Motor City Radio Flashbacks

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….

From the MCRFB music calendar:

Events on this date: JUNE 28

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1957: Jerry Lee Lewis makes his U.S. television debut, performing “Whole Lot Of Shakin’ Goin’ On” on the Steve Allen Show, on NBC-TV, achieving superstar status for his appearance on the show.

1965: Dick Clark’s latest rock and roll variety show, Where The Action Is, premieres on ABC-TV, featuring performances by Jan and Dean, Dee Dee Sharp, and Linda Scott, and also introduces a new house band by the name, Paul Revere & The Raiders. Meanwhile, over on CBS-TV, influential New York DJ Murry The K’s variety special It’s What’s Happening, Baby! features performances by the Supremes, The Ronettes, The Temptations, Martha and The Vandellas, The Righteous Brothers, The Drifters, The Miracles, Tom Jones, The Dave Clark Five, Patti Labelle & The Bluebells, and Gary Lewis & The Playboys.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X_Hxem1mkw

1968: At NBC studios in Hollywood, Elvis Presley tapes the “gospel medley” portion of his “68 Comeback” special, as well as a controversial “bordello” scene that was never broadcast: NBC television censors had no objections, but the sponsor, Singer Sewing Machines, didn’t want to upset the viewers, objecting instead.

1968: Aretha Franklin is featured on the cover of Time magazine, under a banner headed ‘The Sound Of Soul.’

1973: Helen Reddy begins her own NBC-TV “summer replacement” series called, naturally enough, The Helen Reddy Show.

1973: Following it’s highly successful “Fifties Revival” oldies show the year before, Madison Square Garden holds a British Invasion-themed version, featuring Gerry and The Pacemakers, Herman’s Hermits, The Searchers, and Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders.

1975: Tim Buckley gives what is to be his last concert in Dallas, tragically overdosing on heroine and morphine and found dead the following day.

1980: Roy Orbison begins an amazing Eighties comeback by making the country music charts with “That Lovin’ You Feeling Again,” with EmmyLou Harris.

1988: Berry Gordy sells Motown to MCA for $61 million, effectively ending the golden era of independent ownership.

1993: Wilson Pickett pleads guilty to drunk driving in New Jersey after hitting a pedestrian in April of the previous year. He is sentenced to a year in jail and five years probation, a well as a $5,000 fine and 200 hours of community service.

1997: George Harrison secretly undergoes surgery to have a cancerous lump removed from his throat. Although it turns out to be benign, the ex-Beatle will eventually succumb to the disease in 2001.

 

Deaths: None.

Releases: 1969: ‘Crosby, Stills & Nash,’ LP; Crosby, Stills & Nash. 1969: “Sweet Caroline,” Neil Diamond. 1972: “Obscured By Clouds,” Pink Floyd. 1975: “Fame,” David Bowie. 

Recordings: 1962: “Up On The Roof,” The Drifters. 1966: “There’s So Much World To See,” Elvis Presley. 1968: “Good Night,” The Beatles (White Album).

Charts: 1969: “Love Theme From Romeo And Juliet,” Henry Mancini; hits No. 1 on the charts. 1975: ‘One Of These Nights,’ Eagles; LP hits No. 1.

Certifications: 1968: “A Beautiful Morning,” Rascals; certified gold by the RIAA.

 

 

 

 

And that’s just a few of the events which took place in pop music history, on this day . . . .  J  U  N  E   2  8

 

From the MCRFB news archives:

Events on this date: JUNE 27

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1959: West Side Story closes on Broadway after a record 732 performances.

1959: Paul Anka, Frankie Avalon, and Eddie “Kookie” Byrnes are the musical guests on ABC-TV’s variety show Coke Time With Eddie Fisher.

1963: Brenda Lee signs a million-dollar contract with Decca Records.

1968: As part of his filming of his “68 Comeback” special, Elvis Presley and his band tape an informal jam session on center stage at NBC-TV’s Studio 4, a performance many consider his best of all time. However, Presley’s manager “Colonel” Tom Parker, unhappy with the direction of the show, withholds all tickets to the performance, forcing staffers to run into a nearby Bob’s Big Boy restaurant (4211 W. Riverside Drive, Burbank), and informs all patrons they are more than welcome to attend the Elvis Presley telecast, first come, first served. Two shows, one in the afternoon and the other in the evening, are performed.

1970: The UK band Smile, having recently changed their name, performs for the first time as Queen, playing the Truro City Hall in Cornwall, England.

1970: With their latest single, “The Love You Save,” The Jackson 5 becomes the first-ever group to score three consecutive No. 1 hits. They’d soon make it four straight with “I’ll Be There.”

1971: Legendary rock promoter Bill Graham closes the Fillmore East, the New York version of his legendary San Francisco “rock ballroom.” The Allman Brothers, The Edgar Winter Group, The Beach Boys, Country Joe McDonald are on the bill for the final show.

1976: After years of fighting deportation from a government that objected to his professed radicalism, John Lennon finally gets his “green card” allowing him to stay in the United States.

 

1978: Kansas, the band, is named the first musical Ambassadors of Goodwill by UNICEF.

1989: Tom Jones is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame at 6608 Hollywood Blvd., in Los Angeles.

