Paul Simon

Today in Rock History – January 31

January 31, 2020 by Mitch Michaels

1964, Sales figures show that the Beatles’ “She Loves You” has sold 1.3 million copies in England, while “I Want to Hold Your Hand” has sold 1.5 million.

1967, The Beatles spent a second day at Knole Park, Sevenoaks, Kent, England to complete filming for the ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ promotional video. The film was shot in color, for the benefit of the US market, since UK television was still broadcasting only in black and white. Taking time out from filming John Lennon bought a 1843 poster from an antiques shop in Surrey which provided him with most the lyrics for The Beatles song “Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite.”

1968, The Who performed at Town Hall in Wellington, New Zealand.

1969, Organist and singer Billy Preston signs with Apple.

1969, Led Zeppelin played the first of two nights at The Fillmore East, New York City during the band’s first North American tour. Porter’s Popular Preachers opened the night, then Led Zeppelin took the stage. It is alleged that Zeppelin’s show was so powerful and got such an enthusiastic audience that headliners Iron Butterfly refused to follow them.

1970, The Grateful Dead played at The Warehouse in New Orleans. That venue opened the night before. The band’s arrest that weekend for drug possession was chronicled in their song, “Truckin.”

1970, American blues musician Slim Harpo died of a heart attack while recording in London aged 46. Had the 1966 US number 16 single ‘Baby Scratch My Back’. The Rolling Stones, Pretty Things, Yardbirds and Them all covered his songs.

1970, The Jackson Five went to number one on the singles chart with ‘I Want You Back’. The song was originally written for Gladys Knight & The Pips and was the first of four chart toppers for the group.

1971, Genesis appeared at City Hall, Newcastle, England.

1972, Yes played at Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England.

1974, Bob Dylan performed at Madison Square Garden, New York.

1975, Led Zeppelin played at Olympia Stadium, Detroit.

1976, Abba knocked Queen from the number one position on the UK singles chart with “Mamma Mia.” Queen’s single “Bohemian Rhapsody” had enjoyed a nine week run at the top of the charts.

1976, The Ohio Players are Number one on the US charts with “Love Rollercoaster.”

1977, Aerosmith headlined at the famous Budokan in Tokyo.

1978, Talking Heads made their UK TV debut on the The Old Grey Whistle Test.

1978, Greg Herbert, saxophone player with Blood Sweat & Tears died of an accidental drug overdose in Amsterdam, Holland aged 30. Blood, Sweat & Tears won a Grammy Award in 1969 for Album of the Year.

1980, Bob Dylan appeared at the Orpheum Theater in Memphis, Tennessee.

1981, Blondie went to No.1 on the US singles hart with “The Tide Is High,” the group’s third US No.1, also a No.1 in the UK.

1984, Blue Oyster Cult played at Hall Polyvalent, Schifflange, Luxembourg.

1987, Paul Simon went back to number one on the UK album chart with Graceland, the album stayed on the chart for a total 101 weeks. Graceland later won the 1987 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, while the title song won the 1988 Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

2009, Dewey Martin, drummer with The Dillards and Buffalo Springfield, died aged 68. The Canadian musician had worked with The Monkees as well.

Born on January 31: Terry Kath, Chicago (1946) Harry Wayne Casey, KC and the Sunshine Band and Phil Manzanera, Roxy Music (1951); Johnny Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten 1956); Lloyd Cole (1961); Jeff Hanneman, guitarist, Slayer (1964); and Justin Timberlake (1981)

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Today in Rock History – December 6

December 6, 2019 by Mitch Michaels

1962, During sessions for the Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan album, Dylan recorded “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” and versions of “Hero Blues,” “Whatcha Gonna Do,” “Oxford Town,” and “I Shall Be Free,” at Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios in New York City.

1964, The film Ferry Cross The Mersey premiered in London. Featuring Gerry And The Pacemakers, Cilla Black and other Liverpool acts. It was written by Tony Warren, creator of the UK’s longest running TV soap Coronation Street.

1965, The Rolling Stones record “19th Nervous Breakdown” and “Mother’s Little Helper” at RCA’s Hollywood Studios in Los Angeles.

