This Day In Music - May 15

 This Day In Music - May 15

What a day! From the archives:

1918 - Country singer Eddy Arnold is born on a farm near Hendersonville, Tennessee.

1937 - Pop singer and guitarist Trini Lopez, known for the '60s hits "If I Had A Hammer" and "Lemon Tree," is born in Dallas, Texas.

1942 - Country singer-songwriter K.T. Oslin, known for '80s hits like "Hold Me" and "80s Ladies," is born Kay Toinette Oslin in Crossett, Arkansas.

1944 - Tich (Ian Amey of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich) born.

1945 - The first album chart - albums meaning a collection of 78 RPM singles - was introduced in the USA.

1947 - Graeham Goble (Drummond, Mississippi, Little River Band) was born in Adelaide.

1948 - Gary Thain (bassist for Uriah Heep) is born in Christchurch, New Zealand.

1948 - Brian Eno (Brian Peter George St. John Le Baptiste de la Salle Eno) born in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England.

1949 - Herman Kovac (Velvet Underground, Ted Mulry Gang) was born in Graz, Austria.

1951 - Dennis Fredericksen (Toto) born in Grand Rapids, Michigan .

1953 - Mike Oldfield born in Reading, Berkshire, England - https://youtu.be/ZHhJINr2vI4 .

1957 - Elvis Presley inhales the cap from one of his teeth and is taken to a Los Angeles hospital to have it removed from his lung.

1959 - A Fool Such As I / I Need Your Love Tonight (Elvis Presley) started a 5 week run at #1 on the UK chart.

1963 - Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" wins a Grammy for Record of the Year, while Vaughn Meader's The First Family wins a Grammy for Album of the Year.

1963 - The Hollies began recording their first sessions for their first album. "Stay with The Hollies" was released in January 1964.

1965 - Burt Bacharach marries his second wife, Angie Dickinson. The composer and the actress stay together for 15 years and share a daughter, Nikki.

1967 - Paul McCartney first meets Linda Eastman at a Georgie Fame concert in London. They get married two years later, a union that lasts until her death in 1998.

1971 - Two films made by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, "Apotheosis" and "Fly" were shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

1971 - Pink Floyd, Mountain and the Faces perform the "Garden Party" concert at Crystal Palace Park in London. A small pond in front of the stage becomes an aquatic graveyard when hundreds of fish die during Pink Floyd's performance. What killed the fish? Reports vary, but it is either vibrations from the band's estimated 95-decibal sound system or smoke flares set off in the water. The band receives a bill for the dead fish.

1975 - Fleetwood Mac play their first concert with new members Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks at a show in El Paso, Texas.

1976 - The Rolling Stones album Black and Blue goes to #1 in America - https://youtu.be/gVpzrxjiAtc

1982 - A Little Peace (Nicole) started a 2 week run at #1 on the UK chart. It was the 500th #1 on the chart, from the German winner of the Eurovision Song Contest. The stigma of non-British Eurovision winners remained as her follow up "Give Me More Time" charted for a single week at #75.

1983 - Spandau Ballet enjoyed their only week at the top of the British LP chart with "True".

1985 - Prince released the single "Raspberry Beret."

1986 - Run-DMC release their Raising Hell album, featuring the ground-breaking rap reworking of "Walk This Way."

1992 - '60s singer Barbara Lee (of The Chiffons) dies of a heart attack the day before her 45th birthday.

2003 - June Carter Cash dies after undergoing heart-valve replacement surgery at age 73.

2014 - Rapper Evan Plunkett, who performed as Hollywood Will, is shot dead at a Las Vegas casino.

This Day In Music - May 14

 This Day In Music - May 14

1936 - Bobby Darin is born Walden Robert Cassotto in East Harlem, New York City. Teenage Nina Cassotto became pregnant out of wedlock and, to avoid scandal, had her mother raise the baby as her own while Nina passed him off as her younger brother. Bobby finds out years later that the woman he knew as his beloved mother was actually his grandmother.

