The Four Tops

Today in Rock History – June 19

June 19, 2020 by Mitch Michaels

1965, The Who, Solomon Burke, Zoot Money, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Spencer Davis Group, Marianne Faithful, Long John Baldry, The Birds, (featuring a young Ronnie Wood), Dave Witting, and the Ray Martin Group all appeared at Uxbridge Blues Festival, England.

1965, The Four Tops went to number one on the singles chart with “I Can’t Help Myself.” Lead singer Levi Stubbs had not been satisfied with the recording session and was promised that he could do it again the following day, but no other session ever took place. The track that became a hit was just the second take of the song.

1966, “Paint It Black” by the Rolling Stones began its second week at number one on the American singles chart.

1967, Paul McCartney told The Daily Mirror that he had taken LSD four times during an interview with Life Magazine, Sir Paul stated that he didn’t regret that he’d spoken out and hoped that his fans would understand.

1968, The Rolling Stones scored their seventh number one single when “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” topped the charts. Keith Richards wrote in his autobiography that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards’ country house. They were awoken one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded, “Oh, that’s Jack – that’s jumpin’ Jack.”

1969, The Doors appeared at the PNE Garden Auditorium, Vancouver, Canada.

1971, Carole King started a five week run at number one on the singles chart with “It’s Too Late / I Feel The Earth Move.” Both songs were from her Tapestry album.

1973, Edgar Winter’s US number one hit “Frankenstein” was awarded a Gold record. Winter named the song because of how many cuts and patches were contained in the original studio tape.

1973, The Rocky Horror Show, starring Tim Curry, opens at a London theater.

1973, Pink Floyd performed at the Civic Center Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The set list: Obscured By Clouds / When You’re In / Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun / Careful With that Axe, Eugene / Echoes. // Second set: The Dark Side of the Moon/ encore: One of These Days.

1974, The Delinquents a band featuring Mick Jones (later of The Clash) made their debut at the Students Union bar, Queen Elizabeth College, Kensington.

1974, The Jackson Five played two shows at the Apollo, Glasgow, Scotland.

1977, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers supported by The Boomtown Rats appeared at The Rainbow, London.

1978, The Rolling Stones played the Palladium, in New York City during their summer tour of North America.

1980, The Grateful Dead played the first of three shows at West High Auditorium in Anchorage, Alaska.

1992, The Greenpeace Stop Sellafield, campaign concert took place at G-Mex in Manchester, England with U2, Big Audio Dynamite II, Public Enemy and Kraftwerk.

2011, Amy Winehouse was booed by crowds in Serbia’s capital Belgrade after appearing to be too drunk to perform. The concert – the first on the singers 12-day European tour, saw Winehouse mumble her way through parts of songs, leave the stage altogether and at one point she threw her microphone to the floor.

2013, Slim Whitman the American country music and western music singer/songwriter and instrumentalist died aged 90. He was known for his yodeling abilities and his smooth high octave falsetto, and sold in excess of 120 million records during his career. Michael Jackson cited Whitman as one of his ten favorite vocalists, and Beatle George Harrison cited Whitman as an early influence. Paul McCartney credited a poster of Whitman with giving him the idea of playing his guitar left-handed with his guitar strung the opposite way to a right-handed player’s.

2014, Gerry Goffin, who penned chart-topping songs with his then-wife Carole King died at the age of 75 in Los Angeles. He wrote dozens of hits over two decades, including “The Loco-Motion,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” After their divorce in 1968, Goffin continued writing songs, including a hit for Whitney Houston, “Saving All My Love for You” in 1985.

