on September 25.  The correct date is September 29, according to the newspaper 'The Chicago Tribune'.)
1976:  Jerry Lee Lewis was charged with shooting a firearm within city limits.  He was aiming to shoot a soda bottle at his birthday party but instead hit his bass guitarist, Norman Owens, twice in the chest.







1977:  Billy Joel released the album The Stranger.
1977:  The band for James Brown walked out on him in Hallandale, Florida, complaining of being underpaid and overworked.  Welcome to the club.
1979:  The Police had the top song in the U.K. with "Message In A Bottle".








 1979:  Lobo reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Where Were You When I Was Falling In Love".

1979:  Michael Jackson ruled the R&B chart for the fourth consecutive week with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".








1979:  On this date, 16-year-old France Joli had one of the fastest-rising songs (63-40) with "Come To Me".  As it turned out, she would forever have one of The Most Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.
1979:  Foreigner had arrived.  Their great third album Head Games debuted at #19 on the Album chart.










                                 LRB with one of their best albums...


1979:  In Through the Out Door had been out just four weeks but three of those were at #1 for their final classic album.  The Knack was still at #2 with the impressive Get the Knack and Bob Dylan remained at 3 with Slow Train Coming.  Supertramp's great Breakfast In America was #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Risque by Chic, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall, a little Midnight Magic from the Commodores at #7, Earth, Wind & Fire held on to #8 with I Am, Candy-O from the Cars, and the Little River Band scored a Top 10 album with First Under the Wire.






1979:  The Knack made it six weeks at #1 with "My Sharona".










1980:  Kenny Rogers released the single "Lady".
1980:  Elvis Costello and the Stray Cats performed at the Rainbow Theatre in London.
1983:  Andy Gibb appeared on the series Gimme' a Break on ABC-TV.










1984:  Billy Ocean made it four straight weeks at #1 on the R&B chart with "Caribbean Queen".










1984:  Prince owned the #1 single ("Let's Go Crazy") album (Purple Rain) and movie (Purple Rain) simultaneously, joining the Beatles as the only act to ever achieve the feat.  Prince knocked John Waite from the top after a short stay with "Missing You".  The Cars were up to 3 with "Drive" but Cyndi Lauper dropped with "She Bop".  Stevie Wonder's latest--"I Just Called To Say I Love You" was up to #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Tina Turner's smash "What's Love Got To Do With It", Scandal with "The Warrior", Sheila E. moved up with "The Glalmorous Life", Bananarama edged up to #9 with "Cruel Summer" and Bruce Springsteen's latest from Born in the U.S.A. was "Cover Me".









1986:  Madonna released the single "True Blue".
1990:  The album Listen Without Prejudice by George Michael debuted at #22.
1990:  Prince topped the R&B chart for the seventh time in his career with "Thieves In The Temple".










           George Michael from his masterpiece 'Listen Without Prejudice'...

1990:  Nelson topped the chart with "(Can't Live Without Your) Love And Affection".  Maxi Priest closed to #2 with "Close To You" and the former #1 "Release Me" from Wilson Phillips was third.  Jon Bon Jovi dropped to #4 with "Blaze Of Glory", George Michael was up strong with "Praying For Time" and Phil Collins was on the move with "Something Happened On the Way To Heaven".
1992:  Singer/songwriter Paul Jabara died from lymphoma related to the AIDS virus in Los Angeles at age 44.  Jabara wrote "Last Dance" for Donna Summer and "The Main Event/Fight" for Barbra Streisand.




1994:  The Pointer Sisters received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.










1996:  Alanis Morissette wrapped up her first tour at The Summit in Houston, Texas.
1997:  Bobby Sheehan of Blues Traveler was arrested for possession of cocaine in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.







1997:  United States President Bill Clinton awarded Don Henley with a National Medal of the Humanites for his work on the Walden Woods Project.  In 1990, Henley founded Walden Woods organization, dedicated to protecting the historic woods in Massachusetts where author and philosopher Henry David Thoreau first championed the concept of land conservation.  Walden Woods has protected vast tracts from commercial development, has created the environmental educational initiative for students (www.worldwidewaldens.org), and maintains the most important library of Thoreau-related material in the world.
1998:  The family of Frank Sinatra filed suit against Ross Stores, Inc. for copyright infringement, saying The Sinatra Collection of 75 songs was not authorized.



