Saturday, June 22, 2013

This Date in Rock Music History: June 23

1958:  A new singer named Bobby Darin debuted on the charts with his first hit song--"Splish Splash", which eventually landed in the Top 10.
1960:  Paul Anka became the youngest performer (age 20) to perform at the Copacabana in New York City.
1960:  Eddie Cochran hit #1 in the U.K. with "Three Steps To Heaven" a little over two months after he had been killed in a car crash.  (Note:  Some websites claim the song reached #1 three months after Cochran died.  Eddie died April 17, which is barely over two months before the song hit #1.)
1962:  Orlons moved from 60 to 30 with "The Wah Watusi".
1962:  The Soundtrack to "West Side Story" was #1 on the U.K. Album chart.






1962:  Ray Charles made it four straight weeks at #1 for "I Can't Stop Loving You". 
1965:  The Supremes recorded the track "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart".









1965:  Smokey Robinson & the Miracles released the single "Tracks Of My Tears".
1965:  The television favorite Shindig! featured the Byrds, the Kingsmen and Billy Preston.
1965:  The Yardbirds were in concert at City Hall in Salisbury, England.
1966:  The Beatles flew from London to Munich, Germany for the start of what would be their final world tour.
1966:  The Beatles made it 10 #1 songs in their native U.K. as "Paperback Writer"/"Rain" reached the top spot.
1967:  Aretha Franklin recorded "Chain Of Fools" at Atlantic Studios in New York City.





1967:  John Entwistle of the Who married Alison Wise.









1969:  Neil Diamond released the single "Sweet Caroline".  (Note:  one naive website claims the single was released September 16, while another says it was released June 28.  "Sweet Caroline" debuted on the Singles chart on June 28.  It is physically impossible for a record company to mail a single to radio stations, be received by radio stations, listened to and added to station playlists, reported to the trade papers and the trade papers printed and published, all on the same day, and even more impossible for a song to be included on the Singles chart if it has not yet been released as a single.  "Sweet Caroline" was released June 23.)
1970:  Chubby Checker was arrested in Niagara Falls after marijuana and drug capsules were discovered in Checker's car.









1972:  Johnny Nash released the single "I Can See Clearly Now".

1972:  Smokey Robinson performed with the Miracles for the final time in Washington, D.C.
1973:  B.W. Stephenson recorded the great song "My Maria".
1973:  "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" by Bette Midler took over at the top of the Easy Listening chart.








1973:  The Spinners remained on top of the R&B chart for a third week with their great song "One Of A Kind (Love Affair)".













 
    "Great Gig in the Sky" from 'Dark Side of the Moon'...That's Clare Torry on vocal...

1973:  George Harrison's album Living in the Material World became the new #1, taking the place of Red Rose Speedway from Paul McCartney & Wings.  Houses of the Holy by Led Zeppelin was #3 with There Goes Rhymin' Simon from Paul Simon fourth.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Beatles 1967-1970 (The Blue Album) was #5, Diamond Girl from Seals & Crofts was at 6, Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon was in its 15th week on the chart, Made in Japan by Deep Purple was #8, They Only Come Out At Night by the Edgar Winter Group was #9 and Call Me from Al Green was #10.








1973:  The Doobie Brothers' smash "Long Train Runnin'" first hit the Top 10 on this date.
1973:  Paul McCartney & Wings remained at #1 for a fourth week with "My Love".
1975:  Jefferson Starship released the album Red Octopus.










1975:  Elton John released the single "Someone Saved My Life Tonight".
1975:  Alice Cooper fell off the stage in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and broke six ribs.  Welcome to his nightmare.
1976:  Paul McCartney & Wings performed at the Forum in Inglewood, California.  It would be Sir Paul's last live appearance for 13 years.








1977:  Keith Moon of the Who joined Led Zeppelin onstage in Los Angeles, playing tympani on "Moby Dick" and "Rock And Roll".
1977:  The Eagles performed in concert at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.










1979:  "Shadows In The Moonlight" by Anne Murray remained at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart
1979:  After a week at #2 on the Album chart, Supertramp wasn't going away; they returned to #1 with Breakfast in America.











                                                  The Ya-Ya's of sisterhood...

