During the early stages of their careers, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Hall and Oates and Steve Martin were all opening acts for the rock and roll nostalgia group, Sha Na Na.
The Crickets were given awards as the Best Vocal Group in the US and Great Britain in 1957, despite the fact that the only member of the group that actually sang was Buddy Holly. The background vocals for their number one hit "That'll Be The Day" were sung by Gary and Ramona Tollet.
Roy Orbison's highest charting album did not come about until after his untimely death in 1989. "Mystery Girl" reached #5 and was eventually certified platinum.
Aerosmith was known to bring a chainsaw with them out on tour so that they could chop up hotel rooms with greater efficiency. They also traveled with extra-long extension cords. Their reasoning? So the TVs that they tossed out of their hotel rooms would stay on and keep playing all the way to the ground before they were smashed up.
Danny and the Juniors' 1958, Top 20 hit "Rock and Roll Is Here To Stay" was written in response to a rock record smashing party sponsored by St Louis radio station KWK.
The first time that Dick Clark heard a Beatles' record he said, "I don't know what the heck you're so excited about...it'll never fly."
According to vocalist Davy Jones, The Monkees were allowed to choose some of the songs they recorded. Two that they turned down were "Knock Three Times", which would become a Billboard chart topper for Tony Orlando and Dawn in 1970 and "Love Will Keep Us Together", which became a million selling number one for The Captain and Tennille in 1975.
The term "rock and roll", which was black slang for sexual intercourse, appeared on record for the first time in 1922 on Trixie Smith's "My Baby Rocks Me With One Steady Roll".
The term "rhythm & blues" was coined in 1948 by a young Billboard reporter and future Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler, to replace the negative term "Race Records".
After John Lennon made his unfortunate remarks about the Beatles being "more popular than Jesus", the Bishop of Montreal, the Rt. Rev. Kenneth Maguire said: "I wouldn't be surprised if The Beatles actually were more popular than Jesus. In the only popularity poll in Jesus' time, he came out second best to Barabbas."
In the summer of 2005, recording industry insiders estimated that there were still 28 billion songs being illegally downloaded yearly.
Mike Stoller, one half of the songwriting team of Leiber & Stoller, survived the 1956 sinking of the luxury ship Andrea Doria off Nantucket Island. When he returned to New York on a rescue freighter, he was greeted by his partner Jerry Leiber who told him that they had just scored their first hit record by "some white kid called Elvis Presley." Stoller replied "Elvis who?"
Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees considered himself to be quite the ladies man. In fact, his standard pick-up line was that he had fallen in love and wanted to get married. He was known to walk around with a pocket full of engagement rings but this technique got him into trouble especially when five or six of his "fiancées" gathered together at the stage door.
"House Of The Rising Sun" is a traditional Folk song that was first recorded in 1920 and tells a story about a brothel in New Orleans named after Madame Marianne Le Soleil Levant (which means "Rising Sun" in French). It was open for business from 1862, when Union Troops occupied the town, until 1874, when it was closed due to complaints by neighbors.
After the death of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham in 1980, guitarist Jimmy Page refused to even pick up a guitar for nearly nine months.
Monkees' guitarist Mike Nesmith wrote Linda Ronstadt's 1968 hit, "Different Drum".
Gene Chandler, who reached number one in the US in 1962 with "The Duke Of Earl", was the producer of "Backfield In Motion", a 1969 Top Ten hit by Mel And Tim.
Tommy Roe wrote and recorded a song called "Sheila" when he was just 14 years old. The effort went nowhere, but six years later, he recorded it again for ABC-Paramount and this time it went to number one in the US.
Peter Noone, better known as Herman of Herman's Hermits, once interviewed Elvis Presley for the UK music paper New Musical Express.
In 1972, Chuck Berry complained when his record company recorded a concert performance in London. But Berry stopped complaining after a song from his set went on to be his biggest-selling hit. The song? "My Ding-a-Ling."
Many listeners believed that Bjork's song "Humanbehavior" contained lyrics sang in Icelandic. Not true, say Bjork, "People think it's Icelandic," she quipped. "But actually whatever noise it feels naturally to sing." Uh, have you met Yoko Ono?
In the first two years after the Beatles fired drummer Pete Best, they would gross over 24 million dollars. Best went to work as a baker, earning 8 pounds a week.
In the Spring of 1969, The Cowsills had the number two song on Billboard's Hot 100 with "Hair". The changing music scene soon left them hopelessly outdated and by 1970, guitarist Bob Cowsill had a job sweeping a parking garage.
When Jerry and the Pacemakers returned to England following their first tour of America in 1964, they were shocked to find that not only did the band not make any money, they actually owed over three thousand dollars in expenses, thanks to lavish dinners and limousine rides.
Question Mark and The Mysterians 1966, number one US hit "96 Tears" was recorded in the living room of their manager's house.
None of The Beatles were invited to attend the private funeral of their manager Brian Epstein. They did however hold a memorial service for their former leader a few weeks later.
The song writing team of Holland - Dozier - Holland wrote "Where Did Our Love Go" for The Marvelettes, who hated the song and turned it down. It was then offered to The Supremes, who reluctantly recorded it. By mid-July, 1964, it became their breakthrough hit, climbing all the way to number one on Billboard's Hot 100.
Phil Collins was an extra during the filming of the first Beatles' movie, "A Hard Days Night".
Although the term "teeny-bopper" came to mean a young teenager in the 60s and 70s, the original term "bopper" was a street gang term for one who was always looking for a fight.
On The Beatles 1970, #1 hit, "The Long and Winding Road", Paul McCartney played the piano, and John Lennon played bass. George and Ringo do not appear on the track at all.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne
FOR THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 13, 2010
DEAR JERRY: I'm writing about one of the most recent examples of advertisers using oldies but goodies in their radio and television commercials.
This approach has been used countless times, probably to connect with baby boomers by featuring music of the 1950s and '60s. And, except for that French song by Edith Piaf which you identified years ago, I almost always recognize the music.
Now I'm stumped by the song in the current Volkswagen 2010 Jetta TV spots. Sung by a man, the catchy line I can't get out of my head is “another day, another dollar.” I want this record for Christmas. Though I've never heard this number, it can't be completely obscure or they wouldn't be using it.
—Shawn Gillespie, Harrisburg, Pa.
DEAR SHAWN: Another day, another musical mystery to solve.
This clever commercial is unusual in that the song, “Another Day, Another Dollar,” is the only audio heard during the entire spot. The company's message is conveyed by the scenes and graphics in the video.
The singer, and writer of this infectious tune, is the brilliant Wynn Stewart. The single, “Another Day, Another Dollar” backed with “Donna on My Mind” (Challenge 9164), reached the C&W Top 30 in early 1962, so it is only slightly obscure.
Besides the original 45 rpm, “Another Day, Another Dollar” can be found on the 18-track CD, “The Very Best of Wynn Stewart: 1958-1962” (Varese Sarabande 3020662312).
There is still time to add it to your letter to Santa.
Oh yes, that French song by Edith Piaf is “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien.” eBay used it last year in a TV ad campaign.
DEAR JERRY: One year, more than 30 years ago, our local radio station played an excellent Christmas song by Jerry Lee Lewis.
What amazes me is that I have never heard it played again, especially because it is his only Christmas song and came out at the peak of his career.
Every year around this time, I wonder about this heartfelt song that time seems to have forgotten. Hopefully, you know the one I mean.
—Melanie Rodgers, Garden Grove, Calif.
DEAR MELANIE: The year was 1970, making it 40 years ago this month when you and I last heard “I Can't Have a Merry Christmas, Mary (Without You)” (Mercury 73155) on the air.
What stood out to me about this recording is how unlike any other Christmas song it is, by anyone. It definitely contains all the illustrious Lewis idiosyncrasies that make him special, such as the cry in his voice when he laments, “I've kept the old tree a-burning, with the lights of pretty blue.”
Yet, in what at the time struck me as a blunder, Mercury designated the other side as the A-side.
That dreary selection, titled “In Loving Memories,” about the funeral of a loved one, is nowhere as strong and should have been the B-side.
Since you wrote via e-mail, you must have a computer. So you'll be thrilled to know you can enjoy “I Can't Have a Merry Christmas, Mary (Without You)” every day of the year on . YouTube
IZ ZAT SO? Fueled by million-sellers “Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On” and “Great Balls of Fire,” Jerry Lee Lewis became a first generation rock and roll superstar in 1957.
By mid-1958, after the media learned he married the teenage daughter of his first cousin, Jerry's bright star returned to earth and burned up upon re-entry.
Nearly 10 years later, Jerry returned as a country-rocker, or, as he describes himself in one of his hits, a “Boogie Woogie Country Man.” We think it means the same thing.
Between March 1968 and August '83, Lewis registered 55 hit singles, with one or more on the charts during each of those 16 years.
DEAR JERRY: I'm writing about one of the most recent examples of advertisers using oldies but goodies in their radio and television commercials.
This approach has been used countless times, probably to connect with baby boomers by featuring music of the 1950s and '60s. And, except for that French song by Edith Piaf which you identified years ago, I almost always recognize the music.
Now I'm stumped by the song in the current Volkswagen 2010 Jetta TV spots. Sung by a man, the catchy line I can't get out of my head is “another day, another dollar.” I want this record for Christmas. Though I've never heard this number, it can't be completely obscure or they wouldn't be using it.
—Shawn Gillespie, Harrisburg, Pa.
This clever commercial is unusual in that the song, “Another Day, Another Dollar,” is the only audio heard during the entire spot. The company's message is conveyed by the scenes and graphics in the video.
The singer, and writer of this infectious tune, is the brilliant Wynn Stewart. The single, “Another Day, Another Dollar” backed with “Donna on My Mind” (Challenge 9164), reached the C&W Top 30 in early 1962, so it is only slightly obscure.
Besides the original 45 rpm, “Another Day, Another Dollar” can be found on the 18-track CD, “The Very Best of Wynn Stewart: 1958-1962” (Varese Sarabande 3020662312).
There is still time to add it to your letter to Santa.
Oh yes, that French song by Edith Piaf is “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien.” eBay used it last year in a TV ad campaign.
DEAR JERRY: One year, more than 30 years ago, our local radio station played an excellent Christmas song by Jerry Lee Lewis.
What amazes me is that I have never heard it played again, especially because it is his only Christmas song and came out at the peak of his career.
Every year around this time, I wonder about this heartfelt song that time seems to have forgotten. Hopefully, you know the one I mean.
—Melanie Rodgers, Garden Grove, Calif.
What stood out to me about this recording is how unlike any other Christmas song it is, by anyone. It definitely contains all the illustrious Lewis idiosyncrasies that make him special, such as the cry in his voice when he laments, “I've kept the old tree a-burning, with the lights of pretty blue.”
Yet, in what at the time struck me as a blunder, Mercury designated the other side as the A-side.
That dreary selection, titled “In Loving Memories,” about the funeral of a loved one, is nowhere as strong and should have been the B-side.
Since you wrote via e-mail, you must have a computer. So you'll be thrilled to know you can enjoy “I Can't Have a Merry Christmas, Mary (Without You)” every day of the year on . YouTube
IZ ZAT SO? Fueled by million-sellers “Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On” and “Great Balls of Fire,” Jerry Lee Lewis became a first generation rock and roll superstar in 1957.
By mid-1958, after the media learned he married the teenage daughter of his first cousin, Jerry's bright star returned to earth and burned up upon re-entry.
Nearly 10 years later, Jerry returned as a country-rocker, or, as he describes himself in one of his hits, a “Boogie Woogie Country Man.” We think it means the same thing.
Between March 1968 and August '83, Lewis registered 55 hit singles, with one or more on the charts during each of those 16 years.
Jerry Osborne answers as many questions as possible through this column. Write Jerry at: Box 255, Port Townsend, WA 98368 E-mail: jpo@olympus.net Visit his Web site: http://www.jerryosborne.com/
All values quoted in this column are for near-mint condition.
Copyright 2010 Osborne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission
Rock & Roll Trivia
"I Heard It Through The Grapevine" has reached the Billboard Hot 100 six times in versions by Marvin Gaye (#1), Gladys Knight (#2), Creedence Clearwater Revival (#43), Roger Troutman (#79), King Curtis (#83) and The California Raisins (#84). The song has also been recorded by dozens of other artists including The Temptations, Ike and Tina Turner, Paul Mauriat and Elton John.
In a 2005 interview, Billy Joel said that during the recording of "We Are The World", most of the artists didn't like the song, but nobody would say so. Cyndi Lauper thought it sounded like a Pepsi commercial and Billy agreed.
The contract that made Brian Epstein the Beatles' manager was never really valid. Both Paul and George were under 21 at the time and needed a legal guardian to sign. Epstein himself never signed the document at all.
Rocker Neil Young arrived at Woodstock in 1969 with fellow musician Jimi Hendrix. When they realized that they had to travel several miles from the helicopter pad to the stage, they stole a pickup truck for the journey. Young calls the theft, "One of the high points of my life."
Al Kooper, founder of Blood, Sweat and Tears was a co-writer of the Gary Lewis and The Playboys' hit "This Diamond Ring". Although the song was a US number one smash, Kooper has said he was very disappointed at how the Playboys version sounded, and sheepish that it became such a hit. None of the Playboys actually played their instruments on the recording and Lewis' vocals were heavily supported by Ron Hicklin's overdubs.
The Academy Award winning score for the movie Fame was written by Leslie Gore's brother, Michael.
51 year old Lindsay Crosby, son of Bing Crosby, took his own life on December 11th, 1989, reportedly right after watching his father sing "White Christmas" during the television-airing of the classic Christmas movie, Holiday Inn. Lindsay was said to have suffered years of physical and verbal abuse inflicted on him as a child by his father. In May, 1991, Lindsay's 57 year-old brother Dennis would also commit suicide.
Elvis's middle name is spelled "Aaron" on his tombstone. According to his official web site, the name was spelled Aron at birth, but as an adult, Elvis planned to change the spelling to Aaron and the tombstone was designed to reflect that wish.
In 1967, under Britain's open-ended tax system, The Beatles were in the 96% tax bracket.
Before reaching the US Top Ten in 1980 with "Giving It Up For Your Love", Delbert McClinton played harmonica on Bruce Chanel's chart topping 1962 hit, "Hey Baby". While on tour, he also taught some harp licks to John Lennon, who was playing in a then unknown opening act called The Beatles.