2002:  Kelly Clarkson rode a wave to #1 with "A Moment Like This".
2004:  The five-piece drum set for Keith Moon of the Who sold for £120,000 pounds ($215,772) in London setting a auction record for a set of drums.
2004:  A tribute concert in Beverly Hills, California to honor Ray Charles raised $15 million for Morehouse College Center for the Arts in Atlanta, Georgia.  Bill Cosby hosted the event with performances by Stevie Wonder, Michael McDonald, James Ingram and Patti Austin.  Charles had died on June 10.  (Note:  some websites falsely say the event occurred on September 28.  The correct date is September 29, according to 'MTV' and the official website for Morehouse College.)
2004:  Bono of U2 addressed the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, England about AIDS and world poverty.
2005:  "Gold Digger" by Kanye West was the #1 song for the fourth week in a row.
2006:  Weezer sued Miller Brewing Company, which used the band's image in print ads without permission.

2011:  Sylvia Robinson of the duo Mickey & Sylvia and founder and CEO of Sugar Hill Records died at the age of 75 from congestive heart failure in Secaucus, New Jersey.


Born This Day:

1907:  Gene Autry, a huge Country star who also crossed over with the Christmas songs "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer", was born in Tioga, Texas; died October 2, 1998 of lymphoma in Studio City, California.  Autry was also the original owner of the Anaheim Angels baseball team, and is the only person in history to earn stars in all five categories on the Hollywood Walk of Fame--film, television, music, radio, and live performance.
1930:  Billy Strange, who co-wrote "Limbo Rock" for Chuck Berry and "A Little Less Conversation" for Elvis Presley, and worked with the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, the Everly Brothers, Nat King Cole and Jan & Dean, was born in Long Beach, California; died February 22, 2012 in Franklin, Tennessee.  (Note:  some websites claim Strange died in Nashville, Tennessee.  He died in Franklin, according to the newspaper 'The New York Times'.)

1935:  Jerry Lee Lewis was born in Ferriday, Louisiana.
1939:  Tommy Boyce, half of the duo Boyce & Hart, who had the hit "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight", and also wrote "I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" and "Last Train To Clarksville" for the Monkees, was born in Charlottesville, Virginia; in later years he suffered from depression, experienced a brain aneurysm and committed suicide on November 23, 1994.
1943:  Manuel Fernandez of Los Bravos; committed suicide May 20, 1967.  
1944:  Mike Post, engineer, songwriter, and producer, who wrote themes to the television shows Hill Street BluesMagnum, P.I., L.A. Law, The Rockford Files, and The Phil Donahue Show, was born in Berkeley, California.  (Note:  some websites report Post was born in 1945.  'Allmusic' claims Post was born in San Fernando, California while several websites say he was born in Berkeley, California.  San Fernando of course is not a city so that's out and will never be shown on Post's birth certificate as his official City of Birth.  According to 'Billboard', Mike was born in Los Angeles in 1944.)
1944:  Tommy Boyce of Boyce and Hart ("I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" from 1968) was born in Charlottesville, Virginia; committed suicide November 23, 1994 in Nashville, Tennessee.




1948:  Mark Farner, guitarist of Grand Funk, was born in Flint, Michigan.
1948:  Mike Pinera, guitarist of Iron Butterfly, Alice Cooper and Blues Image ("Ride Captain Ride") was born in Tampa, Florida.
1965:  Ian Baker, keyboardist of Jesus Jones ("Right Here, Right Now"), was born in Carshalton, London, England.  (Note:  some websites naively say Baker was born in Carshalton, Surrey, England.  Carshalton moved into the county of London on April 1, 1965, more than five months before Ian was born.  Thus, it is physically impossible for him to have been born in the county of Surrey.)
1968:  Brad Smith of Blind Melon ("No Rain") was born in West Point, Mississippi.
1969:  Donald DeGrate, vocalist of Jodeci ("Freak 'N' You" from 1995), was born in Hampton, Virginia.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

