This is the week that was in matters musical…
Still amazing that “My Ding-a-Ling” is Chuck Berry’s only #1 single.
1957, in Sydney, Australia, Little Richard announces his intention to give up rock and roll and “live for the Lord” … demonstrating his sincerity he tosses four diamond rings into a river … Richard flies to Los Angeles the following day and is baptized as a Seventh Day Adventist … five years later he resumes his music career…
1958, an article in Billboard reports that Phil Spector, the writer and arranger of the Teddy Bears’ hit “To Know Him is to Love Him,” is studying to be a court reporter … though the reclusive producer famed for creating “wall of sound” recordings in the 1960s never takes up that profession, his indictment for the murder of Lana Clarkson in 2003 promises to provide him with lots of courtroom experience…
1960, Beatles-to-be record together in Hamburg, Germany, for the first time when Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison are called upon to provide backing for Lou Walters of The Hurricanes on his rendition of “Summertime” … also on hand providing the backbeat is Ringo Starr, the Hurricanes’ drummer … the single that ensues sinks without a trace…
1964, The Zombies launch an English tour with The Isley Brothers, The Searchers, and Dionne Warwick along for the ride…
1966, Grace Slick replaces expectant mother Signe Anderson in The Jefferson Airplane … she leaves her current band The Great Society bringing along two songs that will be at the forefront of the San Francisco music scene: “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit”…
1966, Joan Baez is arrested along with 124 others at an anti-draft demonstration outside a military induction center in Oakland, California…
1968, RCA releases Jose Feliciano’s bluesy rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” … the blind singer had been roundly booed for his performance of the song at a World Series game earlier that month…
1970, the musical Jesus Christ Superstar opens on Broadway…
1971, Creedence Clearwater Revival is sued by a music publisher claiming that John Fogerty’s song “Travelin’ Band” is a ripoff of “Good Golly, Miss Molly” … the suit is later dropped…
1971, a crowd expecting ’50s teen idol Rick Nelson to play all his old hits at a Madison Square Garden show turns surly when he insists on performing new material … the hostile reception is later memorialized in his song “Garden Party” that becomes a hit the following year … a line from the song goes, “If memories are all I’d sing, I’d rather drive a truck”…
1972, in the wake of weak sales of their latest album Mardi Gras, and dissension by band members over John Fogerty’s lock on writing and publishing of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s music, the band calls it quits … leader Fogerty goes on to a robust solo career while the rest of the Revivalists descend into obscurity…
1972, Chuck Berry scores his first and last #1 Pop Chart hit with “My Ding-a-Ling,” a slightly salacious bit of silliness…
1973, The Stones’ “Angie” is the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit … supposedly a paean to David Bowie’s missus, the song is covered by Tori Amos in the ’90s
1974, soul singer Al Green is seriously burned when a disturbed girlfriend tosses a pot of boiling grits on him … the incident results in Green becoming a minister and leaving secular music behind … it will be 2003 before he releases a non-religious record again…
1986, for the first time ever, three femme popsters hold down the first three positions on the Pop Chart … in top-down order, they are: Janet Jackson with her “When I Think of You,” “Typical Male” by Tina Turner, and Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors”…
1988, UB40’s “Red Red Wine” is the Billboard No. 1 Pop Hit … the British group originally released the Neil Diamond-penned song in 1984 when it rose to No. 34…
1991, John Mellencamp is hospitalized in Seattle after suffering a dizzy spell during a Seattle radio appearance … a doctor later attributes his malady to “too much coffee, stress, and not enough breakfast”…
1992, Sinead O’Connor is booed off the stage at Madison Square Garden at a concert honoring Bob Dylan … the hostile crowd is reacting to the singer’s appearance two weeks earlier on Saturday Night Live when she tore up a picture of the Pope…
1992, country singer Lynn Anderson is sprung from a Nashville jail after doing two days for contempt of court … the sentence stemmed from cursing at her former husband in front of their teenage children…
1995, Sting’s former financial adviser is sentenced to six years in the cooler for bilking the performer out of $9.4 million…
1995, Rhino Home Video releases a 21-cassette collection encompassing all 58 episodes of The Monkees TV show … it’s the biggest video boxed set ever…
1997, singer-songwriter John Denver dies when his experimental aircraft goes down in California’s Monterey Bay…
1997, Sir Paul McCartney receives six curtain calls at the Royal Albert Hall for the world premiere of his symphonic poem Standing Stone performed by the London Symphony … despite this acclaim, critics give the composition low marks saying it’s forgettable and dull…
1997, Patricia Richardson, a Virginia concert promoter, brings a suit against Snoop Doggy Dog and his manager charging that they duped her into bringing packages with seven pounds of pot to a venue where Snoop was performing, leading to her arrest…
1998, the Crossroads Centre of Antigua opens … the treatment facility for drug addicts is bankrolled by Eric Clapton…
1999, Carlos Santana’s Supernatural is the Billboard best-selling album … it’s the first No. 1 release for a Santana-led record in 28 years…
2000, Santana is presented with a key to the city of Tijuana where he grew up…
2004, Eminem’s hit video Just Lose It shows the rapper impersonating Michael Jackson … he’s seen on a bed with young boys, with his hair ablaze, searching for his lost nose, and being vomited on … a Jackson spokesman complains, “It’s one thing to be spoofed, but Michael felt Eminem crossed the line” … after an appeal from Jackson, BET agrees to stop airing the vid but MTV keeps it in heavy rotation…
And that was the week that was.