"Sunday Will Never Be The Same" was first offered to the Left Banke, but they rejected it. The song was then given to The Mamas and The Papas but they also passed on it. Finally, Spanky and Our Gang recorded it and took it to # 9 in the US in 1967.
Cat Stevens' song "Morning Has Broken" was an adaptation of a hymn of the same name by Eleanor Farjeon, who wrote many stories for children.
From 1969 to 1970, Jimmy Buffett was a staff writer for Billboard magazine in Nashville.
The Temptations 1964 classic hit "My Girl" was written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White of The Miracles. Robinson wrote the lyrics, which he later said were inspired by his wife, Claudette. They divorced in 1986.
The so-called 'Prince of Darkness' Ozzy Osbourne certainly developed a satanic reputation over the years. But Ozzy never took it too seriously, stating: "The devil worship thing was a marketing invention of the record company. We played along to put dough in our pockets."
It is well known that Beatle George Harrison was spiritual and after reading about cosmic communication, Harrison climbed a mountain in hopes of receiving message from God. He waited and waited, but the only message he received was to climb back down the mountain. Go figure.....
Although the concept of the "hit parade" goes back to the mid 1930s, the invention and naming of the Top 40 format is widely credited to Todd Storz, who was the director of radio station KWOH-AM in Omaha, Nebraska, in the early 1950s. Storz noted the great response certain songs got from the record-buying public and compared it to selections on jukeboxes. He expanded his stable of radio stations and gradually converted them to an all-hits format, pioneering the practice of surveying record stores to determine which singles were popular each week.
Steppenwolf's lead singer, John Kay is seldom seen without sun glasses due to the fact that he has been legally blind since childhood.
Before Bobby "Boris" Pickett released "The Monster Mash" in 1962, he was working as an actor, making appearances on the TV shows Bonanza, The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction.
Blood, Sweat and Tears concert contract stated that their shows are not to be advertised as a reunion concert, even though the band has split and re-united at least five times.
Buddy Holly asked his future wife for a date, 30 seconds after meeting her and proposed later the same week. Six months earlier, he had recorded a song called "Take Your Time".
In 1957, Frank Sinatra was quoted as saying "Rock 'n' Roll is phony and false, and sung, written and played for the most part by cretinous goons."
October 17th, 1990 marked the first time that the #1 album in the United States was only available on CD or cassette - and could not be found on vinyl. The album was Vanilla Ice's 'To The Extreme.' A sad day for music, if you ask me.....
Songwriter Tommy Durden showed his partner Mae Axton a newspaper story about a suicide victim who had left a one-line note that said "I Walk A Lonely Street". The pair added "Heartbreak Hotel" to the line and in 22 minutes had written Elvis Presley's first million seller.
Vaudevillian Jack Norworth wrote "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in 1908 after seeing a sign on a bus advertising BASEBALL TODAY - POLO GROUNDS. Norworth and his friend, Albert von Tilzer (who wrote the music) had never been to a baseball game before his song became a hit.
Pat Boone was a semi-finalist on the TV talent show Ted Mack's Amateur Hour, but before the finals, he appeared on a similar show called Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, for a fee of $600. Ted Mack's show then disqualified him, as he was no longer an amateur, costing Pat a chance at a $6000 scholarship.
In 1972, Keith Richards and his girlfriend at the time, Anita Pallenberg, rented a lavish palace on the French Riviera while the band was recording the LP "Beggar's Banquet." Included in the household budget was $1,000 for food, $1,000 for alcohol, $2,500 for the rent and $2,500 for drugs.
Two of Jim Croce's biggest hit songs were inspired by real people. Leroy Brown was a fellow member of the Air National Guard who had gone AWOL and Big Jim Walker ("You Don't Mess Around With Jim") was a pool shootin son-of-a-gun from south Philadelphia.
Brenda Lee's 1960, US number one hit, "I'm Sorry", was recorded at the tail end of a recording session with just five minutes of studio time left. It was intended to be the "B" side of a 45 that featured "That's All You Gotta Do", but disc jockeys flipped the platter over and "I'm Sorry" soon shot to the top of Billboard's Hot 100.
Jim McGuinn of The Byrds changed his middle name to Roger and began using it as a stage name after becoming interested in Eastern religion. A guru had told him that names starting with the letter "R" would vibrate better with the universe.
When Paul McCartney wants to play some of his old Beatles' hits in concert, he must pay a royalty fee to Michael Jackson, who bought the publishing rights for $47.5 million in 1985.
In 1929, American Paul Galvin, the head of Galvin Manufacturing Corporation, invented the first car radio. Consumers had to purchase the radios separately as they were not available from carmakers. Galvin coined the name Motorola for the company's new products, combining the idea of motion and radio.
When Richard Penniman was asked how he came by his stage name, he said that in his childhood neighborhood, there were only two nicknames used, 'lil and bro. That's when he became Little Richard.
When John Lennon's Aunt Mimi bought him his first guitar in the summer of 1956, he practiced constantly. As she watched him play hour after hour, day after day, she finally remarked "The guitar's all very well John, but you'll never make a living out of it."
In a 2005 interview, Billy Joel said that during the recording of "We Are The World", most of the artists didn't like the song, but nobody would say so. Cyndi Lauper thought it sounded like a Pepsi commercial and Billy agreed.
The contract that made Brian Epstein the Beatles' manager was never really valid. Both Paul and George were under 21 at the time and needed a legal guardian to sign. Epstein himself never signed the document at all.
Rocker Neil Young arrived at Woodstock in 1969 with fellow musician Jimi Hendrix. When they realized that they had to travel several miles from the helicopter pad to the stage, they stole a pickup truck for the journey. Young calls the theft, "One of the high points of my life."
Al Kooper, founder of Blood, Sweat and Tears was a co-writer of the Gary Lewis and The Playboys' hit "This Diamond Ring". Although the song was a US number one smash, Kooper has said he was very disappointed at how the Playboys version sounded, and sheepish that it became such a hit. None of the Playboys actually played their instruments on the recording and Lewis' vocals were heavily supported by Ron Hicklin's overdubs.
The Academy Award winning score for the movie Fame was written by Leslie Gore's brother, Michael.
51 year old Lindsay Crosby, son of Bing Crosby, took his own life on December 11th, 1989, reportedly right after watching his father sing "White Christmas" during the television-airing of the classic Christmas movie, Holiday Inn. Lindsay was said to have suffered years of physical and verbal abuse inflicted on him as a child by his father. In May, 1991, Lindsay's 57 year-old brother Dennis would also commit suicide.
Elvis's middle name is spelled "Aaron" on his tombstone. According to his official web site, the name was spelled Aron at birth, but as an adult, Elvis planned to change the spelling to Aaron and the tombstone was designed to reflect that wish.
In 1967, under Britain's open-ended tax system, The Beatles were in the 96% tax bracket.
Before reaching the US Top Ten in 1980 with "Giving It Up For Your Love", Delbert McClinton played harmonica on Bruce Chanel's chart topping 1962 hit, "Hey Baby". While on tour, he also taught some harp licks to John Lennon, who was playing in a then unknown opening act called The Beatles.
"Sunday Will Never Be The Same" was first offered to the Left Banke, but they rejected it. The song was then given to The Mamas and The Papas but they also passed on it. Finally, Spanky and Our Gang recorded it and took it to # 9 in the US in 1967.
Cat Stevens' song "Morning Has Broken" was an adaptation of a hymn of the same name by Eleanor Farjeon, who wrote many stories for children.
From 1969 to 1970, Jimmy Buffett was a staff writer for Billboard magazine in Nashville.
The Temptations 1964 classic hit "My Girl" was written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White of The Miracles. Robinson wrote the lyrics, which he later said were inspired by his wife, Claudette. They divorced in 1986.
The so-called 'Prince of Darkness' Ozzy Osbourne certainly developed a satanic reputation over the years. But Ozzy never took it too seriously, stating: "The devil worship thing was a marketing invention of the record company. We played along to put dough in our pockets."
It is well known that Beatle George Harrison was spiritual and after reading about cosmic communication, Harrison climbed a mountain in hopes of receiving message from God. He waited and waited, but the only message he received was to climb back down the mountain. Go figure.....
Although the concept of the "hit parade" goes back to the mid 1930s, the invention and naming of the Top 40 format is widely credited to Todd Storz, who was the director of radio station KWOH-AM in Omaha, Nebraska, in the early 1950s. Storz noted the great response certain songs got from the record-buying public and compared it to selections on jukeboxes. He expanded his stable of radio stations and gradually converted them to an all-hits format, pioneering the practice of surveying record stores to determine which singles were popular each week.
Steppenwolf's lead singer, John Kay is seldom seen without sun glasses due to the fact that he has been legally blind since childhood.
Before Bobby "Boris" Pickett released "The Monster Mash" in 1962, he was working as an actor, making appearances on the TV shows Bonanza, The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction.
Blood, Sweat and Tears concert contract stated that their shows are not to be advertised as a reunion concert, even though the band has split and re-united at least five times.
Buddy Holly asked his future wife for a date, 30 seconds after meeting her and proposed later the same week. Six months earlier, he had recorded a song called "Take Your Time".
In 1957, Frank Sinatra was quoted as saying "Rock 'n' Roll is phony and false, and sung, written and played for the most part by cretinous goons."
October 17th, 1990 marked the first time that the #1 album in the United States was only available on CD or cassette - and could not be found on vinyl. The album was Vanilla Ice's 'To The Extreme.' A sad day for music, if you ask me.....
Songwriter Tommy Durden showed his partner Mae Axton a newspaper story about a suicide victim who had left a one-line note that said "I Walk A Lonely Street". The pair added "Heartbreak Hotel" to the line and in 22 minutes had written Elvis Presley's first million seller.
Vaudevillian Jack Norworth wrote "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in 1908 after seeing a sign on a bus advertising BASEBALL TODAY - POLO GROUNDS. Norworth and his friend, Albert von Tilzer (who wrote the music) had never been to a baseball game before his song became a hit.
Pat Boone was a semi-finalist on the TV talent show Ted Mack's Amateur Hour, but before the finals, he appeared on a similar show called Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, for a fee of $600. Ted Mack's show then disqualified him, as he was no longer an amateur, costing Pat a chance at a $6000 scholarship.
In 1972, Keith Richards and his girlfriend at the time, Anita Pallenberg, rented a lavish palace on the French Riviera while the band was recording the LP "Beggar's Banquet." Included in the household budget was $1,000 for food, $1,000 for alcohol, $2,500 for the rent and $2,500 for drugs.
Two of Jim Croce's biggest hit songs were inspired by real people. Leroy Brown was a fellow member of the Air National Guard who had gone AWOL and Big Jim Walker ("You Don't Mess Around With Jim") was a pool shootin son-of-a-gun from south Philadelphia.
Brenda Lee's 1960, US number one hit, "I'm Sorry", was recorded at the tail end of a recording session with just five minutes of studio time left. It was intended to be the "B" side of a 45 that featured "That's All You Gotta Do", but disc jockeys flipped the platter over and "I'm Sorry" soon shot to the top of Billboard's Hot 100.
Jim McGuinn of The Byrds changed his middle name to Roger and began using it as a stage name after becoming interested in Eastern religion. A guru had told him that names starting with the letter "R" would vibrate better with the universe.
When Paul McCartney wants to play some of his old Beatles' hits in concert, he must pay a royalty fee to Michael Jackson, who bought the publishing rights for $47.5 million in 1985.
In 1929, American Paul Galvin, the head of Galvin Manufacturing Corporation, invented the first car radio. Consumers had to purchase the radios separately as they were not available from carmakers. Galvin coined the name Motorola for the company's new products, combining the idea of motion and radio.
When Richard Penniman was asked how he came by his stage name, he said that in his childhood neighborhood, there were only two nicknames used, 'lil and bro. That's when he became Little Richard.
When John Lennon's Aunt Mimi bought him his first guitar in the summer of 1956, he practiced constantly. As she watched him play hour after hour, day after day, she finally remarked "The guitar's all very well John, but you'll never make a living out of it."
Music News, Year End Album Cover Art Lists
Vinyl Record Talk Has New Batch Of Vinyl Records For Sale
Looking for some fresh, clean Beatles LPs? Norm over at Vinyl Record Talk Store has some great vinyl for sale. Stop on by!!
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R.E.M Announce New Album Release Date And Free Download
R.E.M have announced details of their new album as well as offering a free download. The album 'Collapse Is Now' is now scheduled for release on March 7.
The first release 'Discover' is available as a free download from the band's website remhq.com.
'Collapse Now' features a number of collaborations including Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Patti Smith and Peaches.
The tracklisting:
'Discoverer'
'All The Best'
'Uberlin'
'Oh My Heart'
'It Happened Today' (featuring Eddie Vedder)
'Every Day Is Yours To Win'
'Alligator Aviator Autopilot Antimatter' (featuring Peaches and Lenny Kaye)
'Walk It Back'
'Mine Smell Like Honey'
'That Someone Is You'
'Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I'
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Dungen, First Aid Kit Join Third Man Records' Blue Series Roster
Third Man Records will add two new additions to its Blue Series of vinyl releases early next year: singles from Swedish psych-rock troupe Dungen and highly buzzed-about sister duo First Aid Kit.
Dungen's release, which was recorded here in Nashville in September at Third Man kingpin Jack White's studio with White at the helm, will be released on January 11. It features two new tracks: "Oga Nasa Mum" and instrumental "Highway Wolf."
First Aid Kit recorded two covers — "Universal Soldier," written by Buffy Sainte-Marie, and blues tune "It Hurts Me Too" — in October as they rolled through Nashville on tour. Their Blue Series single is set for release on January 18.
The two acts join a cast of Blue Series alums that includes rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson, sibling country duo the Secret Sisters, Nashville garage-punks PUJOL and many others.
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The Best Album Covers Of 2010
Gigwise’s end of year features continue with a look at some of the best album covers of 2010.
This year has seen another slew of intriguing artwork - ranging from Kanye West’s ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’, which featured five covers, to Black Key’s minimalistic ‘Brothers’.
Gigwise.com
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The 25 Best Album Covers of 2010
Album art has had a rough go of late. Big vinyl cover art got reduced to little CD cover art which got reduced to pixels on a screen. Fortunately, bands continue to do great things with those pixels, as you can see by The 25 Best Album Covers of 2010.
PasteMagazine.com
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The Best Album Covers Of 2010
NPR.com
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Revolutionary Hall of Fame: The Beatles
Gibson.com is pleased to present the inaugural class of the Gibson Revolutionary Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame honors musical artists whose contributions went beyond mere entertainment and actually altered the art form, the business or the technology of popular music.
