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Today in Rock History – August 10

August 10, 2020 by Mitch Michaels

1968, The lineup for day two of the National Jazz & Blues Festival was Alan Haven, Deep Purple, Ginger Baker, Jeff Beck Group, Joe Cocker, Mike Westbrook, Ronnie Scott, T. Rex, Ten Years After, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, The Don Rendell & Ian Carr Quintet, and The Nice. The festival was held at Kempton Park Racecourse, Sunbury On Thames, England.

1968, Jimi Hendrix played at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.

1968, Tom Jones went to number one on the album chart with Delilah.

1969, During a North American tour, Led Zeppelin appeared at the San Diego Sports Arena. Jethro Tull and The Surprise Package, a Seattle band, were the supporting acts.

1970, Elvis Presley played the first night of a four-week engagement, playing two shows most nights, at The International Hotel in Las Vegas.

1970, Simon and Garfunkel’s album Bridge Over Troubled Water was at number one on the album chart, The Beatles were second with Let It Be and Bob Dylan was at number three with Self Portrait.

1971, The Who play at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1972, Paul and Linda McCartney were arrested and fined £800 ($1200)for possession of cannabis in a drug bust after a concert in Gothenburg, Sweden.

1972, Emerson, Lake & Palmer play the Hollywood Sportatorium in Hollywood, Florida.

1973, KISS perform at the Hotel Diplomat, New York.

1973, a promotional film for Roger Daltrey’s performance of “I’m Free” with the London Symphony Orchestra airs on Top Of The Pops. It was shot at Roger’s farm.

1974, Roberta Flack went to number one on the US singles chart with “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” the singer’s third US chart topper.

1974, The Allman Brothers Band performed at August Jam at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, Charlotte, North Carolina. Also on the bill were Emerson Lake & Palmer, Foghat, Black Oak Arkansas, and the Marshall Tucker Band.

1974, John Denver went to number one on the US album chart with Back Home Again.

1976, Elton John played the first of ten nights sold out nights at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The $1.25 million (£833,000) generated from the shows broke the record set by The Rolling Stones in 1975.

1976, Eric Clapton appeared at The Apollo, Glasgow, Scotland.

1976, Neil Diamond performed at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1977, Yes played the Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, Massachusetts.

1978, Thin Lizzy appeared at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1978, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, and Keith Moon arrive separately at Universal Studios, Hollywood for the press launch of their new album Who Are You. The party takes place on the set of the TV show Battlestar Galactica.

1979, Van Halen played at the Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine.

1980, Black Sabbath appeared at the Civic Center, Hartford,Connecticut.

1981, Kansas performed at Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan.

1982, During a North American, tour Queen appeared at the Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut.

1982, The Grateful Dead’s only performance on this date took place at the University of Iowa Fieldhouse in Iowa City.

1984, Aerosmith appeared at the Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine.

1985,”Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits peaked at number four on the UK singles chart. Notable for its groundbreaking music video and a cameo appearance by Sting, who also co-wrote the song with Mark Knopfler, and sings the song’s falsetto introduction and backing chorus, “I want my MTV,” The video was also the first to be aired on MTV Europe when the network started on August 1st, 1987.

1985, Simon Le Bon from Duran Duran was air lifted to safety when his boat Drum overturned while racing off the English coast. Le Bon was trapped under the hull with five other crew members for twenty minutes, until being rescued by the Royal Navy.

1992, Def Leppard kicked off the North American leg on their 248-date Seven Day Weekend world Tour at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

1993, The Dave Matthews Band played at The Flood Zone in Richmond, Virginia, the gig was recorded with some of songs ending up on the band’s first album Remember Two Things.

2002, Lisa Marie Presley married actor Nicolas Cage at a resort in Hawaii. The marriage was Presley’s third. She was married previously to musician Danny Keough and pop star Michael Jackson. Cage filed for divorce four months later.

2002, Michael Houser, a founding member and lead guitarist of the band Widespread Panic, died at age 40 from complications due to pancreatic cancer, diagnosed earlier in the year.

2007, Anthony Wilson, the UK music mogul behind some of Manchester’s most successful bands, died at age 57, after suffering from kidney cancer. The TV presenter and entrepreneur founded Factory records, the label behind New Order and the Happy Mondays. He was also known for setting up the Hacienda nightclub in Manchester, England.

