December 10, 1966 - EASYFEVER was the equivalent of Beatlemania in the group's home country, Australia, and 45 years ago today the Easybeats made their debut impression around the world with the classic song, Friday On My Mind. It's difficult, perhaps, for people outside Australia to fully comprehend the extent to which the Easybeats imbedded themselves into a generation of Australian teens, myself being one of them. Hysteria, hits and the start of a new Australian music sound began in Australia at this time. Following are a few clips, including the aforementioned Friday, which may give a little sign of how Easyfever enveloped Australia. If you watch singer Stevie, you will see a little of Bon Scott…and Mal Young's big brother George, sets the tone. Stevie has so much energy here, and he doesn't know what to do with it. Brilliant band…truly unique rock'n'roll exponents on any level. Have fun.
1949 - FATS Domino recorded eight songs today, during his first ever recording session at Cosimo Matassa's J&M Studios. Fats Domino is the man who pretty much put the back-beat roll into rock from his birth place of New Orleans. His unique genre-stepping boogie-rock piano playing style, coupled with his oft-forgotten raspy voice and lilting singing style ensures hi position as a founding father of rock'n'roll. Following is a sixties version of his very first hit record, The Fat Man, recorded on this day 61 years ago. Following that, a performance on the David Letterman show from 20 years ago. For more Fats Domino, go to our blog archive and search engine.
1959 - THIS is the vocal group who came from the streets of New York, and the breaking doo-woop vocal sound of the time, and this is the day when the four male members of the Platters were acquitted on charges of aiding and abetting prostitution, lewdness and assignation. The charges stemmed from their August 10, 1959 arrest in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The four-man one-woman group was a chart sensation during the late fifties. Following are two of their two biggest hits, in the form of vintage videos, circa 1955.
1965 - GRATEFUL Dead played the first concert of their career today, at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, California. To celebrate, we go to 1988 and their very own version of the Beatles' Why Don't We Do It In The Road.
1967 - STEVE Miller Blues Band signed with Capitol Records today, for an unheard of $750,000. The group subsequently dropped the blues from its name, and replaced it with hit after hit. Following video is a little piece of magic, recorded live. How's this for a shit hot rock'n'roll band.
1967 - OTIS Redding, at age 26, was killed 44 years ago today when his tour plane crashed into a Wisconsin lake. Redding's tour band, the Bar-Kays, were also killed. The loss of Otis was one of the greatest of all losses from the music scene. Exhuberant human being, and an unchallenged champion of stage performance, emulated by many ever since, both his singing style and his performance level. This is the great Otis Redding.
1971 - FRANK Zappa was pushed from a London stage by the jealous boyfriend of a Zappa fan, today, Zappa spending months in a wheelchair recovering from a broken leg and ankle and fractured skull. A year later on the same day, and Roberta Flack and two members of her backup band were badly injured in a car accident while driving into Manhattan. In 1976 on this day, the Paul McCartney & friends album, Wings over America, was released. This following clip is from that tour, and the song is introduced by guitar player Jimmy McCulloch, who was in Wings at the time. McCulloch died a few years later from a heroin overdose. This is the McCartney song, Maybe I'm Amazed, the song having been well-covered by The Faces a few years earlier.
1990 - BILLBOARD magazine presented its inaugural Music Awards tonight, and Janet Jackson was the big winner with eight trophies different awards being presented. Here's the event, and a mini blogodoc on Janet, surely one of the best.
1949 - FATS Domino recorded eight songs today, during his first ever recording session at Cosimo Matassa's J&M Studios. Fats Domino is the man who pretty much put the back-beat roll into rock from his birth place of New Orleans. His unique genre-stepping boogie-rock piano playing style, coupled with his oft-forgotten raspy voice and lilting singing style ensures hi position as a founding father of rock'n'roll. Following is a sixties version of his very first hit record, The Fat Man, recorded on this day 61 years ago. Following that, a performance on the David Letterman show from 20 years ago. For more Fats Domino, go to our blog archive and search engine.
1959 - THIS is the vocal group who came from the streets of New York, and the breaking doo-woop vocal sound of the time, and this is the day when the four male members of the Platters were acquitted on charges of aiding and abetting prostitution, lewdness and assignation. The charges stemmed from their August 10, 1959 arrest in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The four-man one-woman group was a chart sensation during the late fifties. Following are two of their two biggest hits, in the form of vintage videos, circa 1955.
1965 - GRATEFUL Dead played the first concert of their career today, at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, California. To celebrate, we go to 1988 and their very own version of the Beatles' Why Don't We Do It In The Road.
1967 - STEVE Miller Blues Band signed with Capitol Records today, for an unheard of $750,000. The group subsequently dropped the blues from its name, and replaced it with hit after hit. Following video is a little piece of magic, recorded live. How's this for a shit hot rock'n'roll band.
1967 - OTIS Redding, at age 26, was killed 44 years ago today when his tour plane crashed into a Wisconsin lake. Redding's tour band, the Bar-Kays, were also killed. The loss of Otis was one of the greatest of all losses from the music scene. Exhuberant human being, and an unchallenged champion of stage performance, emulated by many ever since, both his singing style and his performance level. This is the great Otis Redding.
1971 - FRANK Zappa was pushed from a London stage by the jealous boyfriend of a Zappa fan, today, Zappa spending months in a wheelchair recovering from a broken leg and ankle and fractured skull. A year later on the same day, and Roberta Flack and two members of her backup band were badly injured in a car accident while driving into Manhattan. In 1976 on this day, the Paul McCartney & friends album, Wings over America, was released. This following clip is from that tour, and the song is introduced by guitar player Jimmy McCulloch, who was in Wings at the time. McCulloch died a few years later from a heroin overdose. This is the McCartney song, Maybe I'm Amazed, the song having been well-covered by The Faces a few years earlier.
1990 - BILLBOARD magazine presented its inaugural Music Awards tonight, and Janet Jackson was the big winner with eight trophies different awards being presented. Here's the event, and a mini blogodoc on Janet, surely one of the best.
