1954 - This was the day that Bill Haley and the Comets recorded Rock Around the Clock, the song that wrongly took the mantle of the first rock'n'roll song. However, it was the first r'n'r song to hit #1 on the charts. It was also the first r'n'r song to be not only featured in a movie, but the theme song of the movie, when it was released a year later in the movie Blackboard Jungle, a teen angst m movie. Watch this tribute clip of the movie closely - you might stars of the future...after the fifties, that is.
1954 - Although it was ripped by Bill Haley and The Comets for the follow up to their first r'n'r hit, the original version was released today in 1954 by Joe Turner, and the song was the brilliant Shake, Rattle and Roll. Turner was a master shout blues artist, and a pivotal figure in popularizing blues, jazz, classic R&B, and rock and roll, Turner's career lasted from the 1920's busking on the streets of Kansas City through the 1980's at the most lauded jazz festivals in America and Europe.
1964 - It's twist time, all around the world, the man who bought it to fame around the world, married former Miss World, Catherina Lodders. Two years later, and Jan and Dean were singing about Dead Man's Curve, with one of the singers, Jan Barry actually crashing his car ar Dead Man's Curve. And as this phenomenal decade for music came to end in 1969, folk pop singers Simon & Garfunkel released their hit song, The Boxer and the duo moved into our consciousness. Forty years later at Madison Square Gardens, the pair became giant legends and went into the realm of world treasures for a generation.
1971 - As popular music began to diversify into a variety of genres, Crosby, Stills Nash & Young's live album Four Way Street was certified gold by the RIAA, and a year later the landmark, critically acclaimed Exile On Main Street was released by the Rolling Stones. For details and videos of this music go to our search engine. It was a year after that when the brilliant rock'n'roll movie That'll Be the Day was released, starring David Essex and Ringo Starr, and having its world premiere in London - where else? Watch for Keith Moon at the end of this scene.
1975 - The movie version of Tommy opened on April 12, '75 and if you want to see videos of it just go to our search engine. Three years after Tommy, The Four Tops performed at Aretha Franklin's wedding and on this day in 1985 USA for Africa's We Are The World album was released. In 1999 Shania Twain became the only female artist in music history to sell at least 10 million units with back to back releases, and a year later Bo Diddley filed suit against Nike for using his name and image without permission. Nike was accused of continuing to use his image after a contract expired in 1991. And this is the ad. I hope the guy at the ad agency got a bonus for this one. Bo knows diddley!
2000 - Superbrat millionaire, egomaniacs neanderthals, Metallica, filed suit against Napster, the University of Southern California, Yale University and Indiana University for copyright infringement, unlawful use of digital audio interface device and violations of the Racketeering Influenced & Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). This was the band who tried to stop progress and stop you getting access to music via the internet. In the long run, they lost and Napster won. This was the same year I was living in London when it was announced that Tony Bennett would have a selection of his paintings exhibited at a London gallery from May 16 until June 16. The title of the exhibition is What My Heart Has Seen. And if you really want to see the brilliance of Bennett, howabout this duo with Stevie Wonder...makes me cry. Bennett is 80 years old here.