2008, Singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes died at his home in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 65. Police were called to his home after his wife found him unconscious. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Hayes won an Oscar for the 1971 hit “Theme From Shaft” and was also known as the voice of Chef from the hit cartoon show, South Park. He was married four times and had 12 children.

Born on August 10: Clarence Leonidas “Leo” Fender, inventor of the Fender Telecaster (1909); Jimmy Dean (1928); Eddie Fisher (1929); Bobby Hatfield, singer, The Righteous Brothers (1940); Jimmy Griffin, singer, guitarist Bread, The Remingtons (1943); Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull (1947); Ronnie Spector, The Ronettes (1947); Mark Price, English drummer, All About Eve, Del Amitri (1959); Jon Farriss drummer, INXS (1961)

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Today In Rock History – July 4

July 4, 2020 by Steve Leventhal

1959: Bobby Darin’s hit “Dream Lover” tops the UK chart. The track, which would reach the second postion in the US, includes Neil Sedaka on piano.

1964: “I Get Around” becomes the first US number one single for The Beach Boys. In the UK, it would be the band’s first Top Ten hit, reaching number 7. The B-side of the single was “Don’t Worry Baby”, which itself charted in 24th place in America. Although all of the Beach Boys either played or sang on the record, noted session man Hal Blaine was brought in to play drums.

1966: The Beatles were booed by fans at the airport in Manila, Philippines after they failed to make a private appearance before President Marcos, his wife and 300 Filipino children. The group claims they were not told of the engagement. Marcos then makes a statement regretting the airport incident. After paying taxes on their gate receipts, the band leaves the country, vowing never to return.

1969: Grand Funk Railroad performs at the Atlanta Pop Festival in Hampton, Georgia. Capitol Records executives see the band at the show and later sign them to a record deal. Also performing were Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Johnny Winter, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Delaney and Bonnie, Chuck Berry, Spirit, Blood Sweat & Tears, Chicago, and Paul Butterfield.

1970: The 3-day Atlanta Pop Festival opens at Middle Georgia Raceway in Byron, Georgia before a crowd of 200,000. Jimi Hendrix played his feedback filled version of “The Star Spangled Banner”. Two days later, Georgia Governor Lester Maddox says he will seek legislation to ban all Rock festivals in the state.

1973: Slade drummer Don Powell was badly injured in a car crash in which his girlfriend was killed.

1974: Steely Dan’s Walter Becker and Donald Fagan play their final gig together in Santa Monica, CA. The split occurs even though they have the number four song in the US with “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” and a current Platinum album with “Pretzel Logic”, California. They would not tour again for the next eighteen years.

1976: Paul Revere is married at King’s Island Amusement Park in Cincinnati on the fourth of July, on America’s Bicentennial.

1976: The Clash made their live debut supporting the Sex Pistols at the Black Swan, in Sheffield, England.

1976: Elton John and Kiki Dee’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” is released in the US, where it will reach #1.

1980: The Beach Boys perform at a free Fourth of July concert attended by an edtimated 500,000 people in Washington, D.C.

1982: Diana Ross kicks off her first world solo tour with a concert at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands. The opening act was Miles Davis.

1982: Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne marries Sharon Arden, daughter of music promoter and rock and roll entrepreneur, Don Arden. His drummer, Tommy Aldridge, serves as Best Man.

1983: Crooner Wayne Newton replaced The Beach Boys at the White House Fourth of July party after US Interior Secretary James Watt deemed the band “unsuitable” for the occasion because they attracted the wrong element. First Lady Nancy Reagan felt differently, and hired the group to play a private performance at the executive mansion.

1984: The Beach Boys are joined by Ringo Starr on drums, John Lodge and Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues on guitars as well as Cory Wells, Chuck Negron and Danny Hutton of Three Dog Night during an Independence Day concert in Washington D.C. The all star ensemble rocked their way through “Back In The U.S.S.R.”, “Good Vibrations”, “Help Me Rhonda” and “Fun Fun Fun”. Wolfman Jack was the emcee for the event that also included America, Hank Williams Jr., La Toya Jackson The O’Jays and Julio Iglesias.

1986: The second Farm Aid benefit concert took place at Manor Downs Racetrack, Manor, Texas. Held to raise money for family farmers in the US, the concerts were organized by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young. Artists who appeared included: Alabama, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Emmylou Harris, Jason & the Scorchers, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Bon Jovi, John Mellencamp, Tom Petty, Vince Neil and Willie Nelson. The first Farm Aid concert was held in September 1985 in Champaign, Illinois.

1987: The Grateful Dead appeared at Sullivan Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

1989: The Grateful Dead performed a 21-song concert at Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

2001 – Madonna sells out all 80,000 tickets to her concerts at London’s Earl’s Court arena in just four hours.

2001: A US federal judge orders file sharing service Napster to cease all operations.

2003: R & B star Barry White, known for his lush baritone voice and “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love” and “You’re The First, The Last, My Everything”, passed away at the age of 58.

2005: U2 won a court battle for the return of items of memorabilia, including a Stetson hat which they accused a former stylist of stealing. Judge Matthew Deery at Dublin’s Circuit Court ordered Lola Cashman to return the items, which also include earrings, within seven days. Ms Cashman, had worked as the band’s stylist during the 1980s and wrote an unauthorized book called Inside the Zoo.

2007: Bill Pinkney, the last surviving member of the original Drifters passed away at the age of 81.

2009: Drake Levin, the lead guitarist for Paul Revere And The Raiders on their early hits that included “Steppin’ Out”, “Just Like Me” and “Kicks”, died of cancer at the age of 62.

2009: 77-year-old Allen Klein, the former manager of The Rolling Stones and later The Beatles, died after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. The assets of his company, ABKCO Music & Records, include recordings by The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Herman’s Hermits, Bobby Womack, The Kinks, Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell and many others.

2012: Bonhams of London announced that Freddie Mercury’s black and white harlequin stage costume had sold for £22,500 at their Entertainment Memorabilia sale. The harlequin costume was one of Freddie’s most recognisable stage designs, which he wore at a number of high-profile concerts in the 1970s. Also a pair of Freddie’s ballet pumps went for £4,000 to an overseas internet bidder. Freddie had worn the white leather ballet shoes during Queen’s legendary Hyde Park performance in 1976.

2013: Barry Manilow sang “Let Freedom Ring” and Neil Diamond sang his fan favorite anthem “Sweet Caroline” in celebration of The Fourth Of July at the National Mall in Washington D.C.

2013: After years of feuding over the right to use the name The Doors, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore announced that they would come together one last time to honor keyboardist Ray Manzarek, who died from cancer in May at the age of 74.

2015: Blur’s Damon Albarn was removed from stage at the Roskilde festival in Denmark after a five-hour set. The singer who was headlining the event with his Africa Express project encouraged the crowd to protest at the plug being pulled. The stage manager emerged, put the singer’s jacket over his shoulders and lifted him off stage.

2015: Bob Weir, along surviving members of the Grateful Dead, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, and Phil Lesh, play the second night of Fare Thee Well, a three-show engagement to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the band. They are joined by special guests Bruce Hornsby, Jeff Chimenti, and Phish’s Trey Anastasio.

Born on July 4: Mitch Miller, conductor (1911); Bill Withers, singer-songwriter (1938); Dave Rowberry, English pianist and organist, The Animals (1940); Alan Wilson, guitar, harmonica, vocals, Canned Heat (1943); Jeremy Spencer, guitar, Fleetwood Mac (1948); Ralph Johnson, drummer, Earth, Wind & Fire (1951); John Waite, vocals, guitar, bass, The Babys (1952); Kirk Pengilly, guitarist, INXS (1958); Matt Malley, bass, Counting Crows (1963); Andy Creeggan, piano, Barenaked Ladies (1971); Post Malone, rapper, singer, songwriter, producer (1995)

Song Of The Day – “Haunts Of Ancient Peace” by Van Morrison

May 5, 2020 by Eric Berman

Here we have one of Van Morrison’s most soulful pieces of music, originally from one of his most underrated albums. Common One was released in 1980 and features six deeply moving extended jazz meditations that hawked back to Morrison’s classic Astral Weeks album in sound and texture.

However, unlike Astral Weeks, this record’s release was met with unanimous derision from the critics who didn’t understand the literary and jazz underpinnings of the music and found it ponderous and boring. While the record does lack the kind of immediacy that grabs you on the first listen, it does reap generous rewards upon further listening.

The title of this song was named from a 1902 book by Alfred Austin (Poet Laureate 1896-1912). This version features the same band that played on the album, and was recorded at Montreux before the album’s release. The personnel featured new band members Mark Isham on trumpet, John Allair on organ and synthesizer, Pee Wee Ellis on saxophones and Peter Van Hooke on drums. The rest of the band is filled out with Morrison’s Caledonia Soul Orchestra members Jeff Labes on piano, John Platania on guitar, David Hayes on bass and Dahaud Shaar on percussion.

3D Quarantunes

April 21, 2020 by Marty Masters

I’m your Uncle Marty, welcome to our 531st presentation. At the time we assembled this one, the world is gripped in a health crisis where many places require all to wear facemasks to prevent the spread of cooties, with enforceable fines of $1,000, maybe more. Frequent handwashing is advised, keeping a distance from others is encouraged, so if you feel the need to reach out and touch someone, do it via the phone an online meeting, or just turn up the volume, and pour a glass of your favorite libation to stay hydrated. The Award Winning 3D RadioActivity is doing it’s part by playing QUARANTUNES, and going nowhere, so c’mon along! 🎼 🎶 😎

Download here or click below to play:
https://archive.org/download/The3dRadioactivity/3dradio_20200419-3DQuarantunes.mp3

We’ve been listening to QUARANTUNES, there’s a lot of great ones that we didn’t squeeze in this time. We’ll have to wait for part two for more of ’em which may be sooner than later because of the virus. Remember to be a little nicer to your neighbors as we are all in this together, as we all do our best to physically distance ourselves from others, so STAY & ALONE will be our focus coming up. Tell me your thoughts via email email, or with a message on our Facebook page which has links to the archives of all the earlier episodes and graphics in the photo section. Look for us on Denver’s MileHiRadio, Theacidflashback.com, http://www.villageconnectionmagazine.com/ Long Island, New York, TuneIn and InternetFM dot com, because the best FM radio is now on the Internet.

Until we meet again, Keep Rockin’ On! 🎵☢️

…Uncle Marty

“It’s not true I had nothing on, I had the radio on.”

…Marilyn Monroe

Today in Rock History – April 8

April 8, 2020 by Mitch Michaels

1964, The Supremes record “Where Did Our Love Go” at Motown Studios in Detroit. The song would become the first of their five number one singles.

1965, Unit Four Plus Two were at number one on the singles chart with “Concrete And Clay,” the English group’s only chart topping hit.

1966, The Who played at Queens Hall in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

1967, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd, Arthur Conley and Booker T And The MG’s all appeared at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, England.

1967, Pink Floyd appeared at the Rhodes Arts Complex in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, England.

1967, John Lennon took his Rolls Royce to coach builders J.P. Fallon Ltd in Surrey to inquire if they could paint his car in psychedelic colors. This was based on an idea by Marijke Koger,”The Fool,” who was a member of Dutch team of gypsy artists. J.P. Fallon commissioned Steve Weaver’s pattern of scroll and flowers for the Phantom V. The cost for having the work done came in at £2,000.

1969, Led Zeppelin performed at Cherry Tree in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England.

1970, The UK premiere of the Woodstock movie took place in London. The film was a documentary of the seminar music festival that took place in August 1969 at Bethel, New York.

1971, Pink Floyd began the recording sessions for the album Meddle at EMI Studios in London.

1972, Paul McCartney and Wings released “Give Ireland Back To The Irish.” It was written after the “Bloody Sunday Massacre,” in Northern Ireland. The song was banned by the BBC and the IBA. That event also inspired the U2 song “Sunday Bloody Sunday.”

1972, The Grateful Dead perform at the Wembley Empire Pool in London as part of their landmark Europe ’72 tour, which has been released on CD as a complete box set.

1973, During his Ziggy Stardust world tour, David Bowie played the first of three sold out nights at Shinjuku Koseinenkin, Kaikan, Tokyo, Japan.

1973, Gilbert O’Sullivan was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with “Get Down,”a song about his dog. The singers second UK No.1, and a top ten hit in the US (#7.)

