*M U S I C B A C K T R A C K*: March 22, 2011

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Dear Reader,
Friday March 23, and we go from the Pope to pop, to classical, to new wave and back again.
* Pope John Paul II had a dabble in pop music 13 years ago today when he released his debut album.
* Psychedelic Furs show us their pretty pink wares in 1980.
* Elvis at #1 with an old German folk song as he records a new hit with an old Italian folk song in 1960.
* Adam and the Ants show a new style of rock'n'roll new music, 31 years ago.
* It's 1963 and the Beach Boys look very...er...dapper performing this hit.
* We go way back to two John Lennon events; his marriage to Yoko Ono, shown here by Australian TV pop show host, Dick Williams, and the release of Lennon's book, In His Own Write.
* Former Creedence Clearwater Revival singer, John Fogerty shows us his solo style in 1985, on this day.
* We go classical once again with a debut of one of Haydn's pieces.
* And classical again, this time with the debut of Handel's Messiah in 1743.

* Scroll down to the bottom of the page for headlines from world's top publications: New York Times, Guardian, The Age, Rolling Stone, Spin, & many more. click on the glowing blue headlines for your daily dose.

Monday, March 21, 2011

March 22, 2011

1956 - Arguably, Sammy Davis, Jr. remains the most talented entertained of all time, and it was on this day that he began his starring role in the play, Mr. Wonderful, on Broadway, in New York City. Primarily a dancer and singer, Davis was a childhood vaudevillian who became known for his performances on Broadway and in Las Vegas, as a recording artist, television and film star, and as a member of Frank Sinatra's so-called Rat Pack. David battled against racism his entire life, at a time when racism and segregation was a way of life. One day on a golf course with Jack Benny, he was asked what his handicap was. "Handicap?" he asked. "Talk about handicap — I'm a one-eyed Negro Jew." This was to become a signature comment, recounted in his autobiography, and in countless articles. Here is Sammy David from his early days, in two clips, a giant talent.

1956 - Even though Carl Perkins was injured in a car accident on his way to perform on the Perry Como Show on this day, he still managed to make the performance - the show must go on! And here is the cool Mr. Como introducing the cool Mr. Perkins.

1958 - Hank Williams Jr. made his stage debut 53 years ago today, in Swainsboro, Georgia, USA, at the age of eight, and as much as I'd like to have that video for you right now, I haven't. But I do have a video from 2007, in Baltimore, singing his signature song, Family Tradition, in which he gives a nod to his father, Hank. Great crowd participation. This is a home-grown bootleg.

1962 - Barbra Streisand opened in the Broadway show I Can Get it For You Wholesale. Barbra Streisand's status as one of the most successful singers of her generation was remarkable not only because her popularity was achieved in the face of a dominant musical trend -- rock & roll -- which she did not follow, but also because she used her vocal skills as a mere stepping stone to other careers, as a stage and film actress and as a film director. Just for you on this day, dear reader, here's a special appearance of Babs on the Judy Garland Show, a year later. Both brilliant.

1963 - The Beatles' first album, Please Please Me, was released in the U.K. Here's a live performance of the song, low lead guitar level, screaming girls and all. Need we say more?

1965 - Bob Dylan's first electric album Bring it All Back Home was released, and controversy followed this former acoustic folkie for ever more. When he went electric on stage, many fans booed him. Here is an outtake from Martin Scorsese's No Direction Home movie, filmed a year after the album was released, with Dylan and friends, including a bored looking Robbie Robertson, discussing the booing and the concert walkouts.