This is the week that was in matters musical …
1877, Ernst Siemens patents the first loudspeaker …
1952, the first British pop chart is published in the New Musical Express … the top six songs are all U.S. acts and are led by Al Martino’s “Here in My Heart” …
1953, the first pocket-sized transistor radio, the Regency TR-1, is mass-marketed …
1957, Patsy Cline is named Most Promising Country & Western Artist in this year’s disc jockey poll by Billboard magazine …
1960, The Shirelles release “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” with songwriter Carole King on drums … “Stay” by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs holds down the #1 slot on the Billboard Pop Chart … the song is notable for being the shortest single in the rock era, running a mere one minute and 37 seconds … a number of covers later reach the chart including Jackson Browne’s 1978 rendition …
1961, “Crazy” hits the country charts for Patsy Cline …
1965, San Francisco’s first-wave psychedelic dance band Jefferson Airplane signs a contract with RCA Records for a then-unprecedented $25,000 … they would later come to regret not signing with a more “hip” label …
1968, the queens of Detroit, The Supremes, perform at the Royal Variety Show in London while Queen Elizabeth looks on … the elegant beaded gowns they wear that night will become a star attraction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 30 years later …
1969, Janis Joplin is arrested in her dressing room at a concert in Tampa, Florida, for cussing at The Man … earlier, in the auditorium, a cop is screaming through a bullhorn at her fans to sit down and she tells him, “Don’t @#&* with these people. Hey, mister, what are you so uptight about? Did you buy a five-dollar ticket?” … she is similarly disrespectful addressing police backstage when they insist that SHE tell the audience to sit down … she gets out on a $50 bond and the charges of “vulgar and indecent language” are eventually dropped …
1972, Danny Whitten, guitarist in Crazy Horse, Neil Young’s backup band, dies of a heroin overdose … the talented axeman and songwriter provided a perfect foil for Young, trading licks with him on the extended guitar jams on Young’s long-form rockers “Down by the River” and “Cowgirl in the Sand” … Whitten’s OD will loom large in Young’s dark album Tonight’s The Night as well as in his song “Needle and the Damage Done” …
1973, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jr., son of the Killer, meets his demise on a rural highway near Hernando, Mississippi … at 19, he’s developed some chops on the drums and has just played on TV’s Midnight Special with his dad’s band … it’s the second time Lewis has lost a son, 11 years earlier his only other son drowned in the family swimming pool …
1973, while Deep Purple’s Richie Blackmore plays a concert in San Francisco, someone impersonating the smokin’ guitar man smashes up a borrowed Porsche in Iowa City … John Lennon’s “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” lodges in the #1 pop chart slot … Elton John contributes piano, organ, and backing vocals to the single …
1978, Queen plays Madison Square Garden … during their hit number “Fat Bottomed Girls,” they are accompanied by semi-nude women riding bicycles …
1979, Chuck Berry is released from the slammer following a stay on tax evasion charges …
1981, The Police top the charts in the U.K. with “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” …
1987, adopting the guise of a country-rock band called The Dalton Brothers, U2 opens for themselves at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum … the band developed the collective alter ego during the third leg of the Joshua Tree tour … the Daltons consist of Betty Dalton (Adam Clayton), Luke Dalton (Edge), Alton Dalton (Bono), and Duke Dalton (Larry Mullen, Jr.) … they also open for U2 at the Hoosier Dome in Indiana and the Hampton Coliseum in Virginia wearing wigs, sunglasses, and country-and-western-style clothing …they play just a few songs and go unrecognized by the majority of fans attending …
1988, Stan Love, former Beach Boys manager and brother of lead singer Mike Love, gets five years probation for embezzling $300,000 from the group …
1990, in the wake of revelations that they had lip-synced their way to fame, the faux pop duo Milli Vanilli is ordered to return their Grammy award … “singer” Fabrice Morvan unrepentantly claims, “We can sing as good as any other pop star in the Top Ten.” …
1993, Nirvana videotapes an MTV Unplugged … it’s shot live in one take, mistakes included, and airs one month later …
1995, even though there are some empty seats at the Bee Gees’ show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, they still manage to rake in an impressive $1.7 million in gross box office receipts … ticket prices range between $50 and $300 …
1998, discount chain Kmart launches its MusicFavorites.com website offering 100,000 songs for download … despite its early entry into the electronic commerce arena, the site soon is eclipsed by competitors …
2000, Michael Abram, the man who a year earlier broke into George Harrison’s home and stabbed Harrison before being subdued by the ex-Beatle and his wife, is found guilty by reason of insanity and ordered confined to a mental hospital for an indefinite stay …
2003, Ol’ Dirty Bastard AKA Russsell Jones of Wu-Tang Clan dies of a deadly mix of painkillers and cocaine …the New York Post reports that former Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth is training to become an emergency medical technician … the story recounts how Roth, while riding with an ambulance crew, saved the life of a Bronx heart-attack victim using a defibrillator … according to his tutor Linda Reissman, “You would never know you were dealing with a rock ‘n’ roll guy. His commitment is really touching. He wants to help people.” … The United States Postal Service settles with the group Postal Service following more than a year of legal maneuvering over the band’s name … in a creative compromise the duo comprised of Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard and electronic musician Jimmy Tamborello agree to let the Postal Service use their music to promote the use of snail mail and to refer to the USPS deal in Postal Service CDs … the musicians also agree to perform at the postmaster general’s National Executive Conference in Washington …
2005, A CBS special, I Walk the Line – A Night with Johnny Cash, is aired … the show features artists such as Kris Kistofferson, U2, Sheryl Crow, and Foo Fighters performing songs from the Man in Black’s repertoire …
2006, Peter Gabriel is named The Man of Peace for 2006 by a foundation headed by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev … former winners include Bob Geldof and Cat Stevens …
2007, in a Rolling Stone interview, much-arrested Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty explains his penchant for illicit substances …”I can honestly say that the reason I do drugs is not because of my childhood or because I have self-esteem issues or resentments. It’s purely because I enjoy it.” … MTV Arabia begins broadcasting across the Middle East with a mix of regional and Western artists as well as cleaned-up versions of shows such as Punk’d and Pimp My Ride … The Red Hot Chili Peppers file suit against Showtime claiming that the cable network’s use of the name Californication—also the title of the band’s 1999 album—was a misuse of the band’s intellectual property …
… and that was the week that was in matters musical.
Arrivals:
November 13: John Novarese, owner of Hi Records (1923), R&B singer Justine “Baby” Washington (1940), Annette Kleinbard of The Teddy Bears (1941), R&B singer and producer Timmy Thomas (1944), Bill Gibson of Huey Lewis and the News (1951), Walter Kibby of Fishbone (1964)
November 14: composer Aaron Copland (1900), Sir Joseph Lockwood of EMI Records (1904), featured singer with Gene Krupa Band Johnny Desmond (1921), composer Joonas Kokkonen (1921), Chicago harp man Carey Bell (1936), Cornell Gunter of The Coasters (1938), Freddie Garrity of Freddie and the Dreamers (1940), accordionist-zydeco performer Buckwheat Zydeco (1947), James Young of Styx (1948), singer and guitarist Stephen Bishop (1951), Frankie Banali of Quiet Riot (1953), Alec John Such of Bon Jovi (1956), rapper Joe “Run” Simmons of Run-D.M.C. (1964), Brian Yale of matchbox twenty (1968), Travis Barker of blink-182 (1975), R&B singer Adina Howard (1975)
November 15: elevator-music maestro Mantovani (1905), Ike Turner’s pianist Clayton Love (1927), R&B singer Clyde McPhatter (1932), pop singer Petula Clark (1932), Little Willie John born William J. Woods (1937), Frida of ABBA (1945), bassist Steve Fossen of Heart (1949), Michael Cooper of Con Funk Shun (1952), Alexander O’Neal (1953), Tony Thompson of Chic (1954), Tonight Show bandleader Kevin Eubanks (1957), Joe Leeway of Thompson Twins (1957), Ol’ Dirty Bastard AKA Russell Jones of Wu-Tang Clan (1968)
November 16: “Father of the Blues” W.C. Handy (1873), Atlantic Records veteran Jesse Stone (1901), Toni Brown of Joy of Cooking (1928), folksinger Bob Gibson (1931), long-time Howlin’ Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin (1931), Nashville producer Felton Jarvis (1934), R&B-soul singer Garnett Mimms (1937), John Ryanes of The Monotones (1940), George “Smitty” Smith of The Manhattans (1943), Winfred “Blue” Lovett of The Manhattans (1943), acoustic guitarist-composer Will Ackerman (1949), Patti Santos of It’s a Beautiful Day (1949), Mani of The Stone Roses (1962), Diana Krall (1964), Bryan Abrams of Color Me Badd (1969), Trevor Penick of O-Town (1979)
November 17: folksinger Gordon Lightfoot (1938), Bob Gaudio of The Four Seasons (1942), Gene Clark of The Byrds (1944), Martin Barre of Jethro Tull (1946), Jim Babjak of The Smithereens (1957), Harry Rushakoff of Concrete Blonde (1959), drag performer-singer RuPaul (1960), singer-songwriter-guitarist Jeff Buckley (1966), Ben Wilson of Blues Traveler (1967), Ronnie DeVoe of Bell Biv DeVoe (1967), Isaac Hanson of Hanson (1980)
November 18: Sir William Gilbert of the Gilbert and Sullivan writing team (1836), conductor Eugene Ormandy (1899), comedic actress-singer Imogene Coca (1908), R&B singer Hank Ballard (1927), Bob Sanderson of The Royaltones (1935), Herman Rarebell of The Scorpions (1949), rock singer-songwriter-guitarist Graham Parker (1950), John McFee of The Doobie Brothers (1953), singer-two-hit wonder John Parr (1954), Michael Ramos of The BoDeans (1958), British pop singer Kim Wilde (1960), Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett (1962), singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik (1969), rapper Fabolous (1979)
November 19: bandleader Tommy Dorsey (1905), gospel singer J.D. Sumner (1914), singer Ray Collins of The Mothers of Invention (1937), Pete Moore of The Miracles (1939), Matt Sorum of Guns N’ Roses (1960), Travis McNabb of Better Than Ezra (1969), Tamika Scott of Xscape (1975)
Departures:
November 13: rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard (2004), Donald Mills of The Mills Brothers (1999), R.J. Vealey of the Atlanta Rhythm Section (1999), jazz and R&B pianist Bill Doggett (1996), Ronnie Bond of The Troggs (1992), Jerry Lee Lewis Jr. (1973)
November 14: John Cascella, keyboardist with John Mellencamp (1992), singer Dallas Taylor (1986), dub pioneer Keith Hudson (1984)
November 15: composer-arranger Saul Chaplin (1997), disco producer Jacques Morali (1991)
November 16: British pop pianist Russ Conway (2000), Kid Rock sideman Joe C. AKA Joseph Calleja (2000), Gospel Music Hall of Fame member J.D. Sumner (1998), Dino Valenti of Quicksilver Messenger Service (1994), Francis Donia of Tavares (1984), raw-voiced soulman O.V. Wright (1980), music journalist Mike Leadbitter (1974)
November 17: singer Ruth Brown (2006), Stax soul singer Arthur Conley (2003), singer-songwriter Terry Stafford (1996), blues scholar, producer, and label owner Pete Welding (1995), co-founder of RPM Records Jules Bihari (1984), bassist John Glascock of Jethro Tull (1979)
November 18: jazz pianist Cy Coleman (2004), Tex-Mex influential Doug Sahm (1999), Alan Hull of Lindisfarne (1995), bandleader Cab Calloway (1994), prolific session drummer Freddie Waites (1989), Tom Evans of Badfinger (1983), Doug Roberts, drummer for Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs (1981), jazz singer Teddi King (1977), Danny Whitten of Crazy Horse (1972), Memphis bluesman “Little” Junior Parker (1971)
November 19: producer Terry Melcher (2004), songwriter Bobby Russell (1992), songwriter Carolyn Leigh (1983), Claude Feaster of The Chords (1975)