1979:  Donna Summer was about the hottest thing going, keeping her single "Hot Stuff" at #1 while also seeing the follow-up "Bad Girls" move from 11-5.  Sister Sledge had the #2 song "We Are Family", Anita Ward had #3 with "Ring My Bell" and Randy Vanwarmer had his only hit with "Just When I Needed You Most".  The rest of the Top 10:  Supertramp at 6 with "The Logical Song", Rickie Lee Jones had #7--"Chuck E.'s In Love", Kenny Rogers remained at #8 with "She Believes In Me", Earth, Wind & Fire and the Emotions teamed for the #9 song "Boogie Wonderland" and Rex Smith moved into the Top 10 with "You Take My Breath Away".
1981:  Robert Fripp announced a new King Crimson lineup as Bill Bruford, Adrian Belew and Tony Levin join Fripp in the group.




1984:  The late great Dan Fogelberg had the #1 Adult Contemporary song on this date--"Believe In Me".













      
                   "You Might Think", one of the top tracks on 'Heartbeat City'...

1984:  The album Born in the U.S.A. debuted at #9 on the Album chart, kickstarting Bruce Springsteen's career.  In fact, there were some great albums out at the same time (competition is important in evaluating success).  The Soundtrack to "Footloose" was #1, followed closely by Sports from Huey Lewis & the News at #2 after 38 weeks of release.  Can't Slow Down, the solid winner from Lionel Richie, was #3 with Cyndi Lauper's She's So Unusual sitting at #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Cars' great album Heartbeat City was at #5, Love at First Sting from the Scorpions was at #6, followed by Van Halen with 1984 (MCMLXXXIV), Thriller, still at #8 for Michael Jackson after 79 weeks, and Duran Duran remained at 10 with Seven and the Ragged Tiger.







                   People were getting out of their seats to dance to this one...

1984:  Duran Duran reached #1 with "The Reflex" in a pretty good Top 10.  Cyndi Lauper slipped after three weeks at the top with "Time After Time", Deniece Williams had #3 with "Let's Hear It For The Boy" and Bruce Springsteen moved from 9-4 with "Dancing In The Dark".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Self Control" from Laura Branigan, Huey Lewis & the News held steady at #6 with "The Heart Of Rock & Roll", the Pointer Sisters were climbing with "Jump (For My Love)", Prince was up 9 spots with "When Doves Cry", Steve Perry's first solo hit "Oh Sherrie" was at #9 and Billy Idol edged into the Top 10 with his great song "Eyes Without A Face".
1987:  Tiffany appeared in concert at the Bergen Mall in Paramus, New Jersey.  (Note:  several websites incorrectly report Tiffany was at the Paramus Park Mall.  She performed at the Bergen Mall, according to her official website.)
1989:  George Michael received the Silver Clef Award for outstanding contributions to British music.
1990:  "U (sp) Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer was #1 on the R&B chart.
1990:  Elton John reached #1 in the U.K. when the double-sided "Sacrifice" and "Healing Hands" topped the chart.
1990:  Actor Gary Busey, who played Buddy Holly in the movie The Buddy Holly Story, purchased one of Holly's guitars that was offered in an auction for $242,200.
1990:  "Across the River" was the highest debuting song (#63) by Bruce Hornsby & the Range.
1990: M.C. Hammer remained at #1 with the album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em.  The Soundtrack to "I'm Breathless" turned up #2 with Sinead O'Connor chasing with I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got.  Another Soundtrack, "Pretty Woman", remained at #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  Poison by Bell Biv DeVoe, Brigade from Heart, Paul Abdul held steady at #7 with Shut Up and Dance (The Dance Mixes), the great Wilson Phillips debut was at #8, Depeche Mode checked in with Violator and Soul Provider from Michael Bolton remained in the #10 spot.