Gibson.com
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DUFF MCKAGAN On 'CD Vs. Vinyl' Debate
Former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER bassist Duff McKagan was asked by a reader of his column, which appears on Reverb at SeattleWeekly.com, what his take is on the analogue vs. digital debate.
RoadRunnerRecords.com
Looking for some fresh, clean Beatles LPs? Norm over at Vinyl Record Talk Store has some great vinyl for sale. Stop on by!!
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R.E.M Announce New Album Release Date And Free Download
R.E.M have announced details of their new album as well as offering a free download. The album 'Collapse Is Now' is now scheduled for release on March 7.
The first release 'Discover' is available as a free download from the band's website remhq.com.
'Collapse Now' features a number of collaborations including Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Patti Smith and Peaches.
The tracklisting:
'Discoverer'
'All The Best'
'Uberlin'
'Oh My Heart'
'It Happened Today' (featuring Eddie Vedder)
'Every Day Is Yours To Win'
'Alligator Aviator Autopilot Antimatter' (featuring Peaches and Lenny Kaye)
'Walk It Back'
'Mine Smell Like Honey'
'That Someone Is You'
'Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I'
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Dungen, First Aid Kit Join Third Man Records' Blue Series Roster
Third Man Records will add two new additions to its Blue Series of vinyl releases early next year: singles from Swedish psych-rock troupe Dungen and highly buzzed-about sister duo First Aid Kit.
Dungen's release, which was recorded here in Nashville in September at Third Man kingpin Jack White's studio with White at the helm, will be released on January 11. It features two new tracks: "Oga Nasa Mum" and instrumental "Highway Wolf."
First Aid Kit recorded two covers — "Universal Soldier," written by Buffy Sainte-Marie, and blues tune "It Hurts Me Too" — in October as they rolled through Nashville on tour. Their Blue Series single is set for release on January 18.
The two acts join a cast of Blue Series alums that includes rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson, sibling country duo the Secret Sisters, Nashville garage-punks PUJOL and many others.
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The Best Album Covers Of 2010
Gigwise’s end of year features continue with a look at some of the best album covers of 2010.
This year has seen another slew of intriguing artwork - ranging from Kanye West’s ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’, which featured five covers, to Black Key’s minimalistic ‘Brothers’.
Gigwise.com
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The 25 Best Album Covers of 2010
Album art has had a rough go of late. Big vinyl cover art got reduced to little CD cover art which got reduced to pixels on a screen. Fortunately, bands continue to do great things with those pixels, as you can see by The 25 Best Album Covers of 2010.
PasteMagazine.com
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The Best Album Covers Of 2010
NPR.com
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Revolutionary Hall of Fame: The Beatles
Gibson.com is pleased to present the inaugural class of the Gibson Revolutionary Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame honors musical artists whose contributions went beyond mere entertainment and actually altered the art form, the business or the technology of popular music.
Gibson.com
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DUFF MCKAGAN On 'CD Vs. Vinyl' Debate
Former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER bassist Duff McKagan was asked by a reader of his column, which appears on Reverb at SeattleWeekly.com, what his take is on the analogue vs. digital debate.
RoadRunnerRecords.com
This Date In Music History - December 15
Birthdays:
Jerry Wallace (1938)
Cindy Birdsong - Supremes, Labelle (1939)
Dave Clark - Dave Clark Five (1942)
Harry Ray - Moments (1946)
Carmine Appice - Vanilla Fudge, Beck, Bogart and Appice, Rod Stewart (1946)
Don Johnson (1949)
Paul Simonon - Clash (1955)
Doug Phelps - Kentucky Headhunters (1960)
Tim Reynolds - Dave Matthews Band (1957)
They Are Missed:
Jazz musician, singer and composer, Fats Waller died in 1943 of pneumonia on a train trip near Kansas City, Missouri. Wrote many songs including "Ain't Misbehavin," "Your Feet's Too Big" and "The Reefer Song." In 1926 Waller was kidnapped at gunpoint in Chicago and driven to a club owned by gangster Al Capone. Inside the club he was ordered to perform at what turned out to be a surprise birthday party for the gangster.
Born on this day in 1922, Alan Freed, American DJ. The man who gave 'Rock 'n' Roll' its name. Died January 20, 1965.
Born today in 1919, Max Yasgur, owner of the Woodstock farm where the 1969 festival was held. Yasgur died of a heart attack on February 8, 1973 (age 53).
Funk and soul singer Rufus Thomas died of heart failure in 2001 (age 84). Recorded on Sun Records in the 1950s and on Stax Records in the 1960s and 1970s. Scored the 1963 US #10 single "Walking The Dog" and the 1970 UK #18 & US #28 single "Do The Funky Chicken." (Yes, there really is a song by that name!) A street is named in his honor, just off Beale Street in Memphis.
The co-founder of Atlantic Records Ahmet Ertegun died in 2006 (age 83). Ertegun who founded Atlantic Records with Herb Abramson in 1947 helped make Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin stars and signed the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin in the early 70s. He suffered a head injury when he fell at a Rolling Stones concert at New York's Beacon Theatre in October, and died after slipping into a coma.
John Byrne, the lead singer of The Count Five and writer of their 1966 hit "Psychotic Reaction", died in 2008 following kidney and liver failure. He was 61.
History:
In 1944, a single-engine plane carrying US Army Major Glenn Miller disappeared in thick fog over the English Channel while en route to Paris. The true fate of the plane and its passengers has never been determined.
In 1956, Elvis Presley gave his final performance on Louisiana Hayride, a live radio program that was broadcast on KWKH in Shreveport, Louisiana. Presley made 50 appearances on the show. At the end of the show, Horace Logan first made the now legendary phrase "Elvis has left the building."
In 1957, Sammy Davis Jr. hosts a syndicated radio talk show with a round-table discussion of Rock 'n' Roll. His guests are Columbia Records executive Mitch Miller and MGM Records president Arnold Maxim. When Davis and Miller blast Rock 'n' Roll as "the comic books of music," Maxim takes an opposing viewpoint and says, "I don't see any end to Rock 'n' Roll in the near future." And we Rock On...
In 1962, the Beatles played two separate shows at the same venue, the Majestic Ballroom in Birkenhead, Merseyside. First they played a standard Majestic booking then at midnight, the first-ever "Mersey Beat" poll awards show took place. As poll winners, The Beatles closed the show (at 4:00 am).
Dusty Springfield was deported from South Africa in 1964 after performing in front of an multiracial audience at a show near Cape Town.
The Beatles' 'Magical Mystery Tour' LP went Gold in 1967. The album contains “I Am The Walrus” and “Strawberry Fields Forever.” It is, in part, the soundtrack for The Beatles’ ill-conceived TV special, of the same name, that aired the day after Christmas.
Also in 1967, the Beach Boys met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Paris and learn transcendental meditation.
While performing with the Jefferson Airplane on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1968, Grace Slick appeared in blackface and raised a black-leather glove in a power salute at the conclusion of "Crown of Creation." The incident was one of several which led to the show's cancellation the following season.
In 1969, Eric Clapton joined John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band as part of Peace for Christmas, a benefit concert for UNICEF. George Harrison, Delaney and Bonnie, Billy Preston and The Who's drummer, Keith Moon also took part. The concert was the last live appearance that Lennon ever made in his home country.
Charlie Rich started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1973 with "The Most Beautiful Girl." the singers only #1 single. ,
Aerosmith perform "Dream On" on American Bandstand in 1973.
In 1977, just two days before they are due to appear on NBC'S Saturday Night Live and start their first US tour, the Sex Pistols were denied visas to enter the country. Johnny Rotten was refused because of a drug conviction, Paul Cook and Sid Vicious because of 'moral turpitude' and Steve Jones because of his criminal record.
"Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid entered the UK chart at #1 in 1984 and stayed at the top for five weeks. It became the biggest selling UK single of all time with sales over 3 and a half million. Band Aid was masterminded by former Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof, who had been moved by a TV news story of famine in Ethiopia. Geldof had the idea of raising funds with a one-off charity single featuring the cream of the current pop world. Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Paul Young, Culture Club, George Michael, Sting, Bono, Phil Collins, Paul Weller, Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt of Status Quo and Bananarama all appeared on the recording.
In 1988, soul singer James Brown was sentenced to six years in prison for various offences including possession of weapons and resisting arrest. 1988 - James Brown was sentenced to a six-year jail term for leading police on a late-night, two-state car chase. He was released on February 27, 1991.
1989 Billy Joel had his last number one album when "Stormfront" reached the top of the US charts in 1989. The LP also contained his final number 1 hit, "We Didn't Start the Fire", along with the singles, "I Go to Extremes" (#6) and, "And So It Goes" (#37).
Rod Stewart married New Zealand super model Rachel Hunter in Beverly Hills in 1990. He was quoted saying "I found the girl that I want, I won't be putting my banana in anybody's fruit bowl from now on." Ironically the couple split in 1999.
Nirvana released 'Incesticide,' a collection of b-sides and rarities, in 1992.
Dr. Dre's debut album 'The Chronic' was released in 1992.
'Spice World The Movie', featuring The Spice Girls premiered at The Empire, Leicester Sq, London in 1997. The following year it was nominated for the 'worst film' at the Golden Raspberry Awards.
Backstreet Boys roadie Michael Barrett filed a $3 million lawsuit against the group in 1998 claiming damages after a 50-pound cannon fell on his head during a show. A connon? ...Cool
In 1999, Posh Spice Victoria Beckham knocked a crazed fan to the ground after he tried to grab her baby son Brooklyn as she left Harrods in London. Good...
Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh was given an honorary Doctorate of Music from Kent State University in Ohio in 2001.
In 2003, Courtney Love was sentenced to 18 months in drug rehabilitation after she admitted being under the influence of cocaine and opiates. She was banned from taking non-prescription drugs, drinking alcohol or being in places that serve alcohol.
B.B. King received the Medal of Freedom, from President George Bush in 2006, in recognition of his musical accomplishments.
In 2007, Alice Cooper participated in a dedication ceremony for The Rock, a music-themed youth center that's to be built at Phoenix's Grand Canyon University. The $7 million project is being spearheaded by Cooper's Christian nonprofit the Solid Rock Foundation. "I hope that in years to come, The Rock will be the first of many such teen centers in Arizona and around the country," says Cooper.
A modest, one-story, red-brick house in St. Louis where Rock 'n' Roll pioneer Chuck Berry lived for eight years in the 1950s was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Berry, who now lives in Wentzville, Mo., about 40 miles west of St. Louis said "Many of my favorite songs came about while in that house. It's good to know that my music and now that house will always be a part of St. Louis' history."
ABBA is in but KISS is still out. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced in 2009 that Genesis, The Stooges, the Hollies and ABBA will be inducted in 2010. It’s hard to believe ABBA gets the nod at all, much less before KISS. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are also passed over, although there are still many classic artists (Neil Diamond and others) who have been bypassed for years.
With U2 leading the way by making over 311 million dollars in 2009, several classic rockers were among the top earning touring acts of the year, including Madonna ($222 million), Bruce Springsteen ($156 million), AC/DC ($135 million), Billy Joel and Elton John ($90 million) and Tina Turner ($86 million).
The soundtrack to the film Nowhere Boy, which chronicles John Lennon’s teen years, was issued in 2009. The two-disc collection features Jerry Lee Lewis ("Wild One"), Gene Vincent And The Blue Caps ("Be-Bop-A-Lula"), Big Mama Thornton ("Hound Dog" – the original version), Little Richard ("Rip It Up") and Elvis Presley ("Shake, Rattle & Roll" and "Baby Let's Play House" – it’s from the latter that Lennon lifted the opening line to The Beatles "Run For Your Life").
Jerry Wallace (1938)
Cindy Birdsong - Supremes, Labelle (1939)
Dave Clark - Dave Clark Five (1942)
Harry Ray - Moments (1946)
Carmine Appice - Vanilla Fudge, Beck, Bogart and Appice, Rod Stewart (1946)
Don Johnson (1949)
Paul Simonon - Clash (1955)
Doug Phelps - Kentucky Headhunters (1960)
Tim Reynolds - Dave Matthews Band (1957)
They Are Missed:
Jazz musician, singer and composer, Fats Waller died in 1943 of pneumonia on a train trip near Kansas City, Missouri. Wrote many songs including "Ain't Misbehavin," "Your Feet's Too Big" and "The Reefer Song." In 1926 Waller was kidnapped at gunpoint in Chicago and driven to a club owned by gangster Al Capone. Inside the club he was ordered to perform at what turned out to be a surprise birthday party for the gangster.
Born on this day in 1922, Alan Freed, American DJ. The man who gave 'Rock 'n' Roll' its name. Died January 20, 1965.
Born today in 1919, Max Yasgur, owner of the Woodstock farm where the 1969 festival was held. Yasgur died of a heart attack on February 8, 1973 (age 53).
Funk and soul singer Rufus Thomas died of heart failure in 2001 (age 84). Recorded on Sun Records in the 1950s and on Stax Records in the 1960s and 1970s. Scored the 1963 US #10 single "Walking The Dog" and the 1970 UK #18 & US #28 single "Do The Funky Chicken." (Yes, there really is a song by that name!) A street is named in his honor, just off Beale Street in Memphis.
The co-founder of Atlantic Records Ahmet Ertegun died in 2006 (age 83). Ertegun who founded Atlantic Records with Herb Abramson in 1947 helped make Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin stars and signed the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin in the early 70s. He suffered a head injury when he fell at a Rolling Stones concert at New York's Beacon Theatre in October, and died after slipping into a coma.
John Byrne, the lead singer of The Count Five and writer of their 1966 hit "Psychotic Reaction", died in 2008 following kidney and liver failure. He was 61.
History:
In 1944, a single-engine plane carrying US Army Major Glenn Miller disappeared in thick fog over the English Channel while en route to Paris. The true fate of the plane and its passengers has never been determined.
In 1956, Elvis Presley gave his final performance on Louisiana Hayride, a live radio program that was broadcast on KWKH in Shreveport, Louisiana. Presley made 50 appearances on the show. At the end of the show, Horace Logan first made the now legendary phrase "Elvis has left the building."
In 1957, Sammy Davis Jr. hosts a syndicated radio talk show with a round-table discussion of Rock 'n' Roll. His guests are Columbia Records executive Mitch Miller and MGM Records president Arnold Maxim. When Davis and Miller blast Rock 'n' Roll as "the comic books of music," Maxim takes an opposing viewpoint and says, "I don't see any end to Rock 'n' Roll in the near future." And we Rock On...
