My idea is that there is music in the air, music all around us; the world is full of it, and you simply take as much as you require. ~Edward Elgar
1941 – The late Captain Beefheat (born Don Van Vliet – founder of The Magic Band – ‘Diddy Wah Diddy’) was born.
1942 – The late Edward ‘Sonny’ Bivins (singer/songwriter with The Manhattans – ‘Kiss And Say Goodbye’) was born.
1945 – Joan Johnson (Dixie Cups – ‘Chapel Of Love’) was born. She’s 71 today.
1948 – The late Ronnie Van Zant (lead singer with Lynyrd Skynyrd – ‘Free Bird’) was born.
1945 – Joan Johnson (Dixie Cups – ‘Chapel Of Love’) was born.
1952 – Hank Williams recorded ‘Your Cheatin’ Heart’.
1955 – Elvis Presley performed on The Louisiana Hayride at Municipal Auditorium, Shreveport, LA. In the audience was ‘Colonel’ Tom Parker, who was witnessing Elvis for the first time.
1958 – Elvis Presley recorded ‘Hard Headed Woman’.
1961 – The Supremes signed with Motown Records. They had been known as The Primettes but Motown founder Berry Gordy insisted they change their name. Florence Ballard chose “The Supremes,” a name Diana Ross initially disliked as she felt it was too masculine.
Rock Factoid: At the time, the group consisted of four members. Barbara Martin (lower left in the photo) left in 1962.
1964 – Gerry & The Pacemakers signed a movie contract (which led to the filming of Ferry Cross The Mersey).
1965 – In one epic afternoon of work, Bob Dylan recorded ‘It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue’, ‘Maggie’s Farm’, ‘On The Road Again’, ‘Gates Of Eden’, ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ and ‘It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding’) .
1965 – The Kinks released ‘Tired Of Waiting For You’ in England.
1965 – The Rolling Stones released ‘The Rolling Stones No. 2’ (in England only).
Rock Factoid: Containing only three Jagger/Richards original compositions, the album was dominated by R&B cover material, including ‘Under The Boardwalk’, ‘You Can’t Catch Me’ and ‘Time Is On My Side’. Seven of the songs would appear on an American release (‘The Rolling Stones, Now! ‘) one month later.
1965 – The Who released ‘I Can’t Explain’ / ‘Bald Headed Woman’ in England. The single, which had been released in the U.S. a month earlier, reached #8 on the British charts, while it only reached #93 on Billboard.
1967 – Roy Orbison’s The Fastest Guitar Alive premiered in New York. The plot for the western was built around confederate spy Orbison’s bullet shooting guitar.
1967 – The Buckinghams recorded ‘Don’t You Care’.
1968 – The Byrds released ‘The Notorious Byrd Brothers.
Rock Factoid: Recording sessions for the album were complicated, to say the least. David Crosby was fired shortly after recording had started. Original band member Gene Clark, who had left the group in early 1966, rejoined for three weeks before leaving again. And then there was drummer Michael Clarke, who left the band midway through the sessions, only to return to finish the recording before being fired when the album was completed.
1969 – After a five-hour meeting, George Harrison agreed to return to the Beatles with the understanding they give up Paul McCartney’s idea of a live concert before an audience. Harrison also insisted the band move from the cavernous and chilly Twickenham film studios to the Beatles’ new studio in their Apple headquarters.
George did, however, agree to be filmed making an album, and his new rules didn’t rule out a live performance for the cameras, although he insisted it be casual and “not an event for the masses.” The band finally re-grouped in front of the cameras on January 22 at Apple.
1969 – Elvis Presley recorded ‘Don’t Cry Daddy’.
1969 – Creedence Clearwater Revival released ‘Proud Mary’ / ‘Born On The Bayou’.
Rock Factoid: The single became a major hit in the United States, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the first of five singles to peak at #2 for the group.
1971 – The Carpenters released ‘For All We Know’.
1971 – George Harrison released ‘My Sweet Lord’ in England. The song – with ‘Isn’t It A Pity’ as the B-side – had been released as a single in the U.S. in November 1970. In the UK, the flip side was ‘What Is Life’.
1974 – Happy Days premiered on ABC with ‘Rock Around The Clock’ as its original theme song. The popularity of the television show put Bill Haley’s song back into the Billboard charts at #39, nineteen years after it had reached #1.
1979 – The Doobie Brothers released ‘What A Fool Believes’.
Rock Factoid: The single reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 won Grammy Awards in 1980 for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
1982 – Harry Casey (KC of KC & The Sunshine Band) was partially paralyzed in a Hialeah, Florida auto crash. Recovery took a year.
1992 – Inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame included Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland, Booker T. & The MGs, Johnny Cash, The Isley Brothers, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Sam and Dave, and The Yardbirds.
Also inducted (in the Non-Performers category) were Bill Graham, Leo Fender and Doc Pomus, while Professor Longhair and Elmore James were inducted as Early Influences.
1992 – Dee Murray (bass guitarist with Elton John’s band – ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’) died from a stroke while battling skin cancer. He was only 45.
1994 – Harry Nilsson (‘Without You’, ‘Everybody’s Talkin’, ‘Coconut’, ‘Me And My Arrow’, ‘I Guess The Lord Must Live In New York City’) died of heart failure at the age of 52.
Rock Factoid: Nilsson owned a two-bedroom apartment in the Mayfair section of London in the 1970s. He rarely stayed there so he lent it to numerous musician friends. One of them, Mama Cass Elliot, stayed at the flat while she performed at the London Palladium. Following a strenuous performance with encores on July 29, 1974, Elliot was discovered in one of the bedrooms, dead of heart failure. On September 7, 1978, The Who’s drummer Keith Moon returned to the same room in the flat after a night out, and died at 32 from an overdose.
1998 – Junior Wells (harmonica ace and blues vocalist – ‘Little By Little’) died of lymphoma at the age of 63..
2012 – Terry Dolan (singer/guitarist with Terry & The Pirates – ‘Montana Eyes’) died of a heart attack at the age of 68..
2012 – Kim Fowley (rock manager and producer) died of bladder cancer at the age of 75.
Rock Factoid: The list of artists Fowley produced are too numerous to mention here but here are just a few: The Hollywood Argyles (‘Alley-Oop’), Paul Revere & The Raiders (‘Like Long Hair’), and The Murmaids (‘Popsicle’).
Idle Thought: The photo of Fowley may be the closest thing to an actual smile you’ll ever find of him. He was a musical genius, but let’s be honest, he was a very strange man.
Compiled by Ray Lemire ©2016 RayLemire.com. All Rights Reserved.