1937 - They called him the 'king of swing', and Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in American music history, and it's 74 years ago today that he and his orchestra recorded the swing song standout, Sugar Foot Stomp. (For more information and videos on Benny Goodman, go to our archive search engine.) Legendary drummer, Gene Krupa, first played with Goodman's band in 1933, joining them the following year, but after a very public spat, left to form his own band in 1939, as the second world war began. During that time, though, legendary performances occurred, many of which were captured on film. In the following video, you can see the flamboyant and technical influence of Gene Krupa on many of rock's drummers, not least of whom was Keith Moon. Click mouse and watch with awe as the clarinetist, Goodman, and the drummer, Krupa, set your feet stomping to this high energy, adrenalin-pumped classic.
1961 - The Bob Dylan who debuted at the Gaslight Cafe in New York City, exactly 50 years ago today, is not that different from the Dylan we see touring the world today. Back then he was a young energetic, creative, guitar strumming, song writing, rock'n'roll star aspirant. Fifty years down the track an older, less energetic, creative, electric guitar strumming, song writing, rock'n'roll star. Oh, and in that 50 years, he managed to become an icon for a few generations. Here we see him, in the company of one of his mentors, in this is a rare bootleg, live from 50 years ago tonight, singing…"car…car"… the Woody Guthrie classic song for children.
1963 - Jerry Lee Lewis' contract with Sun Records expired today, after a troubling few years in his private life, that undoubtedly stopped his career in its tracks. for more information and videos regarding Lewis's child-bride problems, go to our archive search engine. Whilst his popularity crash-dived, it recovered somewhat in Europe, especially in the UK and Germany, during the mid-1960s. Indeed, a concert album, Live at the Star Club, Hamburg, 1964, recorded with The Nashville Teens, is widely considered one of the great live rock and roll albums ever. Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote at the time: "Live at the Star Club is extraordinary, the purest, hardest rock & roll ever committed to record". So here we have excerpts from that recording, followed by a slightly out-of-sync television performance from a very young Jerry Lee.
1968 - Working at Abbey Road studio’s in London, today, the Beatles recorded overdubs onto the new George Harrison song, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, with Eric Clapton adding the guitar solo, thus becoming the first outside musician to play on a Beatles recording. George also recorded his lead vocal tonight. The song was ranked #135 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", #7 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time, and #10 on their list of The Beatles 100 Greatest Songs; it's a significant song in the annals of rock music. Harrison says inspiration for the song came to him when reading the I Ching, which, as he put it, "seemed to me to be based on the Eastern concept that everything is relative to everything else...opposed to the Western view that things are merely coincidental. While My Guitar Gently Weeps was a simple study based on that theory. I decided to write a song based on the first thing I saw upon opening any book - as it would be a relative to that moment, at that time. I picked up a book at random, opened it, saw 'gently weeps', then laid the book down again and started the song.I wrote it at my mother's house in Warrington." Eric Clapton, who was a good friend of Harrison, played lead guitar on the album version of the song with a Gibson Les Paul guitar. On 6 September 1968, during a ride from Surrey into London, Harrison asked Eric Clapton to add the solo. Clapton was reluctant, saying, "Nobody ever plays on the Beatles' records". Harrison convinced him and Clapton's solo was recorded that evening. Harrison later recalled: "in addition to his solo, Clapton's presence had another effect on the band - It made them all try a bit harder; they were all on their best behaviour. This is a live version of the song from Wembley Arena, in 1987, at the Prince's Trust, by Harrison with a backing band that included Ringo Starr, Phil Collins, Elton John, and Jeff Lynne.
1969 - At an after-show party in the Memphis Mid-Southern Coliseum, tonight, James Brown announced his retirement from live performances, and gave his retirement date as being after July 4, 1970. Of course he didn't retire. And 39 years ago today John Lennon and and Yoko Ono appeared on Jerry Lewis' fund-raising Muscular Dystrophy Telethon. The event has been held annually since 1966, and as of 2009, had raised $2.45 billion since its inception. From its inception until 2010, the telethon was hosted by actor and comedian, Jerry Lewis. Here's a brief snippet of Lennon's performance from 42 years ago today.