1943 - Derek Leckenby (lead guitarist for Herman's Hermits) is born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

1943 - Jack Bruce (bassist, singer for Cream, Manfred Mann, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers) is born in Bishopbriggs, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

1945 - Gene Cornish (guitarist for The Rascals) is born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

1947 - Al Ciner (guitarist for The American Breed) is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1952 - Talking Heads frontman David Byrne is born in Dumbarton, Scotland.

1956 - Buddy Holly visits his optometrist's office to correct his horrible 20/800 vision with primitive contact lenses, but Buddy hates them, and decides to keep his signature glasses.

1956 - The Platters released their self-titled debut album on Mecury Records.

1959 - David Reyne (Australian Crawl, Chantoozies) was born in Nigeria. https://youtu.be/Avw1ddNHKmE

1959 - Jazz musician Sidney Bechet dies of lung cancer in Garches, France, on his 62nd birthday.

1962 - Ian Astbury (lead vocalist for The Cult) is born in Heswall, Cheshire, England.

1962 - C.C. DeVille (of Poison) is born Bruce Anthony Johannesson in Brooklyn, New York.

1964 - Jan & Dean record "Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)."

1966 - Mike Inez, bass player for Alice In Chains, is born in San Fernando, California.

1966 - Fabrice Morvan is born in Paris, France. Along with Rob Pilatus, he is the face of Milli Vanilli, a duo that is busted for not actually singing on their recordings.

1969 - Danny Wood of New Kids on the Block is born in Boston, Massachusetts.

1971 - Rapper Freaky Tah (of Lost Boyz) is born Raymond Rogers in Queens, New York.

1973 - R&B singer-songwriter Shanice is born Shanice Lorraine Wilson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1973 - Pop singer Natalie Appleton (of All Saints) is born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

1976 - Keith Relf (lead vocalist for The Yardbirds) dies at age 33 after being electrocuted while playing an improperly grounded guitar in his basement.

1977 - Leo Sayer's "When I Need You" hits #1 in the US.

1998 - Frank Sinatra dies of a heart attack in West Hollywood, California, at age 82.

1998 - George Michael pled no contest in the Beverly Hills Municipal Court to committing a lewd act in a park restroom. He was fined $810, given 80 hours of community service, and ordered to undergo counselling.

2015 - B.B. King dies at age 89. Bonnie Raitt says, "Without a doubt, B.B. King has influenced more rock and blues musicians than anyone else in history."

2017 - Johnny Mathis confirms he is gay during an interview with CBS News Sunday Morning, saying, "I come from San Francisco. It's not unusual to be gay in San Francisco.

2020 - Keith Urban becomes the first major artist to play a drive-in concert in America during the coronavirus pandemic, performing to an audience of health care workers at the Stardust Drive-In in Watertown, Tennessee.

This Day In Music - May 13

 This Day In Music - May 13

1941 - Rock and roll pioneer Ritchie Valens is born Richard Steven Valenzuela in Pacoima, California.

1943 - Motown singer Mary Wells is born in Detroit, Michigan.

1950 - Blues rocker Danny Kirwan (of Fleetwood Mac) is born in Brixton, London, England.

1950 - Peter Gabriel born.

1950 - Stevie Wonder is born Stevland Morris in Saginaw, Michigan. https://youtu.be/4wZ3ZG_Wams

1951 - Paul Thompson (drummer for Roxy Music) is born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

1954 - Seán Patrick Michael Sherrard, better known by his stage name Johnny Logan, is an Australian-born Irish singer and composer. He is known as a performer to have won the Eurovision Song Contest twice, in 1980 and 1987. He also composed the winning song in 1992.

1955 - Elvis Presley's performance in Jacksonville, Florida, is the first Presley show at which a riot ensues. After Elvis tells the audience, "Girls, I'll see you backstage," he has some of his clothes ripped off, but escapes unharmed.

1955 - Stranger In Paradise (Tony Bennett) went to #1 on UK chart for 2 weeks.

