Good Morning, Students! It’s an easy day at the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge. I use about six different sources for my information and, in comparison to other days, November 28 was relatively quiet!
November 28, 1960: Elvis Presley had his 43rd hit and his 15th #1 hit in just four years with Are You Lonesome Tonight.
November 28, 1962: The Beatles performed at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, and then performed at a dance for the staff of Lewis Department Store at the 527 Club, also in Liverpool.
November 28, 1963:She Loves You by The Beatles returns to #1 in the UK.
November 28, 1964: Willie Nelson made his debut on the stage of The Grand Ole Opry when he opened for Roger Miller.
November 28, 1966: Paul Revere and The Raiders released their great single Good Thing.
November 28, 1968: Deep Purple played the first of four nights at the Fillmore West in San Francisco on their first tour of North America.
November 28, 1970: Bob Dylan owned the #1 album in the UK with New Morning.
Also on November 28, 1970, Dave Edmunds’ I Hear Your Knocking went to #1 in the UK.
Born On This Day
November 28, 1943: The great songwriter, Randy Newman, was born on this day.
And that’s all you need to know about today’s events in music history!
Yes, it’s Black Friday, but not here in The Mermaid Lounge. There isn’t a damned thing we want for here that we have to go out among the teeming, greedy masses to get it.
Shit gets real with The Stones at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Here’s November 27th’s rock n’ roll history:
November 27, 1961: Patsy Cline’s version of Willie Nelson’s Crazy peaks at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. It would be the biggest of her four records t cross over to the pop charts from the country charts (where it reached #2).
November 27, 1962: The Beatles recorded songs for the BBC in the UK for the first time ever. They sang Love Me Do, Twist and Shout, and P.S. I Love You at the BBC Paris Studio in London for a program called “Talent Spot.”
November 27, 1964: The Beatles appeared on the British television show called “Ready Steady Go.”
November 27, 1965: Marvin Gaye moved into the #1 slot on the R & B charts with Ain’t That Peculiar.
Also on this day, The Lovin’ Spoonful’s You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice entered the US record charts.
November 27, 1967: The Beatles released the album Magical Mystery Tour in the U.S. and Hello Goodbye as a single in the U.S. on the same day. If that isn’t enough, the B-side of Hello Goodbye, I Am The Walrus, will chart and be a hit as well.
Also on this day, Aretha Franklin released my favorite Aretha song, Chain of Fools.
November 27, 1968: Steppenwolf’s self-titled debut album is certified gold on this day.
November 27, 1969: All kinds of milestones will be reached at Madison Square Garden in New York on this day. The Rolling Stones perform a show that is recorded and later released on Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out. The Ike & Tina Revue opened for the Stones that evening, and Janis Joplin joined Tina on stage for a duet. And in the audience celebrating his 27th, and final, birthday was Jimi Hendrix.
November 27, 1970: George Harrison released his triple album entitled All Things Must Pass. The single release, My Sweet Lord, will be the first ex-Beatle solo effort to hit #1 in both the US and UK.
November 27, 1972: Carly Simon released the single, You’re So Vain.
November 27, 1976: Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key Of Life, which debuted at #1, remained at #1 for a seventh week.
November 27, 1979: The Eagles released the single, The Long Run.
November 27 1995: The Beatles set a rock-era record when Anthology 1 sells more than 1.2 million copies in its first week of release.
Born On This Day
November 27, 1934: Al Jackson of Booker T. & The MG’s is born in Memphis, Tennessee.
November 27, 1942: Jimi Hendrix is born Johnny Allen Hendrix in Seattle, Washington.
November 27, 1945: Randy Brecker, trumpeter and flugelhorn player for Blood, Sweat & Tears, is born in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania.
November 27, 1948: Dave Winthrop, sax player and flautist for Supertramp, is born.
And that’s Friday’s lesson from The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge. We are posting a bit early today as I’m on the run this morning, and we will be back with today’s programming shortly.
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!
Good Morning, Students! Today is a short lesson in comparison to the last couple of day, but still an interesting read.
Commemorating a momentous musical moment in rock history.
