This is the week that was in matters musical …
1935, Richard Wayne Penniman is born in Macon, Georgia … two decades later he will make a huge splash in the rock ’n’ roll realm where he will be better known as Little Richard, a mightily pompadoured, sexually ambiguous piano player belting out a series of hits that gets teens shaking tail feathers from coast to coast … he will go on to influence countless rockers, notably among them Paul McCartney, with a wild vocal style that includes his trademark “wooo” … over the coming years he will oscillate between the sacred and the profane, sometimes forsaking rock ’n’ roll for the ministry before falling back on the devil’s music …
1956, an impromptu jam results when Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins all descend on Sun Records Studios in Memphis … the studio originally had been booked for Perkins, who planned to cut some tracks with his brothers … when the other luminaries drop by, a party atmosphere prevails and the event turns into a day-long music jamboree, much of which is captured on tape as the participants have a rollicking good time with country, gospel, and rockabilly tunes … due to contractual issues the tapes remain in the can until 1981 when Charly Records in England puts out an LP with session highlights, crediting it to The Million Dollar Quartet—a name coined by a Memphis newsman who covered the original get-together … though Cash is pictured on the cover, he is not audible on any of the tracks … word has it Mrs. Cash showed up during the session and insisted Johnny go shopping with her …
1957, Ed Sullivan airs the TV debuts of Sam Cooke, singing “You Send Me” and Buddy Holly and the Crickets performing “That’ll Be the Day” …
1965, the infamous blue flame strikes Keith Richards down on a stage in Sacramento when he grabs an ungrounded mic … the indestructible Stone is on his feet and performing again inside of seven minutes … this same week The Byrds find themselves ruling the pop chart with “Turn! Turn! Turn!” … the song, penned by Pete Seeger, incorporates verses from the Book of Ecclesiastes …
1967, pop singer Jimmie F. Rodgers cracks up his car and is found with a fractured skull … he will survive but his career is over …
1968, Elvis’ "comeback" TV special—titled simply "Elvis"—airs on NBC … Colonel Tom Parker wanted Elvis to do the usual smaltzy cornball Christmas special, but Elvis, who could see his musical legacy slipping away, wanted to let fans know he was still raw and vital … and he delivers … leather suited and sweaty on a small stage in front of adoring fans, Elvis shows everyone he’s still the … well, you know …
1969, AT&T backs out as a sponsor of a Simon and Garfunkel TV special when it learns that the duo plans to air clips of Robert Kennedy’s funeral and Vietnam war footage …
1971, The Montreux Casino in Geneva, Switzerland, catches fire during a show by the Mothers of Invention, inspiring Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” … the proto-metal band watches the fire from their hotel across Lake Geneva, hence the song’s title … its crunching four-note riff, harmonized in parallel fourths by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, becomes one of the most cherished figures in all of rock riffdom with garage rockers everywhere laying it down endlessly …
1972, Carly Simon releases “You’re So Vain,” a song that sets the whole country to wondering exactly who is so insufferably vain … candidates for the post include recent Carly conquests Mick Jagger (who sang on the record), Cat Stevens, Kris Kristofferson, and Warren Beatty … when asked if she’s “gone with” Beatty, she says, “Hasn’t everybody? … I felt I was one among thousands at that point—it hadn’t reached, you know, the populations of small countries” … in 2003 Carly Simon volunteers to tell the highest bidder at a charity auction who the song is actually about, but only if the winner will keep it confidential … NBC exec Dick Ebersol wins with a $50,000 bid and he’s not talking …
1976, the Sex Pistols’ Glenn Matlock uses the “F” word during an English TV interview and the resulting uproar proves that the Brits can be every bit as priggish and sanctimonious as the Yanks … most of the Pistols’ upcoming gigs are canceled and by the next month they can’t book a date anywhere in the U.K. …
1979, 11 fans are trampled to death at a Who show in Cincinnati …
1986, Annie Lennox, lead singer for Eurythmics, gets so carried away at a concert in Birmingham, England, that she rips off her bra, which is the only thing covering her breasts … this does not cause a national scandal …
1993, revered rock weirdo, musical wizard, and spokesman for lyrical freedom Frank Zappa meets his demise from prostate cancer at the age of 53 …
1994, in the course of a robbery, rapper Tupac Shakur is shot five times outside a New York recording studio and lives to tell the tale…just two days later he is convicted of sexually abusing a woman …
1996, Tiny Tim, born Herbert Khaury—who made a career of singing ’20s and ’30s tunes in a decidedly unmasculine warbling falsetto accompanied by his ukulele—dies of a heart condition at a Minneapolis hospital after collapsing while performing his signature song “Tip-Toe Thru’ The Tulips With Me” at a nearby women’s club meeting …
2003, The Concert for George, a tribute to George Harrison, takes place at Royal Albert Hall in London … the star-studded lineup includes Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne, Ravi Shankar, Billy Preston, and many more …
2006, Oklahoma City honors homegrown band The Flaming Lips by naming an alley after them … Chief Lip Wayne Coyne says, “So many bands despise their hometowns … it never felt that way to us. Oklahoma City never rejected us.” … on the business end of the music biz, the handwritten lyrics for The Beatles’ "Maxwell’s Silver Hammer" fetch $192,000 at auction in New York … Christies also gets $168,000 for a former Hendrix Strat while a collection of memorabilia belonging to former Dylan girlfriend Suze Rotolo garners $116,640 …
And that was the week that was.
