March 16, 1996 - THE RAMONES performed what they claimed would be their last ever date in Buenos Aires, Argentina, tonight - and it was. They went on to perform other farewell shows, but this was their final one in Argentina. Their final show ever was at the Hollywood Palace. In 2002, the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which specifically named Dee Dee, Johnny, Joey, Tommy, and Marky. At the ceremony, the surviving inductees spoke on behalf of the band. Tensions between Joey and Johnny coloured much of the Ramones' career. The pair were politically antagonistic, Joey being a liberal and Johnny a conservative. Their personalities also clashed: Johnny, who spent two years in military school, lived by a code of self-discipline, while Joey struggled with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
1942 - FATS WALLER recorded the well-known song, The Jitterbug Waltz from World War Two years, today, joining the throng of people who had recorded the classic. This was just a year prior to his death, when he was aged just 39. The jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer influenced many pre-bop jazz pianists, such as Count Basie and Erroll Garner, both of whom have reanimated some of his hit songs - notably, Ain't Misbehavin. When he was just 22 years old, a terrified Waller was kidnapped by hoods, and when he arrived at his destination, he realised he was the 'surprise guest' at thug Al Capone's birthday party, and he took comfort that the gangsters didn't intend to kill him. According to rumour, Waller played for three days straight!…but not straight, if you know what I mean. When he left the Hawthorne Inn, he was very drunk, extremely tired, and had earned thousands of dollars in cash from Capone and other party-goers who were generous with their tips. Here are two other songs from the man himself, Aint Misbehavin and This Joint Is Jumpin'.
1963 - PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON was released by folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, today, and it became their signature song. Peter, Paul and Mary were an American folk-singing trio whose nearly 50-year career began with their rise to become a paradigm for 1960s folk music. Legendary music manager Albert Grossman created Peter, Paul and Mary in 1961, after auditioning several singers in the New York folk scene. The trio was composed of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers. After the death of Mary Travers in 2009, Yarrow and Stookey continued to perform as a duo under their individual names. Whether or not it was about the loss of innocence or about reefers, doobies and joints, the song is a child's song. Mary and some members of the audience certainly look like they've been smoking something magic, though, I must say. The authors of the song have repeatedly rejected this urban legend and have strongly and consistently denied that they intended any references to drug use.
1964 - BEATLES' CAN'T BUY ME LOVE, backed with You Can't Do That, were released today by Capitol Record company. Don't know where this first television performance was recorded, but the stage set-up was strange, the crowd screaming all the way through was loud, and the guys dancing at the back provided comic relief. Love it! The second Beatles song released today in '64, the B side, was You Can't Do That, in my opinion one of the best Beatles rockers ever. For more Beatles go to *MUSICBACKTRACK* archives.
1965 - THE ROLLING STONES were at #1 on the UK singles chart today with The Last Time, the band';s third worldwide #1 hit song, and the first #1 for songwriters Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. This was The Rolling Stones' first British single written by Jagger and Richards. It was the band's third UK single to reach #1, spending four straight weeks at the top on most of the numerous music charts in March and early April, 47 years ago. The song was recorded at RCA Studios in Hollywood, California in January 1965. On his website, Jimmy Page lists this song as one on which he plays. The following live footage establishes that the distinctive guitar riff was played by Brian Jones, while the chords and guitar solo were played by Keith Richards.
1968 - OTIS REDDING'S posthumously-released hit single Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay started a five week run at No.1 on world charts today, Otis having been killed in a plane crash on 10th December, 1967, just three months prior to the release, and three days after recording the song. The song was co-written by the soul singer and legendary guitarist Steve Cropper. It was released posthumously on Stax Records' Volt label in 1968 and became the first posthumous number-one single in US and UK chart history.
1974 - BARBRA STREISAND started a two-week run at top spot on charts around the world today, with her song and album, The Way We Were', the singers second #1 hit. The song was title song to the 1973 movie The Way We Were, starring Streisand and Robert Redford. The song and written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman, scored by Marvin Hamlisch and performed by Streisand. It won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Song and also was ranked #8 in the AFI's list of Top 100 Songs from Film.
1999 - TWELVE YEARS AGO, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) presented the first Diamond Awards, given in recognition of albums and singles that have sold 10 million copies or more. Spanning more than 50 years, the Gold®, Platinum®, Multi-Platinum™ and now Diamond® award programs are the longest-running objective measure of achievement for global sound recordings in the world, and provide an unmatched historical perspective on the success of countless recording artists. The RIAA® has charted the entire careers of such veteran artists as Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, The Beach Boys, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and the Backstreet Boys, as well as documented the popularity of soundtracks, live albums, multi-disc sets and music videos. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) administers a silver, gold, platinum and diamond award category for a number of countries, excluding the United States. IFPI has members in 70 countries and five continents. On March 14, 1958, the year the awards were launched, the RIAA® awarded the very first Gold plaque to Perry Como for his hit single, Catch A Falling Star, which you can see on *MUSICBACKTRACK* by searching our archives. The list of Diamond® titles represents some of the best and most influential recordings in history. it is truly an audio timeline of the last 50 years. Representing all genres of music, these titles total more than 900 million in U.S. sales and include Michael Jackson's Thriller, Pink Floyd's The Wall, Led Zeppelin IV, AC/DC's Back In Black and The Eagles. So, dear reader, howzabout a little Acca Dacca, live at Donnington?
