Category: Music

Today in 1969, Leslie West and Felix Pappalardi created Mountain:

Birthdays today start with Paul Williams of the Temptations:

Roy Bittan of the E Street Band, which played mostly, but not exclusively, with Bruce Springsteen:

Joey Puerta of Ambrosia:

With that short list, let’s find a cover, boyo:

Today in 1963, the Beatles recorded “She Loves You,” yeah, yeah, yeah:

Four years later, the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” reached number one, and stayed there for 15 weeks:

Birthdays begin with Robert Byrd (no,  not the older-than-dirt Ku Klux Klan member who became the senator from West Virginia), whom you may know better as Bobby Day:

Delaney Bramlett, of Delaney and Bonnie and Friends:

Deborah Harry of Blondie:

Fred Schneider of the B-52s:

Evelyn “Champagne” King:

Here’s an odd anniversary: Four days after Cher divorced Sonny Bono, she married Gregg Allman. Come back to this blog in nine days to find out what happened next.

Birthdays start with Florence Ballard of the Supremes …

… born one year before Glenn Shorrock of the Little River Band:

Billy Brown, of Ray Goodman Brown:

Andrew Sweet, who is “Andy” in this famed ’70s song:

Hal Lindes of Dire Straits:

Adrian Wright of the Human League:

Today in 1968, Tiny Tim’s “Tiptoe thru the Tulips” reached number 17:

Today in 1971, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were sentenced on drug charges. And, of course, you could replace “1971” with any year and Jagger’ and Richards’ names with practically any rock musician’s name of those days.

Or other people: Today in 2000, Eminem’s mother sued her son for defamation from the line “My mother smokes more dope than I do” from his “My Name Is.”

Birthdays start with LeRoy Anderson, whose first work was the theme music for many afternoon movies, but who is best known for his second work (with which I point out that Christmas is less than six months away):

Anderson was born two years before Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite composer, Bernard Herrmann:

Who was Eva Boyd? Older readers would remember Little Eva:

Ian Paice, drummer for Deep Purple …

… was born the same day as Bill Kirchen, who led Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen:

Colin Hay, who was born in Scotland but moved to Australia to join Men at Work …

… was born the same day as Don Dokken, who  headed his eponymous group:

Barry D of Jesus Jones:

Today in 1975, David Bowie released “Fame”:

Today in 1978, the UN named Kansas ambassadors of goodwill:

Two birthdays today are from the same group: Drummer Bobby Harrison was born two years before  bassist Dave Knights of Procol Harum:

If that’s your list, you ask, where is your double play? Right here:

For some reason,  the Beatles’ “Sie Liebt Dich” got only to number 97 on the German charts:

The English translation, “She Loves You,” did much better, yeah, yeah, yeah:

This would have never happened in Madison, but … in Milwaukee today in 1993, Don Henley dedicated “It’s Not Easy Being Green” to President Bill Clinton … and got booed.

Frank Mills played a big instrumental of the late ’70s, “Music Box Dancer”:

Let’s see what we can find in the double play box, herr kommissar:

My German side should appreciate this: Today in 1870, Richard Wagner premiered “Die Valkyrie”:

Today in 1964, the Beatles released their album “A Hard Day’s Night”:

Today in 1975, Sonny and Cher decided they didn’t got you babe anymore — they divorced:

(Interestingly, at least to me: Sonny and Cher revived their CBS-TV show after their divorce. Also, Cher did a touching eulogy at Sonny Bono’s funeral.)

Today in 1990, eight Kansas and Oklahoma radio stations decided to boycott singer KD Lang because she didn’t have a constant craving for meat, to the point she did an anti-meat ad:

Birthdays start with Billy Davis Jr. of the Fifth Dimension:

Jean Knight, who was dismissive of Mr. Big Stuff:

Rindy Ross, the B-minor-favoring singer of Quarterflash:

There seems to be a blue theme today, starting with the first birthday,  Harold Melvin, who had Blue Notes:

Carly Simon:

Ian McDonald played guitar for King Crimson and Foreigner:

Alan Lanier of Blue Öyster Cult:

Brian MacLeod of Chilliwack:

Tim Finn of Crowded House:

George Michael:

Proving that there is no accounting for taste, I present the number six song today in 1972:

Twenty years later, Billy Joel got an honorary diploma … from Hicksville High School in New York (where he attended but was one English credit short of graduating due to oversleeping the day of the final):

Birthdays start with Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac:

Chris Wood of Traffic was born the same day …

… as Jeff Beck:

Colin Blunstone of the Zombies:

Patrick Moraz played keyboards for Yes (for one album) and the Moody Blues (including their number one album “Long Distance Voyager”):

John Illsley of Dire Straits:

Terrance Wilson, better known as Astro, of UB40:

Curt Smith of Tears for Fears:

Jeff Cease of the Black Crowes:

Today in 1956, perhaps the first traffic safety song, “Transfusion,” reached number eight:

Today in 1975 was not a good day for Alice Cooper, who broke six ribs after falling off a stage in Vancouver:

Today in 1979, the Knack released “My Sharona”:

The short list of birthdays starts with Myles Goodwin of April Wine …

… and ends with Joey Allen of Warrant:

With a short list of stuff, here’s a double play: