December 6, 1896 - LYRICIST Ira Gershwin was born in New York City, and is best known for musical collaborations with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, creating some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century, including songs such as I Got Rhythm, Embraceable You, The Man I Love and Someone to Watch Over Me, along with the opera Porgy and Bess. The dup remain amongst the best musical composers of the 20th century. This is the legendary Sarah Vaughan with one of their hits, I Got Rhythm.
1949 - AMERICAN blues artist, Leadbelly died today, leaving behind a bundle of songs since covered by a multitude of acts, from Abba to Sensational Alec Harvey Band, Beach Boys to Nick Cave, and dozens more. Huddie William Ledbetter wrote many songs including Goodnight Irene, Cotton Fields, The Rock Island Line, and The Midnight Special. The hefty African-American Leadbelly was jailed several times for fights and knife related incidents, including once being jailed for shooting a man dead during an argument over a woman. Lead Belly's music and lyrics dug deep, and were mainly blues and folk songs about women, liquor and racism; cowboys, prison, work, sailors, cattle herding, and dancing. He also wrote songs concerning the newsmakers of the day, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, Jean Harlow, the Scottsboro Boys, and Howard Hughes. Following is an excerpt from a Time newsreel in March of 1935, that re-enacts Leadbelly's release from Angola Prison, Louisiana. John Lomax plays himself, and Leadbelly performs Goodnight Irene.
1964 - FERRY Cross the Mersey the movie had its debut tonight, and starred Mersey-sound group, Gerry & the Pacemakers. Directed by Jeremy Summers, remains a Mersey sound enigma, in that it has been rarely seen on television and as far as I know, never been issued on video. It was the first film to be shot on location in Liverpool after the city's emergence into the music mainstream. For authenticity, many scenes were shot in clubs near Gerry and the Pacemakers' frontman Gerry Marsden's home, with a scene in a ferry on the River Mersey showing the docks as a backdrop. Marsden wrote nine new songs for the film which also starred Julie Samuels, Cilla Black, Jimmy Saville, and The Fourmost. This included the movie's theme song, Ferry Cross the Mersey, which was a huge hit for Marsden and his group.
1968 - JAMES Taylor's self-titled album was released in Britain, 43 years ago, today. The American singer-songwriter and guitarist eventually became a five-time Grammy Award winner, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Taylor achieved his major breakthrough in 1970 with the #3 original song, Fire and Rain, and scored his first #1 hit the following year with his version of the Carole King song, You've Got a Friend. He has sold more than 20 million albums, and retained a large audience over the decades.
1969 - FOUR people died during a free concert given by the Rolling Stones, 42 years ago tonight, one of the deaths being an horrific stabbing that occurred just in front of the stage. The Altamont Speedway in California was the location for the infamous rock concert. Headlined and badly organised by the Rolling Stones, it also featured, in order of appearance: Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Flying Burrito Brothers, the Stones being the final act. The Grateful Dead were also scheduled to perform, but declined to play shortly before their scheduled appearance due to the increasing violence at the venue. Approximately 300,000 people attended the concert, and some anticipated that it would be a Woodstock West, filmmakers Albert and David Maysles shooting footage of the event. Unfortunately, the event is best known for having been marred by considerable violence, including one homicide and three accidental deaths: two caused by a hit-and-run car accident and one by drowning in an irrigation canal. Four births were reported during the event, but dozens were injured, numerous cars were stolen and then abandoned, and there was extensive property damage. The stage was only a metre high, and somehow members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, led by Oakland chapter head Ralph 'Sonny' Barger, were asked to surround the stage to provide security. Their payment was as much beer as they could drink. Not a good mix. A year later, to the day, the documentary film Gimme Shelter shows the devastation of the event. Following is the doco, showing the murder and the affects it had on Rolling Stones members.
1978 - SID Vicious smashed glass in the face of Patti Smith's brother Todd during an altercation at New York rock club Hurrah, today, while he was out on bail after being charged with the murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. On the same day in 1993, the Eagles taped a video for Travis Tritt's version of Take It Easy which led to their reunion, and two years later Michael Jackson was hospitalised after collapsing in a New York theatre while rehearsing for a TV special. And in 1995, on the same day, Joni Mitchell was awarded the Billboard's Century Award. Unlike other awards, such as the Grammy Award, which determine nominations as a result of the highest votes received, the Billboard Music Awards finalists are based on year-end chart performance according to Nielsen data for sales, downloads and airplay. Since 1992, the awards also give out a Billboard Century Award—the magazine's highest honour for creative achievement and named for Billboard's centennial in 1994. The award was renamed the Icon Award in 2011. We don't need Billboard to give our own award to the iconic and beautiful human being that is Joni Mitchell. Please indulge in this collection of Joni magic.
1988 - ROY Orbison died of a heart attack, today, aged only 52 years old. Orbison Scored the worldwide hit single, Pretty Woman, plus more than 20 worldwide top 40 singles including Only the Lonely and Crying. He formed his first band The Wink Westerners in 1949, was a member of The Traveling Wilburys (known as Lefty Wilbury, with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne & Tom Petty). Orbison endured a great deal of tragedy in his life, his first wife, Claudette dying in a motorcycle accident in 1966, and two of his three sons, dying in a house fire. Without doubt, Orbison is one of the great rock'n'roll legends, and a unique song writer, to boot. Following is his early hit that brought him to my attention, and that's followed by a rough doco piece from the relationship and the sessions around the Travelling Wilburys…a bit out-of-synch, but who cares.
