Saturday, January 12, 2013

This Date in Rock Music History: January 13

1962:  Bob Dylan performed at the San Remo Coffee House in Schenectady, New York.
1962:  Cliff Richard topped the U.K. Album chart with The Young Ones.
1962:  "Can't Help Falling In Love" by Elvis Presley moved to #1 on the Easy Listening chart.

The Twist by Chubby Checker on Grooveshark
1962:  "The Twist", which had reached #1 in 1960 for Chubby Checker, had found new popularity and on this date, became the only song in the history of the Rock Era to hit #1...twice.  Chubby toppled the classic "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens.
1963:  The Beatles recorded an appearance in Birmingham, England at the Alpha Television Studios, performing "Please Please Me" for Thank Your Lucky Stars to be broadcast on ABC (Associated British Corporation) January 19.
1963:  Bob Dylan performed in the BBC radio play The Madhouse of Castle Street(Note:  many websites, including 'Billboard', incorrectly list the date of the show as January 12.  The play was broadcast as part of BBC's "Sunday Night Play"--in 1963, Sunday fell on January 13, not January 12.)







1967:  Jimi Hendrix performed at the Bag O'Nails club in London.  Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr both went to see the show.
1968:  Smokey Robinson & the Miracles reached #1 on the R&B chart with "I Second That Emotion".








'Inside the Rock Era' shakes your memory with the Lemon Pipers...

1968:  The Beatles remained at the top spot with "Hello Goodbye", #1 for a third week.  In just four years, the group had spent 40 weeks at #1 with 15 #1 songs.  John Fred & His Playboy Band made their move with "Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)".  The Monkees' former #1 smash "Daydream Believer" was third, followed by Twin Falls, Idaho's Gary Puckett & the Union Gap with "Woman, Woman" and Gladys Knight & the Pips with "I Heard It Through The Grapevine".  The rest of the Top 10:  Aretha Franklin's "Chain Of Fools", the American Breed moved to #7 with "Bend Me, Shape Me", Smokey Robinson & the Miracles slid to #8 with "I Second That Emotion", the Lemon Pipers had the #9 song with "Green Tambourine" and Joe Tex was at #10 "Skinny Legs And All".
1969:  Elvis Presley returned to the Memphis, Tennessee American Sound Studios and recorded "Suspicious Minds".
1973:  Eric Clapton performed at Rainbow Theatre in London in a show organized by friend Pete Townshend to help Clapton shake alcoholism and heroin.  The live album Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert was later released.
1973:  Carly Simon had the new #1 album with No Secrets as the long-running #1 Seventh Sojourn by the Moody Blues was now second.  Stanley, Idaho's Carole King dropped to 3 with Rhymes & Reasons while One Man Dog by James Taylor came in fourth.
1973:  Carole King rose to #1 on the Adult chart with "Been To Canaan".

Crocodile Rock by Elton John on Grooveshark
1973:  Elton John had his fourth Top 10 song with "Crocodile Rock", which moved from 13-9.
1978:  The Police began recording their debut album Outlandos d'Amour at Surrey Sound Studios in London.
1979:  The Y.M.C.A. filed a lawsuit against the Village People for their song of the same name and the implications that men go to the recreational facilities so they can play with all the young men.
1979:  Donny Hathaway died at the age of 33 after falling 15 floors from his hotel room at the Essex in New York City.  His death was ruled a suicide.





September by Earth, Wind & Fire on Grooveshark
1979:  Earth, Wind & Fire had the #1 R&B song--"September".  
1979:  Al Stewart wrapped up 10 weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Time Passages".








1979:  The Bee Gees ruled again with "Too Much Heaven", but former #1 "Le Freak" by Chic was making another bid for the top.  Billy Joel sat at #3 with "My Life" while Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond's former #1 "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" was fourth.  Toto's first hit "Hold The Line" moved nicely up to #5. 
1980:  The Beach Boys, Jefferson Starship and Grateful Dead played a benefit concert for the people of Kampuchea.












1986:  Janet Jackson released the single "What Have You Done For Me Lately".
1986:  Heart went from 1980-1985 without a Top 10 but they released the single "These Dreams" in the hopes of scoring their third straight in one of the great comebacks of the Rock Era.  (Note:  some websites erroneously report the date of release as January 18.  The song first charted on January 18.  It is physically impossible for a song to be released to radio stations, added to playlists, reported to the trade papers, and printed by the trade papers for publication all in the same day.)
1990:  "Rhythm Nation" by Janet Jackson moved into the #1 position on the R&B chart.







                Bolton's remake of Laura Branigan's hit...

1990:  Phil Collins remained #1 well into the New Year with a fourth week at the top for "Another Day In Paradise".  "Rhythm Nation" by Janet Jackson continued to be just off the pace while Technotronic's "Pump Up The Jam" was third.  Michael Bolton moved up with "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You" and the former #1 "Don't Know Much" from Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville was fifth.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Everything" from Jody Watley, New Kids on the Block continued to be satisfied with #7 with "This One's For The Children", Cher held on to 8 with "Just Like Jesse James", Taylor Dayne fell to #9 with "Every Beat of My Heart" and Lou Gramm, lead singer of Foreigner, had a Top 10 solo hit with "Just Between You And Me".
1993:  The musical ABBA:  The True Story opened in Stockholm.
1996:  Daydream by Mariah Carey was the top album for a sixth week.

Missing by Everything But The Girl on Grooveshark                           Everything But the Girl..

