bmusic - Newsletter No. 267

In 1955, nineteen-year old Buddy Holly and his sidemen, Larry Welborn and Bob Montgomery, opened a concert in Lubbock, Texas for Bill Haley & the Comets. Eddie Crandell, a Nashville talent agent, was in the audience and within weeks had Holly record his first demo.

In 1955, one day after opening for Bill Haley & the Comets, nineteen year-old Buddy Holly opened for Elvis Presley in the same town.

In 1957, Little Richard, after finishing a concert in Sydney, Australia, announced he wanted to give up rock and roll. "If you want to live for the Lord, you can't take rock and roll too. God doesn't like it", he explained. Clifford Burks, the sax player in Richards touring band, asked him to prove his new-found faith in God and to prove it Little Richard threw four diamond rings valued at US$8,000 into the Hunter River. The next day he flew to Los Angeles and was baptised a Seventh Day Adventist so he could "prepare for the end of the world".

In 1958, at what would become Buddy Holly's last studio session, he recorded, "True Love Ways," "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," "Moondreams" and "Raining in my Heart" with the Crickets in New York.

In 1961, Bob Dylan completed recording of his self-titled first album for Columbia Records, with final production costs totalling US$400.

In 1962, twelve-year old Little Stevie Wonder, real name Steveland Morris Judkins, recorded his first single, "Thank you for Loving Me All the Way," for Motown Records.

In 1964, Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts married Shirley Ann Arnold in secret.

In 1964, The Who, then known as the High Numbers, failed to make an impression at an audition with EMI.

In 1966, the Jimi Hendrix Experience played their first major show to an audience of 14,500 at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France.

In 1966, The Yardbirds arrived in New York for their first U.S. tour, with Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page on guitars. After two shows of the tour, Jeff Beck left the group and Jimmy Page took over lead guitar.

In 1968, Led Zeppelin played its first U.K. show at London's Marquee Club after making its world debut in Scandinavia at the start of the month.

In 1968, John Lennon and Yoko Ono were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana during a raid on Ringo Starr's London apartment, where the two were staying.

In 1969, three people were killed and blues legend Muddy Waters injured in a serious road accident outside Chicago, Illinois.

In 1969, Led Zeppelin II was released.

In 1969, Pink Floyd's "Ummagumma" album was released.

In 1971, in the Los Angeles District Court, Arco Industries, the music publishing firm that owned copyrights on all material released on Specialty Records, filed a US$500,000 lawsuit against Creedance Clearwater Revival singer/songwriter John Fogerty. The suit claimed that Fogerty's song 'Travelin' Band' "contains substantial material copied from the music of the song 'Good Golly, Miss Molly'". The suit was eventually dropped.

In 1972, Creedance Clearwater Revival issued a statement announcing the group's break-up. The statement read "We don't regard this as breaking up. We look at it as an expansion of our activities. We will devote our time to individual rather than group projects."

In 1972, Joe Cocker, along with six of his bandmates, was arrested in Adelaide, South Australia on drug charges. Police claimed that, in an after-show raid, they confiscated marijuana, heroin and hypodermic syringes. Cocker was released on bail and given four hours to leave the country.

In 1973, the Rolling Stones first hit with a ballad, 'Angie' was released. Rumours abounded at the time that the song was written by Jagger for David Bowie's wife Angela.

In 1974, Kiss' "Hotter Than Hell" LP was released.

In 1975, Neil Young underwent surgery to have something scraped from his vocal cords that had been "bothering" him. Young resumed work in the studio soon after but by mid-1976, during his US tour with Stephen Stills, Young was forced to rest his vocal cords again because of the strain he had put on them.

In 1977, the classic Fleetwood Mac album 'Rumours' was released.

In 1978, singer Steve Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry of Aerosmith were injured in Philadelphia when a cherry bomb was thrown on stage. For some months following the incident Aerosmtih performed from behind a cyclone fence.

In 1978, Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious attempted suicide at New York's Rikers Island Detention Center while awaiting murder charges over the killing of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen.

In 1979, Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull suffered a minor eye injury when a fan throws a rose at him and one of the thorns pierces his eye. Two shows after the Madison Square Garden gig had to cancelled before Tull could resume the tour.

In 1980, AC/DC's 'Back in Black' was certified platinum in the US.

