Rock & Roll History – January 27
When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest. ~Henry David Thoreau
1931 – The late Rudi Maugeri (Crew Cuts – ‘Sh-Boom’) was born.
1944 – Nick Mason (drummer with Pink Floyd – ‘Comfortably Numb’) was born. He’s 72 today.
1946 – Nedra Talley (The Ronettes – Be My Baby) was born. She’s 70 today.
1951 – Seth Justman (keyboards with the J. Geils Band – ‘Angel In Blue’) was born. He’s 65 today.
1956 – One of the most historic days of the Rock N’ Roll Era – RCA released Elvis Presley’s ‘Heartbreak Hotel’.
1964 – Louis Armstrong released ‘Hello, Dolly!’
1968 – The Bee Gees made their first concert appearance in the United States with two shows at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. The opening acts were Spanky & Our Gang and Vanilla Fudge.
1970 – John (Ono) Lennon recorded ‘Instant Karma (We All Shine On)’.
Rock Factoid: The line-up for the basic track was Lennon (vocals, piano), George Harrison (electric guitar), Billy Preston (organ), Klaus Voormann (bass) and Alan White (drums).
Rock Factoid #2: Lennon, who had written the song just hours before it was recorded, was very eager to get the song released. “I wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch and we’re putting it out for dinner.” While it wasn’t quite that fast, the single was released ten days later, making it one of the quickest “song idea to song release” productions in music history.
1984 – Cyndi Lauper released ‘Time After Time’.
1984 – While he was filming a Pepsi commercial in front of a full house of fans during a simulated concert at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, pyrotechnics accidentally set Michael Jackson’s hair on fire, causing second-degree burns to his scalp.
1986 – Robert Palmer released ‘Addicted To Love’.
1991 – Whitney Houston delivered a stunning performance of ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ at Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa.
2006 – Gene McFadden (with John Whitehead, recorded ‘Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now’ and co-writer of ‘Back Stabbers’ for The O’Jays) died of complications from cancer at the age of 57.
2014 – Legendary folk singer and activist Pete Seeger (‘Where Have All The Flowers Gone’, ‘Waist Deep In The Big Muddy’, ‘If I Had A Hammer’, ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’, ‘Little Boxes’, ‘We Shall Overcome’, and ‘Goodnight, Irene’ with The Weavers) died of natural causes at the age of 94.
Compiled by Ray Lemire ©2016 RayLemire.com. All Rights Reserved.