This Date in Rock Music History: September 28

1953:  Johnny Horton ("The Battle Of New Orleans") married the widow of Hank Williams, Billie Jean.
1962:  The Beatles performed at lunch at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England and then gave a show aboard the MV Royal Iris (commonly known as the Fish and Chip Boat) on the River Mersey.  Ray McFall, owner of the Cavern Club, organized the Riverboat Shuffles, with cruises beginning and ending at the Pier Head in Liverpool.
1963:  Disc jockey Murray the K in New York City played "She Loves You" by the Beatles on WINS-AM, believed to be the first time that a Beatles song was played in the United States.
1963:  Bobby Vinton continued to set the pace with four weeks at #1 on the Easy Listening chart for "Blue Velvet".
1963:  "Heat Wave" led the way on the R&B chart for Martha & the Vandellas.
1963:  Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs moved from 65 to 19 with "Sugar Shack".
1963:  "Blue Velvet" by Bobby Vinton was the #1 song again.  The Jaynetts owned #2--"Sally, Go 'Round The Roses", the Ronettes were up from 12 to 3 with "Be My Baby", Martha & the Vandellas came in #4 with "Heat Wave" and the Angels' former #1 "My Boyfriend's Back was #5.
1964:  Connie Stevens' television series Wendy and Me (with George Burns) debuted.
1965:  Sonny & Cher performed at a private party for Jacqueline Kennedy at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.
1968:  Albert Grossman, manager of Janis Joplin, announced that Joplin would be leaving the group Big Brother and the Holding Company.
1968:  Dewey Phillips, a pioneer among rock & roll disc jockeys, and the first DJ to play Elvis Presley's debut single "That's All Right", died of heart failure from drugs at the age of 42.

1968:  Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 owned the Easy Listening chart with "The Fool On The Hill", four weeks at #1.
1968:  Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell's duet "You're All I Need To Get By" was #1 on the R&B chart for a fifth week.
1968:  Time Peace/The Rascals' Greatest Hits was the #1 album, taking over from Waiting for the Sun by the Doors.  Feliciano!  from Jose Feliciano came in third but Big Brother & the Holding Company moved from 13 to 4 with Cheap Thrills.  The rest of the Top 10:  Realization from Johnny Rivers, Wheels of Fire by Cream was #6, the Jimi Hendrix Experience remained at 7 with Are You Experienced?, Glen Campbell moved from 15-8 with Gentle on My Mind, the self-titled Steppenwolf and the Soundtrack to "The Graduate" was #10.




1968:  The Turtles moved from 97 to 54 with "Elenore".










1968:  "Hey Jude" became the Beatles' 16th #1 song.  Jeannie C. Riley fell with "Harper Valley P.T.A." and the Rascals' former #1 "People Got To Be Free" came in third.  Deep Purple's "Hush" was followed by "Fire" from The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.  The rest of the Top 10:  Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 with their version of "The Fool On The Hill", 1910 Fruitgum Company had "1,2,3 Red Light", the Bee Gees climbed to 8 with "I've Gotta' Get A Message To You", the O'Kaysions moved from 16 to 9 with "Girl Watcher" while Clarence Carter moved into the Top 10 with "Slip Away".







1972:  The Temptations released the single "Papa Was A Rolling Stone".
1972:  David Bowie sold out Carnegie Hall (2,804 capacity) in New York City.
1972:  Rory Storm of the Hurricanes (Ringo Starr's former band) was found dead after taking sleeping pills the night before to battle a chest infection.  (Note:  some websites incorrectly say Rory died on September 27.  He had trouble sleeping the night of September 27, but he was not found nor pronounced dead until the morning of September 28.  Some websites also claim Storm committed suicide but there simply is no evidence of that.)
1973:  The Doobie Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire highlighted the debut of Don Kirshner's Rock Concert on ABC-TV.  The Rolling Stones taped a show from London.







                              Stevie ridicules U.S. Republican Richard Nixon...

1974:  Stevie Wonder took over on the R&B chart with "You Haven't Done Nothin'".

1974:  "I Honestly Love You" by Olivia Newton-John was the #1 song on the Easy Listening chart for the third consecutive week.
1974:  Carl Carlton moved from 87 to 63 with "Everlasting Love".