1970 - This is the day when electric guitar pioneer, Jimi Hendrix, made his final live appearance at the Isle Of Fehmarn Festival in Germany. The guitarist died 12 days later, and on that date, September 18, we will have a Jimi Hendrix Day here on *MUSICBACKTRACK*. Meanwhile, let's have a look at this very brief, very bootlegged, very rare gem footage from that finalk live performance.
1975 - One of contemporary music's most outstanding multi-talents was session guitar player, song writer, singer, and performer, Glen Campbell, who today started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart with Rhinestone Cowboy, a song that later hit top of the charts in the UK, Australia, France, Germany, Sweden, New Zealand, and many other countries. It was campbell's first #1, following 13 Top 40 hits.
1986 - All girl group Bananarama went to #1 today, in various parts of the world, including the most lucrative music market, USA, with the song, Venus. It was a reworking of the song, originally recorded by Dutch group Blue Cheer, 16 years earlier. The original version was also a worldwide hit. Bananarama are a British female pop trio who have had success on the pop and dance charts since 1982. Rather than relying on three part harmony, the trio generally sings in unison, as do their background vocalists. Although there have been line-up changes, the group enjoyed their most popular success as a trio made up of lifelong friends Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin, and since 1988, Bananarama have been listed in the Guinness World Records as the all-female group with the most chart entries. This music video for received heavy airplay on MTV, and features the group in various costumes including a devil, a French temptress, a vampire and a Greek goddess. The video also marked a pivotal shift towards a more glamorous and sexual image, which contrasted with the tomboyish style of their earlier work. It was also the start of their use of toy-boys as backup dancers, which would become a hallmark of their videos.
2004 - Remember cocky little Jamiroquai singer Jay Kay? Seven years ago he was banned for six months and fined £750 after being clocked driving at more than 100mph. His lawyers had argued at Scotland's Perth Sheriff Court that he needed his licence so he could have "respite" from his busy professional life. But Sheriff Robert McCreadie said his conduct was "entirely unacceptable". Jay Kay admitted driving a four-wheel-drive vehicle at 105mph on the A9 in Perthshire in February while overtaking. And if you remember Jay Kay, you'll remember this? Oh, the promise.
1961 - The Bob Dylan who debuted at the Gaslight Cafe in New York City, exactly 50 years ago today, is not that different from the Dylan we see touring the world today. Back then he was a young energetic, creative, guitar strumming, song writing, rock'n'roll star aspirant. Fifty years down the track an older, less energetic, creative, electric guitar strumming, song writing, rock'n'roll star. Oh, and in that 50 years, he managed to become an icon for a few generations. Here we see him, in the company of one of his mentors, in this is a rare bootleg, live from 50 years ago tonight, singing…"car…car"… the Woody Guthrie classic song for children.
1963 - Jerry Lee Lewis' contract with Sun Records expired today, after a troubling few years in his private life, that undoubtedly stopped his career in its tracks. for more information and videos regarding Lewis's child-bride problems, go to our archive search engine. Whilst his popularity crash-dived, it recovered somewhat in Europe, especially in the UK and Germany, during the mid-1960s. Indeed, a concert album, Live at the Star Club, Hamburg, 1964, recorded with The Nashville Teens, is widely considered one of the great live rock and roll albums ever. Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote at the time: "Live at the Star Club is extraordinary, the purest, hardest rock & roll ever committed to record". So here we have excerpts from that recording, followed by a slightly out-of-sync television performance from a very young Jerry Lee.
