1954 - The first Newport Jazz Festival was held 57 years ago today, at the Newport Casino in Newport, Rhode Island. Socialite Elaine Lorillard, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years, the couple hiring jazz impresario George Wein to organize and help bring jazz to the resort town. Most of the early festivals were broadcast on Voice Of America radio and many performances were recorded and have since been issued by various record labels. The festival incorporated academic panel discussions and featured live musical performances set outdoors, on a lawn. These performances were given by a number of notable jazz musicians including Billie Holiday. (For more vids and info on Billie Holiday go to our archive search engine.)The festival was hailed by major magazines and newspapers, with almost 11,000 punters attending over the two days. The following footage is from the fourth festival, in 1958. This is beautifully filmed, produced with much thought and love and enthusiasm, and featuring members of the audience watching, entranced by the great, great Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong. Here are four songs, perfectly recorded, perfectly filmed, with Armstrong and the legendary Jack Teargarden.
1961 - Before they were stars, before their first hit records, exactly half a century ago today, The Supremes released their very first single, Buttered Popcorn, on the Motown label. Bet you haven't heard this before, the original radio version of this simple song, and sounding very much like many other girl group songs of the sixties. But it was a minor radio hit, and attracted attention to the group. And I'll bet you have not seen most of these very rare pix of the group. Love this absolutely filthy, dirty, gooey and sticky song.
1967 - Strange how the process of the time-test can change the reality of what once was, and that is especially the case on two levels when the Jimi Hendrix Experience opened for The Monkees at The Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in New York, on this day in 1967. If you want to listen to the radio spot from a few days ago, go to our archive search engine. But in the meantime, check out this bootleg, taped from videoing a TV set, of what appears to be a nervous or pre-occupied Hendrix in Paris around the same time as when he supported the Monkees. Then watch bootleg 8mm footage, with an audio interview of the Monkee members during their Australian tour, as they talk about politics, sunglasses, ear plugs, the potent force of new music like Hendrix, and their nod to their out there psychedelic movie, Head. So as a *MUSICBACKTRACK* super treat, we also have the first 10 minutes of the movie, Head - without question one of the most political and out there movies of the time. My warning to you is not to drop a tab of acid before you see this movie. It's a trip on its own.
1968 - From the sublime to the ridiculous, it was 43 years ago today The Beatles released their feature-length cartoon, Yellow Submarine, and tonight was the premiere at the London Pavilion. This is just magic gem-footage from way back then, in black and white - then in colour - of the world premiere of this cartoon extravaganza from the mop tops. Sensational stuff, well worth a look.
1987 - Mr. Rolling Stone, Keith Richards, signed a solo deal with Virgin Records today, and in the process veered off on his own blues/rock-tinged tangent, separate from his role in the Stones. Long live Keith. Here are two songs from Mr. rock'n'roll; the first, I'm Ready is a blues song written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Muddy Waters in 1954, and became a hit, spending nine weeks on the Billboard R&B chart where it reached #4. Since then, I'm Ready has been recorded by numerous blues and other artists, most notably by Fats Domino and Little Richard. The second video is a Don Nix song, and since covered by many, including Freddie King, Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughan. This is Keef's version, with rock's Mr. Subtle, the versatile and ever-rockin' Charley Drayton on bass. So…go guys!
1996 - The Smashing Pumpkins fired Jimmy Chamberlin less than a week after he was arrested on a drug charge, and Jonathan Melvoin died of a heroin overdose. Don't quite know whether or not to celebrate, commiserate, or proliferate, but here is Smashing Pumpkins doing Tonight, Tonight, with orchestra, live on MTV Awards, 1996.