1974, Brownsville Station played at Cobo Arena, Detroit.

1975, Rush appeared at the Civic Theatre, Akron, Ohio.

1976, David Bowie’s world tour moves to Europe for a performance at Philips Halle in Dusseldorf, Gemany.

1976, Bad Company performed at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1976, Genesis appeared at the Beacon Theater in New York.

1979, Aerosmith played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the first night on their 38-date Night In The Rut tour.

1980, Van Halen performed at the Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton, Alberta.

1985, American songwriter J Fred Coots died aged 87. Co-wrote, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,”and the Pat Boone US No.1 hit “Love Letters In The Sand.” He wrote over 700 songs.

1994, Electrician Gary Smith who was working at Kurt Cobain’s house in Seattle discovered Cobain’s body lying on the floor in the greenhouse. Local radio station KXRX broke the news at 9:40 am that the Nirvana singer and guitarist was dead. A shotgun was found next to Cobain’s body. A suicide note was found that said, “I haven’t felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music, along with really writing . . . for too many years now”. A high concentration of heroin and traces of Valium were also found in Cobain’s body.

2010, Malcolm McLaren former manager of the Sex Pistols, the New York Dolls, and Bow Wow Wow died from cancer aged 64. As a solo artist he scored the 1983 UK number three single “Double Dutch.” He set up the fashion store Let It Rock in the late 60’s with Vivienne Westwood selling rubber and fetish gear.

Born on April 8: Jacques Brel, singer, songwriter (1929); Roger Chapman, Family (1942); Steve Howe, Yes (1947); Mel Schacher, bass, ? and the Mysterians, Grand Funk Railroad (1951); Izzy Stradlin, Guns & Roses (1962); Julian Lennon (1963)

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Today in Rock History – February 6

February 6, 2020 by Mitch Michaels

1958, George Harrison joined Liverpool group The Quarrymen. The group, who were named after Lennon’s school, featured John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Len Garry, Eric Griffiths and John Lowe.

1965, The Righteous Brothers started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with the Phil Spector produced “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.” The song was also number one in the UK.

1965, Rolling Stones II supplanted Beatles for Sale out of the top spot on the UK Record Retailer chart.

1966, The Who played at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, Merseyside, England.

1967, Pink Floyd were photographed for the weekly British girls magazine Jackie. The magazine was the best-selling teen magazine in Britain for ten years. The best-ever selling issue was the 1972 special edition to coincide with the UK tour of American singer David Cassidy.

1969, The Grateful Dead and Iron Butterfly performed at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri.

1969, Doors singer Jim Morrison was arrested for drunk driving and driving with no license in Los Angeles, California.

1970, Eric Clapton played the first of two nights at The Fillmore East in New York City.

1970, Jack Bruce, Zephyr, and White Clover appeared at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1970, Apple Records releases the John Lennon solo single “Instant Karma” in the U.K.

1972, The Skriven av: MarkusAtt plocka russinen ur kakan ar en metod som Vinnarum casino upphojt till skon konst. Allman Brothers Band performed at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina.

1973, Traffic played at Cobo Arena, Detroit.

1975, Led Zeppelin appeared at the Montreal Forum, Montreal. Outside the arena, a police riot squad stood by ready to avoid a repeat performance of a riot which marked the visit of the Rolling Stones in the summer of 1972. However, there were no incidents. Tickets cost $7.50 (Canadian)

1976, T Rex appeared at St Albans City Hall during a 15 date UK tour.

1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd played at the Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England.

1979, Tommy opens as a musical in London’s West End. The script is based on the screenplay to the film written by Pete Townshend and Ken Russell. Chris Welch in Melody Maker gives it a positive review although he finds much of the story pretentious. Variety pans the production. It closes after 118 performances.

1979, Heart performed at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi.

1981, Composer Hugo Montenegro died in California. Had the 1968 number one single “The Good The Bad And The Ugly” from the soundtrack to the Clint Eastwood spaghetti western film. He worked for RCA records, producing a series of albums and soundtracks and television themes, including two volumes of Music From The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

1981, According to the New York Post, the surviving Beatles will record a new album as a tribute to John Lennon. But it’s another false alarm brought on by Ringo Starr working with Paul McCartney on the latter’s Tug of War sessions

1982, Kraftwerk were at number one on the UK singles chart with “The Model / Computer Love,” the first German act to score a UK number one single. The single spent 21 weeks on the UK chart.