In 1962, the Beatles played two separate shows at the same venue, the Majestic Ballroom in Birkenhead, Merseyside. First they played a standard Majestic booking then at midnight, the first-ever "Mersey Beat" poll awards show took place. As poll winners, The Beatles closed the show (at 4:00 am).
Dusty Springfield was deported from South Africa in 1964 after performing in front of an multiracial audience at a show near Cape Town.
Also in 1967, the Beach Boys met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Paris and learn transcendental meditation.
While performing with the Jefferson Airplane on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1968, Grace Slick appeared in blackface and raised a black-leather glove in a power salute at the conclusion of "Crown of Creation." The incident was one of several which led to the show's cancellation the following season.
In 1969, Eric Clapton joined John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band as part of Peace for Christmas, a benefit concert for UNICEF. George Harrison, Delaney and Bonnie, Billy Preston and The Who's drummer, Keith Moon also took part. The concert was the last live appearance that Lennon ever made in his home country.
Charlie Rich started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1973 with "The Most Beautiful Girl." the singers only #1 single. ,
Aerosmith perform "Dream On" on American Bandstand in 1973.
In 1977, just two days before they are due to appear on NBC'S Saturday Night Live and start their first US tour, the Sex Pistols were denied visas to enter the country. Johnny Rotten was refused because of a drug conviction, Paul Cook and Sid Vicious because of 'moral turpitude' and Steve Jones because of his criminal record.
"Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid entered the UK chart at #1 in 1984 and stayed at the top for five weeks. It became the biggest selling UK single of all time with sales over 3 and a half million. Band Aid was masterminded by former Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof, who had been moved by a TV news story of famine in Ethiopia. Geldof had the idea of raising funds with a one-off charity single featuring the cream of the current pop world. Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Paul Young, Culture Club, George Michael, Sting, Bono, Phil Collins, Paul Weller, Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt of Status Quo and Bananarama all appeared on the recording.
In 1988, soul singer James Brown was sentenced to six years in prison for various offences including possession of weapons and resisting arrest. 1988 - James Brown was sentenced to a six-year jail term for leading police on a late-night, two-state car chase. He was released on February 27, 1991.
1989 Billy Joel had his last number one album when "Stormfront" reached the top of the US charts in 1989. The LP also contained his final number 1 hit, "We Didn't Start the Fire", along with the singles, "I Go to Extremes" (#6) and, "And So It Goes" (#37).
Rod Stewart married New Zealand super model Rachel Hunter in Beverly Hills in 1990. He was quoted saying "I found the girl that I want, I won't be putting my banana in anybody's fruit bowl from now on." Ironically the couple split in 1999.
Nirvana released 'Incesticide,' a collection of b-sides and rarities, in 1992.
Dr. Dre's debut album 'The Chronic' was released in 1992.
'Spice World The Movie', featuring The Spice Girls premiered at The Empire, Leicester Sq, London in 1997. The following year it was nominated for the 'worst film' at the Golden Raspberry Awards.
Backstreet Boys roadie Michael Barrett filed a $3 million lawsuit against the group in 1998 claiming damages after a 50-pound cannon fell on his head during a show. A connon? ...Cool
In 1999, Posh Spice Victoria Beckham knocked a crazed fan to the ground after he tried to grab her baby son Brooklyn as she left Harrods in London. Good...
Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh was given an honorary Doctorate of Music from Kent State University in Ohio in 2001.
In 2003, Courtney Love was sentenced to 18 months in drug rehabilitation after she admitted being under the influence of cocaine and opiates. She was banned from taking non-prescription drugs, drinking alcohol or being in places that serve alcohol.
B.B. King received the Medal of Freedom, from President George Bush in 2006, in recognition of his musical accomplishments.
In 2007, Alice Cooper participated in a dedication ceremony for The Rock, a music-themed youth center that's to be built at Phoenix's Grand Canyon University. The $7 million project is being spearheaded by Cooper's Christian nonprofit the Solid Rock Foundation. "I hope that in years to come, The Rock will be the first of many such teen centers in Arizona and around the country," says Cooper.
A modest, one-story, red-brick house in St. Louis where Rock 'n' Roll pioneer Chuck Berry lived for eight years in the 1950s was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Berry, who now lives in Wentzville, Mo., about 40 miles west of St. Louis said "Many of my favorite songs came about while in that house. It's good to know that my music and now that house will always be a part of St. Louis' history."
ABBA is in but KISS is still out. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced in 2009 that Genesis, The Stooges, the Hollies and ABBA will be inducted in 2010. It’s hard to believe ABBA gets the nod at all, much less before KISS. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are also passed over, although there are still many classic artists (Neil Diamond and others) who have been bypassed for years.
With U2 leading the way by making over 311 million dollars in 2009, several classic rockers were among the top earning touring acts of the year, including Madonna ($222 million), Bruce Springsteen ($156 million), AC/DC ($135 million), Billy Joel and Elton John ($90 million) and Tina Turner ($86 million).
The soundtrack to the film Nowhere Boy, which chronicles John Lennon’s teen years, was issued in 2009. The two-disc collection features Jerry Lee Lewis ("Wild One"), Gene Vincent And The Blue Caps ("Be-Bop-A-Lula"), Big Mama Thornton ("Hound Dog" – the original version), Little Richard ("Rip It Up") and Elvis Presley ("Shake, Rattle & Roll" and "Baby Let's Play House" – it’s from the latter that Lennon lifted the opening line to The Beatles "Run For Your Life").
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Rock & Roll Trivia
The popular 1970s group, Super Tramp, turned down a five million dollar offer from the Greyhound corporation to use their song "Take The Long Way Home" in bus commercials.
Including Ringo, there have been at least five drummers for The Beatles. Norman Chapman (for the Silver Beatles), Tommy Moore, Pete Best and Jimmy Nichol.
While the Beatles were still struggling to establish themselves, they were turned down by five different British record companies.
Rock and roll fakers Milli Vanilli had a problem during one of their "live" performances. Apparently, the tape-loop jammed and kept repeating the same line over and over again. The boys danced a few steps and then both bolted from the stage to fix the malfunctioning equipment.
Cher was a background vocalist on the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling".
When Stu Cook and Doug Clifford reformed CCR as Creedence Clearwater Revisited in 1995, former band mate John Fogerty won a court injunction to prevent the use of the name and the live performance of CCR's hits. The pair toured as Cosmo's Factory until the injunction was overturned on appeal.
Pat Boone spent a total of 21 weeks at the top of the Billboard Pop chart with six different number one hits spread out between 1955 and 1961. His daughter Debby had only one hit, "You Light Up My Life" in 1977, but it stayed number one for 10 straight weeks.
"Beyond The Sea" by Bobby Darin was based on a song called "Le Mer", written by Louis Charles Augustin Georges Trenet in 1945. Bobby used the same melody, but the English words are not a translation of the original French lyrics.
When United Artists was preparing to release Electric Light Orchestra's debut album, a company representative tried to place a call to someone connected with the band to find out what the LP should be titled. The caller, having failed to reach the desired party, jotted down the notation "no answer," a phrase which was mistaken for an album title and assigned to the U.S. version of the LP.
In 1967, CBS-TV attempted to turn Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant into the next Tom Jones. In fact, Plant recorded a lushly orchestrated Italian ballad called "Our Song." It actually sold over 800 copies.
The longest title of an album that actually made the Billboard chart is by Fiona Apple. Made up of 90 words, the album is called - "When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right"
The motel that was the scene of Janis Joplin's death in 1970 was right across the street from where Bobby Fuller died in 1966.
1950s crooner, Pat Boone is the great, great, great, great grandson of American frontier hero Daniel Boone.
Led Zeppelin founder Jimmy Page played as a session guitarist on Tom Jones' 1965 hit, "It's Not Unusual".
The world's first jukebox was installed at the Palais Royal Hotel in San Francisco on November 23rd, 1899. At a nickel per play, the machine earned nearly $1000 during the first six months of operation.
While upset about a girl who had just left him, Joe Rock wrote most of the lyrics to The Skyliners 1959 number one hit, "Since I Don't Have You", while sitting in his car between stoplights.
In 1931, George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacker designed and built the world's first electric guitar. Because of its odd shape, it was nicknamed 'Rickenbacker's Frying Pan'. The pair were granted a patent for their invention in 1937.
Paul McCartney originally wrote the first two lines of "I Saw Her Standing There" as "She was just seventeen, Never been a beauty queen." When he sang it for John Lennon, both realized that it was a poor rhyme. Finally, it was John who came up with "She was just seventeen, you know what I mean", which they knew was a perfect sexual innuendo for the song.
Including Ringo, there have been at least five drummers for The Beatles. Norman Chapman (for the Silver Beatles), Tommy Moore, Pete Best and Jimmy Nichol.
While the Beatles were still struggling to establish themselves, they were turned down by five different British record companies.
Rock and roll fakers Milli Vanilli had a problem during one of their "live" performances. Apparently, the tape-loop jammed and kept repeating the same line over and over again. The boys danced a few steps and then both bolted from the stage to fix the malfunctioning equipment.
Cher was a background vocalist on the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling".
When Stu Cook and Doug Clifford reformed CCR as Creedence Clearwater Revisited in 1995, former band mate John Fogerty won a court injunction to prevent the use of the name and the live performance of CCR's hits. The pair toured as Cosmo's Factory until the injunction was overturned on appeal.
Pat Boone spent a total of 21 weeks at the top of the Billboard Pop chart with six different number one hits spread out between 1955 and 1961. His daughter Debby had only one hit, "You Light Up My Life" in 1977, but it stayed number one for 10 straight weeks.
"Beyond The Sea" by Bobby Darin was based on a song called "Le Mer", written by Louis Charles Augustin Georges Trenet in 1945. Bobby used the same melody, but the English words are not a translation of the original French lyrics.
When United Artists was preparing to release Electric Light Orchestra's debut album, a company representative tried to place a call to someone connected with the band to find out what the LP should be titled. The caller, having failed to reach the desired party, jotted down the notation "no answer," a phrase which was mistaken for an album title and assigned to the U.S. version of the LP.
In 1967, CBS-TV attempted to turn Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant into the next Tom Jones. In fact, Plant recorded a lushly orchestrated Italian ballad called "Our Song." It actually sold over 800 copies.
The longest title of an album that actually made the Billboard chart is by Fiona Apple. Made up of 90 words, the album is called - "When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right"
The motel that was the scene of Janis Joplin's death in 1970 was right across the street from where Bobby Fuller died in 1966.
1950s crooner, Pat Boone is the great, great, great, great grandson of American frontier hero Daniel Boone.
Led Zeppelin founder Jimmy Page played as a session guitarist on Tom Jones' 1965 hit, "It's Not Unusual".
The world's first jukebox was installed at the Palais Royal Hotel in San Francisco on November 23rd, 1899. At a nickel per play, the machine earned nearly $1000 during the first six months of operation.
While upset about a girl who had just left him, Joe Rock wrote most of the lyrics to The Skyliners 1959 number one hit, "Since I Don't Have You", while sitting in his car between stoplights.
In 1931, George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacker designed and built the world's first electric guitar. Because of its odd shape, it was nicknamed 'Rickenbacker's Frying Pan'. The pair were granted a patent for their invention in 1937.
Paul McCartney originally wrote the first two lines of "I Saw Her Standing There" as "She was just seventeen, Never been a beauty queen." When he sang it for John Lennon, both realized that it was a poor rhyme. Finally, it was John who came up with "She was just seventeen, you know what I mean", which they knew was a perfect sexual innuendo for the song.
New Album Cover Art & Music News
TRUTH CORRODED Reveal Worship The Bled Album Cover Art
Australian extreme thrash metal band TRUTH CORRODED have revealed the cover art for the band’s upcoming album, 'Worship The Bled.' The artwork for the album was designed by Bjoern Goosses of Killustrations who has worked with bands such as DEW-SCENTED, ZYKLON, SODOM, NORTHER, ABORTED, ONE MAN ARMY.
Commenting on the album cover, Truth Corroded bass guitarist Greg Shaw states, "Killustrations have created some incredible album covers, and we really felt that Bjoern could capture the imagery we were looking for. The artwork conveys the message behind the album title - how the worship of monotheistic religion, political and economic ideologies and the waging of war have bled modern civilization. We gave Killustrations the idea and that was the image created - it is confronting and communicates the title of the album".
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DARKEST ERA To Release 'The Last Caress Of Light' Next Year
DARKEST ERA, the heavy metal band based in Northern Ireland, has completed work on its new album, 'The Last Caress Of Light,' for a February 15, 2011 release on Metal Blade Records.
Commented vocalist Krum: "The album is a work of dark, stormy, epic heavy metal that we are proud to release upon the world. Chris Fielding did a fantastic job in capturing the Celtic atmosphere of our songs while bringing out our heavy metal influences from bands like Warlord. We are very excited about it."
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Deadlock Unveil Cover Art For Upcoming Album
Germany’s melodic-death metallers Deadlock are set to release their latest offering, 'Bizarro World' (Lifeforce Records) on February 28th 2011. Today, they preview the album art for the standard version. The deluxe package will include two remixes as bonus tracks. This is the band’s fifth studio effort and the first with new bassist John Gahlert, who joined in May 2009.
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TO CAST A SHADOW: New Album Cover Art Revealed
Norwegian gothic-doom metallers TO CAST A SHADOW have revealed the cover artwork for their forthcoming sophomore album, 'In Memory Of.' The artwork is the brain child of Matthew Vickerstaff of Darkwave Art (MY DYING BRIDE, CRADLE OF FILTH).
The album will be released on February 14, 2011 in UK (February 18 in the rest of Europe) by Kolony Records. The CD was recorded at Hamar Recordings in Norway with producer Kristian Sigland (THE CREST, THEATRE OF TRAGEDY) and was mastered at Leon Music Studio in Sweden by Rikard Lofgren. “In Memory Of” features a guest appearance by THEATRE OF TRAGEDY‘s lead singer Nell Sigland in the song “Betula”.
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Former Scorpions And UFO Members Form New Band
German guitar legend Michael Schenker (Michael Shenker Group, former UFO and Scorpions) has recently announced that he has formed a new band named, Strangers In The Night with UFO bass player Pete Way, former Scorpions drummer Herman Rarebell and singer Michael Voss. The band are currently in a studio in Brighton, England working on their debut album. Man, I was just listening to a little UFO the other day, I hope that they can get together and create some great rock and roll....
