Yes, the sun is out for a change here. Let’s see how long it lasts. But in the meantime, we have all the news that’s fit for a trivia buff.
Sam Cooke. His voice was made for soul.
Here’s today’s lesson:
January 9, 1962: Sam Cooke releases Twistin’ The Night Away, a great fucking song.
January 9, 1963: Charlie Watts joins the Rolling Stones on drums, replacing Tony Chapman.
January 9, 1965: The Beatles begin nine weeks at #1 on the US Album chart with Beatles ’65, their fourth #1 album.
January 9, 1967: The Buffalo Springfield release one of the greatest songs in history, For What It’s Worth.
Meanwhile, back in the UK, The Beatles supervised the recording of the flutes, trumpets, piccolos and flugelhorn for Penny Lane.
January 9, 1969: The Beatles owned #1 on the UK Album chart with The Beatles (also known affectionately as, The White Album).
January 9, 1970: During their UK tour, Led Zeppelin played Royal Albert Hall on Jimmy Page’s 26th birthday. John Lennon, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton were in attendance.
January 9, 1976: Queen was at #1 on the UK singles chart with Bohemian Rhapsody.
Born On This Day
January 9, 1941: American singer, songwriter, musician and activist Joan Baez was born in Staten Island, New York. She recorded and released her debut album in 1960 at the age of nineteen. She is the first singer to record songs written by Bob Dylan.
January 9, 1944: James Patrick “Jimmy” Page was born in Heston, Middlesex, England. he was a session musician before forming The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin. One of the greatest guitarists on the planet.
And that is it. It’s Saturday. Your lesson should be light and it is. Have a great day and we’ll be back with the line-up.
Good Morning, Music Lovers! Here we are again bringing you news from the annals of rock n’ roll. Today, a very important person in the music world was born.
January 8, 1957: Bill Haley & The Comets, LaVern Baker, and Big Joe Turner start an Australian tour in Newastle Stadium, Newcastle. This is the world’s first rock n’ roll concert.
January 8, 1960: Eddie Cochran records Three Steps To Heaven in Hollywood. It will be his final recording session.
January 8, 1966: The Beatles had only been charting for a couple of years, yet they had their 11th number one hit with We Can Work It Out.
Also on this day, the album Rubber Soul soared from #60 to #1 to take over the Album chart. It was The Beatles’ seventh #1 US album.
The Who and The Kinks were the final guests on the last episode of the TV show Shindig.
A great new folk group called The Mamas & The Papas were gaining a lot of attention. On this day, they charted their first hit single, California Dreamin’.
January 8, 1968:(Sittin’ On) The Dock of The Bay, by Otis Redding, was released by Stax Records. It would be his only hit. He passed away the year before in a plane crash before he ever had the opportunity to see its release.
January 8, 1975: Three Led Zeppelin shows scheduled for Madison Square Garden sell out in a matter of four hours.
Born On This Day
January 8, 1931: Bill Graham, concert promoter whose name is synonymous with The Fillmore, was born Wolfgang Grajunca in Berlin, Germany.
January 8, 1935: Elvis Aaron Presley, also known as The King, was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. He had his first hit in 1956 with the great song Heartbreak Hotel.
January 8, 1940: Jerome “Little Anthony” Gourdine of Little Anthony & The Imperials was born in Brooklyn, New York.
January 8, 1946: Robby Krieger, songwriter and elite guitarist with The Doors, was born in Los Angeles.
January 8, 1947: Terry Sylvester, who replaced Graham Nash in The Hollies, was born in Liverpool, England.
And that is it on this day in music history. We will be back with the line-up soon.
Good Morning, Students of Music Trivia! It’s always so much less stressful when I get a jump on thing, not always possible, I might add.
Aaron Neville had the first #1 song of 1967 with “Tell It Like It Is.”
Here’s today’s lesson, kids:
January 7, 1954: Muddy Waters recorded Hoochie Coochie Man.
January 7, 1955:Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & The Comets debuted on the UK charts.