1949 - AMERICAN blues artist, Leadbelly died today, leaving behind a bundle of songs since covered by a multitude of acts, from Abba to Sensational Alec Harvey Band, Beach Boys to Nick Cave, and dozens more. Huddie William Ledbetter wrote many songs including Goodnight Irene, Cotton Fields, The Rock Island Line, and The Midnight Special. The hefty African-American Leadbelly was jailed several times for fights and knife related incidents, including once being jailed for shooting a man dead during an argument over a woman. Lead Belly's music and lyrics dug deep, and were mainly blues and folk songs about women, liquor and racism; cowboys, prison, work, sailors, cattle herding, and dancing. He also wrote songs concerning the newsmakers of the day, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, Jean Harlow, the Scottsboro Boys, and Howard Hughes. Following is an excerpt from a Time newsreel in March of 1935, that re-enacts Leadbelly's release from Angola Prison, Louisiana. John Lomax plays himself, and Leadbelly performs Goodnight Irene.
1964 - FERRY Cross the Mersey the movie had its debut tonight, and starred Mersey-sound group, Gerry & the Pacemakers. Directed by Jeremy Summers, remains a Mersey sound enigma, in that it has been rarely seen on television and as far as I know, never been issued on video. It was the first film to be shot on location in Liverpool after the city's emergence into the music mainstream. For authenticity, many scenes were shot in clubs near Gerry and the Pacemakers' frontman Gerry Marsden's home, with a scene in a ferry on the River Mersey showing the docks as a backdrop. Marsden wrote nine new songs for the film which also starred Julie Samuels, Cilla Black, Jimmy Saville, and The Fourmost. This included the movie's theme song, Ferry Cross the Mersey, which was a huge hit for Marsden and his group.
1968 - JAMES Taylor's self-titled album was released in Britain, 43 years ago, today. The American singer-songwriter and guitarist eventually became a five-time Grammy Award winner, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Taylor achieved his major breakthrough in 1970 with the #3 original song, Fire and Rain, and scored his first #1 hit the following year with his version of the Carole King song, You've Got a Friend. He has sold more than 20 million albums, and retained a large audience over the decades.
1969 - FOUR people died during a free concert given by the Rolling Stones, 42 years ago tonight, one of the deaths being an horrific stabbing that occurred just in front of the stage. The Altamont Speedway in California was the location for the infamous rock concert. Headlined and badly organised by the Rolling Stones, it also featured, in order of appearance: Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Flying Burrito Brothers, the Stones being the final act. The Grateful Dead were also scheduled to perform, but declined to play shortly before their scheduled appearance due to the increasing violence at the venue. Approximately 300,000 people attended the concert, and some anticipated that it would be a Woodstock West, filmmakers Albert and David Maysles shooting footage of the event. Unfortunately, the event is best known for having been marred by considerable violence, including one homicide and three accidental deaths: two caused by a hit-and-run car accident and one by drowning in an irrigation canal. Four births were reported during the event, but dozens were injured, numerous cars were stolen and then abandoned, and there was extensive property damage. The stage was only a metre high, and somehow members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, led by Oakland chapter head Ralph 'Sonny' Barger, were asked to surround the stage to provide security. Their payment was as much beer as they could drink. Not a good mix. A year later, to the day, the documentary film Gimme Shelter shows the devastation of the event. Following is the doco, showing the murder and the affects it had on Rolling Stones members.
1978 - SID Vicious smashed glass in the face of Patti Smith's brother Todd during an altercation at New York rock club Hurrah, today, while he was out on bail after being charged with the murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. On the same day in 1993, the Eagles taped a video for Travis Tritt's version of Take It Easy which led to their reunion, and two years later Michael Jackson was hospitalised after collapsing in a New York theatre while rehearsing for a TV special. And in 1995, on the same day, Joni Mitchell was awarded the Billboard's Century Award. Unlike other awards, such as the Grammy Award, which determine nominations as a result of the highest votes received, the Billboard Music Awards finalists are based on year-end chart performance according to Nielsen data for sales, downloads and airplay. Since 1992, the awards also give out a Billboard Century Award—the magazine's highest honour for creative achievement and named for Billboard's centennial in 1994. The award was renamed the Icon Award in 2011. We don't need Billboard to give our own award to the iconic and beautiful human being that is Joni Mitchell. Please indulge in this collection of Joni magic.
1988 - ROY Orbison died of a heart attack, today, aged only 52 years old. Orbison Scored the worldwide hit single, Pretty Woman, plus more than 20 worldwide top 40 singles including Only the Lonely and Crying. He formed his first band The Wink Westerners in 1949, was a member of The Traveling Wilburys (known as Lefty Wilbury, with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne & Tom Petty). Orbison endured a great deal of tragedy in his life, his first wife, Claudette dying in a motorcycle accident in 1966, and two of his three sons, dying in a house fire. Without doubt, Orbison is one of the great rock'n'roll legends, and a unique song writer, to boot. Following is his early hit that brought him to my attention, and that's followed by a rough doco piece from the relationship and the sessions around the Travelling Wilburys…a bit out-of-synch, but who cares.