1982, The J Geils Band started a six week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Centerfold,” the band’s only US number chart topper, and a number three hit in the UK. The band’s album Freeze – Frame started a four-week run at number one on the US album chart on the same day.

1994, Nirvana embarks on their final tour of Europe

1998, American singer and guitarist Carl Wilson from The Beach Boys died aged 51 after a long battle with lung cancer. Wilson was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer in early 1997. He sang lead vocal on “God Only Knows,” “Good Vibrations,” and “I Can Hear Music.” Wilson sang backing vocals on Elton John’s “Don”t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.”

2005, Paul McCartney performs a 12-minute set of Beatles classics, as well as his own “Live and Let Die,” during the halftime show at the Super Bowl.

2011, Irish guitarist and singer Gary Moore died in his sleep of a heart attack in his hotel room while on vacation in Estepona, Spain. Moore had been a member of Skid Row, Thin Lizzy, and Colosseum II, before going solo, scoring the 1979 UK number eight single “Parisienne Walkways.”

Born on February 6: John London, session bass player (1942); Bob Marley (1945); Richie Hayward, Little Feat (1946); Natalie Cole (1950); Huw Lloyd-Langton, guitarist Hawkwind (1951); Simon Phillips, drummer, Toto, Michael Shenker Band (1957); Axl Rose (1962)

Main Page: Today in Rock History

Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “It’s Been A Long Long Time” by Bing Crosby – Memorial Day Special

January 18, 2020 by Eric Berman

As our boys came home from World War II, they were welcomed back with this number one hit from 1945 that perfectly captured the sentiments of those who remained home while their loved ones were away.

It’s a perfect record in every way. You’d be hard pressed to find a better vocalist than Crosby to deliver these hopeful, romantic lyrics in a croon that is both smooth and warm. Meanwhile, the lilting melody expertly supplied by Jule Styne effortlessly supports the lyrics written by Sammy Cahn that spoke to millions of couples who had been separated by the war.

However, it’s the lyrical guitar playing of Les Paul that steals the show, with a tone as smooth and genial as Crosby’s croon. His licks are the epitome of tasteful and never overpower the proceedings, while the rest of the Les Paul Trio, featuring Jim Atkins (half-brother of Chet Atkins) on rhythm guitar and Ernie “Darius” Newton on bass, add the perfect support.

The song was also a number one recording for Harry James and his Orchestra with Kitty Kallen on vocals in 1945, and a chart hit for Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra with Irene Daye on vocals.

It’s been covered dozens of times by the likes of Stan Kenton with June Christy, Sammy Kaye, Perry Como, Peggy Lee, Keely Smith, Louis Armstrong, Al Hibbler, Guy Mitchell, Frank Sinatra, The Ink Spots, Rosemary Clooney, Brook Benton, Tom Jones and many others. Les Paul revisited the song several times throughout his career, cutting a version with his wife Mary Ford in the 1950s, and nearly 30 years later another one with Chet Atkins on the Chester and Lester album.

This recording is the definition of timeless.

Today in Rock History – January 4

January 4, 2020 by Mitch Michaels

1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience played at the Bromel Club, Bromley, England. It was the first of what would be over 240 gigs in 1967, including many dates with two shows per night.

1967, The Doors released their self-titled debut album The Doors. Unique packaging of the album included each band member’s bio.

1968, The University of California, Los Angeles announced that students taking music degrees would have to study the music of The Rolling Stones, saying they had made such an important contribution to modern music.

1970, Chauffeur Neil Boland was accidentally killed when The Who’s drummer Keith Moon ran over him. Moon was trying to escape from a Gang of skinheads after a fight broke out at a pub in Hatfield, England. Moon had never passed his driving test.

1970, The Beatles, minus John Lennon, re-record vocals and a new guitar solo on the Paul McCartney song “Let It Be” at Studio Two, EMI Studios, London. This session will be the final studio appearance for The Beatles, as a group. The final date that all four of The Beatles were in the studio together was August 20, 1969.

1971, Soft Machine performed at Fairfield Hall, Croydon, England.

