“I try not to repeat myself. It’s the hardest thing in the world to do-there are only so many notes one human being can master. One of the reasons we’re going out on the road and why we’re titling this tour as ‘Musicology’ is because we want to bring that back. We want to teach the kids and musicians of the future the art of song writing, the art of real musicianship.”
~ Prince
The late Paul Davis (‘I Go Crazy’) was born in 1948
Iggy Pop (born James Newell Osterberg – lead vocalist with the Stooges – ‘Search And Destroy’) is 70
John Weider (guitarist with Eric Burdon & The Animals – ‘Monterey’) is 70
Rock Factoid: Weider, an accomplished violinist as well as a guitar virtuoso, played the instrument of the Animals’ ‘When I Was Young’
Alan Warner (guitarist with the Foundations – ‘Build Me Up Buttercup’) is 70
1947 – Hank Williams recorded the country classic ‘I Saw The Light’.
1959 – Johnny Mathis recorded ‘Misty’.
Rock Factoid: Originally composed as an instrumental by Erroll Garner in 1955, lyrics were later added by Johnny Burke and became the signature song of Mathis’ career. His version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.
1960 – Dick Clark testified before a congressional committee investigating payola. He admitted that he had a financial interest in 27 percent of the records he played on his show over a period of 28 months.
1970 – Elton John made his solo concert debut (opening for T. Rex) in London.
1971 – The Rolling Stones released the ‘Sticky Fingers’ album. It reached #1 on the Billboard album chart and contained two Top 40 singles (‘Brown Sugar’, #1 and ‘Wild Horses’, #28).
1977 – Elvis Presley started what would be his final tour with an appearance in Greensboro, NC.
According to a review by Jerry Kenison in the Greensboro Daily News, “Elvis was in no shape to start another grinding tour. There was no magic. The tremendous energy, humor, movement and emotion that characterized Presley’s 1972, 1974 and 1975 appearances here just weren’t on the stage much of the time. Elvis moved very slowly, giving the impression that sudden or extreme motion would be painful. No matter how much he seemed to be trying, Elvis’ energy was lagging. He mumbled through ‘Hound Dog,’ seeming not to care. He improvised on other old standards, missing notes here and there.”
1978 – Sandy Denny (lead singer with Fairport Convention – ‘Genesis Hall’ and a duet with Robert Plant on Led Zeppelin’s ‘Battle Of Evermore’) died of a cerebral hemorrhage several weeks after falling down a flight of stairs. She was only 31.
1984 – Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ album finally toppled from the #1 position on the album charts. It had been at the top for 37 weeks.
2000 – Neal Matthews (member of the Jordanaires, backup singers for Elvis Presley) died of a heart attack.
2003 – Nina Simone, born Eunice Kathleen Waymon (‘Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’, ”I Loves You, Porgy’, ‘I Put A Spell On You’) died of breast cancer at the age of 73.
2008 – Al Wilson (‘The Snake’, ‘Show And Tell’, ‘The La La Peace Song’) died of kidney failure at the age of 68.
2011 – Joe Pennell (lead guitarist with The Rivieras – ‘California Sun’) died at the age of 66.
Rock Factoid: ‘California Sun’ peaked at #5 and stayed on Billboard’s Top 40 chart for nine weeks, but Pennell and lead singer Marty Fortson never had the chance to fully enjoy their rapid, brief fame. The pair joined the Marine Corps soon after recording the song in 1963. Pennell never went back to a career in music, but went on to work for many years as a painter at AM General, a heavy vehicle manufacturer.
2015 – Wally Lester (tenor vocals with The Skyliners – ‘Since I Don’t Have You’) died of pancreatic cancer at 73.
Rock Factoid: Wally (upper left in photo) was only seventeen when the group recorded their #12 hit in 1958. Five years of constant traveling drove him away from the music scene. He transitioned into the business world, becoming Eastern sales manager for Clairol and eventually a vice president at the company.
2016 – Lonnie Mack (pioneering guitarist – ‘Memphis’) died of natural causes. He was 74.
Rock Factoid: At the end of a recording session backing up The Charmaines in 1963, Mack and his band were offered the remaining twenty minutes of studio-rental time. Not expecting the tune to be released, Mack recorded a rockabilly/blues guitar take-off on Chuck Berry’s 1959 UK vocal hit, ‘Memphis, Tennessee’. The instrumental homage to the Berry tune was so well-received (#5 Hit) that he adopted it as part of his live act. He shortened the title to ‘Memphis’ and it became his signature song.
2016 – Prince (guitarist/keyboards/percussionist/singer/songwriter – ‘Purple Rain’, ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, ‘1999’, ‘Little Red Corvette’, ‘Raspberry Beret’, ‘When Doves Cry’, ‘Kiss’) died at 57 from an accidental, self-administered overdose of the drug fentanyl at his Paisley Park recording studio and home in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
Rock Factoid: With sales of over 100 million records worldwide, Prince was (and is) one of the best-selling artists of all time. He won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award (Original Song Score) for the film Purple Rain. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
Rock Factoid #2: He not only wrote hits for himself, he also wrote hits for others, among them ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ for Sinead O’Connor, ‘Manic Monday’ for The Bangles and ‘I Feel For You’ for Chaka Khan.
Rock Factoid #3: Tucked away in the basement of Paisley Park is a climate-controlled vault hidden behind a steel door straight out a bank, complete with a time lock and large spinning handle. After his death, thousands of hours of unheard live and studio material – jams, random songs and entire albums – were found in that locked room, along with a similar amount of performance footage.
“But life is just a party, and parties weren’t meant to last.” … Prince
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