January 16, 1932 - DUKE ELLINGTON and his Orchestra, recorded It Don't Mean a Thing, exactly 80 years ago today. Just a decade later they made this video in a promotional movie segment. Dear reader, this is magic music; check out a young Joe Venut, and just the entire band. And the trombone solo with the slider, their clothes, the singing, the set, the entire package. These guys were so cool. Duke was the king of cool, no doubt about it.
1938 - BENNY GOODMAN and his band, plus a quartet, played at Carnegie Hall in New York City, tonight, virtually making Goodman a household name for evermore, such was the impact of their performance and the subsequent recording of same. Just check out this video...amazing. Not too many musicians have helped change the course of musical culture, but Benny Goodman was one of them.
1943 - ERNEST TUBB made his debut appearance at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee tonight, and here he is in all his glory. Not sure if this is correct, but I'm told he was the first musician to play an electric guitar at the Grand Ole Opry. Would some of you country music fans in the USA be able to confirm that for me?
1957 - LITTLE RICHARD recorded the breakthrough rock'n'roll standard, Lucille, today. I was just 11 years old when I heard this, a year after Little Richard recorded it on this day, and it changed my life forever. The voice came out of my crystal radio speaker, huddled under the blankets in my bed at night, the song booming in my ear phone, piano thumping, his unique voice exploding out of the tiny little crystal set speaker - my mind was immediately made up as to what I wanted to do with my life. And I did. Here's the man, without whom, there'd be no rock'n'roll as we know it…the one and only Little Richard. Just listen to this thumping beat; so new, unheard of, that rollicking, relentless piano, rhythm section, back beat, sexy sax...and then the voice. Nobody has since been able to come near this man. I love him. The first version is lip sync and from a movie...not sure which one. Second clip is the man live from way back then, in Paris, France…he is truly one of the greats.
1957 - THE CAVERN CLUB opened for business in Liverpool, England, today, the rock club where the Beatles began. This is original footage of the Beatles way back then, live at the Cavern. Would they have been signed today on this performance? Just asking. This video is from August 22, 1962.
1964 - THE DAVE CLARKE FIVE were at #1 on the UK singles chart with Glad All Over, one of the many hits from the five-piece group, who had fame and fortune in America and around the world. For more info on Dave Clarke Five, go to our blog.
1976 - FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE was the album released by Herb Alpert's A&M Records today. This was the album of the year, Frampton was the act of the year, and this was the song of the year...bring back memories? Great song. Are you old enough for Frampton?
1980 - PAUL McCARTNEY was jailed in Tokyo today for possession of a half pound of marijuana. What was he thinking? He spent ten days behind bars before being kicked-out of the country by Japanese authorities. Paul McCartney says that he may have unconsciously set himself up to be busted for marijuana in Japan back then. While recalling his Wings days to Uncut magazine, he said that he's still unsure what led him to bring over half a pound of pot into Japan - especially after he had to fight so hard to be allowed into the country due to prior pot convictions. Macca recalled that, "I've asked myself, 'Why was that pot in the suitcase... and so much of it?' I mean, there was not one hint of discretion. And if you see the film of the arrest, the guy is embarrassed to find it. He almost puts it back and closes the suitcase." McCartney ended up spending nine days in a Tokyo jail before being deported. Wings' sold out series of Japanese dates were cancelled, which cost McCartney over $350,000 to cover some of the expenses lost by his Japanese promoters. Macca scrapped any future Wings dates, including a prospective U.S. tour being penciled in for the spring, and quit touring for nine years. It wouldn't be until 1990 that McCartney would return to perform in Japan. Author Christopher Sanford, who wrote the recent biography McCartney, says that the Japan bust essentially ended Wings' live career: "He did some thinking in that jail cell. And I know Linda had a tepid reaction, at best, to going out on the road. And I suspect that she probably sat down with him when they got home after that ordeal, and said 'What the hell are we doing here? We don't need the money, the kids don't need to do this, and let's go back to the farm.'" Check out McCartney talking about the bust.
1999 - NORMAN COOK scored his third UK #1 single today, under the pseudonym of Fatboy Slim, with the song, Praise You. The song features the prominent vocal sample Praise You from the opening of Take Yo' Praise by Camille Yarbrough. Cook's other #1's had been with British groups the Housemartins and Beats International.