Arrivals:
November 29: jazz composer, lyricist, and pianist Billy Strayhorn (1915), Merle Travis (1917), John Mayall (1933), Chuck Mangione (1940), Dennis Doherty of The Mamas and the Papas (1941), Felix Cavaliere of The Young Rascals (1943), Boston’s Barry Goudreau (1951), Michael Dempsey of The Cure (1958), Steve Scott of Bleach (1963), Wallace Buchanan of Jarimoquai (1965), Jonathan Knight of New Kids on the Block (1968)
November 30: Pablo Casals (1876), slide guitarist Robert Nighthawk (1909), bluesman Brownie McGhee (1915), Dick Clark (1929), Johnny Horton (1929), Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul & Mary (1937), Ray Thomas of The Moody Blues (1941), Lee Greenwood (1942), Leo Lyons of Ten Years After (1943), Rob Grill of Grassroots (1944), Deep Purple’s Roger Glover (1945), Cozy Powell of The Jeff Beck Group (1947), Garry Tallent of The E Street Band (1949), Kenneth K.K. Downing of Judas Priest (1951), Shuggie Otis (1953), The Little River Band’s George McArdale (1954), Billy Idol (1955), June Pointer of The Pointer Sisters (1956), Japan’s Richard Barbieri (1957), John Ashton of the Psychedelic Furs (1957), Stacey Q (1958), Simon LeBon of Duran Duran (1958), Jalil of Whodini (1963), Paul Wheeler of Icehouse (1965), Scott Weiland (1967), Des’ree (1968), Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket (1970), Mindy McCready (1975), Kelly Osbourne (1984)
December 1: crooner Matt Monro (1932), soul singer Billy Paul (1934), Lou Rawls (1935), Eric Bloom of Blue Oyster Cult (1944), John Densmore of The Doors (1944), Bette Midler (1945), Gilbert O’Sullivan (1946), Jaco Pastorius (1951), Japan’s Steve Jansen (1959), Brad Delson of Linkin Park (1977)
December 2: gospel-blues pioneer Pop Staples (1915), Tom McGuinness of Manfred Mann (1941), Michael McDonald (1952), Joe Henry (1960), Def Leppard’s Rick Savage (1960), Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle born Nicholas Dingley (1963), Nate Mendel of Foo Fighters (1968), Jay-Z (1970), Nelly Furtado (1978), Britney Spears (1981)
December 3: D.J. William “Hoss” Allen (1922), pop crooner Andy Williams (1930), Ralph McTell (1944), Ozzy Osbourne (1948), “Buffalo” Bruce Barlow of Commander Cody (1948), Mickey Thomas of Starship (1949), Molly Hatchet’s Duane Roland (1952), Steve Forbert (1955), Montell Jordan (1971)
December 4: film singer Deanna Durbin (1922), New Orleans R&B singer Lee Dorsey (1924), jazz drummer Denis Charles (1933), blues guitarist Larry Davis (1936), Freddy Cannon aka Anthony Picariello (1940), Chris Hillman of The Byrds (1942), Bob Mosely of Moby Grape (1942), Beach Boy Dennis Wilson (1944), Southside Johnny (1948), Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd (1951), Bob Griffin of The BoDeans (1959), Vinnie Dombroskie of Sponge (1962)
December 5: blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson II born Aleck Ford Miller and AKA Rice Miller (1899), New Orleans sax man Alvin “Red” Tyler (1925), Reverend James Cleveland (1931), Little Richard (1935), J.J. Cale born Jean Jacques Cale (1938), Andy Kim (1946), Jim Messina (1947), Great White’s Jack Russell (1960), Johnny Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls (1965)
Departures:
November 29: George Harrison (2001), David “Butch” McDade of The Amazing Rhythm Aces (1998), Giacomo Puccini (1924)
November 30: jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd (1999), Tiny Tim (1996), Doors producer Paul Rothschild (1995), crossover country singer David Houston (1993)
December 1: jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli (1997), Epic Soundtracks (Kevin Godfrey) of Swell Maps (1997), the “Unforgettable” songwriter Irving Gordon (1996), metal singer Ray Gillen (1993), balladeer Harry Ray (1992), Lee Dorsey (1986), Westside Chicago bluesman Magic Sam aka Sam Maghett (1969), bluegrass guitarist Carter Stanley (1966)
December 2: singer-songwriter Kevin Coyne (2004), guitarist-composer Michael Hedges (1997), Aaron Copland (1990), folk singer David Blue (1982)
December 3: jazz pianist Mal Waldron (2002), songwriter Phil Medley (1997)
December 4: MC5 fret man and husband of Patti Smith, Fred “Sonic” Smith (1994), Frank Zappa (1993), Deep Purple’s Tommy Bolin (1976)
December 5: tenor saxist Bob Berg (2002), Douglas Hopkins of The Gin Blossoms (1993), New Orleans session sax man David Lastie (1987), multi-instrumentalist jazz behemoth Rahsaan Roland Kirk (1977)