1996:  Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men were a dominant #1 for a seventh week with "One Sweet Day".  Counting her solo #1 "Fantasy", Carey had been at #1 for 16 out of the last 17 weeks.  Everything But the Girl finally landed in the Top 10 after 23 weeks of release with "Missing".
2000:  In today's episode of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, Puff Daddy was arrested and charged with weapon possession after he ran away from a nightclub shooting in December.






What a Girl Wants by Christina Aguilera on Grooveshark
2000:  Christina Aguilera had the #1 song--"What A Girl Wants".
2003:  Pete Townshend, guitarist of the Who, was arrested on child porn offenses.
2004:  Daniel Bedingfield ("If You're Not The One") was released from the hospital in New Zealand where he was recovering from a neck injury suffered in a New Year's Eve car accident.
2004:  The National Football League denied a request from Bono's U2 to perform "An American Prayer" with Jennifer Lopez during the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show.  Bono had hoped to raise awareness of AIDS in Africa with the performance.  The NFL's answer:  "We don't believe it's appropriate to focus on a single issue."

2005:  Ricky Martin toured the island of Phuket off of Thailand that had been struck by a tsunami.  Martin was there to draw attention to child slave gangs preying on children left orphaned by the disaster.  Losers.
2005:  A report showed that more songs had been written about Elvis Presley (220), including Paul Simon's "Graceland" and "Calling Elvis" by Dire Straits, than about any other artist.
2006:  In today's version of Inmates Run Rap Music, Juvenile was the arrestee in Ocala, Florida for failing to pay child support.  Loser.
2009:  "Little" Jimmy Dickens ("May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose" from 1965) had brain surgery to repair a subdural hematoma.



              Rest in Peace, Teddy.  You're 100 times the artist that any rapper is.

2010:  Teddy Pendergrass died in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania after a difficult recovery from colon cancer surgery at age 59.  Teddy had been a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the chest down, since a car accident in Philadelphia in 1982. 

Born This Day:
1930:  Bobby Lester, lead singer of the Moonglows, was born in Louisville, Kentucky; died of lung cancer October 15, 1980 in his hometown.
1932:  Carl Dobkins, Jr. ("My Heart Is An Open Book" from 1959) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1942:  Jinx Dawson, lead singer of Coven, who recorded a version of "One Tin Soldier", was born in Indianapolis, Indiana.




1947:  Chris Thomas, producer of such great albums as Kick for INXS and the Pretenders' debut album, was born in Brentford, Middlesex, England.
1954:  Trevor Rabin of Yes was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.
1955:  Fred White, drummer of Earth, Wind & Fire, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1957:  Don Snow, keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist of Squeeze ("Tempted") was born in Nairobi, Kenya.
1961:  Suggs (real name Graham MacPherson), lead singer of Madness ("Our House"), was born in Hastings, England.
1970:  Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine was born in Long Beach, California.

New Featured Unknown/Underrated Song: "Wasted Time" by the Eagles

What made this group one of The Top 10 Artists of the Rock Era* was not only incredible music played to perfection, but lyrics that mattered--real music for real people.  Here is the amazing album track from Hotel California:
"Wasted Time"
by the Eagles

Words by Don Henley and Music by Glenn Frey

Well baby, there you stand
With your little head, down in your hand
Oh, my God, you can't believe it's happening again
Your baby's gone, and you're all alone
and it looks like the end.

And you're back out on the street.
And you're tryin' to remember.
How will you start it over?
You don't know what became.
You don't care much for a stranger's touch,
But you can't hold your man.

You never thought you'd be alone this far down the line
And I know what's been on your mind
You're afraid it's all been wasted time

The autumn leaves have got you thinking about the first time that you fell
You didn't love the boy too much, no, no, you just loved the boy too well,
Farewell
So you live from day to day, and you dream about tomorrow, oh.
And the hours go by like minutes and the shadows come to stay
So you take a little something to make them go away
And I could have done so many things, baby
If I could only stop my mind from wondrin' what
I left behind and from worrying 'bout this wasted time

Oh, another love has come and gone
Oh, and the years keep rushing on
I remember what you told me before you went out on your own:
"Sometimes to keep it together, we got to leave it alone."
So you can get on with your search, baby, and I can get on with mine
And maybe someday we will find , that it wasn't really wasted time
Mm, hm
Oh hoo, ooh, oh,
Ooh, ooh, mm

Part Four of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era

We are quite proud of this feature and hope that you will check it out often.  There are too many featured songs to include on one web page, but if you click on the tab at the top of the web site, you'll get links to all pages that include these great "undiscovered" songs.

Here is Part Four:

http://top5000-rocketman5000.blogspot.com/2012/06/part-four-of-top-unknownunderrated.html

Friday, January 11, 2013

This Date in Rock Music History: January 12

1957:  Elvis Presley recorded "All Shook Up" at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California.


1959:  Here's inspiration for you aspiring business owners.  On this date, Berry Gordy borrowed $800 to begin his own record label, Tamla Records, the beginning of the empire that has become known as Motown Records.
1959:  Jackie Wilson continued to reign over the R&B chart for a fifth week with "Lonely Teardrops".
1959:  "The Chipmunk Song" from the Chipmunks was #1 for a fourth straight week.  The Platters, amazingly enough, remained at #2 for the fourth week and were still in position to make a move to the top with "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes".  "My Happiness" from Connie Francis was third, followed by "Gotta' Travel On" from Billy Grammer and the Teddy Bears' big hit "To Know Him Is To Love Him".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Whole Lotta' Loving" from Fats Domino, Clyde McPhatter with "A Lover's Question", Elvis Presley and "One Night", the Everly Brothers dropped to #9 with "Problems" and Ricky Nelson had song #10 with "Lonesome Town".
1963:  Ray Charles logged a third week at #1 on the R&B chart with "You Are My Sunshine".





