2020

It’s an odd day in the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge today. Aside from two entries, all of the events seem to have happened in 1968. It was, as Frank Sinatra said, a very good year musically. Devastating in others.

Here’s today’s lesson:

December 28, 1968: The Doors released Touch Me. Believe it or not, the song’s opening guitar riff was inspired by the opening of C’mon Marianne by The Four Seasons. I shit you not. (And I think that’s probably the only song I like by The Four Seasons, come to think of it.) Touch Me would peak at #3 in America.

These other musical events also happened on this day:

The Beatles’ ninth studio album, The Beatles (aka, The White Album), hits #1 in the US.

The Rolling Stones‘ Beggars Banquet debuts at #3 on the Album chart.

Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Jeff Beck and The Pretty Things appeared at the Flight to Lowlands Paradise II festival at the Margriethal-Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, Netherlands.

Marvin Gaye remained at #1 on the R & B chart with I Heard It Through The Grapevine. I’ll say it again, he remade Gladys Knight’s version, which was released in 1967. Hers also went to #1. I love Marvin, but the record needs to be set straight.

In what could be viewed as a dry run for Woodstock, Joni Mitchell, Three Dog Night, The Turtles, Fleetwood Mac, Marvin Gaye, The Grass Roots, Chuck Berry, Steppenwolf, The Box Tops, Canned Heat, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Procol Harum, The Grateful Dead, Jose Feliciano, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and others performed at the Miami Pop Festival at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida.

Whew.

December 28, 1970: John Lennon released the song Mother.

December 28, 1983: Depressed by mounting debt and his personal problems, Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys drowned while diving near his boat in Marina Del Rey, California. Brian Wilson, dealing with his own issues, did not attend the funeral.

Born On This Day

December 28, 1914: Roebuck “Pops” Staples, songwriter/guitarist/singer for The Staple Singers (I’ll Take You There, Respect Yourself) was born in Winona, Mississippi.

December 28, 1938: Charlie Neville (The Neville Brothers) was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

December 28, 1946: Edgar Winter, multi-instrumentalist, leader of The Edgar Winter Group, and younger brother of Johnny, was born in Beaumont, Texas.

December 28, 1948: Joseph “Ziggy” Modeliste, drummer for The Meters, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

And that is today’s lesson from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge!

It’s Sunday Here in The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 12/27/2020

Good Morning, Musicologists! Here we are with today’s lesson from the college, where nobody ever really sleeps much these days.

Here’s today’s lesson from The Lounge:

December 27, 1958: Buddy Holly makes his first appearance in his home town of Lubbock, Texas, since becoming a major star.

December 27, 1960: The Beatles played to a welcome home crowd at the Litherland Town Hall in Liverpool, after completing a residency in Hamburg, Germany. They played with a sit-in drummer, as Pete Best remained in Germany and would, actually, never return to the group. As a result of the crowd’s reaction to their performance at this event, the Beatles finally believed in themselves. The rest, as they say, is fucking history, people.

December 27, 1963: The Animals performed for the first time on a BBC radio broadcast called Saturday Club. This would lead to a contract with Columbia.

December 27, 1964: The Supremes make their first of 16 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.

December 27, 1967: Bob Dylay released the album John Wesley Harding.

December 27, 1969: The Supremes’ final release with Diana Ross, Someday We’ll Be Together, becomes the final #1 hit of the sixties.

Also on this day, Led Zeppelin II, goes to #1 on the Album charts, replacing Abbey Road after eight weeks.

December 27, 1974: Bob Dylan recorded Idiot Wind and You’re a Big Girl Now on this day.

December 27, 1975: Faces announced their break-up (unfortunately). Rod Stewart focuses on his solo career (I have a love-hate with this guy) and Ron Wood joins the Stones.

December 27, 1980: Weeks after his murder, John Lennon’s Just Like Starting Over goes to #1 in both the US and the UK. It was chosen as the release not because Lennon considered it the best song on the album, but because he thought it was appropriate after a five-year hiatus from recording. It was his only #1 solo release.

Born On This Day

December 27, 1944: Mick Jones, great guitarist and songwriter with Spooky Tooth and co-founder of Foreigner, was born in Somerton, Somerset, England.

