This Date In Music History- May 23

Birthdays:

"General" Norman Johnson, lead singer of the Chairmen of the Board ("Give Me Just A Little More Time") turns 65.

Oasis guitarist and songwriter Noel Gallagher was born in 1968.

Irish folk singer Luka Bloom was born in Newbridge, Ireland in 1955. He's actually called Barry Moore, but took his stage name from the Suzanne Vega song and a character in James Joyce's Ulysses.

The late Rosemary Clooney ("Come On-A My House") was born in 1928.

Misty Morgan ("Tennessee Bird Walk" with husband Jack Blanchard) is 63.

History:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off their first major arena tour in Buffalo, New York in 1978. It ended seven months and 109 cities later in Cleveland on January 1, 1979.

Paul Revere & the Raiders signed with Columbia Records in 1963.

The Who film "The Kids Are Alright" premiered in New York City in 1979.

Elvis Presley's "Follow That Dream" movie opened nationally in 1962.

Today in 1960, the song "Cathy's Clown" by the Everly Brothers topped the charts and stayed there for 5 weeks. The duo had also accomplished this feat 1958 when "All I Have To Do Is Dream" also spent over a month at the top position.

1970- The Beatles' "Let It Be" LP reportedly sets a record for advance sales as 3.7 million advance orders are made for the farewell album. But the New Musical Express described the album as a "cardboard tombstone."

Also in 1970, the Grateful Dead performed outside the U.S. for the first time. Their gig at England's Hollywood Rock Festival went on for four hours. The Dead's set was preceded by a performance by Mungo Jerry, who played their big hit "In the Summertime.”

Ella Fitzgerald's cover of the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" hit #34 in the U.K. in 1964. She was the first artist to chart in the U.K. with a Beatles cover.

In 1971, Iron Butterfly disbanded one month after “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” fell off the Album Chart, following a 138 week run.

In 1964, The Beach Boys released "I Get Around," which will go on to become the group's first #1 hit, topping the US chart for 2 weeks.

In 1973, Clive Davis was fired as president of Columbia Records. He was allegedly using company funds for private use, including $53,700 worth of alterations to his apartment and $20,000 for his son's bar mitzvah.

Jefferson Airplane were barred from giving a free concert at Golden Gate Park in 1977, when San Francisco authorities passed a resolution banning electronic instruments. The group later wrote "We Built this City" about the ban.

Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" went platinum in 1979. The album's title track, a #2 hit, is the rallying call for baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates, who will go on to win the 1979 World Series in October.

In 1975, Peter Gabriel played his final show with Genesis before going solo. It’s in St. Etienne, France.

Though issued in the U.K. nearly five years earlier, AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” peaks at #3 on the U.S. album chart in 1981.