“Music does bring people together. No matter what language we speak, what color we are, the form of our politics or the expression of our love and our faith, music proves we are the same.”
~John Denver
ROCK & ROLL HISTORY
1944 – 30,000 to 35,000 Frank Sinatra fans, mostly female teens, caused a giant commotion outside New York’s Paramount Theater.
Dubbed “The Columbus Day Riot”, fans refused to leave the theater after having seen one complete show.
Some sat through multiple performances to the point of becoming faint, remaining in their seats for eight hours without food and refusing to leave until forcibly removed by attendants.
1965 – The Beatles recorded Run For Your Life. Eight years later, John Lennon described it as his “least favorite Beatles track” (even though he wrote it).
1969 – Although the rumors had been floating beneath the surface for months, the “Paul is dead” craze officially began when Tom Zarski, a student at Eastern Michigan University, called Detroit’s WKNR-FM DJ Russ Gibb to discuss Paul McCartney’s death, which Zarski said had happened in November 1966.
Part of Zarski’s “proof” came from playing a section of Revolution 9 backwards and hearing the now famous, “Turn me on, dead man.”
1971 – Gene Vincent (Be-Bop-A-Lula) died from a ruptured stomach ulcer. He was only 36.
His popularity waned in the U.S. in the late Fifties as the rockabilly era gave way to teen idols, but he remained a revered star in Britain and Europe throughout the Sixties.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
1985 – Guitarist Ricky Wilson, guitarist and founding member of The B-52s, died of AIDS-related cancer at the age of 32.
1996 – Twenty-eight years after it had been filmed, The Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus was finally released.
Among the various highlights: John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Mitch Mitchell appeared as The Dirty Mac and performed The Beatles’ Yer Blues.
1997 – John Denver (Rocky Mountain High, Annie’s Song, Take Me Home, Country Roads, Sunshine On My Shoulders, Thank God I’m A Country Boy) died when his experimental amateur aircraft crashed into Monterey Bay on the California coast.
MOVIE/TV HISTORY
1940 – Silent film star Tom Mix was killed when he lost control of his speeding Cord Phaeton convertible and rolled into a dry wash (now called the Tom Mix Wash) near Florence, Arizona. He was 60 years old.
1971 – Jesus Christ Superstar premiered at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on Broadway. It would run for 711 performances.
The “rock opera” starred Jeff Fenholt, Yvonne Elliman and Ben Vereen, and was condemned by some religious groups who claimed the character of Judas was too sympathetic.
At the same time, some Jews said it bolstered the anti-Semitic belief that the Jews were responsible for Jesus’ death by showing them to be the majority of the villains.
SPORTS HISTORY
1979 – Boston Celtics guard Chris Ford scored the first 3-point basket in NBA history in the first quarter of 114-106 win over Houston at Boston Garden.
1979 – Larry Bird (Boston Celtics) and Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers) made their professional debuts in the NBA.
1989 – Herschel Walker was traded by the Dallas Cowboys to the Minnesota Vikings for 5 players and 6 future draft picks.
Minnesota thought the only thing missing from their roster was a dominant running back and in their eyes, Walker fit the bill.
The transaction was a massive flop for the Vikings. Walker wasn’t enough to get them to the Super Bowl, and the bounty the Cowboys received paved the foundation for three Super Bowl championships.
1999 – NBA Hall of Fame player Wilton Norman “Wilt” Chamberlain died of congestive heart failure at the age of 63.
Chamberlain scored 31,419 points – he scored 100 in one game in 1962 – and is the only player in NBA history to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game over the entire course of his NBA career.
2003 – Bill “Willie” Shoemaker died at the age of 72.
The Hall of Fame jockey’s career spanned over 40 years in thoroughbred racing. That career resulted in 8,833 wins, including eleven Triple Crown races.
Compiled by Ray Lemire ©2005-2020 RayLemire.com / Streamingoldies.com. All Rights Reserved.
Today’s date held a lot of big names in their genre of entertainment history! The Dirty Mac members all look so young! I remember you teaching me about backward tracks so that mention definitely made me smile, among many others. Thanks for always keeping it interesting. XOXOXOXO
Thank you, Wendyl 🙂
You remember so much of those long ago days when your old man took you under his wing. ❤️
XOXOXOXO
Welcome back! You were missed!
John Denver’s quote is so true!
Ole Blue Eyes had a profound affect on females!
Wow…I wonder why John like it…must be the threatening tone!
Tom Zarski was out there!
Be Bop A Lula….fun! Sad he died so young.
AIDS cost us another talented musician. 😢
28 years after it was filmed? Great song! And people say country is morose! Love the blues!
We lost a musical magician when we lost John!
Silent film stars were incredible…Tom Mix one of the best.
Jesus Christ Superstar…amazing music and a vivid telling of the final days. I am sure the movie didn’t do the play justice but I am glad they made it! I took my non rock Mom…I was worried about how she would react but she loved it too! As far as it being too sympathetic to Judas…I always felt bad for him…I really believe he was doing what was best for Jesus and his followers.
So that is when 3 points baskets started.
2 basketball icons in the same year…!
Nobody like Wilt!
Willie Shoemaker really knew his horses. Imagine 8,833 wins!
Thanks, Donna 🙂
For the record, John didn’t like it. He said it was “a menacing threat full of possessiveness and jealousy.”
Typo..lol..and I agree with him!
Typos happen 😉
Let me start by saying I have always loved John Denver …. such a mellow voice with a message in every song …. saw the quote and knew this one would be great! Love learning more about so many performers …. always a bit shocked when one dies so young and/or tragically ….Shoemaker was an incredible jockey ….bet he could tell a few stories ….
Glad you’re back – you always make the day more interesting … Rock this one Ray!
Thank you, Barbara 🙂
John died so tragically and at such a young age.
It is very, very nice to be back 🙂
ROCK THE DAY!
Ray, I have to tell you that I have never been a Frank Sinatra fan. Just don”t get. As a young married guy many of my friends started to turn to him after they married. Almost like a rite of passage. I felt sorry for them and told my wife that if I ever started to listen to Frank and play golf to please just shot me as I would have lost my mind.
I now understand why John did not like being responsible for Run For Your Life. No one likes to be remembered as a jealous guy and the revenge aspect is frightening. Still i can’t help liking the song, always have.
Gene Vincent sounds as good and relevent today as he ever did.A classic. Never knew he died at 36. Wow, sad!
I wrote John Denver off as I thought he was over played on the radio. I just got sick of hearing him. I now can appreciate what a skilled artist he was. He did a lot of good and died far to young. Am I wrong or was there some question about his death?
Wilt Chamberlin was a local hero here in Philly and people still talk about the playgrounds where he would play in pick up games. His 100 point game was played in Hershey, Chocolate Town, not Philly.
Tom Mix, another Pennsylvania boy, has a town named after him, Mix Run, where the have a festival each year. His horse, Tony, the Wonder Horse was amazing.
That’s enough for today. I didn’t get this until this morning. FB is crazy!
Thanks, Don.
You shouldn’t have received it until this morning. I posted it at 6AM today 😉
Lennon’s “I’d rather see you dead, little girl, than to see you with another man” line was taken from an early Elvis Presley song, Baby Let’s Play House.
The only controversy about Denver’s death was why he was flying the plane in the first place. It wasn’t safe and John didn’t have permission to fly it solo.