 

                 Bobby Vee was watching over the charts...

1963:  Steve Lawrence, who already had a #1 adult hit with "Go Away Little Girl", made it official as the song took over at #1 on the popular chart.  Bobby Vee had a hot new song moving up (14-7) with "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes".
1964:  The Beatles performed "I Wanna' Hold Your Hand", "This Boy", "All My Loving", "Money" and "Twist And Shout" on the ATV show Sunday Night at the London Palladium.








1965:  Hullabaloo, a new television dance show hosted by Jack Jones on Tuesday nights, premiered on NBC.  The New Christy Minstrels and comedian Woody Allen were guests, while Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, introduced the Zombies and Gerry & the Pacemakers from London in a taped segment.   (Note:  some websites claim the show premiered on January 8, but the correct date is January 12, according to 'TV Guide' and other reputable sources.)















1968:  Manfred Mann released the single "The Mighty Quinn".
1968:  Pink Floyd made their debut as a five-piece band at the University of Aston in Birmingham, England.
1968:  The Supremes appeared on an episode of Tarzan on NBC-TV, with the girls playing a trio of nuns.
1969:  Led Zeppelin released their debut album in the U.S.  The U.K. release date was March 28.  (Note:  you will see different release dates all over the Internet--the correct dates are shown above, per the official Led Zeppelin website.)
1969:  The psychedelic movie Wonderwall, featuring the Soundtrack by George Harrison, opened in theaters.







1970:  Badfinger released the single "Come And Get It".









1974:  You Don't Mess Around with Jim, the album by the late Jim Croce, reached #1 47 weeks after its release.  The Singles 1969-1973 by the Carpenters was second followed by former #1 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road from Elton John.
1974:  Aretha Franklin scored a week at #1 on the R&B chart with "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna' Do)", taking over from Stevie Wonder's "Living For The City".
1974:  Barbra Streisand led the way on the Adult chart with "The Way We Were".





Brownsville Station was checking to make sure the coast was clear. Nope, free road to cancer...

1974:  Newcomers the Steve Miller Band reached #1 with "The Joker".  Jim Croce slipped to #2 with his classic "Time In A Bottle" while Al Wilson showed strength among the heavyweights with "Show And Tell".  Brownsville Station surprisingly was at #4 with "Smokin' In The Boy's Room" and Gladys Knight & the Pips moved from 10-5 with "I've Got To Use My Imagination".  The rest of the Top 10:  Ringo Starr with "You're Sixteen", Barry White and "Never, Never Gonna' Give Ya Up", Stevie Wonder had #8--"Living For The City", Olivia Newton-John had another Top 10 hit with "Let Me Be There" and Paul McCartney & Wings were at #10 with "Helen Wheels".
1977:  The Police rehearsed for the first time, with Sting and Henri Padovani on guitar, at drummer Stewart Copeland's flat in London.



Send One Your Love by Stevie Wonder on Grooveshark
1980:  Stevie Wonder made it four straight weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with his new love song--"Send One Your Love".











1980:  "An American Dream" by the Dirt Band and Linda Ronstadt was racing up the chart, up from 59-33.
1980:  Rupert Holmes went back for another pina colada, posting his third week at #1 with "Escape".  Michael Jackson moved one step closer with "Rock With You" while the Captain & Tennille were up to 3 with "Do That To Me One More Time" and Stevie Wonder held on to #4 with "Send One Your Love".  The rest of the Top 10:  Previous #1 "Please Don't Go" by K.C. and the Sunshine Band, the Commodores' big hit "Still" was up to 6, Kenny Rogers was on a roll and "Coward Of The County" moved to #7, Kool & the Gang and "Ladies Night", Cliff Richard reached #9 with "We Don't Talk Anymore" and Styx's former #1 "Babe".





                        "Brown Eyes" from 'Tusk'...

1980:  Bee Gees Greatest, which indeed includes the cream of the crop from the group on a double-album set, was the #1 album, holding off another double release--On the Radio-Greatest Hits-Volumes I & II from Donna Summer.  Pink Floyd had their best album since Dark Side of the Moon, as The Wall moved from 7-3.  The Eagles continued to be strong in The Long Run and Stevie Wonder had #5 with Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants.  The rest of the Top 10:  Damn the Torpedoes from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Cornerstone by Styx, Kenny from Kenny Rogers moved 15-8, Off the Wall from Michael Jackson was picking up steam after 20 weeks of release and the great album Tusk was still in the Top 10 for Fleetwood Mac.





1981:  Hall & Oates released the single "Kiss On My List".













1981:  The Police released the single "Don't Stand So Close To Me".
1983:  Reebop Kwaku Baah, percussionist with Traffic, who also worked with the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and Ginger Baker's Air Force, died at the age of 38 from a brain hemorrhage in Stockholm, Sweden.
1984:  Crue performed at the Civic Center in Glen Falls, New York.  (Note:  several websites incorrectly show Motley Crue opening a U.S. tour at Madison Square Garden in New York City on this date.  Far from the truth...first off, the Crue opened their first U.S. tour on November 11, 1983 at the Orange Pavilion in San Bernadino, California.  The show in Glen Falls on this date was the second concert backing Ozzy Osbourne, and the Madison Square Garden date referred to did not take place until January 30, according to the official Motley Crue website.)
1985:  Midnight Star's "Operator" ruled the R&B chart for the fourth week.
1985:  Actor Jack Wagner moved to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "All I Need".