1968 - Working at Abbey Road studio’s in London, today, the Beatles recorded overdubs onto the new George Harrison song, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, with Eric Clapton adding the guitar solo, thus becoming the first outside musician to play on a Beatles recording. George also recorded his lead vocal tonight. The song was ranked #135 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", #7 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time, and #10 on their list of The Beatles 100 Greatest Songs; it's a significant song in the annals of rock music. Harrison says inspiration for the song came to him when reading the I Ching, which, as he put it, "seemed to me to be based on the Eastern concept that everything is relative to everything else...opposed to the Western view that things are merely coincidental. While My Guitar Gently Weeps was a simple study based on that theory. I decided to write a song based on the first thing I saw upon opening any book - as it would be a relative to that moment, at that time. I picked up a book at random, opened it, saw 'gently weeps', then laid the book down again and started the song.I wrote it at my mother's house in Warrington." Eric Clapton, who was a good friend of Harrison, played lead guitar on the album version of the song with a Gibson Les Paul guitar. On 6 September 1968, during a ride from Surrey into London, Harrison asked Eric Clapton to add the solo. Clapton was reluctant, saying, "Nobody ever plays on the Beatles' records". Harrison convinced him and Clapton's solo was recorded that evening. Harrison later recalled: "in addition to his solo, Clapton's presence had another effect on the band - It made them all try a bit harder; they were all on their best behaviour. This is a live version of the song from Wembley Arena, in 1987, at the Prince's Trust, by Harrison with a backing band that included Ringo Starr, Phil Collins, Elton John, and Jeff Lynne.
1969 - At an after-show party in the Memphis Mid-Southern Coliseum, tonight, James Brown announced his retirement from live performances, and gave his retirement date as being after July 4, 1970. Of course he didn't retire. And 39 years ago today John Lennon and and Yoko Ono appeared on Jerry Lewis' fund-raising Muscular Dystrophy Telethon. The event has been held annually since 1966, and as of 2009, had raised $2.45 billion since its inception. From its inception until 2010, the telethon was hosted by actor and comedian, Jerry Lewis. Here's a brief snippet of Lennon's performance from 42 years ago today.
1970 - This is the day when electric guitar pioneer, Jimi Hendrix, made his final live appearance at the Isle Of Fehmarn Festival in Germany. The guitarist died 12 days later, and on that date, September 18, we will have a Jimi Hendrix Day here on *MUSICBACKTRACK*. Meanwhile, let's have a look at this very brief, very bootlegged, very rare gem footage from that finalk live performance.
1975 - One of contemporary music's most outstanding multi-talents was session guitar player, song writer, singer, and performer, Glen Campbell, who today started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart with Rhinestone Cowboy, a song that later hit top of the charts in the UK, Australia, France, Germany, Sweden, New Zealand, and many other countries. It was campbell's first #1, following 13 Top 40 hits.
1986 - All girl group Bananarama went to #1 today, in various parts of the world, including the most lucrative music market, USA, with the song, Venus. It was a reworking of the song, originally recorded by Dutch group Blue Cheer, 16 years earlier. The original version was also a worldwide hit. Bananarama are a British female pop trio who have had success on the pop and dance charts since 1982. Rather than relying on three part harmony, the trio generally sings in unison, as do their background vocalists. Although there have been line-up changes, the group enjoyed their most popular success as a trio made up of lifelong friends Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin, and since 1988, Bananarama have been listed in the Guinness World Records as the all-female group with the most chart entries. This music video for received heavy airplay on MTV, and features the group in various costumes including a devil, a French temptress, a vampire and a Greek goddess. The video also marked a pivotal shift towards a more glamorous and sexual image, which contrasted with the tomboyish style of their earlier work. It was also the start of their use of toy-boys as backup dancers, which would become a hallmark of their videos.
2004 - Remember cocky little Jamiroquai singer Jay Kay? Seven years ago he was banned for six months and fined £750 after being clocked driving at more than 100mph. His lawyers had argued at Scotland's Perth Sheriff Court that he needed his licence so he could have "respite" from his busy professional life. But Sheriff Robert McCreadie said his conduct was "entirely unacceptable". Jay Kay admitted driving a four-wheel-drive vehicle at 105mph on the A9 in Perthshire in February while overtaking. And if you remember Jay Kay, you'll remember this? Oh, the promise.
