Tuesday, December 9, 2008

This Date In Music History-December 9

Birthdays:

Donny Osmond is 51.

Rick Danko (The Band) 1943

Songwriter Joan Armatrading (1950)

Jakob Dylan (Wallflowers) 1969

'Tre Cool', drums, Green Day (1972)

Sam Strain (Little Anthony & the Imperials & The O'Jays) has a birthday today (1940)

They Are Missed:

The late Shirley Brickley (Orlons) was born in 1944.

Freddie Marsden of Gerry & the Pacemakers passed away in 2006.

Georgia Gibbs died of complications of leukemia in 2006.

Sonny Til of the Orioles died of a heart attack in 1981.

Born on this day in 1932, Junior Wells, US blues singer, harmonica player, toured with The Rolling Stones in 1970. He died in 1998.

The late William Powell (O'Jays) was born in Canton, Ohio in 1941.

History:

The Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" topped the Cashbox Magazine Best Sellers Chart in 1961, for the first of a four week run.

Even though they had disbanded 25 years earlier, The Beatles had the #1 album in the US in 1995 when "Anthology" hit the top for the first of three weeks. It would go on to sell over 4 million copies and included rare Beatle recordings in the form of demos, alternate takes, live versions and previously unreleased material.

"Tommy" was performed at London's Rainbow Theatre in 1972. The recording of the event was released the next year.

In 1995, the surviving members of the Grateful Dead officially disbanded the group following Jerry Garcia's death in August.

Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" was released in 1972. It would become his fourth US Top Ten hit and first #1 single.

In 1974, George Harrison released his first album on his Dark Horse label, appropriately entitled "Dark Horse."

In 1978, John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd released their version of Sam & Dave's "Soul Man" under the name The Blues Brothers. They would reach #14 in the US, while the original had topped out at #2.

According to a poll released in the US in 1988, the music of Neil Diamond was favored as the best background music during sex. Beethoven was the second choice and Luther Vandross was voted third. What, no Barry White? (I guess that is for foreplay).

Bill Wyman retired from the Rolling Stones in 1992.

Jim Morrison was arrested onstage in New Haven, Connecticut in 1967. Before the gig, Morrison got into an argument with a policeman, who responded by macing the singer. During the concert, while singing "Back Door Man", Morrison told the audience about the incident, which prompted police to turn on the house lights and arrest Morrison for breach of peace and resisting arrest.

The first Supremes album, "Meet The Supremes" was released in 1963.

In 1962, future Beatles producer George Martin was taken to the Liverpool Cavern Club by the group's manager Brian Epstein to see the band perform live.

The #1 single in the United States today in 1972 was Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman." It's the first Capitol release to reach the top spot since Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billy Joe" in 1967. The #1 album was the Moody Blues' with "Seventh Sojourn." The Moody Blues celebrate their first chart-topper by taking a five-year hiatus from working together.

The Beatles' "Hello Goodbye" tops the British singles charts in 1967.

The Supremes' and the Temptations' "TCB (Takin' Care Of Business)" special aired on NBC-TV in 1968.

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