Day: June 29, 2012

From the MCRFB music calendar:

Events on this date: June 29

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1957: The  government of Iran officially bans rock and roll after declaring Western rock dancing is “harmful to health.” The ban would stay in place until the 1990s.

1959: Dick Clark announces his first series of four “Caravan Of Stars” concerts over a course of the coming year, for 1960, with his first being headlined by the Skyliners of “Since I Don’t Have You” fame.

1966: Neil Diamond makes his first television appearance on ABC-TV’s American Bandstand, performing his first Bang Records charted hit, “Cherry, Cherry.”

1967: Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones is sentenced to three months in jail and lead singer Mick Jagger to a full year after a raid of Richards’ home in February turned up cannibus residue. After a public outpouring of sympathy, including an essay in the London Times defending the pair (“Who Breaks A Butterfly Upon A Wheel?” July 1, 1967), Richards’ charges are dropped and Jagger’s’ sentenced is reduced to probation.

1967: While on tour with the Hollies, Graham Nash writes a song called, “Marrakash Express,” which will later find itself as a hit with his new band in 1969, Crosby, Stills and Nash.

1969: The Jimi Hendrix Experience perform their last gig together at the Denver Pop Festival.

1970: NBC-TV presents the Liza Minnelli special Liza, also starring songwriters Anthony Newley, Jimmy Webb, and Randy Newman.

1973: Deep Purple “Mark II,” the most famous incarnation of the band, comes to an end after tonight’s show in Osaka, Japan, with lead singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover abruptly leaving the group.

1975: Elton John appears onstage with the Doobie Brothers in Oakland, California for an impromptu duet on the Doobie’s hit, “Listen To The Music.”

1976: The Memphis City Council votes to change Elvis’ home street, Highway 51 South,  to Elvis Presley Boulevard.

1978: While driving with his girlfriend in the Bahamas, Peter Frampton crashes his car and severely injures himself, breaking his left arm, cracking several ribs, causing a concussion, and cutting short his rise to superstardom as he mends his injuries in a local hospital for months.

1985: New York’s Cooper-Hewitt Museum fetches a record $2,229,000 for John Lennon’s “Roller,” a 1965 Rolls Royce Phantom V painted with groovy psychedelic colors by Apple associates The Fool.

1988: Brenda Richie, wife of Lionel Richie, is arrested for assault after allegedly striking her husband after finding him in bed with another woman. She is later released on $5,000 bail.

1998: George Harrison shocks the world when he announces that he is undergoing chemotherapy for throat cancer, assuring his fans that he’s fine and that “I’m not going to die on you folks just yet.” Harrison would succumb to the disease three years later.

2000: The casket holding Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Ronnie Van Zandt is stolen from it’s mausoleum in Jacksonville, Florida, but vandals left it after they were unable to open it; band member Steve Gaines ashes are spilled from its urn, which was stolen.

 

Deaths: 1969: Shorty Long.

Releases: 1959: “A Big Hunk O’ Love,” Elvis Presley. 1963: “(You’re The) Devil In Disguise,” Elvis Presley. 1968: “A Saucerful Of Secrets,” Pink Floyd. 

Recordings: 1956: “Just Walking In The Rain,” Johnny Ray. 1957: “Peggy Sue,” Buddy Holly. 1966: “Double Trouble,” “I Love Only One Girl,” “It Won’t Be Long,” “Long Legged Girl,” Elvis Presley.

1968: Live studio performances for “68 Comeback Special”; Elvis Presley: Heartbreak Hotel,” “Hound Dog,” “One Night (With You),” “All Shook Up,” “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Love Me Tender,” and seven more Elvis greats….

1968: “Hurdy Gurdy Man,” Donovan; enters the charts. 1974: “Sundown,” Gordon Lightfoot; hits No. 1 on the charts.

Certifications: None.

 

 

 

And that’s just a few of the events which took place in pop music history, on this day….