Streaming Oldies - Listen On Demand

THIS WEEK IN ROCK & ROLL HISTORY
September 13 – 19

BIRTHS ... DEATHS ... EVENTS
With
Photos
Rock & Roll Factoids
Video Files

You May Have No Idea Who This Guy Is
But I KNOW You’ll Recognize His Music

The Answer Is Inside

THE ROCK & ROLL MEMORY MAGAZINE

ALL DEATHS ARE NOTED IN BOLD BLACK

SUNDAY September 13

The late Charles Brown (“Please Come Home For Christmas”) was born in 1922

The late Mel Torme (wrote “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting…”) was born in 1925

The late Gene Page (arranger/producer) was born in 1939
Rock Factoid: Page arranged the strings for the Righteous Brothers (“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”), Dobie Gray (“The In Crowd”), Elton John (“Philadelphia Freedom”), Diana Ross (“Touch Me In The Morning”) and co-arranged the strings on every Barry White hit in the seventies.

The late Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith (guitarist with the MC5 – “Kick Out The Jams”) was born in 1949

Zak Starkey (son of Ringo Starr and the drummer with Oasis – “Stop The Clocks” and the Who – “Real Good Looking Boy”) is 44
Rock Factoid: “He's a more technical drummer than I am. He's got good timing like I do, but my style is more laid back. His is certainly not laid-back, let's put it that way. He knows how to hit those buggers.” … Ringo Starr
Rock Factoid #2: Starkey was a fan of Who drummer Keith Moon very early in his life and that admiration shows in his work.
“Zak has a lot of karmic Keith Moon about him, which is wonderful. It's easy to make too much of that because he really is his own drummer. He’s just stunning.” … Pete Townshend
Rock Factoid #3: “Playing with the Who is the biggest rush there is. At eleven years old I used to go to bed dreaming about what I'm doing now. I don't know how many people can say that.” … Zak Starkey

Dave Mustaine (guitarist/songwriter with Metallica – “Jump In The Fire” before he was fired and guitarist/singer/songwriter with Megadeth – “Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!”) is 48

Joni Sledge (Sister Sledge – “We Are Family”) is 53

Randy Jones (the “cowboy” in the Village People – “Y.M.C.A.”) is 57

Peter Cetera (bassist and vocals with Chicago – “Along Comes A Woman” and “Glory Of Love” as a solo artist) is 65

Ray Elliot (keyboards and saxophone with Them – “Here Comes The Night”) is 66

David Clayton-Thomas (lead singer with Blood, Sweat & Tears – “Spinning Wheel”) is 68

Cliff Richard made his British television debut, singing “Move It” on Jack Good's Oh Boy---1958

Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” climbed to #1 (for the first time)---1960

The Federal Communications act in the USA was amended to outlaw payments of cash or gifts (payola) in exchange for airplay of records---1960

Shirley Ellis recorded “The Nitty Gritty”---1963

Graham Nash of the Hollies escaped serious injury when he fell out of a van traveling at 40 mph. The band was leaving a gig in Scotland and Nash had checked to see if the door was locked. It wasn't---1963

The Beatles released “Yesterday” / “Act Naturally” in the U.S.---1965
Rock Factoid: There have been over 3,000 recorded versions of “Yesterday” making it the song with the most cover versions in music history.

Joe Tex recorded “Skinny Legs And All”---1967

The Beatles formed Fiftyshapes, Ltd., an electronics company under the “direction” of John Alexis Mardas. “Magic Alex” promised many inventions; he claimed he could build a 72-track tape machine, create a force field that would surround the Beatles’ homes, develop paint that would make anything invisible, create car paint that could change color by flicking a switch, and he had ambitious plans to replace the acoustic baffles around Ringo Starr’s drums with an invisible sonic force field. None of his inventions ever materialized. George Harrison later said that employing Mardas, which was John Lennon’s idea, was “the biggest disaster of all time.”---1967

John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band made their live debut at the Rock & Roll Revival Concert in Toronto---1969
Rock Factoid: The band consisted of Lennon (vocals and guitar), Eric Clapton (lead guitar), Klaus Voorman (bass) and Alan White (drums).
Rock Factoid #2: Following his appearance, Lennon returned to England, committed to leaving the Beatles.
“We had a meeting in Savile Row where John finally brought it to a head. He said, ‘Well, that’s it lads, let's end it.’” …Ringo Starr
Paul McCartney convinced Lennon to hold off on announcing the split until a new contract had been signed with EMI Records, only to shock Lennon eight months later when he (Paul) told the world he was leaving.