Here’s today’s musical lesson:
November 25, 1966: The Jimi Hendrix Experience make their live performance debut at the Bag O’ Nails Club in London.
November 25, 1967:Incense And Peppermints by Strawberry Alarm Clock goes to #1 in the U.S. The song was co-written by the band’s guitarist, Ed King, who would later become a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. (This is a fucking great psychedelic-era song. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.)
November 25, 1968:The Beatles (better known as The White Album) was released in the US, spending 101 weeks on the chart and peaking at #1. It has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and is listed as No. 10 on Billboard’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Also on this day in 1968, more than 10,000 fans see Cream play their final two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
November 25, 1971: Carly Simon releases Anticipation.
November 25, 1976: The Band, another one of those bands whose greatness can never be denied, goes out with a bang with The Last Waltz. They celebrate an unbelievable career with friends Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, The Staple Singers, Ronnie Hawkins, and Dr. John. Thank you, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson.
November 25, 1997: The original members of The Zombies reunite on stage for the first time in 30 years at London’s Jazz Cafe to promote a new box set called Zombie Heaven.
November 25, 2000: The Beatles’ album, which is very simply titled ‘1’ — a collection of the ir US and UK chart toppers — goes to #1 in Great Britain. It would do the same in America the following week. It will also become the best-selling album in 28 countries worldwide.
Born On This Day
November 25, 1940: R & B singer Percy Sledge (When A Man Loves A Woman) is born in Leighton, Alabama.
November 25, 1944: Bev Bevan of The Electric Light Orchestra is born in Sparkhill, Birmingham, England.
And as quick as this, we’re done for today. Oh, yeah, shit happened to Madonna, Beyonce, JayZ, but you aren’t hearing about that here. Wrong channel.
It’s Tuesday Bluesday in the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge, and we press on with some great events in our musical history.
The Kingston Trio made musical history in 1958
Here’s today’s classic rock lesson:
November 24, 1958: The Kingston Trio became the first group to have a #1 album. Only solo artists had achieved that prior to them.
November 24, 1961: Howlin’ Wolf arrived in London for his first European tour.
November 24, 1965: The Young Rascals begin recording Good Lovin’ which will hit #1 early the next year.
November 24, 1966: The Beatles begin recording sessions for Sargeant Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band by laying down tracks for Strawberry Fields Forever. In the end, the song doesn’t make the album, but it will appear on Magical Mystery Tour the following year.
November 24, 1972: ABC-TV’s In Concert debuts with Alice Cooper, Chuck Berry, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Poco, and The Allman Brothers Band. Don Kirschner is the producer, and he also produces The Monkees.
November 24, 1979: The Eagles spend a fourth week on top of the album charts with The Long Run.
November 24, 1980: Steely Dan releases the single Hey Nineteen, one of my all-time favorite songs.
November 24, 1985: Blues pioneer Big Joe Turner died of kidney failure at the age of 74. Turner was one of the first artists to ever play rock n’ roll when he wrote and recorded Shake, Rattle and Roll in 1954.
November 24, 1991: Freddie Mercury dies of bronchopneumonia, a complication from AIDS, at his home in London at the age of 45. He had just publicly acknowledged having the disease the day before. His friend (and nothing more), Dave Clark, of The Dave Clark Five, was with him when he died.
Born on This Day
November 24, 1939: Jim Yester, keyboardist for The Association, was born in Birmingham, Alabama.
November 24, 1941: Pete Best, drummer for The Beatles in the very early years, was born in Madras, India.
November 24, 1941: Donald “Duck” Dunn, bass guitarist for the Mar-Keys, and Booker T. & The MG’s, was born in Memphis, Tennessee.
We’ll be back in a little bit with today’s music programming!
And so begins another week. Here at the Mermaid Lounge, we’re trying to accomplish the impossible: Programming a week in advance. It’s a valiant effort, but the jury is OUT. Nevertheless, we have a lot of info here for you.
The very first juke box at the Palais Royal Hotel in San Francisco
November 23, 1899: The first jukebox was placed at The Palais Royale Hotel in San Francisco (see photo).