1991:  C + C Music Factory released the single "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm..."
1994:  Copacabana, a musical based on the career of Barry Manilow, opened at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London.
1996:  Bryan Adams had the top album in the U.K. with 18 'Til I Die.
2000:  Neil Young and Joni Mitchell were honored with a star on the Canada Walk of Fame.
2002:  Nelly began seven weeks at #1 with "Hot In Here".
2004:  Dave Navarro's website put forth a statement that Jane's Addiction had split for good.
2004:  The debuting was easy by this time in the Rock Era as the Beastie Boys had no problem getting to #1 on the Album chart with To the 5 Boroughs in its first week.
2004:  Bob Dylan was made a Doctor of Music by St. Andrews University in Scotland.
2009:  Chris Brown pleaded guilty to assault on his former girlfriend Rihanna.  Brown was sentenced to five years probation and six months community service. 
2010:  Gregg Allman had a liver transplant in Jacksonville, Florida.
2013:  Bobby Bland, who had 37 hits from 1957-1974, who also worked with Van Morrison and B.B. King, died in Germantown, Tennessee at the age of 83.  (Note:  some websites claim Bland died in Memphis, Tennessee.  He died in Germantown, according to his son in an interview with 'CNN'.)

2015:  James Horner, who wrote music for over 100 movies, died at age 61 in Los Padres National Forest in California when the plane he was piloting crashed.  Horner composed music for movies such as Titanic, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind , AvatarField of Dreams, The Lady In Red, Patriot GamesStar Trek II:  The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III:  The Search for Spock and Aliens just to name a few.  Horner won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, shared with lyricist Will Jennings, for "My Heart Will Go On", and another Oscar for Original Dramatic Score.

Horner also wrote the songs "Somewhere Out There" for Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram and "Where Are You, Christmas?" for Faith Hill.


Born This Day:
1937:  Niki Sullivan, one of the members of Buddy Holly's backing band the Crickets, who co-wrote several of Buddy's hits, was born in South Gate, California; died April 6, 2004 of a heart attack at his home in Sugar Creek, Missouri.  (Note:  several websites claim Sullivan died in Independence, Missouri.  He died in Sugar Creek, according to Colin Larkin in the book 'The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'.)


1940:  Stuart Sutcliffe, bassist and the "fifth Beatle", was born in Edinburgh, Scotland; died of a brain hemorrhage in Hamburg, Germany on April 10, 1962.
1941:  Robert Hunter, who wrote the lyrics for Grateful Dead, was born in Arroyo Grande, California.  (Note:  some websites incorrectly say Hunter was born in San Luis Obispo, California.  According to the book 'The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics:  The Collected Lyrics of Grateful Dead' by Hunter, David G. Dodd and John Barlow, Robert was born in Arroyo Grande.)
1944:  Rosetta Hightower, lead singer of Orlons (biggest hit:  "The Wah Watusi"), was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died August 2, 2014 in Clapham, London, England.
1962:  Steve Shelley, drummer of Sonic Youth, was born in Midland, Michigan.
1965:  Paul Arthurs, guitarist for Oasis, was born in Burnage, Manchester, England.



1977:  Jason Mraz, who has charted several hits including "I'm Yours" from 2008, was born in Mechanicsville, West Virginia.

Friday, June 21, 2013

This Date in Rock Music History: June 22

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

1959:  "Kansas City" by Wilbert Harrison, one of the top R&B songs of the Rock Era, remained at #1 for a seventh week for that format.
1960:  Hank Ballard & the Moonlighters performed on American Bandstand.
1961:  The Beatles recorded "Ain't She Sweet", "Cry For A Shadow", "When The Saints Go Marching In", "Why", "Nobody's Child" and "My Bonnie".  (Note:  some websites falsely say the songs were recorded June 24.  According to the book 'The Beatles Encyclopedia:  Everything Fab Four' by Kenneth Womack and several other reputable sources, the Beatles recorded these songs in a session on June 22.)
1963:  A famous day in the Rock Era as Stevie Wonder, or Little Stevie Wonder as he was known back then, debuted on the chart with his first single--"Fingertips - Pt 2". 
1963:  The fastest-rising song was "Surf City" by Jan & Dean, which surfed from #68 to #20 on this date.
1963:  "One Fine Day" reached the Top 10 for the Crystals.
1963:  Lesley Gore remained at #1 on the R&B chart with "It's My Party".







1964:  Dean Martin released the single "Everybody Loves Somebody".


















1964:  The Drifters released the single "Under The Boardwalk".
1964:  The Beatles played at Wellington Town Hall in New Zealand.











