Birthdays:
Billy Paul (1934)
Sandy Nelson (1938)
Dianne Lennon - Lennon Sisters (1939)
Bette Midler (1944)
Eric Bloom - Blue Oyster Cult (1944)
John Densmore - Doors (1944)
Gilbert O'Sullivan (1946)
Sam Reid - Glass Tiger (1963)
Greg Upchurch - 3 Doors Down (1971)
Brad Delson - Linkin Park (1977)
They Are Missed:
Lee Dorsey, who had two US Top Ten hits with "Ya Ya" (#7 in 1961) and "Working In A Coal Mine" (#8 in 1966), died of emphysema in 1986, just three days shy of his 60th birthday.
Born on this day in 1951, Jaco Pastorius, jazz bass player, (1976 hit with Weather Report, "Birdland"). Also worked with Joni Mitchell and Pat Metheny. Died on September 21,1987 (age 35). He suffered irreversible brain damage after being beaten into a coma after an altercation with a bouncer at the Midnight Club in Fort Lauderdale.
William Smith, vocalist and keyboard player for Motherlode, suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 53 in 1997. The Canadian group hit #18 on the Billboard Pop chart in 1969 with "When I Die."
Born on this day in 1936, Lou Rawls. Rawls died from lung cancer on January 6, 2006 (age 72).
History:
The rock and roll film "Shake, Rattle and Roll" opened in 1956.
Buddy Holly and the Crickets appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1957, performing "That'll Be The Day" and "Peggy Sue." Sam Cooke was also a guest on the same show performing "You Send Me."
In 1958, Ricky Nelson became the first 'rock and roller' to appear on the cover of Life magazine.
The Teddy Bears were at #1 on the US singles chart in 1958 with "To Know Him is to Love Him." The trio consisted of Spector along with two friends, Marshall Leib and Annette Kleinbard. The title of the Phil Spector song came from words on his father’s tombstone.
A San Diego, California quintet called Rosie And The Originals reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960 with a loosely recorded ballad called "Angel Baby." Written by the group's 14 year old singer, Rosie Hamlin, the song held the position for six weeks and stayed on the chart for three months.
The Beatles performed a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool in 1961. That night they headlined a six-group Big Beat Session at the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton in Wallasey.
Beatles drummer Ringo Starr booked into University College Hospital to have his tonsils removed in 1964. Big news back then....
Also in 1964, the Who played the first of 22 consecutive Tuesday night gigs at The Marquee Club in London, the band were paid $75 for each gig.
The Mamas and the Papas earned their fourth Gold record in 1966 for their album, 'Cass, John, Michelle and Denny.'
In 1966, Tom Jones' cover version of Porter Wagoner's "Green, Green Grass of Home" tops the UK charts for the first of a seven week stay. It will become his biggest hit, selling over 1.2 million copies in Britain alone. The record reached #11 in the US.
Janis Joplin made her final appearance with Big Brother & the Holding Company in 1968.
Martha & the Vandellas gave their farewell performance in Detroit, MI in 1972.
Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" was released in the US in 1972, where it will reach #1. The tune caused much speculation about who Carly was singing about, with popular guesses that included Mick Jagger (who sang unaccredited backing vocals on the song), Cat Stevens, Warren Beatty, Kris Kristofferson (with whom she had had brief relationships), her unfaithful fiancé William Donaldson, and her ex-husband, James Taylor. Here we are almost 40 years later and we still are not sure who the song was about....
Aerosmith’s “Dream On” can only make it to #59 on the pop chart in 1973. However, when it’s re-released three years later it lands in the Top 10.
The Carpenters went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1973 with "Top Of The World," their second US #1. An earlier version by Lynn Anderson had already topped the US Country chart.
In 1976, the Sex Pistols, who have just released their first single, "Anarchy in the UK," appeared on British TV's Today Show as a last-minute replacement for Queen. After interviewer Bill Grundy asks them about their "nasty reputation," bass player Glenn Matlock uttered a four letter word on the air. In the resulting uproar, The Sex Pistols were banned from appearing in all but five cities that were booked for their first UK tour. By next month, no club or concert hall in Great Britain will book the group. It's all about the image....