1974:  Andy Kim had the new #1 song with "Rock Me Gently".  Olivia Newton-John was one step closer with "I Honestly Love You" and Billy Preston was next with "Nothing From Nothing".  Dionne Warwick and the Spinners combined for "Then Came You" and First Class were up big (12-5) with "Beach Baby".  The rest of the Top 10:  Stevie Wonder and "You Haven't Done Nothin'", the Guess Who had song #7 with "Clap For The Wolfman", Cat Stevens reached the Top 10 with "Another Saturday Night", Johnny Bristol and "Hang On In There Baby" and Lynyrd Skynyrd reached the Top 10 with "Sweet Home Alabama".
1974:  Bad Company climbed to #1 with their debut album.  Endless Summer from the Beach Boys was the runner-up with the previous #1--Fulfillingness' First Finale by Stevie Wonder falling to #3.  Olivia Newton-John was beginning to break through with If You Love Me, Let Me Know and Caribou by Elton John rose from 12 to 5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Not Fragile by Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Back Home Again by John Denver was #7, Chicago VII, Can't Get Enough by Barry White shot up from 22 to 9 and 461 Ocean Boulevard by Eric Clapton tumbled to #10.
1975:  The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Starship performed for free before 40,000 at Golden Gate Park's Lindley Meadows in San Francisco, California.
1976:  Stevie Wonder released the landmark album Songs in the Key of Life on Motown Records.

1980:  The Police had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Don't Stand So Close To Me".
1985:  Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits remained #1 on the Album chart.
1985:  Kool & the Gang continued to top the Adult Contemporary chart with "Cherish".
1987:  Gladys Knight and Smokey Robinson were guests on the popular television show $10,000 Pyramid.
1987:  U2 played the first of two concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

1989:  Jimmy Buffett released Tales From Margaritaville, a book of short stories.
1991:  AC/DC, Metallica, and Pantera headlined a Monsters of Rock concert at the Tushino Airfield outside Moscow, Russia.








1991:  Bryan Adams was awarded the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia.









1991:  "I Adore Mi Amor" held down #1 on the R&B chart.
1991:  Color Me Badd reigned at #1 on the Popular chart with "I Adore Mi Amor", holding off "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch.  Boyz II Men with "Motownphilly" was #3 while Mariah Carey joined the group at #4 with "Emotions".  The rest of the Top 10:  Firehouse and "Love Of A Lifetime", C + C Music Factory with "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm....", Michael Bolton held steady at 7 with "Time, Love And Tenderness", Natural Selection moved from 16-8 with "Do Anything", Bonnie Raitt had her first Top 10 with "Something To Talk About" and R.E.M. moved up with "Shiny Happy People".
1991:  Michael Bolton took over at #1 on the AC chart with "Time, Love And Tenderness".
1991:  Ropin' the Wind debuted at #1 for Garth Brooks on the Album chart.
1996:  Bob Dylan was nominated by Professor Gordon Ball of Virginia Military Institute for the Nobel Literature Prize.




1996:  The count was up to nine for weeks at #1 for "Macarena" by Los Del Rios.  "Where Do You Go" by No Mercy was the only new song in the Top 10.
1999:  The members of the band All Saints had casts made of their hands for the "Wall of Hands" exhibit at Madame Tussaud's Rock Circus in London.
2000:  Radiohead played at Glasgow Green in Scotland.
2002:  The City of Nutbush, Tennessee named a portion of State Highway 19 the "Tina Turner Highway".  Turner lived in Nutbush (about 50 miles northeast of Memphis) until she was 17.
2003:  Muse had the #1 album in the U.K. with Absolution.
2003:  John Mayer owned the top album in the United States with Heavier Things.
2005:  Disturbed led the way on the Album chart with Ten Thousand Fists.
2007:  The John Lennon Northern Lights Festival, named after the popular star, kicked off for the first of three days in Durness, Scotland.  Lennon spent holidays between the ages of nine and 13 in the village.

