1959 - This was the day when The Coasters recorded a classic song, Poison Ivy, later covered by many groups. The Coasters were/are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group that had a successful string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with Searchin and Young Blood, their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller. The quintet began outside mainstream doo-wop, but as cover versions of their songs became so frequent, and the group so often imitated, that they morphed into an important part of the doo-wop legacy through the 1960s. Their hits included Along Came Jones, Yakety Yak and featured the great King Curtis on tenor saxophone. This is one of their biggest hits, Along Came Jones.
1966 - It's now 45 years ago, to the day, in London, when Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker formed the band Cream, the 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker. Considered the world's first rock'n'roll supergroup, their sound was a hybrid of blues rock, hard rock and psychedelic rock; they combined psychedelia-themed lyrics, Eric Clapton's blues guitar playing, Jack Bruce's voice and blues bass playing, and Ginger Baker's jazz-influenced drumming. The group's third album, Wheels of Fire, was the world's first platinum-selling double album. Cream's music included songs based on traditional blues such as Crossroads and Spoonful, and modern blues such as Born Under a Bad Sign, in addition to more eccentric songs such as Strange Brew, Tales of Brave Ulysses and Toad. Their biggest hits were I Feel Free, Sunshine of Your Love, White Room, Crossroads, and Badge. Cream made a significant impact on rock music at the time, and along with Jimi Hendrix, popularised the use of the wah-wah pedal. They provided a heavy but technically proficient musical theme that foreshadowed and influenced the emergence of British bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple. Cream has sold more than 17 million records worldwide. This is one of their best songs, live, fast, and just check out Clapton's hair…and his guitar playing, of course.
1966 - On the other side of the Atlantic, the day Cream was formed, New York group, The Lovin' Spoonful, released their biggest hit, Summer In The City, a song that quickly became a musical backdrop them song for baby boomer summers. Led by John Sebastian, the band had its roots in the folk music scene in the Greenwich Village section of lower Manhattan during the early 1960s. He had reached maturity toward the end of the American folk music revival that spanned from the 1950s to the early '60s, and was joined in the Spoonful by guitarist Zal Yanovsky from a bohemian folk group called The Mugwumps, playing local coffee houses and small clubs - two other members were Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty, who would later form half of the Mamas & the Papas. The Lovin' Spoonful was inducted into Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame in 2000.
1972 - The Miracles (known from 1965 to 1972 as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles) were an American rhythm and blues group from Detroit, Michigan, notable for many things, but probably most famously, as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown record label. Their song, Shop Around, was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature acts of the sixties. During the same period, the Miracles' original lead singer and founding member Smokey Robinson became one of the most successful songwriters and record producers of all time. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles gave their farewell concert in Washington, DC, on this day39 years ago. For more vids and info on The Miracles and Snokey Robinson go to our archive search engine. This is one of the group's most beautiful songs.
1973 - For me, one of the great and most authentic cowboy movies, was Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid, with an all-star cast, including Bob Dylan's debut acting role. On this day in 1973, to coincide with the releases of the movie, Dylan released the soundtrack of the film. Here is a trailer of the movie.
1996 - The print media has been declining for decades, now, and has reached an all-time low, as we are witnessing before our very eyes. music and movie stars, because they have, in the main, lots of money, have been able t=o successfully sue newspapers for wrongful reporting on their comings and goings. One of those, is The Cranberries' Dolores O'Riordan, who accepted an undisclosed settlement 15 years ago to the day, when she sued a London newspaper which reported that she appeared on stage without panties. With or without panties - the image will always be with me. She is an intriguing looking and sounding woman, and I think this is a magic song, certainly in my top 100.