Rapper Tupac Shakur (“Life Goes On”) died (six days after being shot in a drive-by shooting)---1996
Rock Factoid: The photo above was taken just 20 minutes before the shooting. Suge Knight (the driver and CEO of Death Row Records) was injured in the assault.
Rock Factoid #2: A few days after Shakur’s death, members of his hip-hop posse, Outlaw Immortalz, mixed some of his cremated ashes with marijuana and smoked them.

Elton John’s “Candle In The Wind 1997” sold more than 650,000 copies in its first day in British stores---1997
Rock Factoid: It went on to become the best-selling single in music history.

MONDAY September 14

The late Mae Boren Axton (co-wrote “Heartbreak Hotel” and the mother of singer/songwriter Hoyt Axton) was born in 1914

The late Steven Gaines (guitarist with Lynyrd Skynyrd – “What’s Your Name”) was born in 1949

The late Paul Kossoff (guitarist with Free – “All Right Now”) was born in 1950

The late Barry Cowsill (bass guitar with the Cowsills – “Indian Lake”) was born in 1954

Morten Harket (lead singer with a-ha – “Take On Me”) is 50

Steve Berlin (saxophone with Los Lobos – “La Bamba”) is 54

Jon ‘Bowzer’ Bauman (Sha-Na-Na – “At The Hop”) is 62

Pete Agnew (bass guitar with Nazareth – “Love Hurts”) is 63

Little Richard recorded a classic---1955
Rock Factoid: Richard had entered a New Orleans recording studio to begin two days of recording. Nothing was clicking so Richard and his producer; Bumps Blackwell went to the Dew Drop Inn for lunch. Richard started playing the piano in the bar, singing a loud and lewd version of a song which was part of his live act – “Tutti Frutti”. Blackwell recognized the song had hit potential but also knew the lyrics had to be changed. He contacted local songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie to revise the lyrics and with only fifteen minutes left in the session, Richard recorded the song in three takes---1955
Rock Factoid #2: “Tutti Fruitti” is ranked #43 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
Rock Factoid #3: Mojo Magazine ranked the song at #1 on their 100 Records That Changed The World list.

Roy Orbison’s two sons died in a fire in his Hendersonville, TN home while he was performing in England---1968

The Archies Saturday morning cartoon TV show debuted---1968

Genesis made their concert debut---1969

Stevie Wonder married singer Syreeta Wright (it lasted two years)---1970

Perez Prado (“Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White”) died (stroke)---1989

London auction house Sotheby’s auctioned Paul McCartney’s hand-written lyrics for the Beatles’ “Getting Better” (from “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”) for $257,600---1995

Paul ‘Hucklebuck’ Williams (saxophonist/bandleader – “The Hucklebuck”) died (natural causes)---2002
Rock Factoid: Williams’ hit song was not his only moment in the sun. He became part of rock history on March 21, 1952 when he was on the bill at the Moondog Coronation Ball, a show at the Cleveland Arena promoted by the disc jockey Alan Freed and often called the first rock concert. As it happened, his band was the only act that performed that night: gate crashing and overcrowding led fire marshals to stop the show shortly after it began.

TUESDAY September 15

The late Roy Acuff (the ‘King of Country Music’ – “Wabash Cannonball”) was born in 1903

The late Bobby Short (cabaret singer/pianist) was born in 1924

The late Julian ‘Cannonball’ Adderley (“Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”) was born in 1928

The late Les Braid (bass guitar with the Swinging Blue Jeans – “Hippy Hippy Shake”) was born in 1941

The late Ola Brunkert (drummer with Abba – every song they ever recorded) was born in 1946

The late Allen Shellenberger (drummer with Lit – “My Own Worst Enemy”) was born in 1969

Mitch Dorge (drummer with Crash Test Dummies -- “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm”) is 49

Lee Dorman (bass guitar with Iron Butterfly – “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”) is 67

Jimmy Gilmer (“Sugar Shack”) is 69

Hoagy Carmichael recorded “Georgia on My Mind”---1930

Brian Epstein brought the Beatles to London for an interview with the Daily Mirror’s Peter Jones, who concluded: “They're a nothing group”---1962

Ford Motor Company became the first automaker to offer an 8-track tape player as an option for their entire line of vehicles on sale in the U.S. Tapes were initially only available at auto parts stores---1965

The Who appeared on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour---1967
Rock Factoid: At the conclusion of “My Generation,” an explosion was planned but drummer Keith Moon had planted a triple dose of explosives without telling the rest of the band. The resulting flash nearly blew guitarist Pete Townshend’s head off and has been blamed, at least in part, for Pete’s subsequent hearing loss.

