bmusic - Newsletter No. 101

In 1956, Elvis Presley began his first recording session in Nashville. Among the songs recorded were "Heartbreak Hotel" and "I Was the One", which became Presley's first single for RCA Victor.

In 1958, "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis became the number-one song in the US. Later in the year, many radio stations began banning his records because of his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin.

In 1963, singer Gary Bonds sued Chubby Checker for $100,000, claiming that Checker's recording of "Dancin' Party" was plagarised from Bonds' "Quarter to Three." The suit was settled out of court.

In 1964, the Rolling Stones began their first tour on which they topped the bill. They opened at a London theatre, sharing the stage with the Ronettes and Marty Wilde.

In 1965, founder Leo Fender sold his Fender guitar and amplifier manufacturing company to CBS for US$13 million. Leo was convinced he was very ill and didn;t have long to live, prompting his decision to sell. In fact, Leo lived until 1991.

In 1970, neighbuors of Max Yasgur, on whose New York farm the Woodstock festival was held the previous year, sued him for US$35,000 property damage allegedly caused as a result of the Woodstock festival.

In 1974, KISS signed with Casablanca Records and went on to become one of the biggest selling artists of the decade.

In 1978, the Sex Pistols began their first and only US tour in Atlanta. The tour had been delayed because members of the British group had difficulty getting visas. Nine days later, the pioneer punk rockers announced they were splitting up.

In 1984, the album "Thriller" by Michael Jackson became the all-time best selling LP.

In 1986, a judge in Dallas, Texas denied David Crosby's request to enter a drug treatment program. He ordered the rock singer to remain in jail pending completion of his appeals on drug and firearms convictions. Crosby was sentenced to five years in prison in 1983.
You can bet Crosby wishes he'd made in screw up in this day and age. Then he could get a bunch of chances like Robert Downey Jr.

In 1987, Frankie Goes to Hollywood opened their final tour in Manchester, England. Their second LP sold only 60,000 copies compared with a million for the first one, which contained the hit single "Relax".

In 1988, the Columbia Broadcasting System sold CBS Records to the Sony Corporation of Japan. CBS Records began in 1887 as the American Graphophone Company, founded by two English inventors, one of whom was a cousin of Alexander Graham Bell. American Graphophone manufactured dictation machines. Its offspring, the Columbia Phonograph Company, did not begin making records until 1890. Over the years, Columbia Records was owned by an English businessman, a radio and refrigerator manufacturer, a button maker and finally a broadcaster, before being sold to Sony.
It's not known how much Sony paid for the CBS behemoth but you can bet it was a tidy sum!

In 1988, singer Frank Sinatra was US$1,000,000 for a single performance to help launch new Gold Coast resort "Sanctuary Cove". It was Sinatra's first performance in Australia in 14 years after he'd been banned by Australian unions in 1974 following incidents in which he called female reporters "hookers" and male reporters "drunks".
Sanctuary Cove developer Mike Gore, who had made his fortune in used car dealerships, made the bold move to show the standard of excellence Sanctuary Cove was to offer. Gore died in 1994 and Sanctuary Cove is now just another resort owned by an international consortium.

In 1992, Capitol Records in the US decided not to renew Anne Murray's contract. Bummer! She had been with the label for 22 years, recording 30 albums, many of them bestsellers.

In 1994, singer Rick James was sentenced in Los Angeles to five years and four months in prison for sexual assault on two women. But two weeks later, a plea deal was reached under which James avoided prison by entering a drug rehabilitation centre. The deal came after allegations that a prosecution investigator had provided heroin to a key witness at James's trial. The singer, best known for his 1981 hit "Super Freak," was convicted of holding one woman against her will and forcing another to have sex with his girlfriend during a six-day cocaine binge.
Not long after his release from prison James appeared in a civil suit on an episode of reality courtroom drama "Judge Judy".

In 1997, Chicago bluesman Son Seals was shot in the jaw. His wife was charged with battery.

In 1997, Stone Temple Pilots lead singer Scott Weiland checked himself into a drug treatment centre in California. It was his second drug rehab session within a year.

