Number6
06-24-2006, 10:39 AM
Sorry for any repetitive info.
1948
Columbia Records begins the first mass production of the 33 1/3 RPM LP. The new format could contain a maximum of 23 minutes of music per side, versus the approximately three minutes that could be squeezed on to a 78 RPM disc.
Toast Of The Town, which would later be called The Ed Sullivan Show, premiered on CBS-TV. The first telecast was produced on a meager budget of $1,375. Only $375 was allocated for talent, and $200 of that was shared by the young stars of that night's program, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.
1954
Guitarist Danny Cedrone died following a freak stairway fall, just a month after he had recorded the lead on "Rock Around The Clock" with Bill Haley and His Comets.
1958
Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash" enters the US record charts, where it would reach #3. Bobby would later say that the song only took him about ten minutes to write.
1960
"Train of Love" by Annette Funicello entered the Billboard Pop chart. The song would become the fourth of her five Top 40 hits, eventually reaching #36.
1961
Pat Boone had his sixth and final number 1 hit in the US with "Moody River". A year later, "Speedy Gonzales" would finish his run of thirty-eight top 10 hits. A tongue-in-cheek, heavy metal "comeback" was attempted in 1997 with an album called "In a Metal Mood (No More Mr. Nice Guy)".
1964
Sam Cooke starts a two week stay at New York's Copacabana Club. A 70-foot billboard announcing the engagement was erected in Times Square.
1965
Motown Records releases "Tracks Of My Tears" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. The song was written by the group, based on a riff that Miracles guitarist, Marv Tarplin had come up with. Their version would reach number 16 on the US pop charts, while Johnny Rivers' rendition would reach number 10 two years later.
John Lennon's second book, A Spaniard in the Works was published.
The Four Tops had their first US number one record with "I Can't Help Myself". Lead singer Levi Stubbs had not been satisfied with the recording session and was promised that he could do it again the following day, but no other session ever took place. The track that became a hit was just the second take of the song.
1966
The Rolling Stones file a 4.9 million dollar lawsuit against 14 New York hotels for banning them, claiming that the ban was "injurious to the group's reputation and discriminatory in violation of New York's Civil Rights law."
1967
The beginning of the end came for The Lovin' Spoonful when guitarist Zal Yanovsky quit after a performance in New York at the Forest Hills Music Festival. One year later, John Sebastian would also leave the band to go solo. Although he made several unannounced guest appearances during John Sebastian concerts, Yanovsky gradually withdrew from music altogether and eventually became a restaurateur. He was 58 years old when he suffered a fatal heart attack on December 13th, 2002 at his farm near Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Aretha Franklin records "Chain Of Fools", which will reach #2 the following January.
Arthur Conley receives a gold record for "Sweet Soul Music", a song that reached number two in the US on both the pop and R&B charts. It was one of nine records that Conley put on the Billboard charts between 1967 and 1970.
Procol Harum's first hit single, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" enters the US pop charts where it will peak at #5. The song was written by the band around a melody composed by the group's organist, Matthew Fisher, who was inspired by the chord progression of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Orchestral Suite in D".
The Young Rascals recorded "How Can I Be Sure", which will become their second US Top Ten hit when it reaches #4 next Fall.
1968
After placing 17 instrumental singles on Billboard's Hot 100, Herb Alpert's first vocal attempt, "This Guy's In Love With You" became his first number one hit.
Mason Williams' "Classical Gas" is released. It has since received more radio airplay than any other instrumental in the US.
1969
The 3 day Newport '69 Festival starts in Northridge, California. 150,000 make it to hear Jimi Hendrix, Joe ****er, CCR, Ike & Tina Turner, Jethro Tull, The Rascals, Steppenwolf and others. Hendrix receives $125,000 for his appearance, at the time it was the highest fee ever paid to a single rock act for a single appearance.
David Bowie signs with Philips Records and then enters Trident Studios in London to record "Space Oddity".
1970
Pete Townshend of The Who caused a stir at Memphis International Airport. He was overheard saying Tommy seems to be 'going down a bomb', meaning the group's song "Tommy" was a hit. Officials however, only heard the term 'bomb' and police and FBI reacted.
Chubby Checker and three friends are arrested in Niagara Falls after marijuana and unidentified drug capsules are found in Checker's car.
