| ||
| The Ovation Fan Club | ||
| ||
| Random quote: "There are more love songs than anything else. If songs could make you do something we'd all love one another." -Frank Zappa |
 'This Week In Rock History' March26th -A pril 2nd
| View previous thread :: View next thread | |
| Forums Archive -> The Vault: 2004-2005 | Message format | |
John Lawrence |
| ||
Joined: March 2004 Posts: 201 Location: Vernon, CT | Another source of weekly Rock History news from classicbands.com John L. 1952 Sun Records of Memphis, Tennessee, began releasing records. The label would later become the home of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and many others. 1956 Brenda Lee made her first network television appearance, on ABC's Ozark Jamboree. Elvis shoots a scene from The Rainmaker for his screen test at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. 1957 The Everly Brothers release "Bye Bye Love," a song that was rejected by 30 labels before Cadence Records picked it up. The song went to #2 on the pop chart and #1 on the Country & Western chart. Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Obie Wheeler and Glen Douglas open a tour of the South in Little Rock, Arkansas. Elvis Presley played two concerts before 23,000 people at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Presley performed outside the US only four times in his career - the two concerts in Toronto, one the next night in Ottawa and a later performance in Vancouver. Buddy Knox became the first artist in the rock and roll era to write his own number one hit when "Party Doll" topped the Billboard chart. 1958 Little Richard had his final top 10 hit with "Good Golly Miss Molly". The song was from his last recording sessions for Specialty Records, after which he recorded a series of gospel songs. Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" is released. CBS Laboratories announces the invention of stereophonic records. Although the new format would be playable on ordinary phonographs, when used on the proper equipment, a new rich and fuller sound would be heard. Connie Francis enjoys her first chart success as "Who's Sorry Now?" reached #4. Over the next ten years, she will place 55 more songs on the Billboard hit parade. 1960 Two anti-payola bills are introduced in U.S. Congress by Representative Emanuel Celler of New York. He blames payola for "the cacophonous music called rock & roll" and says that rock & roll would never have gained popularity, "especially among teenagers," if not for the result of payola. Lonnie Donegan becomes the first British artist to enter the UK chart at number one when "My Old Man's A Dustman" debuts at the top. The only other artist to achieve this feat was Elvis Presley. 1961 The very first record ever released by Del Shannon, "Runaway" hits the Billboard chart on its way to becoming a million selling number one hit. The Beatles begin their second string of shows in Hamburg, Germany, where they will play for 92 consecutive nights before wrapping up on July 1st. 1962 The Russian newspaper Pravda warns communist youths about the dangers of dancing "the twist". The Shirelles' "Soldier Boy" is released on Sceptor Records. The tune becomes the group's biggest hit, reaching Number One, selling over a million copies and earning a gold record. Connie Francis had the #1 song on the Billboard singles chart with "Don't Break The Heart That Loves You". In the UK, it stalled at #33. 1963 16 year old Lesley Gore records her breakthrough hit, "It's My Party". Producer Quincy Jones hurried Gore into the studio when he found out that Phil Spector was going to cut the song with The Crystals. The Chiffons enjoy the first of their five Billboard Top 40 hits when "He's So Fine" climbs to #1. 1964 On March 31st, 1964, The Beatles set a recording industry record that may never be equalled. They held the top 5 positions on the U.S. singles chart with "Can’t Buy Me Love" at number 1, "Twist and Shout" at number 2, "She Loves You" at number 3, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at number 4 and "Please Please Me" at number 5. In Canada, they had nine of the top 10 singles, while the Australian charts saw them occupying the first six places. The Beach Boys record "I Get Around". 1965 Freddie & the Dreamers record "Do The Freddie". The song was put together quickly after American audiences wanted to know more about the swaying motion that lead singer Fred Garrity seemed to do on stage. Although it was a minor hit in the US, it was dismissed as "silly" in the U.K. and never released. The Who release their first big hit, "I Can't Explain". British rocker P.J. Proby, famed for splitting his skin-tight trousers during performances on several occasions, was ordered off the stage at a municipal ballroom in Hereford, England. 