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Births In 1923, Sam Phillips, owner of the legendary Sun Records in Memphis, was born in Florence, Alabama. Many music historians say Sun was where rock 'n' roll began. Certainly, Phillips was the first to record the black-influenced music of such young white singers as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins in 1954.
Phillips began by recording such black artists as Howlin' Wolf and Jackie Brenston, whose "Rocket '88" from 1951 is often cited as the first rock 'n' roll record. But Phillips had also dreamed of finding a white singer who could sing in a black style - and in 1954 he did. Elvis Presley recorded five hit singles for Sun before Phillips sold his contract to RCA in 1956 for $35,000.
Phillips sold Sun Records in 1969, but he had already assured his place in rock history. The original Sun Studio on Union Avenue in Memphis is now open as a tourist attraction. Much of the soundtrack for the 1989 Jerry Lee Lewis film biography "Great Balls of Fire" was recorded there.

In 1924, country musician Earl Scruggs.

In 1935, the "King of Rock 'n' Roll," Elvis Presley, was born in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Elvis Presley was found dead in his Graceland Mansion in Memphis on August 16th, 1977.

In 1937, singer Shirley Bassey.

In 1941, folk singer Joan Baez was born in Staten Island, New York.

In 1943, singer Jim Croce was born in Philadelphia. Croce's biggest hits, among them "Time in A Bottle" and "Bad Leroy Brown" became most popular after his death in a plane crash in 1973.

In 1944, Led Zeppelin guitarist and rock music legend, Jimmy Page, was born in London.
He established his reputation as a session musician in London in the early '60s, and is rumored to have played the guitar solo on the Kinks' recording of "You Really Got Me." Page later joined the Yardbirds as bass guitarist, taking over the lead guitar role when Jeff Beck left the group.
When the Yardbirds disbanded in 1968, Page formed Led Zeppelin with vocalist Robert Plant.

In 1945, rock drummer Aynsley Dunbar, who has played with Jefferson Starship, Journey, the Mothers of Invention and his own Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation.

In 1945, singin' stud (or is that one-time-stud) Rod Stewart.

In 1946, guitarist Syd Barrett, the founder of Pink Floyd, was born in Cambridge, England. See bmusic Newsletter No.21 for an in-depth look at the mystery behind the legendary Syd Barrett.

In 1946, The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger.

In 1947, David Bowie was born in London.

In 1947, Martin Turner, bass player for Wishbone Ash.

In 1948, singer Donald Fagen of Steely Dan.

In 1948, singer Kenny Loggins was born in Everett, Washington. He wrote the "House at Pooh Corner," a hit for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, before teaming with Jim Messina for several albums and the top-10 single "Your Mama Don't Dance" in the 1970's. The duo split in 1976, and Loggins did well on his own with such hit singles as "Footloose," the theme from the 1984 movie, and "Danger Zone" in 1986.

In 1949, George (Funky) Brown, drummer with Kool and the Gang.

In 1950, Chris Stein of Blondie was born.

In 1951, Peter (Biff) Byford of metal act Saxon.

In 1953, AC/DC rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young.

In 1953, "All Fired Up" girl Pat Benatar.

In 1956, Mike Reno of the Canadian rock group Loverboy. That's right - Turn Me loose!

In 1958, folk-pop singer Shawn Colvin.

In 1958, Vicki Peterson of the Bangles.

In 1959, Crowded House drummer Paul Hester.

In 1963, Eric Erlandson, guitarist with Hole.

In 1964, Peter Gill of Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

In 1971, 2002 breakthrough artist Mary J. Blige.

In 1979, Chris (Daddy Mack) Smith of the very short-lived rap duo Kriss Kross.

In 1960, R.E.M. vocalist Michael Stipe.

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Deaths In 1964, British blues singer and harmonica player Cyril Davies died of leukemia at age 32. In 1961, Davies and Alexis Korner founded Blues Incorporated, a band that employed such future stars as Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, and Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker of Cream. Davies left the band in late 1962 to form the Cyril Davies All-Stars, whose members included guitarist Jeff Beck, keyboardist Nicky Hopkins and singer Long John Baldry.

In 1976, Chester Burnett, who recorded dozens of classic blues songs for Chess Records as Howlin' Wolf, died in a Chicago hospital at the age of 65.
Wolf was discovered in Memphis by Ike Turner, then a talent scout for Sun Records. A pioneer in the use of the electric guitar in blues, Howlin' Wolf recorded such numbers as "Sittin' On Top of the World", "Smokestack Lightnin'" and "Spoonful". These songs were revived by several British rhythm-and-blues bands, among them The Yardbirds, in the early '60s.

In 1976, Mal Evans, former roadie and bodyguard of the Beatles, was shot to death by police at his Los Angeles apartment. His girlfriend had earlier found him upset and depressed and when friends couldn't get Evans to release the unloaded rifle he was holding, they called the police. At one point, Evans allegedly pointed the gun at police officers at which they opened fire, fatally wounding him. He was 40 years old.

