Happy Thanksgiving From the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 11/26/2020

Good Morning, Music Lovers, and Happy Thanksgiving from your friends in The Mermaid Lounge! We have our Thanksgiving tradition coming up at 10:00 a.m., so be watching for the back story to Alice’s Restaurant in this blog entry.

***Arlo Guthrie and his wife Jackie, on their wedding day. Arlo followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a great storyteller, as you will see later this morning!***

Here’s today’s entry from the College:

November 26, 1955: Bill Haley’s Rock Around The Clock reaches #1 in the UK, and is considered to be the first rock n’ roll song to accomplish that feat.

November 26, 1962: The Beatles record their second single, Please Please Me, in 18 takes at London’s EMI Studios. They also record the B-side, Ask Me Why.

November 26, 1964: The Zombies record Tell Her No.

November 26, 1965: After having Thanksgiving dinner in a church in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, a young Arlo Guthrie and a friend returned to clean up. When they can’t find an open dump, the two dump their trash down a hill. They are arrested, fined $25 each, and are forced to clean up the trash again. When they return to the church, Arlo writes the Alice’s Restaurant Massacree, in which he embellishes some of the events. Nevertheless, it is a moment in musical history that we musicologists will not forget.

November 26, 1966: You Keep Me Hangin’ On by the Supremes took over the #1 slot on the R & B charts.

Also on November 26 of 1966, I’m Losing You by The Temptations enters the R & B charts and will become the band’s fourth straight #1 hit.

November 26, 1967: The promo clip of The Beatles’ Hello Goodbye was aired on The Ed Sullivan Show.

November 26, 1969: John Lennon works on a Beatles song for the final time when he mixes You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) at Abbey Road Studios. It is the B-side of their Let It Be single.

Also on November 26, 1969, The Band receives a Gold Record for their second album, The Band, one of the greatest albums ever recorded from one of the greatest bands on the planet.

November 26, 1977: Linda Ronstadt becomes one of only a handful of singers who manages to have two singles in the Top Ten simultaneously with Blue Bayou and It’s So Easy.

Also on this day in 1977, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors album held the #1 slot for a then-record 29 weeks.

November 26, 2010: Willie Nelson was arrested for possession of six ounces of weed found on his tour bus travelling from LA to Texas. The prosecutor recommended no jail time because of the small amount, and instead suggested a $100 fine and that Willie sing Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain for the court.

Born On This Day

November 26, 1944: Alan Henderson, bassist with the Northern Irish band, Them, was born in Belfast. For those who do not know the band, Them had the 1965 UK hits Baby, Please Don’t Go and Here Comes The Night with Van Morrison on lead vocals.

November 26, 1945: Another bassist, John McVie, with Fleetwood Mac and John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, is born in London.

And that is it for today’s lesson! We will be back in just a bit with today’s Thanksgiving Day line-up!