1966 Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass become the first act to have four LP's in the Top 10 of the Billboard album chart. Roy Orbison fell off a motorbike during a UK tour, fracturing his foot. He played the remaining dates sitting on a stool and walking on crutches. The Troggs use 45 minutes of spare studio time to record "Wild Thing" at Regent Sound Studio in London. The raw, simple little tune would climb to #2 in the UK and #1 in the US, selling over a million copies by the following June. 1967 Cindy Birdsong, formerly of Patti LaBelle’s Bluebelles, was asked to fill in for Florence Ballard of The Supremes, after Ballard missed a number of shows in New Orleans, Los Angeles and Montreal. Birdsong became a permanent member a few months later. Jimi Hendrix suffered minor burns after he set fire to his guitar for the first time at The Rainbow Theatre. That night, he shared the stage with The Walker Brothers, Cat Stevens and, believe it or not, Engelbert Humperdinck. Eighteen year old Steve Winwood left The Spencer Davis Group, to join Dave Mason, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood in Traffic. Winwood had been with Spencer Davis since he was 15. The Beatles are photographed with a photo collage and wax figures from Madame Tussaud's museum for the cover artwork of their soon to be released "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album at Chelsea Manor Studios in London. Before the album sleeve is printed, figures of Adolf Hitler and Jesus Christ are removed. John Lennon and Paul McCartney received a British music industry award for the most-performed song of the year - "Michelle". Van Morrison records "Brown Eyed Girl". 1969 The Beach Boys launch a lawsuit against Capitol Records for over $2 million in royalties and producer's fees for Brian Wilson. The band also announces that they are starting their own label, Brothers Records, which will be distributed by Warner / Reprise. The Box Tops "Sweet Cream Ladies" tops out at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. They would reach number 18 later in the year with "Soul Deep", their final Top 40 entry. Frank Sinatra's version of "My Way" entered the US record charts for a stay of 122 weeks. 1970 "Woodstock" the movie premieres in Hollywood. Only Ringo Starr is present at the final Beatles recording session, where he overdubs percussion tracks for "The Long and Winding Road", "Across The Universe" and "I Me Mine". 1971 Six months after his death, Jimi Hendrix's album, "The Cry of Love" is certified gold. Ringo Starr releases "It Don't Come Easy" which will climb to #4. Three Dog Night's "Joy To The World" enters the Billboard Hot 100 on its way to becoming the biggest selling single of the year. 1972 Elvis Presley records what proves to be his last major hit, "Burning Love". It made #2 on the US chart and #7 in the UK. Grand Funk fires manager Terry Knight, who promptly sues them. 1973 Dr. Hook and The Medicine Show got their picture on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine after their hit, "The Cover of Rolling Stone" reached number 6 on the US singles chart. According to members of the group, they really did buy five copies for their mothers, just like the song said. Jerry Garcia is arrested for speeding on the New Jersey turnpike, but the $15 speeding ticket turns into $2,000 bail when the police find a wide variety of drugs in Garcia's car. He spends three hours in jail. 1974 Nine weeks after entering the Hot 100, John Denver's "Sunshine On My Shoulders" goes to #1. 1975 Led Zeppelin had all of their six albums in the top 100 of Billboard's album chart. 1977 Elvis Presley's concert in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is postponed during intermission when he is too ill to go onstage. The next day, he is admitted to a Memphis hospital for a six day stay, suffering from fatigue and intestinal flu. Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album went to #1 on the Billboard chart where it stayed for 31 weeks. Worldwide, the LP will sell over 25 million copies. 1978 Tina Turner's divorce from Ike became final. 1979 Eric Clapton married George Harrison’s ex-wife, Patti Boyd in Tucson, Arizona. George attended the wedding as did, Ringo and Paul. The newly weds would stay together for nine years. 1980 At the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys, Anne Murray won four Juno Awards, including best single for "I Just Fall in Love Again." The show's host, Burton Cummings, lead singer of The Guess Who, was named top male vocalist. Ronald Selle, a Chicago antique dealer and part-time musician and songwriter files suit in Chicago against the Bee Gees, Paramount Pictures and Polygram Records. Selle alleges the Bee Gees' "How Deep is Your Love" plagiarized two sections of a song he wrote called "Let it End." Selle won the case even though the Bee Gees claim they never heard Selle's song and the whole thing was a coincidence. The group would successfully appeal the decision in 1983. 1982 The Doobie Brothers announce their split-up. The band started in the '70s with the #11 hit "Listen to the Music", and would re-unite for 1989's Top Ten smash, "The Doctor". David Crosby of the Byrds and CSNY is arrested in San Diego for possession of drugs and a gun. When asked why he carried the gun, his reply was "John Lennon." 1984 44 year old Marvin Gaye was shot and killed by his father after a heated family argument on April 1st. Gaye had just received a Grammy for his hit, "Sexual Healing", his first top 40 single in 5½ years. Remarkably, Gaye's father received only probation after pleading guilty to manslaughter. 1985 David Lee Roth quit Van Halen shortly after releasing his version of The Beach Boys’, "California Girls", which featured Carl Wilson on background vocals. Roth's record actually sold slightly better than the original. He was replaced by Sammy Hagar later in the year. 6000 radio stations in the US and Canada simultaneously played "We Are the World," the fundraising song for African famine relief recorded by 45 superstar performers. Sales of the single, album, video and related merchandise initially raised more than $38-million US. 1986 O'Kelly Isley of the Isley Brothers died of a cerebral haemorrhage at the age of 48 on March 31st. As a trio, the Isleys started as a gospel group in the early 1950s, switching to R&B in the latter half of the decade. Their first big hit was "Shout" in 1959, followed in 1962 by the original version of "Twist and Shout," later covered by the Beatles. The Isley Brothers' biggest hit came in 1969, with the million-selling "It's Your Thing." A version of the Isley Brothers, featuring the sons of the original members, is still turning out records today. Sammy Hagar plays his first show as lead singer of Van Halen. Beatles records officially went on sale in Russia. 