Born This Day:

1901:  Ed Sullivan, who hosted numerous rock acts including the Beatles, whose appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964 drew an estimated 73 million viewers, was born in Manhattan, New York; died October 13, 1974 of cancer in New York City.  (Note:  several websites state Sullivan was born in Harlem, New York.  Harlem is not a city; it is a neighborhood, and you will never see Harlem listed as the official City of Birth for Sullivan.)







1938:  Ben E. King, lead singer of the Drifters and a solo star ("Stand By Me" and "Spanish Harlem") was born in Henderson, North Carolina; died of natural causes April 30, 2015 in Hackensack, New Jersey at age 76. 
1943:  Nick St. Nicholas, bass guitarist of Steppenwolf, was born in Hamburg, Germany.   (Note:  some sources list his birthplace as Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, but the Nick St. Nicholas born there is an actor who appeared in 'Police Woman', among other shows.)
1950:  Paul Burgess, drummer of 10cc, was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England.
1953:  Keni Burke of the Five Stairsteps ("O-o-h Child") and bassist with Sly & the Family Stone and Diana Ross, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1955:  George Lynch, guitarist of Dokken, was born in Spokane, Washington.
1960: Jennifer Rush was born in Queens, New York.
1977:  Young Jeezy, whose real name is Jay Jenkins, was born in Columbia, South Carolina.  (Note:  some websites say Jenkins was born in Atlanta.  He was born in Columbia and moved to Atlanta with his family later.)
1984:  Melody Thornton of the Pussycat Dolls was born in Charleston, South Carolina.  (Note:  you will find confusion with some sources saying that Melanie Thornton was in the Pussycat Dolls and died in a plane crash.  Melanie Thornton fronted the group Labouche, was born in 1967, was never with the Pussycat Dolls, and died in 2001 in a plane crash.  Melody Thornton (no relation) was born in 1984, joined the Pussycat Dolls, and is still very much alive.) 
1987:  Hilary Duff was born in Houston, Texas.

R.B. Greaves Has Died


He gave us that great song "Take A Letter, Maria".  We mourn the passing of R.B. Greaves at the age of 68.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

This Date in Rock Music History: September 27

1963:  Cilla Black made her live television debut on Ready Steady Go! on British television singing "Love Of The Loved".
1963:  The Merseybeats opened for the Rolling Stones at the Floral Hall Ballroom in Morecambe, Lancashire, England.
1964:  Ringo Starr and Beatles manager Brian Epstein were judges along with Cilla Black and others at the National Beat Group Competition to benefit the Oxfam charity at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London.
1964:  The Beach Boys performed "I Get Around" on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1967:  The Beatles recorded producer George Martin's orchestral score and added overdubs to "I Am The Walrus" (a song they had recorded on September 5 and 6) and worked on "Fool On The Hill" in two sessions at Abbey Road Studios in London.
1968:  The Jackson 5 opened for Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight at a concert in Gary, Indiana.
1971:  Led Zeppelin appeared at the Shiei Taiikukan Hall in Hiroshima, Japan.




1975:  Linda Ronstadt released the album Prisoner in Disguise on Asylum Records.
1975:  "Do It Any Way You Wanna'" by People's Choice was the new #1 on the R&B chart.








1975:  George Harrison had a hot song moving up the charts with "You", up from 75 to 49 on this date.
1975:  John Denver hit #1 with "I'm Sorry".








1975:  Red Octopus by Jefferson Starship took a turn at #1 on the Album chart.  Honey from the Ohio Players was #2 but the Eagles were on their way back up with One of These Nights.  Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run came in fourth while Janis Ian's former #1 album Between the Lines fell to 5.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Heat Is On from the Isley Brothers, Elton John's epic Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, the Allman Brothers Band rose from 43 to 8 with Win, Lose Or Draw, the Spinners were at 9 with Pick of the Litter and Fleetwood Mac entered the Top 10 for the first time with their self-titled release.
1978:  Eric Clapton sponsored the Union of European Football Association (soccer) match between West Bromwich Albion and Galatasaray of Turkey to decide the winner of the UEFA Cup.  Following the match, Clapton presented each player with a copy of his album Slowhand.