1971
Carole King's double sided hit "It's Too Late" / "I Feel The Earth Move" went to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Her album, "Tapestry" would also hit number one on the LP chart and sell over 15 million copies worldwide.
1972
Smokey Robinson appears in concert for the last time with the Miracles, in Washington, DC.
The Tallahatchie Bridge, made famous in Bobbie Gentry's "Ode To Billie Joe", collapses.
1973
B.W. Stevenson records "My Maria", which will reach #9 later in the year. Although his real first name was Louis, he used the initials B.W., which stood for Buck Wheat.
Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" is awarded a gold record.
Neil Diamond appeared on the 20th anniversary show of American Bandstand, along with Little Richard, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Cheech and Chong and Three Dog Night.
The soft rock group Bread, lead by David Gates, give their final concert in Salt Lake City. A truck accident earlier in the day had destroyed the band's equipment, so they had to play with borrowed instruments and amps.
1974
Rare Earth drummer Peter Hoorelbeke is arrested after throwing his drumsticks into the crowd.
1975
Alice Cooper broke six of his ribs after he fell off the stage during a concert in Vancouver. Several dates on his Welcome to My Nightmare tour had to be cancelled.
Jefferson Starship's LP "Red Octopus" was released. The album, marking the return of singer Marty Balin, went to number one in the US and became the band's biggest seller.
Elton John makes a surprise appearance at a concert at the Oakland Coliseum featuring The Eagles and The Doobie Brothers and sings with both groups.
The Captain and Tennille sat on top of the Billboard singles chart with the Neil Sedaka / Howard Greenfield written "Love Will Keep Us Together", a song that would later win a Grammy Award for Record Of The Year.
The US Attorney in Newark, New Jersey hands down indictments to 19 music industry executives after a two year investigation. Counts of income tax evasion and payola are leveled against Clive Davis, former president of Columbia Records and Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, architects of the Philadelphia sound of the 70's.
1976
ABBA gives a performance in Stockholm for Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath on the eve of their wedding.
Electric Light Orchestra's greatest hits collection, "OLE ELO" goes gold, just as they begin their first major British tour.
Paul McCartney and Wings complete their Wings Over America tour at the Forum in Los Angeles. At a Forum show two days earlier, Ringo Starr appeared on stage during the band's final number and presented his old friend with flowers.
1977
Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten was slashed on his face and hands by knife-wielding youths on a London street. They objected to the Pistols' anti-monarchist song "God Save the Queen". The next day, another member of the Pistols, Paul Cook, was beaten by a gang armed with iron pipes.
James Taylor reaches the US chart with an update of Jimmy Jones's 1960 #1 hit, "Handy Man".
Fleetwood Mac score their only Billboard number one hit with "Dreams". Over the next dozen years, they would reach the Top 40, thirteen more times.
1979
Supertramp's album, "Breakfast in America" ends the week on top of the US album chart.
1980
Donna Summer becomes the first artist to sign with the newly formed Geffen Records.
1981
Mark David Chapman pleads guilty to murdering John Lennon in December of 1980 and was sentenced to 20-years-to-life in prison. He was denied parole at his first hearing in October of 2000 and again in October, 2002 and October 2004. He is still in New York's Attica state prison.
Just after signing a multi-album contract with Warner Brothers, the pop group Steely Dan announced they were breaking up. Donald Fagan and Walter Becker, the driving forces behind the band, said their 14 year musical partnership was over. Steely Dan's hits included "Reeling in the Years" and "Rikki Don't Lose That Number".
After topping record charts around the world, a medley of hits credited to Stars On 45 reaches number one in America.
1983
Duane Eddy performs in San Francisco, kicking off his first US tour in fifteen years.
1988
Over 3,000 East Germans gather at the Berlin Wall to hear Michael Jackson, who was performing a concert on the other side of the wall in West Berlin.
1990
Actor Gary Busey, who played Buddy Holly in "The Buddy Holly Story," pays $242,000 for one of Holly's guitars at an auction in New York.
Billy Joel becomes the first rock artist to perform at Yankee Stadium.
Kripp Johnson, a founding member of the Dell-Vikings, died of cancer on June 22nd, at the age of 57. One of the first racially-integrated rock 'n' roll groups, the Dell-Vikings had two top 10 hits in 1957, "Come Go With Me" and "Whispering Bells".
'Little Richard Day' was held in Los Angeles as he got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1994
The stage musical "Copacabana", based on the Barry Manilow song, opens in London England.