Born on June 19: Tommy Devito, The Four Seasons (1936); Elaine McFarlane, Spanky And Our Gang (1942); Nick Drake UK singer, songwriter (1948) Ann Wilson, Heart (1950); Paula Abdul (1963); Scott Avett, Avett Brothers (1976)

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Today in Rock History – March 25

March 25, 2020 by Mitch Michaels

1966, At a photo session with Bob Whitaker’s studio in London, The Beatles posed in white coats using sides of meat with mutilated and butchered dolls for the cover of their next American album, Yesterday and Today. After a public outcry, the album was pulled from stores and re-issued with a new cover. At the time, some of the Beatles defended the use of the Butcher photograph. Lennon said that it was “as relevant as Vietnam” and McCartney said that their critics were “soft.” However, this opinion was not shared by all band members. George Harrison said in The Beatles Anthology that he thought the whole idea “was gross, and I also thought it was stupid. Sometimes we all did stupid things thinking it was cool and hip when it was naïve and dumb; and that was one of them.”

1966, The Who play the Corn Exchange in Hertford, England.

1967, The Beatles perform “All You Need Is Love” during a global satellite broadcast.

1967, Jimi Hendrix played at the Gliderdrome Bingo Hall in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The building was originally an open air skating rink. A roof was added just after the outbreak of World War II. The Gliderdrome was destroyed by fire on in May, 1959, but the “new” Glider was opened within a year on Wednesday, January 27 1960.

1967, The Turtles started a three week run at number one on the singles chart with “Happy Together.”

1967, The Who and Cream made their U.S. concert debut at RKO 58th Street Theatre, New York City as part of a rock and roll extravaganza promoted by DJ Murray the K.

1967, The Rolling Stones kicked off a three-week European tour in Orebro, Sweden. Arriving in Copenhagen for the tour the group were delayed after customs officers search all their luggage for drugs.

1967, Pink Floyd played three gigs in 24 hours. The appeared at the Ricky Tick Club at the Thames Hotel in Windsor, England, then headed for a late show at the New Yorker Discotheque in Swindon, with The Outer Limits as support. Lastly, then played at the Shoreline Club at the Caribbean Hotel in Bognor Regis, as part of an Easter Weekend All-Nighter.

1968, The 58th and final episode of The Monkees TV series was broadcast in the US.

1969, John and Yoko started their week long “bed-in” in the presidential suite at The Amsterdam Hilton hotel. The couple invited the world’s press into their hotel room every day, to talk about promoting world peace.

1969, Yes appeared at Madam Toussauds Hall Of Kings, London.

1970, Led Zeppelin performed at the Denver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado.

1971, Grand Funk Railroad played at Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the O’Shaughnessy Theater, St. Paul, Minnesota.

1972, America started a three week run at number one on the US singles chart with their debut hit “Horse With No Name.” The group scored eight other top 40 hits during the ’70s.

1972, Lindisfarne started a four-week run at number one on the UK album chart with their debut album Fog On The Tyne.

1973, King Crimson performed at Colston Hall, Bristol, England.

1973, Roxy Music appeared at Festival Hall, Torbay, England.

1974, Rolling Stone reports that concerts by Yes, Gregg Allman, and the Beach Boys have all been hit by streakers, no doubt inspired by Ray Stevens’ No. 1 hit “The Streak.” Meanwhile, Allman himself performs the last date of a solo tour. To reassure the audience that the Allman Brothers Band are not splitting up, the entire band comes out and performs a 90-minute encore.

1974, KISS performed at the Bayou Theater, Washington D.C.

1975, Aerosmith played at the War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, the first date on their 63 date North American Toys In The Attic Tour.

1976, US singer, songwriter Jackson Browne’s wife Phyllis Major committed suicide.

elvis-costllo-1977 — Elvis Costello – 1977

1977, Elvis Costello released his debut single “Less Than Zero.” It didn’t make the Top 40.

1978, 20 Golden Greats by Buddy Holly and The Crickets went to number one on the UK album chart, giving Holly his first ever chart topping, LP almost 20 years since his first release in 1959.

1978, Kansas performed at the Hammersmith Odeon, London.

1979, Van Halen played at Selland Arena, Fresno, California.

1981, Rush appeared at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto.

1982, The Police performed at Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri.Rush

1983, Motown Records celebrated its 25 anniversary with a concert in Pasadena, featuring; The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, Jr. Walker, The Commodores, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and The Jackson 5.

