Monday, March 12, 2018

This Date in Rock Music History: March 13

1956:  Elvis Presley released his self-titled debut album on RCA Records, believed to be the first album to sell one million copies.
1961:  Rick Nelson recorded "Travelin' Man".
1961:  Chubby Checker took over at #1 on the R&B chart with "Pony Time".




1961:  "Pony Time" by Chubby Checker was #1 for a third week overall with Elvis Presley waiting behind with "Surrender".












1964:  Mary Wells released the single "My Guy".
1964:  Sales of Beatles records accounted for 60% of the market, unprecedented in music history to that time and since.
1965:  Eric Clapton left the Yardbirds.









1965:  Meet the Beatles became the #1 album in U.S. history, topping 3.5 million units.
1965:  Tom Jones made his television debut on The Billy Cotton Band Show on BBC-TV.
1965:  "Shotgun" by Jr. Walker & the All-Stars was the new #1 song on the R&B chart.
1965:  The Soundtrack to "Mary Poppins", which had hung around the top for several weeks, finally became the #1 album.  








1965:  "Eight Days A Week" became the seventh #1 song for the Beatles in just over a year.  That sent the Temptations down with "My Girl" while the Supremes became a factor as "Stop!  In The Name Of Love" moved from 13-3.  Gary Lewis & the Playboys were next with "This Diamond Ring".  The rest of the Top 10:  Jewel Akens with "The Birds And The Bees", Roger Miller's "King Of The Road", Gerry & the Pacemakers moved from 9 to 7 with "Ferry Across The Mersey", Herman's Hermits were up big (19-8) with "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat", the Kingsmen dropped with their tale of "The Jolly Green Giant" and Little Anthony & the Imperials found the Top 10 with "Hurt So Bad".
1966:  Pink Floyd debuted live at the Marquee Club in London.
1962:  James Darren was a guest star on the television show Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea on ABC.
1966:  Rod Stewart left the group Steampacket to start a solo career.  
1967:  Six members of Sounds, Incorporated (three saxophones, two trombones and one french horn) recorded the parts for "Good Morning Good Morning" for the Beatles' upcoming album.
1969:  The Elvis Presley movie Charro! opened in theaters.

1971:  Pearl by the late Janis Joplin was #1 on the Album chart for the third week.  The Soundtrack to "Love Story" remained second with Chicago III in third.  Another Soundtrack--"Jesus Christ Superstar" was fourth followed by Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection and Abraxas from Santana.  The rest of the Top 10:  Love Story by Andy Williams, The Cry of Love by Jimi Hendrix moved from 18-8 in only its second week while CCR held steady with Pendulum and Barbra Streisand enjoyed another Top 10 album with Stoney End.
1971:  The Carpenters remained at #1 on the Adult chart for the third week with "For All We Know".









   
                           CCR with their 16th and 17th hits in a little over three years...

1971:  The Osmonds incredibly remained at #1 a fourth week with "One Bad Apple", even though most radio stations had other songs at #1 by now.  Janis Joplin moved to #2 with "Me And Bobby McGee", the Carpenters were next with "For All We Know" and the Temptations remained fourth with "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)".  The rest of the Top 10:  Tom Jones enjoyed a good week, moving to #5 with "She's A Lady", "Mama's Pearl" by the Jackson 5, Ike & Tina Turner moved to #7 with the CCR classic "Proud Mary", CCR themselves had their fourth consecutive double/sided Top 10 with "Have You Ever Seen The Rain"/"Hey Tonight", the Partridge Family found themselves at #9 with "Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted" and Gordon Lightfoot's big hit "If You Could Read My Mind" was now at #10.  














1972: Cat Stevens released the single "Morning Has Broken".
1976:  The Jackson 5 left Motown Records for Epic and changed their name to the Jacksons.
1976:  The Captain & Tennille took a second Neil Sedaka song to #1 on the Adult chart--"Lonely Night (Angel Face)". 











1976:  The Four Seasons, one of the groups affected (they all were, to some extent) by the onset of the Beatles, hit #1 for the first time in 12 years with "December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)".  Eric Carmen was still at #2 with "All By Myself" with previous #1 "Love Machine" by the Miracles third.  The Eagles flew higher with "Take It To The Limit" and Gary Wright was at #5 with "Dream Weaver".  The rest of the Top 10:  The Captain & Tennille with "Lonely Night (Angel Face)", the "Theme From 'S.W.A.T.'" by Rhythm Heritage, Nazareth edged up with "Love Hurts", Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan climbed in with "Sweet Thing" and Larry Groce had a novelty hit with "Junk Food Junkie".







                         "Desperado" helped sales of the Eagles' Greatest Hits...

