Songwriter and '70s solo superstar Carole King was born Carole Klein in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1942. Her hits included "Up On the Roof" and "You've Got a Friend."
Bill Haley died in Harlingen, Texas in 1981. His 1955 hit "Rock Around the Clock" is widely considered the first No. 1 of the rock era. Haley and his Comets sold 60 million records worldwide.
In 1991, C&C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams hits #1 US with "Gonna Make Sweat.”
Today in 1957, the song "Too Much," by Elvis Presley topped the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks.
"Hey Paula" by Paul & Paula topped the charts in 1963 for a 3 week run.
In 1974, "Love's Theme" by the Love Unlimited Orchestra topped the charts.
In 2006, Beyonce topped the U.S. singles chart for a third week with "Check on It." The highest new entry is songwriter Teddy Geiger's "For You I Will (Confidence)," at No. 90.
In 2005, The Who's Roger Daltrey was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace. The rock gnome jokes the Queen would "probably fall off her podium if she heard The Who's songs."
In 2005, organist Jimmy Smith, who single-handedly introduced jazz to the power and versatility of the electric Hammond B3, died at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, at age 79.
In 1991, modern gospel composer the Rev. James Cleveland died at age 58. His 1962 album “Peace Be Still,” sold 800,000 copies and established the blueprint for contemporary gospel recordings.
Today in 1970, the No. 1 LP in the U.K. was Led Zeppelin II.
Joe Ely, twang-driven singer-songwriter and one-third of the famed Flatlanders, was born in Amarillo, Texas in 1947. In the '70s he moved into rockabilly mode, opening for the Clash.
Pop/soul singer and composer Barbara Lewis was born in South Lyon, Michigan in 1943. Her biggest hit was 1963's No. 3 "Hello Stranger."
In 1939, songwriter Barry Mann, who with his wife, Cynthia Weill, wrote such pop classics as "On Broadway" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," was born in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Ernest Tubb, one of the first great honky-tonk singers, was born in Crisp, Texas in 1914.
In 1961, the Beatles played Liverpool’s Cavern Club. They performed at the venue three years earlier but were then known as the Quarry Men.
In 1958, a report by the American Research Bureau cited Dick Clark's American Bandstand as the top-ranked daytime television program, drawing an average of 8,400,000 viewers per day. (take that-Oprah!)
Lloyd Price reached number one on the Billboard Pop chart in 1959, with "Stagger Lee", an up-dated version of an old Folk song called "Stack-O-Lee". Wilson Pickett would take the song to number 22 in 1967.
In 1976, Percy Faith, who led his orchestra to the top of the US chart with "Theme From A Summer Place" in 1960, died of cancer. He was 62.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