November 23, 1962: The Beatles auditioned at St. James’ Church Hall in London for The BBC, which was looking for people with potential to be on TV. The Beatles failed. I wonder if the guy who made that decision kept his job.
November 23, 1963: Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs have the top R & B song with Sugar Shack.
November 23, 1964: /The Beatles release the single, I Feel Fine. The B-side is She’s A Woman.
The Rolling Stones are late for the radio shows Top Gear and Saturday Club, and were banned by The BBC.
November 23, 1965: The Beatles film promos for I Feel Fine, Ticket To Ride, Help!, Day Tripper and We Can Work It Out at Twickenham Studios in London. The BBC paid 1,750 pounds for the broadcast rights, and then deals were made with other broadcasters around the world.
November 23, 1967: The Who played the New Barn at The Lions Delaware County Fairgrounds in Muncie, Indiana.
November 23, 1968:Little known fact, here: After Dusty Springfield had recommended Jimmy Page to Ahmet Ertegun, head of Atlantic Records, Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant finalized their recording contract.
Steve Miller debuted on the charts after his first single, Living in The USA.
The Beatles tied the existing rock era record (held by Bobby Darin’s Mack The Knife) with a ninth week at #1 for Hey Jude.
Judy Collins’ version of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now enters the Top 40, where it will peak at #8. It will also win The Best Folk Performance of the year.
November 23, 1970: George Harrison released his first solo single, My Sweet Lord, in the US.
November 23, 1972: Bob Dylan arrives in Durango, Colorado, to film the movie Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid (Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door).
November 23, 1975: Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody goes to #1 on the UK charts, where it will remain for nine weeks.
November 23, 1976: Wings kicked off a 19-date UK tour at The Royal Court in Liverpool.
November 23, 1983: Tom Evans of Badfinger committed suicide after the band decided to break up.
Born On This Day
November 23, 1939: Betty Everett, of The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss) fame, was born in Greenwood, Mississippi.
November 23, 1940: Freddie Marsden, drummer for Gerry & The Pacemakers, was born in Liverpool.
November 23, 1954: Bruce Hornsby, one of the greatest keyboardists ever, leader of Bruce Hornsby & The Range and keyboardist for The Grateful Dead, was born in Williamsburg, Virginia.
It’s one pistol of a day at the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge! We have got a lot of musical news for your history lesson today. I don’t know how we could possibly put anybody but The Beatles in the main photo today. You’ll see why.
We couldn’t possibly put anybody but The Beatles in this blog post today.
Here’s today’s musical historical happenings:
November 22, 1957: Two sixteen-year-olds named Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel appeared on ABC-TV’s American Bandstand as Tom & Jerry where they sang Hey Schoolgirl. The rest, as they say, is history.
November 22, 1961: Bob Dylan completes the recording of his debut album.
November 22, 1963: The Beatles release their second album in the UK called With The Beatles. It knocked their debut album out of the #1 spot, and then proceeded to give The Beatles 51 consecutive weeks at the #1 position on the UK Album Charts.
November 22, 1965: Stevie Wonder releases his hit Uptight (Everything’s Alright).
November 22, 1967: George Harrison begins recording the soundtrack to the movie Wonderwall.
November 22, 1968: The Beatles release their self-titled double album set called The Beatles. It becomes better known as The White Album.
November 22, 1969: The Beatles sit atop the album charts with the spectacular Abbey Road.
November 22, 1981: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Woods of The Rolling Stones join Muddy Waters on stage at the Checkerboard Lounge in Chicago.
November 22, 1983: The Pretenders release their great single, Middle of The Road.
November 22, 1986: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble launch their 149-date American and European tour at the Towson Center in Towson, MD.
November 22, 1988: Pink Floyd released their live album, The Delicate Sound of Thunder.
November 22, 1990: Freddie Mercury of Queen issues a public statement confirming the rumor that he has AIDS. He passes away on November 24, 1991 from the illness.
November 22, 2010: After just one week of availability on ITunes, The Beatles’ music sold more than 450,000 albums and 2 million individual songs.
