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!

It’s Saturday Morning in the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 12/5/2020

Good Morning, Music Trivia Buffs! Here we are at the proverbial weekend. Today will be my final day of retail servitude for a couple of days and I’m very much looking forward to being a full-time DJ once again.

***The late great singer-songwriter J.J. Cale, who gave us the Tulsa sound. You’ll be hearing him later this coming week.***

Here’s today’s lesson:

December 5, 1964: The Zombies’ debut single, She’s Not There, tops the Cashbox Best Sellers Chart. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it peaked at #12 in the UK.

December 5, 1965: The Beatles played their final gig in their own hometown of Liverpool. On December 5, 1980, John Lennon called his Aunt Mimi saying he was homesick and was planning a trip back home. On December 8, 1980, John Lennon was shot and killed.

December 5, 1968: An actual, real-life banquet was held for the launch of the Rolling Stones album Beggars Banquet. It ended abruptly at the (unplanned) pie-throwing fight.

December 5, 1969: Badfinger released Come And Get It, written by Paul McCartney. It is the first hit on Apple Records that is not from The Beatles.

Also on this day, the Rolling Stones release my absolute favorite Stones album, Let It Bleed, loaded with great songs including Gimme Shelter (this could be my favorite Stones song ever) and Midnight Rambler. The title might have been prophetic. The next day, a fan is killed during their performance at the Altamont Speedway.

December 5, 1975: Fleetwood Mac’s tenth album is certified Gold, and will eventually go Platinum. This is the first album of the post-Peter Green era (my preferred version of Fleetwood Mac). John McVie, Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie are all there. The newcomers are Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham. The band’s singles cracks Billboard Top 40 for the first time. They are Rhiannon, Over My Head, and Say You Love Me.

December 5, 1976: Three days after surviving an assassination attempt, Bob Marley performs at the Smile Jamaica Festival, which he organized to promote peace in his country. It is estimated that 80,000 Jamaican’s attend the festival. Marley does a 90-minute set.

December 5, 1980: John Lennon gives his final interview to Jonathan Cott of Rolling Stone magazine. You know the rest, sadly.

Born On This Day

December 5, 1912: Legendary bluesman Sonny Boy Williamson was born Alex Miller in Tallahachie County, Mississippi.

December 5, 1932: Richard Wayne Penniman, later know to the world as Little Richard, was born in Macon, Georgia.

December 5, 1938: Singer-songwriter J.J. Cale, who brought us the Tulsa sound, was born John Weldon Cale in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

December 5, 1947: Jim Messina (Buffalo Springfield, Poco, and Loggins & Messina) was born in Maywood, California.

And that is it for today from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge here in The Mermaid Lounge.

Welcome to The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge!

Good Morning, Music Lovers Across the Globe! We’re trying to liven up your day beyond just playing great music! Today we’re starting the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge. There’s no tuition, and I am your professor, just as I am your programmer, researcher, music director, blog writer, and all-around music lover.

***The Beatles perform at The Star Club, Germany, 1962.***

Here’s today’s lesson in Rock Music History:

November 12, 1955: Fats Domino sits atop the R & B charts for the third week with his hit All By Myself.

November 12, 1957: Johnny Cash records Ballad of a Teenage Queen at Sun Studios in Memphis. The song will go to #1 on the Billboard Country charts in February of 1958.

November 12, 1962: The Beatles appeared at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, sharing the bill with none other than Little Richard.

November 12, 1965: The Velvet Underground makes its debut when it performs live at Summit High School in New Jersey. Fun fact: The band took its name from a paperback book about a secret sexual subculture in the early sixties.

November 12, 1966: Donovan’s Mellow Yellow is released. The song will go to #8 on the UK charts and to #2 in the U.S. It was originally believed that the song was about smoking banana leaves, which was rumored to be hallucinogenic. (Trust me. We tried it. It isn’t.) Later, Donovan would say that it was written about his bout with jaundice in 1966. I prefer the banana leaves story.

November 12, 1967: Jerry Lee Lewis records To Make Love Sweeter For You, which tops the Country charts in the U.S.

Thanks for joining in today. We hope you’ll join us every day here on the blog. You have no idea what you’re missing until you pay us a visit!

We Visit the Petty Archive for Some B-Sides, Introduce the New Album of the Week, and Pay Tribute to Little Richard, on the Mother of All Sundays, May 10, 2020

Good Morning, Ungovernables! Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there. My daughter always says “Mother’s only half a word in our house.” She wasn’t kidding either.

littleking-richard

Here’s your Mother’s Day lineup!

11:00 a.m. Tom Petty: Deep Cuts and B-Sides

Yes, with and without the Heartbreakers. Mostly with, though. Listen, their B-sides are better than most bands’ A-sides. And that’s no lie, as you will see if you tune in.

3:00 p.m. Album of the Week: The Band. By The Band. NEW!

The band that began as Bob Dylan’s back-up band went on to become one of the most influential bands of its generation, and delivered the goods every time out. This effort came after Music From Big Pink, another great musical achievement. But this one saw Robbie Robertson take charge, and the The Band took a huge leap forward.

The Band, along with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and The Beatles, remains one of #BecomeUngovernable’s favorite house bands.

6:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Little Richard NEW!

Richard Wayne Penniman, also known as Little Richard, was a rock n’ roll pioneer who broke down many barriers in his lifetime. He influenced many who came after him, like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, whose early efforts were steeped in rhythm & blues. He passed away yesterday at the age of 87, and today we pay tribute to his greatness.

It’s Mother’s Day. Tune us in. You won’t regret it.