January 7, 1964: Bluesman Long John Baldry forms The Hoochie Coochie Men.
Also on this day, The Beatles recorded for the BBC program Saturday Club, singing Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode, along with All My Loving, Money, I Want to Hold Your Hand and three other songs. It was their third appearance on the show.
January 7, 1967: The Doors and The Young Rascals played the second of two nights at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco.
Also on this day, Aaron Neville had the first #1 song of the new year with Tell It Like It Is, undoubtedly one of my favorite songs ever.
January 7, 1970: Fleetwood Mac started a five-night stint at The Whiskey A Go Go on Sunset Strip.
January 7, 1978: Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album, which was already #1 for 29 weeks, returns to #1 after 46 weeks of release.
January 7, 1980: Led Zeppelin’s In Through The Out Door is certified Platinum. It is the final album John Bonham appears on before his death.
January 7, 1981: The Eagles Live is certified Platinum. In spite of that, it will be 13 years before their next album is released.
Born On This Day
January 7, 1948: Kenny Loggins was born on this day in Everett, Washington.
And that is it. We are done here, and will return with today’s line-up shortly. (It really is tomorrow’s line-up today.)
Here we are again hanging out in The Mermaid Lounge cramming in my musical duties before an opening shift. I hope you are soaking all this knowledge in like a sponge.
Tom Petty (& The Heartbreakers) with his Gibson Flying V.
Here’s your lesson for Wednesday:
January 6, 1957: Elvis Presley makes his third and final appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, where he sings seven songs, including Hound Dog, Don’t Be Cruel, and Heartbreak Hotel. Of course, they only show Elvis the Pelvis from the waist up.
January 6, 1958:Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis hits #2 where it will remain for four weeks before dropping down. What’s keeping it from #1? At The Hop by Danny & The Juniors. (Are you fucking kidding me?)
January 6, 1964: The Rolling Stones headlined their first UK tour, with The Ronettes as the opening act.
January 6, 1966: The Beatles’ We Can Work It Out is awarded a Gold record, two days before it begins a three-week stay at #1.
January 6, 1968: Gibson patents its signature Flying V Electric Guitar.
January 6, 1973: Carly Simon hits #1 with You’re So Vain, and people continue to obsess to this day trying to figure out for whom the song is written. Carly’s conflicting answers shed no light on this mystery.
January 6, 1975: Pink Floyd begins recording their album Wish You Were Here, after abandoning their original idea of recording an album making music using ordinary household items. Thankfully.
January 6, 1993: Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman leaves the group after 30 years because he didn’t see anything new coming on the horizon.
January 6, 2007: “Sneaky Pete” Kleinow, one of the finest pedal steel guitarists ever who played with The Flying Burrito Brothers, died in Petaluma, California, of complications from Alzheimers.
Born On This Day
January 6, 1937: R & B singer-songwriter Doris Troy was born Doris Elaine Higginsen in The Bronx, New York.
January 6, 1946: Syd Barrett, vocalist and guitarist for Pink Floyd, was born in Cambridge, England.
January 6, 1947: Sandy Denny was born in London. She would become the lead singer of Fairport Convention, and the only guest singer on a Led Zeppelin song, The Battle of Evermore.
January 6, 1951: Blues singer Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds was born in Detroit, Michigan.
And that, my friends, is it from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge.
It is another day in the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge, and we’re getting a jump on all things musical today. It’s a fairly active day on the trivia front.
Jesse Winchester left the U.S. for Canada to avoid the draft. But when he left the planet, the world lost one of its best songwriters ever.
Here’s today’s lesson:
January 5, 1954: Elvis Presley recorded a 10-minute demo tape at Memphis Recording Studios.
January 5, 1959: Buddy Holly released It Doesn’t Matter Anymore, his final release before his death.
January 5, 1961: The Beatles played at Literton Town Hall in Liverpool. Two members of Rory Storm & The Hurricanes were on hand to watch — Johnny Guitar, and drummer Ringo Starr. Paul McCartney played bass for the first time with the band as Stu Sutcliffe remained at home.