November 22, 2010:The Beatles (aka, The White Album) returns to the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart after its 50th anniversary reissue on November 9.
Born on This Day
November 22, 1943: Floyd Sneed, drummer for Three Dog Night, is born in Calgary, Ontario, Canada.
November 22, 1944: Jesse Colin Young, lead singer and bassist for The Youngbloods, is born in Manhattan.
November 22, 1946: Bass Guitarist Aston “Family Man” Barrett of Bob Marley & The Wailers is born in Kingston, Jamaica. Seems the nickname “Family Man” was a good one. He is reported to have fathered 41 children.
November 22, 1950: Steven Van Zandt (aka, Little Steven), songwriter, guitarist, arranger and producer with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, is born in Winthrop, MA.
Tina Weymouth, founding member and bass player with Talking Heads, is born in Coronado, CA.
November 22, 1963: President John F. Kennedy is shot and killed in Dallas, Texas. His death inspires many songs, including The Beach Boys’ Warmth of the Sun, and Bob Dylan’s 2020 release, Murder Most Foul. We will play Murder Most Foul this evening at 10:00 p.m.
And that is it for Sunday at The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge. Stay tuned for today’s line-up!
It’s yet another day at The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge. Yesterday’s entry was prolific. Today’s, not so much.
The Zombies, 1964 – Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, Hugh Grundy, Paul Atkinson and Chris White (seated) ? Chris Walter (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)
Today’s action in rock history:
November 21, 1960: George Harrison, merely 17 years old, is deported back home from Germany because he is too young to play with the band. They are forced to play without him at The Kaiserkeller Club in Hamburg.
November 21, 1964: The Supremes made it four weeks with their #1 R & B song, Baby Love.
The Zombies, one damned fine band, had one of the biggest hits of their career with She’s Not There at #5.
November 21, 1969: T-Rex played at The Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England.
November 21, 1970: Two months after his death, Jimi Hendrix had the #1 song in the UK with Voodoo Chile.
November 21, 1975: Queen releases the album A Night At The Opera in the UK.
November 21, 1980: Steely Dan releases the album Gaucho, which includes appearances by guitarists Rick Derringer and Mark Knopfler.
November 21, 2013: Forty-three years after their break-up, The Beatles had their 31st Top Ten album with On Air–Live at The BBC, debuting at #7 on the Billboard 200.
That’s today’s light lesson. Hey, it’s Saturday, so that’s a good thing. We’ll be back with today’s line-up in just a bit.
Good Morning, Music Lovers! Apparently, the 20th of November is a banner day in rock n’ roll history. Let’s not waste any time!
Keith Moon, on a day when he was apparently not creating problems.
Here’s today in music history:
November 20, 1955: The song that changed music forever, Rock Around The Clock, by Bill Haley & The Comets, went to #1 on the UK charts. It would re-chart six more times until 1974.
Bo Diddley appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. The show requested that he play Sixteen Tons. When he went on stage, he instead sang Bo Diddley. They banned him from further appearances in punishment. (Give me a fucking break, Ed.) As Tom Petty said, “Elvis was king, but Diddley was daddy.”
November 20, 1961: Bob Dylan began recording his debut album. It was completed over two days at Columbia Recording Studios in New York. Some of the songs recorded the first day are Song to Woody, Fixin’ to Die, and Baby Let Me Follow You Down.
November 20, 1965: The Supremes had their sixth #1 single in the US with I Hear a Symphony.
November 20, 1966: The Supremes again were at #1 on the US charts with You Keep Me Hangin’ On, their seventh single.
November 20, 1967: The Strawberry Alarm Clock was at #1 with Incense And Peppermints, one of my all-time favorite songs. The opening riff is what did it for me. Oddly enough, the band hated the lyrics so much, they had a friend who was attending the recording sessions sing it instead. It worked.
November 20, 1968: Janis Joplin’s manager approaches Mike Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites about creating her a new backing band, which becomes Janis Joplin & The Kozmic Blues Band.
November 20, 1971: Isaac Hayes hit #1 on the US singles charts with The Theme From Shaft.