1966, The Beatles recorded Christmas and New Year’s greetings for pirate radio stations Radio Caroline and Radio London. Both stations were broadcasting from ships anchored off the British coastline.

1968, Canned Heat played at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan.

1969, Led Zeppelin made their debut on the singles chart with “Whole Lotta Love.” It went on to reach number four on the chart and was the first of six Top 40 singles for the group.

1969, One hit wonders Steam started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.” The song was actually recorded by Gary De Carlo, who intended it to be the “B” side of his first single.

1969, The Rolling Stones played a free festival at Altamont in California, along with Jefferson Airplane, Santana, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Crosby Stills Nash & Young. While the group played, Stones fan Meredith Hunter was stabbed to death by Hell’s Angels who’d been hired to police the event. It’s claimed Hunter was waving a revolver. One other man drowned, two men were killed by in a hit-and run accident and two babies were born.

1970, The Who appeared at Scene Two, Scarborough, York, England.

1971, King Crimson performed at the Ritz Theater, New York.

1972, While reading the morning newspaper in Nice, France, The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards was surprised to learn that arrest warrants had been issued for him and his girlfriend, Anita Pallenberg for drug possession.

1973, Yes played at The Apollo, in Glasgow, Scotland.

1973, The Who play at The Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, a suburb of Washington D.C. This show is also recorded by The King Biscuit Flower Hour and remains in their vaults although it is never broadcast. The photograph used for the poster insert in the Odds and Sods album is taken at this show.

1974, George Harrison performed at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto.

1975, Paul Simon went to number one on the album chart with Still Crazy After All These Years, his first chart topping solo album.

1976, Lynyrd Skynyrd appeared at Ford Auditorium, Detroit, Michigan.

1978, Sex Pistol Sid Vicious smashed a glass in the face of Patti Smith’s brother Todd Smith during a fight at New York City club Hurrah.

1979, The Outlaws played at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1981, The Grateful Dead appeared at the Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois.

1981, The Allman Brothers Band performed at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

1982, Aerosmith appeared at Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York.

1988, American singer-songwriter Roy Orbison died of a heart attack aged 52. Scored the 1964 number one single “Pretty Woman,”plus over twenty Top 40 singles including “Only the Lonely” and “Crying.” Formed his first band The Wink Westerners in 1949, was a member of The Traveling Wilburys (known as Lefty Wilbury) with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty, and had the single “Handle With Care.” Orbison endured a great deal of tragedy in his life. His first wife, Claudette died in a motorcycle accident in 1966 and two of his three sons, died in a house fire.

1994, Tower Records released The Beatles’ Live At The BBC, a 69 track, double album of tunes recorded for BBC shows such as Top Gear, Easy Beat, Saturday Club and Pop Go The Beatles. The LP rose straight to the top of the UK chart, selling over 600,000 copies by the end of the year and 2,000,000 in the US four weeks later.

2003, Elvis Costello married jazz artist Diana Krall in a ceremony at Elton John’s UK mansion. About 150 guests, including Sir Paul McCartney, attended the wedding. It was Costello’s third marriage.

Born on December 6: Dave Brubeck (1920); Miroslav Vitous, Weather Report, (1947); Peter Buck, REM (1956); and David Lovering, drums, Pixies (1961)

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Today in Rock History – November 20

November 20, 2019 by Mitch Michaels

1967, Strawberry Alarm Clock were at number one on the singles chart with “Incense And Peppermints.”

1967, The Beach Boys release the Smiley Smile, the follow-up to Pet Sounds. This avant-garde album fails was not warmly received by critics, and failed to chart, despite boasting the singles “Heroes and Villains” and “Good Vibrations.” It has subsequently achieved much more respect over time.

1968, Mike Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites are approached by Albert Grossman to help the newly solo Janis Joplin put together her own band.

1968, The Monkees film Head opened in six cities. Reviews were harsh and the picture was a box office disaster.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Boston Tea Party, Boston.

1970, Pink Floyd made their first ever appearance in Cincinnati, Ohio, when they played at Taft Auditorium.

1970, Derek and the Dominoes performed at the Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California.

