Monday, May 4, 2015

This Date in Rock Music History: May 5

1900:  The Billboard (known today as Billboard), in its sixth year, switched production to weekly rather than monthly.
1956:  The Elvis Presley album Elvis becomes the first rock LP to top the Album chart.

1956:  Elvis scored the first #1 of his career with "Heartbreak Hotel".
1958:  Elvis Presley had the top R&B song with "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck".
1962:  Chris Montez recorded "Last Dance".










1962:  One of the great folk rock artists enjoyed their first hit on this date as Peter, Paul & Mary debuted on the chart with their first single--"Lemon Tree".
1962:  Dee Dee Sharp was #1 on the R&B chart with "Mashed Potato Time".
1962:  Mr. Acker Bilk had a huge Easy Listening hit with "Stranger On The Shore".  It was atop the Adult chart for the third out of seven weeks in a row.








1962:  The Shirelles marched to #1 with "Soldier Boy".  Dee Dee Sharp saw an opening and took advantage with "Mashed Potato Time", former #1 "Johnny Angel" from Shelley Fabares was third, followed by Mr. Acker Bilk and "Stranger On The Shore" and Elvis Presley's previous #1, "Good Luck Charm".
1968:  Buffalo Springfield split after a concert at the Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California.








1969:  The Beatles released the single "Get Back" on Apple Records.












1969:  United States President Richard Nixon awarded Stevie Wonder with the Distinguished Service Award for Wonder's commitment to employment of the handicapped.
1972:  America, the Kinks, Donovan, the Grateful Dead, Dr. John, Captain Beefheart, Wishbone Ash, Country Joe MacDonald, New Riders of the Purple Sage and Brinsley Schwarz were among the performers at the three-day Bickershaw Festival in Wigan, Lancashire, England which began on this date. 
1972:  "Pillow Talk" by Sylvia was #1 for a second week on the R&B chart.
1972:  Paul Simon, Chicago and Carole King performed at a benefit for U.S. Presidential candidate George McGovern.  Michelle Phillips, Mama Cass, Judy Collins, Goldie Hawn and Jack Nicholson would all do similar benefits around the country.  Why do you suppose most of the talented entertainers support Democrats?   
1973:  Paul Simon released the album There Goes Rhymin' Simon on Columbia Records.






1973:  Paul Simon released the single "Kodachrome".
1973:  A crowd of 56,800 turned out in Tampa Stadium in Florida to see Led Zeppelin.  
1973:  Aloha from Hawai'i via Satellite by Elvis Presley was the new #1 album in the land.  Houses of the Holy by Led Zeppelin was at #2 with The Best of Bread at #3.  









                                                   Stealer's Wheel tried to get unstuck...


1973:  "Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round The Ole Oak Tree" by Tony Orlando & Dawn was #1 for the third week in a row, with "The Cisco Kid" by War hanging around at #2.  Sweet's "Little Willy" climbed to 3 while Stevie Wonder was heading for the top with "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life".  The rest of the Top 10:  the former #1 "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" by Vicki Lawrence at #5, Dobie Gray made a strong move from 11-6 with "Drift Away", Stealers Wheel had #7--"Stuck In The Middle With You", Donny Osmond was stuck at 8 with "The Twelfth Of Never", the Carpenters fell to 9 with "Sing" and the Edgar Winter Group had a monster hit with "Frankenstein".
1974:  The Stilettoes, who would later become Blondie, made their public debut at CBGB's in New York City.
1979:  "Love Is The Answer" by England Dan & John Ford Coley led the way on the Adult Contemporary chart.






1979:  "Reunited" by Peaches and Herb was #1 on the R&B chart for the second out of four consecutive weeks it would spent at the top.










                                                Frank Mills took his song and ran with it...


1979:  Peaches & Herb took "Reunited" all the way to the top on this date, taking over from "Heart Of Glass" by Blondie.  Frank Mills was next with "Music Box Dancer" with the former #1 "Knock On Wood" from Amii Stewart in fourth.
1984:  Duran Duran owned the #1 U.K. song with "The Reflex".
1984:  Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders and Jim Kerr of Simple Minds were married in New York City's Central Park.
1984:  "Hello" from Lionel Richie was the #1 song on the AC chart for the fifth straight week.

1984:  Phil Collins had the #1 song for a third week with "Against All Odds (Take  A Look At Me Now)".  Lionel Richie was second again with "Hello", while the Thompson Twins were next with "Hold Me Now".  Kenny Loggins followed with "Footloose" and Rick Springfield was up to #5 with "Love Somebody".  The rest of the Top 10:  Willie Nelson & Julio Iglesias with "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", the Cars scored their ninth career hit with "You Might Think", Tracey Ullman's "They Don't Know", Deniece Williams moved into the Top 10 with "Let's Hear It For The Boy" and Culture Club tumbled with "Miss Me Blind".

