Monday, January 12, 2009

This Date In Music History-January 12

Birthdays:

Glenn Yarbrough is 78.

Ray Price turns 83.

Louisiana swamp rock guitarist Danny James (1945)

Rob Zombie- White Zombie (1966)

Tommy Ardolino- NRBQ (1957)

William Lee Golden- The Oak Ridge Boys (1939)

Cynthia Robinson- Sly and the Family Stone (1946)

Per Gessle- Roxette (1959)

Zacarías (Zach) Manuel de la Rocha, singer and lyricist for Rage Against The Machine, was born in Long Beach, CA in 1970.


They Are Missed:

INXS singer Michael Hutchence was born in 1960.


English blues singer Long John Baldry (January 12, 1941 – July 21, 2005) He gave both Rod Stewart and Elton John their first breaks in the music biz by employing them to play in his band.

Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees died in 2003.

In 2001, Brazilian guitarist Luis Floriana Bonfa died of cancer in Rio de Janeiro. His soundtrack to the 1959 film Black Orpheus helped popularize the bossa nova genre.

In 2004, Randy Vanwarmer, the singer/songwriter/guitarist who went to #4 in 1978 with "Just When I Needed You Most" succumbs to leukemia. He was 48.

In 1999, Barry Pritchard, vocalist and guitarist for The Fortunes, died of heart failure. The group reached the Billboard Top 20 with "You've Got Your Troubles" in 1965 and "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again" in 1971.


History:

In 1957, Sun released "Flyin' Saucer Rock n' Roll" by Billy Riley and His Little Green men. Featuring Roland Janes on guitar and Jerry Lee Lewis on piano, the song is a rockabilly classic.

The Beach Boys reach #1 with "I Get Around" in 1964.

In 1970, The Band appeared on the cover of Time magazine beneath the headline “The New Sound of Country Rock.”

Britney Spears released her debut album in 1999, “..Baby One More Time,” which debuts at #1, along with their first single of the same title. Spears is the first debut artist to hit #1 on both the singles and the albums charts at the same time.

Elvis Presley recorded "All Shook Up" in 1957.

Today in 1974, the song "The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band topped the charts and stayed there for a week.

In 1981, The Recording Industry Association of America donated 800 albums to the White House library including Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols and KISS' Alive.

Using an $800 family loan, 29 year old Berry Gordy Jr. formed his first record label, Tamla Records in 1959.

In 1961, Motown Records signs The Primettes to a recording contract and convinces them to change their name. From several possibilities, they settle on one suggested by Florence Ballard - The Supremes.

The Beatles released "Please Please Me" in 1963, which would be their first number one single in the UK. Written mostly by John Lennon, the song made it to the top in just three weeks and would sell over 1.5 million copies world wide. However, the record wouldn't appear on the US charts for another year.

In 1969, Led Zeppelin released their self-titled, debut album. The groundbreaking LP is now seen as one of the most impressive and important debuts in Rock music history. The name of the band had recently been changed from The New Yardbirds after drummer Keith Moon of The Who predicted the band's music would "go over like a lead zeppelin".

In 1993, Cream reform at tonight's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Los Angeles. Other inductees are Creedence Clearwater Revival - who don't reform at all - the Doors - who can't reform - Van Morrison, Sly & the Family Stone, Frankie Lymon, Dinah Washington and Etta James. The reclusive Sly Stone appears at the ceremony rocking the Prince look, but says nothing.

In 1995, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame holds its annual induction dinner to welcome Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers Band, Martha & the Vandellas, Neil Young, Janis Joplin, Al Green and Frank Zappa to their ranks.

In 1998, Tonight at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, the Mamas & the Papas, Santana, Lloyd Price, Gene Vincent, Allen Toussaint and Jelly Roll Morton.

In 1965, NBC premieres a new pop TV show called Hullabaloo, hosted by Jack Jones. Today's guests include the New Christy Minstrels and a comedian called Woody Allen. In a taped segment, Beatles manager Brian Epstein introduced performances by the Zombies and Gerry & the Pacemakers from London.

No comments: