This is the week that was in matters musical…
1957, Buddy Holly and the Crickets release their first record “That’ll Be The Day.” The release will soar to #1 on the U.K. charts and #3 on the U.S. charts …
1963, The Beatles, touring the U.K. with Roy Orbison, perform at the Rialto Theatre in York …
1964, Marianne Faithful records the Jagger/Richards song “As Tears Go By.” She is accompanied by Jimmy Page on guitar and John Paul Jones on bass …
1965, on vacation in Portugal, Paul McCartney pens the lyrics to “Yesterday” while riding in a car to visit a friend’s villa. The song’s working title? “Scrambled Eggs” …
1966, Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass go to No.1 on the U.S. album chart with “What Now My Love,” setting a new American record with four albums in the U.S. Top Ten. The other three are “South of the Border,” “Going Places,” and “Whipped Cream and Other Delights” …
1967, The Move, Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Zoot Money, and Pink Floyd all appear at the Tulip Bulb Auction Hall in Spalding, Lincs, England. Tickets will set you back £1 ($1.70 now, nearer $4 back then) …
1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono begin their “bed-in for peace” at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Canada … In an act that’s equal parts performance art and publicity event, the couple will spend eight days in bed, holding forth and singing on the subject of world peace to a court of media and counter-culture celebrities …
1973, The Edgar Winter Group tops the charts with their monster synth-pop hit “Frankenstein” …
1977, Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers play together for the first time at the Circus Hippodrome in Paris. The future Policemen perform as part of Mike Howlett’s band, Strontium 90.
1983, actress and singer Irene Cara starts a six-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Flashdance…What A Feeling,” taken from the film Flashdance, a No. 2 hit in the UK. Cara has also appeared in TV’s “Roots” and “The Next Generation” …
1992, singer-songwriter Paul Simon marries singer Edie Brickell …
1994, Michael Jackson weds Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’ daughter. The union will end a year later …
1997, Oasis singer Liam Gallagher is battered and bruised after getting into a fight with a youth at the Tower Thistle Hotel in East London. Gallagher and several of his band mates were drinking at the bar when the scuffle broke out …
1999, skeletal remains are found by photographers looking for old car wrecks to shoot at the bottom of Decker Canyon near Malibu, California. Based on forensic evidence the remains are those of Philip Kramer former bassist with rock group Iron Butterfly, who had disappeared on his way home from work on February 12, 1995. His death is ruled a probable suicide …
2001, The Eagles make their first-ever visit to Russia when they appear at SC Olymisky in Moscow …
2004, Velvet Revolver’s highly anticipated debut album Contraband makes its online debut courtesy of MTV.com … the group features former Guns N’ Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, with former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland handling vocals … the album will go platinum within two months … no comment from Axl … legendary ’80s metal band Judas Priest plays the first show of its reunion tour with singer Rob Halford in Hanover, Germany … Halford left the group in 1993 to form the alt-metal band Fight … he was replaced by Tim Owens, frontman for a Judas Priest cover band …
2009, Phil Spector is jailed for at least 19 years for murdering an actress in 2003. The producer, 69, famed for his Wall of Sound recording technique, was found guilty of shooting Lana Clarkson at his California home. Spector pleads not guilty to the second-degree murder during the five-month retrial in Los Angeles. His lawyers say he will appeal. Spector is given a sentence of 15 years to life for second-degree murder and an additional four years for personal use of a gun …
… and that was the week that was …
Arrivals:
May 26: Peggy Lee, American jazz and popular music singer (1920), Miles Davis, American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer (1926), Levon Helm, drummer and vocalist with The Band (1942), Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac (1948), Mick Ronson, guitarist and producer, member of Mott The Hoople (1949), Lenny Kravitz, American singer-songwriter (1964), Alan White, drummer of the British rock band Oasis (1972)
May 27: Cilla Black, British singer and entertainer (1943), Pete Sears, British bassist and keyboardist (1948), Split Enz guitarist Neil Finn (1956), Eddie Harsch, keyboardist with the Black Crowes (1957), Susan Dallion AKA Siouxsie Sioux, singer with Siouxie Sioux and the Banshees (1957), Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopez, vocalist with TLC (1971), Andre Benjamin AKA Andre 3000, rapper and singer with Outkast (1975)
May 28: T-Bone Walker, born Aaron Thibeaux Walker (1910), violinist “Papa” John Creach (1917), ska musician Prince Buster, born Cecil Bustamente Campbell (1938), Gladys Knight (1944), singer-songwriter-guitarist-actor-music historian Billy Vera (1944), John Fogerty (1945), Stacy Sutherland of The 13th Floor Elevators (1946), Ray Laidlaw of Lindisfarne (1948), Wendy O. Williams of The Plasmatics (1949), Roland Gift of Fine Young Cannibals (1952), Kylie Minogue (1968)
May 29: Gary Brooker of Procol Harum (1945), Roy Crewsdon of Freddie & The Dreamers (1949), jazz pianist Hilton Ruiz (1952), Toto bassist Mike Porcaro (1955), LaToya Jackson (1956), The Time’s Jesse Johnson (1960), Mel Gaynor of Simple Minds (1960), Melissa Etheridge (1961), Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher (1967), Chad Kinchla of Blues Traveler (1969), Melanie Brown aka Mel B and Scary Spice of The Spice Girls (1975)
May 30: Benny Goodman (1909), Western swing fiddle player Johnny Gimble (1926), Lenny Davidson of The Dave Clark Five (1944), drummer Nicky “Topper” Headon of The Clash (1955), Roxette’s Marie Fredericksson (1958), Wynonna Judd (1964), Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello (1964), Patrick Dalheimer of Live (1971)
May 31: Ghanaian musician Emmanual Tettey (E.T.) “King of Highlife” Mensah (1919), Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary (1938), Tex-Mex organist Augie Meyers (1941), Mick Ralphs, founding member of Mott the Hoople and Bad Company (1944), Junior Campbell of Marmalade (1947), John “Bonzo” Bonham (1948), songwriter Jimmy Silva (1952), Corey Hart (1962), Darryl McDaniels of Run-D.M.C. (1964)
June 1: English romantic composer Sir Edward Elgar (1857), C&W singer Johnny Bond (1915), Nelson Riddle (1921), New Orleans session guitarist Justin Adams (1923), Pat Boone (1934), Dan Hamilton of Hamilton Joe Frank & Reynolds (1946), Ron Wood (1947), Graham Russell of Air Supply (1950), Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn (1953), Alan Wilder of Depeche Mode (1959), The Cure’s Simon Gallup (1960), Mike Joyce of The Smiths (1963), Stefanie Sargent, guitarist with 7-Year Bitch (1968), Alanis Morissette (1974)
Departures:
May 26: television theme composer Earle Harry Hagen (2008), ska pioneer Desmond Dekker (2006), African guitarist Matima Kinuani Mpiosso (1996), William Powell, singer with The Ojays (1994), jazz and rock guitarist Sonny Sharrock (1994), bluesman “Reverend” Robert Wilkins (1987), R&B star Little Willie John, born William Edgar John (1968)
May 27: jazz trumpeter Red Rodney (1994), music promoter C. W. Stubblefield (1995), jazz clarinetist/saxophonist Albert “Pud” Brown (1996)
May 28: jazz pianist Jimmy Rowles (1996), jazz pianist-composer Mary Lou Williams (1981), novelty singer Nervous Norvus aka Jimmy Drake (1968)
May 29: manager Jo Lustig (1999), Jeff Buckley (1997), Ollie Halsall of Patto (1992), John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service (1989)
May 30: producer Mickie Most (2003), bandleader Tex Beneke (2000), songwriter-guitarist West Arkeen (1997), bassist John Kahn (1996), trombonist Bob Stroup (1996), jazz composer and orchestra leader Sun Ra (1993), songwriter-musician Leon Rene (1982), bassist Carl Radle (1980), John Ryanes of The Monotones (1972)
May 31: Tito Puente (2000), gospel/soul singer Johnnie Taylor (2000), Elsbeary Hobbs, bass singer with The Drifters (1996)
June 1: psychedelic poster artist Alton Kelly (2008), songwriter David Mook (1996), jazz musician Don Grolnick (1996), David Ruffin of The Temptations (1991), John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson (1948)