Tuesday, August 19, 2008

This Date In Music History- August 19

Birthdays:

Billy J. Kramer ("Bad To Me") turns 65.

Johnny Nash ("I Can See Clearly Now") is 68.

Don Fardon ("Indian Reservation") is 65.

Ginger Baker of Cream ("Sunshine Of Your Love") turns 68.

Ian Gillan (from Deep Purple) was born in 1945.

Elliot Lurie, singer with New Jersey rockers Looking Glass, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1948. He formed the group while at Rutgers University, and enjoyed a No. 1 hit in 1972 with "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)."

John Deacon (from Queen) was born in 1951.

Roger Cook, songwriter, and a member of Blue Mink, was born in 1940. Cook has had more than 80 top 30 hits, including ‘Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart’, ‘Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress’ , ‘You’ve Got Your Troubles’ and ‘I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing.’

History:

The Beatles scored their 14th US No.1 single in 1967 with 'All You Need Is Love.' Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Keith Moon, Graham Nash, Marianne Faithfull and Walker Brother Gary Leeds all sang backing vocals on the track.

Blues guitar god Blind Willie McTell died in Milledgeville, Ga. in 1959, from a brain hemorrhage. The 58-year-old legend had given up music to become a pastor.

NBC debuted their Rock and Roll TV show "Midnight Special," in 1972 with Wolfman Jack announcing. The first show featured War performing their million selling US hit "Slippin' Into Darkness".

In 1988, ‘Crazy’ by Patsy Cline, and Elvis Presley’s, ‘Hound Dog’ were announced as the most played jukebox songs of the first hundred years. The jukebox had been around since 1906, but earlier models had been first seen in 1889.

Betty Everett ("The Shoop Shoop Song") died in 2001.

A suitcase thought to contain Beatles memorabilia and recordings discovered at an Australian flea market in 2004, turned out to be a hoax, with many of the items mere photocopies or phonies. There were no recordings. Reminds us all to be careful.

After 58 episodes, the final Monkees TV show aired on NBC in 1968. Since the its initial run, almost every major cable network has aired re-runs of the show, including a popular stint on CBS from 1969-1972.

The Bee Gees' 25th charting album, 'One', was released in 1989. The title track reaches #7 and the band tours for the first time in nearly a decade.

The first American tour by the Beatles began in San Francisco, CA in 1964. The tour would cover 26 cities.

Fleetwood Mac's reunion album "The Dance" was released in 1997.

"Hard Luck Blues" by Roy Brown and His Mighty Mighty Men hit the top of the US R&B chart in 1950. Brown wrote Wynonie Harris' 1948 hit, "Good Rockin' Tonight", which is recognized by many Rock historians as a precursor to the Rock 'n' Roll era and was covered by Elvis Presley in 1954.

The Beatles were on the receiving end of an assassination threat during a concert in Memphis, Tennessee in 1966. During the second show, a firecracker is thrown on stage, but the band continued to play and the night went on without further incident.

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