1971, Isaac Hayes started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with “Theme From Shaft” Hayes won a Grammy award for Best Original Film Score.

1971, Led Zeppelin play the first of two “Electric Magic” shows at London’s Wembley Empire Pool. The shows incorporate trapeze artists, performing pigs, and vaudeville performers with Bronco, Stone the Crows, and the headliners. Tickets for the shows sold out in four minutes.

1971, The Grateful Dead played at Pauley Pavillion, on the UCLA campus, in Westwood, California.

1971, Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy, released at the end of October, hits the US charts. The album, considered by many to be the best-ever Who compilation, is released just as The Who cross over the five-year mark during which five percent of The Who’s record royalties had to be paid to their first producer Shel Talmy as a result of his 1966 lawsuit. Many of the singles, so familiar to The Who’s British and European fans, are heard first here by most U.S. Who fans. The album peaks at number eleven.

1971, The Who open their second 1971 the tour at the Charlotte Coliseum, in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are the first rock act to sell out this venue. Keith greets the crowd, “It’s nice to see so many people in Charlotte. I didn’t know there WAS this many people in Charlotte!” The pre-recorded tapes mess up and Pete almost drags Bobby Pridden over the amplifiers.

1972, David Bowie appeared at Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee.

1972, Yes played at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York.

1973, American musician, parodist, satirist Allan Sherman died of emphysema ten days before his 49th birthday. He had the 1963 US number two and UK number 14 single “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah.”

1973, Neil Young played at the Auditorium Theatre, Chicago.

1974, Keith Moon, drummer with The Who, collapsed during a concert after his drink was spiked with horse tranquilizer. 19 year-old Scott Halpin who was in the audience, volunteered to replace him on drums for the remaining three numbers.

1975, Les McKeown of The Bay City Rollers was found not guilty of causing the death of a 76 year old woman that he had hit with his car the previous May. Witnesses said that Euphemia Clunie was walking across the road and had changed directions four times. McKeown was convicted of driving recklessly and fined £150 ($240) and banned from driving for a year.

1975, The Who kicked off a month-long North American tour at The Summit in Houston. At a party afterwards drummer Keith Moon was arrested for disorderly conduct and spent the night in jail.

1976, Paul Simon hosted NBC’s Saturday Night Live where he performed live with George Harrison on “Here Comes The Sun” and “Homeward Bound.” Paul McCartney and John Lennon were both in New York City watching the show on TV.

1977, Aerosmith performed at McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado.

1978, Boston played at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1978, Rush performed at the Tucson Convention Center Arena, Tucson, Arizona.

1979, ZZ Top appeared at the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum, Shreveport, Louisiana.

1980, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band played at the Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois.

1981, Prince played the first night on his 56-date North American Controversy tour at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1982, Van Halen appeared at the Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas.

1984, A large crowd of fans watched the unveiling of a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star for Michael Jackson in front of Mann’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. Jackson became star number 1,793 on the famed walk.

1985, The Grateful Dead performed at Henry J. Kiser Convention Center in Oakland, California.

1991, The Rolling Stones announced they’d signed a £20 ($32) million deal with Virgin Records, to make three albums over six years.

2005, Robbie Williams smashed a Guinness World Record by selling more than 1.6 million tickets for his 2006 World Tour in one day. The tickets, snapped up on the first day of sale, were valued at an estimated £80 ($128) million.

2007, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke admitted he was among the thousands of people who paid nothing to download the band’s latest album In Rainbows. Speaking to BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq, Yorke said, “There wasn’t any point. I just move some money from one pocket to the other.” According to one survey, three in five people paid nothing at all for it. Yorke added that no one was allowed to have copies of the master recording in case it was leaked beforehand.

Born on November 20: Norman Greenbaum (1942); Duane Allman (1946); Joe Walsh (1947); Jim Brown, drums, UB40 (1957); Mike Diamond, The Beastie Boys (1965); Jared Followill, bassist, Kings Of Leon (1986)

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Here’s some classic Duane Allman…

Today in Rock History – November 19

November 19, 2019 by Mitch Michaels

1964, The Supremes became the first all girl group to have a UK chart topping single when “Baby Love” went to the top of the charts.