December 27, 1948: Larry Byrom, guitarist for Steppenwolf, was born in Huntsville, Alabama.

December 27, 1951: Karla Bonoff, singer-songwriter, solo artist, and back-up vocalist for Linda Ronstadt was born in Santa Monica, California. She wrote several songs for Ronstadt’s Hasten Down The Wind album, and also wrote All My Life, the Linda Ronstadt-Aaron Neville duet which won a 1991 Grammy.

And that is it for today, my friends. We will be back with the line-up shortly.

It’s a Day of Rest, But Not Here in The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 12/20/2020

Good Morning, Students! It’s Sunday here in the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge, and we’ve got a great day lined up. But first, your lesson.

***Jethro Tull was formed on this day in 1967.***

Here’s all the news that’s fit to print:

December 20, 1956: Elvis Presley was making musical chart history with ten songs on Billboard’s Top 100.

December 20, 1958: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison appear as The Quarrymen at the wedding reception of George’s older brother, Harry.

December 20, 1965: Wicked Wilson Pickett records the fucking great song, 634-5789, with Booker T & The MG’s. Booker was missing on that day, but his keyboards were handled nicely for him by none other than Isaac Hayes.

Also on this day in 1965, The Beach Boys released the single Barbara Ann.

December 20, 1966: The Big O, Otis Redding, played the Fillmore West in San Francisco.

December 20, 1967: Vocalist and master flute player Ian Anderson and bassist Glenn Cornick leave The John Evans Blues Band to form Jethro Tull, naming the band after an inventor of farm implements. John Evans would later join Tull himself as the keyboardist.

December 20, 1969: The Beatles’ masterpiece, Abbey Road, remained at the top of the charts for an eighth week on this day.

December 20, 1971: The album from George Harrison’s Concert For Bangladesh (the very first musical event of its kind in history) was released. It would win the Grammy Award for Best Album.

December 20, 1972: The O’Jays recorded the great song Love Train.

December 20, 1975: Joe Walsh officially replaced Bernie Leadon in The Eagles, moving them into a harder rock frame. He had previously been with The James Gang, a great band, by the way. However, on this day, my love affair with The Eagles ended, as much as I love Joe Walsh. I continued to listen, and their catalogue is in our rotation, but I prefer their earlier feel.

December 20, 1980: Twelve days after being shot dead by a fucking psychopath who just wanted his time in the spotlight, John Lennon had his first #1 solo hit with Just Like Starting Over.

Born On This Day

December 20, 1939: R & B singer Kim Weston was born in Detroit, Michigan.

December 20, 1944: Bobby Columby, drummer for Blood, Sweat & Tears, was born in New York.

December 20, 1947: Little Stevie Wright, lead singer of The Easybeats (Friday On My Mind) was born in Leeds, England. He would, however, be raised in Australia. During their six-year career, The Easybeats had 15 Top 10 hits in Australia, no slight feat regardless of where you were raised. The Easybeats are in our daily standard rotation.

December 20, 1948: Alan Parsons of The Alan Parson’s Project (Games People Play, I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You), was born in London. He began his musical career as an engineer at Abbey Road Studios, working on Abbey Road and Let It Be for The Beatles, Dark Side of The Moon for Pink Floyd, and Wild Life by Paul McCartney & Wings (their actual first album as a band). The Alan Parsons Project is in our daily standard rotation.

And that is it from The College for this morning. Our line-up will be posted soon!

It’s Snowing Like a Mother Outside The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 12/17/2020

Here we are on a snowy day bringing you all the news you need to know to impress friends and family alike!

***Carroll James, the first DJ to play a Beatles record on the airwaves in the U.S. You will get all the details below!***

December 17, 1954: Bill Haley & The Comets’ Rock Around The Clock becomes the first rock n’ roll song to enter the UK singles charts. I was ten months old.

December 17, 1955: With their hit Only You still at #2, the Platters’ The Great Pretender enters the charts at #13.

December 17, 1963: Carroll James a disc jockey at WWDC in Washington, D.C., becomes the first DJ to play a Beatles’ song on American airwaves. The song is I Want To Hold Your Hand, which he got from his airline stewardess girlfriend who bought a copy when she was in the UK. Because of high listener demand, James helps out the Beatles by playing the song every day, every hour. Because it had not yet been released in the US, Capitol Records initially considered legal action against the station but, instead, thought better of it and simply released the song in the US earlier than they planned. The rest, as they say, is history, my friends. Thank you, Carroll James. Forever.