1993, The Grateful Dead performed at the Dean Smith Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

2002, Bono from U2 made a appearance at the air rage trial of R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, telling the court “I came to court because Peter is actually famously known for being a peaceable person. I once had to twist his arm to get him to a boxing match.” Buck was later cleared of all charges. He had been accused of attacking two cabin staff and covering them in yogurt, knocking over a cart and trying to steal a knife. Buck did not deny his behavior but claimed a Zolpiden sleeping pill reacted violently with alcohol, turning him into a “non-insane automaton”.

2005, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne were forced to flee their Buckinghamshire mansion after a blaze broke out as they slept. Ozzy and his wife were roused by a fire alarm and ran to safety in the garden, rescuing their pets as they escaped.

2006, Buck Owens Jr. American singer and guitarist died. Pioneered the Bakersfield sound a reference to Bakersfield, California. He scored twenty No.1 hits on the Billboard country music charts.

2007, The Notorious B.I.G. was at number one on the US album charts with Greatest Hits. It was the rapper’s fourth album release after being killed by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California on March 9, 1997.

Born on March 25: Johnny Burnette, American singer-songwriter, The Rock and Roll Trio (1934); Hoyt Axton (1938); Aretha Franklin (1942); Elton John (1947); Jack Hall, Charlie Daniels Band (1947); Chuck Greenberg, American saxophonist, songwriter, producer, Shadowfax (1960); Steve Norman, guitar, sax, Spandau Ballet (1960); Jeff Healy (1966); Frank Ferrer, American drummer, Guns N’ Roses, The Psychedelic Furs, Love Spit Love (1966); Ryan Lewis, American DJ, producer, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (1988)

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Song Of The Day – “Simple Game” by The Four Tops (with The Moody Blues)

February 14, 2020 by Eric Berman

Today’s Song Of The Day could have only happened in that strange and mystical place where the worlds of The Moody Blues and The Four Tops intersect.

“Simple Game” was originally the B-side to the Moody Blues’ 1967 single “Ride My See-Saw.” The song was written by Michael Pinder, and didn’t appear on a Moody Blues album until the two record compilation This Is The Moody Blues in 1972.

Moody Blues’ producer Tony Clark went to see the Tops in England and approached them with a demo of the song. The group didn’t know who Clark was, but liked the song and agreed to record it in England with Clark producing. The track was recorded on May 5, 1970, and The Four Tops’ backing band on this record was none other than an uncredited Moody Blues!

Two other tracks were recorded during the session with The Moody Blues backing, including “You Stole My Love” (another Moody Blues tune co-written by Tony Clark and Justin Hayward) and “So Deep Within You.” Neither track saw a U.S. release until The Four Tops box set Fourever in 2001; however “So Deep Within You” was used as the B-side to today’s Song Of The Day in England.

The single was arranged by Arthur Greenslade who had much success arranging hits for Dusty Springfield and Tom Jones. It climbed to #34 on the R&B charts and #90 on the pop charts, but did much better in England where “Simple Game” was a #3 hit single.

Strange bedfellows make great music, indeed.

Today in Rock History – October 27

October 27, 2019 by Mitch Michaels

1964, 31-year old Salvatore Philip Bono married 18-year old Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere. For a time they performed together as Caesar and Cleo before changing the name of their act to Sonny and Cher. Their union lasted twelve years.

1966, The Four Tops were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” It was the group’s only UK chart topper.

1967, Keith Altham reports in New Musical Express on a chaotic meeting at a recording studio attended by The Who and manager Kit Lambert. Pete Townshend describes The Who’s singles prior to “I Can See For Miles” as “too flimsy, too poignant, too prissy.”

1967, The James Gang played at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1969, Muddy Waters was seriously injured in a car crash in Champaign, Illinois. Three people were killed in the accident.

1969, A documentary film called Shadows Of Bliss is broadcast on BBC-2 TV’s Horizon series. The program deals with recent discoveries about sub-atomic particles and features music by Pete Townshend and Terry Ralph Knight.

