Rock & Roll History – December 16
Laurence Cottle (bass guitar with The Alan Parsons Project – ‘Standing On Higher Ground’ and played bass on all of Black Sabbath’s ‘Headless Cross’ album, but was never an official band member) is 54
Robben Ford (former guitarist with jazz fusion band L.A. Express – they backed Joni Mitchell on ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ and ‘Woodstock’, and were George Harrison’s 1974 touring band ) is 64
Billy Gibbons (guitarist with ZZ Top – ‘Legs’) is 66
Benny Andersson (keyboards/co-songwriter with ABBA – ‘Take A Chance On Me’) is 69
Tony Hicks (lead guitarist with The Hollies – ‘Bus Stop’) is 70
MGM Records released ‘Teen Angel’ by Mark Dinning—1959
Rock Factoid: Releasing the single less than ten days before Christmas was considered a foolhardy move. However, the negative publicity – the song was banned by over 100 radio stations – helped to increase curiosity, and that boosted sales to the point where the song reached #1 in February 1960.
The Beach Boys recorded ‘Kiss Me, Baby’—1964
Peter & Gordon recorded ‘Woman’—1965
Rock Factoid: After the duo had scored three consecutive hits with songs credited to John Lennon and Paul McCartney – although each had actually been written by Paul – ‘Woman’ was written by McCartney using the pseudonym of Bernard Webb to see if the song would be a success without the Lennon–McCartney credit. However, the publishing credit was Lennon and McCartney’s company Northern Songs, so according to Gordon Waller it took only two weeks’ time for the song’s real author to be revealed. In any event, the song would become a relatively minor hit, reaching #28 in the UK and #14 in the U.S.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience released ‘Hey Joe’ on Polydor Records after Decca rejected it—1966
The Dave Clark Five released ‘I’ve Got To Have A Reason / ‘Good Time Woman’ in the U.S.—1966
NME in the U.K. announced the Rolling Stones were launching their record label Mother Earth and further claimed that Marianne Faithfull was their first signing. The label never appeared—1967
The Lemon Pipers released ‘Green Tambourine’ / ‘No Help From Me’—1967
Rock Factoid: Although the single went to #1 on Billboard, it proved to be a curse. Buddah, their label, put pressure on the group to stay in the bubblegum genre, so in 1968 – against their wishes – the band released ‘Rice Is Nice’ and the equally horrible ‘Jelly Jungle (Of Orange Marmalade)’.
Neither single reached the Top 40, and by 1969, the band that only wanted to play serious blues and folk rock was fed up with the music business and disbanded.
Elvis Presley recorded ‘She Wears My Ring’ and ‘Spanish Eyes’—1973
Lead singer Ian Hunter announced the breakup of Mott The Hoople—1974
John Lennon released ‘#9 Dream’ / ‘What You Got’—1974
Rock Factoid: “I’m not putting it down, it’s just what it is, but I just sat down and wrote it, you know, with no real inspiration, based on a dream I’d had.” … John Lennon
Rock Factoid #2: Undoubtedly it came as no surprise to John when ‘#9 Dream’ peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lennon had a lifelong fascination with that particular number. The first home he lived in was at 9 Newcastle Road, Wavertree, Liverpool – three names which each contain nine letters. Newcastle Road was his grandfather’s house, and while living there, Lennon later wrote ‘One After 909’. And there’s more.
Rock Factoid #3: “I was born on October ninth. Sean was born on October ninth. We (The Beatles) made our first appearance at the Cavern Club on February 9, 1961. We met Brian (Epstein) on November 9, 1961. Our contract with EMI was signed on May 9, 1962, and we played the (Ed) Sullivan Show on February
Rock Factoid #4: As a footnote, Lennon was shot in New York City on December 8, 1980. However, it was already December 9 in his birthplace of Liverpool.
George Harrison played an unannounced live set for the regulars at a local pub in Henley-On-Thames—1977
Jenny Lou Carson (country music songwriter, including ‘Let Me Go, Lover’ and ‘C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S’) died (heart attack)—1978
Mr. Mister released ‘Kyrie’. The song would become the band’s best selling single, hitting the #1 spot on March 1st 1986 and holding down the slot for two weeks—1985
Starship released ‘Sara’. It reached #1 the following year—1985
Sylvester (born Sylvester James – disco, soul and gay drag performer – ‘You Make Me Feel’) died (complications from AIDS)—1988
Nicolette Larson (‘Lotta Love’) died (liver failure & cerebral edema)—1997
Stuart Adamson (lead singer and guitarist with Big Country – ‘In A Big Country’) died (suicide by hanging)—2001
Gary Stewart (‘Ten Years Of This’) died (self-inflicted gunshot three weeks after his wife of 43 years passed away)—2003
Freddie Perren (songwriter/producer) died (11 years after suffering a massive stroke)—2004
Rock Factoid: As part of the team known as The Corporation (with Alphonzo Mizell and Deke Richards), Perren co-wrote and co-produced ‘ABC’, ‘I Want You Back’, ‘Mama’s Pearl’, and ‘The Love You Save’ for The Jackson 5.
Rock Factoid #2: Perren later co-wrote and co-produced ‘I Will Survive’ (Gloria Gaynor), ‘Boogie Fever’ (Sylvers), and ‘Shake Your Groove Thing’ (Peaches & Herb).
Dan Fogelberg (‘Part Of The Plan’) died (prostate cancer)—2007
Paul McCartney announced he was leaving EMI, his record label of 45 years, as it had become “boring.” McCartney said the company’s handling of his music had become “symbolic of the treadmill.”—2007
Ray Price (‘For The Good Times’) died (pancreatic cancer)—2013
Compiled by Ray Lemire ©2015 RayLemire.com. All Rights Reserved.