1965, David Bowie and the Lower 3rd appeared at The Marquee Club, London.

1965, The Kinks, The Who, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, The Hollies, Wilson Pickett and The Golden Apples Of The Sun all appeared at the Glad Rag Ball, Wembley Empire Pool, London. Wembley Pool seats 10,000 and is the biggest venue The Who had yet played. However, they are forced to use the communal amplifiers and Roger Daltrey storms off in mid act demanding The Who’s amps be installed. The rest of the band perform instrumentals while Roger gets pelted with vegetables. Finally The Who’s amps are brought on and Roger returns to the mike.

1965, The Doors appeared at Hughes Aircraft Union Dance in Los Angeles, California.

1966, The Supremes started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “You Keep Me Hanging On,” the group’s seventh US chart topper. It made it to number eight in the UK. It was a top ten hit in the US for Vanilla Fudge in 1967.

1967, The Beach Boys played at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC.

1967, The Bee Gees, The Flowerpot Men and The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band all appeared at the Saville Theatre, London, England.

1967, Pink Floyd appears at the Coventry Theater in Coventry, England.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Boston Tea Party, Boston, Massachusetts.

1971, Yes performed at William and Mary Memorial Hall, Williamsburg, Virginia.

1972, The Grateful Dead play the Hofheinz Pavilion at the University of Houston.

1973, Led Zeppelin begin sessions for their sixth album by recording a demo called “Driving to Kashmir.” The song title would later be shortened to just plain “Kashmir.” The sessions break up when John Paul Jones threatens to leave the band to become a choirmaster.

1974, David Bowie’s Philly Dogs tour stops at the Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1975, Aerosmith plays at Lantz Arena, Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

1976, UK music weekly Sounds made The Sex Pistols debut 45 “Anarchy In The UK,” its single of the week.

1976, George Harrison and Paul Simon are taped for a sketch on Saturday Night Live.

1977, Rush perform at War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, New York.

1978, Eric Clapton appears at Vorst Nationaal, Brussels, Belgium.

1979, Bob Dylan plays at the Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California.

1981, Black Sabbath performs at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto.

1982, Led Zeppelin release their ninth and last studio album, Coda. It is a collection of unused tracks from various sessions during the band’s twelve-year career. It was released two years after the group had officially disbanded following the death of drummer John Bonham. The collection goes to number six in the US and four on the UK charts.

1983, Tom Evans from Badfinger committed suicide by hanging himself in his back garden from a willow tree. Family members said the singer, songwriter was never able to get over his former bandmate Pete Ham’s suicide. Evans co-wrote “Without You,” a hit for both Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey.

1983, Tina Turner made her first chart appearance in over ten years with her version of the Al Green hit “Let’s Stay Together.”

1988, Bon Jovi started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Bad Medicine,” the lead single from the band’s album New Jersey, It became the group’s third US chart topper, and a number 17 hit in the UK.

1994, Crosby Stills & Nash member David Crosby had a successful liver transplant operation. Crosby’s liver was deteriorated from extensive alcohol and drug abuse, as well as hepatitis-C.

2000, The Beatles started an eleven-week run at number one on the UK album chart with The Beatles 1. The album was produced by George Martin, and features virtually every number-one single released from 1962 to 1970. Issued on the 30th anniversary of the band’s break-up, it was their first compilation available on one CD. The world’s best-selling album of the 21st century, 1 has sold over 31 million copies, and topped album charts virtually worldwide.

2003, English bassist player Greg Ridley died from pneumonia. He was a member of the VIP’s with Keith Emerson, Spooky Tooth, and Humble Pie who had the 1969 UK number four single “Natural Born Bugie.” He formed Strange Brew with Clem Clempson and Cozy Powell.

2004, Record producer Terry Melcher, who was behind hits by the Byrds, Ry Cooder and the Beach Boys, died aged 62 after a long battle with skin cancer. He was the son of actress Doris Day, and co-wrote “Kokomo” for the Beach Boys. Melcher also produced “Mr Tambourine Man” for the Byrds, as well as hits for The Mamas and the Papas.