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Arrivals
October 12: composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872), Guitar Gabriel aka Robert Lewis Jones (1925), Sam Moore of Sam Dave (1935), Luciano Pavarotti (1935), Melvin Franklin of The Temptations (1942), Pat DiNizio of The Smithereens (1955), Bob Mould (1960), Garfield Bright of Shai (1969), Martie Seidel of The Dixie Chicks (1969), Ashanti (1960)
October 13: Paul Simon (1941), Robert Lamm of Chicago (1944), Sammy Hagar (1947), Simon Nicol of Fairport Convention (1950), Marie Osmond (1959)
October 14: Victoria Spivey (1906), Jimmy Liggins (1922), monster picker Mickey “Guitar” Baker of Mickey Sylvia (1925), Bill Justis (1926), Robert “Barefootin” Parker (1930), Barry McGuire of The New Christy Minstrels (1935), Marv Johnson (1938), Cliff Richard (1940), Colin Hodgkinson of Whitesnake (1945), Moody Blues vocalist Justin Hayward (1946), Danish pop king Tommy Seebach (1949), Thomas Dolby (1958), A.J. Pero of Twisted Sister (1959), Karyn White (1965), Natalie Maines of The Dixie Chicks (1974), Shaznay Lewis of All Saints (1975), Usher (1978)
October 15: Bobby Gimby (1918), Barry Sadler (1939), Richard Carpenter of The Carpenters (1946), Chris DeBurgh of “Lady in Red” fame (1948), Tito Jackson (1953), Ginuwine (1970), John Mayer (1977)
October 16: Big Joe Williams (1899), Nico of the Velvet Underground (1938), Fred Turner of BTO (1943), Bob Weir (1947), Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet (1959), Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers (1962), Wendy Wilson of Wilson Phillips (1969), John Mayer (1977)
October 17: jazz drummer Cozy Cole (1909), recording expert John Mosley (1914), British record executive Louis Benjamin (1922), trombonist Rico Rodriguez of The Specials (1934), Jim Seals of Seals and Crofts (1941), Gary Puckett (1942), James Tucker of The Turtles (1946), Mike Hossack of the Doobie Bros. (1948), Allen Jackson (1958), Rene Dif of Aqua (1967), Ziggy Marley (1968), Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC (1971), Eminem (1972), Wyclef Jean (1972)
October 18: Chuck Berry (1926), Ronnie Bright of the Coasters (1938), The Association’s Russ Giguere (1943), Laura Nyro (1947), Gary Richrath of REO Speedwagon (1949), Doobie Brother Keith Knudson (1952), Wynton Marsalis (1961), Peter Svensson of The Cardigans (1974)
Departures
October 12: bluesman Frank Frost (1999), John Denver (1997), Ricky Wilson of the B-52s (1985), Gene Vincent (1971)
October 13: Ralph “Pee Wee” Middlebrooks of The Ohio Players (1996), Shirley Brickley of The Orlons (1977), Ed Sullivan (1974)
October 14: Leonard Bernstein (1990), Bing Crosby (1977)
October 15: songwriter Terry Gilkyson (1999), Tasha Thomas (1984), Jud Strunk (1981), Bobby Lester of The Moonglows (1980), Cole Porter (1974)
October 16: jazz vocalist Etta Jones (2001), singer Ella Mae Morse of “Cow Cow Boogie” fame (1999), Richard Kermode (1996), Art Blakey (1990), Gene Krupa (1973), Leonard Chess, co-founder of Chess Records (1969)
October 17: composer Berthold Goldschmidt (1996), Chris Acland of Lush (1996), Criss Oliva of Savatage (1993), Tennessee Ernie Ford (1991), Alberta Hunter (1984), Edgar V. Blanchard (1972)
October 18: singer-actress Julie London (2000), Broadway singer Gwen Verdon (2000), New Orleans sax man Lee Allen (1994), songwriter Ed Labunski (1980), L.C. Williams (1960)