Jim Morrison collapsed before a Doors concert in Amsterdam---1968

The Ed Sullivan Singers and Orchestra released “The Sulli-Gulli”---1969
Rock Factoid: The dream of starting a new dance craze didn’t pan out.

U.S. Vice-President Spiro Agnew claimed the youth of America were being “brainwashed into a drug culture” by rock music, movies, books and underground newspapers---1970

Bob Dylan released “Slow Train Coming”---1979

David Bowie debuted on Broadway in The Elephant Man---1980

Dire Straits broke up---1988

A reel to reel tape of The Quarry Men appearing at St Peter's Parish Church garden party on July 6, 1957 (the day John met Paul), sold for $125,000 at a Sotheby's auction---1994

Gerry Marsden (of Gerry & The Pacemakers) had triple bypass heart surgery---2003

Johnny Ramone (born John William Cummings – guitarist with the Ramones – “Rock 'n' Roll High School”) died (prostate cancer)---2004

The Casbah Coffee Club in Liverpool was given a Grade II listed building status (significant building of more than local interest) after a recommendation from English Heritage. A local band called the Quarrymen, featuring John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and drummer Ken Brown played in the converted coal cellar of the house – owned by Mona Best, Pete’s mother – on opening night August 29 1959---2006

Rick Wright (keyboards/songwriter with Pink Floyd – “The Great Gig In The Sky”) died (cancer)---2008
Rock Factoid: “Like any band, you can never quite quantify who does what. But Pink Floyd wouldn’t have been Pink Floyd if [we] hadn’t had Rick. I think there’s a feeling now – particularly after all the warfare that went on with Roger (Waters) and David (Gilmour) trying to make clear what their contribution was – that perhaps Rick rather got pushed into the background. Because the sound of Pink Floyd is more than the guitar, bass and drum thing. Rick was the sound that knitted it all together. He was by far the quietest of the band, right from day one. And, I think, probably harder to get to know than the rest of us. It's almost that George Harrison thing. You sort of forget that they did a lot more than perhaps they’re given credit for.” … Roger Mason, Drummer

WEDNESDAY September 16

The late Charlie Byrd (jazz and classical guitar virtuoso) was born in 1925

The late Alan Barton (lead singer with Smokie – Rock Away Your Tear Drops”) was born in 1953

Richard Marx (“Hold On To The Nights”) is 46

David Bellamy (The Bellamy Brothers – “Let Your Love Flow”) is 59
Rock Factoid: David wrote “Spiders And Snakes” for Jim Stafford.

Ron Blair (bass guitar with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “Refugee”) is 61

Kenney Jones (drummer with the Small Faces – “Itchycoo Park” and later the Who – “You Better You Bet”) is 61
Rock Factoid: Jones, a lifelong polo fan, is the owner of Hurtwood Park Polo Club.

Betty Kelly (Martha & The Vandellas – “Jimmy Mack”) is 65

Bernie Calvert (bass guitar with the Hollies – “Bus Stop”) is 67

Joe Butler (drummer with the Lovin’ Spoonful – “Summer In The City”) is 68

Riley B. ‘B.B.’ King (“The Thrill Is Gone”) is 84

Johnny Burnette recorded “You’re 16”---1960

The Beatles released “She Loves You” / “I’ll Get You” in the U.S. on the Swan Label---1963
Rock Factoid: Released in England in August 1963, “She Loves You” was in the British charts for thirty-one consecutive weeks and remains the best-selling Beatles single in England.
Rock Factoid #2: “She Loves You” failed to generate much interest in the U.S. until it was re-released in 1964 following the success of “I Want To Hold Your Hand”

Shindig premiered with Sam Cooke, the Everly Brothers, the Righteous Brothers and Bobby Sherman---1964

John Dalton was named as Pete Quaife’s replacement as bass guitarist with the Kinks---1966

Tom Drilberg, a Member of Parliament, asked Britain’s House of Commons to officially “deplore” the action of a magistrate who called the Rolling Stones “complete morons who wear filthy clothes.”---1966

The Beatles recorded “Your Mother Should Know”---1967

The Beatles (actually just Paul McCartney) recorded “I Will” (requiring 67 takes until Paul was satisfied with the outcome---1968

Jimi Hendrix joined Eric Burdon on stage in London for what would become the guitarist’s last public appearance---1970

Led Zeppelin won 'Best Group' in the Melody Maker reader’s poll. It was the first time in eight years that the Beatles hadn't won---1970

Marc Bolan (guitarist/lead singer with T. Rex – “Bang A Gong”) died (automobile accident)---1977
Rock Factoid: Bolan, who was a passenger, never learned to drive as he feared he would die in a car accident like James Dean.
Rock Factoid #2: You will probably recognize the piano player in this video. He wasn’t part of the group.