January 5, 1965: The Supremes recorded Stop! In The Name of Love at Motown Studios in Detroit. Soon after, they depart on the first Motown revue tour in Europe.
January 5, 1967: Jesse Winchester, one of the finest singer-songwriters ever to grace this planet, moves from the U.S. to Canada to avoid the draft and serving in Viet Nam.
Also on this day, Paul McCartney recorded his vocal for Penny Lane which was planned (but actually never included) on the upcoming Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band album.
Tommy James & The Shondells released their single, I Think We’re Alone Now.
Pink Floyed played in concert at The Marquee Club.
January 5, 1968: Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits album is certified Gold.
January 5, 1969: Creedence Clearwater Revival releases the album Bayou Country.
January 5, 1973: Bruce Springsteen released his debut album, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.
January 5, 1974: Jim Croce remained at #1 with the song Time In A Bottle, rated one of the Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era.
Bruce Springsteen plays the song Rosalita for the first time in concert at Joe’s Place in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It becomes a fan favorite and is often played as his encore.
January 5, 2004: John Guerin, one of the most respected and prolific session drummers who worked with Joni Mitchell, Elvis Presley, Linda Ronstadt, The Byrds, Willie Nelson, and many more, died from pneumonia on this date in West Hills, California. He was 64.
Born On This Day
January 5, 1923: Sam Phillips, the founder of Sun Records, who discovered Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash, was born near Florence, Alabama.
January 5, 1929: Wilbert Harrison, who wrote and recorded the great classic Kansas City in 1959, was born in Charlotte, North Carolina.
January 5, 1934: Phil Ramone, songwriter, violinist, recording engineer, and legendary producer who made albums with Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, and many others, was born in South Africa.
And that just about sums it up from The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge!
Good Morning, Students! It’s another happy Monday here in The College, and we’re delivering all the musical news that’s fit to print:
One year before her explosion on the music world, Linda Ronstadt opened for Neil Young on tour and stole the shows. Literally.
Here’s today’s lesson:
January 4, 1936: The first pop music chart based on national sales was introduced by Billboard.
January 4, 1950: RCA Victor announces that they will manufacture long playing (LP) records.
January 4, 1954: (Just about one month before I was born.) A young truck driver named Elvis Presley pays to record two songs at the Memphis Recording Service (MRS). It’s his second visit, and this time MRS head Sam Phillips gets his name and number. Later, he phones Elvis and asks him to record for his Sun label.
January 4, 1957: Solomon Burke makes his debut on The Steve Allen Show.
January 4, 1967: The Doors release their self-titled debut album.
Also on this day, the Jimi Hendrix Experience played the first of what would be over 240 gigs when they appeared at the Bromel Club in Bromley.
January 4, 1969: Marvin Gaye extended his stay at #1 to four weeks with I Heard It Through The Grapevine. Again, I reiterate, Marvin Gaye remade the song, not Gladys Knight & The Pips. She released it a year earlier than Marvin Gaye did, and it went to #1 then as well. They don’t mention that. They call hers the remake.
January 4, 1970: George Harrison recorded the second guitar solo and McCartney, Harrison and Starr re-recorded vocals for Let It Be. This is the final recording session for The Beatles. John Lennon isn’t even present for the session. The last time all four Beatles were together in a studio was August of 1969.
January 4, 1973: Lamar Williams joined The Allman Brothers Band, replacing the late Berry Oakley.
Also on this day, Neil Young kicked off his Time Fades Away tour in Madison, Wisconsin, with Linda Ronstadt as the opening act. Ronstadt is used to playing the club scene and has never performed in an arena setting. Nevertheless, she wows the audiences througout the tour with that fucking amazing voice, literally stealing the show along the way. The following year, she releases Heart Like A Wheel and begins her meteoric rock n’ roll rise.
