The late Sam Phillips (Sun Records owner who signed Elvis Presley) was born in 1923
The late Johnny Adams (‘Reconsider Me’) was born in 1932
The late George Malone (second tenor with The Monotones – ‘Book Of Love’) was born in 1940
Rock Factoid: Lead singer Charles Patrick was listening to a Pepsodent toothpaste commercial on the radio and was struck by the line, “wonder where the yellow went.” He took that line and together with Malone and fellow Monotone Warren Davis, the three members of the band came up with, “Oh I wonder wonder who, be-doooo who,
Who wrote the book of love.”
Marilyn Manson (born Brian Warner – ‘Heart-Shaped Glasses’) is 46
Chris Stein (guitarist with Blondie – ‘Heart Of Glass’) is 65
Athol Guy (bass guitar with The Seekers – ‘I’ll Never Find Another You’) is 75
Buddy Holly’s final recordings (‘It Doesn’t Matter Anymore’ / ‘Raining In My Heart’) were released—1959
Rock Factoid: Less than one month later, Holly, along with Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, would die in a plane crash.
Tony Sheridan (with The Beat Brothers a/k/a The Beatles) released ‘My Bonnie’ / ‘The Saints’ in England—1962
The Beach Boys recorded ‘Shut Down’ and ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.’—1963
Rock Factoid: The two songs were released on a single in March 1963, peaking at #23 on the Billboard charts.
The Supremes recorded ‘Stop! In The Name Of Love’—1965
At CTS Studios in London, The Beatles “doctored” the soundtrack to the film of their August 15, 1965, concert at Shea Stadium, in preparation for the film’s broadcast. They re-recorded instrumental parts on some tracks, and on some songs they re-recorded the entire song, doing their best to synchronize their playing with the film—1966
Folksinger Jesse Winchester moved to Canada to avoid the U.S. military draft—1967
Possibly the most sought-after unreleased Beatles track, ‘Carnival Of Light’, a free-form experimental composition, was recorded in one 15-minute session but never released. Paul McCartney wanted the song included on ‘Anthology 2’ but the decision was vetoed by George Harrison—1967
Bruce Springsteen released his debut album (‘Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ’)—1973
Rock Factoid: Two songs from the album (‘Blinded By The Light’ and ‘Spirit In The Night’) were released as singles by Columbia, but both failed to chart.
Former Beatles bodyguard and road manager Mal Evans was killed during a confrontation with Los Angeles police—1976
Rock Factoid: Evans, who was suffering with depression, had become embroiled in an argument with his girlfriend. When the police were called, Evans pointed a rifle (some sources say it was a 30.30, others claim it was an air rifle) at the responding officers. The officers told him to put down the rifle and he refused. The officers then fired six shots, four of which struck and killed Evans. After he had been killed, police discovered Mal’s “weapon” wasn’t loaded. Evans’ ashes were sent by mail back to England, but were temporarily misplaced and lost in the postal system (although later found).
Rock Factoid #2: In the Beatles’ film Help!, Evans played the confused swimmer who popped up through an ice-hole in Austria, and again on a beach in the Bahamas.
The Sex Pistols made their North American live debut at the Great Southeast Music Hall in Atlanta before an estimated attendance of 500 people—1978
Elton John entered a hospital in Sydney, Australia for throat surgery. As a result, he had to cancel his concert schedule for the entire year—1987
Congressman Sonny Bono (‘I Got You Babe’ with Cher) died in a skiing accident—1998
Rock Factoid: Bono’s widow Mary told an interviewer that Sonny had been addicted to and was seriously abusing prescription drugs, mainly Vicodin and Valium. She further claimed that Sonny’s drug use caused the accident. “I am 100 percent convinced that is why he died,” she said. “What he did showed absolute lack of judgment.” However, his autopsy showed no indication of any substances or alcohol.
Rock Factoid #2: Strangely for what was called a ski accident, Bono had no smashed ribs, broken knees, neck trauma—or hand injuries that would have come from trying to ward off a collision with a tree. While the five-page autopsy report concluded that the death was caused by “craniocerebral injuries due to blunt force trauma,” other injuries detailed in the document included a black eye, swollen lips, bloody nose, bruised jaw, and two upper teeth knocked out, all on the right side of the head.
Private investigator Bob Fletcher insists the lack of damage to the back of Bono’s brain, known as “contra-coup” injuries, is proof that he was beaten to death. Fletcher says people who hit objects face-first normally have brain injuries caused when the organ rebounds off the back of their skull. And other physical evidence doesn’t add up, either, he says. Signs that he actually hit the tree – including bark impressions on his face and plant debris on his clothes – were also missing. Fletcher also noted the back of Bono’s clothes were soaked with blood – but he had no back wounds.
Rock Factoid #3: Before Bono’s death, Fletcher had been probing the activities of high ranking U.S. military and government officials he claims were raking in millions from arms and drug deals in Central America and Southeast Asia. He says he sent his findings, including videotaped evidence, to Bono, who was reportedly livid about the level of corruption.
“Sonny was going to make it his No. 1 priority when Congress resumed after the Christmas and New Year break,” Fletcher said. “He was going to go after the biggest names. Just 10 days later, I received a call that he was dead.”
Rock Factoid #4: Former FBI special agent Ted Gunderson, after reviewing the findings, said, “The official version of Sonny Bono’s death is hogwash. It’s nonsense for anyone to now try to suggest that Bono died after crashing into a tree. Sonny was ambushed and viciously battered to death.”
Ken Forssi (bass guitar with Love – ‘Alone Again Or’) died (brain cancer)—1998
Paul McCartney donated $1 million to the Arizona Cancer Center in memory of his wife Linda. McCartney also donated another $1 million to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York—2000
Ray Davies suffered a gunshot wound in New Orleans—2004
Rock Factoid: Davies, the former leader of The Kinks, and his girlfriend, Suzanne Despies, were taking a causal walk down the street near the French Quarter when a car pulled up along side them. A young man got out, and demanded Despies’ purse. She handed it over without any resistance, but a sense of boldness (or stupidity) bubbled up inside of Davies. He chased down the thief with the goal of retrieving his girlfriend’s purse. The robber, however, shot Davies, got in the car, and drove off. Davies was rushed to the hospital for treatment. His injuries weren’t life threatening.
Danny Sugerman (Doors manager and co-author of the Jim Morrison biography ‘No One Here Gets Out Alive’) died (lung cancer)—2005
Sam ‘Bluzman’ Taylor (guitarist with Joey Dee & The Starliters – ‘Peppermint Twist’ and ‘Funny’ as a solo artist) died (heart disease)—2009
Rock Factoid: Three days before Otis Redding died in a plane crash in December 1967, he had recorded ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock of The Bay’ with the help of producer and guitarist Steve Cropper, the song’s co-writer. After Redding’s death, Cropper had a difficult time doing the final mix of the track. He briefly thought about asking the Staple Singers to add a gospel touch, but eventually settled on seagulls from a sound-effects record and the whistling of SamTaylor at the end. Three months’ later, the evocative single topped the U.S. charts and became Redding’s posthumous signature song.
Willie ‘Papa Willie’ Mitchell (‘Soul Serenade’) died (cardiac arrest)—2010
Rock Factoid: Mitchell co-produced Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’ at Mitchell’s Royal Studios in Memphis.
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