1989: The Who perform their rock opera Tommy for the first time in it’s entirety since 1972, performing for charity at the Radio City Music Hall in NYC.

1991: At the Liverpool Cathedral, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra perform Paul McCartney’s first classical composition, Liverpool Oratorio.

1991: Carlos Santana is arrested in Houston after airport security finds marijuana in his luggage.

1998: Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray and Bryan Adams become the first three honorees to be awarded a star on Canada’s new Walk Of Fame on Toronto’s King Street.

2000: The Rolling Stones are found in copyright of Robert Johnson’s “Love In Vain” and “Stop Breaking Down,” both of which the Stones had covered and incorrectly labeled as in the public domain.

2001: Cat Stevens is given a cash settlement by members of the Flaming Lips after they acknowledge their song “Flight Test” is similar to Stevens’ 1970 song Father And Son.”

 

Deaths: 2002: John Entwistle; The Who. 2008: Raymond LeFevre. 2009: Gale Storm. 2009: Fayette Pinkney; The Three Degrees.

Recordings: 1949: “Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Gene Autry. 1961: “Candy Man,” Roy Orbison. 1963: “Bad To Me,” Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas. 1968: “Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey,” The Beatles.

Releases: 1964: “The Little Old Lady from Pasadena,” Jan and Dean. 

Charts: 1960: “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool,” Connie Francis; hits No. 1. 1964: “A World Without Love,” Peter and Gordon; Hits No. 1. 1964: “Under The Boardwalk,” The Drifters; enters the charts. 1970: “The Love You Save,” Jackson 4; hits No. 15

Certifications: 1962: ZZ Top’s LP ‘Fandango!’ is certified gold by the RIAA.

 

 

 

 

And that’s just a few of the events which took place in pop music history, on this day…. JUNE 27.

From the MCRFB music calender:

Events on this date: JUNE 26

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1954: Sam Phillips, head of Sun Records, calls a young singer named Elvis Presley, who had recorded a few songs earlier in the year, to ask him to record two songs, “Without You” and “Rag Mop.” He sings the first, attempting to match the demo made by an unknown artist hanging around the studio, but it proves too much for him, and, according to Dave marsh’s book Elvis, beats the walls of the studio shouting, “I Hate Him! I Hate Him!” The singer, whom Elvis could not match is lost to history. Phillips mollifies the young Elvis by asking him to sing something else, and Presley impresses him anyway, to the point he makes plans to set the singer up to record with musicians for a future date.

1955: Decca Records, home to Bill Haley & The Comets, announces that the group has hold three million records in the past year, due mostly to “Rock Around The Clock” and “Shake, Rattle And Roll.”

1961: The Marcels make their U.S. television debut, performing “Blue Moon” on ABC-TV’s American Bandstand.

1963: After a Beatles performance at the Majestic Ballroom, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England, John Lennon and Paul McCartney writes “She Loves You” in their hotel room, originally an answer song of sorts to the 1963 Bobby Rydell hit, “Forget Him.”

1971: WNEW-FM in New York becomes the first radio station in the nation to play Don McLean’s new single, “American Pie,” which it features in it’s 8:36 entirety.

1973: Model and singer Marsha Hunt, inspiration for the song, “Brown Sugar,” names Mick Jagger in a paternity suit, claiming the band’s lead fathered her two-year old daughter, Karis. That same day, Stone guitarist Keith Richard is busted, along with girlfriend Anita Pallenberg, in his home in his Chelsea home for possession of heroin, pharmaceutical drugs, guns, and ammo.

1975: Cher’s divorce from Sonny Bono is final, leaving her free to marry Greg Allman of the Allman Brothers just four days later.

1977: Elvis Presley performs what would be his last concert, performing at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana, before a crowd of 18,000 fans. Although by this time Elvis appears weak, pale, and overweight (as he had with increasing regularity), there is nothing to suggest his impending death — indeed, there is nothing unusual about this show on the tour, except that Elvis for some reason introduces practically everyone who had been connected with his life while on stage. Some take this as “proof” that Elvis knew he was in his final days; others maintain that The King was worried about the imminent-publication of Elvis: What Happened?, a tell-all biography by former bodyguards Sonny and Red West that publicly broke the story of his drug abuse, and what those revelations might do to his image. The last song he performs onstage is “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” Footage from the final concert is taken but has not been widely seen since; the audio portion can be heard on the LP The Last Farewell (released on CD as Adios: The Final Performance, A.J. Records CD 92-2002). Elvis Presley’s father, Vernon, will pass away two years later to the day of his son’s last concert date.

1982: Roxy Music leader Bryan Ferry marries his first wife, model Lucy Helmore. The same day, Marie Osmond marries her first husband, Brigham Young University basketball player Steve Craig.

1993: Ron Isley of the Isley Brothers marries his first wife, R&B singer Angela Winbush of Angele and Renee 1980s R&B hits fame.

 

Releases: 1964: “It’s All Over Now,” The Rolling Stones. 1965: “I Want Candy,” The Strangeloves; enters the charts. 1965: “Mr. Tambourine Man,” The Byrds; hits No. 1 on the charts.

Certifications: 1975: “The Hustle,” Van McCoy; certified gold by the RIAA.

 

 

 

 

And that’s just a few of the events which took place in pop music history, on this day…. JUNE 26.