1958 - Six months after marrying his third wife, 13-year-old second cousin Myra Gale Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis is finally granted a divorce from his second wife, Jane Mitcham.

1960 - Freddie Fender busted for possession of marijuana in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and spent 3 years in prison as a result.

1961 - Del Shannon was #1 in Australia with Runaway.

1965 - King Of The Road (Roger Miller) went to #1 on UK chart for 1 week.

1966 - The Rolling Stones release "Paint It Black."

1967 - The Supremes land their 10th #1 hit with "The Happening."

1967 - Frank and Nancy Sinatra #1 in Australia with "Somethin' Stupid".

1971 - Motown child prodigy Stevie Wonder turns 21, and is by law released from his recording contract and given $1 million of the $30 million he has earned while at the label. Nevertheless, after gaining complete artistic control, Wonder re-signs to Tamla.

1978 - After eight weeks at US #1, "Night Fever" by the Bee Gees is finally bumped off, replaced by Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You," another song written by the Bee Gees and also featured on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.

1978 - Rivers Of Babylon (Boney M) went to #1 on the UK chart for 5 weeks.

1983 - The Smiths released their first single, “Hand In Glove”.

1985 - Bruce Springsteen married model Julianne Phillips, an American model and actress. She began her career as a model in the early 1980s before moving on to acting.

1988 - Casey Donovan was born in Sydney.

1989 - Hand On Your Heart (Kylie Minogue) went to #1 on the UK chart for 1 week.

2012 - Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass guitarist for Booker T. and the MGs) dies in his sleep at age 70 while on tour in Tokyo. Note his appearance in The Blues Brothers too...

2019 - Doris Day dies at 97.

This Day In Music - May 12

 This Day In Music - May 12

1928 - Burt Bacharach born in Kansas City, Missouri.

1940 - Motown songwriter Norman Whitfield is born in Harlem, New York City.

1942 - Ian Dury (Kilburn and the High-Roads, Ian Dury & the Blockheads) is born in England.

1942 - Country singer Billy Swan is born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

1945 - Ian McLagan (keyboardist for The Small Faces, The Faces) is born in Hounslow, Middlesex, England.

1948 - Steve Winwood (of Traffic, Blind Faith and The Spencer Davis Group) is born in Handsworth, Birmingham, England.

1950 - Rocker Billy Squier is born in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

1958 - The Everly Brothers' "All I Have to Do Is Dream" hits #1 for the first of five weeks.

1959 - Ray Gillen (of Black Sabbath, Badlands) is born in New York City, but raised in Cliffside Park, New Jersey.

1960 - Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley appeared on the same TV special and performed the other's hit. Elvis sang "Witchcraft" and Sinatra sang "Love Me Tender."

1961 - Billy Duffy (guitarist for The Cult) is born in Hulme, Manchester, England.

1963 - Bob Dylan walked out of dress rehearsals for "The Ed Sullivan Show" when CBS censors told him he could not perform "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues."

1965 - "Satisfaction" was recorded by the Rolling Stones.

1965 - Mrs Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter is #1 in Australia from this day.

1967 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their debut album "Are You Experienced."

1967 - Procol Harum release "A Whiter Shade Of Pale."

1971 - Jerry Lee Lewis was granted a divorce from his cousin Myra.

1971 - Mick Jagger marries his first wife, Bianca Perez-Mora, who is four months pregnant with their daughter, Jade, in St. Tropez, France. The couple divorce in 1978..

1972 - The Rolling Stones released the album "Exile on Main St."

1973 - Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy goes to #1 in America.

1975 - Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell, each performing in the Sydney production of Jesus Christ Superstar, meet on the first day of rehearsals. Later in the year, they form Air Supply.

1980 - The single "It's Still Rock & Roll" was released by Billy Joel.

1981 - Debbie Harry branches off from Blondie, announcing her solo career.

1982 - I Love Rock 'N' Roll by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts is #1 in Australia from this day.

1983 - Meat Loaf files for bankruptcy.