George Michael lost his lawsuit against Sony Records. Michael claimed that his 15-year contract with Sony was unfair because the company could refuse to release albums it thought wouldn't be commercially successful. Michael vowed he would never record for Sony again.
1995
Riding high on the success of "Leave Virginia Alone", Rod Stewart headlined the Rock Over Germany festival, along with Joe ****er and Elton John.
A judge in Los Angeles awarded ownership of the Kingsmen's recordings to the group itself and away from Scepter-Wand Records. The court ruled that the company breached its contract by not paying the Kingsmen their proper royalties. The main song in question was "Louie, Louie", recorded in 1963.
1997
Bobby Helms, best known for his perennial Christmas hit, "Jingle Bell Rock", died of emphysema at his home in Martinsville, Indiana on June 19th. He was 63.
Lawrence Payton of the Four Tops died on June 20th of liver cancer at his home in Southfield, Michigan. He was 59.
1999
Eric Clapton put 100 of his guitars up for auction at Christie's in New York to raise money for his drug rehab clinic, the Crossroads Centre in Antigua. His 1956 Fender Stratocaster named Brownie, which was used to record the electric version of "Layla", was sold for a record $497,500. The auction helped raise nearly $5 million for the clinic.
2000
Kiss auctioned off memorabilia from their touring days. The items brought in $876,000 on the first day of the two day event.
2001
John Lee Hooker, a legendary blues pioneer who had recorded an estimated 100 albums, died of natural causes at his Los Altos home on June 21st, at the age of 83.
2003
Diana Ross was in court and testified that she was coerced and felt intimidated to take the breath test that showed her blood alcohol level was 0.2 (well over the 0.08 limit). "He said if I don't take the breath tests, I was either going to go to the hospital or to jail," Diana said. Diana's lawyer has asked for all evidence to be suppressed. After the hearing, Diana asked the judge if it would be possible to have court paperwork processed using her married name of Diana Naess. The City Magistrate said he thought it was "a little late" for that now.
2004
June 20th marked the 3000th time that Paul McCartney took to the stage as a professional musician. He had performed 2,535 concerts with the Quarrymen and the Beatles, 140 gigs with Wings and 325 solo shows.
1948
Columbia Records begins the first mass production of the 33 1/3 RPM LP. The new format could contain a maximum of 23 minutes of music per side, versus the approximately three minutes that could be squeezed on to a 78 RPM disc.
Toast Of The Town, which would later be called The Ed Sullivan Show, premiered on CBS-TV. The first telecast was produced on a meager budget of $1,375. Only $375 was allocated for talent, and $200 of that was shared by the young stars of that night's program, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.
1954
Guitarist Danny Cedrone died following a freak stairway fall, just a month after he had recorded the lead on "Rock Around The Clock" with Bill Haley and His Comets.
1958
Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash" enters the US record charts, where it would reach #3. Bobby would later say that the song only took him about ten minutes to write.
1960
"Train of Love" by Annette Funicello entered the Billboard Pop chart. The song would become the fourth of her five Top 40 hits, eventually reaching #36.
1961
Pat Boone had his sixth and final number 1 hit in the US with "Moody River". A year later, "Speedy Gonzales" would finish his run of thirty-eight top 10 hits. A tongue-in-cheek, heavy metal "comeback" was attempted in 1997 with an album called "In a Metal Mood (No More Mr. Nice Guy)".
1964
Sam Cooke starts a two week stay at New York's Copacabana Club. A 70-foot billboard announcing the engagement was erected in Times Square.
1965
Motown Records releases "Tracks Of My Tears" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. The song was written by the group, based on a riff that Miracles guitarist, Marv Tarplin had come up with. Their version would reach number 16 on the US pop charts, while Johnny Rivers' rendition would reach number 10 two years later.
John Lennon's second book, A Spaniard in the Works was published.
The Four Tops had their first US number one record with "I Can't Help Myself". Lead singer Levi Stubbs had not been satisfied with the recording session and was promised that he could do it again the following day, but no other session ever took place. The track that became a hit was just the second take of the song.
1966
The Rolling Stones file a 4.9 million dollar lawsuit against 14 New York hotels for banning them, claiming that the ban was "injurious to the group's reputation and discriminatory in violation of New York's Civil Rights law."