Springsteen's tell-it-like-it-is release reached the Top 10...

1985:  Madonna's first career #1 "Like A Virgin" remained there for a fourth week with "All I Need" from Jack Wagner closing.  "The Wild Boys" from Duran Duran and "Sea of Love" by the Honeydrippers both fell while Pat Benatar was able to remain fifth with "We Belong".  The rest of the Top 10:  Chicago and "You're The Inspiration", Bryan Adams at #7 with "Run To You", New Edition said to "Cool It Now", Julian Lennon had song #9--"Valotte" and Bruce Springsteen registered his fourth career Top 10 and third from Born in the U.S.A. with the title cut.







1985:  The Soundtrack to "Purple Rain" by Prince & the Revolution was #1 on the Album chart for the 24th week, tying the Soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever" for #3 all-time.  Only Michael Jackson's Thriller and Rumours by Fleetwood Mac remained #1 longer than those two.









1989:  The new Swedish duo Roxette released their first career single "The Look".
1993:  Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Doors, Sly & the Family Stone, Cream, Frankie Lymon, Dinah Washington and Etta James were all honored as new members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the induction ceremony in Los Angeles.  Van Morrison did not show up for his own induction, becoming the first and only living person not to do so.
1995:  In today's episode of Inmates Run Rap Music, Snoop Doggy Dogg was arrested in Los Angeles for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.






1995:  AC/DC embarked on an 11-month tour, kicking it off at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.
1995:  A solid class was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame:  Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Martha & the Vandellas, Janis Joplin, Al Green, the Allman Brothers Band and Frank Zappa were accepted into the ever-expanding club.
1997:  Paula Abdul made her acting debut on the NBC movie In the Shadow of Evil.






1998:  A new class was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, some extremely deserving, others not so much.  The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, the Mamas & Papas, Santana, Lloyd Price, Gene Vincent, Allen Toussaint and Jelly Roll Morton were all accepted as new members.  There's still a few that may have recorded or written a song at some point in life that still haven't been inducted, but their time is coming soon.
 1999:  Britney Spears released the album ...Baby One More Time.  
2000:  In a second episode of Dangerous Inmates Run Rap Music, the rapper who calls himself Ol' Dirty *@#*%& (which should tell you a lot right there...) was arrested after he failed to appear in Brooklyn, New York to answer crack cocaine charges.
2000:  Charlotte Church fired manager Jonathan Shalit.
2000:  Gary Barlow, singer of Take That, married Dawn Andrews on the Caribbean island of Nevia.
2000:  Sarah McLachlan was declared an Officer of the Order of Canada.
2001:  More news from troublemaker Liam Gallagher of Oasis.  On a flight from London to Rio De Janeiro, Gallagher refused to stop smoking and threw objects around the cabin.
2002:  Aaliyah, who had been killed in an August, 2001 plane crash in the Bahamas, rose to #1 in the U.K. with "More Than A Woman".






2003:  Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees died at age 53 of an intestinal blockage in Miami Beach, Florida.  












2004:  Randy Vanwarmer ("Just When I Needed You Most" from 1978) died from leukemia at age 48.








 
2005:  The Strawberry Field children's home in Liverpool, made famous by the Beatles' song "Strawberry Fields Forever", announced that it was closing.

 









2005:  American Idiot by Green Day returned to #1 on the Album chart.
2006: A bonus episode of Inmates Run Rap Music, we find another one in their home away from home.  Mystikal (real name Michael Tyler) was sentenced to a year in prison for tax evasion.  Yeah, buy his CD's, then work like crazy so your can make up for him not paying taxes. 






2008:  Mary J. Blige had the #1 album with Growing Pains.
2010:  Shakin' Stevens was found guilty of hitting a photographer with a microphone stand during a concert.






Born This Day:
1926:  Ray Price ("For the Good Times") was born in Perryville, Texas; died December 16, 2013 of pancreatic cancer in Mount Pleasant, Texas.

1928:  Ruth Brown, famed R&B singer of the 1950's, was born in Portsmouth, Virginia; died November 17, 2006 in a Las Vegas, Nevada hospital from complications following a heart attack and stroke suffered after surgery in October, 2006.  (Note:  some websites claim Ruth was born on January 30, but the correct date is January 12, according to the newspaper 'The New York Times' and the book 'Uncloudy Days:  The Gospel Music Encyclopedia' by Bill Carpenter.) 
1930:  Glenn Yarborough, singer with the Limeliters, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
1939:  William Lee Gordon of the Oak Ridge Boys