1942 - FATS WALLER recorded the well-known song, The Jitterbug Waltz from World War Two years, today, joining the throng of people who had recorded the classic. This was just a year prior to his death, when he was aged just 39. The jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer influenced many pre-bop jazz pianists, such as Count Basie and Erroll Garner, both of whom have reanimated some of his hit songs - notably, Ain't Misbehavin. When he was just 22 years old, a terrified Waller was kidnapped by hoods, and when he arrived at his destination, he realised he was the 'surprise guest' at thug Al Capone's birthday party, and he took comfort that the gangsters didn't intend to kill him. According to rumour, Waller played for three days straight!…but not straight, if you know what I mean. When he left the Hawthorne Inn, he was very drunk, extremely tired, and had earned thousands of dollars in cash from Capone and other party-goers who were generous with their tips. Here are two other songs from the man himself, Aint Misbehavin and This Joint Is Jumpin'.
1963 - PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON was released by folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, today, and it became their signature song. Peter, Paul and Mary were an American folk-singing trio whose nearly 50-year career began with their rise to become a paradigm for 1960s folk music. Legendary music manager Albert Grossman created Peter, Paul and Mary in 1961, after auditioning several singers in the New York folk scene. The trio was composed of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers. After the death of Mary Travers in 2009, Yarrow and Stookey continued to perform as a duo under their individual names. Whether or not it was about the loss of innocence or about reefers, doobies and joints, the song is a child's song. Mary and some members of the audience certainly look like they've been smoking something magic, though, I must say. The authors of the song have repeatedly rejected this urban legend and have strongly and consistently denied that they intended any references to drug use.
1964 - BEATLES' CAN'T BUY ME LOVE, backed with You Can't Do That, were released today by Capitol Record company. Don't know where this first television performance was recorded, but the stage set-up was strange, the crowd screaming all the way through was loud, and the guys dancing at the back provided comic relief. Love it! The second Beatles song released today in '64, the B side, was You Can't Do That, in my opinion one of the best Beatles rockers ever. For more Beatles go to *MUSICBACKTRACK* archives.
1965 - THE ROLLING STONES were at #1 on the UK singles chart today with The Last Time, the band';s third worldwide #1 hit song, and the first #1 for songwriters Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. This was The Rolling Stones' first British single written by Jagger and Richards. It was the band's third UK single to reach #1, spending four straight weeks at the top on most of the numerous music charts in March and early April, 47 years ago. The song was recorded at RCA Studios in Hollywood, California in January 1965. On his website, Jimmy Page lists this song as one on which he plays. The following live footage establishes that the distinctive guitar riff was played by Brian Jones, while the chords and guitar solo were played by Keith Richards.
1968 - OTIS REDDING'S posthumously-released hit single Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay started a five week run at No.1 on world charts today, Otis having been killed in a plane crash on 10th December, 1967, just three months prior to the release, and three days after recording the song. The song was co-written by the soul singer and legendary guitarist Steve Cropper. It was released posthumously on Stax Records' Volt label in 1968 and became the first posthumous number-one single in US and UK chart history.
1974 - BARBRA STREISAND started a two-week run at top spot on charts around the world today, with her song and album, The Way We Were', the singers second #1 hit. The song was title song to the 1973 movie The Way We Were, starring Streisand and Robert Redford. The song and written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman, scored by Marvin Hamlisch and performed by Streisand. It won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Song and also was ranked #8 in the AFI's list of Top 100 Songs from Film.
1999 - TWELVE YEARS AGO, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) presented the first Diamond Awards, given in recognition of albums and singles that have sold 10 million copies or more. Spanning more than 50 years, the Gold®, Platinum®, Multi-Platinum™ and now Diamond® award programs are the longest-running objective measure of achievement for global sound recordings in the world, and provide an unmatched historical perspective on the success of countless recording artists. The RIAA® has charted the entire careers of such veteran artists as Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, The Beach Boys, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and the Backstreet Boys, as well as documented the popularity of soundtracks, live albums, multi-disc sets and music videos. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) administers a silver, gold, platinum and diamond award category for a number of countries, excluding the United States. IFPI has members in 70 countries and five continents. On March 14, 1958, the year the awards were launched, the RIAA® awarded the very first Gold plaque to Perry Como for his hit single, Catch A Falling Star, which you can see on *MUSICBACKTRACK* by searching our archives. The list of Diamond® titles represents some of the best and most influential recordings in history. it is truly an audio timeline of the last 50 years. Representing all genres of music, these titles total more than 900 million in U.S. sales and include Michael Jackson's Thriller, Pink Floyd's The Wall, Led Zeppelin IV, AC/DC's Back In Black and The Eagles. So, dear reader, howzabout a little Acca Dacca, live at Donnington?
