Rock History for July 2nd

On this day in...

2022
Harry Styles was at No.1 in the UK with his third studio album Harry's House. The album was highlighted as helping to bring a £4 billion boost to UK music export revenue and the highest level of vinyl sales since 1990. Besides the chart-topper 'As It Was', three other songs from the album reached the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100. This made Styles the first British solo artist to achieve this, and among all British acts, he joined The Beatles who achieved the feat in 1964. 

2018
Alan Longmuir from Scottish pop band Bay City Rollers died aged 70 after contracting an illness while on holiday in Mexico. The Rollers had the 1975 UK No.1 single 'Bye Bye Baby', plus 11 other UK Top 20 singles and the 1976 US No.1 single 'Saturday Night'. This is not any of those but rather the first one I liked but hadn't heard before ("Summer Love Sensation" 1974)

2015
Buddy Holly's widow, Maria Elena Holly, announced that she had entrusted the publishing rights to her late husband's influential catalogue to the artist's performance rights group, BMG. The company was now authorised to administer royalties worldwide for nearly all of Buddy Holly's recordings. ("Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" 1963)

2008
The gravestone of former Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis was stolen. Cheshire Police said his memorial stone was taken from where he is buried in Macclesfield Cemetery. Officers were appealing for anyone with information on its whereabouts, detectives said the stone, had the inscription ‘Ian Curtis 18 - 5 - 80’ and the words ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’. ("Dead Souls" 1979)

2007
Lyricist Hy Zaret, who wrote the words for the song "Unchained Melody," died at his home in Westport, Connecticut, aged 99. The song (which does not feature the word "unchained"), has been recorded over 300 times. Zaret co-wrote the song with film composer Alex North for the 1955 prison film Unchained. The Righteous Brothers' 1965 version was produced by Phil Spector. Here's an unexpected (by me anyway) cover of the classic from U2 (1998).

1988
Michael Jackson became the first artist to have five number one singles from one album when ‘Dirty Diana’ went to the top of the US charts. The other four chart-toppers from the LP ‘Bad’ were the title track, ‘I Just Can't Stop Loving You’, ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ and ‘Man in the Mirror’. Here's a nice metal cover from Leo Morricone (2023).

1988
Tracy Chapman started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with her self-titled debut LP. Helped by her performance at the 'Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Tribute Concert' at Wembley Stadium, also No.1 in the US.  This is my favorite unreleased song from that album ("Mountains O'Things").

1983
Rod Stewart started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Baby Jane', his sixth UK No.1 and his most successful single since 'Do Ya Think I'm Sexy' in 1978. 

1982
Nicky Headon of The Clash was remanded on bail, charged with stealing a bus stop worth £30 from London's Fulham Road. I really wanted to play "Police & Thieves," but it didn't slap as hard as this one that I hadn't heard before ("Janie Jones" 1977).

1980
Bob Weir and Mickey Hart from the Grateful Dead were arrested on suspicion of starting a riot at the San Diego Sports Arena after they tried to interfere in a drugs bust. ("Sugar Magnolia" 1970)

1971
Queen appeared at Surrey College, England. This was the group's first gig with the line-up of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon. Here's something off their debut album they might've played that night. ("My Fairy King" 1973)

1969
Working on tracks for the Abbey Road album, Paul McCartney recorded ‘Her Majesty’. Then Paul, George, and Ringo record 15 takes of ‘Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight’. John Lennon was absent, in hospital in Golspie, Scotland, following a car accident the previous day. 

1969
Bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell quit The Jimi Hendrix Experience after completing the three-day Denver Pop Festival. Hendrix and drummer Mitch Mitchell would later team with bassist Billy Cox to form the short-lived Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, who played at the Woodstock Festival. Here's one I haven't heard before from their last album together, 'Electric Ladyland' ("Crosstown Traffic).
On the same date in 1962, Jimi Hendrix was honourably discharged from the 101st Airborne Paratroopers, after breaking his ankle during his 26th and final parachute jump. 

1969
Thunderclap Newman started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the Pete Townshend produced track 'Something In The Air.' Featured on the soundtrack for the movie, The Magic Christian. The band featured guitarist Jimmy McCulloch who went on to work with Wings. 

1966
David Bowie and The Lower Third appeared at The Lion Hotel in Warrington, England, (they were paid £30 for the gig). Also appearing was The Powerhouse which featured Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Steve Winwood and Paul Jones. Here's a new-to-me one from their brief career together ("Can't Help Thinking About Me" released 1972).