The Grateful Dead recorded a concert at the pyramids in Egypt---1978

Former Clash drummer Topper Headon was released from jail after serving 10 months of a 15-month sentence on a narcotics charge---1988

Paul McCartney recorded “Heaven On A Sunday”---1996

Sheb Wooley (“Purple People Eater”) died (leukemia)---2003
Rock Factoid: Wooley wrote the theme song for TV’s Hee Haw.
Rock Factoid #2: Wooley co-starred as Pete Nolan in the TV Western Rawhide.

Norman Whitfield (legendary Motown producer/songwriter) died (complications from diabetes)---2008

THURSDAY September 17

The late Hiram ‘Hank’ Williams (“I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry") was born in 1923
Rock Factoid: The last single released while Williams was alive (“I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive”) was released just a month before his death.

The late Bill Black (bass player for Elvis Presley at the start of Presley’s career and later recorded several hits of his own, including “Smokie” with his own ‘Bill Black’s Combo’) was born in 1926

The late Jim Hodder (original drummer with Steely Dan – “Do It Again”) was born in 1947

Fee Waybill (born John Waldo Waybill – lead singer with The Tubes – “She’s A Beauty”) is 59

LaMonte McLemore (The 5th Dimension – “Aquarius”) is 70
Rock Factoid: McLemore was a pitcher in the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league organization before a broken arm ended that dream.
Rock Factoid #2: Before he joined the 5th Dimension, McLemore was a highly successful photographer. His work appeared in Life, Harper's Bazaar, Ebony, Teen, Cosmopolitan, and his own magazine, Elegant.

The first 33-1/3 rpm LPs and record player were launched by RCA Victor at a demonstration held at the Savoy Plaza Hotel in New York---1931

Tennessee Ernie Ford recorded “Sixteen Tons”---1955
Rock Factoid: The song was to be the B-Side of a country-blues swinger titled “You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry” which Capitol Records believed would be Ernie's biggest hit to date. To kick off the tempo for “Sixteen Tons,”, Ernie began snapping his fingers; a sound mistakenly left on the master tape.
Rock Factoid #2: Once the song was released on October 17, it sold 400,000 copies within eleven days. By December 15, more than 2,000,000 copies had been sold, making it the most successful single ever recorded at that time.

The Everly Brothers recorded “Walk Right Back”---1960

The Supremes released “Baby Love”---1964

The Beatles were paid a then record $150,000 for a concert at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City---1964

The Doors appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and infuriated the host when they sang “Light My Fire” (using the song’s original lyrics, which Ed had banned)---1967

Billy Joel recorded “Piano Man”---1973
Rock Factoid: When originally issued as a single, the song was considered too long by record executives so two verses were cut in half and spliced together for the release as a single, which lasted 3:05.
Joel’s “The Entertainer” mentioned that event by singing, “It was a beautiful song, but it ran too long. If you're gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit. So they cut it down to 3:05.”

Ringo Starr released his “Ringo's Rotogravure” album---1976

“Use Your Illusion I” and “Use Your Illusion II” were released simultaneously by Guns N' Roses---1991

FRIDAY September 18

The late Teddi King (“Mr. Wonderful”) was born in 1929

The late Dee Dee Ramone (born Doug Colvin – bass guitar with the Ramones - “Rock & Roll High School”) was born in 1952

Kerry Livgren (guitarist with Kansas – “Dust In The Wind”) is 60

P.F. Sloan (born Philip Gary Schlein – songwriter who recorded “Where Were You When I Needed You” under the name the Grass Roots) is 64
Rock Factoid: After “Where Were You When I Needed You” became a modest hit, the record label wanted him to go on the road to tour. Sloan declined, so a Grass Roots group was “invented”.
Rock Factoid #2: Sloan wrote “Eve Of Destruction” (Barry McGuire), “Secret Agent Man” (Johnny Rivers), “A Must To Avoid” (Herman’s Hermits) and “You Baby” (Turtles).

