February 8, 1990 - DEL SHANNON died 22 years ago tonight from a self-inflicted gun shot wound to his right temple, almost 30 years after his debut smash hit, Runaway. Without doubt he was one of the rock'n'roll greats of the 60s, with his influence spreading far and wide within the music industry, due in the main to his songs. Suffering from deep depression, the American singer songwriter shot himself dead tonight. Shannon scored with around a dozen hits during his long career, including some #1 songs. Shannon had been working with Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne and was rumoured to be replacing Roy Orbison - who had also recently died - in the Traveling Wilburys supergroup. Following is the report of his death, and his songs Runaway, Do You Wanna Dance, Keep Searchin', Little Town Flirt, and Hats off To Larry, mostly songs about lost love.
1956 - BUDDY HOLLY signed a recording contract with Decca Records today, and it was only three years later that he died - almost to the day. Indeed his funeral was held yesterday, on February 7, 1959. If you want videos and info re his death and funeral go to the *MUSICBACKTRACK* archives and search engine, it's all there. His was but a very short career, due to his premature death by plane crash, but he left us some great rock'n'roll music, including this one, I'm Gonna Put My Foot Down, recorded between February and April in 1956. It remains a true rockabilly classic but wasn't released until three years after his untimely death. This version was released in 1983.
1965 - STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE is a 1965 number one single recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label, and released today in 1965. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland, Dozier & Holland, Stop In the Name of Love held the #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart from March 21, 1965 to April 3, 1965, and reached the number two position on the soul chart. The song was included on the Supremes' sixth album, More Hits by The Supremes, and was nominated for the 1966 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Rock & Roll Group Vocal Performance, losing to Flowers on the Wall by the Statler Brothers. The song was also honoured by inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's permanent collection of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. This is the trio performing the song at the Hollywood Palace in the month of its release.
1960 - PAYOLA was rife in the music industry, and it was on this day that the American House of Representatives Special Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight opened hearings on the common disc jockey practice. Payola, in the music industry, is the illegal practice of payment or other inducement by record companies for the broadcast of recordings on music radio, in which the song is presented as being part of the normal day's broadcast. Under US law a radio station can play a specific song in exchange for money, but this must be disclosed on the air as being sponsored airtime, and that play of the song should not be counted as a 'regular airplay'. The term has come to refer to any secret payment made to cast a product in a positive light. Some radio stations report spins of the newest and most popular songs to industry publications. The number of times the songs are played can influence the perceived popularity of a song. Authorities attempted to tie in payola with rock'n'roll music, but payola had been in existence since the 1920s. It still exists, even worse than it did in the sixties, and all over the world, but payment these days comes in all shapes and forms and is almost an accepted part of modern contemporary music. Following is a piece from 60s comedian Stan Freberg, who didn't like rock'n'roll music at all, and it's called the Old Payola Roll Blues. Definitely worth a listen. If you want more information on payola, go to the *MUSICBACKTRACK* archives and search for Alan Freed.
1969 - BLIND FAITH was the supergroup formed as the sixties drew to a close, today being the day the announcement of the formation of the band was first made public. Blind Faith was either one of the great successes of the late '60s - a culmination of the decade's efforts by three legendary musicians - or it was a disaster of monumental proportions, and a symbol of everything that had gone wrong with the business of rock at the close of the sixties decade. In actual fact, Blind Faith was probably both. By any ordinary reckoning, the quartet compiled an enviable record. They generated some great songs, two of them - Sea of Joy and Presence of the Lord - still regarded as classics 40-plus years later; they sold hundreds of thousands of concert tickets and perhaps a million more albums at the time. They were so powerful a force in the music industry that they were indirectly responsible for helping facilitate the merger of two major record companies that evolved into Time Warner, before they'd released a note of music on record. But that is another story for another day. And they did it all in under seven months together. Blind Faith's beginnings dated from 1968 and the breakup of Cream and Traffic. Following is a short video promo for the band's free debut concert at London's Hyde Park, and then one of the songs they performed that day, I Can't Find my Way Home.
1975 - QUEEN'S single Killer Queen was released 37 years ago today.Their first hit single, it was a breakthrough song, and they so far ahead of their time. I'm inclined to agree with those who say this song was their best ever, amongst a repertoire of killer songs.
1982 - CHER displayed her multi talents in New York City exactly 30 years ago tonight, when she opened on Broadway in the stage drama Come Back to the Five & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. This was an amazing movie, too, with a stella line-up of female superstars, including Cher and my face, Karen Black, for starters. A nostaligc, sad movie filled with memories, laughter and tears. If you can rent this movie, go for it, you will not be disappointed, it'sd one of my favourites. Here's a trailer of the flick.
1983 - BRIT AWARDS were held for the second time, in London tonight, and prize winners included Paul McCartney who won Best British Male Solo Artist; Kim Wilde won Best British Female Solo Artist; Dire Straits best British Group; British Breakthrough Act went to Yazoo, while International Act winner was Kid Creole & The Coconuts, and Best Selling Single Dexy's Midnight Runners' Come On Eileen - and the Life Achievement Award went to Pete Townshend.