1966
Frank Sinatra went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Strangers In The Night'. The song was taken from the film A Man Could Get Killed. Here's one of my favorite bands with a kind-of-slower-than-I-like cover. (CAKE, 2007)

1956
Elvis Presley recorded 'Hound Dog' at RCA Studios, New York. Take 31 being the version they released. This was the first time The Jordanaires worked with Presley. The single sold over 10 million copies globally, became his best-selling song and topped the pop chart for 11 weeks, a record that stood for 36 years. Here's the late Shonka Dureh playing Big Mama Thornton (from whom Elvis "borrowed" the song) in Baz Luhrman\s 2022 biopic Elvis.

************
Intermission Randomonium:
"Cosmic Egg" - Wolfmother, 2009
"Don't Fuck With Joe" - Blackwter Fever, 2013
|Nowhere Fast" - Larkin Poe, 2025

************

Born on this day in...

1974
Rocky Gray, drummer with American rock band Evanescence who had the 2003 UK No.1 & US No.5 single ‘Bring Me To Life’, and the 2003 UK No.1 & US No.3 album Fallen. Also a member of Living Sacrifice and Soul Embraced. ("Going Under" 2003)

1966
Dave Parsons, bassist with English group Transvision Vamp who had the 1989 UK No.3 single 'Baby I Don't Care'. He later worked with Bush who had the 1997 UK No.7 single 'Swallowed'. 

1964
Roy Boulter, drummer of Liverpool-based group The Farm who had the 1990 UK No.4 single 'All Together Now'.

1961
Annie Ruddock, vocals, Amazulu, (1986 UK No.5 single 'Too Good To Be Forgotten').

1957
Mike Anger from British new wave group The Blow Monkeys who had the 1986 hit 'Digging Your Scene' and the 1987 UK No.5 single 'It Doesn't Have To Be This Way'. 

1954
Pete Briquette, bass, vocals, The Boomtown Rats, (1979 UK No.1 single 'I Don't Like Mondays', plus 10 other UK Top 40 singles). ("Rat Trap" 1978)

1952
Johnny Colla, guitar, sax, from Huey Lewis and the News who had the 1985 UK No.11 & US No.1 single 'The Power Of Love'. Their third, and best-selling, album was the 1983 Sports, and they contributed to the soundtrack of the 1985 feature film Back to the Future. Here's a fun tune I don't remember hearing before but has some banging guitar work ("Couple Days Off" 1991)

1952
American pianist Gene Taylor best known for his boogie-woogie style and worked with Big Joe Turner and T-Bone Walker, was briefly part of Canned Heat, toured with The Blasters, and later with The Fabulous Thunderbirds. He died on 20 February 2021 age 68 after being found dead at his home in his bed in Austin, Texas. The cause of death is believed to have been related to the house having been without heat in the dead of winter due to the state-wide power outages caused by the 2021 Texas power crisis. (Note: I noticed while playing this set that the song I chose to celebrate the pianist has almost no audible piano in it... this is what happens when we rush). "Scratch My Back" - The Fabulous Thunderbirds 1979

1950
Duncan Mackay, keyboards, with English group Cockney Rebel who scored the 1975 UK No.1 single 'Make Me Smile, Come Up And See Me'.

1949
American keyboardist Roy Bittan, "The Professor", with Bruce Springsteen E Street Band which he joined on August 23, 1974. He has also worked with David Bowie, Jackson Browne, Dire Straits, Peter Gabriel, Meat Loaf, Stevie Nicks, Bob Seger. Here's the E Street Band unexpectedly sans Bruce Springsteen. ("Say Goodbye to Hollywood" - Ronnie Spector, 1987)

1945
Peter Cruickshank, bass, The Groundhogs, (1971 UK No.5 album 'Split'). ("Cherry Red" from that album)

1939
American singer Paul Williams, who with The Temptations had the 1971 US No.1 & UK No.8 single 'Just My Imagination' and the re-issued 'My Girl' which was a UK No.2 hit in 1992. He died on 17 August 1973 after shooting himself. Williams was found dead in an alley in a car having just left the new house of his then-girlfriend after an argument. ("Get Ready" 1966)

1937
Dee Palmer, the keyboard player for Jethro Tull between 1969 and 1980. She played on all the Tull classics (then credited as David Palmer) including 'Thick As A Brick' and 'Aqualung.' ("Bourée" 1969)