1987 Often thought of as the world's best drummer, Buddy Rich dies of complications caused by a brain tumour on April 2nd. He was 69 years old. 1989 Gladys Knight performs without The Pips for the first time since grammar school at a show at Bally's in Las Vegas. 1992 The soundtrack to Wayne’s World was the number 1 album in the U.S. It featured the return to the charts of Queen’s, "Bohemian Rhapsody", actually making the song a bigger hit the second time around. Tracks by Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Alice Cooper, as well as a new version of Dream Weaver from Gary Wright, were also included on the L.P. Billy Idol showed the world just how tough he is when he pleaded no contest to punching a woman in the face. He was fined and ordered to make public service announcements against alcohol and drug use. 1994 Pink Floyd played their first concert in more than five years, opening a North American tour before more than 55,000 fans in Miami. Madonna caused trouble on the set of The Late Show With David Letterman. The network had to delete 13 offending words from the audio track before the show aired. An obviously annoyed Letterman told the singer "people don't want language like that coming into their living room." Madonna also handed Letterman a pair of her panties and told him to sniff them. He declined and stuffed them into his desk drawer. Robin Williams later described the segment as a "battle of wits with an unarmed woman." 1995 Elton John and Tim Rice win the Oscar for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture for "Can You Feel The Love" from "The Lion King." 1996 Phil Collins announced he was leaving Genesis after 25 years. He joined the band as drummer after the departure of John Mayhew in 1970 and became lead singer when Peter Gabriel left five years later. Two former members of the 1950's vocal group, the Teddy Bears filed suit in Los Angeles against producer Phil Spector and several labels. Carol Connors and Marshall Lieb alleged they had not received royalties from re-issues of their 1958 Number-One hit "To Know Him Is To Love Him." 1997 Singer Joni Mitchell is reunited with Kilauren Gibb, the daughter she gave up for adoption 32 years earlier. 2000 Carlos Santana earns his second #1 single with "Maria, Maria" from his "Supernatural" album. 2001 Brian Wilson was honoured in a three hour tribute at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Guest performances included Billy Joel singing "Don’t Worry Baby", while Paul Simon sang an acoustic version of "Surfer Girl". Wilson Phillips made a rare appearance, as did The Go-Gos and the trio of Carly Simon, David Crosby and Jimmy Webb. Also singing Beach Boy songs were Ann and Nancy Wilson, Elton John and Aimee Mann. Brian Wilson himself joined the fun when he took the stage for the final three songs, Barbara Ann, Surfin’ U.S.A. and Fun, Fun, Fun. 2003 Soul singer Edwin Starr, who had hits with "War", "Agent Double-O Soul" and "Twenty-five Miles", died of a heart attack on April 1st, at the age of 61. 2004 Timi Yuro passed away on Tuesday, March 30th at the age of 62. She began singing in her family's restaurant when she was a child and signed with Liberty Records when she turned 18. During the next five years, Timi reached the US charts nine times, including "Hurt", which climbed to #4 in 1961, as well as "Make The World Go Away" and "What's A Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You)". She was troubled by throat problems throughout her career and retired from performing in the 1970s. In 1981, "Hurt" resurfaced in the Netherlands and went to #1, prompting Timi to return to the stage where she played to sold out audiences across Europe. In 2002, she was diagnosed with throat cancer and an inoperable brain tumour. She died in her sleep at her Las Vegas home. Paul Atkinson, guitarist for The Zombies, died April 2nd, after losing his battle with liver and kidney disease. He was 58. The band's biggest hits included "She's Not There", "Tell Her No" and "Time Of The Season". | ||
| |||
| alpep |
| ||
Joined: December 2001 Posts: 10583 Location: NJ | yesterday was clapton's 60th birthday | ||
| |||
| xnoel |
| ||
Joined: September 2003 Posts: 782 Location: Waurika OK | Thanks, reminds me of a lot of things I had forgotten. I guess the most significant thing to me was Chuck Berry's Johnny Be Good, one of my favorite songs. | ||
| |||
| Jeff W. |
| ||
Joined: November 2003 Posts: 11039 Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Thanks, John. Al, you're turning 5000. (you must make good pizza) | ||
| |||
| schroeder |
| ||
Joined: November 2004 Posts: 4413 | As a point of no interest to anyone the Britsh rock singer P. J. Proby was an expat yank session singer who used to record demo tapes for elvis. | ||
| |||
| Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page] |
| Search this forum Printer friendly version E-mail a link to this thread |
| This message board and website is not sponsored or affiliated with Ovation® Guitars in any way. | |
| (Delete all cookies set by this site) | |