1942 - With sales now of more than 50 million, the original Irving Berlin song White Christmas was recorded today by Bing Crosby, and it went on to become the biggest selling record of all time - Some say Elton John's Candle In The Wind overtook it in sales, but in terms of record sales, this song still takes the cake.
1952 - This is the day that country music legend, Hank Williams, and his wife, Audrey, were divorced, the event being an inspiration for many of Williams' love-lorn songs. Though unable to read or write music to any significant degree, Hank Williams came to be regarded as among the greatest country music stars of all time. He died at the age of just 29, his death resulting from a mixture of alcohol and drugs caused by self-loathing, and a life of emotional unhappiness. He charted numerous number one hits in the country music world, and his songs have been recorded by hundreds of other artists, many of whom have also had hits with the tunes. Williams has been covered in a range of pop, gospel, blues and rock styles, by performers including Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen , Beck Hansen, Johnny Cash, Tony Bennett, Patsy Cline, Ray Charles and Louis Armstrong. His son Hank Williams, Jr., daughter Jett Williams, and grandchildren Hank Williams III, Holly Williams, and Hilary Williams are also professional singers.
1959 - Ray Charles, B.B. King and Jimmy Reed performed for about 9,000 people at Atlanta's Herndon Stadium. It was one of the first outdoor rock festivals. There is nothing on video that U could find on this event, but here's one from around the same time, of Ray Charles in Brazil. One of his best songs, a pristine performance.
1961 - Ricky Nelson started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Travellin' Man. The song was originally offered to Sam Cooke, but he rejected the song, probably more because it wasn't his style, rather than he didn't think it a good song. The B-side of the record was the Gene Pitney song Hello Mary Lou, turning the record into a double-sided, world wide #1 hit record. Before grunge, before Neil Young...check out the checked shirts.
1963 - Del Shannon's cover of the Beatles' From Me to You became the first song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney to appear on the American charts, that was a cover. Have tried to locate this clip many times, to no avail, so hereis the same act, the same year, but a different song. How about the girls surrounding him, doing the pony?
1965 - Bob Dylan's album Bringing It All Back Home hit #1 in the U.K, knocking his previous album, Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, out of the #1 spot. And now for something completely different...This song was originally written by Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett, as a pre-Pink Floyd teenager, during the height of Bob Dylan mania in Europe. During the recording of one of his solo albums (post-Pink Floyd), Syd was reminded of this track by producer David Gilmour & encouraged to record it. That tape stayed in Gilmour's possession for 30+ years until released in 2001. In Bob Dylan Blues, Syd not only composes a song poking fun at Bob Dylan hype, but manages to do it in Bob Dylan's own talking blues style!
1967 - Speaking of Pink Floyd, on this day in 1967, as a support band, they joined The Move, Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Zoot Money, Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band at the Tulip Bulb Auction Hall in Spalding, Lincoln, England. As a support band, Pink Floyd played in a corner of the shed with a white sheet behind them with the coloured oil light shining onto it. Tickets cost £1(GBP), and the poster advertising the show promised a Knockout Atmosphere! Two years later, and on the same day, came the debut album for new group Crosby, Stills and Nash. And here's one of their biggest hits, Marakesh Express.
1971 - The Rolling Stones' single "Brown Sugar" his #1 in the U.S, and for more details, plus a video go to our archive search engine. Same goes for Paul McCartney, who released his nursery rhyme song, Mary Had A Little Lamb today in 1971, and two years later, American record executive, Clive Davis, was fired from Columbia Records for misappropriating $100,000. Same year, same day, and recording artist, Mike Oldfield, released his Tubular Bells LP. The title track would later become the theme for The Exorcist. There are dozens of versions of this on youtube, and I would liked to have shown you the absolute original, but it has no vision...therefore there's this live version inside a studio at London BBC. If you've seen The Exorcist, parts of this will be familiar.
1977 - In Baltimore, Elvis Presley left the stage in the middle of a concert and did not return. It was the first time he terminated a show in this manner. This was the year of his death, just 3 months before his death.
1982 - The Clash's album, Combat Rock was released almomst 30 years ago today, and yes, even The Clash went commercial in the end, as this TV commercial demonstrates...and then the video for Should I Stay Or Should I Go
1987 - It was risque, yes, and here is the video for George Michael's single I Want Your Sex, which was released today. This is the banned version. I have no doubt it'll be taken off by the copyright owners at some stage, so watch it while you can.