Frankie Avalon (“Venus”) is 70

Jimmie Rodgers (“Honeycomb”) is 76
Rock Factoid: In 1967, he was stopped by an off-duty Los Angeles police officer and in an incident marred by conflicting reports (he said he was attacked and beaten by the police, they said he was drunk and fell down), he sustained severe injuries to his head that left him with brain and nerve damage. He sued the City of Los Angeles and despite their claims of innocence, they settled out of court for $200,000.

On his twenty-first birthday, Frankie Avalon received $600,000 in royalties from records he had sold while a minor---1960

The Beatles recorded “Birthday” and “Glass Onion”---1968

Tiny Tim announced his engagement to Miss Vicki Budinger. He later said, “I was so moved I shed a tear and put it in an envelope that I always keep in my ukulele.”---1969

Jimi Hendrix died of a drug overdose---1970

All four members of Kiss released solo albums---1978
Rock Factoid: Casablanca Records shipped five million total copies of the albums (guaranteeing instant platinum status). That was soon followed by retailers shipping them back to the record company. The actual and legitimate number of copies sold was slightly over 2 million.

Kiss appeared on stage for the first time without their make-up---1983

Rob Tyner (born Robert Derminer – lead singer with the MC5 – “Back In The U.S.A.”) died (heart attack)---1991

Charlie Foxx (“Mockingbird” with sister Inez Foxx) died (leukemia)---1998

Sir Cliff Richard and a host of musical guests were present at the unveiling of a commemorative plaque at the 2 i's Coffee Bar in Old Compton Street, in London's Soho---2006
Rock Factoid: The club, widely regarded as the birthplace of British rock & roll, began featuring music artists in 1956 and audiences crammed into the tiny basement to see acts such as Sir Cliff, Tommy Steele, the Shadows, the Tornados and Adam Faith.

Opal Courtney, Jr. (The Spaniels – “Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight”) died (heart attack)---2008

SATURDAY September 19

The late Christopher Stone (first DJ to broadcast on the BBC {in July 1927}) was born in 1882

The late Billy Ward (“St. Therese Of The Roses”) was born in 1921

The late Brook Benton (born Benjamin Franklin Peay - “Rainy Night In Georgia”) was born in 1931

The late Brian Epstein (Beatles manager) was born in 1934

The late Nick Massi (born Nicholas Macioci – bass guitar and bass vocals with The Four Seasons – “Walk Like A Man”) was born in 1935

The late Cass Elliot (born Ellen Naomi Cohen – Mamas & Papas – “Caifornia Dreamin’” and “Make Your Own Kind Of Music” as a solo artist) was born in 1941

Nile Rodgers (guitarist with Chic – “Le Freak”) is 57
Rock Factoid: Rodgers co-produced “The Honeydrippers Volume 1,” which included the smash hit, “Sea Of Love”
The “supergroup" included Robert Plant (vocals), Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Rodgers (guitars), Dave Weckl (drums) and Paul Shaffer (keyboards).

Daniel Lanois (producer) is 58
Rock Factoid: Lanois has produced albums for U2 (“The Joshua Tree,” “Achtung Baby,” “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” and “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb”) Bob Dylan (“Oh Mercy” and “Time Out Of Mind”) and Peter Gabriel (“So”).

Twiggy (born Lesley Hornby – iconic British model who became The Face of ‘66’) is 60

Lol Crème (born Lawrence Neil Creme – guitarist and singer with 10CC – “I’m Not In Love”) is 62

John Coghlan (drummer with Status Quo – “Pictures Of Matchstick Men”) is 63

Freda Payne (“Band Of Gold”) is 64

David Bromberg (“Sammy’s Song”) is 64

Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers (“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”) is 69
Rock Factoid: Medley was very hesitant to release “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” because he felt the recording was too focused on his voice at the expense of his partner (Bobby Hatfield) who sang mostly on the chorus.
Rock Factoid #2: There was concern on the part of producer Phil Spector that the song would not be played by radio stations because it ran 3:50, much too long for the era. On the advice of engineer Larry Levine, the label pulled a fast one.
“I suggested that we mark the record 3:05,” Levine recalled, “and if anyone asked, we could say it was a typo. Phil went along with that. We knew the programmers would figure it out after they listened to it. But at least it made sure that it got played once.”