1971, At London’s Abbey Road studios, Pink Floyd begin sessions for Meddle, the follow-up to their 1970 album Atom Heart Mother. The same month director Stanley Kubrick asks the band if he can use Atom Heart Mother as the soundtrack for his movie A Clockwork Orange. The band say no.

1973, Roxy Music appeared at My Mother’s Place, Washington, DC.

1973, Rolling Stone magazine announces that The Allman Brothers Band has hired Lamar Williams as the replacement for Berry Oakley, who died in a motorcycle crash in 1972.

1974, Bruce Springsteen played the first of a three night run at Joes’ Place in Cambridge Massachusetts. Supported by Peter Johnson & The Manic Depressives. On the ticket it stated: Because of the energy crisis all our outside lights except for one will be shut off.

1975, Elton John started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with his cover of The Beatles “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.” It was his third US chart topper, and featured John Lennon on guitar.

1976, Blue Oyster Cult appeared at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1977, The Sex Pistols shocked passengers and airline staff at Heathrow Airport when they spat and vomited boarding a plane to Amsterdam.

1978, Rush performed at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Columbus, Ohio.

1980, ZZ Top played at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, Texas.

1981, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Capitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey.

1983, Aerosmith performed at the Neal S. Blasidell Center Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii.

1986, Irish singer, songwriter and bassist Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy died of heart failure and pneumonia due to septicaemia after being in a coma for eight days, following a drug overdose on December 25th. A life-size bronze statue of Phil Lynott was unveiled on Harry Street in Dublin in 2005.

2005, The owner of a recording studio where Eminem recorded his Slim Shady LP was found shot dead. AJ Abdallah, who was 36, was discovered by a business colleague at the Detroit studio, it was thought he had been dead for at least two days. Police suggested that a robbery may also have taken place. Mr Abdallah had lived in a apartment above the studio on Eight Mile Road, the Detroit street which inspired the title of Eminem’s 2002 film 8 Mile.

2006, The house where Johnny Cash lived for 35 years was bought by Bee Gees singer Barry Gibb. The rustic house near Nashville, Tennessee went on the market in June 2005 with an asking price of $2.9 million (£1.7m). Gibb said he planned to preserve the house to honor the Cash memory. Unfortunately, in April 2007, the house burned to the ground. Gibb was having the house renovated when a flammable spray sealer caused fire to break out during construction.

2008, Beyonce won a long-running legal wrangle over claims her hit song “Baby Boy” infringed the copyright of another artist’s work. The appeals court in Houston, Texas upheld a 2006 decision which dismissed musician Jennifer Armour’s claims that its lyrics were based on her work. Armour claimed she had sent “I Got A Little Bit Of Love For You” to Beyonce’s manager and record company in early 2003.

2011, Scottish singer songwriter Gerry Rafferty died aged 63 after a long illness. Rafferty had been a member of Stealers Wheel, who had the 1973 US number three and UK number eight single “Stuck In The Middle With You” and had the solo 1978 UK number three and US number two single “Baker Street.”

Born on January 4: John McLaughlin, the Graham Bond Organisation, Alexis Korner, Mahavishnu Orchestra (1942); Bernard Sumner, guitar, vocals, Warsaw, Joy Division (1956); Nels Cline, guitar, Wilco (1956); Michael Stipe, R.E.M. (1960); Martin Mcaloon, bass, Prefab Sprout (1962); Robin Guthrie, guitar, keyboards, programming, Cocteau Twins (1962); Till Lindemann poet, vocalist, Rammstein (1962); Beth Gibbons, vocals, Portishead (1965); Cait O’Riordan, bass, The Pogues (1965); Ben Darvill, harmonica, Crash Test Dummies (1967)

Link to Today in Rock History archive.

Song Of The Day – “It’s Been A Long Long Time” by Bing Crosby

October 15, 2019 by Eric Berman

As our boys came home from World War II, they were welcomed back with this number one hit from 1945 that perfectly captured the sentiments of those who remained home while their loved ones were away.

The song was also a number one recording for Harry James and his Orchestra with Kitty Kallen on vocals in 1945, and a chart hit for Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra with Irene Daye on vocals.

This recording is the definition of timeless.