1941:  Long John Baldry, instrumental in Great Britain in the early years of the Rock Era in signing several key people to be in his band Bluesology, including Elton John and Rod Stewart, was born in East Haddon,Derbyshire, England; died July 21, 2005 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada of a severe chest infection.  (Note:  many websites, including 'Allmusic.com', incorrectly show his birthplace as London.  According to 'The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography' by Lawrence Goldman, at the time of Baldry's birth, his parents lived in London, but he was born in East Haddon.)
1945:  Abe Tilmon, a founding member of the Detroit Emeralds ("Feel The Need In Me" from 1973); died July 6, 1982 of a heart attack in Southfield, Michigan.
1946:  George Duke, the visionary Grammy-Award winning artist who blended rock with jazz, R&B and funk, was born in San Rafael, California; died  of  complications from heart disease and chronic lymphocytic leukemia on August 5, 2013 in Santa Monica, California at the age of 67.  Duke teamed with Stanley Clarke for the song "Sweet Baby" and also played keyboardist and trombone for artists such as Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, Regina Belle and Sheila E.  (Note:  some websites incorrectly say Duke died in Los Angeles; he died in Santa Monica, according to both 'CNN' and 'The New York Times'.) 
1946:  Cynthia Robinson, trumpet player with Sly & the Family Stone, was born in Sacramento, California.
1951:  Larry Hoppen, guitarist with Orleans, was born in Long Island, New York; died July 24, 2012 in Bayshore, New York.  (Note:  some websites list his birthplace as Greenpoint, New York, but according to the official Orleans website as well as Larry's family, Hoppen was born in Long Island.)
1954:  Felipe Rose, a founding member of the Village People, was born in New York City.
1959:  Per Gessle, songwriter and guitarist for Roxette, was born in Halmstad, Sweden.  (Note:  several websites show his birth as February 12, but 'Billboard' and other credible sources show his birth as January 12.)
1963:  Guy Chambers, singer, songwriter and producer ("Angels" and "Millennium" with Robbie Williams), was born in Liverpool.  (Note:  some websites report Chambers was born in London, but British newspapers 'The Telegraph' and 'The Mirror' state he was born in Liverpool.)
1965:  Greg Kriesel, bassist of the Offspring ("Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)"), was born in Glendale, California.  (Note:  some websites report his birth as January 20, but according to Offspring fan sites, he was born January 12.)
1966:  Rob Zombie of White Zombie as born in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
1968:  Raekwon (real name Corey Woods) of Wu-Tang Clan was born in Brooklyn, New York.  (Note:  some websites report his birthplace as New York City; others as Staten Island.  He was born in Brooklyn, then moved to Staten Island at an early age.)





1974:  Melanie Chisholm of the Spice Girls was born in Whiston, Lancashire, England.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

This Date in Rock Music History: January 11


1960:  Bill Black's Combo took over at #1 on the R&B chart with "Smokie - Part 2".
Where The Boys Are by Connie Stevens on Grooveshark
1961:  Connie Francis released the single "Where the Boys Are".












1963:  The Beatles released their second single "Please Please Me" in England.









1964:  The famous Whisky a Go Go first opened on Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California.
1965:  The Beach Boys recorded "Do You Wanna' Dance".
1965:  The Righteous Brothers appeared on three television shows in Britain:  Ready Steady Go!, Scene At 6.30. and Discs A Go-Go.






Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix on Grooveshark
1967:  Jimi Hendrix signed a recording contract with Track Records and recorded "Purple Haze".  
1967:  The Hollies began recording "On A Carousel".
1968:  Jimi Hendrix moved into the townhouse in London where George Frederick Handel was believed to have composed "Messiah".
1969:  For the fifth week, Marvin Gaye remained atop the R&B chart with "I Heard It Through The Grapevine".







      
       B.J. Thomas with this feel-good song from 1969...

1969:  Marvin Gaye remained at #1 for the fifth week with "I Heard It Through The Grapevine".  Diana Ross & the Supremes joined the Temptations for the #2 song--"I'm Gonna' Make You Love Me" while Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman climbed to 3.  Young-Holt Unlimited remained in the #4 spot with "Soulful Strut" and B.J. Thomas moved from 10-5 with "Hooked On A Feeling".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Cloud Nine" from the Temptations, Stevie Wonder slipped with "For Once In My Life", Tommy James & the Shondells had a huge hit with "Crimson And Clover", moving from 17 to 8, Diana Ross & the Supremes were also at #9 with "Love Child" and Bobby Vinton reached the Top 10 with "I Love How You Love Me".
1969:  The White Album by the Beatles continued to be unstoppable, #1 for the third straight week out of just five weeks of release.  

1970:  Al Hirt played the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl IV at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.














1971:  Tom Jones released the single "She's A Lady".
1971:  The posthumous album Pearl by Janis Joplin was released.
1971:  Chicago released the album Chicago III.









1975:  Led Zeppelin performed "Kashmir" live for the first time at the Ahoy in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
1975:  Ringo Starr reached #1 on the Adult chart with "Only You".








1975:  Carl Douglas chopped his way up the charts to land a #1 R&B song--"Kung Fu Fighting".
1975:  Elton John's Greatest Hits was #1 for the seventh week on the Album chart.  Jethro Tull's War Child was second.  The only new entry into the Top 10 was Heart Like a Wheel from Linda Ronstadt.







1982:  Journey released the single "Open Arms".
1985:  A rock festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil included Rod Stewart, Queen, AC/DC, Yes, Whitesnake and Iron Maiden.
1986:  The Pet Shop Boys reached #1 in the U.K. with "West End Girls".
1986:  Lionel Richie reached #1 on the R&B chart with "Say You, Say Me".
1986:  Dionne & Friends (Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Stevie Wonder & Gladys Knight) moved to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "That's What Friends Are For".
1990:  Paul McCartney performed the first of 11 sold-out shows at Wembley Arena in London.





1991:  "I Love Your Smile" by Shanice continued into 1991 the way it ended 1990--as the #1 R&B song.
1991:  Richard Marx enjoyed one of his biggest hits as "Keep Coming Back" remained #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for a fourth week.
1992:  Paul Simon began a tour in South Africa, the first artist to perform there since the end of the United Nations cultural boycott.





