“I wrote the song in Minnesota. It was a dreary day, gray and slushy. The snow was melting and it was too cold to go outside and have fun, but God, you’re ready for spring. You remember how sometimes just the sun itself can make you feel good.”
~John Denver
Discussing ‘Sunshine On My Shoulders’

ROCK & ROLL HISTORY

1964 – A young British group who called themselves the High Numbers auditioned for EMI Records at EMI Studios (later to be known as Abbey Road Studios).
EMI’s John Burgess said “I can’t decide if the High Numbers really have anything to offer.”
The group eventually signed with independent producer Shel Talmy’s recording company, Orbit Music.
Oh, and they changed their name to … The Who.

1965 – Producer George Martin overdubbed the piano solo that linked the two halves of The Beatles’ In My Life. To get the desired effect, he recorded the part at half-speed and played it back at double-speed.

1966 – Simon and Garfunkel released A Hazy Shade Of Winter. The single peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1987, The Bangles recorded a cover version which peaked at #2.

1969 – Led Zeppelin released Led Zeppelin II in the U.S. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard Albums chart.
The album included Whole Lotta Love, a #4 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The single’s B-side, Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman), also hit the Billboard chart, peaking at #65.

1969 – Tommy Edwards (It’s All In The Game) died after suffering a brain aneurysm at the age of 47.

1973 – John Denver released Sunshine On My Shoulders as a single. It had been originally released as an album track on 1971’s Poems, Prayers & Promises.
The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #90 on January 26, 1974 and moved into the #1 spot nine weeks later.

1976 – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band released the Night Moves album.
Although the front cover only credited backing by the Silver Bullet Band, four of the nine songs on the album – which peaked at #8 on the Billboard Albums chart – featured backing by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (better known as “The Swampers”).
Two singles from the album reached the Top 40: the title song (#4) and Mainstreet (#24).

1984 – Paul McCartney released his Give My Regards to Broad Street soundtrack album.
The album – which peaked at #1 in England but only #21 in the U.S. – featured very little new material. The majority of the songs were re-interpretations of many of McCartney’s past classics with the Beatles and Wings.
No More Lonely Night, one of the previously-unheard tracks, was released as a single and peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1996 – Sales figures were released that showed The Beatles, year to date, had sold 6 million albums from their back catalog and a combined total of 13 million copies of Beatles Anthology 1 and Beatles Anthology 2.
A poll revealed that 41% of sales were to teenagers who were not even born when The Beatles split up in 1970.

2017 – Musician George Young died at the age of 70.
He shot to fame as the rhythm guitarist with the Australian rock band The Easybeats (Friday On My Mind) along with lead guitarist Harry Vanda.
Vanda and Young were also the producers of early work by the Australian hard rock band AC/DC, formed by his younger brothers Malcolm and Angus Young.

MOVIE/TV HISTORY

1962 – President John F. Kennedy delivered a nationwide televised address on all of the major networks announcing the discovery of Soviet missiles on the island of Cuba. During his speech, he announced an air and naval blockade of the island.

1992 – Actor Cleavon Little died of colorectal cancer at the age of 53.
In 1970, he portrayed the title role in the musical Purlie, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
In 1974, Little appeared in what became his signature performance, portraying Sheriff Bart in the Mel Brooks comedy film Blazing Saddles.

SPORTS HISTORY

1939 – NBC became the first network to televise a pro football game. The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 23-14 at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field.
There is no sound on this clip.

1975 – The Cincinnati Reds beat the Boston Red Sox in Game 7 of the World Series.

1988 – Henry Armstrong, the former undisputed featherweight, lightweight and welterweight boxing champion, died at the age of 75.
There have been multiple boxers who held more titles than Armstrong, but he owned his – simultaneously – at a time when boxing had only eight divisions and champions were undisputed.
Today, there are eighteen divisions and four organizations who each have champions in all eighteen of them.

1992 – Legendary baseball broadcaster Red Barber died at the age of 84.
He was the baseball broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds from 1934 to 1938, the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939 through 1953, and the New York Yankees from 1954 to 1966.
The Baseball Hall of Fame inductee was affectionately known as “The redhead in the catbird seat.”

Compiled by Ray Lemire ©2005-2020 RayLemire.com / Streamingoldies.com. All Rights Reserved.