1967:  The Rascals recorded "How Can I Be Sure", with that unforgettable vocal from Eddie Brigatti.
1967:  Mick Jagger and Keith Richards went on trial for drug possession in Chichester, West Sussex, England.  (Note:  many websites say the trial was in London.  It was in Chichester, according to the 'BBC'.)
1968:  In the U.K., the #1 song was "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones.
1968:  Otis Redding went to #1 posthumously in the U.K. with the album Dock of the Bay.









1968:  "This Guy's In Love with You" by Herb Alpert became the new #1 song, ending a three week run by "Mrs. Robinson" from Simon & Garfunkel.  That classic dropped to 3 and moving up to 2 was "MacArthur Park" from actor Richard Harris.  The Ohio Express was singing about "Yummy Yummy Yummy" at #4 while Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 had their great sound at #5 with "The Look Of Love".  The rest of the Top 10:  Tommy James & the Shondells with "Mony Mony", Aretha Franklin's "Think" at #7, Merrilee Rush moved into the Top 10 with "Angel Of The Morning", Archie Bell & the Drells had #9--"Tighten Up" and Friend and Lover had a Top 10 song with "Reach Out Of The Darkness".  1971:  Joni Mitchell released the album Blue.  (Note:  numerous websites incorrectly list the release date as June 1.  The date of release was June 22, according to Joni's official website.)






1974:  "You Won't See Me" by Anne Murray was the new #1 on the Easy Listening chart.
1974:  Sundown by Gordon Lightfoot was the new #1 album. 
1980:  Don McLean rose to #1 in the U.K. with his remake of the Roy Orbison song "Crying".
1983:  The always confused Ozzy Osbourne changed his mind and decided that yes, he will tour with Black Sabbath after all.
1984:  A reformed Aerosmith opened a tour with the first of two dates at the Capitol Theater in Concord, New Hampshire.  (Note:  Many websites report that the tour started on June 2.  According to the book 'Rocks:  My Life In and Out of Aerosmith' by guitarist Joe Perry, the show was on June 22.)








1985:  Born in the U.S.A. was still only down to #5 after 53 weeks on the Album chart.  The blockbuster from Bruce Springsteen had been in the Top 10 every one of those 53 weeks.
1985:  Survivor climbed to the top of the AC chart with "The Search Is Over".

1985:  Bryan Adams had his first #1 song with "Heaven".  
1988:  Jesse Ed Davis, popular session guitarist with John Lennon, Eric Clapton, the Monkees, Steve Miller, Jackson Browne and Harry Nilsson, died from heroin in Venice, California at the age of 43.
1990:  Corinthian "Kripp" Johnson of the Dell-Vikings died of prostrate cancer at age 54 in Pontiac, Michigan.








1990:  Billy Joel became the first rock artist to perform at Yankee Stadium. 
1990:  Sinead O'Connor, Ry Cooder, Del Amitri and Jesus Jones performed at the Glastonbury Festival.
1991:  The Jimi Hendrix handwritten lyrics to "Room Full Of Mirrors" sold for $35,200 at an auction in New York City.
1991:  Paula Abdul spent a second week at #1 with "Rush, Rush". 
1991:  The funeral for Joe Kubert of Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels was held in Royal Oak, Michigan.
1992:  This combination is a little strange.  At a concert at the Town & Country Club in London, Tom Jones was joined on stage by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour.
1993:  Collective Soul released their fabulous debut album Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid on the independent label Rising Storm.  The track "Shine" did so well on college radio that the group signed a contract with Atlantic Records, which re-released the album the following year.
1996:  Load by Metallica debuted at #1 on the Album chart.
1997:  Hanson had the #1 U.K. album with Middle of Nowhere.
2002:  "The Edge", guitarist of U2, married his girlfriend Morleigh Steinberg in Eze, France.  Bono, Lenny Kravitz and Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics were among the guests.
2003:  Beyonce released the album Dangerously in Love.  (Note:  several websites report the date of release as June 20.  It was released on June 22, according to 'Billboard' magazine and the book Beyoncé: A Biography of a Legendary Singer' by Michael A. Schuman.)