                        U2's "Mysterious Ways"...

1992:  Nevermind by Nirvana took over at #1 in a great Top 10 on the Album chart.  Ropin' the Wind by Garth Brooks had already been #1, but was so strong it was ready for another try at the top.  Hammer's Too Legit to Quit was third, followed by the strong new release from U2--Achtung Baby.  The rest of the Top 10:  The previous #1 from Michael Jackson--Dangerous, Cooleyhighharmony by Boyz II Men after 33 weeks of release, Guns N' Roses owned the next two spots with their twin releases of Use Your Illusion II and Use Your Illusion I, Metallica remained at #9 with their debut and Michael Bolton slipped to 10 with Time, Love & Tenderness.






En Vogue enjoyed one of their biggest hits...

1997:  Toni Braxton upped her total to six weeks at #1 with "Un-Break My Heart".  R. Kelly would have to settle for having a great #2 song in "I Believe I Can Fly" and En Vogue wasn't going anywhere with "Don't Let Go (Love)".  Keith Sweat moved up with "Nobody" while Whitney Houston registered the #5 song--"I Believe In You And Me".  The rest of the Top 10:  Blackstreet with "No Diggity", New Edition had #7 with "I'm Still In Love With You", Merril Bainbridge was at #8 with "Mouth", Az Yet reached #9 with "Last Night" and Celine Dion's 13th career hit entered the Top 10--"It's All Coming Back To Me Now".
1999:  In today's episode of Inmates Run Rap Music, Sean Combs and Dwight "Heavy D" Myers were found guilty of negligence in a 1991 celebrity basketball game that killed nine people and injured dozens in New York City.  For rap stars, even something as innocent as a celebrity basketball game can be highly dangerous.  Stay away.

1999:  Billy Joel was honored with the Award of Merit at the American Music Awards.









1999:  'N Sync captured the Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist honor at the American Music Awards.
1999:  Barry Pritchard, guitarist and singer of the Fortunes ("You've Got Your Troubles"), died of a heart attack in Swindon, Wiltshire, England at the age of 54.
2001:  Whitney Houston was stopped for possessing marijuana at Keahole-Kona International Airport.  And the Bobby Brown influence was just beginning.
2001:  Neil Sedaka underwent emergency angioplasty in a New York City hospital.
2002:  Mickey Finn, percussionist for T Rex ("Bang A Gong" from 1972), died of kidney and liver problems at age 55 in Croydon, London.
2003:  Alan Whyte, drummer of Oasis, quit the group.
2003:  Paul McCartney had the top tour of 2002, bringing in $103.3 million.  The Rolling Stones collected $87.9 million for their coffers while Cher pulled in $73.6m.
2004:  The bizarre Ted Nugent required 40 stitches when a chainsaw cut his leg while filming his reality show.  Don't know why anyone with intelligence would want to watch someone with his limited intelligence do that, but to each his own.

                                     Matchbox Twenty lands distinguished honor...

2004:  Beyonce and Faith Hill tied for favorite female performer while Matchbox Twenty won favorite group at the People's Choice Awards in Pasadena, California.
2004:  Michell McManus rose to the top of the U.K. chart with "All This Time".







2005:  Jimmy Griffin, guitarist of Bread and co-writer of "For All We Know" for the Carpenters, died from cancer in Franklin, Nashville, Tennessee at age 61.
2005:  Spencer Dryden, drummer with Jefferson Airplane and New Riders of the Purple Sage, died of cancer in Petaluma, California at the age of 66.






2009:  Bruce Springsteen captured a Golden Globe award for Best Original Song for "The Wrestler" from the movie of the same name.
2009:  Lady Gaga had the top U.K. song with "Just Dance".
2010:  Leon Russell ("Lady Blue" from 1975) underwent five hours of successful brain surgery to repair an unspecified chronic condition.



Born This Day:


1895:  Laurens Hammond, inventor of the Hammond organ, was born in Evanston, Illinois; died July 3, 1973 in Cornwall, Connecticut.
1924:  Don Cherry ("Band Of Gold" from 1956) was born in Wichita Falls, Texas; died October 19, 1995 in Malaga, Spain from liver failure caused by hepatitis. Don's son is Eagle-Eye Cherry ("Save Tonight") and his stepdaughter is Neneh Cherry.  (Note:  some websites report his birthplace as Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; according to the official website for Cherry, he was born in Wichita Falls.)







1924:  Slim Harpo ("Baby Scratch My Back" from 1966), guitarist and master of the blues harmonica, was born in Lobdell, Louisiana; died of a heart attack on January 31, 1970 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  (Note:  some websites report his birthplace as Baton Rouge, but the book 'South to Louisiana:  The Music of the Cajun Bayous' by John Broven states that it was Lobdell, about 15 minutes from Baton Rouge.)
1935:  Chuck Barksdale, bass vocalist with the Dells ("Oh What A Night", was born in Chicago, Illinois.





1942:  Clarence Clemons, ace saxophonist with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, was born in Norfolk County, Virginia.  (Note:  some websites report his birthplace as Chesapeake.  While the area where Clemons was born is now known as Chesapeake, peoples' birth certificates aren't subject to change when new cities sprout up at some point in the future.  There was no such city as Chesapeake when Clarence was born.  Clemons was born in Norfolk County, Virginia.)
1943:  Tony Kaye, original keyboardist of Yes, was born in Leicester, England.
1948:  Terry Williams, drummer for Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, Dire Straits and Rockpile, was born in Swansea, Glamorgan, South Wales.
1949:  Dennis Greene of Sha Na Na was born in New York City; died September 5, 2015 of esophageal cancer in Columbus, Ohio. 


