1939 - When she was first starting out, aged just 17 years old, fifties pop crooner, Kay Starr, sang vocals on the song Baby Me, with Glenn Miller and his orchestra, and released it today. Starr specialised in pop and jazz singing and enjoyed success in the fifties for her two #1 hits songs, Wheel of Fortune, and The Rock And Roll Waltz, neither of which have videos I could easily find, so I have settled for this one, from 1950, also with Miller - Papa Goes.
1942 - Aged just 20 years old, Judy Garland was already an 18-year-veteran of show business, having worked in the music industry and the movie industry for most of her life at that time. In '42 she starred opposite Gene Kelly in the movie and Me and My Gal, and recorded the title track today. Incidentally, the movie was Gene Kelly's debut. For more Judy Garland, go to our *MUSICBACKTRACK* archive search engine. Meanwhile >
1962 - Australian Frank Ifield took British and Australian charts by storm from 1962, beginning 49 years ago today when he went to #1 on the UK singles chart with 'I Remember You'. This was the first of four #1 hits for Ifield, whose career diversed into cabaret and clubs following his country music beginnings. Born in Coundon, Coventry, England, Ifield moved with his Australian parents to Dural, about an hour's drive from Sydney. It was a rural district and he listened to hillbilly/country music while milking the cows. He learned how to yodel in imitation of country stars like America's Hank Snow. By the age of 19 was the number one recording star in Australia and New Zealand, and returned to the UK in 1959. He was inducted into the Australian Music Hall Of Fame in 2007, and you can see the induction here, and one of the songs from his middle-of-the-road phase.
1963 - Before he went solo Smokey Robinson sang with one of Motown's great vocal groups, The Miracles, and this is one of their finest tunes, Mickey's Monkey, which was released today. Check out the original King Kong, on this video.
1968 - John Lennon and Paul McCartney completed the song, Hey Jude, today. I was living in Melbourne at the time, and I can remember clearly the controversy about its length, and many radio programmers saying they would not play the song because it was too long. Some even edited their own short versions to play on air. It became a controversial issue at the time, as to whether or not radio would play the song. But of course, in the end, everyone couldn't play it enough times. They had to. It was the Beatles. And, for the baby boomers, by now, The Beatles were greater than God.
1970 - On July 26, 41 years ago, Jimi Hendrix played in his home town of Seattle for the last time, while four years later, on the same day, graffiti artists were hired to spray paint sites in London to promote the British release of The Rolling Stones' new single It's Only Rock 'n' Roll. just to get a timeline, it was also this day in 1975 when The Eagles started a five-week run at #1 on worldwide charts with One Of These Nights. Elvis Costello was arrested two years later on the same day as he performed outside a CBS Records sales conference at The London Hilton Hotel and was fined £5. Same year, same day and Led Zeppelin cut short their 11th North American tour after Robert Plant's five-year-old-son Karac died unexpectedly of a virus at their home in England, UK. And in 1979, on the same day, July 26, a revised version of the Clash's debut album was released in the U.S. just a year earlier they performed this song, live, at London's Victoria Park. This was at the eruptive birth of London's fashionable punk movement, and, I would venture to guess there was an abundance of amphetamines in the music industry - and you can feel the speed in every aspect of this video.
1984 - On July 26, Prince's movie Purple Rain premiered in Hollywood, CA. Sadly, dear reader, Prince has banned all his music and videos from usage on youtube and any other global sites or blogs, so unfortunately we cannot give you any of his stuff. This is a great shame as Prince is one of the icons, and we all love him here at *MUSICBACKTRACK*. This is the day, too, 11 years ago, that Brit pop band, Oasis, stormed off stage after being hit with bottles, can and coins at a Swiss music festival. Oasis have been severely criticise many outside their strong-hold markets, the band being scorned for many reasons - many of which are justified: dead-shit singer so full of himself that he still thinks he's the star, and amuses himself with his Lennon fantasies; Brother Noel's sardonic-media-ego taunting. Regardless, even now, in their popular territories, Oasis are one of the biggest bands of our time. Don't believe me? Check out this concert in Argentina, just two years ago, Gallagher singing one of the great rock ballads - and you want audience participation? Get goose pimples on this.