January 4, 1974: Bruce Springsteen played the first of three nights at Joe’s Place in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Born On This Day
January 4, 1942: John McLaughlin (The Mahavishnu Orchestra) was born in Doncaster, England. In 2010, Jeff Beck called him ‘the best guitarist alive.’
January 4, 1946: R & B singer Arthur Conley, best known for his 1967 hit Sweet Soul Music, was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
And that is the end of today’s lesson! Back with the line-up soon.
Good Morning from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge where the inhabitants of The Mermaid Lounge rarely sleep. Or so it seems. This is a pretty busy day in rock n’ roll, as you will see.
On this day in 1987, Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. It’s ridiculous that it took women this long, and it’s ridiculous that it took Linda Ronstadt until 2014, when she could no longer sing, to be inducted.
Here are the facts, children:
January 3, 1955: 20-year-old Elvis Presley appeared live in Boonesville, Virginia. He was still only a regional success but, by the end of 1956, he would explode into a national sensation.
January 3, 1957: Fats Domino records I’m Walkin’ (one of the greatest songs ever made, in my opinion). He wrote the song after his car broke down and he heard a fan yell, “Hey, look at Fats Domino, he’s walking!” The song would reach #4 on the US Pop chart and #1 on the R & B chart.
January 3, 1963: After placing 30 songs on the Billboard chart with Imperial Records, Rick Nelson signed a $1 million, 20-year contract with Decca (you know, the label that turned the Beatles down). He would generate six more Top 40 hits for Decca before his tragic death.
Speaking of The Beatles, they kicked off a five-day tour of Scotland on this day at the Two Red Shoes Ballroom in Elgin.
January 3, 1964: The Beatles were seen on television for the (first? second?) time (nobody has the definitive answer except them) when a BBC clip from a show called The Mersey Sound showing the band singing She Loves You was released on the Jack Paar Show. Old Jack, of course, made fun of them, particularly their hair cuts. In short order, The Beatles would teach them a lesson and shut them the fuck up.
January 3, 1967: The Beach Boys’ Carl Wilson refused to report to his local draft board after receiving his draft notice. He would eventually win conscious objector status. In the meantime, Good Vibrations was in its fourth week in the #1 slot.
January 3, 1970: The Beatles’ final recording session was held at Abbey Road Studios on this day. The final song they played together was I Me Mine, which would also be the title of George Harrison’s autobiography ten years later.
Also on this day, Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head, from the Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid soundtrack, would become B.J. Thomas’ third US Top 10 hit, and his first #1.
January 3, 1972: Don MacLean’s American Pie receives a Gold record. It reached #1 in both America and the UK, eventually selling three million copies.
January 3, 1974: Bob Dylan & The Band reunite for a US tour. Dylan was promoting his Planet Waves LP, while The Band had just released Moondog Matinee (last week’s Album of The Week) and the single Ain’t Got No Home. The tour was chronicled six months later with the release of the double album set Before The Flood.
January 3, 1976: Bob Dylan’s song about former boxer Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter (called Hurricane), which peaked at #33 on the Billboard chart, caused enough negative publicity to eventually get Carter released from prison. The song protested Carter’s innocence and his wrongful conviction on murder charges, as well as the authorities’ failure to even consider another perpetrator because Carter was black.
January 3, 1987: Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. It seems like ridiculous amount of time for women to get the recognition they deserved in this business, and consider that it would take Linda Ronstadt until 2014 to be inducted, one of the biggest travesties in the music business.
Born On This Day
January 3, 1926: Sir George Martin, British record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, audio engineer and musician who nurtered The Beatles’ creative side and was known appropriately, according to McCartney, as The Fifth Beatle, was born in Highbury, London.
January 3, 1943: Van Dyke Parks, songwriter and producer who worked with Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys on the Smile album (a great album, by the way), played keyboards on The Byrds’ Eight Miles High, and produced Ry Cooder, Randy Newman, and Judy Collins, was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
January 3, 1945: Stephen Stills, singer-songwriter who was a member of Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Manassas, and who released an album with Neil Young as The Stills-Young Band, was born in Dallas, Texas.
