From the MCRFB music calendar:
Events on this date: MAY 7
1955: Ray Charles breaks through with his first No. 1 R&B hit, “I’ve Got A Woman,” a revamped version from a gospel standard called, “It Must Be Jesus.”
1958: The Champs appear on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand and perform their No. 1 instrumental hit, “Tequila.”
1965: At London’s Twickenham Studios, the Beatles film scene in Help! entitled “The Exciting Adventure of Paul On The Floor,” where a suddenly-shrunken Paul McCartney tries to hide his newly-naked body.
1966: Simon & Garfunkel’s “I Am A Rock” enters the charts.
1966: The Mamas and The Papas “Monday Monday” hits No. 1 on the Billboard chart.
1967: During Moscow’s May Day celebrations, several teens dance the twist in outright violation of the Ministry Of Culture’s orders against Western decadence.
1967: Breaking his self-imposed exile after a motorcycle accident the previous year, Bob Dylan gives his first post-crash interview to the New York Daily News.
1968: Singer-songwriter Reginald Dwight changes his name legally to Elton Hercules John, the first and last names taken from his former bandmates in Bluesology, Elton Dean and Long John Baldry.
1972: Tom Jones’ Special London Bridge Special, featuring the Carpenters and Engelbert Humperdinck and celebrities alike including Kirk Douglas to Charlton Heston, airs on the BBC.
1978: Bob Dylan’s upcoming series of concerts at London’s Wembley Empire sells out all 90,000 tickets in just under eight hours.
1982: Diana Ross is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame at 6712 Hollywood Blvd.
1991, In his hometown of Englewood, NJ, Wilson Pickett is arrested for insisting on driving over the lawn of his neighbor, Donald Aronson, who just happens to be the town’s mayor. After finding a knife and a baseball bat in his vehicle, attempted murder is added to the charges. Pickett is inexplicably let off with a charity concert and a years’ probation.
1991: Rolling Stone bassist Bill Wyman, 54, ends his two-year marriage to Mandy Smith, 21, whom he had begun dating at age 13. Despite in only spending two months total with Wyman during their marriage, she receives a settlement of $6.5 million.
2002: London authorities wrap up their four-month investigation of Who guitarist Pete Townsend, charged with downloading child-pornography in 1999. Townsend, who claimed he was researching a book he was writing about his own childhood sexual abuses, was not jailed but was placed on a national sex offender registry.
Deaths: Ron Wilson (The Surfaris), 1989; Eddie Rabbitt, 1998; Alphonso Howell (The Sensations), 1998; Rudy Maugeri (The Crew Cuts), 2004; Dave Fisher (The Highwaymen), 2004.
And that’s just a few of the events which took place in pop music history, on this day…. MAY 7.