December 17, 1966: Standing In The Shadows of Love by the Four Tops enters the Billboard Hot 100. On it’s ten-week stay on the charts, it will peak at #6. It reaches #2 on the R & B charts.

December 17, 1967: John Lennon and George Harrison throw a party in London for the area secretaries of their official fan club. The film Magical Mystery Tour is screened for the very first time for them.

December 17, 1971: John Lennon appears at a benefit at the Apollo Theater in Harlem for the families of the victims of the Attica State Prison riots.

December 17, 1977: Linda Ronstadt’s career continues to roll along through the seventies as her album, Simple Dreams, remains #1 on the Album charts for a third week.

December 17, 1979: Paul McCartney & Wings play the Glasgow Appollo and record a live version of the great song Coming Up. The song would reach #2 in the UK and will top the charts in the US, selling 4 million copies.

Born On This Day

December 17, 1937: Art Neville, keyboardist for the Neville Brothers (you can hear them here, people), was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

December 17, 1939: Eddie Kendricks of The Temptations was born in Union Springs, Alabama. His falsetto voice is heard on the great Temptations hits The Way You Do The Things You Do and Just My Imagination.

December 17, 1942: Paul Butterfield (the Paul Butterfield Blues Band) was born in Chicago.

December 17, 1949: Paul Rogers, lead singer and lyricist for both Free and Bad Company, was born in Middlesbrough, England.

December 17, 1950: Carlton “Carlie” Barrett, drummer for The Wailers, was born in Kingston, Jamaica.

And there you have it for today because we don’t give a shit about Britney Spears, and Miley Cyrus. You’ll never hear them here.

Here’s Wednesday’s Lesson From The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 12/16/2020

It’s another fairly active day at the College. We’ve got all sorts of information of a musical historical nature for you, including some amazing CCR history!

***The extraordinary Creedence Clearwater Revival, led by John Fogerty.***

Here’s your mid-week lesson!

December 16, 1957: Sam Cooke remained at #1 on the R & B charts for a fourth week with the great song, You Send Me.

December 16, 1965: The Beatles’ We Can Work It Out and Day Tripper, released as a Double-A side 45, both hit #1 in the UK on this date.

December 16, 1966: The Jimi Hendrix Experience released Hey Joe (their first single release) in the UK.

December 16, 1967: The Rolling Stones announced that Marianne Faithful was the first artist signed to their new Mother Earth Records.

Also on this day, the Lemon Pipers release the single Green Tambourine. (There are just those sixties songs that stick with you. This is one of them. You know, like Incense & Peppermints.)

And also on December 16, 1967: Gladys Knight & The Pips remained at #1 on the R & B chart for a third week with I Heard It Through The Grapevine.

December 16, 1968: Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band released their first career single, Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man.

December 16, 1970: Creedence Clearwater Revival was as good as any band of its time. They made some amazing music. On this day they were rewarded with five gold records for: Down On The Corner, Lookin’ Out My Back Door, Travelin’ Band, Bad Moon Rising and Up Around The Bend. They were also awarded 5 gold albums for the following LPs: Cosmo’s Factory, Willy & The Poor Boys, Green River, Bayou Country, and the self-titled, Creedence Clearwater Revival.

December 16, 1974: John Lennon released the single #9 Dream.

Also on this day, America released the single Lonely People.

December 16, 1986: Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram released the single Somewhere Out There.

December 16, 1995: The Beatles’ Free As A Bird peaks at #2 on the UK charts and #6 in the US. It was written and recorded as a demo by John Lennon shortly before his murder. The rest of the Beatles complete the single in Paul’s home studio.

December 16, 1997: Nicolette Larson, who had a hit with Neil Young’s Lotta’ Love, and who worked with Linda Ronstadt, The Doobie Brothers, The Beach Boys, and Jimmy Buffett, died in LA at the age of 45.

December 16, 2007: Singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg died at his home in Deer Island, Maine, at the age of 56, after a three-year battle with prostate cancer.

