Yes, it’s Tuesday Bluesday in The Mermaid Lounge, and the lesson is lighter than usual today. Seems it’s not a very eventful day in music history, unless you’re talking about shit we don’t play.
Here’s today’s musical lesson:
December 22, 1956: Elvis Presley finished the year with 17 hit songs, a record that would stand until the year 1964 — when The Beatles had 30. (Yes, I said 30.)
December 22, 1962: Bob Dylan played at the Singer’s Club Christmas Party in London.
Also on this day, one of the greatest instrumental songs ever recorded, Telstar by the Tornadoes, went to #1. And yes it was a tribute to the satellite.
December 22, 1963: The Beatles performed at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool.
December 22, 1972: Led Zeppelin performed at Alexandra Palace in London.
December 22, 1973: Elton John moved to #1 on the UK Album chart with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
December 22, 1978: Kenney Jones, formerly of Faces, was chosen as the new drummer for The Who. He replaced Keith Moon, who had passed away a couple of months earlier.
December 22, 1979: The Pretenders performed at the Marquee Club in London.
December 22, 1980: Linda Ronstadt debuted on Broadway in the Gilbert & Sullivan production of The Pirates of Penzance at the Uris Theatre.
Also on this date, Pat Benatar’s first hit — Heartbreaker — debuted on the charts.
Born On This Day
December 22, 1939: James Gurley, guitarist for Big Brother & The Holding Company, was born in Detroit.
December 22, 1944: Barry Jenkins, drummer for The Animals, was born in Leicester, England.
And that signals the end of today’s lesson. We’ll be back with the Tuesday Bluesday line-up in just a bit.
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