1976:  Eagles/Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, which debuted at #4 the previous week, was the new #1 album.  Very few groups could put out a greatest hits package after five years and have it be the top-selling album of all-time but that is what happened with this release.  Frampton Comes Alive!  by Peter Frampton was second with Desire by Bob Dylan out of its league with those two.  The self-titled Fleetwood Mac was fourth while David Bowie's Station to Station and Stanley, Idaho's Carole King (Thoroughbred) trailed.  The rest of the Top 10:  Still Crazy After All These Years by Paul Simon, still in the Top 10 after 21 weeks, Rufus Featuring Chaka KhanRun with the Pack by Bad Company and America's Greatest Hits--History was #10.
1978:  ABBA began recording the album Voulez-Vous.





 
1979:  Olivia Newton-John received the Officer of the Order of the British Empire medal from Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in London.












1981:  The single "Watching The Wheels" by John Lennon was released posthumously.
1982:  Most people wouldn't hear of this Canadian until the following year, but on this date, he first entered the chart with his debut single--"Lonely Nights".  Bryan Adams no doubt celebrated heartily.







           
                                                     The Go-Go's had arrived...

1982:  The J. Geils Band held on to #1 for a sixth week with "Centerfold" while Journey's "Open Arms", which was a better record, stayed at #2.  Joan Jett & the Blackhearts slowed down with "I Love Rock 'N Roll" and the Cars were at 4 with "Shake It Up".  The rest of the Top 10:  "That Girl" from Stevie Wonder", Air Supply's "Sweet Dreams", the Go-Go's had their first Top 10 with "We Got The Beat", Diana Ross and "Mirror, Mirror", Dan Fogelberg at #9 with "Leader Of The Band" and the Little River Band head steady at #10 with "Take It Easy On Me".






1984:  The Cars released the album Heartbeat City. 
1987:  Bryan Adams released "Heat Of The Night" as a cassette single (or a cassingle, as it was called), the first of its kind.
1987:  Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.








1989:  Madonna released the single "Like A Prayer".
1993:  Unplugged, the new album from Eric Clapton, was the new #1, taking over for "The Bodyguard" Soundtrack.  Other notable albums:  Breathless by Kenny G at #4, Duran Duran debuted at #7 with their self-titled comeback album and the Spin Doctors were at #10 with Pocket Full of Kryptonite.
1993:  "Freak Me" by Silk took over at #1 on the R&B chart.
1993:  Canada's Snow moved to #1 with "Informer".









1999:  Cher became the oldest woman to ever have a #1 song when "Believe" reached the top. 
2004:  Travis Barker, drummer of Blink-182, broke his foot while getting off a bus in Melbourne, Australia, forcing a delay in the group's tour plans.
2005:  Lyn Collins (nicknamed "The Funky Preacher") , one of the backup singers for James Brown, died at the age of 56 of cardiac arrhythmia in Pasadena, California.  (Note:  some websites report that Collins died in Los Angeles--not true, according to the newspaper 'The New York Times'.  The 'Times' states that Collins died in Pasadena.) 
2006:  The Kinks made the most money selling out their music for commercials, with Kinks music used to sell laundry detergent, computers and medicines.  Other sellouts include Led Zeppelin in second and the Rolling Stones third.
2006:  Blondie, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Sabbath and a few other members who have no business in a Rock Hall of Fame were inducted in a ceremony in New York City.

Born This Day:
                                                              Stoller, Presley, Leiber...

1933:  Mike Stoller, part of the Leiber & Stoller songwriting team that kept Elvis Presley supplied with material ("Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock") was born in Queens, New York.  (Note:  some websites claim Stoller was born on Long Island, and the notorious 'Allmusic.com' says he was born in New York City.  Other sites list his birthplace as Belle Harbor, Long Island.  First, Belle Harbor is a neighborhood, not a city, so it is not an official place of birth, and you will never see a birth certificate list it.  Second, Belle Harbor is located in the borough of Queens.  Long Island is just that, an island, which contains the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn.  You won't see Long Island on a birth certificate either.  According to the official website for publisher Simon & Schuster, as well as the books 'Hound Dog:  The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography', published by Simon & Schuster and 'Encyclopedia of the Blues' by Edward Komara, Mike was born in Queens.)






1939:  Neil Sedaka was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1940:  Daniel Bennie of the Reflections was born in Johnstone, Scotland.
1949:  Donald York of Sha Na Na was born in Boise, Idaho.









1950:  Danny Kirwan, guitarist of Fleetwood Mac, was born in London.
1959:  Ronnie Rogers, guitarist of T'Pau ("Heart And Soul"), was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.












1960:  Adam Clayton, guitarist of U2, was born in Chinnore, Oxfordshire, England.
1973:  David Draiman, lead singer of Disturbed, was born in Brooklyn, New York.

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