The number one British album today in 1983 (with the clock ticking on my high school days) was Spandau Ballet’s “True”:

The number one British album today in 2000 was Tom Jones’ “Reload,” which proved that Jones could sing about anything, and loudly:

Birthdays start with Walden Robert Cassotto, better known as Bobby Darin (for whom my father’s band, the first rock and roll band in southern Wisconsin, played as Darin’s backing band in Madison — according to my father the piano player, Darin was very exacting, which made playing for him not necessarily a fun experience):

Jack Bruce, bass player for Cream:

Gene Cornish, bass player and singer for The Rascals:

Derek Leckenby, one of Herman’s Hermits …

David Byrne, the front man of the Talking Heads, chronicled in perhaps the best concert movie of all time, “Stop Making Sense”:

Tom Cochrane, first of Red Rider, then with his one solo hit:

Bruce Johannesson, better known as C.C. Deville of Poison:

One death of note: Keith Reif of the Yardbirds, electrocuted by his (ungrounded) guitar today in 1976:

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