January 3, 1946: John Paul Jones, bassist, keyboardist, and producer with Led Zeppelin, was born in Sidcup, London.
And that is all today from The College. We’ll be back with the line-up in a bit.
Good Morning, Students! It appears that it was a very quiet day in rock n’ roll history. Of course, there’s more than this but, frankly, we dont’ give a shit about them.
The Whiskey a Go Go. The first real discotheque that ever lived.
Here’s your lesson. It’s an easy day:
January 2, 1964: The Rolling Stones perform I Wanna’ Be Your Man, written for them by Lennon & McCartney, on Britain’s Top Of The Pops.
January 2, 1965: The Beatles made it two weeks at #1 with I Feel Fine.
January 2, 1969: The Beatles began filming for the Let It Be documentary at Twickenham Studios in London.
Also on this day, Led Zeppelin and opening act, Alice Cooper, performed at the Whiskey a Go Go in Los Angeles, the first of four nights they would perform there.
January 2, 1971: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (a fine band indeed) released a cover of Jerry Jeff Walker’s Mr. Bojangles, and it entered the Billboard Top 40 on this day, where it would peak at #9. The song remained on the charts for an amazing 36 weeks.
January 2, 1978: Jackson Browne released the song Running On Empty.
That is your very easy day from the College. We’ll be back soon with today’s musical line-up!
Well, here we are coming up on another fun year in Empire. Of course, that’s propaganda, but I can promise you one thing: It’ll be a fun year here in The Mermaid Lounge.
The Fab Four are big on January 1.
Here’s today’s lesson:
January 1, 1940: NBC begins regular FM transmission from New York’s Empire State Building on W2XDG. Edwin Armstrong, the inventor of FM (Frequency Modulation), first demonstrated the technology to RCA’s executives and engineers in 1933.
January 1, 1953: Hank Williams, only 29-years-old, died of heart failure, brought on by the abuse of pills and alcohol, on the way to a show in Canton, Ohio. Incredibly enough, Williams had the #1 song on the Country chart at the time. It was called I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive.
January 1, 1956: RCA released Elvis Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel. In 1999, the song would be certified multi-platinum for a second time.
January 1, 1957: The Cavern Club in Liverpool opened its doors for the first time. It will forever be remembered as the place where The Beatles got their start.
January 1, 1960: Johnny Cash gave the first of many performances at San Quentin Prison. In the audience on this day was 19-year-old Merle Haggard who was serving 15 years for grand theft auto and armed robbery (he actually served just under three years).
January 1, 1961:Shop Around by The Miracles (soon to be Smokey Robinson & The Miracles) was #1 on the R & B chart.
January 1, 1962: The Beatles attend a New Year’s day audition for Decca Records where they record 15 songs. Decca would eventually reject the Beatles, telling Brian Epstein that guitar bands are “out.” Yeah. Kanye West is still saying that shit. Tell that to Eric Clapton, Mike Campbell, George Harrison, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, for starters.
January 1, 1964: The Beatles played two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris. They also received word from the U.S. that their first single, I Want To Hold Your Hand, was selling 10,000 copies an hour in New York City alone. The rest, as they say, is history.
Also on this day, The Dave Clark Five (another great British invasion band) had the #1 single in the UK with Glad All Over.
And, as if all of this wasn’t enough, The British show Top of The Pops debuted with The Rolling Stones, Dusty Springfield, and the Dave Clark Five.
January 1, 1965: The Beatles had three albums in the Top 10 on this day: Beatles ’65 at #1, A Hard Day’s Night at #6, and The Beatles Story peaking at #7.
January 1, 1966: Simon & Garfunkel hit #1 with Sounds of Silence.
January 1, 1967: The Rolling Stones release the great song, Ruby Tuesday.
January 1, 1969: Put this on the list of shows I wish I’d been at: Creedence Clearwater Revival and early Fleetwood Mac (before Nicks & Buckingham) at The Fillmore West in San Francisco.