1986:  Cleveland, Ohio was named as the site for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Really too bad they tarnished it by electing far too many members.
1988:  Pepsi became the first company to buy commercial time in the Soviet Union, purchasing television airtime to show five minutes of commercials, including two showing Michael Jackson's famous commercial.  The commercials were set to run May 17-21.  (Note:  some websites erroneously say the commercial aired on this date.  An article in the newspaper 'The Los Angeles Times' and other newspapers on May 6 may have confused the website owners.  The article never said the commercials were run the previous day.  Rather, they said that Pepsi bought the airtime and that the commercials would air in the Soviet Union on May 17-21.) 
1990:  A tribute concert to John Lennon was at the Pier Head Arena in Merseyside, England.  Tom Petty, Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne, Al Green, Joe Walsh, Natalie Cole, Lou Reed, Joe Cocker, Lenny Kravitz, and Wet Wet Wet performed.
1990:  The talented En Vogue debuted on the chart with their first single--"Hold On".


   
                                "Back on My Feet Again", from Bolton's sixth album...


1990:  Sinead O'Connor was solidly at #1 on the Album chart with I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got and Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 #2.  Soul Provider from Michael Bolton was #3, followed by MC Hammer at 4 with Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em.  The rest of the Top 10:  Paula Abdul with Forever Your Girl, Bonnie Raitt's Nick of Time coming in at #6, Violator from Depeche Mode #7, Heart moving into the Top 10 with Brigade, Pump from Aerosmith at #9 and the debut from Alannah Myles at #10.







                                                  Aerosmith was still going strong...

1990:  "Nothing Compares 2 (sic) U (sic)" by Sinead O' Connor held on to #1 for a third week.  Calloway was second with "I Wanna' Be Rich", Michael Bolton found himself at #3 with "How Can We Be Lovers" and Madonna moved from 12 to 4 with "Vogue".  Heart was up with "All I Wanna' Do Is Make Love To You".  The rest of the Top 10:  Jane Child and "Don't Wanna' Fall In Love", Babyface with "Whip Appeal", Lisa Stansfield dropped with "All Around The World", Aerosmith's 18th career hit "What It Takes" and Janet Jackson moved from 17 to 10 with "Alright".








1990:  Rod Stewart  and Ronald Isley remained at the #1 spot on the Adult Contemporary chart for the third week with "This Old Heart Of Mine".
1992:  The Beach Boys appeared on the ABC-TV show Full House.
1995:  Drummer Steven Adler of Guns N' Roses was arraigned in Van Nuys (California) Municipal Court on heroin possession.








1997:  Bruce Springsteen was awarded the Polar Music Prize by Sweden.
2002:  The plug was pulled on an interview with Ted Nugent on a Denver radio station after Nugent used derogatory racial terms for both Asians and Blacks.  We of course now know what type of low life scum he is.
2005:  "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani was the #1 song.
2005:  Justin Timberlake underwent an operation at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles to remove nodules from his throat.
2008:  Jerry Wallace ("Primrose Lane" from 1959) died of congestive heart failure in Corona, California at the age of 79.




2011:  Nigel Pickering, singer, songwriter, founder, bassist and guitarist with Spanky & Our Gang, died at the age of 80 in St. Augustine, Florida after a long struggle with liver cancer.


Born This Day:
1934:  Ace Cannon, saxophonist who gave us "Tuff" and played for Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and the Oak Ridge Boys, was born in Grenada, Mississippi.
1934:  Johnnie Taylor ("Disco Lady") was born in Crawfordsville, Arkansas; died of a heart attack in Dallas, Texas May 31, 1999, shortly after his 65th birthday.  (Note:  Taylor frequently said he was born in either 1937 or 1938.  The official date of his birth was not revealed until after his death, according to the book 'Encyclopedia of Arkansas Music' by Ali Welky and Mike Keckhaver, and 'MTV'.)  

 



1948:  Bill Ward, drummer for Black Sabbath, was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.  (Note:  some websites, including 'Billboard' say Ward was born in Aston, Birmingham.  Some say he was born in Birmingham, West Midlands.  Birmingham did not become part of the county of West Midlands until 1974 with the Local Government Act, well after Ward was born.  Aston is an area, not a city, and Birmingham is a city, not a county.  Ward was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire.) 
1951:  Rex Goh, guitarist for Air Supply, was born in Singapore.
1962:  Kevin Paul Mooney, bass guitarist with Adam & the Ants, was born in Greenwich, London, England.
1963:  Ian McCulloch, lead singer of Echo and the Bunnymen, was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.  (Note:  some websites claim that Ian McCullough was the lead singer of the group and that he was born on this date.  No one with that name was ever with Echo and the Bunnymen.  The correct spelling of the lead singer is McCulloch.) 
1966:  Shawn Drover, drummer for Megadeth, was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1981:  Craig David was born in Southampton, Hampshire, England.
1989:  Chris Brown was born in Tappahannock, Virginia.

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