Friday, March 14, 2008

This Day In Music History- March 14

Phil Phillips ("Sea Of Love") turns 77.

Producer Quincy Jones (produced records by Michael Jackson and Lesley Gore, as well as "We Are The World") is 75.

Rick Dees ("Disco Duck") is 58.

Songwriter Doc Pomus ("Save The Last Dance For Me", "Suspicion", "Hushabye" and many others) died of lung cancer in 1991.

In 1955, Elvis Presley was interviewed by Jimmy Dean on Jimmy's Washington, DC television show.

In 1965, Petula Clark made her American TV debut on the "Ed Sullivan Show" on CBS.

The movie, "Rock Around The Clock" (with Bill Haley, the Platters and Freddie Bell & the Bellboys) premiered in Washington, DC in 1956.

In 1958, the first official gold record was awarded- to Perry Como for "Catch A Falling Star.”

Jim Pons, bassist for the Turtles and the Mothers of Invention, was born in 1943.

1959-Elvis Presley made the Billboard album chart with "For LP Fans Only". It was the first LP ever issued without the artist's name to be found anywhere on the cover - front or back.

Thieves steal $325,000 worth of Elvis Presley`s jewelry and kitsch from the Elvis-A-Rama Museum in Las Vegas in 2004. Among the stolen inventory: a gold-plated handgun, a custom scarf, a bracelet and Presley`s Humes High School ring from 1953. However, the crooks leave Elvis` blue suede shoes.

1964- For the first time in British recording history, all Top Ten singles in the UK are by British acts. #1 - "Anyone Who Had A Heart" by Cilla Black, #2 - "Bits and Pieces" by The Dave Clark Five, #3 - "Little Children" by Billy J Kramer, #4 - "Diane" by The Bachelors, #5 - "Not Fade Away" by The Rolling Stones, #6 - "Just One Look" by The Hollies, #7 - "Needles and Pins" by The Searchers, #8 - "I Think Of You" by The Merseybeats, #9 - "Boys Cry" by Eden Kane, #10 - "Let Me Go Lover" by Kathy Kirby. Talk about a British invasion!

In 1972, Carole King's "Tapestry" LP was named Album Of The Year at the 14th Grammy Awards. The disc had been 1971's best selling record.

One of Chicago’s founding members and their sax player, Walter Parazaider, was born in the Cubs/White Sox hometown in 1945.

In 1987, Huey Lewis and The News scored their third number one record in the US with a Bruce Hornsby composition, "Jacob's Ladder", one of six singles released from the album "Fore".

Michael Jackson was voted artist of the decade at the annual Soul Train Awards in 1990.

Frankie Avalon hits #1 in the US with "Venus" in 1959. It stayed there for five weeks.

"Me and Bobby McGee," Janis Joplin's only Top Forty hit, reaches #1 in 1971.

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