1992 - IT'S NOW 20 YEARS to the day since this couple of lads, under the guise of Right Said Fred, started a three-week run at #1 on US singles chart with I'm Too Sexy, the song ending up being #1 around the world.
1956 - BUDDY HOLLY signed a recording contract with Decca Records today, and it was only three years later that he died - almost to the day. Indeed his funeral was held yesterday, on February 7, 1959. If you want videos and info re his death and funeral go to the *MUSICBACKTRACK* archives and search engine, it's all there. His was but a very short career, due to his premature death by plane crash, but he left us some great rock'n'roll music, including this one, I'm Gonna Put My Foot Down, recorded between February and April in 1956. It remains a true rockabilly classic but wasn't released until three years after his untimely death. This version was released in 1983.
1965 - STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE is a 1965 number one single recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label, and released today in 1965. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland, Dozier & Holland, Stop In the Name of Love held the #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart from March 21, 1965 to April 3, 1965, and reached the number two position on the soul chart. The song was included on the Supremes' sixth album, More Hits by The Supremes, and was nominated for the 1966 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Rock & Roll Group Vocal Performance, losing to Flowers on the Wall by the Statler Brothers. The song was also honoured by inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's permanent collection of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. This is the trio performing the song at the Hollywood Palace in the month of its release.
1960 - PAYOLA was rife in the music industry, and it was on this day that the American House of Representatives Special Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight opened hearings on the common disc jockey practice. Payola, in the music industry, is the illegal practice of payment or other inducement by record companies for the broadcast of recordings on music radio, in which the song is presented as being part of the normal day's broadcast. Under US law a radio station can play a specific song in exchange for money, but this must be disclosed on the air as being sponsored airtime, and that play of the song should not be counted as a 'regular airplay'. The term has come to refer to any secret payment made to cast a product in a positive light. Some radio stations report spins of the newest and most popular songs to industry publications. The number of times the songs are played can influence the perceived popularity of a song. Authorities attempted to tie in payola with rock'n'roll music, but payola had been in existence since the 1920s. It still exists, even worse than it did in the sixties, and all over the world, but payment these days comes in all shapes and forms and is almost an accepted part of modern contemporary music. Following is a piece from 60s comedian Stan Freberg, who didn't like rock'n'roll music at all, and it's called the Old Payola Roll Blues. Definitely worth a listen. If you want more information on payola, go to the *MUSICBACKTRACK* archives and search for Alan Freed.
1969 - BLIND FAITH was the supergroup formed as the sixties drew to a close, today being the day the announcement of the formation of the band was first made public. Blind Faith was either one of the great successes of the late '60s - a culmination of the decade's efforts by three legendary musicians - or it was a disaster of monumental proportions, and a symbol of everything that had gone wrong with the business of rock at the close of the sixties decade. In actual fact, Blind Faith was probably both. By any ordinary reckoning, the quartet compiled an enviable record. They generated some great songs, two of them - Sea of Joy and Presence of the Lord - still regarded as classics 40-plus years later; they sold hundreds of thousands of concert tickets and perhaps a million more albums at the time. They were so powerful a force in the music industry that they were indirectly responsible for helping facilitate the merger of two major record companies that evolved into Time Warner, before they'd released a note of music on record. But that is another story for another day. And they did it all in under seven months together. Blind Faith's beginnings dated from 1968 and the breakup of Cream and Traffic. Following is a short video promo for the band's free debut concert at London's Hyde Park, and then one of the songs they performed that day, I Can't Find my Way Home.
1975 - QUEEN'S single Killer Queen was released 37 years ago today.Their first hit single, it was a breakthrough song, and they so far ahead of their time. I'm inclined to agree with those who say this song was their best ever, amongst a repertoire of killer songs.
1982 - CHER displayed her multi talents in New York City exactly 30 years ago tonight, when she opened on Broadway in the stage drama Come Back to the Five & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. This was an amazing movie, too, with a stella line-up of female superstars, including Cher and my face, Karen Black, for starters. A nostaligc, sad movie filled with memories, laughter and tears. If you can rent this movie, go for it, you will not be disappointed, it'sd one of my favourites. Here's a trailer of the flick.
1983 - BRIT AWARDS were held for the second time, in London tonight, and prize winners included Paul McCartney who won Best British Male Solo Artist; Kim Wilde won Best British Female Solo Artist; Dire Straits best British Group; British Breakthrough Act went to Yazoo, while International Act winner was Kid Creole & The Coconuts, and Best Selling Single Dexy's Midnight Runners' Come On Eileen - and the Life Achievement Award went to Pete Townshend.
1992 - IT'S NOW 20 YEARS to the day since this couple of lads, under the guise of Right Said Fred, started a three-week run at #1 on US singles chart with I'm Too Sexy, the song ending up being #1 around the world.