Today in Rock History – August 20

August 20, 2019 by Steve Leventhal

1965, The Rolling Stones’ manager Andrew Loog Oldham and his partner Tony Calder launched Immediate records. Their first release was The McCoy’s “Hang On Sloopy.” Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton and Nico all attended the launch party. The label became the home of The Small Faces, The Nice, Amen Corner and Chris Farlowe and a young producer, guitarist Jimmy Page.

1966, The Beatles, touring America for the last time, were forced to cancel and reschedule their performance in Cincinnati’s open-air stadium, Crosley Field. Heavy rain (and no cover provided) made electrocution a virtual certainty if The Beatles had attempted to perform.

1968, The University of Tennessee reported that a guinea pig subjected to days of rock music played at 120 decibels had suffered acute hearing damage.

1969, After finishing “I Want You, (She’s So Heavy,”) The Beatles worked on the running order for the Abbey Road album. A preliminary master tape was compiled, the medley was originally slated for side one of the album, and the placement of “Octopus’s Garden” and “Oh! Darling” were reversed from the final version. The album was to end with the slashed guitar chord that finishes “I Want You (She’s So Heavy”). This was the last time all four Beatles were together in Abbey Road studios.

1969, Led Zeppelin appeared at The Aerodrome in Schenectady, New York.

1970, Deep Purple performed at the Terrace Ballroom in Salt Lake City, Utah.

1971, On the second night of a North American tour, Led Zeppelin appeared at the Seattle Centre Coliseum, Seattle, Washington.

1971, Ten Years After and Procol Harum appear at The Forum in Montreal, Quebec.

1972, The Grateful Dead play at the Civic Auditorium in San Jose, California.

1972, Mahavishnu Orchestra appeared at the Montreux Pavillion, Montreux, Switzerland.

1972, David Bowie performed at the Rainbow Theatre in London.

1973, Bruce Springsteen played the first of a seven night run at Oliver’s in Boston, Massachusetts playing two 60-minute sets each night.

1974, REO Speedwagon, Elvin Bishop and the Allman Brothers Band play at Bosse Park in Evansville, Illinois.

1976, Yes performed at the Sports Arena, Toledo, Ohio.

1977, The Emotions started a five week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with “Best Of My Love.” It made it to No.4 in the UK.

1977, Rush plays at the Music Hall, Houston, Texas.

1979, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Stanley Theater, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1980, During a North American tour, Queen appeared at the Civic Centre, Hartford, Connecticut.

1980, John Lennon began recording his final album, ‘Double Fantasy’. It would be released on November 17th by the newly-formed Geffen Records and would win the 1982 Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

1981, Blue Oyster Cult played at Queensway Hall, Dunstable, England.

1982, King Crimson and Roxy Music appeared at Belenenes, Lisbon, Portugal.

1983, Madness, Joan Jett, The Police and R.E.M. all appeared at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia.

1986, Rick Allen drummer with Def Leppard made his first live appearance with the band after losing an arm in a car accident, when they appeared at the Monsters Of Rock Festival, Castle Donington, England.

1988, Steve Winwood went to No.1 on the US album chart with his fifth solo album Roll With It. The title cut also topped the US singles charts.

1988, Iron Maiden, Kiss, David Lee Roth, Megadeth, Guns N’ Roses and Helloween all appeared at the Monsters Of Rock Festival, Castle Donington, England. Two rock fans died while slam dancing as Guns N’ Roses played.

1990, Aerosmith appeared at the Marquee Club London. Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page joined the band on stage for a blues jam.

1991, Nirvana and Sonic Youth kicked off a joint European tour at Sir Henry’s Pub, Cork, Ireland.

2006, The Rolling Stones played the first of two nights at Twickenham Stadium on their A Bigger Bang world tour. Feeder and The Charlatans also appeared.

2007, The funeral of Manchester music mogul and broadcaster, Tony Wilson was held at St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Manchester. Peter Hook and Stephen Morris, two members of first Factory signing Joy Division, as well as a later band, New Order, attended along with Happy Mondays front man, Shaun Ryder.

Born on August 20: Jim Reeves, US country singer (1924); Dave Brock, Hawkwind (1941), Isaac Hayes (1942); James Pankow, Trombone, Chicago (1947); Robert Plant (1948); and Phil Lynott Irish singer, songwriter, bass player, Thin Lizzy (1949)