1967
The beginning of the end came for The Lovin' Spoonful when guitarist Zal Yanovsky quit after a performance in New York at the Forest Hills Music Festival. One year later, John Sebastian would also leave the band to go solo. Although he made several unannounced guest appearances during John Sebastian concerts, Yanovsky gradually withdrew from music altogether and eventually became a restaurateur. He was 58 years old when he suffered a fatal heart attack on December 13th, 2002 at his farm near Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Aretha Franklin records "Chain Of Fools", which will reach #2 the following January.
Arthur Conley receives a gold record for "Sweet Soul Music", a song that reached number two in the US on both the pop and R&B charts. It was one of nine records that Conley put on the Billboard charts between 1967 and 1970.
Procol Harum's first hit single, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" enters the US pop charts where it will peak at #5. The song was written by the band around a melody composed by the group's organist, Matthew Fisher, who was inspired by the chord progression of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Orchestral Suite in D".
The Young Rascals recorded "How Can I Be Sure", which will become their second US Top Ten hit when it reaches #4 next Fall.
1968
After placing 17 instrumental singles on Billboard's Hot 100, Herb Alpert's first vocal attempt, "This Guy's In Love With You" became his first number one hit.
Mason Williams' "Classical Gas" is released. It has since received more radio airplay than any other instrumental in the US.
1969
The 3 day Newport '69 Festival starts in Northridge, California. 150,000 make it to hear Jimi Hendrix, Joe ****er, CCR, Ike & Tina Turner, Jethro Tull, The Rascals, Steppenwolf and others. Hendrix receives $125,000 for his appearance, at the time it was the highest fee ever paid to a single rock act for a single appearance.
David Bowie signs with Philips Records and then enters Trident Studios in London to record "Space Oddity".
1970
Pete Townshend of The Who caused a stir at Memphis International Airport. He was overheard saying Tommy seems to be 'going down a bomb', meaning the group's song "Tommy" was a hit. Officials however, only heard the term 'bomb' and police and FBI reacted.
Chubby Checker and three friends are arrested in Niagara Falls after marijuana and unidentified drug capsules are found in Checker's car.
1971
Carole King's double sided hit "It's Too Late" / "I Feel The Earth Move" went to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Her album, "Tapestry" would also hit number one on the LP chart and sell over 15 million copies worldwide.
1972
Smokey Robinson appears in concert for the last time with the Miracles, in Washington, DC.
The Tallahatchie Bridge, made famous in Bobbie Gentry's "Ode To Billie Joe", collapses.
1973
B.W. Stevenson records "My Maria", which will reach #9 later in the year. Although his real first name was Louis, he used the initials B.W., which stood for Buck Wheat.
Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" is awarded a gold record.
Neil Diamond appeared on the 20th anniversary show of American Bandstand, along with Little Richard, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Cheech and Chong and Three Dog Night.
The soft rock group Bread, lead by David Gates, give their final concert in Salt Lake City. A truck accident earlier in the day had destroyed the band's equipment, so they had to play with borrowed instruments and amps.
1974
Rare Earth drummer Peter Hoorelbeke is arrested after throwing his drumsticks into the crowd.
1975
Alice Cooper broke six of his ribs after he fell off the stage during a concert in Vancouver. Several dates on his Welcome to My Nightmare tour had to be cancelled.
Jefferson Starship's LP "Red Octopus" was released. The album, marking the return of singer Marty Balin, went to number one in the US and became the band's biggest seller.
Elton John makes a surprise appearance at a concert at the Oakland Coliseum featuring The Eagles and The Doobie Brothers and sings with both groups.
The Captain and Tennille sat on top of the Billboard singles chart with the Neil Sedaka / Howard Greenfield written "Love Will Keep Us Together", a song that would later win a Grammy Award for Record Of The Year.
The US Attorney in Newark, New Jersey hands down indictments to 19 music industry executives after a two year investigation. Counts of income tax evasion and payola are leveled against Clive Davis, former president of Columbia Records and Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, architects of the Philadelphia sound of the 70's.
1976
ABBA gives a performance in Stockholm for Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath on the eve of their wedding.
Electric Light Orchestra's greatest hits collection, "OLE ELO" goes gold, just as they begin their first major British tour.
Paul McCartney and Wings complete their Wings Over America tour at the Forum in Los Angeles. At a Forum show two days earlier, Ringo Starr appeared on stage during the band's final number and presented his old friend with flowers.