1969, Ringo Starr begins recording his album Sentimental Journey. Following the completion of Abbey Road, he becomes the first Beatle to formally embark on a solo album.

1970, Black Sabbath played their first ever-live show in the US when they kicked of a 16-date tour at Glassboro State College in New Jersey.

1971, Pink Floyd played at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago as part of their North American tour.

1972, The Moody Blues appeared at the St. Louis Arena in St. Louis, Missouri.

1972, David Bowie performed at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco

1973, Gladys Knight and the Pips started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with “Midnight Train To Georgia.” The record won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus. It was the group’s 18th Top 40 hit and first number one.

1973, Mott the Hoople, supported by Aerosmith appeared at The Orpheum Theatre, Boston.

1974, KISS performed at the Agora Ballroom, Youngstown, Ohio.

1975, The publicity and critical acclaim following the release of Born To Run resulted in Bruce Springsteen being honored with simultaneous covers on both Time and Newsweek magazines in the US.

1976, Frank Zappa played at Music Hall in Boston.

1977, AC/DC appeared at Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England.

1978, Bob Dylan appeared at Wings Stadium, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

1979, During a US tour Elton John collapsed on stage at Hollywood’s Universal Amphitheatre suffering from exhaustion.

1980, former T Rex member Steve Took, choked to death on a cherry stone, after some hallucinogenic mushrooms he had eaten, numbed all sensation in his throat.

1980, Mark David Chapman purchases the five-shot Charter Arms .38 Special he will use to kill John Lennon.

1981, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Saenger Theatre, New Orleans.

1982, Van Halen performed at The Centrum, Worcester, Massachusetts.

1984, The Grateful Dead allocated a specific recording area for fans to bootleg the show in Berkeley, California.

1988, U2’s film Rattle And Hum, received its world wide premiere in the group’s hometown Dublin.

1988, Def Leppard played the final show on their 232-date Hysteria world tour at the Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington.

1990, Paul Simon started a two-week run at number one on the UK album chart with The Rhythm Of The Saints, his third UK chart topping solo album.

2006, Amy Winehouse released her second and final studio album, Back to Black. The album spawned five singles, “Rehab,” “You Know I’m No Good,” “Back to Black,” “Tears Dry on Their Own,” and “Love Is a Losing Game.” It won Best Pop Vocal Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. Back to Black sold 3.58 million copies in the UK alone, becoming the UK’s second best-selling album of the 21st century. Worldwide, the album has sold over 20 million copies.

2006, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row program.

2007, Keith Richards marched with campaigners protesting against possible Sussex hospital cuts. The Stones guitarist joined 15,000 people for the walk through Chichester to oppose plans which could see St Richard’s Hospital downgraded. A spokeswoman for the guitarist said, “Keith is a long-standing member of the West Wittering community and is pleased to lend his support to local efforts to save St Richard’s Hospital.”

2009, Eric Clapton pulled out of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert in New York City after he underwent an operation to remove gallstones. His place at the Madison Square Garden gig was taken by Jeff Beck.

2011, Liam Gallagher’s Carnaby Street clothing store Pretty Green hosts an exhibition inspired by the Who album Quadrophenia. It features a specially made parka for the event along with Pete Townshend’s notes, desk diaries, photos and original lyric sheets related to the album.

2013, Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed died at the age of 71. An admitted hard drinker and drug user for many years, he underwent a liver transplant in Cleveland in April 2013.

Born on October 27: Floyd Cramer, piano, Elvis Presley (1933); Dick Dodd, drummer, actor The Bel-Airs, The Standells (1945); Byron Allred, keyboards, Steve Miller Band (1949); Garry Tallent, bass, E Street Band (1949); Ken Downing, guitar, Judas Priest (1951); Simon Le Bon, vocals, Duran Duran (1958); Scott Weiland, vocals, Stone Temple Pilots (1967)

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Today in Rock History – October 15

October 15, 2019 by Mitch Michaels

1966, Pink Floyd (who were paid £15 for the gig), The Move, Denny Laine, and Soft Machine all appeared at the launch for International Times at London’s Roundhouse.