In 1979, jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus died in Cuernevaca, Mexico, at the age of 56. Mingus, one of the great innovators in jazz, was a victim of the muscular ailment known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

In 1980, Carl White, one of the four members of the 1960's novelty group the Rivingtons, died in his Los Angeles home at age 48. The Rivingtons had hits in 1962 and '63 with "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" and "The Bird's the Word," which was copied almost note-for-note in 1964 by the Trashmen, who called it "Surfin' Bird" and took it into the top ten.

In 1987, Marion Hutton, the former lead vocalist for the Glenn Miller Orchestra, died of cancer in Kirkland, Washington. She was 67. Among the Miller standards on which she performed were "Chattanooga Choo-Choo", "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" and "Moonlight Serenade". Hutton, an alcoholic, retired from show business in 1954 when she married bandleader Vic Schoen. She spent the last two decades of her life helping other women alcoholics.

In 1991, Steve Clark, guitarist for the hard-rock band Def Leppard, was found dead in his London home at age 30. A coroner ruled Clark "was a very heavy drinker who seemingly had abused drugs and regrettably paid the price." Clark, lead singer Joe Elliott and bassist Rick Savage formed Def Leppard in January 1978. Their million-selling albums include "High 'n' Dry," "Pyromania" and "Hysteria." "Pyromania," released in 1983, sold seven million copies in the US alone. Def Leppard did not replace Clark for 15 months, finally settling on Vivian Campbell, a veteran of Whitesnake and other bands.

In 1993, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, one of the towering figures in modern jazz, died in Englewood, New Jersey, at age 75.
Gillespie, along with saxophonist Charlie (Bird) Parker, pianists Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, and drummer Max Roach, helped develop the bebop school of jazz during all-night jam sessions in New York during the 1940's. He later was instrumental in merging Latin rhythms with mainstream jazz.
Gillespie was also one of the most recognizable jazz figures - with his balloon cheeks, goatee and bent trumpet. Dizzy's story went that another musician tripped over his trumpet stand and bent the bell upward at a 45-degree angle. Gillespie liked the sound and used bent horns from then on.
Late in his life Dizzy Gillespie actually ran in the American Presidential election race and was almost elected Commander-in-Chief of the U.S.

In 1994, Harold Lucas, the founder of the Clovers, died in Washington, DC. He was about 70 years old. The Clovers were the most successful rhythm-and-blues group of the 1950s with such hits as "Don't You Know I Love You," "Fool, Fool, Fool" and "Love Potion No. 9." They also recorded the original versions of "Blue Velvet," later turned into a pop hit by Bobby Vinton, and "Devil or Angel," which was covered by Bobby Vee. Lucas toured with a Clovers group - he was the only original member - until two years before his death.

In 1995, composer Louis Gaste, who wrote the song that was plagiarised as the hit "Feelings", died at his Paris home at age 88. In 1956, Gaste co-wrote "Pour Toi (For You)" with his wife, singer-actress Line Renaud. The song didn't become popular at the time, but in 1975 Morris Albert adapted it as "Feelings". His recording made the US top-10, and the song became a staple of lounge singers all over the world. Gaste sued the Brazilian singer-composer over the song and won US$500,000 in damages in a US court in 1987.

In 1996, James Brown's wife, Adrienne Brown, collapsed and died at a Beverly Hills, California clinic, two days after undergoing lyposuction. She was 47. An autopsy showed she died from a combination of the illegal drug PCP and heart disease. The Browns' 10-year marriage was marked by her repeated charges - and his repeated denials - of physical abuse.

In 2000, jazz educator, composer and performer Roger Frampton died from a brain tumor. Sax and piano playing Frampton emigrated to Australia from England at the age of 20 and set about influencing the Australian jazz scene through his tenure at the NSW Conservatorium of Music's Jazz Studies Department and his work in groups such as Ten Part Invention, the trio The Engine Room, and with renowned international performers such as Don Rader, Steve Lacy and Lee Konitz. Frampton was 51.

In 2001, The Cramps original guitarist Bryan Gregory died from pneumonia after having been ill for weeks following a heart attack. He had also been a member of other punkabilly and rock groups including Beast, The Dials and Shiver. Gregory died aged 45.

In 2002, 33-year old drummer John Lee hanged himself. He was the skins man for Reel who hit the big time after changing their name to Feeder.

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