2003:  The great group Evanesence scored a double in the U.K. with the #1 song "Bring Me To Life" and the #1 album Fallen.
2003:  Clay Aiken had the #1 song in the United States with "This Is The Night".
2003:  Luther Vandross topped the Album chart with Dance With My Father.
2005:  The Foo Fighters debuted at #2 on the Album chart with In Your Honor.  Man, easy to get high debuts these days--it's almost like there's no competition.  Hmmm.
2008:  "Viva La Vida" from Coldplay was the #1 song.
2010:  The Eagles appeared at the Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.


Born This Day:
1936:  Singer, songwriter and actor Kris Kristofferson was born in Brownsville, Texas.
1940:  Jimmy Castor ("Trogladyte Cave Man" from 1972) was born in Manhattan, New York; died January 16, 2012 of cancer in Henderson, Nevada.  (Note:  Some websites still report Jimmy was born in either 1943 or 1947.  According to 'The New York Times' from an interview with Castor's son, Jimmy for years let people believe he was younger than he was.  The son confirmed that Castor was born in 1940.  Some websites lazily say he was born in New York City, which of course is made up of independent boroughs.  One source reports he was born in the Bronx.  According to the newspaper 'The New York Times', Castor was born in Manhattan and lived in the Bronx. )
1943:  Bobby Harrison, singer-songwriter and drummer of Procol Harum, was born in East Ham, London, England.


1944:  Peter Asher, singer and guitarist of Peter & Gordon and a highly successful producer and manager, was born in London.  Asher signed and managed James Taylor and produced most of Linda Ronstadt's great albums as well as those of Bonnie Raitt, Andrew Gold and J.D. Souther, before being named vice president of Sony in 1995. 
1947:  Howard Kaylan, "Eddie" in the duo Flo & Eddie and later a member of the Turtles, was born in the Bronx, New York.  (Note:  several websites lazily say Howard was born in New York City.  He was born in the Bronx, according to the official website of the Turtles.)









1948:  Todd Rundgren was born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.  (Note:  some websites claim Rundgren was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Rundgren was born in Upper Darby, a suburb of Philadelphia, according to the book 'A Wizard, a True Star:  Todd Rundgren in the Studio' by Paul Myers.)

1949:  Alan Osmond of the Osmonds was born in Ogden, Utah.









1953:  Cyndi Lauper was born in Brooklyn, New York.  (Note:  some websites report Cyndi was born in Queens, New York.  According to 'MTV', she was born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens.)
1956:  Derek Forbes, the original bass guitarist of Simple Minds, was born in Glasgow, Scotland.
1956:  Green Gartside, frontman of Scritti Politti was born in Cardiff, Wales.
1957:  Garry Gary Beers, founder and bass guitarist of INXS, was born in Manley, New South Wales.  (Note:  some websites insist Garry was born in Sydney, Australia.  According to the official website for INXS, he was born in Manley.)
1961:  Jimmy Somerville, lead singer for Bronski Beat ("Smalltown Boy") and later the Commodores, was born in Glasgow, Scotland.
1964:  Mike Edwards of Jesus Jones ("Right Here Right Now") was born in London.
1965:  Tom Cunningham, drummer of Wet Wet Wet, was born in Drumchapel, Glasgow.
1970:  Steven Page, guitarist of Barenaked Ladies, was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.

Featured Unknown/Underrated Song: "Wheel In The Sky" by Journey

Ah, the days before they became world-beaters.  Steve Perry had just joined them and they were ready to rock.  Here is Journey's first single, which only made it to #57:
Wheel in the Sky
Journey


Words and Music by Robert Fleischman, Neal Schon and Diane Valory


Winter is here again oh Lord,
Haven't been home in a year or more
I hope she holds on a little longer
Sent a letter on a long summer day
Made of silver, not of clay
I've been runnin' down this dusty road

[Chorus:]
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
I don't know where I'll be tomorrow
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'

I've been trying to make it home
Got to make it before too long
I can't take this very much longer
I'm stranded in the sleet and rain
Don't think I'm ever gonna make it home again
The mornin' sun is risin'
It's kissing the day

[Chorus]

Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
I don't know where I'll be tomorrow
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'

Thursday, June 20, 2013

This Date in Rock Music History: June 21

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




1961:  Bobby Vee recorded "Take Good Care Of My Baby".
1966:  The Rolling Stones sued 14 New York City hotels that refused to let the band stay there, accusing them of "discrimination on account of national origin."  Did they ever think it might have been because of the people they were?
1966:  The Marquee Club in London was all abuzz about that new guitarist with the Yardbirds.  Jimmy Page appeared in concert for the first time with his new group.
1966:  Tom Jones required 14 stitches in his forehead after a car crash in Marble Arch, London.
1966:  The Beatles recorded the song "She Said She Said", the final track recorded for their upcoming album Revolver.
1967:  The Grateful Dead, Big Brother & the Holding Company and Quicksilver Messenger Service performed at Summer Solstice celebrations at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.