1966, The Four Tops started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Reach Out And I’ll Be There.” The spot was previously held by “Cherish” from The Association.

1967, Cream played at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1967, The first Sacramento Pop Festival took place which featured Spirit, Jefferson Airplane, Nutty Gritty Dirt Band, Strawberry Alarm Clock and Sunshine Company.

1967, The Who tape an appearance on the BBC1 TV show Twice A Fortnight miming to “I Can See For Miles” and “Mary Anne With The Shaky Hands.” The director chooses to shoot the band using constant, rapid zooming shots. This motion-sickness inducing performance airs on the 21st, and is shown in the US on American Bandstand on December 30th.

1968, Vanilla Fudge played at the MECCA in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1969, The Who appeared at the Capitol Theatre, Ottawa, Ontario.

1970, Yes performed at Dundee University, Dundee, Scotland.

1971, Pink Floyd kicked off a 30-date North American tour at the Winterland Auditorium in San Francisco, California.

1972, Lieutenant Pigeon were atop the UK singles chart with “Mouldy Old Dough.” Keyboard player Rob Woodward had his mom play piano on the single, making them the only mother and son act to score a UK number one. The song was recorded in the front room of their semi-detached house.

1973, Keith Richards was found guilty of trafficking cannabis by a Court in Nice, France. The Rolling Stone was given a one-year suspended sentence and a 5,000 franc fine. He was also banned from entering France for two years.

1974, David Bowie plays the first of a six night engagement at the Michigan Palace in Detroit, as part of the Philly Dogs Tour. Carlos Alomar, David Sanborn, and Luther Vandross were all part of Bowie’s musical entourage.

1975, Jefferson Starship performed at the Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1976, AC/DC appeared at Cirque Royal in Brussels, Belgium.

1977, Debby Boone started a 10 week run at number one on the singles chart with “You Light Up My Life,” the longest stay at the top since Guy Mitchell’s “Singing The Blues.”

1978, Bob Dylan performed at Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, Ohio.

1979, Abba played their first concert in North America when they appeared in Vancouver, Canada.

1980, Blue Oyster Cult appeared at Memorial Auditorium, Utica, New York.

1981, The Grateful Dead played at the Melkweg in Amsterdam.

1983, Genesis went to number one on the album chart with their self-titled album Genesis.

1988, Bon Jovi started a four-week run at number one on the album chart with New Jersey.

1988, UB40 went to number one on the singles chart with their version of the Neil Diamond song “Red Red Wine.”

1995, Paul and Linda McCartney were the guest voices on Fox-TV’s The Simpsons in an episode called “Lisa the Vegetarian.” McCartney’s stipulation for appearing was that Lisa’s decision to become a vegetarian would be a permanent character change, to which producer David Mirkin agreed.

1997, Michael Jackson played the last date on the HIStory Tour at King’s Park Rugby Stadium, Durban, South Africa. During the tour, Jackson performed 82 concerts in 58 cities to over 4.5 million fans, visiting five continents and 35 countries.

2000, Radiohead went to number one on the US album chart with Kid A, the group’s fourth album. It became the first Radiohead release to debut at the top position in the US.

2000, U2 went to number one on the UK singles chart with “Beautiful Day,” the group’s fourth UK top single and taken from their album All That You Can’t Leave Behind.

2008, Jon Bon Jovi became the latest musician to disapprove of the use of his songs in John McCain’s US presidential campaign. The Bon Jovi song, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” was used during rallies held by Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Foo Fighters, Heart and Jackson Browne had all asked Mr McCain to stop using their tracks in his presidential bid. Bon Jovi, a Democrat supporter, threw a $30,000 (£17,000) per person, fund-raising dinner for Democratic candidate Barack Obama at his New Jersey home in September.

Born on October 15: Barry McGuire (1935); Don Stevenson, Moby Grape (1942); Richard Carpenter (1946); and Tito Jackson (1953)