1979:  Blondie released the album Eat to the Beat.
1979:  The Police released the album Reggatta de Blanc.
1979:  Elton John collapsed onstage at the Universal Amphitheater in Hollywood, California due to exhaustion brought on by the flu.  After 10 minutes, John returned and finished the show.










1979:  Jimmy McCulloch, lead guitarist of Thunderclap Newman and Wings, was found dead in London from heart failure due to heroin at the age of 26.
1980:  Queen remained at the top of the Album chart for a second week with The Game.
1980:  George Benson's "Give Me The Night" held on to #1 for a third week on the R&B chart.








      
            Air Supply captured fans from the release of their first song...

1980:  Diana Ross remained on top with "Upside Down", the #1 song for a fourth week.  In many markets, however, Australia's Air Supply's "All Out Of Love" was #1.  Queen trailed those two with "Another One Bites The Dust".  George Benson moved up with "Give Me The Night" while Johnny Lee was "Lookin' For Love".  The rest of the Top 10:  Paul Simon's "Late In The Evening", Eddie Rabbitt hopped up with "Drivin' My Life Away", Irene Cara's "Fame" was at #8, Larry Graham remained at 9 with "One In A Million You" and Kenny Loggins reached the Top 10 with "I'm Alright".
1986:  Lionel Richie took over at #1 on the Album chart with Dancing On the Ceiling.
1986:  Twenty-two years after its release, "Twist And Shout" by the Beatles re-entered the chart after being featured on the soundtracks to Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Back to School.




1986:  Cliff Burton, bassist of Metallica, was killed at the age of 24 when the group's bus crashed in Ljungby, Sweden.
1987:  Dolly Parton's television series Dolly debuted on ABC.
1988:  Def Leppard became the first artist of the Rock Era to sell seven million copies of consecutive albums as on this date, Hysteria joined Pyromania as a seven-million seller.  (Note:  some websites incorrectly list this date as October 14--the official RIAA website shows September 27.)










1989: Billy Joel released a huge comeback hit for him--"We Didn't Start The Fire".













1990:  Marvin Gaye was given a star posthumously on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California (1504 Vine Street).  (Note:  some sources show the event on September 28, but according to the books 'Marvin Gaye, My Brother' by Frankie Gaye and 'African Americans in Los Angeles' by Karin L. Stanford, the star was unveiled on September 27.)
1994:  The Dave Matthews Band released the album Under the Table and Dreaming(Note:  some sites show the release as September 20, but the official website for the Dave Matthews Band pegs the release as September 27.)
1995:  Time Warner Records cut ties with rap label Interscope.  A very wise and responsible choice.
1997:  Bob Dylan performed at the World Eucharistic Congress in Bologna, Italy to an audience that included the Pope.






                              Third Eye Blind with their biggest career hit...

1997:  Mariah Carey's "Honey" was #1 for a third week while Boyz II Men debuted at #2 with "4 Seasons Of Loneliness".  Usher stayed at 3 with "You Make Me Wanna...", LeAnn Rimes had "How Do I Live" and the Backstreet Boys slipped with 'Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Mo Money Mo Problems" from the Notorious B.I.G. with Puff Daddy & Mase, the Puffman was the big star of the time with Faith Evans and 112 on "I'll Be Missing You", the Spice Girls slipped with "2 Become 1", new group Third Eye Blind and "Semi-Charmed Life" and Jewel was at 10 with her double-sided hit "Foolish Games"/"You Were Meant For Me".
1999:  Atlanta, Georgia declared it "ZZ Top Day" after the Texas band.