2009 - BOY GEORGE was sentenced to 15 months in jail for falsely imprisoning a male escort today. It's been some journey for Boy George, and a tip of the head for surviving and getting through it. Here's the news report of the arrest.
1938 - BENNY GOODMAN and his band, plus a quartet, played at Carnegie Hall in New York City, tonight, virtually making Goodman a household name for evermore, such was the impact of their performance and the subsequent recording of same. Just check out this video...amazing. Not too many musicians have helped change the course of musical culture, but Benny Goodman was one of them.
1943 - ERNEST TUBB made his debut appearance at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee tonight, and here he is in all his glory. Not sure if this is correct, but I'm told he was the first musician to play an electric guitar at the Grand Ole Opry. Would some of you country music fans in the USA be able to confirm that for me?
1957 - LITTLE RICHARD recorded the breakthrough rock'n'roll standard, Lucille, today. I was just 11 years old when I heard this, a year after Little Richard recorded it on this day, and it changed my life forever. The voice came out of my crystal radio speaker, huddled under the blankets in my bed at night, the song booming in my ear phone, piano thumping, his unique voice exploding out of the tiny little crystal set speaker - my mind was immediately made up as to what I wanted to do with my life. And I did. Here's the man, without whom, there'd be no rock'n'roll as we know it…the one and only Little Richard. Just listen to this thumping beat; so new, unheard of, that rollicking, relentless piano, rhythm section, back beat, sexy sax...and then the voice. Nobody has since been able to come near this man. I love him. The first version is lip sync and from a movie...not sure which one. Second clip is the man live from way back then, in Paris, France…he is truly one of the greats.
1957 - THE CAVERN CLUB opened for business in Liverpool, England, today, the rock club where the Beatles began. This is original footage of the Beatles way back then, live at the Cavern. Would they have been signed today on this performance? Just asking. This video is from August 22, 1962.
1964 - THE DAVE CLARKE FIVE were at #1 on the UK singles chart with Glad All Over, one of the many hits from the five-piece group, who had fame and fortune in America and around the world. For more info on Dave Clarke Five, go to our blog.
1976 - FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE was the album released by Herb Alpert's A&M Records today. This was the album of the year, Frampton was the act of the year, and this was the song of the year...bring back memories? Great song. Are you old enough for Frampton?
1980 - PAUL McCARTNEY was jailed in Tokyo today for possession of a half pound of marijuana. What was he thinking? He spent ten days behind bars before being kicked-out of the country by Japanese authorities. Paul McCartney says that he may have unconsciously set himself up to be busted for marijuana in Japan back then. While recalling his Wings days to Uncut magazine, he said that he's still unsure what led him to bring over half a pound of pot into Japan - especially after he had to fight so hard to be allowed into the country due to prior pot convictions. Macca recalled that, "I've asked myself, 'Why was that pot in the suitcase... and so much of it?' I mean, there was not one hint of discretion. And if you see the film of the arrest, the guy is embarrassed to find it. He almost puts it back and closes the suitcase." McCartney ended up spending nine days in a Tokyo jail before being deported. Wings' sold out series of Japanese dates were cancelled, which cost McCartney over $350,000 to cover some of the expenses lost by his Japanese promoters. Macca scrapped any future Wings dates, including a prospective U.S. tour being penciled in for the spring, and quit touring for nine years. It wouldn't be until 1990 that McCartney would return to perform in Japan. Author Christopher Sanford, who wrote the recent biography McCartney, says that the Japan bust essentially ended Wings' live career: "He did some thinking in that jail cell. And I know Linda had a tepid reaction, at best, to going out on the road. And I suspect that she probably sat down with him when they got home after that ordeal, and said 'What the hell are we doing here? We don't need the money, the kids don't need to do this, and let's go back to the farm.'" Check out McCartney talking about the bust.
1999 - NORMAN COOK scored his third UK #1 single today, under the pseudonym of Fatboy Slim, with the song, Praise You. The song features the prominent vocal sample Praise You from the opening of Take Yo' Praise by Camille Yarbrough. Cook's other #1's had been with British groups the Housemartins and Beats International.
2009 - BOY GEORGE was sentenced to 15 months in jail for falsely imprisoning a male escort today. It's been some journey for Boy George, and a tip of the head for surviving and getting through it. Here's the news report of the arrest.