January 1, 1971: George Harrison had the #1 album with All Things Must Pass and the #1 song with My Sweet Lord on this day.
Meanwhile, Radio Luxembourg aired over seven straight hours of continuous Beatles music (as a band and solo) in celebration of their 10th year in music.
January 1, 1972: Three Dog Night becomes the first rock band to appear on a Tournament of Roses Parade float.
January 1, 1975: Paul McCartney & Wings arrive in New Orleans to record the album Venus & Mars.
January 1, 1988: George Harrison hits #1 with the song Got My Mind Set On You.
January 1, 1997: Singer-songwriter, tortured poet, Townes Van Zandt dies at the age of 52. His music has been covered by Bob Dylan, Lyle Lovett, Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, and many others. Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard both covered his amazing Pancho & Lefty and had #1’s. But hands down, the most beautiful version of that song was done by Emmylou Harris.
January 1, 2019: The Renton Highlands Post Office in Seattle, Washington, is renamed the James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix Post Office. (I love this shit. I wish I lived there.)
Born on This Day
January 1, 1937: Bob Bogle, guitarist with The Ventures, was born in Wagoner, Oklahoma.
Good Morning, Students! There will be no rest for the weary here in The Mermaid Lounge as we close out the year. Take out your pens and grab a pad of paper. There’ll be a quiz later (just kidding).
On New Year’s Eve 1978, The Grateful Dead closed Bill Graham’s Winterland Arena in style. We’ve got the concert for you tonight at 10:00 p.m.
Here’s today’s lesson from the College:
December 31, 1961: The Beach Boys make their live debut with their new name at the Long Beach Civic Auditorium in California.
December 31, 1963: The Kinks made their live debut at the Lotus House Restaurant in London.
December 31, 1965: The Beatles song I Feel Fine and their album Beatles ’65 are certified Gold.
December 31, 1969: Jimi Hendrix introduced his new band at a show at the Fillmore East in New York City. They are bassist Billy Cox and former Electric Flag drummer Buddy Miles. The concerts is recorded for their album Band of Gypsies, which will eventually reach #5 in America and #6 in the UK.
December 31, 1970:Melody Maker magazine reported that The Beatles were searching for a new bass guitarist, as Paul McCartney files suit to dissove The Beatles’ corporation. Truly one of the saddest days of my life.
December 31, 1974: Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham are invited to join Fleetwood Mac. It is the band’s tenth line-up change since 1967.
December 31, 1975: Elvis Presley performed a New Year’s Even concert in front of a record-breaking 60,000 fans at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.
December 31, 1978: The Grateful Dead play their 48th and final show at Bill Graham’s Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, closing this institution in style. We have the concert for you tonight at 10:00 p.m. on a special New Year’s Eve edition of Live Dead.
December 31, 1980: Bruce Springsteen plays a kick-ass show at the Nassau County Coliseum, playing for more than four hours and covering 38 songs.
December 31, 1985: Rock n’ Roll legend Rick Nelson is killed enroute to a New Year’s eve show in Dallas, Texas. His private DC-3 (formerly owned by Jerry Lee Lewis) crashed in a field near DeKalb, Texas, killing Rick, his band and his future wife, Helen Blair. The pilot and co-pilot survived.
Born On This Day
December 31, 1930: Blues and folk singer Odetta was born Odetta Holmes in Birmingham, Alabama. She is known as the Queen of American Folk Music. Odetta would sing O Freedom at Martin Luther King’s 1963 March on Washington.
December 31, 1943: Pete Quaife, the original bass guitarist for The Kinks, was born in Tavistock, Devon, England.
December 31, 1947: Burton Cummings, lead singer and keyboardist of the great band The Guess Who was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
December 31, 1951: Tom Hamilton, bass player for Aerosmith, was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He co-wrote the hits Janie’s Got A Gun and Sweet Emotion, among others.
And that is it on this fine day in the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge!
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