2006, A guitar played by George Harrison was set to fetch more than £100,000 ($160,000) at a London auction. The Maton MS500 guitar was used on The Beatles first album.

2012, Two farmers were found not guilty of health and safety offences after a giant hay bale crushed former ELO cellist Mike Edwards to death. He was killed instantly when the 600 kg (1320 pound) bale rolled down a field and landed on his van near Totnes in Devon in September 2010. In March 2011 in Plymouth an inquest jury returned a verdict of accidental death on Mr Edwards.

Born on this November 19: Dave Guard, Kingston Trio (1934); Ray Collins, Mothers of Invention (1937); Eddie Rayner, keyboards, Split Enz (1941); Fred Lipsius, sax, Blood, Sweat & Tears (1943); Joe Correro, Paul Revere and the Raiders (1946); Matt Sorum, drummer, The Cult, Guns N’ Roses, Slash’s Snakepit, Velvet Revolver (1960)

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Song of the Day – Armistice Day by Paul Simon

November 11, 2019 by Steve Leventhal

Armistice Day can be found on Paul Simon’s eponymous release from 1972. It’s not his first solo album. The Paul Simon Songbook was released in London in August 1965, before fame. However, this was his first solo project after splitting with Art Garfunkel. It hit the streets in January 1972 nearly a year after all the material was recorded from January to March of 1971.

It was recorded in New York, San Francisco, Paris, and Kingston, Jamaica.

The album is notable for “Mother and Child Reunion”, as well as “Me and Julio Down By The School Yard.” All the tracks on the album are quite good, especially “Duncan” and “Peace Like A River” are some of the great hidden gems. Also this little nugget whose title pays homage to the holiday commemorating the end of World War One.

“Well, “Armistice Day” is an old song, written in 1968 – the first part of it was. That song mainly meant, let’s have a truce. I chose the title because it’s not even called Armistice Day anymore, it’s called Veteran’s Day. Armistice Day is like an old name, and I didn’t really mean it to be specifically about the war. I just meant that I’m worn out from all this fighting, from all the abuse that people are giving each other and creating for each other.”
-Paul Simon according to unmask.us/

Song Of The Day – “Dancin’ Wild” by Tom & Jerry

October 13, 2019 by Eric Berman

Before “The Boy In The Bubble” and “Graceland”…before “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” and “Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard”…and before “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Sound Of Silence,” there was “Hey Schoolgirl” and a multitude of early recordings by the likes of Tom & Jerry, Jerry Landis, Tommy Graph, Artie Garr, True Taylor, The Mystics and Tico And The Triumphs. No matter what name they recorded under they were still two teenagers named Art and Paul, and when their voices blended, they were undeniably Simon & Garfunkel.

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were childhood friends who grew up living three blocks from each other in Kew Gardens, Queens, New York. They met in elementary school in 1953 and attended Parsons Junior High School and Forest Hills High School together.

Inspired by their heroes, The Everly Brothers, they began recording as Tom & Jerry in 1957, when they were 16 years old. Paul changed his name to Jerry Landis (taking the last name from a girl he’d been dating) and Art became Tommy Graph (taking his last name from his propensity to graph the hits on the weekly pop charts.)

Their first professional recording was the Paul Simon original, “Hey Schoolgirl,” backed with today’s Song Of The Day, “Dancin’ Wild,” which they recorded for Sid Prosen’s Big Record label. The single climbed up to #49 on the charts on the strength of its A-side, and sold 100,000 copies. Despite an appearance on American Bandstand, subsequent recordings for MGM, Warwick and Laurie Records, under various names, failed to chart. After high school, Simon attended Queens College and Garfunkel went to Columbia University.

Between 1957 and 1963, Simon and Garfunkel continued to write and record songs around The Brill Building. In early 1964 they were signed to Columbia records by Clive Davis, and recorded their debut album Wednesday Morning 3AM. The record didn’t sell well, so Simon took off to England to try his luck at a solo career. He recorded his first album, The Paul Simon Story, which was a UK only release that wouldn’t see a U.S. release until 2004.