-----------------------------
The Decemberists Release Limited Edition Single Today
The Decemberists released an exclusive limited edition 7" vinyl single today in conjunction with Record Store Day organizers. The 7" single will feature the track "January Hymn" from their forthcoming album 'The King Is Dead,' and on the b-side, a cover of the Grateful Dead's "Row Jimmy. " The King Is Dead will be released January 18 on EMI's Capitol Records in the U.S., and January 17 on Rough Trade Records in the UK and Europe.
For a list of participating stores where the single will be available please visit www.recordstoreday.com/Venues .
-----------------------------
Big Four 2011: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax Teaming Up Again
According to Gibson.com after delivering a fantastic run of acclaimed shows earlier this year, the "Big Four" will be back together in 2011. Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, nicknamed the "Big Four" of thrash metal, will headline the first night of next summer's U.K. Sonisphere Festival on July 8.
"As soon as the 'Big Four' gigs started rolling across Sonisphere festivals in Eastern Europe last summer, we all felt we were part of something special," Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said in a statement. "The vibe within the bands was more than anyone had anticipated and the vibe with the fans was so next level, it completely blew our minds... there was no way this should not happen again!!! So I am beyond psyched that the first 'Big Four' show in Western Europe will take place on the hallowed grounds of Knebworth, where so many unique and special gigs have happened over the years."
Members of the other bands also weighed in on the news. Slayer's Kerry King: "Always excited to do 'Big Four' shows. Now England is in line to be devastated by this heavy metal powerhouse!"
Megadeth's Dave Mustaine: "The 'Big Four' concerts are the most important, most exciting event to happen in the history of live concerts in our genre, and perhaps the entire music industry. I am glad to be a part of this enormous celebration of thrash, speed, and good ole heavy metal!"
Anthrax's Scott Ian: "Merry early Xmas present for us... more 'Big Four' shows!!! The shows we did together with our brothers in Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth were not only the high point of 2010, but also some of the best shows Anthrax have ever played. Getting to share this with our friends in the U.K. will be amazing."
It’s not clear yet if this will be a one-off event for 2011, or if the four bands plan to share a bill for more dates, or even a full tour.
Commenting on the album cover, Truth Corroded bass guitarist Greg Shaw states, "Killustrations have created some incredible album covers, and we really felt that Bjoern could capture the imagery we were looking for. The artwork conveys the message behind the album title - how the worship of monotheistic religion, political and economic ideologies and the waging of war have bled modern civilization. We gave Killustrations the idea and that was the image created - it is confronting and communicates the title of the album".
-----------------------------
DARKEST ERA To Release 'The Last Caress Of Light' Next Year
Commented vocalist Krum: "The album is a work of dark, stormy, epic heavy metal that we are proud to release upon the world. Chris Fielding did a fantastic job in capturing the Celtic atmosphere of our songs while bringing out our heavy metal influences from bands like Warlord. We are very excited about it."
-----------------------------
Deadlock Unveil Cover Art For Upcoming Album
-----------------------------
TO CAST A SHADOW: New Album Cover Art Revealed
The album will be released on February 14, 2011 in UK (February 18 in the rest of Europe) by Kolony Records. The CD was recorded at Hamar Recordings in Norway with producer Kristian Sigland (THE CREST, THEATRE OF TRAGEDY) and was mastered at Leon Music Studio in Sweden by Rikard Lofgren. “In Memory Of” features a guest appearance by THEATRE OF TRAGEDY‘s lead singer Nell Sigland in the song “Betula”.
-----------------------------
Former Scorpions And UFO Members Form New Band
German guitar legend Michael Schenker (Michael Shenker Group, former UFO and Scorpions) has recently announced that he has formed a new band named, Strangers In The Night with UFO bass player Pete Way, former Scorpions drummer Herman Rarebell and singer Michael Voss. The band are currently in a studio in Brighton, England working on their debut album. Man, I was just listening to a little UFO the other day, I hope that they can get together and create some great rock and roll....
-----------------------------
The Decemberists Release Limited Edition Single Today
The Decemberists released an exclusive limited edition 7" vinyl single today in conjunction with Record Store Day organizers. The 7" single will feature the track "January Hymn" from their forthcoming album 'The King Is Dead,' and on the b-side, a cover of the Grateful Dead's "Row Jimmy. " The King Is Dead will be released January 18 on EMI's Capitol Records in the U.S., and January 17 on Rough Trade Records in the UK and Europe.
For a list of participating stores where the single will be available please visit www.recordstoreday.com/Venues .
-----------------------------
Big Four 2011: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax Teaming Up Again
According to Gibson.com after delivering a fantastic run of acclaimed shows earlier this year, the "Big Four" will be back together in 2011. Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, nicknamed the "Big Four" of thrash metal, will headline the first night of next summer's U.K. Sonisphere Festival on July 8.
"As soon as the 'Big Four' gigs started rolling across Sonisphere festivals in Eastern Europe last summer, we all felt we were part of something special," Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said in a statement. "The vibe within the bands was more than anyone had anticipated and the vibe with the fans was so next level, it completely blew our minds... there was no way this should not happen again!!! So I am beyond psyched that the first 'Big Four' show in Western Europe will take place on the hallowed grounds of Knebworth, where so many unique and special gigs have happened over the years."
Members of the other bands also weighed in on the news. Slayer's Kerry King: "Always excited to do 'Big Four' shows. Now England is in line to be devastated by this heavy metal powerhouse!"
Megadeth's Dave Mustaine: "The 'Big Four' concerts are the most important, most exciting event to happen in the history of live concerts in our genre, and perhaps the entire music industry. I am glad to be a part of this enormous celebration of thrash, speed, and good ole heavy metal!"
Anthrax's Scott Ian: "Merry early Xmas present for us... more 'Big Four' shows!!! The shows we did together with our brothers in Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth were not only the high point of 2010, but also some of the best shows Anthrax have ever played. Getting to share this with our friends in the U.K. will be amazing."
It’s not clear yet if this will be a one-off event for 2011, or if the four bands plan to share a bill for more dates, or even a full tour.
Monday, December 13, 2010
New Music Releases - December 14, 2010
Adele - Hometown Glory
Alex Harvey Band - Live at the BBC
The long-running Southern California punk legends this week mark their 30th anniversary with a hefty and handsome box set from Epitaph Records featuring all 15 of their studio albums — from 1982’s How Could Hell Be Any Worse? to this year’s The Dissent of Man — pressed on red 180-gram audiophile vinyl.
Barrence Whitfield and the Savages - Barrence Whitfield And The Savages
Ben E. King - I Had Love
Brass Construction - III & IV
Carol Hall - If I Be Your Lady
Cave In - Anomalies Vol. 1.
Ciara - Basic Instinct
Clarence Frogman Henry - Is Alive & Well in New Orleans & Still Doin His
Crystal Bowersox - Farmer's Daughter
Damned Things - Ironiclast
Deadmau5 - 4x4=12 (Vinyl)
Diddy Dirty Money - Last Train to Paris
Dio - Holy Diver (2 LPs, Picture Discs) (Vinyl)
Dukatalon - Saved By Fear
Flo-Rida - Only One Flo Vol.1
Free the Robots - Ctrl Alt Delete
Glen Campbell - It's a Matter of Time
Goodees - Condition Red! The Complete Goodees
Grinderman - Worm Tamer (Green Colored Vinyl + Poster)
Harry Nilsson - Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night (Audio Fidelity) (Vinyl)
Isley Brothers - Masterpiece
Jackie Lee - The Duck
Jay-Z - The Hits Collection Volume 1 (Vinyl)
Jefferson Airplane - Live at The Fillmore Auditorium 10/15/66: Late Show: Signe's Farewell
Jefferson Airplane - Live at The Fillmore Auditorium 10/16/66: Early & Late Shows: Grace's Debut
Jefferson Airplane - Live at The Fillmore Auditorium 11/25/66 & 11/27/66: We Have Ignition
Jefferson Airplane - Return To The Matrix 2/1/68
Jimmy Castor Bunch - Butt of Course
Jimmy Castor Bunch - E-Man Groovin
Jimmy Castor Bunch - Jimmy Castor Bunch
Jonsi - Go: Live (CD & DVD)
Kandi - Kandi Coated
Like Moths To Flames - Sweet Talker
Linda Clifford - Let Me Be Your Woman
Mel & Tim - Mel & Tim
Michael Jackson - MICHAEL
Nas - The Lost Tapes: Vol. 2
Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Heart in Your Heartbreak
(Vinyl)Panda Bear - Last Night at the Jetty
Perry Como - The Complete Christmas Collection (2 CDs)
Pet Shop Boys - Ultimate (CD/DVD)
Phil Collins - Face Value (Audio Fidelity Gold CD)
Phish - Alpine Valley 2010 (2CD + 2DVD)
R. Kelly - Love Letter
Roy Lee Johnson and the Villagers - Roy Lee Johnson And The Villagers
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - III/IV
S.O.S. Band - Just the Way You Like It
S.O.S. Band - On the Rise
S.O.S. Band - S.O.S.
S.O.S. Band - S.O.S. III
S.O.S. Band - Sands of Time
S.O.S. Band - Too
Sanford-Townsend Band - Nail Me to the Wall
Sea of Treachery - Wonderland
Shaun Ryder - XXX: 30 Years of Bellyaching
Sonic Youth - Sister (reissue) (Vinyl)
Sons of Truth - A Message From The Ghetto
Tank - Now or Never
Teddy Pendergrass - Workin' It Back
Tom Waits - Closing Time (Vinyl)
Tom Waits - Nighthawks at the Diner (2 LPs)(Vinyl)
Tom Waits - Small Change (Vinyl)
Tom Waits - The Heart of Saturday Night (Vinyl)
Van Halen - 1984 (Vinyl)
Van Halen - Van Halen II (Vinyl)
Van Halen - Women & Children First (Vinyl)
Various Artists - 2010 From Warp Records
Various Artists - Great Googly Moo - And More Undisputed Truths
Victoria - Secret of the Bloom
White Stripes - De Stijl (reissue) (Vinyl)
White Stripes - White Blood Cells (reissue) (Vinyl)
Zombies - On the BBC (Vinyl)
Find New JAZZ Releases Here
Remember, if you are a record company and have new releases or know of any I missed (especially vinyl), please email me and I will add your music to the list. I also do reviews of new vinyl, email me for more information.
New Music Releases are put together from a variety of sources by blog owner Robert Benson
Have new music for the list? Email me at rbenson30@wi.rr.com
Rock & Roll Trivia
The first known million selling recording was by Ben Selvin and his Orchestra. It was a two sided hit featuring "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" and "Darandella", recorded in 1919.
Guitarist Henry Gross, who hit the US charts in 1976 with "Shannon", was one of the founding members of the rock and roll revival group, Sha Na Na.
For the year 2005, the top earning dead celebrity in the US was Elvis Presley, who still generated $45 million worth of business. John Lennon was third with $22 million.
The Beatles 4th UK #1 single, "Can't Buy Me Love", had advanced sales of over 2.1 million, setting the record for the greatest advanced orders in the UK.
The most expensive guitar in the world is a Fender Stratocaster once owned by Eric Clapton. Nicknamed "Blackie", it sold at auction for $959,500. on June 25th, 2004.
In early 1957, RCA Records released two versions of a song called "Young Love", one by Tab Hunter, the other by Sonny James. Both records caught on and by the first week of March, Hunter's rendition was number one in the US, while James' version was number 4.
When Cher topped the Billboard Hot 100 with "Believe" in March, 1999, she became the first female over the age of 50 to have a chart topping record.
When Elvis was drafted into the US Army in March, 1958, his monthly pay went from $100,000 to $78.
Bobby "Boris" Pickett, who topped the Billboard Pop chart in 1962 with "The Monster Mash", once had his tour bus break down outside of a town called Frankenstein, Missouri.
When asked about their controversial hit song "One Toke Over The Line" during an interview with Brewer and Shipley, they said that "toke" had nothing to do with marijuana, but meant token or ticket. Hence the line about "sittin' downtown in a railway station."
When The Beatles' single "Ticket To Ride" was first issued, the fine print under the title said "From the United Artists Release Eight Arms To Hold You", which was the original name for the film Help!
The bass drum head with the Beatles logo that Ringo Starr used during the band's first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show was bought by a memorabilia collector in the mid-1990s for around $50,000. By 2006, it's estimated value had risen to half-a-million dollars.
Jethro Tull's 1968 debut single, "Sunshine Day" was erroneously credited to Jethro Toe.
When Roberta Flack was awarded a gold record for her 1973, number one hit, "Killing Me Softly With His Song", she wanted to listen to her song etched in gold. She removed the disc from its frame and placed it on a turntable, only to hear "Come Softly to Me" by The Fleetwoods.
The studio musicians who recorded the music for many "bubblegum" hits credited to The 1910 Fruitgum Company, The Ohio Express and many others, were actually former members of The Shadows of Knight, who had a hit of their own with "Gloria".
In February and March, 1964, The Beatles sold 60% of all the records sold in the U.S.
The first recording that Ray Charles made was called "Confession Blues", but at the time of the session, the American Federation Of Musicians was on strike. The violation cost Ray $600 and left him penniless.
For their first two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Beatles were paid just $3500 per show. The expenses alone to bring them to America totaled over $50,000, which was paid for by their manager, Brian Epstein.
When record executives at RCA gave a song called "Rock and Roll Waltz" to Kay Starr, she thought they must have been kidding, as rock and roll was still frowned upon by serious musicians. After many arguments, RCA still insisted that she record the song. Their hunch proved to be a good one as the record went to number 1 in the US in February, 1956.
Carl Perkins, the rockabilly pioneer who wrote Elvis Presley's hit, "Blue Suede Shoes", was a sharecropper's son who learned to play music on a guitar fashioned from a cigar box and broomstick.
In the late 70's, while at a stadium show in Toronto, the members of Aerosmith actually boarded limousines to travel the one hundred yards from their dressing rooms to the stage.
Beach Boy Carl Wilson got so excited the first time one of their songs was played on the radio-that he threw up when he heard the song.
The Odeon label was created in Germany in 1904 by the International Talking Machine Company. Odeon pioneered something they called the "album" in 1909 when it released the "Nutcracker Suite" by Tchaikovsky on four double-sided discs in a specially designed package.
