1961 - Helen Shapiro was at #1 on music popularity charts today in the UK, with Walkin' Back To Happiness. Didn't take long before it was top of European charts, Australian and various other music charts. The song was Ms. Shapiro's second and final chart topping song, although she did have other subsequent hits. After wagging school to record this tune, the singer began a headline tour of the UK, with her support group, the Beatles.
1966 - It was on this day the Yardbirds arrived in New York for their first American tour. They had just finished filming their part in the swinging sixties Brit movie, Blowup, which starred the late David Hemmings and a very young Janet Street-Porter. This is an extract from the movie, with David Hemmings in the audience of a mock-up Yardbirds concert, including Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck smashing his guitar after some false feedback. Michael Palin also has a small part in the film.
1967 - What music held off the Beatles' Sergeant Peppers album from topping the charts on this date? Why none other than the Sound of Music, the soundtrack from the movie of the same name, and today it was #1 in the UK. The film is based on the Broadway musical The Sound of Music, with songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and starring Julie Andrews. The musical originated with the book The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp. It contains many popular songs that have so far stood the test of time, including Edelweiss, My Favorite Things, Climb Ev'ry Mountain, Do-Re-Mi, Sixteen Going on Seventeen, as well as the title song. the movie won a total of five Academy Awards including Best Picture in 1965, and is one of the most popular musicals ever produced. The cast album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
1967 - One of the great Tamla Motown songs, I Second That Emotion, is by one of the company's biggest acts, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. The 1967 song was primarily composed by Smokey Robinson and originally released as a single from his band Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Motown label. The song peaked for three weeks in December 1967, behind The Beatles Hello Goodbye at #3. It was later covered and released by Motown label-mates, Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations in 1969. The song finds Smokey Robinson courting a girl who, wisely weary of the game of love, prefers to string her men along and not get romantically involved. Robinson "wants no part" in such a relationship, but promises that if the girl changes her mind, he'll be around ("If you feel like lovin' me/if you've got the notion/I second that emotion.") This is from the Mike Douglas Show out of Philadelphia in the late 60's. Apologies for the poor level of bass here, dear reader.
1973 - During their Burnin' North American tour, Bob Marley and The Wailers played the first of two nights at The Matrix Club, San Francisco, California, tonight. Burnin' is a roots reggae album by The Wailers, released in the same year, and was the fourth album by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, their final before Tosh and Bunny left for solo careers. The band then became known as Bob Marley & the Wailers. This is the album that had I Shot The Sheriff, the standard turned into a #1 blues rock hit by Eric Clapton. In 2003, the album was ranked number 319 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
1974 - Billy Preston went to #1 on the US singles chart with Nothing From Nothing, the singers second and last chart topper. Preston gained notoriety and fame, firstly as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist. Then, longside Tony Sheridan, Billy Preston was the only other musician to be credited on a Beatles recording after he was credited on the group's number-one hit, Get Back, the record title listed as The Beatles with Billy Preston. He first met the Beatles while he was playing in Little Richard's band as an organist, and Richard was performing in Hamburg, where the Beatles were resident for a few years.
1979 - THIS was the day a 40-date 2 Tone Records UK tour began in Brighton, with ska bands, The Selecter, The Specials and Madness, and a year later, Australian band AC/DC started a 20-date UK tour at Bristol Colston Hall, the bands first gigs since the death of singer Bon Scott. A year later and the Clash appeared at The Lyceum Ballroom in London, England. On this day in 1991, Oasis played The Boardwalk in their hometown Manchester, the group's first gig with Noel Gallagher in the group, and in 1995, same day, African-American jazz trumpeter Don Cherry died of liver failure, aged 58. Cherry was instrumental in developing the genre of world fusion music, incorporating influences of Middle Eastern, traditional African, and Indian music into his playing. He was the stepfather to singer, Neneh Cherry, who carried on his father's tradition, but incorporated rap and pop into the mix. Neneh Cherry remains one of the true genre breakthrough acts, and to prove it here are a couple of songs from one of my face singing women…one when she was a young, single woman, the other after she was married and had a child or two.
1997 - John Denver's life of country music was remembered today, as country music star Vince Gill honoured Denver at the Grand Ole Opry, singing one of his best known songs, Take Me Home, Country Roads. But you know what? There's nothing like the original. R.I.P John Denver.