While Simon was in England playing cafes and writing songs like “Cathy’s Song” and “Homeward Bound” for his girlfriend, Garfunkel continued with his studies. Meanwhile radio stations began to get requests for the Simon & Garfunkel album track, “The Sound Of Silence,” from their debut album. Producer, Tom Wilson was having success with early folk-rock recordings by The Byrds, so he overdubbed the track with electric guitar, bass, and drums and released it as a single. The recording became Simon & Garfunkel’s first number one hit, and the rest, as they say, is history.

My first came contact with the early Tom & Jerry recordings was from a “Simon & Garfunkel” album released by Pickwick Records back in the mid-1960s. My parents purchased it for me thinking it was one of their real releases, only for us to all be disappointed by the early rock ‘n’ roll recordings we heard on the record. Over time, I’ve come to appreciate the innocence of these recordings and their unique place in music history.

Last year, Jasmine Records in England released the compilation Two Teenagers featuring the duo’s complete recordings from 1957 through 1961.

Today in Rock History – August 15

August 15, 2019 by Mitch Michaels

1965, The Beatles set a new world record for the largest attendance at a pop concert when they played in front of 55,600 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City. Also on the bill were Brenda Holloway, The King Curtis Band, The Young Rascals and Sounds Incorporated. The Beatles were paid $160,000 for the show. The set list: Twist and Shout, She’s a Woman, I Feel Fine, Dizzy Miss Lizzie, Ticket to Ride, Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby, Can’t Buy Me Love, Baby’s In Black, Act Naturally, I Wanna Be Your Man, A Hard Day’s Night, Help!, and I’m Down. Two members of the Rolling Stones were among the audience, Mick Jagger and Keith Richard. Later that evening, Bob Dylan visited The Beatles at their hotel.

1966, During a US tour The Beatles appeared at the D.C. Stadium in Washington DC to over 32,000 fans. Tickets cost $3. Five members of the Ku Klux Klan, led by the Imperial Wizard of Maryland, picketed the concert.

1967, Jimi Hendrix performed at Fifth Dimension in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

1967, Fleetwood Mac appeared at the Marquee Club London, England.

1968, The Who headlined at the Fillmore West in San Francisco.

1968, Herman’s Hermits played at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

1969, During a North American tour, Led Zeppelin appeared at the Hemisfair Arena in San Antonio. Jethro Tull and Sweet Smoke were also on the bill. During the show Zeppelin received abuse from locals due to the length of their hair.

1969, Woodstock Festival was held on Max Yasgur’s 600 acre farm in Bethel, New York, 109 miles north west of New York City. Attended by over 400,000 people, the event featured, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Santana, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Canned Heat, Joan Baez, Melanie, Ten Years After, Sly and the Family Stone, Johnny Winter, Jefferson Airplane, Ravi Shanker, Country Joe and the Fish, Blood Sweat and Tears, Arlo Guthrie, and Joe Cocker. During the three days there were three deaths, two births and four miscarriages. Joni Mitchell was booked to appear but had to pull out due to being booked for a TV show, and wrote the song “Woodstock.”

1970, Derek and the Dominoes appeared at Tofts Club, Folkestone, England.

1970, Melody Maker says “Make way for the Townshend brothers!” in an article about Pete Townshend recording his brothers Simon and Paul. Around this time, Pete buys a large American van he dubs “Maxine” which he drives everywhere. The van’s size, comfort and air-conditioning inspire Pete to imagine a heavily-polluted world where people travel and live in sealed vans. The idea sparks the song “Going Mobile” and becomes one of the ideas behind the Lifehouse project

1970, The New Haven Jaycees produced four summer “pop” concerts at the Yale Bowl in New Haven Connecticut. Led Zeppelin performs one of those shows on this date. Tickets were $5 and $6.50.

1971, The Who US tour stops at the Metropolitan Sports Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1971, Pink Floyd played at the Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Academy of Music, New York.

1971, The Grateful Dead played at the Community Theatre in Berkeley, California.

1972, Deep Purple appeared at the Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan, Osaka, Japan.

1974, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young performed at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.