Dion DiMucci of Dion and The Belmonts was a part of 1959's Winter Dance Party with Buddy Holly. When Buddy suggested that Dion fly with him after their show at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2nd, Dion declined because he didn't want to spend the extra money. It was a decision that saved his life.
Buddy Holly and The Crickets recorded their hit "Maybe Baby" in the officer's club at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.
The publishing rights to most of Buddy Holly's songs are owned by Paul McCartney.
The first time that Don McLean performed "American Pie" on stage, it didn't get a very good response from the audience. McLean would later remark that "People didn't know what the hell I was singing about."
Jimmy Hart, one of the original members of The Gentrys, who scored a US number 4 hit with "Keep On Dancin" in 1965, went on to become a popular wrestling character in the WWF, calling himself the "Mouth of the South".
Guitarist Henry Gross, who hit the US charts in 1976 with "Shannon", was one of the founding members of the rock and roll revival group, Sha Na Na.
For the year 2005, the top earning dead celebrity in the US was Elvis Presley, who still generated $45 million worth of business. John Lennon was third with $22 million.
The Beatles 4th UK #1 single, "Can't Buy Me Love", had advanced sales of over 2.1 million, setting the record for the greatest advanced orders in the UK.
The most expensive guitar in the world is a Fender Stratocaster once owned by Eric Clapton. Nicknamed "Blackie", it sold at auction for $959,500. on June 25th, 2004.
In early 1957, RCA Records released two versions of a song called "Young Love", one by Tab Hunter, the other by Sonny James. Both records caught on and by the first week of March, Hunter's rendition was number one in the US, while James' version was number 4.
When Cher topped the Billboard Hot 100 with "Believe" in March, 1999, she became the first female over the age of 50 to have a chart topping record.
When Elvis was drafted into the US Army in March, 1958, his monthly pay went from $100,000 to $78.
Bobby "Boris" Pickett, who topped the Billboard Pop chart in 1962 with "The Monster Mash", once had his tour bus break down outside of a town called Frankenstein, Missouri.
When asked about their controversial hit song "One Toke Over The Line" during an interview with Brewer and Shipley, they said that "toke" had nothing to do with marijuana, but meant token or ticket. Hence the line about "sittin' downtown in a railway station."
When The Beatles' single "Ticket To Ride" was first issued, the fine print under the title said "From the United Artists Release Eight Arms To Hold You", which was the original name for the film Help!
The bass drum head with the Beatles logo that Ringo Starr used during the band's first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show was bought by a memorabilia collector in the mid-1990s for around $50,000. By 2006, it's estimated value had risen to half-a-million dollars.
Jethro Tull's 1968 debut single, "Sunshine Day" was erroneously credited to Jethro Toe.
When Roberta Flack was awarded a gold record for her 1973, number one hit, "Killing Me Softly With His Song", she wanted to listen to her song etched in gold. She removed the disc from its frame and placed it on a turntable, only to hear "Come Softly to Me" by The Fleetwoods.
The studio musicians who recorded the music for many "bubblegum" hits credited to The 1910 Fruitgum Company, The Ohio Express and many others, were actually former members of The Shadows of Knight, who had a hit of their own with "Gloria".
In February and March, 1964, The Beatles sold 60% of all the records sold in the U.S.
The first recording that Ray Charles made was called "Confession Blues", but at the time of the session, the American Federation Of Musicians was on strike. The violation cost Ray $600 and left him penniless.
For their first two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Beatles were paid just $3500 per show. The expenses alone to bring them to America totaled over $50,000, which was paid for by their manager, Brian Epstein.
When record executives at RCA gave a song called "Rock and Roll Waltz" to Kay Starr, she thought they must have been kidding, as rock and roll was still frowned upon by serious musicians. After many arguments, RCA still insisted that she record the song. Their hunch proved to be a good one as the record went to number 1 in the US in February, 1956.
Carl Perkins, the rockabilly pioneer who wrote Elvis Presley's hit, "Blue Suede Shoes", was a sharecropper's son who learned to play music on a guitar fashioned from a cigar box and broomstick.
In the late 70's, while at a stadium show in Toronto, the members of Aerosmith actually boarded limousines to travel the one hundred yards from their dressing rooms to the stage.
Beach Boy Carl Wilson got so excited the first time one of their songs was played on the radio-that he threw up when he heard the song.
The Odeon label was created in Germany in 1904 by the International Talking Machine Company. Odeon pioneered something they called the "album" in 1909 when it released the "Nutcracker Suite" by Tchaikovsky on four double-sided discs in a specially designed package.
Dion DiMucci of Dion and The Belmonts was a part of 1959's Winter Dance Party with Buddy Holly. When Buddy suggested that Dion fly with him after their show at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2nd, Dion declined because he didn't want to spend the extra money. It was a decision that saved his life.
Buddy Holly and The Crickets recorded their hit "Maybe Baby" in the officer's club at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.
The publishing rights to most of Buddy Holly's songs are owned by Paul McCartney.
The first time that Don McLean performed "American Pie" on stage, it didn't get a very good response from the audience. McLean would later remark that "People didn't know what the hell I was singing about."
Jimmy Hart, one of the original members of The Gentrys, who scored a US number 4 hit with "Keep On Dancin" in 1965, went on to become a popular wrestling character in the WWF, calling himself the "Mouth of the South".
Music News & Notes
Necronoclast ASHES due February 22, 2011
Necronoclast has issued the following update about the release date for the band's new album:
"The new Necronoclast album 'Ashes' will be released on February 22, 2011 through Moribund Record.! The wicked cover art by US artist Gabriel Byrne has been added to the Necronoclast website, along with the new album track listing. You can expect to be crushed into dust..."
----------------------------
Judas Priest Announces Retirement And Farewell Tour
British heavy metal band vets Judas Priest, certainly one of the most influential and most popular heavy metal bands of all time, have announced that they are to perform one more world tour and then retire as a band. The band will be performing at several European festivals next year, including Graspop, Wacken and High Voltage. More dates and statements from band members are to be released soon.
Let's hope they go on forever!!
The tour dates are as follows:
June 9 - Sweden Rock - Solvesborg, Sweden
June 11 - Sauna Festival - Finland
June 17 - Copenhell Festival - Copenhagen, Denmark
June 19 - Hellfest - Nantes, France
June 22 - Gods of Metal Festival - Milan, Italy
June 25 - Graspop Festival - Belgium
July 23 - High Voltage Festival - London, UK
August 5 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany
----------------------------
Elvis Costello To Release Vinyl-Only Outtakes EP
Elvis Costello has recently announced the release of 'National Ransack,' a vinyl-only EP of outtakes from his latest album 'National Ransom' that will be in independent music stores on Tuesday, December 21st.
Costello offered a short statement about the physical Extended Play format on his website:
"The first record for which I ever slapped down my own pocket money was a vinyl E.P. It was ‘Twist And Shout’ by The Beatles. For more than 45 years, record shops have been my reference library, my college and occasionally something like a church. I've happily left a small fortune in the collection plate. We should defend and celebrate those still open for business with our last breath. Music takes time. My first record label released three 45rpm singles to very little fanfare before it ever became clear that this music lark might become my livelihood and it has been quite lively, now and then. So, if this Extended Play release should be my last as we presently know them, it's a fine way to go out. At least until someone comes up with pill that allows us to hear new music. I believe scientists are working on this as I write"
National Ransack Tracklisting:
1. Poor Borrowed Dress
2. Big Boys Cry
3. I Don’t Want To Go Home
4. Condemned Man
----------------------------
Double-LP Vinyl Version Of 'Dio At Donington UK: Live 1983 And 1987' Being Issued
'Dio At Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987,' the double-disc set which is the first official release from Niji Entertainment Group, the label formed by the late Ronnie James Dio and his wife/manager Wendy Dio, is about to get a glorious vinyl release. On February 15, 2011, the album will be issued as a double-vinyl set with deluxe gatefold packaging, and on 180-gram vinyl — the first-ever DIO album to be released in this high-quality vinyl format.
"The new Necronoclast album 'Ashes' will be released on February 22, 2011 through Moribund Record.! The wicked cover art by US artist Gabriel Byrne has been added to the Necronoclast website, along with the new album track listing. You can expect to be crushed into dust..."
----------------------------
Judas Priest Announces Retirement And Farewell Tour
Let's hope they go on forever!!
The tour dates are as follows:
June 9 - Sweden Rock - Solvesborg, Sweden
June 11 - Sauna Festival - Finland
June 17 - Copenhell Festival - Copenhagen, Denmark
June 19 - Hellfest - Nantes, France
June 22 - Gods of Metal Festival - Milan, Italy
June 25 - Graspop Festival - Belgium
July 23 - High Voltage Festival - London, UK
August 5 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany
----------------------------
Elvis Costello To Release Vinyl-Only Outtakes EP
Elvis Costello has recently announced the release of 'National Ransack,' a vinyl-only EP of outtakes from his latest album 'National Ransom' that will be in independent music stores on Tuesday, December 21st.
Costello offered a short statement about the physical Extended Play format on his website:
"The first record for which I ever slapped down my own pocket money was a vinyl E.P. It was ‘Twist And Shout’ by The Beatles. For more than 45 years, record shops have been my reference library, my college and occasionally something like a church. I've happily left a small fortune in the collection plate. We should defend and celebrate those still open for business with our last breath. Music takes time. My first record label released three 45rpm singles to very little fanfare before it ever became clear that this music lark might become my livelihood and it has been quite lively, now and then. So, if this Extended Play release should be my last as we presently know them, it's a fine way to go out. At least until someone comes up with pill that allows us to hear new music. I believe scientists are working on this as I write"
National Ransack Tracklisting:
1. Poor Borrowed Dress
2. Big Boys Cry
3. I Don’t Want To Go Home
4. Condemned Man
----------------------------
Double-LP Vinyl Version Of 'Dio At Donington UK: Live 1983 And 1987' Being Issued
This Date In Music History - December 13
Birthdays:
Tony Gomez - Foundations (1940)
Robert Martinez - ? & The Mysterians (1945)
Andy Peebles, UK radio DJ. The last person to interview John Lennon (1948)
Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter - Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan (1948)
Ted Nugent - Amboy Dukes, Solo, Damn Yankees (1948)
Ron Getman Tractors (1948)
Randy Owen - Alabama (1949)
Tom Verlaine - Television (1949)
Davy O'List - The Nice, Roxy Music (1950)
Berton Averre - The Knack (1952)
Steve Forbert (1954)
Dana Strum - Slaughter (1959)
Jamie Foxx - Academy Award winner in 2005 for his performance of musician Ray Charles in Ray (1967)
Daniel Patrick, bass guitar, guitar and keyboards. Worked Nine Inch Nails, Tapeworm, Killing Joke, Methods of Mayhem (1970)
Nick McCarthy - Franz Ferdinand (1974)
Tom Delonge - Blink 182 (1975)
Amy Lynn Lee - Evanescence (1981)
They Are Missed:
Pigmeat Markham ("Here Comes The Judge") died in 1981.
Canadian guitarist and singer Zal Yanovsky of The Lovin Spoonful died of a heart attack in 2002. Was a member of The Mugwumps with Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot. Formed Lovin Spoonful with John Sebastian in 1964, they scored the 1966 US No.1 & UK No.8 single "Summer In The City."
History:
Singing a translated version of a French song, the Everly Brothers recorded their timeless ballad, "Let It Be Me," in Nashville in 1959.
Elvis Presley's "It's Now Or Never" set a new record in the UK in 1960 for achieving one million sales just six weeks after its release.
The Beatles performed at the Cavern Club, Liverpool in 1961, playing two shows at lunchtime and then again at night. In fact, Decca Records' Mike Smith attended the night performance with a view to offering The Beatles a recording contract.
Elvis Presley was at #1 on the UK singles chart in 1962 with "Return To Sender," his 13th UK #1 chart topper.
In 1962, after scoring a US Top 20 hit with "She Can't Find Her Keys" earlier in the year, 17 year-old Paul Peterson re-entered the charts with "My Dad," which would reach #6. The former Disney Mouseketeer and cast member of the TV's Donna Reed Show would go on to found A Minor Consideration, an organization committed to changing the working conditions for child performers.
Jimi Hendrix recorded the immortal "Foxey Lady" in 1966.
Also in 1966, Jimi Hendrix made his TV debut on ITV's 'Ready Steady Go!' (Marc Bolan was also on the show).
In 1969, Diana Ross took the Latino Casino in Philadelphia to court for $27,500 after her two pet dogs died after eating cyanide tablets left by an exterminator in her dressing room. Good for her!
Bob Dylan was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in 1969, on sale for 35 Cents.
George Harrison had lunch with President Gerald Ford at the White House in 1974. Later that same day, Ford met with Peter Frampton. The perks of being the prez.....
David Bowie's "Golden Years" was released in 1975.
Foghat's "Slow Ride" was released in 1975.
Chicago started a five-week run at #1 on the US album chart in 1975 with 'Chicago IX-Chicago's Greatest Hits,' the group's fifth #1 album.
The Rolling Stones' requested to put on a three day show for 100,000 fans on Easter Island was denied by the government of Chile in 1975, who said "the whole future of the island" would be damaged. The idea was to fly and ferry 100,000 people to the island. That had disaster written all over it.....
'Kenny Roger's Greatest Hits' started a two-week run at #1 on the US album chart in 1980.
Bruce Hornsby & The Range went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1986 with "The Way It Is."
A Madison Square Garden concert in 1987 to benefit the New York Children’s Health Project had performances by Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed and Billy Joel.
'Celebration of Life, 'a Roy Orbison tribute concert, was held at the Wiltern Theatre in L.A in 1988. Bonnie Raitt and the Stray Cats perform. The legendary singer died of a heart attack a week earlier.
The film, Jerry Maguire, co-starring the Eagles' singer / guitarist Glenn Frey, made its debut in US theatres in 1996. The movie's other star, Cuba Gooding Jr. is the son of Cuba Gooding Sr., the lead vocalist for The Main Ingredient, who are most often remembered for their 1972, #3 hit "Everybody Plays the Fool."
Children's TV characters The Teletubbies went to #1 on the UK singles chart in 1997 with "Teletubbies Say-eh-oh." The single spent a total of 32 weeks on the chart. And they're an allie?
Winners in the Smash Hits readers poll in 1999 included, Backstreet Boys who won Best band, best album & best single, Britney Spears won best female singer, Robbie Williams best male singer, S Club 7 won best new band and worst group went to the Spice Girls.
In 2000, it was announced that after 74 years the UK rock weekly Melody Maker was to close down. The Christmas edition would be the last one then it would merge with the NME creating a more sizeable broad-based magazine.