1983 - I Was Only 19 (A Walk In The Light Green) by Redgum was #1 In Australia from this day.

1985 - An honorary Doctor of Music degree was given to Lionel Richie from his alma mater Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

1999 - George Jones pled guilty to driving while impaired and violating the Tennessee's open-container law in Franklin. He was fined $550.

2001 - Perry Como dies in his sleep less than week before his 89th birthday.

2002 - At Miami International Airport, Dionne Warwick was arrested when baggage screeners found 11 marijuana cigarettes inside her lipstick container.

2013 - After the Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield records the David Bowie song "Space Oddity" on board the International Space Station, his sublime rendition is posted to YouTube, quickly garnering millions of views.

This Day In Music - May 11

 This Day In Rock - May 11

So many songs I could add; I chose Eric...

Year Unknown: Mick O'Shea, Australian drummer with bands such as Dragon & Supergroup born...

1938 - Johnny Devlin (John Lockett Devlin) was born, the son of a railway ganger in New Zealand.

1941 - Eric Burdon (Animals, War) born - https://youtu.be/ZklnDvd_vfQ .

1943 - Les Chadwick (bassist for Gerry and the Pacemakers) is born in Liverpool, England.

1947 - Butch Trucks (drummer for The Allman Brothers Band) is born Claude Hudson Trucks in Jacksonville, Florida.

1955 - Electronic musician Jonathan "J.J." Jeczalik (of The Art of Noise) is born in Banbury, England.

1955 - Drummer Mark Herndon (of Alabama) is born in Springfield, Massachusetts.

1957 - The Everly Brothers make their stage debut in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry.

1961 - Russian bandleader and musicologist Alexander Utyosov claims Dixiland jazz, generally recognised as born in New Orleans, actually began in Odessa many years before.

1962 - Ray Stevens releases "Ahab The Arab."

1964 - In an early sign of their tendency to disrupt authority, The Rolling Stones are refused service for lunch at Bristol, England's Grand Hotel because they're not properly dressed in jackets and ties. The next day, the Daily Express calls them "the ugliest group in Britain" and remarks, "The Rolling Stones gather no lunch."

1965 - The Byrds appear on TV for the first time when they play their cover of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" on the NBC show Hullabaloo.

1967 - The Bee Gees make their first big splash on UK television, performing their new single "New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones)" on the BBC's Top Of The Pops.

1967 - The Beatles record "Baby You're A Rich Man."

1967 - Cream records "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" and "Outside Woman Blues."

1968 - Richard Harris releases "MacArthur Park," a mysterious song written by Jimmy Webb about a cake left out in the rain. It climbs to #2 in America, but 10 years later reaches #1 in a version by Donna Summer.

1970 - Atlantic Records released the triple album Woodstock movie soundtrack, which remained US #1 for a month. Those who were there realize it didn't sound nearly as good as they remembered it.

1970 - The Beatles release "The Long and Winding Road."

1972 - In an effort to shed his teenybopper image, David Cassidy appears shirtless (and pantless) on the cover of Rolling Stone.

1973 - Stevie Wonder records "Higher Ground."

1981 - Bob Marley dies at age 36 after a long battle with cancer.

1985 - 19 (Paul Hardcastle) started a 5-week run at #1 on the UK chart.

1989 - The late Roy Orbison is posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York, with Eric Clapton presenting the award to Orbison's widow. Orbison enjoyed a career resurgence in the '80s, but died on December 6, 1988.

1995 - Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray play a tribute concert for Stevie Ray Vaughn in Austin, Texas. They had all played with Stevie Ray at his last concert on August 26, 1990.

This Day In Music - May 9

 This Day In Rock - May 9

1935 - Nokie Edwards, guitarist for The Ventures, is born Nole Floyd Edwards in Lahoma, Oklahoma.

1937 - Rock and roll singer-songwriter Sonny Curtis (of Buddy Holly's The Crickets) is born in Meadow, Texas.

1937 - R&B singer Dave Prater (of Sam & Dave) in Ocilla, Georgia.

1941 - Doo-wop singer Danny Rapp (of Danny & the Juniors) is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1944 - Jimmie Davis became the Governor of Louisiana. He wrote the song "You Are My Sunshine."

1941 - Peter Birrell (bass guitarist for Freddie & the Dreamers) is born in Manchester, Lancashire, England.

1942 - '60s pop singer-songwriter Tommy Roe is born in Atlanta, Georgia.

1944 - Rock guitarist Richie Furay (of Buffalo Springfield, Poco) is born in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

1944 - Don Dannemann (singer, guitarist for The Cyrkle) is born in Brooklyn, New York City.

1945 - Rock guitarist and producer Steve Katz (Blues Project, Blood, Sweat & Tears) is born in Brooklyn, New York City.

1949 - Billy Joel is born in The Bronx, New York, raised in Hicksville on Long Island. 

1950 - Tom Petersson (bass guitarist for Cheap Trick) is born in Rockford, Illinois.

1953 - John "Rhino" Edwards (bass guitarist for Status Quo) is born in Chiswick, London, England.

1962 - Brian Epstein met with EMI producer George Martin. Martin signed the Beatles to record demos on June 4, 1962. It was their first recording contract.

1962 - David Gahan (lead singer for Depeche Mode) is born in Epping, Essex, England.

1963 - The Rolling Stones sign their first management contract with Andrew Loog Oldham's management company Impact, agreeing to license their UK output to Decca.

1965 - Charley Drayton of Divinyls / Cold Chisel was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

1966 - Brad Johns of James Blundell Band born.

1971 - Oasis bass player Paul McGuigan is born in Manchester, England.

1998 - Brian Wilson plays his first ever solo concert (no Beach Boys) at a show in St. Charles, Illinois.

2013 - Rocker Sixto "Sugar Man" Rodriguez receives an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from his alma mater, Wayne State University, Detroit.

2020 - Rock pioneer Little Richard dies of bone cancer at the age of 87. Over the course of his legendary career he recorded some of America's most recognizable songs, including "Tutti Frutti," "Long Tall Sally," and "Good Golly Miss Molly." 

This Day In Music - April 30

 This Day In Rock - April 30

1925 - Country/rockabilly singer Johnny Horton is born in Los Angeles, California.

1933 - Willie Nelson born.

1943 - Bobby Vee (Robert Thomas Velline) born.

1953 - Merrill Osmond (of The Osmonds) is born in Ogden, Utah.

1957 - Elvis Presley records "Jailhouse Rock" and "Young And Beautiful."

1959 - Buddy Holly's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" (written by Paul Anka) goes to #1 in the UK nearly three months after his death. It's his only UK #1.

1960 - Fats Domino records "Walking To New Orleans."

1966 - The Young Rascals' "Good Lovin'," a song originally recorded by The Olympics a year earlier, goes to #1 in America.

1966 - The Young Rascals' "Good Lovin'," a song originally recorded by The Olympics a year earlier, goes to #1 in America.

1983 - The original line-up of Manfred Mann re-forms to play the 25th anniversary celebration of the Marquee Club in London, where they played when they were just starting out.

1983 - Blues musician Muddy Waters dies of heart failure at age 70 in his Westmont, Illinois, home.

1987 - Madonna's "La Isla Bonita" became her 11th consecutive top five single.

1987 - The Beatles' "Help!", "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" were released on compact disc.

1988 - After a two-year hiatus, Little River Band reunite, kicking off a tour with a show at the World Expo in Brisbane, Australia. Glenn Frey is their support act for the tour.

1988 - Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" fell out of the Billboard 200 chart for the first time in 725 weeks.

2015 - Ben E. King, songwriter and singer of "Stand By Me," dies at age 76.

2016 - In Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland, a life-sized bronze statue of Bon Scott (AC/DC) was unveiled in Bellies Brae Car Park during the 10th anniversary of the Bonfest music festival.