During a North American tour in 1977, Queen appeared at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
After nearly eight months in production, Michael Jackson's milestone album "Thriller" was released in 1982. Seven of the album's nine songs were released as singles and all reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The LP won a record-breaking eight awards at the 1984 Grammys and would become the largest selling album of all time, worldwide.
In 1983, Neil Young was sued by Geffen Records because his new music for the label was “not commercial in nature and musically uncharacteristic of his previous albums.”
Jim Diamond was at #1 in the UK singles chart in 1984 with "I Should Have Known Better." The song was displaced after one week by Band Aid's charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Diamond publicly requested that people not buy his single, but instead buy "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Interesting....
A Kentucky teacher lost her appeal in the US Supreme Court in 1987 over her firing after showing Pink Floyd's film 'The Wall' to her class. The court decided that the film was not suitable for minors with its bad language and sexual content. Teacher, leave those kids alone....
Whitney Houston went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1990 with "I'm Your Baby Tonight," her 8th US #1 and the first for writers and producers Reid and Babyface.
The Band’s self-titled sophomore album with "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," was certified a platinum selling album (over one million sales) in 1991. It only took 22 years.
Pearl Jam’s classic album “Ten,” containing “Jeremy,” passed the 6 million sales mark in 1992.
In 1993, Elton John suffered a rare flop when his album 'Duets' failed to crack the top twenty-five on the US album chart. The effort, which featured Don Henley, Chris Rea, kd lang, Little Richard, Kiki Dee, Gladys Knight, Bonnie Raitt and Leonard Cohen, was received much better in the UK, topping out at number 5.
In 1995, an auction of Frank Sinatra's possessions earned him $2,072,000.
In 1997, Kenny G set a new world record when he held a note on his saxophone for 45 minutes and 47 seconds. (The record has since been broken by Geovanny Escalante, who held a note for 1 hour, 30 minutes and 45 seconds, using a technique that allows him to blow and breathe at the same time). Blowharts....
The first night of a US tour with *NSYNC, Britney Spears and B*Witched opened in Columbus, Ohio in 1998. *I was unable to *at*tend....
Shania Twain started a five week run at #1 on the US album chart in 2002 with ‘Up!'
After much haggling, Pearl Jam played the first of two shows at Pacaembu stadium in Sao Paulo in 2005. Mayor Jose Serra had suspended the shows after complaints from nearby wealthy residents about the noise and mess. He later reversed his decision when the group complied with some ground rules. The shows marked Pearl Jam's Brazilian debut.
Memories Of John Lennon was in bookstores in 2005. The 300-plus page book, compiled by Yoko, contains prose, poetry and drawings from Lennon's friends, associates and admirers, including the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger, the Who's Pete Townshend, U2's Bono, Carlos Santana and Elton John.
In 2006, an Oasis fan enjoyed "the best day of his life" when Noel Gallagher popped round to his house in Poynton, Cheshire to play an intimate gig. Ben Hayes had won a BBC Radio 1 competition to have the star play in his front room as part of a week of gigs compered by DJ Jo Whiley. 15 people packed into his lounge for the tiny gig - with his mother on hand making cups of tea for the crew.
In 2008, Wham's "Last Christmas" was the most played festive track of the last five years. The Performing Right Society put the 1984 hit at the top of their chart of seasonal songs, just ahead of Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas." The Pogues came third with "Fairytale of New York," recorded with the late Kirsty MacColl and first released in 1987. Other featured artists include Slade, Mariah Carey and Bruce Springsteen.
Also in 2008, U2, Elton John, the Police, Bob Dylan and R.E.M. contributed music to (RED)WIRE, a subscription-based music-download service launched in conjunction with U2 singer Bono's Product Red initiative. Funds raised combat HIV and AIDS in Africa.
The Lennon Prophecy was in bookstores in 2008. Joseph Niezgoda claimed the Beatles’ popularity and John Lennon’s death were the result of a 20-year pack Lennon made with the devil in December, ’60 – well before the Beatles were international stars. The author cites historical events and hidden messages (in songs, album art, etc. – here we go again) as proof.
In 2009, Little Richard asked fans to pray for his speedy recovery after undergoing hip surgery at a Tennessee hospital. The 76-year-old Rock 'n' Roll pioneer asked family friend Rev. Bill Minson to tell fans "to get ready to rock 'n' roll with him in the new year because he's coming back strong."
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