In 1980, Jefferson Starship's Paul Kantner suffered a brain hemorrhage during a recording session. After 15 days in hospital Kanter was back at work with no ill effects.

In 1992, Guns N'Roses guitarist Slash married model Renne Suran.

In 1992, the US Supreme Court ruled not to reinstate lawsuits against Ozzy Osbourne citing his songs as responsible for the suicides of two American teenagers.

In 1992, Irish singer Sinead O'Connor was booed off the stage at a show honouring Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden. The crowd was reacting to O'Connor's attack on the Pope two weeks earlier on TV show Saturday Night Live. During the SNL show O'Connor tore up a picture of the Pope.

In 1992, Elton John filed a US$35 Million lawsuit in which he claimed the TV tabloid show 'Hard Copy' falsely stated that Elton moved to Atlanta to be near an AIDS treatment center.

In 1992, Pearl Jam set a US first week sales record by selling 950,000 copies of their second album "Vs.". The record was broken in 1998 by Garth Brooks, that new record beaten in 1999 by the Backstreet Boys.

In 1993, Catholic churches in San Juan, Puerto Rico opened their doors for the night and urged residents to tie black ribbons on trees to protest Madonna's first concert in the city.

In 1995, Tupac Shakur was released from jail after serving eight months for groping and fondling a woman in a New York hotel room.

In 1996, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee was charged with attacking a cameraman. The cameraman was trying to take pictures of Lee and his, then, wife Pamela Anderson Lee outside an L.A. club.

In 1998, the Crossroads addiction recovery center centre in Antiqua, which was founded with US$6.5 million underwritten by Eric Clapton, opened.

In 2001, The Who, David Bowie, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, Bon Jovi, Elton John and many, many more raised US$30 million for victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks when they performed at VH1's Concert for New York in Madison Square Garden.

In 2002, Bobby Keys, touring tenor saxophonist with the 2002 Rolling Stones world tour, filed a lawsuit for malpractice against his dentist in Nashville, Tennessee. Keys claimed the caps the dentist fitted to his teeth in August, 2001, wouldn't stay on. He claimed this prevented him from playing on the last Stones album and from allowing him to join the 2002 Stones tour.

In 2002, UK band Oasis cancelled a scheduled show for Manila in the Phillipines after warnings from the British government about possible terrorist strikes in the area.

In 2004, Dicko quit his judging job on Australian Idol after quitting his BMG role earlier in the year. Perhaps Dicko saw the writing on the wall for Australian Idol, he was a record company exec after all, if he didn't know what the industry is planning to do next then no one would. (Edit: 07 - well, he's back on the show. His other dabbles in the TV caper over for now).

In 2005, iconic Australian record label Festival Mushroom Records was sold to global music giant Warner Music.

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Births In 1926, one of rock 'n' roll's founding pioneers, Chuck Berry.

In 1935, Sam Moore of soul group Sam & Dave.

In 1941, Manfred Mann.

In 1942, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Paul Simon.

In 1942, former Temptation, the late Melvin Franklin.

In 1942, Elvin Bishop.

In 1943, Bachman Turner Overdrive bassist Fred Turner.

In 1944, Chicago keyboardist and vocalist Robert Lamm.

In 1945, Doobie Brothers guitarist Patrick Simmons.

In 1945, Mountain vocalist/guitarist Leslie West.

In 1946, Moody Blues vocalist Justin Hayward.

In 1947, ex-Ronnie Montrose and ex-Van Halen vocalist Sammy Hagar.

In 1947, Grateful Dead guitarist/vocalist Bob Weir.

In 1949, Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates fame.

In 1949, Gary Richrath, guitarist and vocalist for REO Speedwagon.

In 1953, Heartbreaker Tom Petty was born.

In 1953, former Go-Go's guitarist Charlotte Caffey was born.

In 1955, former Van Halen singer, David Lee Roth.

In 1962, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea.

In 1968, Bob Marley's son Ziggy was born.

In 1971, Jade Jagger was born to parents Mick and Bianca Jagger at the Belvedere Nursing Home in Paris, France.

In 1991, Shane Cody Fogerty was born to proud parents John and Julie Fogerty.

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Deaths In 1969, Leonard Chess died of a heart attack. Leonard and his brother Phil founded Chess Records in the early 50's.

