This Date In Music History- August 28

Birthdays:

Clem Cattini - Tornadoes (1938)
Joseph Shabalala, founder of the popular world vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo (1941)
Ann "Honey" Lantree - Honeycombs (1943)
Daniel Seraphine - Chicago (1948)
Dave Hlubek - Molly Hatchet (1949)
Hugh Cornwell - Stranglers (1949)
Wayne Osmond - Osmonds (1951)
Shania Twain (1965)
Jack Black - Tenacious D (1969)
Max Collins - Eve 6 (1978)


They Are Missed:

Producer Guy Stevens died at the age of 38 in 1981, having overdosed on prescription drugs he was taking to reduce his alcohol dependency. Worked with Mott The Hoople, Free and The Clash. He was the president of the Chuck Berry Appreciation Society and it was Stevens who brought Berry to the UK for his first tour. He gave Procol Harum and Mott the Hoople their distinctive names.

Gilbert Moorer, lead singer of the Esquires ("Get On Up") died of throat cancer in 2008.


History:

Motown's Tamla Records released the Marvelettes first single, "Please Mr. Postman" in 1961. The song will be a million seller and the groups biggest hit, reaching the top of both the Billboard Pop and R&B charts.

The Rolling Stones made their first appearance on the British TV show Ready Steady Go! in 1963.

Peter, Paul & Mary performed, "Blowin' In The Wind" in 1963 before Civil Rights marchers who had gathered in Washington to hear Martin Luther King Jr. speak.

In 1964, the Beatles played the first of two concerts at New York's Forest Hills Tennis Stadium. 15,000 attended each performance and show their affection by tossing jellybeans, the bands favorite candy, onto the stage. The fans screamed so loud, it's almost impossible to hear the music. It is also after this show that the Beatles met Bob Dylan, who reportedly introduced them to marijuana in a hotel.

The Beatles appeared on the cover of "LIFE" magazine in 1964.

The Beach Boys' "California Girls" peaks at #3 on the chart in 1965.

The Rolling Stones announced in 1965 that Allen Klein, who they met three days ago, will co-manage the group along with Andrew Long Oldham. At the same time, they sign a five year recording deal with Decca Records.

In 1966, nearing the end of their final tour of America, the Beatles performed one show at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California, before a crowd of 45,000. The Beatles' attempt to escape from the stadium in an armored truck was thwarted when the main gate was found to be locked, and The Beatles had to spend two hours in the back of the truck before they can leave the stadium.

In 1967, the Grateful Dead and Big Brother and the Holding Company play at the wake of a Hell's Angels member who was struck by a car in San Francisco.

In 1968, the Doors "Hello, I Love You" sold a million copies. The song, which did not have the sinister qualities of the first million seller, "Light My Fire," marked the groups move into more of a mainstream rock sound.



Working at Trident Studios, London, in 1968, the Beatles started recording a new John Lennon song "Dear Prudence." They built the song instrument by instrument, utilizing the 8-track equipment at Trident. John and George played guitars, while Paul plays drums to compensate for Ringo, who had quit The Beatles on August 22.

During a four-week engagement at The International Hotel in Las Vegas in 1970, a security guard at the hotel received a phone call in which he was told Elvis Presley would be shot during his last show. The person demanded $50,000 to reveal the name of the potential killer. Later that day a menu was found in Elvis’ mail at the hotel on which Elvis’ face was destroyed and a gun had been drawn pointing to his heart. The threats were taken very seriously. Elvis played his last show without any incident.

The Five Man Electrical Band's "Signs" peaked at #3 on the pop singles chart in 1971.



David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars made their debut at Carnegie Hall in New York in 1972. Bowie gives the performance while he was sick with the flu.

Bobby "Boris" Pickett's novelty tune, "Monster Mash" made the charts in 1973 for the third time. It was originally released and went to #1 in 1962. It hit the charts again in 1970 and remains a perennial halloween favorite.

Devo released their classic Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo LP in 1978.

Men At Work's "Business As Usual" entered the album charts in 1982. The LP will eventually hit #1, a position it will hold for 15 weeks.

Thin Lizzy played its farewell gig in Reading, England in 1983.

In 1984, the Jacksons' Victory Tour broke the record for concert ticket sales after they surpassed the 1.1 million mark in two months.

In 1986, the Eagles, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood and Neil Young perform in a show that's billed as, "Get Tough On Toxics" in Long Beach, California to raise lobbying money for a law targeting polluters.

Charlie Daniels and several band members escaped injury in 1988 when their motor home burst into flames on the Ventura Freeway in Southern California.

Billy Joel started a three-week run at #1 on the US album chart in 1993 with 'River Of Dreams.' Joel claimed most of the music came to him in his sleep, hence the title. The singers second wife, one time model Christie Brinkley, painted the album cover which was later voted worst album cover of the year.

In 2007, Pink Floyd's '67 debut album, "Pipers At The Gates of Dawn," was reissued to mark the LP's 40th anniversary. The three-disc package contains stereo and mono versions as well as B-sides, alternate takes and non-album singles "Arnold Layne," "See Emily Play" and "Apples And Oranges."