1936

Tom Springfield, from the British pop-folk vocal trio The Springfields who had the 1962 US No. 20 single 'Silver Threads And Golden Needles', and the 1963 UK No.5 single 'Island Of Dreams'. The Springfields included singer Dusty Springfield and her brother Tom Springfield. He died on 27 July 2022, at the age of 88. ("Dear Hearts and Gentle People" 1962)

__________________________

Honourable Mentions (events for which I did not choose music)

2005
The world's biggest music stars united in concerts around the world to put pressure on political leaders ahead of the G8 summit to tackle poverty in Africa. Concerts in 10 cities, including London, Philadelphia, Paris, Berlin, Johannesburg, Rome and Moscow played to hundreds of thousands of people. A TV audience of several hundred million watched the gigs. In London Pink Floyd, The Who, Madonna, U2, Coldplay, Sting, The Scissor Sisters, Keane, and Paul McCartney performed. Philadelphia saw, Destiny's Child, Jay-Z and Bon Jovi, Canada, Bryan Adams and Neil Young headlined, Bjork headlined in Tokyo and Green Day played in Berlin. 

2001
Liverpool Airport at Speke was renamed John Lennon Airport. Yoko Ono was present to unveil a new logo that included the late Beatle's famous self-portrait and the words, 'Above Us Only Sky' taken from his Imagine album. 

1955
Birthday of Jerry Hall, US model, actress. She married Rolling Stone Mick Jagger in 1990. Hall started dating musician Bryan Ferry in 1975, leaving him for Mick Jagger in 1977. Jagger and Hall held a marriage ceremony on November 21, 1990, in Bali, Indonesia but the putative marriage was later declared null. The couple have four children together. 

1926
Lee Allen, saxophonist, who worked with Fats Domino, Little Richard and Shirley & Lee. Allen died on 18 October 1994. 

1925
American country and rockabilly singer and songwriter Marvin Rainwater, who had the 1957 US No.18 single 'Gonna Find Me A Bluebird', and the 1958 UK No.1 single 'Whole Lotta Woman.' He was known for wearing Native American-themed outfits on stage and claimed to have quarter-blood Cherokee ancestry. Rainwater died on October 18, 1994. 

Informtion provided by ThisDayInMusic.com, any inaccuracies and the credit for all the research belongs to them.

Pride Pandemonium

For the end of Pride Month, I wanted to play a full list of LGBTQ rockers, and as I do when I have a specific theme I do a lot of research; and as always, when I do a lot of research, I want it recognized and immortalized. In this case, I found a Reddit thread that had a lot of information on it of LGBTQ rock musicians, to which I added what I alread knew, and then appended with what I found on Google and Spotify, and then inserted some remembered afterward. And here is all the notes on the artists I used in my playlist for your enlightenment and edutainment, in the order the songs appeared (in ascending order by key).

The B-52s - Frontman Fred Schneider and multi-instrumentlist Keith Strickland are both gay; bassist/vocalist Kate Pierson is bisexual; late drummer Ricky Wilson was also gay. Here's "Funplex" from the 2008 album of the same name. 

Beth Ditto (Gossip) - identifies as bisexual, she was married to a woman at one time and is now married to a trans man. "I'm Alive" 2018 single.

Beach Bunny - I wasn't able to find biographical information on the band members so will take Spotify's word for it. "Vertigo" a 2024 single.

Laura Jane Grace (Against Me!) - a young transwoman currently putting out a lot of singles, including "All Fucked Out" from 2024.

Crawlers - same as Beach Bunny, no info on the members on this English rock band from Warrington, formed in 2018, so have to take Spotify's word. Here's 2022's "Fuck Me (I Didn't Know How to Say)" Lots of fucking in this set's titles :D

Sleater-Kinney - Lead singer Coren Tucker previously identified as a lesbian, but now identifies as bisexual; vocalist/guitarist Carrie Brownstein identified as bisexual but now prefers to use queer or dyke. 

Liza Anne - is gay and identifies as nonbinary. Enjoy "Cheerleader" from 2023.

St. Vincent - Stage name of Anne Clark. "When asked during a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone whether she identified as gay or straight, Clark responded: 'I don't think about those words. I believe in gender fluidity and sexual fluidity. I don't really identify as anything. I think you can fall in love with anybody. I don't have anything to hide but I'd rather the emphasis be on music.'" She currently identifies as queer and previously dated actresses Cara Delavigne and Kristen Stewart as well as musician Carrie Brownstein (above). "Big Time Nothing" from 2024's All Born Screaming,

Remi Wolf -  the American singer and songwriter from Palo Alto, CA identifies as bisexual. "Cinderella" from Big Ideas (2024) slaps.