1969:  "Get Back", one of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era* maintained its position at #1 for the Beatles, making it five weeks in a row.  Henry Mancini's beautiful "Love Theme From 'Romeo & Juliet'" held steady at #2, CCR was up one with "Bad Moon Rising", while Elvis Presley took position #4 with his timeless "In The Ghetto".  The rest of the Top 10:  Marvin Gaye moved up to 5 with "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby", Three Dog Night climbed up to 6 with "One", Mercy's great one and only hit "Love (Can Make You Happy)" was on its way down to #7, the Friends of Distinction came in at #8 with "Grazing In The Grass", Oliver had #9 with "Good Morning Starshine" and Blood, Sweat & Tears had their second Top 10 song (moving 18-10) with "Spinning Wheel".









1971:  Rare Earth released their new single "I Just Want to Celebrate".

1972:  Led Zeppelin was at the Denver Coliseum in Denver, Colorado.









1973:  Bread played their last concert at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah.
1975:  Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple to form the hard rock group Rainbow.
1975:  If you weren't at London's Wembley Stadium on this date, you missed out.  There, you would see Elton John, the Eagles, the Beach Boys, Rufus and future Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh in concert.
1975:  The Eagles performed at the Day of the Green Concert in England to a crowd of over 120,000 along with the Doobie Brothers and Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen.
1975:  The Bee Gees had the fastest-rising hit within the Top 100--"Jive Talkin'", which moved from 65 to 41 on this date.
1975:  "Midnight Blue" by Melissa Manchester became the new #1 Easy Listening song.







1975:  Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy by Elton John was #1 on the Album chart for the third week--every week of its release.  The great album Venus and Mars from Wings moved from 25 to 2 but was still a long ways from the top, and That's the Way of the World from Earth, Wind & Fire was third.









1975:  The Captain & Tennille turned the Neil Sedaka song "Love Will Keep Us Together" into their first #1 song.  Linda Ronstadt came in second with "When Will I Be Loved", the amazing song "Wildfire" moved from 12-3 for Michael Murphey and Jessi Colter was at 4 with "I'm Not Lisa".  The rest of the Top 10:  Major Harris was at #5 with "Love Won't Let Me Wait", America's former #1 "Sister Golden Hair" was at #6, Van McCoy had the sound of the times with "The Hustle" which moved from 29-7 on this date, Joe Simon was at #8 with "Get Down, Get Down", Wings scored their 10th Top 10 and 14th overall with "Listen To What The Man Said" (including the Beatles, it made Top 10 hit #43 and hit # 79 for Paul McCartney) and Average White Band registered a Top 10 with "Cut The Cake".
1976:  Wings wrapped up their first North American tour at the Los Angeles Forum.
1979:  Angus MacLise, former drummer of Velvet Underground, died of tuberculosis in Kathmandu at age 41.
1979:  Mick Taylor released his first solo album since leaving the Rolling Stones in 1975.
1980:  The Beach Boys, Santana, Mike Oldfield and Lindisfarne performed at Knebworth Park in England.
1980:  Glass Houses from Billy Joel was #1 on the Album chart for a second week.
1980:  Singer, songwriter and arranger Bert Kaempfert passed away at the age of 56 after suffering a stroke in Majorka, Spain.
1981:  Donald Fagan and Walter Becker announced that Steely Dan was breaking up.











1982:  Crosby, Stills & Nash released their comeback single "Wasted On The Way".
1986:  "There'll Be Sad Songs" by Billy Ocean took over at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.











1986:  Heart posted the sixth Top 10 hit of their career when "Nothin' At All" jumped into the list on this date.










                                        The Outfield had a Top 10 album...