1975, David Bowie’s single “Fame” is released and becomes his first US number one.

1975, Eric Clapton appeared at Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, California.

1976, Kansas played at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland.

1977, Yes performed at the Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island.

1979, The futuristic satire film Americathon premiered in Los Angeles featuring Meat Loaf. The soundtrack included songs by The Beach Boys, Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello.

1980, Van Halen played at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

1981, Diana Ross and Lionel Richie started a nine week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Endless Love,” a number seven in the UK. The song was the title from a film starring Brooke Shields.

1981, Billy Ryan, Jimmy Hall, Leon Russell, the Allman Brothers Band, Charlie Daniels Band, and Cheap Trick performed at Alabama Jam 2, held at Ladd Memorial Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

1982, Roxy Music played at the Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland.

1984, Simple Minds appeared at the Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan.

1986, ZZ Top performed at The Forum, Inglewood, California.

1987, Michael Jackson had his third UK No.1 with the single ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’, a duet with Siedah Garrett. It was originally intended to be a duet between Jackson and either Barbra Streisand or Whitney Houston. Session singer Siedah Garrett also worked with Madonna.

1991, Paul Simon played a free concert in New York’s Central Park before an audience of 750,000.

1992, Jamaican singer-song writer Jackie Edwards died. Edwards worked as a singer, songwriter for Island Records. He wrote both “Keep On Running”and “Somebody Help Me,” that became chart topping singles for The Spencer Davis Group as well as releasing his own albums.

1992, INXS went to number one on the UK album chart with Welcome To Whoever You Are, their first British chart topping album.

2002, A memorial to John Lennon was unveiled in the remote Scottish village of Durness, where Lennon had spent his holidays from age seven to fifteen. The lyrics from “In My Life” had been inscribed on three stones.

2007, Sixteen solo John Lennon albums were made available to download on iTunes for the first time. A deal was approved by the Yoko Ono following a lengthy legal battle between the band’s label Apple Corps and Apple.

2008, US record producer Jerry Wexler, who influenced the careers of singers including Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Bob Dylan, died at his home in Sarasota, Florida aged 91. Wexler produced the Aretha Franklin hit “Respect,” the Wilson Pickett song, “In the Midnight Hour,” and helped Bob Dylan win his first Grammy award by producing the 1979 album, Slow Train Coming. He also coined the term “rhythm and blues” while writing for Billboard magazine in the late 1940s.

Born on August 15: Bill Pinkney, The Drifters (1933); Bobby Helms, singer, guitar (1933); Pete York, Spencer David Group (1942); Tommy Aldridge, drums, Whitesnake (1950); Matt Johnson, singer, songwriter, The The (1961); David Welsh, guitarist, The Fray (1984); Ted Dwane, bass, Mumford & Sons (1984)

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4th Of July Playlist

July 4, 2019 by Eric Berman

4^th Of July Playlist

Here’s my own personal 4th Of July Playlist. I’m sure there are songs you feel deserving of such an endeavor. If so, add them and let me know…

Woody Guthrie: This Land Is Your Land http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaI5IRuS2aE
Ray Charles: America The Beautiful http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRUjr8EVgBg
The Beach Boys: Spirit Of America http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc0cvsSwvs0
Grateful Dead: U.S. Blues http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPBLfzTPCDc
Chicago: Saturday In The Park https://youtu.be/PLiMy4NaSKc
John Mellencamp: Pink Houses http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOfkpu6749w
Los Lobos: One Time One Night https://youtu.be/cjq4y9EFLMA
X: 4th Of July https://youtu.be/lhu807VUY24
Aimee Mann: 4th Of July https://youtu.be/vOYI85anqmQ
Bruce Springsteen: 4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) https://youtu.be/KgFHM8HMbWQ
Hair Original Cast: Don’t Put It Down https://youtu.be/_w2gyWE0M0k
West Side Story Original Soundtrack: America http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy6wo2wpT2k
David Bowie: Young Americans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFudBQcplj4
The Clash: I’m So Bored With The U.S.A. https://youtu.be/A13vj5vdlCU
Devo: Freedom Of Choice http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVGINIsLnqU
Neil Diamond: America http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3S7mlRYL-8
Paul Simon: American Tune http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE3kKUEY5WU
Johnny Cash: Ragged Old Flag http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbbGi3mTjCo
Jimi Hendrix: The Star Spangled Banner http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_3uHYd7pV0