1958:  Vicki Peterson, guitarist of the Bangles, was born in Northridge, California.  (Note:  some websites incorrectly list her birthplace as Los Angeles; Los Angeles is a separate city form Northridge--Peterson was born in Northridge, according to 'MTV'.)
1968:  Tom Dumont, guitarist and producer of No Doubt, was born in Los Angeles.







1971:  Mary J. Blige was born in the Bronx, New York.
1971:  Tom Rowlands of the Chemical Brothers was born in Kingston upon Thames, England.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

This Date in Rock Music History: January 10


1956:  It was indeed a magical day in the Rock Era as Elvis Presley recorded "Heartbreak Hotel" at the Methodist television, radio & TV studios in Nashville, Tennessee in his first session since he signed with RCA Victor. 
1958:  The Quarrymen (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Eric Griffiths, Colin Hanton and Len Garry) played at the New Clubmoor Hall in Norris Green, Liverpool, England.
1958:  Jerry Lee Lewis held down the #1 spot in the U.K. with "Great Balls Of Fire".





1963:  Bob Dylan returned to the Troubadour Club in London for a concert.
1964:  The Beatles released the album Introducing the Beatles.  They released a revised version a month later.
1965:  Promoter Sid Bernstein called Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, to propose that the group play a concert in Shea Stadium in New York City.








These Boots Are Made For Walking by Nancy Sinatra on Grooveshark
1966:  Nancy Sinatra released the single "These Boots Were Made for Walkin'".
1968:  The General Secretary for the Movement for the Spiritual Regeneration in New Delhi, India, announced that the Beatles were coming to India to study transcendental meditation.
1970:  Newcomers the Jackson 5 hit #1 on the R&B chart with "I Want You Back".







1970:  B.J. Thomas ruled the Adult chart for the fifth week with "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head".
1971:  The trial over Paul McCartney's move to dissolve the Beatles' partnership began in High Court in London.
1973:  The hard-working ABBA recorded their first single "Ring Ring" in Swedish, German, Spanish and English for worldwide release at Metronome Studio in Stockholm.  Manager Stig Anderson secured Neil Sedaka to write the English lyrics.  (Note:  some websites show other dates for the recording, but according to the landmark book 'Abba:  Bright Lights Dark Shadows' by Carl Magnus Palm, the group began recording the song on January 10.)
1973:  Cliff Richard sang the six entries chosen to represent Britain in the Eurovision Song Contest on The Cilla Black Show on BBC-TV.  Viewers selected "Power To All Our Friends".
1976:  John Denver took over at #1 on the Adult chart with "Fly Away", his duet with Olivia Newton-John.
1976:  "Sing A Song" by Earth, Wind & Fire moved to the #1 spot on the R&B chart.


1976:  "Junk Food Junkie" by Larry Groce was the highest-debuting song.











1976:  "Convoy" by C.W. McCall wasn't just a #1 song; it was a movement.  Barry Manilow had #2--"I Write The Songs", Diana Ross was strong with "Theme From 'Mahogany' (Do You Know Where You're Going To)", the Ohio Players held steady with "Love Rollercoaster", the previous #1 "Saturday Night" fell for the Bay City Rollers and Sweet edged up with "Fox On The Run".
1977:  The squabbles between the Beatles, Apple Records, Allen Klein and ABKCO were declared settled in court.












1978:  Linda Ronstadt released the single "Poor Poor Pitiful Me".










   
                      #1 in 1970, 1981 and forever...

1981:  Eleven years after it was released, "Imagine" by John Lennon returned to #1 in the U.K., where it would spend four more weeks at #1.
1981:  Kool & the Gang spent a fourth straight week at #1 on the R&B chart with "Celebration".
1981:  Leo Sayer had the #1 song on the Adult Contemporary chart for the third week with "More Than I Can Say".





        
                     The incomparable Neil Diamond...

1981:  "(Just Like) Starting Over" by John Lennon was #1 for a third week, holding off the excellent "Love On The Rocks" by Neil Diamond, which was #1 in several markets.  "Guilty" by Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb rose from 7-3 with Blondie's "The Tide Is High" close behind.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Hungry Heart" from Bruce Springsteen, Air Supply had their third smash in a row with "Every Woman In The World", Rod Stewart had his 21st hit with "Passion", Heart was up to 8 with their remake of the Aaron Neville hit "Tell It Like It Is", the former #1 "Lady" by Kenny Rogers was now at 9 and Leo Sayer slipped with "More Than I Can Say".






      
          People were rocking out to "Back In Black"...

1981:  Double Fantasy by John Lennon was #1 on the Album chart for a third week.  Guilty from Barbra Streisand remained second, followed by Hotter Than July by Stevie Wonder and Pat Benatar's Crimes of Passion.  Back In Back from AC/DC was #5 after 21 weeks.  The rest of the Top 10:  Eagles Live, Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits, the Police at 8 with Zenyatta Mondatta, the Soundtrack to "The Jazz Singer" by Neil Diamond and Gaucho from Steely Dan.
1985:  Cyndi Lauper was nominated for five Grammy Awards:  Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Female.  (Note:  some websites mistakenly place the year as 1984.  She was nominated January 10, 1985, and the awards were presented February 26, 1985, according to the official Grammy website.)
1987:  The title song from Janet Jackson's Control album was #1 on the R&B chart.