1986:  The debut album Whitney Houston was #1 for a 13th week, and in its 65th week of release no less.  Winner in You from Patti LaBelle was #2 followed by Janet Jackson's Control and Like a Rock from Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band.  The rest of the Top 10:  5150 by Van Halen, Raised on Radio remaining at 6 for Journey, Please by the Pet Shop Boys, Love Zone from Billy Ocean moving into the Top 10, Parade from Prince and Play Deep by the Outfield at #10.
1988:  The Rascals began a reunion tour.
1988:  Bruce Springsteen thrilled fans with a show at the Aston Villa Football Club in Birmingham, England.






1990:  Little Richard received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.












1993:  Whitney Houston released the single "Run To You".
1993:  Some groups, like the Eagles for example, can be adults--others can't.  On this date, the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal from John Fogerty, who was trying to recoup legal fees from a battle over song copyrights with the other former members of Creedence Clearwater Revival.  This is 30 years after the band broke up.  Soon they will die and they'll discover that all of this wasn't really that important.
1998:  Bobby Brown was charged with sexual battery at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel.  What a surprise.
2002:  U2 and the Corrs performed during the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland.
2003:  R.E.M. began the European leg of their first tour in four years at the Tivoli in Utrecht, the Netherlands. 
2006:  Busta Rhymes had the top album with The Big Bang.
2008:  Disturbed had the top album with Indestrucible.


Born This Day:

1932:  O.C. Smith ("Little Green Apples" from 1968) was born in Mansfield, Louisiana; died November 23, 2001 after suffering a heart attack in Los Angeles.



1944:  Ray Davies, the founder and genius behind the Kinks, was born in Muswell Hill, London, England.  (Note:  some websites lazily say Davies was born in London, while some say he was born in Fortis Green.  London is both a city and county, so saying one was born in London doesn't tell us much, while Fortis Green is a neighborhood, not a city.  According to the book 'Legends of Rock Guitar:  The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists' by Pete Prown, Harvey P. Newquist and Jon F. Eiche, Davies was born in Muswell Hill, London.)
1944: Miguel Vicens of Los Bravos ("Black Is Black" from 1966) was born in O Ferrol, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain.

1947:  Joey Molland, songwriter and guitarist for Badfinger, was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.  (Note:  some websites report Molland was born in Edge Hill, Liverpool, England.  Edge Hill is a district within Liverpool, not its own city.  Reporting a birthplace as Edge Hill, Liverpool implies that Liverpool is a county, which it is not.)
1949:  Greg Munford of Strawberry Alarm Clock
1950:  Joey Kramer, drummer of Aerosmith, was born in the Bronx, New York.  (Note:  many websites lazily say Joey was born in New York City, which of course is made up of several boroughs that are all census-designated.  Joey was born in the Bronx, according to the book 'Aerosmith:  Hard Rock Superstars' by Jeff Burlingame.)

1951: Alan Silson of Smokie ("If You Think You Know How To Love Me") was born in Birkenshaw, Yorkshire, England.

(Note:  some websites say he was born in Birkenshaw, West Yorkshire, England.  West Yorkshire became a county effective in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act of 1972.  Since Silson was born 21 years before this, it is impossible for him to have been born in West Yorkshire and you will never see West Yorkshire listed as his County of Birth on his official birth certificate.)

1951:  Nils Lofgren, a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and also a solo performer, was born in Chicago, Illinois.

1957:  Mark Brzezicki, drummer of Big Country, was born in Slough, Buckinghamshire, England.  (Note:  some websites naively say Mark was born in Slough, Berkshire, England.  Slough was not included in the county of Berkshire until 1974, 17 years after he was born.  Thus, it is impossible for him to have been born in the county of Berkshire and you will never see Berkshire listed as his County of Birth on his official birth certificate.)
1959:  Marcella Detroit (real name Marcella Levy) of Shakespear's Sister and the songwriter of "Lay Down Sally" for Eric Clapton, was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1968:  Sonique ("It Feels So Good" and Sky" from 2000) was born in London.  (Note:  some websites say Sonique was born in Crouch End, London.  Crouch End is an area of London, not a separate city.)
1975:  Justin Carey, bassist of Sixpence None the Richer
1976:  Michael Einziger, co-songwriter and guitarist of Incubus, was born in Los Angeles.