Song Of the Day by Eric Berman – “Peace Like A River” by Paul Simon

June 20, 2019 by Eric Berman

Can you imagine signing up for a college course in songwriting, and showing up on the first day of class to find that your professor is none other than Paul Simon. Such was the reality for some lucky NYU students in 1971 including Maggie and Terre Roche of The Roches and Melissa Manchester. Teaching was just one of the endeavors Simon embarked upon after the demise of Simon & Garfunkel in 1970. He also began to do some travelling, both musical and physical, which led to his experimentation with Jamaican (“Mother And Child Reunion”) and Latin American sounds (“Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard” and “Duncan”). It all culminated in the release of his eponymous first post Simon & Garfunkel solo album in 1972. While the record included the two aforementioned chart hits, it also had its share of lesser known gems including “Run That Body Down,” “Everything Put Together Falls Apart,” “Paranoia Blues” and today’s Song Of The Day, “Peace Like A River” featuring Simon’s amazingly adept guitar work.

Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Born To Sing” by Van Morrison

June 4, 2019 by Eric Berman

I’m always fascinated by how the record companies approach the marketing of their legacy artists. To the record company, legacy artists are loss leaders, they have name value but don’t sell the number of records they used to. Many of these artists are either kept on their label’s roster for their marquee value, or they find themselves cutting distribution deals with independent labels like Concord Records to release their records. Paul McCartney and Paul Simon have recently gone down this route with their latest releases, and McCartney has gone as far as re-releasing his entire back catalog for the umpteenth time as well. I find it very telling which artists get the promotional bucks behind their releases versus those that don’t. For instance, the build up to Bob Dylan’s latest album “Tempest” went on for months, culminating in live streams a week before the release and a plethora of ways to purchase his new music, including one bundle that included a signature harmonica (for $119.99). With all the promotional muscle behind his release, Dylan only debuted on the charts at number three (roughly 110,000 in sales), a full two slots below the debut of his last record. Neil Young is deep into promotion for his second release this year, the forthcoming double-disc “Psychedelic Pill.” Neil recorded with Crazy Horse for the first time in seven years resulting in the “Americana” album earlier this year. Like that album, several tracks debuted with social media in the form of videos, well in advance of their release. While on tour, Neil has pretty much ignored the “Americana” album in favor of debuting many of the songs that will end up on “Pill.” Meanwhile, members of Crazy Horse hit the media trail giving interviews about the recording sessions of both albums. And just to ensure that your holiday gift giving will be Neil-filled, a biography “Waging Heavy Peace” and a concert film “Journeys” are also hitting the shelves this fall. The Rolling Stones seem hell-bent on milking every last dollar out of their 50th Anniversary with a book, a hits record and some concert dates. The band reconvened in the studio to record only two new songs. These songs will form the basis of their upcoming hits album called “Grrrr” that will be released in every which way to make you buy music you largely already own. There will be a single disc, double disc and multi-disc version released on CD and, of course, the obligatory over-priced multi-disc vinyl version. Since not much has happened on the charts for the band since their 40th anniversary hits album “Forty Licks,” you can pretty much count on shelling out your dough to buy songs you already own in order to get the two new songs. What will follow are a handful of live dates at two venues: one in Newark NJ and one across the pond at the O2 Arena in London. Top ticket price for the New Jersey show will cost some rich boomer $750.00. This brings us to Van Morrison, another legacy artist that stands about as tall as Dylan, Young, Simon, McCartney and The Stones. His awkwardly-titled new album “Born To Sing – No Plan B” has seemingly appeared with very little fanfare. The far more reclusive Morrison gave only one promotional interview behind the album to Mojo. While Van’s new release is largely a mixed bag, his singing is as committed as ever. It kind of makes me wonder why it is that Morrison’s new album hasn’t been met with the same fanfare and the five-star reviews of the rest of the lot?