November 20, 1974: Keith Moon collapsed on stage when his drink was spiked with horse tranquilizer (I wonder who did that). A 19-year-old drummer in attendance at the Cow Palace volunteered to replace him and the concert went on. Moon would also collapse on stage in Boston in 1976 when yours truly was in attendance. That was allegedly from the flu. The concert was rescheduled.
November 20, 1975: The Who kicked off a North American tour at the Summit in Houston. After that show, Keith Moon was arrested for disorderly conduct. What a guy.
November 20, 1976: Paul Simon joins George Harrison on stage on SNL where they perform Here Comes The Sun and Homeward Bound together. both John Lennon and Paul McCartney were in New York at the time and watched the show.
November 20, 1991: The Rolling Stones sign a deal with Virgin Records to make three albums over six years.
Born on This Day
We’ve got so many here, we’re making this a separate entry.
November 20, 1940: Jim Horn, American saxophonist, woodwinds player and master session musician is born. He played on solo albums by three members of The Beatles, and was on stage for George Harrison’s Concert For Bangladesh in 1971. He also played flute and sax on Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys and flute on The Stones’ Goats Head Soup album.
November 20, 1941: Matthew John Rebennack, or Dr. John, was (thankfully) born. He was a pianist, guitarist and singer who was a session musician from the 50s until his death in 2019 at the age of 77. Dr. John came into his own as a performer in the late 60s when he released his album, Gris-Gris. He is absolutely one of my all-time favorites.
November 20, 1942: Norman Greenbaum of Spirit in The Sky fame, was born in Malden, Massachusetts.
November 20, 1946: Duane Allman, undoubtedly one of the greatest guitarists of all time and leader of The Allman Brothers Band is born. If you’ve listened in on our Skydog playlists, you’ll see he was one of the most sought-after guitarists on the planet, playing with everyone from Wilson Pickett to Eric Clapton. He dies tragically in a motorcycle accident in 1971 in Macon, Georgia.
November 20, 1947: Joe Walsh, singer, songwriter, guitarist with The James Gang and later, The Eagles, is born. Did you know that Joe Walsh is Ringo’s brother-in-law?
Whew! That’s it for today, Musicologists! We’ll be back with today’s line-up in a bit!
Good Morning from The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge. It’s another busy day in musical history, as you will see.
Tom Petty & Dave Grohl on stage during the Heartbreaker’s 30th Anniversary Tour.
Here’s today’s lesson plan:
November 19, 1955: Carl Perkins records Blue Suede Shoes at Sun Studios in Memphis. It will be Perkins’ biggest hit, reaching #2 on Billboard.
November 19, 1966: The Supremes enjoy their eighth US #1 hit with You Keep Me Hangin’ On.
November 19, 1971: B.B. King celebrates his 25th year in music by kicking off a European tour in London.
November 19, 1973: Led Zeppelin begins recording demos for their album, Physical Graffiti.
Meanwhile, Bob Dylan releases his 13th studio album, simply called Dylan.
November 19, 1975: The J. Geils Band records Blow Your Face Out (a fucking great album) at Cobo Hall in Detroit.
November 19, 1976: Van Morrison’s Moondance album receives a Gold Record. The album spawns two hits. In addition to the title track, Into The Mystic is released.
November 19, 1982: Led Zeppelin releases its final studio album, Coda, which is a collection of unused tracks written before drummer John Bonham’s death in 1980.
November 19, 1983: Tom Evans of Badfinger died at the age of 36. Like his and mate, Pete Ham, Evans also hanged himself. The story of what record company and manager greed and avarice did to Badfinger’s career is one that should be told. We will touch on that in the blog sometime.
November 19, 1994: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers perform You Don’t Know How It Feels and Honeybee on Saturday Night Live, with Dave Grohl of Nirvana and The Foo Fighters on drums.
November 19, 1995: Bruce Springsteen’s thirteenth album, The Ghost of Tom Joad, is released.
A 60-track album called Beatles Anthology I is released and sets a single-day sales record of 450,000 units.
That’s it, children. Take notes. There’ll be a quiz later (just kidding).
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