Born On This Day

December 16, 1945: Tony Hicks, guitarist for The Hollies, was born in Nelson, Lancashire, England.

December 16, 1949: Billy Gibbons, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for ZZ Top, was born in Houston, Texas.

And thus ends today’s lesson from The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge!

It’s Another Monday at The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 12/14/2020

Good Morning, Students! We have your Monday morning lesson right here from The Mermaid Lounge, then we’re coming back with today’s line up!

Gladys Knight & The Pips, who made the original version (and a fucking great version, by the way) of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine, but it is Marvin Gaye’s later version that is considered the definitive version. How did that happen?

Here’s today’s lesson:

December 14, 1963: The Beatles’ I Want To Hold Your Hand begins five weeks at #1 on the UK charts. It replaced She Loves You, which was #1 for two weeks. This is the first time ever a band has replaced itself on the charts with a new song.

December 14, 1964: Although banned by some radio stations, The Kingsmen’s Louie Louie goes to #2 on the Hot 100. Only the Singing Nun could keep the from #1.

December 14, 1968: Tommy James & The Shondells released Crimson & Clover. (Over and over.)

Marvin Gaye’s I Heard It Through The Grapevine hits #1 in the US, where it stays for seven weeks. Gladys Knight & The Pips released a version in 1967 (my favorite version of the song, actually) and it went to #2 then. In spite of that, Marvin Gaye’s is considered the definitive version. I love Marvin Gaye, but I disagree.

Motown Acts own the top three spots on the Hot 100 on this day: (1) I Heard It Through The Grapevine by Marvin Gaye; (2) Love Child by The Supremes; and (3) For Once In My Life by Stevie Wonder.

Big Brother & The Holding Company’s album, Cheap Thrills, remained at #1 on the Album charts.

December 14, 1995: Released classified documents revealed that John Lennon wasn’t paranoid. The FBI had been spying on Lennon and his antiwar activities during Tricky Dick’s regime with the goal of having him deported.

Born On This Day

December 14, 1943: Frank Allen, bassist for The Searchers, was born in Hayes, West London, England.

December 14, 1946: Jackie McAuley, keyboardist/vocalist with Them, was born in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

And that is it for today’s musical lesson. Enjoy your day. We’ll be back with our line up in a bit!

Greetings and Salutations From The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 12/12/2020

Well, here we are again bringing you all the news that will do nothing for you but make you sound impressive to your friends.

***The Doors. Only around for four years, but their impact on the sixties was immense.***

Here’s today’s lesson:

December 12, 1962: The Beatles performed two shows at the Cavern Club at lunch time, and then a third in the evening. That’s how bands got ahead in those days.

December 12, 1963: The Beatles had the #1 song in the UK with I Want To Hold Your Hand. This was already their third #1 in the UK.

December 12, 1964: You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling by the Righteous Brothers was released.

Also on this day, The Zombies reached their highest point on the Billboard Pop chart when She’s Not There peaks at #2.

December 12, 1969: John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band releases Live Peace in Toronto 1969, recorded at the Toronto Rock & Revival Show on September 13.

December 12, 1970: The Doors made their last live appearance with Jim Morrison at The Warehouse in New Orleans. His band mates said their recognized his failing health at the end of the show. On July 3, 1971, Jim Morrison died of a heart attack brought about by heroin use at the age of 27.

December 12, 1995: The Beatles released Free As A Bird, their first new song in 25 years.

Born On This Day

December 12, 1943: Dickie Betts. one of the most amazing guitarists on the planet and a future member of The Allman Brothers Band, was born in West Palm Beach, Florida.

December 12, 1946: Clive Bunker, drummer and a founder of Jethro Tull, was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, England.

And that is it for today, students! Stick around for our line up because we’ll be back shortly!

Happy Friday From The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 12/11/2020

Greetings from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge, where we enrich your lives by making sure you have all the pertinent details required to win a musical trivia contest.

Little Richard performs during the halftime show on December 31, 2004, at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn. The pioneering musician died on Saturday, May 9, 2020; he was 87. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images/TNS)

Here’s today’s lesson!

December 11, 1960: Aretha Franklin gives her first live performance at the Village Vanguard in New York city.

December 11, 1961: Motown Records has it’s first #1 hit on the Top 100 with Please Mr. Postman by the Marvelettes.