In 1974, Mary Woodson, who claimed to be Al Green's girlfriend, shot herself to death in the singer's home. The shooting, which was ruled a suicide, came after she had thrown a pot of boiling grits on Green as he was getting out of the bathtub. Green was treated for first and second degree burns on his back, neck and arms.

In 1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, his sister Cindy and a freelance singer touring with the group were killed when their rented single engine plane crashed in the swamps of Gillsburg, Mississippi.

In 1978, Nancy Spungen, the girlfriend of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious, was found dead of abdominal knife wounds in the couple's room at Chelsea Hotel in New York. Vicious, nearly unconscious due to the effects of several different drugs, was charged with her murder, jailed, then soon after released. Months later, he died of a heroin overdose before the case ever went to trial.

In 1978, Maybelle Carter, matriarch of the musical Carter family died at age 69. Maybelle was the mother of June Carter, who became Mrs. Johnny Cash.

In 1985, B-52's guitarist Ricky Wilson died of complications from AIDS at the age of 32.

In 1990, jazz drummer Art Blakey (Abdullah Ibn Buhaina) died at the age of 71. Blakey was the leader of the Jazz Messengers and had also worked with many of the jazz greats of his time. Artists he'd performed or recorded with included Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Johnny Griffin, Jackie McLean, Donald Byrd, Bobby Timmons, Cedar Walton, Benny Golson, Joanne Brackeen, Billy Harper, Valery Ponomarev, Bill Pierce and many others.

In 1991, Tennessee Ernie Ford died in Reston, Virginia at the age of 72.

In 1993, Savatage guitarist and singer Criss Oliva was killed when a drunk driver struck his car head on.

In 1995, jazz musician Don Cherry (Donald Eugene Cherry) died of liver failure from hepatitis. Cherry recorded with Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane, among others, and was a member of The New York Contemporary Five, Codona and The Jazz Composer's Orchestra. Don Cherry is the father of contemporary musicians Neneh and Eagle Eye Cherry.

In 1995, 28-year old Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon died of a cocaine overdose in New Orleans. Hoon was also well noted for his backing vocals role on the Guns 'N' Roses hit, 'Don't Cry'.

In 1996, founding Australian Crawl guitarist Brad Robinson died after a battle with cancer. After Australian Crawl Robinson became a presenter with the 'Page One' current affairs show, then worked as a presenter and co-producer of documentaries. In the 1990s he managed James and David Reyne, and worked as an agent for the Advantage Sports Management Group.

In 1997, singer/songwriter John Denver was killed in a plane crash when the 2-seater he was piloting crashed into Monterey Bay.

In 1998, Zulu musicians West Knosi died in a car accident. Nkosi was the saxophonist and producer of Mahlathini And The Mahotella Queens and with the group had worked with Paul Simon and Sting.

In 1999, guitarist Bruce Cameron committed suicide. Cameron had recorded with Jack Bruce, Mitch Mitchell, Ken Hensley, Buddy Miles and Billy Cox.

In 1999, slide guitarist Thomas Durden, who co-wrote "Heartbreak Hotel" with Mae Axton, died at the age of 79.

In 2001, US Songwriters Hall Of Fame Inductee Jay Livingston died of pneumonia at age 86. Livingston collaborated with Ray Evans to write "Mona Lisa" and "Que Sera, Sera". The pair also wrote the television theme songs for "Bonanza" and "Mr. Ed".

In 2001, Australian singer Peter Doyle died after a long battle with throat cancer. Early in Doyle's career he was a member of The Virgil Brothers and The New Seekers, and later went on to sing for Standing Room Only and Regis. The latter part of Doyle's career saw him writing advertising jingles for products such as Ribena and Sugar Puffs.
In the '70's Doyle was actually offered the role of vocalist for the Little River Band by Glenn Wheatley when the group was being put together.

In 2002, Derek Bell, pianist for Ireland's legendary Chieftains, died in the USA after recovering from minor surgery. 67 year old Bell was a member of the Irish group for 30 years and had played on more than 30 Chieftains albums.

In 2002, a 30-year old man died after being stabbed a number of times in the parking lot at a Nelly concert in California. Another man was also stabbed but not fatally. Three men were arrested over the incident.

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