This is the week that was in matters musical…
1963, “She Loves You” is played on the radio by influential DJ Murray “The K” Kaufman on station WINS in New York … it is the first time a Beatles song is played on U.S. airwaves … Murray later becomes a staunch Beatles advocate and supporter, helping to break them in New York and America…
1967, Woody Guthrie dies in Creedmoor State Hospital in Queens, New York, at the age of 55 … the legendary singer-songwriter had been in and out of various New York area hospitals since 1954 receiving treatment for Huntington’s disease … a hereditary illness, Guthrie’s mother, Nora, also died of Huntington’s … his son Arlo suffers from the disease…
1970, Jimi Hendrix is buried on October 1, 1970, at Greenwood Memorial Cemetery in Renton, Washington … the planned memorial service is canceled because of lack of time and concerns with crowd control … three days later Janis Joplin is found dead in her room at Hollywood’s Landmark Hotel, the victim of a heroin overdose … she had just finished recording her second solo album, titled Pearl … she was only 27 years old…
1975, drummer Al Jackson Jr. is shot to death in his Memphis home … the pulse of Booker T. & The MGs–the Stax Records house band–Jackson played on dozens of soul hits … police initially suspect Jackson’s wife who had shot him the previous July … the case remains unsolved and Memphis police refuse to discuss it…
1976, Jerry Lee Lewis nearly lives up to his nickname while taking a little target practice at a soda bottle with his .357 magnum … The Killer completely misses the bottle and shoots his bass player, Norman “Butch” Owens, twice in the chest … Owens reportedly clutched his chest and staggered out onto the front porch before collapsing … Owens lives to sue Lewis, who is charged with shooting a firearm within city limits … it is Jerry Lee’s 41st birthday…
1982, the first compact discs and players hit the market in Japan … a joint venture between Sony and Philips, the CD will become the dominant musical format within five years…
1986, CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather is attacked while walking down Park Avenue in New York City about 11 PM … he is knocked to the ground and kicked repeatedly by a mentally unstable citizen who asks over and over “Kenneth, what’s the frequency?” …. his assailant is William Tager, a diagnosed psychotic who suspected the media of beaming hostile messages to him, and wanted Rather to tell him the frequency being used for the nefarious plot … nearly ten years later R.E.M. will write a song loosely based on the event titled “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?”…
1989, Neil Young appears on Saturday Night Live and delivers an absolutely incendiary version of “Rockin’ In The Free World” alongside Charlie Drayton, Steve Jordan, and Crazy Horse vet Frank “Poncho” Sampedro … Young rips through the song at an ear-splitting level while wearing an Elvis tee, no less … the performance even makes the 25th SNL Anniversary list of all-time best musical guest appearances … it is so focused, raw, and electric critics hail it as one of the most intense live television performances ever, and proclaim Young to be “back” … from where, no one knows…
1991, Garth Brooks’ album Ropin’ the Wind debuts at number one on the Billboard Pop chart … it is the first country album to do so…
1991, following the theft of Michael Jackson’s crystal-beaded glove from the Motown Museum in Detroit, rapper M.C. Hammer offers a $50,000 reward for the relic’s return…
1997, a Wu-Tang fan files suit after Method Man leaps off the stage and lands on her, knocking her unconscious … the suit is against band members Method Man, RZA, and Redman, as well as the student government that sponsored the show … the fan, Juanita L. Evans, says she was distracted by Redman and therefore didn’t see the flying Method Man…
1998, rock fan Drew Carey hosts a truckload of big-name musicians on The Drew Carey Show in an episode titled “La Ramada Vida” … they all appear as themselves to try out for lead guitarist of Carey’s band … the list includes Joey Ramone, Slash, Dusty Hill, Roy Clark, Jonny Lang, Lisa Loeb, Matthew Sweet, Dave Mustaine, Rick Nielsen, and Joe Walsh…
2004, proving that rockers are really kids at heart, Wilco, Motörhead, Avril Lavigne, The Flaming Lips, The Shins, and Ween contribute tunes to the soundtrack for the film SpongeBob SquarePants … all the artists crank out new songs for the film except weird-pop wizards Ween, who merely select a song from their water-centric 1997 album The Mollusk…
…and that was the week that was.