1942 - Aged just 20 years old, Judy Garland was already an 18-year-veteran of show business, having worked in the music industry and the movie industry for most of her life at that time. In '42 she starred opposite Gene Kelly in the movie and Me and My Gal, and recorded the title track today. Incidentally, the movie was Gene Kelly's debut. For more Judy Garland, go to our *MUSICBACKTRACK* archive search engine. Meanwhile >
1962 - Australian Frank Ifield took British and Australian charts by storm from 1962, beginning 49 years ago today when he went to #1 on the UK singles chart with 'I Remember You'. This was the first of four #1 hits for Ifield, whose career diversed into cabaret and clubs following his country music beginnings. Born in Coundon, Coventry, England, Ifield moved with his Australian parents to Dural, about an hour's drive from Sydney. It was a rural district and he listened to hillbilly/country music while milking the cows. He learned how to yodel in imitation of country stars like America's Hank Snow. By the age of 19 was the number one recording star in Australia and New Zealand, and returned to the UK in 1959. He was inducted into the Australian Music Hall Of Fame in 2007, and you can see the induction here, and one of the songs from his middle-of-the-road phase.
1963 - Before he went solo Smokey Robinson sang with one of Motown's great vocal groups, The Miracles, and this is one of their finest tunes, Mickey's Monkey, which was released today. Check out the original King Kong, on this video.
1968 - John Lennon and Paul McCartney completed the song, Hey Jude, today. I was living in Melbourne at the time, and I can remember clearly the controversy about its length, and many radio programmers saying they would not play the song because it was too long. Some even edited their own short versions to play on air. It became a controversial issue at the time, as to whether or not radio would play the song. But of course, in the end, everyone couldn't play it enough times. They had to. It was the Beatles. And, for the baby boomers, by now, The Beatles were greater than God.
1970 - On July 26, 41 years ago, Jimi Hendrix played in his home town of Seattle for the last time, while four years later, on the same day, graffiti artists were hired to spray paint sites in London to promote the British release of The Rolling Stones' new single It's Only Rock 'n' Roll. just to get a timeline, it was also this day in 1975 when The Eagles started a five-week run at #1 on worldwide charts with One Of These Nights. Elvis Costello was arrested two years later on the same day as he performed outside a CBS Records sales conference at The London Hilton Hotel and was fined £5. Same year, same day and Led Zeppelin cut short their 11th North American tour after Robert Plant's five-year-old-son Karac died unexpectedly of a virus at their home in England, UK. And in 1979, on the same day, July 26, a revised version of the Clash's debut album was released in the U.S. just a year earlier they performed this song, live, at London's Victoria Park. This was at the eruptive birth of London's fashionable punk movement, and, I would venture to guess there was an abundance of amphetamines in the music industry - and you can feel the speed in every aspect of this video.
1984 - On July 26, Prince's movie Purple Rain premiered in Hollywood, CA. Sadly, dear reader, Prince has banned all his music and videos from usage on youtube and any other global sites or blogs, so unfortunately we cannot give you any of his stuff. This is a great shame as Prince is one of the icons, and we all love him here at *MUSICBACKTRACK*. This is the day, too, 11 years ago, that Brit pop band, Oasis, stormed off stage after being hit with bottles, can and coins at a Swiss music festival. Oasis have been severely criticise many outside their strong-hold markets, the band being scorned for many reasons - many of which are justified: dead-shit singer so full of himself that he still thinks he's the star, and amuses himself with his Lennon fantasies; Brother Noel's sardonic-media-ego taunting. Regardless, even now, in their popular territories, Oasis are one of the biggest bands of our time. Don't believe me? Check out this concert in Argentina, just two years ago, Gallagher singing one of the great rock ballads - and you want audience participation? Get goose pimples on this.