Sir Paul McCartney held his first-ever London book signing at Waterstone's in Piccadilly in 2000. Sir Paul was in the store to sign copies of his new book, 'Paul McCartney Paintings.'
The two surviving members of Nirvana, Krist Novoselic and David Grohl, filed a countersuit against Courtney Love in 2001. The charge was that she has manipulated the memory and work of her dead husband, Kirk Cobain, for the benefit of her own career.
A Maryland couple sued Wal-Mart in 2004 for selling Evanescence's 'Anywhere But Home' CD/DVD without a parental advisory label. The song "Thoughtless" contained an explicit lyric. The suit charges the national retailer of deceiving its customers, after promoting a policy of selling only clean versions of albums. The suit requests that Wal-Mart either censor or remove the CD/DVD from its shelves. Or perhaps those offended Wal-Mart customers could purchase some other CD. Or, just ignore it and let it be.....
In 2004, ABC-TV announced that Dick Clark would not be able to host his annual Rockin' New Year's Eve broadcast due to a stroke he suffered on December 8th.
In 2005, a check signed by John Lennon made out to the Inland Revenue sold for just under $3,500 at a UK auction. It was sold by former madam Lindi St Clair, (formerly known as Miss Whiplash), after she decided she had no use for it. Clair had bought the cheque for $6,300 in 1988. It was signed by Lennon on January 23, 1968 on a District Bank Limited form and made out for $11,000.
Guess the Buick deal ("Dream On") was just the beginning. Aerosmith announced in 2005 that they will appear in an ad campaign for Target, which was offering an exclusive expanded edition of the band's live disc 'Rockin' the Joint.' Guitarist Joe Perry claimed these ad deals are a great way to attract new fans. (and new money for them).
Also in 2005, Billboard Magazine's Boxscore claimed U2's Vertigo tour was the top-grossing jaunt of the year taking in $260 million over the course of 90 shows, all of which were sold out. More than 3 million people saw the group live.
New York police arrested Koral Karsan in 2006 and charged him with first-degree attempted grand larceny for allegedly trying to extort $2 million from John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono. The 50 year old Karsan had worked for Ono as a chauffeur for over six years.
Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" tops VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s special in 2007. The online poll places U2's "One," Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" and Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under The Bridge" in the Top 20. All 100 songs are featured in a five-night countdown on the cable channel.
Kanye West went to #1 on the US album chart in 2008 with ‘808s & Heartbreak,' his fourth studio album.
Tony Gomez - Foundations (1940)
Robert Martinez - ? & The Mysterians (1945)
Andy Peebles, UK radio DJ. The last person to interview John Lennon (1948)
Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter - Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan (1948)
Ted Nugent - Amboy Dukes, Solo, Damn Yankees (1948)
Ron Getman Tractors (1948)
Randy Owen - Alabama (1949)
Tom Verlaine - Television (1949)
Davy O'List - The Nice, Roxy Music (1950)
Berton Averre - The Knack (1952)
Steve Forbert (1954)
Dana Strum - Slaughter (1959)
Jamie Foxx - Academy Award winner in 2005 for his performance of musician Ray Charles in Ray (1967)
Daniel Patrick, bass guitar, guitar and keyboards. Worked Nine Inch Nails, Tapeworm, Killing Joke, Methods of Mayhem (1970)
Nick McCarthy - Franz Ferdinand (1974)
Tom Delonge - Blink 182 (1975)
Amy Lynn Lee - Evanescence (1981)
They Are Missed:
Pigmeat Markham ("Here Comes The Judge") died in 1981.
Canadian guitarist and singer Zal Yanovsky of The Lovin Spoonful died of a heart attack in 2002. Was a member of The Mugwumps with Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot. Formed Lovin Spoonful with John Sebastian in 1964, they scored the 1966 US No.1 & UK No.8 single "Summer In The City."
History:
Singing a translated version of a French song, the Everly Brothers recorded their timeless ballad, "Let It Be Me," in Nashville in 1959.
Elvis Presley's "It's Now Or Never" set a new record in the UK in 1960 for achieving one million sales just six weeks after its release.
The Beatles performed at the Cavern Club, Liverpool in 1961, playing two shows at lunchtime and then again at night. In fact, Decca Records' Mike Smith attended the night performance with a view to offering The Beatles a recording contract.
Elvis Presley was at #1 on the UK singles chart in 1962 with "Return To Sender," his 13th UK #1 chart topper.
In 1962, after scoring a US Top 20 hit with "She Can't Find Her Keys" earlier in the year, 17 year-old Paul Peterson re-entered the charts with "My Dad," which would reach #6. The former Disney Mouseketeer and cast member of the TV's Donna Reed Show would go on to found A Minor Consideration, an organization committed to changing the working conditions for child performers.
Jimi Hendrix recorded the immortal "Foxey Lady" in 1966.
Also in 1966, Jimi Hendrix made his TV debut on ITV's 'Ready Steady Go!' (Marc Bolan was also on the show).
In 1969, Diana Ross took the Latino Casino in Philadelphia to court for $27,500 after her two pet dogs died after eating cyanide tablets left by an exterminator in her dressing room. Good for her!
Bob Dylan was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in 1969, on sale for 35 Cents.
George Harrison had lunch with President Gerald Ford at the White House in 1974. Later that same day, Ford met with Peter Frampton. The perks of being the prez.....
David Bowie's "Golden Years" was released in 1975.
Foghat's "Slow Ride" was released in 1975.
Chicago started a five-week run at #1 on the US album chart in 1975 with 'Chicago IX-Chicago's Greatest Hits,' the group's fifth #1 album.
The Rolling Stones' requested to put on a three day show for 100,000 fans on Easter Island was denied by the government of Chile in 1975, who said "the whole future of the island" would be damaged. The idea was to fly and ferry 100,000 people to the island. That had disaster written all over it.....
'Kenny Roger's Greatest Hits' started a two-week run at #1 on the US album chart in 1980.
Bruce Hornsby & The Range went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1986 with "The Way It Is."
A Madison Square Garden concert in 1987 to benefit the New York Children’s Health Project had performances by Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed and Billy Joel.
'Celebration of Life, 'a Roy Orbison tribute concert, was held at the Wiltern Theatre in L.A in 1988. Bonnie Raitt and the Stray Cats perform. The legendary singer died of a heart attack a week earlier.
The film, Jerry Maguire, co-starring the Eagles' singer / guitarist Glenn Frey, made its debut in US theatres in 1996. The movie's other star, Cuba Gooding Jr. is the son of Cuba Gooding Sr., the lead vocalist for The Main Ingredient, who are most often remembered for their 1972, #3 hit "Everybody Plays the Fool."
Children's TV characters The Teletubbies went to #1 on the UK singles chart in 1997 with "Teletubbies Say-eh-oh." The single spent a total of 32 weeks on the chart. And they're an allie?
Winners in the Smash Hits readers poll in 1999 included, Backstreet Boys who won Best band, best album & best single, Britney Spears won best female singer, Robbie Williams best male singer, S Club 7 won best new band and worst group went to the Spice Girls.
In 2000, it was announced that after 74 years the UK rock weekly Melody Maker was to close down. The Christmas edition would be the last one then it would merge with the NME creating a more sizeable broad-based magazine.
Sir Paul McCartney held his first-ever London book signing at Waterstone's in Piccadilly in 2000. Sir Paul was in the store to sign copies of his new book, 'Paul McCartney Paintings.'
The two surviving members of Nirvana, Krist Novoselic and David Grohl, filed a countersuit against Courtney Love in 2001. The charge was that she has manipulated the memory and work of her dead husband, Kirk Cobain, for the benefit of her own career.
A Maryland couple sued Wal-Mart in 2004 for selling Evanescence's 'Anywhere But Home' CD/DVD without a parental advisory label. The song "Thoughtless" contained an explicit lyric. The suit charges the national retailer of deceiving its customers, after promoting a policy of selling only clean versions of albums. The suit requests that Wal-Mart either censor or remove the CD/DVD from its shelves. Or perhaps those offended Wal-Mart customers could purchase some other CD. Or, just ignore it and let it be.....
In 2004, ABC-TV announced that Dick Clark would not be able to host his annual Rockin' New Year's Eve broadcast due to a stroke he suffered on December 8th.
In 2005, a check signed by John Lennon made out to the Inland Revenue sold for just under $3,500 at a UK auction. It was sold by former madam Lindi St Clair, (formerly known as Miss Whiplash), after she decided she had no use for it. Clair had bought the cheque for $6,300 in 1988. It was signed by Lennon on January 23, 1968 on a District Bank Limited form and made out for $11,000.
Guess the Buick deal ("Dream On") was just the beginning. Aerosmith announced in 2005 that they will appear in an ad campaign for Target, which was offering an exclusive expanded edition of the band's live disc 'Rockin' the Joint.' Guitarist Joe Perry claimed these ad deals are a great way to attract new fans. (and new money for them).
Also in 2005, Billboard Magazine's Boxscore claimed U2's Vertigo tour was the top-grossing jaunt of the year taking in $260 million over the course of 90 shows, all of which were sold out. More than 3 million people saw the group live.
New York police arrested Koral Karsan in 2006 and charged him with first-degree attempted grand larceny for allegedly trying to extort $2 million from John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono. The 50 year old Karsan had worked for Ono as a chauffeur for over six years.
Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" tops VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s special in 2007. The online poll places U2's "One," Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" and Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under The Bridge" in the Top 20. All 100 songs are featured in a five-night countdown on the cable channel.
Kanye West went to #1 on the US album chart in 2008 with ‘808s & Heartbreak,' his fourth studio album.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Rock & Roll Trivia
As a special treat for the holidays, I am reprinting a very popular series I call Rock & Roll Trivia. Interesting tidbits about our music and our musicians, this will be posted every day until Christmas. Enjoy:
On December 17th, 1977, David Ackroyd became the first record buyer to receive a Gold Disc when he purchased the one-millionth copy of "Mull Of Kintyre" by Wings.
In December of 1969, Mick Jagger was quoted saying "I don't really like singing very much, I enjoy playing the guitar more than I enjoy singing and I can't play the guitar either."
Ross Bagdasarian (Davis Seville) named The Chipmunks after executives at Liberty records. Alvin was named for Al Bennett, president of the company, Simon was named after Bennett's partner, Si Waronker and Theodore was named for Ted Keep, a recording engineer.
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" was written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958. Although Decca released it in both that year and again in 1959, it did not catch on until Lee rose to stardom in 1960. That Christmas season, it reached #16 on the Billboard Pop chart and has since become a perennial holiday favourite. The song continues to sell well during the holiday season and rose to #5 on the Christmas chart in 1984.
One of the strangest moments in Pop music history took place on September 11, 1977, when two stars from different generations, David Bowie and Bing Crosby, got together to tape "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Peace On Earth" for Bing's upcoming Christmas TV special. The pair rehearsed for an hour and finished their duet in only three takes, but Bing died a month later having never seen the video.
In October, 2000, George Michael paid over $2 million for the piano that John Lennon used to write "Imagine". It is a simple upright model and not the white piano that appeared on the album cover.
John Lennon often expressed his dislike for Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister that he was named after. He felt so strongly that he had his middle name changed from Winston to Ono after he married Yoko.
Andy White, who played drums on The Beatles' track "Love Me Do", which was included on the Beatles Greatest Hits album, did not earn any money in royalties from it. He only received his original session fee of £7 ($14 US), which is not even enough for him to buy his own copy of the album.
Gloucestershire airport in England used to blast Tina Turner songs on its runways to scare birds away.
The much publicized Jerry Lee Lewis pistol-waving episode outside Graceland in 1976 is said to be a misunderstanding. Jerry and Elvis were long time friends and he had been invited to visit. A pistol on the dashboard of Jerry's car had been given to him earlier that evening as a present and when security guards at the Gracelands gates saw the pistol and asked Jerry if he'd come to shoot Elvis, Jerry just joked: "Sure I have." This led to the arrest and the subsequent press stories.
After Sam Cooke turned down "Travelin' Man", Ricky Nelson recorded the song and had a Billboard chart topping single with it in 1961.
Before assembling AC/DC, Malcolm Young played with the Velvet Underground- not THE Velvet Underground; Young's band mates were Australians who simply stole the name.
One of Motley Crue's earliest stage gimmicks was to light their pants on fire. Brings new meaning to the term- 'liar, liar-pants on fire.'
In 1963, the brother and sister team of Nino Tempo and April Stevens took "Deep Purple" to Billboard's number one position. The same song had topped the charts for Larry McClinton in 1939 and would become a #14 hit for Donny and Marie Osmond in 1976.
1950s crooner Perry Como, who scored many hits including "Round and Round", "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes" and "Hot Diggity", was the seventh son of a seventh son.
The Righteous Brothers' hit "Unchained Melody" was never intended to be a single. It was recorded as an album cut and later pressed on the "B" side of the 45 "Hung On You". When it was released, DJs flipped the disc over and "Unchained Melody" quickly rose to #4 in the US and #1 in the UK.
Barry Manilow recorded his vocal and piano parts for "Mandy" in just one take.
Elvis Presley was a devoted animal lover. He owned dogs, mules, horses, peacocks, chickens, a turkey and had a silly mynah bird that said, "Elvis! Go to hell!"
We all know that Elvis loved his food. "I like it well-done," the legendary icon stated. "I ain't ordering a pet."
While we are on the subject, it seems that rowdy Allman Brother Dickey Betts was out riding his motorcycle one day and he was hungry. So he stopped his machine, jumped a fence and killed a cow. As he was butchering the animal, a cop passed by and quickly arrested the bloody Brother.
On December 17th, 1977, David Ackroyd became the first record buyer to receive a Gold Disc when he purchased the one-millionth copy of "Mull Of Kintyre" by Wings.
In December of 1969, Mick Jagger was quoted saying "I don't really like singing very much, I enjoy playing the guitar more than I enjoy singing and I can't play the guitar either."
Ross Bagdasarian (Davis Seville) named The Chipmunks after executives at Liberty records. Alvin was named for Al Bennett, president of the company, Simon was named after Bennett's partner, Si Waronker and Theodore was named for Ted Keep, a recording engineer.
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" was written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958. Although Decca released it in both that year and again in 1959, it did not catch on until Lee rose to stardom in 1960. That Christmas season, it reached #16 on the Billboard Pop chart and has since become a perennial holiday favourite. The song continues to sell well during the holiday season and rose to #5 on the Christmas chart in 1984.