Songwriter Paul Williams is 69
Rock Factoid: Among the many songs Williams has written or co-written are “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Old Fashioned Love Song,” “Rainy Days And Mondays,” “Rainbow Connection,” and “Someday Man,” (which was covered by the Monkees, which he also auditioned for but did not make) and the Academy Award winning “Evergreen” from the film A Star Is Born.

Hank Ballard & the Midnighters became the first group to have three songs (“Finger Poppin’ Time,” “Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go” and “The Twist”) in the Billboard Top 100 at the same time---1960

The Beatles recorded “Piggies”---1968

Clyde Julian ‘Red’ Foley (“Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy”) died (heart attack)---1968
Rock Factoid: Foley’s daughter Shirley Lee has been married to Pat Boone since 1953.

Gram Parsons (born Cecil Ingram Connor, III – guitarist with the Byrds and later The Flying Burrito Brothers) died (overdose of morphine after a 24-hour drinking binge ---1973
Rock Factoid: In a story that has taken on legendary stature, Parsons’ body disappeared from the Los Angeles International Airport where it was being readied to be shipped to Louisiana for burial.
Parsons’ road manager Phil Kaufman and a friend managed to steal Parsons’ body from the airport and in a borrowed hearse, drove the body to Joshua Tree National Monument in California. They attempted to cremate it by pouring five gallons of gasoline into the open coffin and throwing a lit match inside.
The burned remains were eventually returned to Parsons’ stepfather and interred in New Orleans.

Simon & Garfunkel reunited for a free concert in New York’s Central Park---1981

Pink Floyd released “A Momentary Lapse Of Reason”---1987

Michelle Phillips of the Mamas & Papas was robbed at gunpoint outside a West Hollywood restaurant---1993

Rich Mullins (“Step By Step”) died (car accident)---1997

Edward Cobb (original member of the Four Preps – “Big Man”) died (leukemia)---1999
Rock Factoid: After leaving the Four Preps, Cobb wrote and produced hits for the Standells (“Dirty Water” and “Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White”), Gloria Jones (“Tainted Love”) and Brenda Holloway (“Every Little Bit Hurts”).
Rock Factoid #2: Cobb’s production and engineering talent earned thirty-two Gold and Platinum records.

Skeeter Davis (born Mary Frances Penick - “End Of The World”) died (breast cancer)---2004
Rock Factoid: Skeeter Davis is the only woman in the history of the Billboard charts to hit the top ten singles list on all four singles charts (Hot 100 [Pop/Rock], Country, Easy Listening, and Soul/Rhythm & Blues) with “The End Of The World.”

Guinness World Records reported that Status Quo had recorded 61 hit singles; more than any other band in British chart history---2005

Earl Palmer (drummer with Phil Spector’s famed Wrecking Crew session musicians and a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame) died (long illness)---2008
Rock Factoid: “Don’t ask me which ones I played on.. I should have done like Hal (Blaine). He used to get gold records for all the things he played on. I never did that, you know. I would like to have a room with all those things in them. It would have been nice to show my grandchildren when they grow up so they don’t say, ‘Oh shut up old man and sit down.’ I could just say, ‘Look. I don’t have to tell you nothing. There it is.’” … Earl Palmer
Rock Factoid #2: Because Earl didn’t get those gold records, we’ll be happy to brag on his behalf:
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” and “Just Once In My Life” (Righteous Brothers), “Tutti Fruitti,” “Lucille,” “Slippin’ And Slidin’” and “Long Tall Sally” (Little Richard), “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” (Lloyd Price), “Rockin’ Robin” (Bobby Day), “La Bamba” (Ritchie Valens), “Walking To New Orleans,” “My Girl Josephine” and “My Blue Heaven” (Fats Domino), “Pacific Coast Highway” (Mamas & Papas), “Porpoise Song” and “Tapioca Tundra” (Monkees), “River Deep, Mountain High” (Ike & Tina Turner), “Ramblin’ Rose” (Nat ‘King’ Cole), “I Hear You Knocking” (Smiley Lewis), “Be Bop Baby” (Ricky Nelson), “What Now My Love” (Sonny & Cher), “Please Let Me Wonder” (Beach Boys), “Run To Him” and “The Night Has A Thousand Eyes” (Bobby Vee), “You Send me” (Sam Cooke) and that only slightly touches the surface.

Compiled by Ray Lemire ©2005-2009 Ray Lemire.
You may not, under any circumstances, reproduce, record, publish, republish, post, transmit, publicly display, publicly exhibit or distribute any articles, photographs or music files (in whole or in part) on Streamingoldies.com without obtaining the express written consent of the Operator.