Today in 1955, Billboard magazine reported that sales of 45-rpm singles …
… had exceeded sales of 78-rpm singles for the first time.
The number one single today in 1966:
The number one album today in 1966 was the Beatles’ “Rubber Soul”:
Today in 1970, BBC-TV’s “Top of the Pops” showed the Brotherhood of Man …
… White Plains …
… and number one Edison Lighthouse …
… with the same singer, Tony Burrows. The BBC was described as “aghast” and banned Burrows … for a couple weeks, until Burrows returned as lead singer of the Pipkins:
Burrows returned to Top of the Pops four years later with yet another group:
The number one album today in 1983 turned out to be the number one album of all time:
The number one British single today in 1984:
Today in 2009, a never-before-publicly-heard 10-minute version of the Beatles’ “Revolution” hit the Internet:
Birthdays begin with Antoine “Fats” Domino:
Johnny Cash:
Bob “The Bear” Hite of Canned Heat:
Jonathan Cain played keyboards for Journey:
Michael Bolton, worthwhile here for one and only one song:
Two deaths of note today in 1977: Sherman Games of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers …
… and songwriter Ben Raleigh in 1997, after his cooking set his bathrobe on fire:
The number one country and western single today in 1956 was the singer’s number one number one:
The number one British album today in 1984 was the Thompson Twins’ “Into the Gap”:
The number one single today in 1984 was adapted by WGN-TV for its Chicago Cubs games — a good choice given that the Cubs that season decided to play like an actual baseball team:
The number one British single today in 1989:
Today in 1995, Frank Sinatra sang before a live audience for the final time, at a private party at his Frank Sinatra Desert Classic golf tournament:
Birthdays begin with George Harrison …
… and end with Stewart Wood of the Bay City Rollers:
Today in 1976, the Eagles’ “Their Greatest Hits” became the first platinum album, exceeding 1 million sales:
Today in 2000, Carlos Santana won eight Grammy Awards for “Supernatural”:
The number one British album today in 2002 was “The Very Best of Sting and the Police”:
Today in 2005, Edwyn Collins, known as a solo artist here but as a member of a band called Orange Juice in Britain, was rushed to a hospital after a brain hemorrhage.
Birthdays begin with Paul Jones of Manfred Mann:
Lonnie Turner played bass for the Steve Miller Band:
Dennis Waterman played Sgt. Carter in “The Sweeney” …
… but also sung the theme from another British TV series, “Minder”:
Colin Farley played bass for Cutting Crew:
One death of note today in 2004: Estelle Axton, cocreator of Stax Records:
Today in 1998, the members of Oasis were banned for life from Cathay Pacific Airways for their “abusive and disgusting behavior.”
Apparently Cathay Pacific knew it was doing, because one year to the day later, Oasis guitarist Paul Arthurs was arrested outside a Tommy Hilfiger store in London for drunk and disorderly conduct.
Birthdays begin with Johnny Winter, who worked with Rick Derringer and brother Edgar:
Rusty Young, who played pedal steel guitar for Poco:
Steve Priest of Sweet:
Brad Whitford, guitarist for Aerosmith:
Howard Jones:
Two deaths of note today: Melvin Franklin of the Temptations in 1995 …
… and Milwaukee native Howie Epstein, bass player for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, in 2003:
Its remake 16 years later — which I had never heard of before writing this blog — finished 12 places below the original:
The number one British single today in 1962:
The number one single today in 1975
Proving there is no accounting for taste, even among the supposedly cultured British, I present their number one single today in 1981:
The number one British single today in 1997:
The short list of birthdays begins with one-hit-wonder Ernie K. Doe (whose inclusion certainly does not express my opinion about my own mother-in-law):
Bobby Hendricks of the Drifters:
Michael Wilton of Queensryche:
One non-musical death of note today in 1987: The indescribable Andy Warhol, who among other things managed the Velvet Underground:
One musical death of note today in 2002: Drummer Ronnie Verrell, who drummed as Animal on the Muppet Show:
The Beatles had quite a schedule today in 1963. They drove from Liverpool to London through the night to appear on the BBC’s “Parade of the Pops,” which was on live at noon.
After their two songs, they drove back north another three hours to get to their evening performance at the Swimming Baths in Doncaster.
The number one song today in 1965:
The number one album today in 1971 was the soundtrack to “Jesus Christ Superstar”:
Today in 1976, the four members of Kiss had their footprints implanted in the concrete outside Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
At the Grammy Awards today in 1977, the Album of the Year was Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life”:
The cover of “Chicago X” got the award for Best Album Package:
The number one single today in 1988:
The number one album on both sides of the Atlantic today in 2005, with artist name and title the same:
Today in 2010, 40 finches became musicians at the Barbican in London:
Birthdays begin with J. Geils of his own band:
Walter Becker of Steely Dan:
Randy California of Spirit:
Kurt Cobain of Nirvana:
One, or 100, deaths of note today: Ty Longley of Great White, killed with 100 people when explosives set fire to the building during a Great White concert in 2003:
Today in 1956, Elvis Presley performed three shows at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in Tampa, Fla. Presley closed the final show by announcing to the crowd of 14,000, “Girls, I’ll see you backstage.”
Many of them took Presley at his word. Presley barely made it into his dressing room, losing some of his clothes and his shoes in the girl gauntlet.
The number one single today in 1961 posed the question of whether actors can sing:
(Answer: Generally, singers act better than actors sing. Read on.)
The number one single today in 1966 here (on the singer’s birthday) …
… and over there:
Today in 1982, Ozzy Osbourne was arrested in San Antonio for urinating on the Alamo.
Osbourne also was wearing a dress because wife Sharon hid all his clothes so he couldn’t go outside.
Osbourne, who apparently confused rubble for the Alamo, was banned from playing in San Antonio ever again. “Ever again” turned out to be 10 years.
The number one British single today in 1983 certainly didn’t apply to Osbourne:
The number one single today in 1983:
Today in 1996, British morning TV viewers saw this strange scene involving Bjork:
Today in 2004, Johnny Cash’s family vetoed an attempt to use one of his songs for a hemorrhoid relief medication. You can probably guess which song the company wanted to use:
Birthdays begin with one-hit wonder Lee Marvin, who as previously noted probably should have stuck to acting:
Smokey Robinson and Bobby Rogers of the Miracles:
Pierre Van Den Linden, drummer for Focus:
Toni Iommi, guitarist of the aforementioned Osbourne’s group, Black Sabbath:
Mark Andes of Spirit:
Johann “Falco” Hölzel:
Seal Henry Samuel, known by his first name:
Daniel Adair, drummer for 3 Doors Down:
One death of note today in 1980: Bon Scott of AC/DC:
Today in 1962, the Everly Brothers, on leave from the U.S. Marine Corps, appeared on CBS-TV’s Ed Sullivan Shew:
The number one British single today in 1965:
The number one single today in 1967:
Today in 1980, Rolling Stone Bill Wyman said he intended to retire from the Stones upon their 20th anniversary in 1982.
He was 11 years off.
The number one British album today in 1984 was Simple Minds’ “Sparkle in the Rain”:
The number one single today in 1987:
The number one British album today in 1989 was Fine Young Cannibals’ “The Raw and the Cooked”:
Today in 2008, fans of the Carpenters objected to plans to bulldoze the family’s house in Downey, Calif., immortalized on their “Now and Then” album cover:
The owners of the house were tired of fans peeking into the windows and leaving floral tributes for Karen Carpenter.
Birthdays begin with Robert Luke Harshman, better known as songwriter Bobby Hart:
Steve Prestegard.com: The Presteblog 