Arrivals
September 28: Ed Sullivan (1902), Houston Stackhouse (1910), Tommy Collins (1930), Joseph Hutchinson (1931), soul singer and former Drifter Ben E. King (1938), Nick St. Nicholas of Steppenwolf (1943), Kenny Kirkland (1955), George Lynch of Dokken (1955), Alannah Currie of The Thompson Twins (1959), Jennifer Rush (1960), teen popster Hilary Duff (1987)
September 29: Gene Autry (1907), Jerry Lee Lewis (1935), Jean-Luc Ponty (1942), Tommy Boyce (1944), Mark Farner of Grand Funk (1948), Mike Pinera of Iron Butterfly (1948), Suzzy Roche of The Roches (1956), Les Claypool of Primus (1963), Barry D of Jesus Jones (1965), Brad Smith of Blind Melon (1968)
September 30: Buddy Rich (1917), Chris Kenner (1929), Cissy Houston (1933), crooner Johnny Mathis (1935), Z.Z. Hill (1935), Frankie Lymon (1942), Dewey Martin of Buffalo Springfield (1942), producer Gus Dudgeon (1942), Marilyn McCoo of The 5th Dimension (1943), Sylvia Peterson of The Chiffons (1946), Mark Bolan of T. Rex (1947), Patrice Rushen (1954), Basia (1956), Trey Anastasio of Phish (1964), Robby Takac of The Goo Goo Dolls (1964)
October 1: Vladimir Horowitz (1904), Albert Collins (1932), Julie Andrews (1935), Samuel George (1942), Jerry Martini of Sly & the Family Stone (1943), Scott McKenzie (1944), Herbert Rhoad of The Persuasions (1944), Barbara Paritt of The Toys (1944), Donnie Hathaway (1945), Martin Turner of Wishbone Ash (1947), Jane Dornacker (1947), Senegalese vocalist Youssou N’Dour (1959), Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra (1968), Xscape’s LaTocha Scott (1974)
October 2: Don McLean (1945), Ron Griffiths of Badfinger (1946), Michael Rutherford of Genesis (1950), Sting (1951), Phillip Oakey of Human League (1955), Freddie Jackson (1958), Robbie Neville (1960), Siggi Baldursson of The Sugarcubes (1962), Sean McDonald (1965), Bud Graugh of Sublime (1967), Tiffany (1971)
October 3: Monk Higgins born Milton Bland (1930), Felix Pappalardi (1938), Eddie Cochran (1938), Chubby Checker (1941), Lindsey Buckingham (1948), Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954), Tommy Lee (1961), Gwen Stefani (1969), Kevin Richardson of Backstreet Boys (1971), India.Arie (1975)
October 4: Leon Thomas (1937), Orlons member Marlena Easley (1944), Jim Fielder of the Mothers Of Invention (1947), Keb’ Mo’ AKA Kevin Moore (1951), Barbara K. MacDonald of Timbuk 3 (1958), Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys (1959), Jon Secada (1961), Lena Katina of tATu (1984), Ashlee Simpson (1984)
Departures
September 28: Bob Gibson (1996), Allen Johnson (1995), Ken “Dimwit” Montgomery (1994), Miles Davis (1991), Rory Storm born Alan Caldwell (1972), Jimmy McCulloch of Wings (1979), Dewey Phillips (1968), Lucky Millinder (1966)
September 29: Scott Muni (2004)
September 30: Jacques Levy (2004), Texas rockabilly pioneer Ronnie Dawson (2003), disco-era songwriter Paul Jabara (1992), pop vocalist and former Mrs. Les Paul, Mary Ford (1977)
October 1: Richard Avedon (2004), Bruce Palmer (2004), Al Jackson Jr. (1975)
October 2: Gene Autry (1998), Evelyn Young (1990), Cousin Joe (1989)
October 3: Cars bassist Benjamin Orr (2000), blues singer Victoria Spivey (1976), Nehemiah “Skip” James (1969), Woody Guthrie (1967)
October 4: bebop trumpeter Art Farmer (1998), Zenas “Daddy” Sears (1998), country fiddler Jerry Rivers (1996), Varetta Dillard (1993), J. Frank Wilson (1991), Ray Stephens (1990), Jimmy Springs (1987), Janis Joplin (1970)