1998 - They called him the fifth Beatle, and without doubt the Beatles would never have had the recorded brilliance nor impact they had without this amazing musician and producer. Here's a few scattered interviews with Martin, at various times during his career, both before and after he retired from music - including his statement, "I thought they were rubbish." This is absolute magic!
1966 - It was on this day the Yardbirds arrived in New York for their first American tour. They had just finished filming their part in the swinging sixties Brit movie, Blowup, which starred the late David Hemmings and a very young Janet Street-Porter. This is an extract from the movie, with David Hemmings in the audience of a mock-up Yardbirds concert, including Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck smashing his guitar after some false feedback. Michael Palin also has a small part in the film.
1967 - What music held off the Beatles' Sergeant Peppers album from topping the charts on this date? Why none other than the Sound of Music, the soundtrack from the movie of the same name, and today it was #1 in the UK. The film is based on the Broadway musical The Sound of Music, with songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and starring Julie Andrews. The musical originated with the book The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp. It contains many popular songs that have so far stood the test of time, including Edelweiss, My Favorite Things, Climb Ev'ry Mountain, Do-Re-Mi, Sixteen Going on Seventeen, as well as the title song. the movie won a total of five Academy Awards including Best Picture in 1965, and is one of the most popular musicals ever produced. The cast album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
1967 - One of the great Tamla Motown songs, I Second That Emotion, is by one of the company's biggest acts, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. The 1967 song was primarily composed by Smokey Robinson and originally released as a single from his band Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Motown label. The song peaked for three weeks in December 1967, behind The Beatles Hello Goodbye at #3. It was later covered and released by Motown label-mates, Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations in 1969. The song finds Smokey Robinson courting a girl who, wisely weary of the game of love, prefers to string her men along and not get romantically involved. Robinson "wants no part" in such a relationship, but promises that if the girl changes her mind, he'll be around ("If you feel like lovin' me/if you've got the notion/I second that emotion.") This is from the Mike Douglas Show out of Philadelphia in the late 60's. Apologies for the poor level of bass here, dear reader.
1973 - During their Burnin' North American tour, Bob Marley and The Wailers played the first of two nights at The Matrix Club, San Francisco, California, tonight. Burnin' is a roots reggae album by The Wailers, released in the same year, and was the fourth album by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, their final before Tosh and Bunny left for solo careers. The band then became known as Bob Marley & the Wailers. This is the album that had I Shot The Sheriff, the standard turned into a #1 blues rock hit by Eric Clapton. In 2003, the album was ranked number 319 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
1974 - Billy Preston went to #1 on the US singles chart with Nothing From Nothing, the singers second and last chart topper. Preston gained notoriety and fame, firstly as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist. Then, longside Tony Sheridan, Billy Preston was the only other musician to be credited on a Beatles recording after he was credited on the group's number-one hit, Get Back, the record title listed as The Beatles with Billy Preston. He first met the Beatles while he was playing in Little Richard's band as an organist, and Richard was performing in Hamburg, where the Beatles were resident for a few years.
1979 - THIS was the day a 40-date 2 Tone Records UK tour began in Brighton, with ska bands, The Selecter, The Specials and Madness, and a year later, Australian band AC/DC started a 20-date UK tour at Bristol Colston Hall, the bands first gigs since the death of singer Bon Scott. A year later and the Clash appeared at The Lyceum Ballroom in London, England. On this day in 1991, Oasis played The Boardwalk in their hometown Manchester, the group's first gig with Noel Gallagher in the group, and in 1995, same day, African-American jazz trumpeter Don Cherry died of liver failure, aged 58. Cherry was instrumental in developing the genre of world fusion music, incorporating influences of Middle Eastern, traditional African, and Indian music into his playing. He was the stepfather to singer, Neneh Cherry, who carried on his father's tradition, but incorporated rap and pop into the mix. Neneh Cherry remains one of the true genre breakthrough acts, and to prove it here are a couple of songs from one of my face singing women…one when she was a young, single woman, the other after she was married and had a child or two.
1997 - John Denver's life of country music was remembered today, as country music star Vince Gill honoured Denver at the Grand Ole Opry, singing one of his best known songs, Take Me Home, Country Roads. But you know what? There's nothing like the original. R.I.P John Denver.
1998 - They called him the fifth Beatle, and without doubt the Beatles would never have had the recorded brilliance nor impact they had without this amazing musician and producer. Here's a few scattered interviews with Martin, at various times during his career, both before and after he retired from music - including his statement, "I thought they were rubbish." This is absolute magic!