                  "Naturally" from Huey Lewis & the News...

1987:  Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Live/1975-1985 was the #1 album for a seventh week, as Bon Jovi could not quite topple them with Slippery When Wet and Boston's Third Stage peaked at #3.  The Way It Is from Bruce Hornsby & the Range and Fore!  by Huey Lewis & the News remained in their spots.  The rest of the Top 10:  True Blue from Madonna, Lionel Richie was at #7 with Dancing on the Ceiling, the Bangles burst into the Top 10 after 50 weeks of release with their great album Different Light, Cinderella's Night Songs was ninth and Paul Simon fell to 10 with Graceland.
1987:  Billy Joel's great song "This Is The Time" took over at #1 on the AC chart.

1987:  'Til Tuesday had the highest-debuting song with "Coming Up Close".
1987:  "Walk Like An Egyptian" by the Bangles was #1 for a fourth week.  Billy Vera & the Beaters moved from 15-9 with "At This Moment".








1997:  James Brown was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2003:  Five men were arrested after a major bootleg operation in London and Amsterdam was uncovered by U.K. police.  500 Beatles tapes known as the "Get Back sessions" that had been stolen in the 1970's were recovered.
2003:  Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees suffered a heart attack prior to major stomach surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami, Florida to correct an intestinal blockage and was fighting for his life.
2005:  Spencer Dryden, drummer of Jefferson Airplane and New Riders of the Purple Sage, died from colon cancer at his home in Petaluma, California at age 66.  (Note:  both 'Rolling Stone' and 'Billboard", who have no employees in the 'Associated Press', report the death as being on January 11.  False, according to the 'AP, as shown in 'The New York Times' and 'The Los Angeles Times'.  We'll go with the professionals--Dryden died on January 11.)
2008:  Amelle Berrabah of the Sugababes was arrested after an attack on a car in Aldershot, Hampshire, England.  The charges were quickly dropped when it was discovered Berrabah was not in town at the time of the incident.  (Note:  some websites incorrectly report the date of the arrest as January 9--it was January 10, according to the newspaper 'The Guardian'.)
2008:  Rod Allen Bainbridge, lead singer of the Fortunes ("You've Got Your Troubles" in 1965), died after a battle with liver cancer at age 63 in Coventry, England.

2008:  Radiohead had the #1 album with In Rainbows.
2009:  Fergie, lead singer of the Black Eyed Peas, married Josh Duhamel at the Church Estates Vineyards in Malibu, California.








2011:  Margaret Whiting (many hits before the Rock Era, her best known after 1955 is "The Wheel Of Hurt" from 1966) died from natural causes in Englewood, New Jersey at the age of 86.
2013:  Justin Timberlake announced a comeback attempt with an album (The 20/20 Experience) and tour.



Born This Day:

1917:  Jerry Wexler, producer and music insider who coined the term "rhythm and blues" while writing for Billboard magazine and was responsible for signing or producing hundreds of acts including Led Zeppelin, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Dusty Springfield and Wilson Pickett, was born in The Bronx, New York.  He died August 15, 2008 at his home in Sarasota, Florida of congestive heart failure. 








1927:  Johnny Ray was born in Hopewell, Oregon, near what would later become Salem, Oregon; died of liver failure from years of alcohol abuse on February 24, 1990 at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.  
1935:  Ronnie Hawkins ("Mary Lou" from 1959) was born in Huntsville, Arkansas.








1939:  Scott McKenzie, who wrote the generational anthem "San Francisco", was born in Jacksonville, Florida; died August 18, 2012 in Los Angeles after battling Guillain-Barre syndrome since 2010. 
1939:  Sal Mineo ("Start Movin'" from 1957), primarily a film and theatre actor, was born in The Bronx, New York; died February 12, 1976 when he was stabbed in the alley behind his apartment building in West Hollywood, California.  






1943:  Jim Croce was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died in a light plane crash on September 20, 1973 in Natchitoches, Louisiana.











1945:  Rod Stewart was born in Highgate, London.





 







1946:  Aynsley Dunbar, drummer for Journey, Whitesnake and Jefferson Starship, was born in Liverpool, England.
1946:  Bob Lang, bassist of the Mindbenders ("Game Of Love"), was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England.








1948:  Donald Fagen of Steely Dan was born in Passaic, New Jersey.
1948:  Cyril Neville, percussionist with the Meters, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.






1953:  Pat Benatar (real name Patricia Mae Andrzejewski) was born in Brooklyn, New York.







1955:  Michael Schenker, guitarist of the Scorpions and UFO, was born in Sarstedt, Lower Saxony, Germany.
1955:  Luci Martin of Chic was born in New York City.







1958:  Shawn Colvin ("Sunny Came Home") was born in Vermillion, South Dakota.
1959:  Curt Kirkwood, founding member, songwriter, guitarist and lead singer of the Meat Puppets, was born in Wichita Falls, Kansas.  (Note:  many websites report he was born in Phoenix, Arizona or Wichita Falls, Texas; according to an interview with 'Spin' magazine, Kirkwood said he was born in Wichita Falls, Kansas, and later moved to Phoenix.)
1964:  Brad Roberts, lead singer and guitarist of the Crash Test Dummies, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
1973:  Aerle Taree of Arrested Development was born in Madison, Wisconsin.
1979:  Chris Smith of Kriss Kross was born in Atlanta, Georgia.