In 1979,
Donny Hathaway ("
Where Is The Love" with Roberta Flack) falls to his death from the 15th floor of a New York City hotel room (ruled a suicide, though evidence suggests it was accidental).
In 1970,
John Lennon and
Yoko Ono cut their hair and donate it to a charity auction.
British police arrested the
Who's Pete Townshend in 2003, on suspicion of possession of child pornography (he says it was "research" and receives an official caution).
In 1999, the performing rights group BMI proclaims the most-performed song of the century is the
Righteous Brothers' 1965 # 1 hit "
You've Lost That Loving Feeling."
The
Beatles released “
I Want To Hold Your Hand" in the U.S. in 1964. Let
Beatlemania begin!
Guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of the
Doobie Brothers was born in Washington, D.C. in 1948.
In 1948, Tony Gomez, organist with English soul act the
Foundations ("
Build Me Up Buttercup"), was born in Sri Lanka.
Anthony Faas of Philadelphia, PA, patented the accordion in 1854.
1957 saw
Elvis Presley record "
All Shook Up" and "
That’s When Your Heartaches Begin" in Hollywood.
In 1968, Dr. K.C. Pollack of the University of Florida audio lab, reported that tests found that the noise levels at rock & roll concerts was harmful to teenage ears. (and we loved it anyway!)
The Y.M.C.A. filed a lawsuit against the
Village People in 1979 over their song, "
Y.M.C.A." The suit was later dropped.
Elvis Presley entered the American Sound Studio in Memphis ("
Memphis Sessions") in 1969, where he will cut some of the finest recordings of his career, including the hits "
In the Ghetto" and "
Suspicious Minds." It is the first time he's recorded in his hometown since 1956.
Backed by an all-star band in 1973, guitar legend
Eric Clapton performed a solo concert at London's Rainbow Theatre. It is promoted as a comeback concert, returning Clapton to the public eye after a reclusive period of heroin addiction. Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert is released in abbreviated form on LP (6 tracks) in 1973 and in expanded form on CD (14 tracks) in 1995.
In 1958, radio station KWK in St. Louis declared that Rock n’ Roll was dead. After giving their Rock n’ Roll records one final play, the station staff started breaking them. (real smart, eh?)
In 2006, it was announced that
The Jimi Hendrix Experience's "
Axis: Bold as Love" and
Bob Dylan's "
Bringing It All Back Home" albums will be added to the Grammy Hall of Fame. The inductees represent "the most significant recorded musical masterpieces that have had a profound impact on our culture," says Recording Academy president Neil Portnow.
"
The Twist," by
Chubby Checker, topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks in 1962.