2000:  U2 played from the rooftop of the Clarence Hotel (which they own) in Dublin, Ireland.  Over 4,000 fans gathered below them to listen.
2001:  Jonathan King ("Everyone's Gone To The Moon" from 1965) was found guilty of six charges of sexual assault of under-age boys.  He was later sentenced to seven years in prison.
2002:  Vince Neil of Motley Crue pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge for attacking a record producer in West Hollywood on April 28, 2002.
2003:  Carly Simon sued the Dakota building in New York City, alleging she was denied application to live there but was not refunded her $99,000 down payment.
2004:  Producer Phil Spector was charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of actress Lana Clarkson.
2006:  Jamie Lyons, lead singer of Music Explosion ("Little Bit O' Soul" in 1967), died of a heart attack at his home in Little River, South Carolina at the age of 57.
2006:  In today's Inmates Run Rap Music segment, Snoop Dogg was arrested at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California for possessing a firearm.
2007:  As part of the Clinton Global Initiative, Shakira announced in New York City that a charity group co-founded by her (The Latin America for Solidarity Foundation) would donate $40 million to assist relief efforts in earthquake-ravaged Peru and hurricane-stricken Nicaragua.  (Note:  several websites incorrectly say the announcement was made September 26.  Shakira announced the donation Thursday, September 27 in New York City.)
2007:  Dale Houston of Dale & Grace ("I'm Leaving It Up To You") died of congestive heart failure in Hattiesburg, Mississippi at the age of 67.
2008:  Bryan Morrison, manager of Pink Floyd and music publisher of the Bee Gees, Elton John, Wham!  T-Rex and Syd Barrett, died at age 66 after being in a coma for two years.  Morrison was in a polo accident at the Royal Berkshire Polo Club in England in 2006 and suffered severe brain injuries.
2008:  George Jones, lead singer of the Edsels (who wrote and sang "Rama Lama Ding Dong") died of cancer at his home in Youngstown, Ohio the age of 71.
2008:  Metallica owned the #1 album with Death Magnetic.
2010:  Tickets to what was to be the tour This Is It by Michael Jackson went on sale.
2012:  R.B. Greaves (nephew of Sam Cooke), who gave us "Take A Letter, Maria", died in Granada, California of prostate cancer at age 68.  (Note:  some sources report that he died in Inglewood, California or in Granada Hills, California.  Granada Hills is a community within Los Angeles, not a city.  According to 'Billboard', Greaves died in Los Angeles.)







2012:  Singer Frank Wilson ("Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" who wrote and produced for artists such as the Supremes, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops and the Miracles, and also created the publishing firms Traco Music and Specolite Music, died of a lung infection while being treated for prostate cancer in Duarte, California at age 71.




Born This Day:

1936:  Don Cornelius, host and producer of the long-running television show Soul Train, was born in Chicago, Illinois; shot himself at the age of 75 on February 1, 2012 in Sherman Oaks, California.
1941:  Don Nix, saxophonist for the Mar-Keys ("Last Night") and producer of albums for Jeff Beck and Freddie King, was born in Memphis, Tennessee.






1943:  Randy Bachman, guitarist of the Guess Who and co-founder of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.










1947:  Meat Loaf (real name Marvin Lee Aday) was born in Dallas, Texas.  (Note:  Meat Loaf doesn't know when he was born; he gives various dates when asked, but the book 'The Rough Guide to Rock' by Peter Buckley, "Allmusic.com", and 'Biography.com' all say that he was born on September 27, 1947.)

1953:  Greg Ham, flautist, keyboardist, percussionist and saxophone player of Men At Work, was born in Melbourne, Australia; was found dead in his home in Melbourne April 19, 2012 after suffering a heart attack.
1953:  Robbie Shakespeare, session bass guitarist for Robert Palmer, Joe Cocker, Jimmy Cliff and Peter Tosh, was born in Kingston, Jamaica.




1959:  Shaun Cassidy, actor, singer, songwriter and producer, and brother of David Cassidy, was born in Los Angeles.  (Note:  some websites report Cassidy was born in Santa Monica.  The book 'From Small Screen to Vinyl:  A Guide to Television Stars Who Made Records' by Bob Leszczak states that Shaun was born in Los Angeles.)  
1966:  Stephan Jenkins, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of Third Eye Blind, was born in San Bernardino, California.  (Note:  some websites say Jenkins was born in Indio, California or in Oakland.  Our best research indicates he was born in San Bernardino and raised in Palo Alto.)1970:  Mark Calderon of Color Me Badd was born in Bakersfield, California.
1973:  Lee Brennan, singer, songwriter, and lead singer with the group 311, was born in Carlisle, Cumbria, England.
1978:  Bradley Kirk Arnold, lead singer of 3 Doors Down, was born in Escatawpa, Mississippi.
1982:  Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1984:  Avril Lavigne was born in Belleville, Ontario, Canada.