One of the strangest moments in Pop music history took place on September 11, 1977, when two stars from different generations, David Bowie and Bing Crosby, got together to tape "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Peace On Earth" for Bing's upcoming Christmas TV special. The pair rehearsed for an hour and finished their duet in only three takes, but Bing died a month later having never seen the video.
In October, 2000, George Michael paid over $2 million for the piano that John Lennon used to write "Imagine". It is a simple upright model and not the white piano that appeared on the album cover.
John Lennon often expressed his dislike for Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister that he was named after. He felt so strongly that he had his middle name changed from Winston to Ono after he married Yoko.
Andy White, who played drums on The Beatles' track "Love Me Do", which was included on the Beatles Greatest Hits album, did not earn any money in royalties from it. He only received his original session fee of £7 ($14 US), which is not even enough for him to buy his own copy of the album.
Gloucestershire airport in England used to blast Tina Turner songs on its runways to scare birds away.
The much publicized Jerry Lee Lewis pistol-waving episode outside Graceland in 1976 is said to be a misunderstanding. Jerry and Elvis were long time friends and he had been invited to visit. A pistol on the dashboard of Jerry's car had been given to him earlier that evening as a present and when security guards at the Gracelands gates saw the pistol and asked Jerry if he'd come to shoot Elvis, Jerry just joked: "Sure I have." This led to the arrest and the subsequent press stories.
After Sam Cooke turned down "Travelin' Man", Ricky Nelson recorded the song and had a Billboard chart topping single with it in 1961.
Before assembling AC/DC, Malcolm Young played with the Velvet Underground- not THE Velvet Underground; Young's band mates were Australians who simply stole the name.
One of Motley Crue's earliest stage gimmicks was to light their pants on fire. Brings new meaning to the term- 'liar, liar-pants on fire.'
In 1963, the brother and sister team of Nino Tempo and April Stevens took "Deep Purple" to Billboard's number one position. The same song had topped the charts for Larry McClinton in 1939 and would become a #14 hit for Donny and Marie Osmond in 1976.
1950s crooner Perry Como, who scored many hits including "Round and Round", "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes" and "Hot Diggity", was the seventh son of a seventh son.
The Righteous Brothers' hit "Unchained Melody" was never intended to be a single. It was recorded as an album cut and later pressed on the "B" side of the 45 "Hung On You". When it was released, DJs flipped the disc over and "Unchained Melody" quickly rose to #4 in the US and #1 in the UK.
Barry Manilow recorded his vocal and piano parts for "Mandy" in just one take.
Elvis Presley was a devoted animal lover. He owned dogs, mules, horses, peacocks, chickens, a turkey and had a silly mynah bird that said, "Elvis! Go to hell!"
We all know that Elvis loved his food. "I like it well-done," the legendary icon stated. "I ain't ordering a pet."
While we are on the subject, it seems that rowdy Allman Brother Dickey Betts was out riding his motorcycle one day and he was hungry. So he stopped his machine, jumped a fence and killed a cow. As he was butchering the animal, a cop passed by and quickly arrested the bloody Brother.
Music News & Notes
LIFELOVER REVEAL NEW ALBUM COVER ART
Swedish depressive post-rockers Lifelover have recently published the cover art to their soon-to-come new album, 'Sjukdom,' with an estimated release date of February 14th, 2011 through current label Prophecy Productions.
---------------------
Children of Bodom Reveal New Album Track Listing and Cover Art
The wild Finnish melodic black metal band Children of Bodom have released a lengthy statement on their Facebook page yesterday morning about their upcoming album 'Relentless Reckless Forever.' The statement contains both the new cover art and a link to a video trailer. 'Relentless Reckless Forever' is due to be released on March 8, 2011 on Universal Music.
The track list:
1. Not My Funeral
2. Shovel Knockout
3. Roundtrip to Hell and Back
4. Pussyfoot Miss Suicide
5. Relentless Reckless Forever
6. Ugly
7. Cry of the Nihilist
8. Was It Worth It?
9. Northpole Throwdown
10. Party All the Time (* Eddie Murphy)
--------------------
System Of A Down Announces Reunion Shows
After an indefinite hiatus that has lasted for four years, California-based alternative metallers System Of A Down have announced that they will be returning to the stage next year for a series of shows in Europe. A message from the band's website reads as follows:
"We are excited to announce that System will be playing some dates together in 2011.
"We also want to thank you for your loyalty and support, not only to System Of A Down, but to all of our solo efforts as well. We have no master plan of sorts - we are playing these shows simply because we want to play together again as a band and for you, our amazing fans. We look forward to seeing all of you!"
---------------------
HOLY GRAIL And THE FUNERAL PYRE Albums To Be Made Available On Vinyl
Prosthetic Records will release HOLY GRAIL's "Crisis In Utopia" and THE FUNERAL PYRE's "Vultures At Dawn" on vinyl for the first time on February 1, 2011.
HOLY GRAIL's acclaimed debut album, produced by Danny Lohner (NINE INCH NAILS, A PERFECT CIRCLE), will be available on black wax, with a limited run of 100 clear pieces. The band, which has recently toured with AMON AMARTH and EXODUS, is currently on the road with BLIND GUARDIAN, and will be back on the road early in the new year alongside ELUVEITIE and 3 INCHES OF BLOOD.
The vinyl release of THE FUNERAL PYRE's fourth album, hailed as "pure kvlt grimness" by Decibel, is limited to 500 copies. It will be pressed on 180-gram black vinyl and will include a gatefold poster featuring artwork by Justin Bartlett (TRAP THEM, WATAIN, GORGOROTH). The group kicks off a brief West Coast run tonight and will be announcing a full U.S. tour in the coming weeks.
Both titles are available now for pre-order at the Prosthetic webstore. Prosthetic Records
---------------------
LINKIN PARK, AC/DC, GODSMACK, Among Top-Selling Hard Rock Albums Of 2010
Billboard magazine has published a list of the top-selling hard rock and metal albums, ranked by sales data as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. (Note: Not all the albums on the list were actually released during 2010.)
01. Dark Horse - NICKELBACK
02. A Thousand Suns - LINKIN PARK
03. Iron Man 2 (Soundtrack) - AC/DC
04. The Oracle - GODSMACK
05. Nightmare - AVENGED SEVENFOLD
06. Asylum - DISTURBED
07. Dear Agony - BREAKING BENJAMIN
08. The Sound Of Madness - SHINEDOWN
09. Them Crooked Vultures - THEM CROOKED VULTURES
10. Valleys Of Neptune - JIMI HENDRIX
11. Night Castle - TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA
12. War Is The Answer - FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
13. Life Starts Now - THREE DAYS GRACE
14. Greatest Hits - FOO FIGHTERS
15. Scream - OZZY OSBOURNE
16. Memento Mori - FLYLEAF
17. Fever - BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
18. Black Gives Way To Blue - ALICE IN CHAINS
19. Backspacer - PEARL JAM
20. Cage The Elephant - CAGE THE ELEPHANT
21. Full Circle - CREED
22. Greatest Hits - MÖTLEY CRÜE
23. Slash - SLASH
24. Diamond Eyes - DEFTONES
25. Hellbilly Deluxe 2 - ROB ZOMBIE
26. Korn III: Remember Who You Are - KORN
27. Scars & Souvenirs - THEORY OF A DEADMAN
28. The Final Frontier - IRON MAIDEN
29. Stone Temple Pilots - STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
30. Mudvayne - MUDVAYNE
31. Tri-Polar - SICK PUPPIES
32. Audio Secrecy - STONE SOUR
33. Greatest Hits - THE WHO
34. Greatest Hits - BON JOVI
35. Powerless Rise - AS I LAY DYING
36. All Hope Is Gone - SLIPKNOT
37. Year Of The Black Rainbow - COHEED AND CAMBRIA
38. Stampede - HELLYEAH
39. Chickenfoot - CHICKENFOOT
40. Swan Songs - HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD
41. Order Of The Black - BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
42. Volume 4: Songs In The Key Of Love And Hate - PUDDLE OF MUDD
43. All Night Long - BUCKCHERRY
44. For We Are Many - ALL THAT REMAINS
45. Desperate Measures - HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD
46. Miss America - SAVING ABEL
47. Custom Built - BRET MICHAELS
48. Cold Day Memory - SEVENDUST
49. World Painted Blood - SLAYER
50. Sonic Boom - KISS
---------------------
Paul McCartney Pays Tribute To John Lennon
The legendary singer appeared on the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on Thursday (November 9) performing 'Here Today' for Lennon.
''This is like a song that's a conversation we never had," McCartney said beforehand.
He added: "I always say to people, 'If you love someone, tell them now,' because there may come a point when it's too late and you think 'I wish you said that.'"
Millions of Beatles fans around the world marked the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's death on Wednesday (November 8).
---------------------
GIRLSCHOOL Re-Recording Classic 'Hit And Run' Album
Veteran British female hard rockers GIRLSCHOOL are currently in the studio re-recording their classic 1981 album 'Hit And Run.' The new version of the LP will be released in 2011 to celebrate the album's 30th anniversary.
'Hit And Run' was originally made available in March 1981, followed a short time later by a single featuring the title track. Both releases were very successful in the U.K., with the album reaching position No. 5 and the single No. 32 on their respective charts. The LP also charted in New Zealand and in Canada, where it went gold.
---------------------
Children of Bodom Reveal New Album Track Listing and Cover Art
The track list:
1. Not My Funeral
2. Shovel Knockout
3. Roundtrip to Hell and Back
4. Pussyfoot Miss Suicide
5. Relentless Reckless Forever
6. Ugly
7. Cry of the Nihilist
8. Was It Worth It?
9. Northpole Throwdown
10. Party All the Time (* Eddie Murphy)
--------------------
System Of A Down Announces Reunion Shows
After an indefinite hiatus that has lasted for four years, California-based alternative metallers System Of A Down have announced that they will be returning to the stage next year for a series of shows in Europe. A message from the band's website reads as follows:
"We are excited to announce that System will be playing some dates together in 2011.
"We also want to thank you for your loyalty and support, not only to System Of A Down, but to all of our solo efforts as well. We have no master plan of sorts - we are playing these shows simply because we want to play together again as a band and for you, our amazing fans. We look forward to seeing all of you!"
---------------------
HOLY GRAIL And THE FUNERAL PYRE Albums To Be Made Available On Vinyl
HOLY GRAIL's acclaimed debut album, produced by Danny Lohner (NINE INCH NAILS, A PERFECT CIRCLE), will be available on black wax, with a limited run of 100 clear pieces. The band, which has recently toured with AMON AMARTH and EXODUS, is currently on the road with BLIND GUARDIAN, and will be back on the road early in the new year alongside ELUVEITIE and 3 INCHES OF BLOOD.
The vinyl release of THE FUNERAL PYRE's fourth album, hailed as "pure kvlt grimness" by Decibel, is limited to 500 copies. It will be pressed on 180-gram black vinyl and will include a gatefold poster featuring artwork by Justin Bartlett (TRAP THEM, WATAIN, GORGOROTH). The group kicks off a brief West Coast run tonight and will be announcing a full U.S. tour in the coming weeks.
Both titles are available now for pre-order at the Prosthetic webstore. Prosthetic Records
---------------------
LINKIN PARK, AC/DC, GODSMACK, Among Top-Selling Hard Rock Albums Of 2010
Billboard magazine has published a list of the top-selling hard rock and metal albums, ranked by sales data as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. (Note: Not all the albums on the list were actually released during 2010.)
01. Dark Horse - NICKELBACK
02. A Thousand Suns - LINKIN PARK
03. Iron Man 2 (Soundtrack) - AC/DC
04. The Oracle - GODSMACK
05. Nightmare - AVENGED SEVENFOLD
06. Asylum - DISTURBED
07. Dear Agony - BREAKING BENJAMIN
08. The Sound Of Madness - SHINEDOWN
09. Them Crooked Vultures - THEM CROOKED VULTURES
10. Valleys Of Neptune - JIMI HENDRIX
11. Night Castle - TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA
12. War Is The Answer - FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
13. Life Starts Now - THREE DAYS GRACE
14. Greatest Hits - FOO FIGHTERS
15. Scream - OZZY OSBOURNE
16. Memento Mori - FLYLEAF
17. Fever - BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
18. Black Gives Way To Blue - ALICE IN CHAINS
19. Backspacer - PEARL JAM
20. Cage The Elephant - CAGE THE ELEPHANT
21. Full Circle - CREED
22. Greatest Hits - MÖTLEY CRÜE
23. Slash - SLASH
24. Diamond Eyes - DEFTONES
25. Hellbilly Deluxe 2 - ROB ZOMBIE
26. Korn III: Remember Who You Are - KORN
27. Scars & Souvenirs - THEORY OF A DEADMAN
28. The Final Frontier - IRON MAIDEN
29. Stone Temple Pilots - STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
30. Mudvayne - MUDVAYNE
31. Tri-Polar - SICK PUPPIES
32. Audio Secrecy - STONE SOUR
33. Greatest Hits - THE WHO
34. Greatest Hits - BON JOVI
35. Powerless Rise - AS I LAY DYING
36. All Hope Is Gone - SLIPKNOT
37. Year Of The Black Rainbow - COHEED AND CAMBRIA
38. Stampede - HELLYEAH
39. Chickenfoot - CHICKENFOOT
40. Swan Songs - HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD
41. Order Of The Black - BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
42. Volume 4: Songs In The Key Of Love And Hate - PUDDLE OF MUDD
43. All Night Long - BUCKCHERRY
44. For We Are Many - ALL THAT REMAINS
45. Desperate Measures - HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD
46. Miss America - SAVING ABEL
47. Custom Built - BRET MICHAELS
48. Cold Day Memory - SEVENDUST
49. World Painted Blood - SLAYER
50. Sonic Boom - KISS
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Paul McCartney Pays Tribute To John Lennon
''This is like a song that's a conversation we never had," McCartney said beforehand.
He added: "I always say to people, 'If you love someone, tell them now,' because there may come a point when it's too late and you think 'I wish you said that.'"
Millions of Beatles fans around the world marked the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's death on Wednesday (November 8).
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GIRLSCHOOL Re-Recording Classic 'Hit And Run' Album
'Hit And Run' was originally made available in March 1981, followed a short time later by a single featuring the title track. Both releases were very successful in the U.K., with the album reaching position No. 5 and the single No. 32 on their respective charts. The LP also charted in New Zealand and in Canada, where it went gold.
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