1977
Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten was slashed on his face and hands by knife-wielding youths on a London street. They objected to the Pistols' anti-monarchist song "God Save the Queen". The next day, another member of the Pistols, Paul Cook, was beaten by a gang armed with iron pipes.
James Taylor reaches the US chart with an update of Jimmy Jones's 1960 #1 hit, "Handy Man".
Fleetwood Mac score their only Billboard number one hit with "Dreams". Over the next dozen years, they would reach the Top 40, thirteen more times.
1979
Supertramp's album, "Breakfast in America" ends the week on top of the US album chart.
1980
Donna Summer becomes the first artist to sign with the newly formed Geffen Records.
1981
Mark David Chapman pleads guilty to murdering John Lennon in December of 1980 and was sentenced to 20-years-to-life in prison. He was denied parole at his first hearing in October of 2000 and again in October, 2002 and October 2004. He is still in New York's Attica state prison.
Just after signing a multi-album contract with Warner Brothers, the pop group Steely Dan announced they were breaking up. Donald Fagan and Walter Becker, the driving forces behind the band, said their 14 year musical partnership was over. Steely Dan's hits included "Reeling in the Years" and "Rikki Don't Lose That Number".
After topping record charts around the world, a medley of hits credited to Stars On 45 reaches number one in America.
1983
Duane Eddy performs in San Francisco, kicking off his first US tour in fifteen years.
1988
Over 3,000 East Germans gather at the Berlin Wall to hear Michael Jackson, who was performing a concert on the other side of the wall in West Berlin.
1990
Actor Gary Busey, who played Buddy Holly in "The Buddy Holly Story," pays $242,000 for one of Holly's guitars at an auction in New York.
Billy Joel becomes the first rock artist to perform at Yankee Stadium.
Kripp Johnson, a founding member of the Dell-Vikings, died of cancer on June 22nd, at the age of 57. One of the first racially-integrated rock 'n' roll groups, the Dell-Vikings had two top 10 hits in 1957, "Come Go With Me" and "Whispering Bells".
'Little Richard Day' was held in Los Angeles as he got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1994
The stage musical "Copacabana", based on the Barry Manilow song, opens in London England.
George Michael lost his lawsuit against Sony Records. Michael claimed that his 15-year contract with Sony was unfair because the company could refuse to release albums it thought wouldn't be commercially successful. Michael vowed he would never record for Sony again.
1995
Riding high on the success of "Leave Virginia Alone", Rod Stewart headlined the Rock Over Germany festival, along with Joe ****er and Elton John.
A judge in Los Angeles awarded ownership of the Kingsmen's recordings to the group itself and away from Scepter-Wand Records. The court ruled that the company breached its contract by not paying the Kingsmen their proper royalties. The main song in question was "Louie, Louie", recorded in 1963.
1997
Bobby Helms, best known for his perennial Christmas hit, "Jingle Bell Rock", died of emphysema at his home in Martinsville, Indiana on June 19th. He was 63.
Lawrence Payton of the Four Tops died on June 20th of liver cancer at his home in Southfield, Michigan. He was 59.
1999
Eric Clapton put 100 of his guitars up for auction at Christie's in New York to raise money for his drug rehab clinic, the Crossroads Centre in Antigua. His 1956 Fender Stratocaster named Brownie, which was used to record the electric version of "Layla", was sold for a record $497,500. The auction helped raise nearly $5 million for the clinic.
2000
Kiss auctioned off memorabilia from their touring days. The items brought in $876,000 on the first day of the two day event.
2001
John Lee Hooker, a legendary blues pioneer who had recorded an estimated 100 albums, died of natural causes at his Los Altos home on June 21st, at the age of 83.
2003
Diana Ross was in court and testified that she was coerced and felt intimidated to take the breath test that showed her blood alcohol level was 0.2 (well over the 0.08 limit). "He said if I don't take the breath tests, I was either going to go to the hospital or to jail," Diana said. Diana's lawyer has asked for all evidence to be suppressed. After the hearing, Diana asked the judge if it would be possible to have court paperwork processed using her married name of Diana Naess. The City Magistrate said he thought it was "a little late" for that now.
2004
June 20th marked the 3000th time that Paul McCartney took to the stage as a professional musician. He had performed 2,535 concerts with the Quarrymen and the Beatles, 140 gigs with Wings and 325 solo shows.