Tuesday, September 15, 2009

This Date In Music History - September 15

Birthdays:

Jimmy Gilmer ("Sugar Shack") is 70

Les Braid - The Swinging Blue Jeans (1941)

Lee Dorman - Iron Butterfly (1945)

Michel Dorge - Crash Test Dummies (1960)

Zak Starkey - (son of Ringo) (1965)

Kay Gee - Naughty by Nature (1969)

Allen Shellenberger - Lit (1969)

Ivette Sosa - Eden's Crush (1976)

Paul Thomson - Franz Ferdinand (1977)


They Are Missed:

Country singer Roy Acuff was born in 1903 (died November 23, 1992). He was the first living artist to be elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The late Julian "Cannonball" Adderley ("Mercy, Mercy, Mercy") was born in 1928

The great pianist Bill Evans, whose "Sunday at the Village Vanguard" is one of the saddest albums ever, died in 1980 at age 61.

Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone (John Cummings) died in Los Angeles in 2004 after a five-year battle with prostate cancer. Founding member of The Ramones, major influence on many punk and 90’s bands. Scored the 1977 hit single "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker."



Born on this day in 1946, Ola Brunkert, drummer with the Swedish group Abba. He played on every Abba album and toured with the group. He was found dead with his throat cut at his home in Majorca, Spain on March 17, 2008 after he hit his head against a glass door in the dining room at his home.

Pink Floyd keyboard player and founder member Rick Wright died in 2008 (age 65) from cancer. Wright appeared on the group's first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, in 1967 alongside Syd Barrett, Roger Waters and Nick Mason. David Gilmour who joined the band at the start of 1968 said: "He was such a lovely, gentle, genuine man and will be missed terribly by so many who loved him." In 2005, the full band reunited - for the first time in 24 years - for the Live 8 concert in London's Hyde Park. Wright had also contributed vocals and keyboards to Gilmour's 2006 solo album "On An Island."


History:

Elvis Presley started a five-week run at #1 in 1956 with "Don't Be Cruel."

In 1961, a group from Hawthorne, California called The Pendletones attended their first real recording session at Hite Morgan's studio in Los Angeles. The band recorded "Surfin," a song that would help shape their career as The Beach Boys.

The Four Seasons started a five week run at #1 with "Sherry."

The London Daily Mirror interviewed the Beatles in 1962 and concluded they are a “nothing group.” Smart move.

In 1964, the Beatles, on tour in the USA, appeared at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio. During the performance a group of fans managed to break through the line of police fronting the stage and get up on-stage. Police ordered The Beatles off-stage in the middle of a song, and the concert only resumed after Derek Taylor got on the PA system and pleaded for order to be restored so that the rest of the performance would not be cancelled by the police.

In 1965, the Ford Motor Company became the first automaker to offer an 8-track tape player as an option for their entire line of vehicles on sale in the US. Tapes were initially only available at auto parts stores, as home 8-track equipment was still a year away.

John Lennon made his first appearance away from the Beatles in 1966 in the role of Private Gripweed in Richard Lester's film 'How I Won the War'. He writes "Strawberry Fields Forever" during the filming.

The Doors were forced to perform as a trio at a concert in Amsterdam in 1968 after singer Jim Morrison collapsed while dancing during the Jefferson Airplane's performance.

In 1970, US Vice-President Spiro Agnew said in a speech that the youth of America were being "brainwashed into a drug culture" by rock music, movies, books and underground newspapers.

Helen Reddy went to #1 in 1973 with "Delta Dawn," the singers second #1 hit.

In 1975, Pink Floyd released their follow-up to "The Dark Side of the Moon" in the US. "Wish You Were Here" consisted only five tracks, one of the tracks "Have a Cigar" featured Roy Harper on vocals.



Bob Dylan released "Slow Train Coming" in 1975, an album of religious songs, including the Grammy Award winning single, ‘Gotta Serve Somebody’. The album alienated many of his long time fans.

Led Zeppelin scored their sixth US #1 album in 1979 when "In Through The Out Door" started a seven-week run at the top of the charts.

Ever hear of Blue Sunday & The Cockroaches? You would have if you were at Sir Morgan’s Cave in Worcester, MA, in 1981, when the Rolling Stones played a warm-up show under that name in advance of their US tour.

Queen played their last US concert with frontman Freddie Mercury in 1982. It was at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, CA.

Mark Knopfler announced the official end of Dire Straits in 1988, (they reformed in 1991).

In 1990, Wilson Phillips had their second #1 hit with "Release Me."

In 1994, a reel to reel tape of The Quarry Men appearing at St Peter's Parish Church garden party Liverpool in July, 1957, sold for $125,000 at a Sotheby's auction.

Pearl Jam went to #1 on the US album chart in 1996 with "No Code."

"Mechanical Animals" was released by Marilyn Manson in 1998.

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