1997 - This is the sad, sad day that Jeff Buckley drowned while swimming with a friend off Mud Island in Memphis, Tennessee. Footage of Buckley is rare indeed, but here's something from 2 years prior to his death, recorded at the Cabaret Meteor in Chicago.
1952 - This is the day that country music legend, Hank Williams, and his wife, Audrey, were divorced, the event being an inspiration for many of Williams' love-lorn songs. Though unable to read or write music to any significant degree, Hank Williams came to be regarded as among the greatest country music stars of all time. He died at the age of just 29, his death resulting from a mixture of alcohol and drugs caused by self-loathing, and a life of emotional unhappiness. He charted numerous number one hits in the country music world, and his songs have been recorded by hundreds of other artists, many of whom have also had hits with the tunes. Williams has been covered in a range of pop, gospel, blues and rock styles, by performers including Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen , Beck Hansen, Johnny Cash, Tony Bennett, Patsy Cline, Ray Charles and Louis Armstrong. His son Hank Williams, Jr., daughter Jett Williams, and grandchildren Hank Williams III, Holly Williams, and Hilary Williams are also professional singers.
1959 - Ray Charles, B.B. King and Jimmy Reed performed for about 9,000 people at Atlanta's Herndon Stadium. It was one of the first outdoor rock festivals. There is nothing on video that U could find on this event, but here's one from around the same time, of Ray Charles in Brazil. One of his best songs, a pristine performance.
1961 - Ricky Nelson started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Travellin' Man. The song was originally offered to Sam Cooke, but he rejected the song, probably more because it wasn't his style, rather than he didn't think it a good song. The B-side of the record was the Gene Pitney song Hello Mary Lou, turning the record into a double-sided, world wide #1 hit record. Before grunge, before Neil Young...check out the checked shirts.
1963 - Del Shannon's cover of the Beatles' From Me to You became the first song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney to appear on the American charts, that was a cover. Have tried to locate this clip many times, to no avail, so hereis the same act, the same year, but a different song. How about the girls surrounding him, doing the pony?
1965 - Bob Dylan's album Bringing It All Back Home hit #1 in the U.K, knocking his previous album, Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, out of the #1 spot. And now for something completely different...This song was originally written by Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett, as a pre-Pink Floyd teenager, during the height of Bob Dylan mania in Europe. During the recording of one of his solo albums (post-Pink Floyd), Syd was reminded of this track by producer David Gilmour & encouraged to record it. That tape stayed in Gilmour's possession for 30+ years until released in 2001. In Bob Dylan Blues, Syd not only composes a song poking fun at Bob Dylan hype, but manages to do it in Bob Dylan's own talking blues style!
1967 - Speaking of Pink Floyd, on this day in 1967, as a support band, they joined The Move, Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Zoot Money, Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band at the Tulip Bulb Auction Hall in Spalding, Lincoln, England. As a support band, Pink Floyd played in a corner of the shed with a white sheet behind them with the coloured oil light shining onto it. Tickets cost £1(GBP), and the poster advertising the show promised a Knockout Atmosphere! Two years later, and on the same day, came the debut album for new group Crosby, Stills and Nash. And here's one of their biggest hits, Marakesh Express.
1971 - The Rolling Stones' single "Brown Sugar" his #1 in the U.S, and for more details, plus a video go to our archive search engine. Same goes for Paul McCartney, who released his nursery rhyme song, Mary Had A Little Lamb today in 1971, and two years later, American record executive, Clive Davis, was fired from Columbia Records for misappropriating $100,000. Same year, same day, and recording artist, Mike Oldfield, released his Tubular Bells LP. The title track would later become the theme for The Exorcist. There are dozens of versions of this on youtube, and I would liked to have shown you the absolute original, but it has no vision...therefore there's this live version inside a studio at London BBC. If you've seen The Exorcist, parts of this will be familiar.
1977 - In Baltimore, Elvis Presley left the stage in the middle of a concert and did not return. It was the first time he terminated a show in this manner. This was the year of his death, just 3 months before his death.
1982 - The Clash's album, Combat Rock was released almomst 30 years ago today, and yes, even The Clash went commercial in the end, as this TV commercial demonstrates...and then the video for Should I Stay Or Should I Go
1987 - It was risque, yes, and here is the video for George Michael's single I Want Your Sex, which was released today. This is the banned version. I have no doubt it'll be taken off by the copyright owners at some stage, so watch it while you can.
1997 - This is the sad, sad day that Jeff Buckley drowned while swimming with a friend off Mud Island in Memphis, Tennessee. Footage of Buckley is rare indeed, but here's something from 2 years prior to his death, recorded at the Cabaret Meteor in Chicago.