Also on this day, Elvis Presley’s Blue Hawaii goes to #1.

December 11, 1965: The Velvet Underground plays its first live gig when they open for a group called The Myddle Class in the auditorium of Summit High School in New Jersey.

December 11, 1966: Elton John’s band, Bluesology, opens for Little Richard in London. Elton would later say: “When I saw Little Richard standing on top of the piano, all lights, sequins, and energy, I decided there and then that I was going to be a rock and roll piano player.”

December 11, 1968: The Rolling Stones record their Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus TV special, then proceed to bury it for nearly 30 years.

December 11, 1970: John Lennon releases his first solo album, titled John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.

December 11, 1972: Genesis plays its first US concert ever at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

December 11, 1988: Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt, Graham Nash and Don Henley perform at a Roy Orbison tribute concert at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles.

December 11, 1990: Led Zeppelin IV is certified Diamond with sales of 10 million in the US.

Born On This Day

December 11, 1926: Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton was born in Anton, Alabama. Willie Mae was the first to record Hound Dog, the song that would later be made famous by Elvis Presley.

And that is just about it from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge for this fine day!

Good Morning From The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 12/9/2020

Well, here we are again live from The Mermaid Lounge imparting our trivial musical knowledge to enrich your lives. Sounds impressive, doesn’t it?

***Tom Petty & George Harrison, friends to the end.***

Here’s today’s lesson from The College:

December 9, 1963: Meet The Supremes, their first album, was released by Motown Records. The LP contains the hit When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes.

December 9, 1967: Before a gig in New Haven, Connecticut, Jim Morrison got into an argument with a policeman. The policeman responded by macing Morrison. Later on stage, Morrison told the story of the incident, which prompted the police to turn on the house lights and arrest Morrison for ‘breach of peace’ and ‘resisting arrest.’

December 9, 1972: Three Dog Night’s Pieces of April enters the Billboard chart. The song, written by Dave Loggins, with reach the Top 20.

December 9, 1974: George Harrison released his first album on his Dark Horse record label. The name of the album was Dark Horse.

December 9, 1980: One day after John Lennon was shot and killed, Yoko Ono released this statement: “There is no funeral for John. John loved and prayed for the human race. Please do the same for him. Love, Yoko and Sean.”

December 9, 1992: George Harrison received the first Century Award, presented by friend Tom Petty at the third Billboard Music Awards in Universal City, California.

December 9, 1995: Even though they disbanded 25 years earlier, The Beatles have the #1 album when Anthology hits the top (it remains there for three weeks). It includes Beatles rarities in the form of demos, alternate versions, live versions and previously unreleased material. It will eventually sell 4 million copies.

Born On This Day

December 9, 1969: Singer-songwriter Jakob Dylan (solo; The Wallflowers) was born in New York City.

And that it for today’s lesson from The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge!

It’s Tuesday Bluesday Here, We Have Our AOW This Afternoon, and Our Tribute to Lennon Later, December 8, 2020

Good Morning, Music Lovers! Here we are again in The Mermaid Lounge playing all the music that’s fit to hear. We cut our Tuesday Bluesday down a bit today to pay respects to John Lennon later.

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Tuesday Bluesday! The Tedeschi Trucks Band Live at Red Rocks, August 30, 2012

This is a sweet little blues and blues rock band, led by blues singer and guitarist Susan Tedeschi and her husband Derek Trucks. They were formed in 2010 and operate out of Jacksonville, Florida. They have released four studio and two live albums since then, with their 2012 album, Revelator, winning the Grammy Award for Best Blues Album.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Eli and The Thirteenth Confession by Laura Nyro

Laura Nyro is one of those quiet superstars, known mostly for making other people famous with her brilliant songwriting skills. But to hear this woman sing her own songs? That’s the best.

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of John Lennon

Forty years ago today, some fucking lunatic who wanted his fifteen minutes of fame gunned down one of the most brilliant rock musicians of all time, and a man who wanted nothing but to live in peace. Fuck you, Mark David Chapman. And John Lennon, you are now resting in peace. We miss you.

Tune us in, people. We’ve added the Russian Federation, Croatia, and Denmark to our listener list over the past week. Where the hell are all of you?