The Last Dinner Party - I didn't see any mention of sexulity or gender nonconformity in the Wikipedia pages for the band members, so I'm just guessing Spotify has better sources of information. Here's "Nothing Matters" from 2024's Prelude to Ecstasy.

Bikini Kill - Kathleen Hanna (also in Le Tigre, the Julie Ruin) - this punk/electronic rocker identifies as bisexual. "I Like Fucking" (and who doesn't?) from 1998.

Neon Trees - lead singer and keyboardist Tyler Glenn came out as gay in a 2014 Rolling Stone article. "Animal" from Habits (2010).

Halestorm - Lead Lizzie Hale is bisexual; covering bisexual Lady GaGa's "Bad Romance" in 2011 is double your plesure double your fun :).

Pansy Division - all the members are gay and all their songs are on gay topics. "That's So Gay" from 2009's album of the same name is still timely despite the dated slang.

PVRIS - Frontwoman Lynn Gunn is gay. Here is "GODDESS" from the 2023 album EVERGREEN.

Hüsker Dü - the three members are gay; frontman Bob Mould has put out some great solo work since they split up. 1984's "Something I Learned Today" is on the album Zen Arcade.

R.E.M. - Michael Stipe identifies as queer, is in a long term relationship with a man (photographer Thomas Dozol) but has had relationships with women in the past (notably Natalie Merchant). I chose a song I didn't remember hearing before, "Bad News" from In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003
released 2003.

Ezra Furman - the brilliant musician/songwriter is bisexual, and uses she/her and they/them pronouns. She came out as a transgender woman in 2021. Prior to this, she identified as genderqueer. Here is "Restless Year" from 2015's Perpetual Motion.

Wayne County & the Electric Chairs - Lead Jayne County is the first (and for a long time only) transwoman on the punk rock scene. "Max's Kansas City" was released as an EP in 1975.

Courtney Barnett - the Australian singer/songwriter/guitarist has not publicly identified as lesbian but was in a rather public relationship with fellow musician Jen Cloher. I'd not heard of Jen Cloher before but will be looking into her to add to this list. "History Eraser" is on 2013's The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas.

Placebo - singer Brian Molko is bisexual and bilingual (French and English). Here's "Special K" from Black Market Music released in 2000.

Scissor Sisters - Generally considered more pop than rock, there's a lot of overlap in style. Members Jake Shears, Babydaddy, and Del Marius are all gay; former member Ana Matronic identifies as "a human being" but has had relationships with men and women. Here the band covers Franz Ferdiinand's 'Take Me Out" on their 2004 album Mary.

Marc Almond - though best known for the inescpably pop sound of Soft Cell, Almond has had an extensive solo career as well as leading bands Marc & the Mambas and Marc Almond & the Willing Sinners, which range through pop, rock, blues, lounge, showtunes, and all sorts of genre-defying gorgeousness. Here's one such from the Marc & the Mambas 1983 album Torment & Toreros, "A Million Manias" (one of my favorites).

Panic! At the Disco - frontman (and eventually only permanent member) Brendan Urie identified as pansexual in a 2018 interview though he'd previously defined himself as straight but sexually experienced with men. I picked "Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time" from 2016's Death of a Bacherlor because it samples another favorite song, "Rock Lobster."

Green Day - a Redditor I consulted claims all three members are bisexual, but Billie Joe Armstrong is the only one who says so on his Wikipedia page; nevertheless I would like to believe they all are and engaged in tour bus throupling in their youth. ;-) Here's "One Eyed Bastard" from the 2024 album Saviors,

Queen - I guess everybody knows Freddie Mercury was gay/bisexual. I went for a bouncy but obscure ditty I only recently stole from Fieger discovered, "Bring Back That LeRoy Brown" from Sheer Heart Attack (1974).

David Bowie - same as above. an early adopter of coming out as bisexual in the Glam Rock era. He later regretted coming out, not because it wasn't true but because it slowed his conquest of the US market. I considered adding the rock stars with whom he was reputed to be bisexual (notably Mick Jagger) but they never identified as such so I'l leave them out of it. I went for a song I hadn't heard in a very long time, ''Absolute Beginners" from the 1986 film of the same name. 

Elton John - another "everybody knows," Sir Elton came out as bisexual in a 1976 interview with Rolling Stone; in 1992, he told Rolling Stone that he was "quite comfortable about being gay." He's been with his husband David Furnish for 32 years. I reached back into the mists for "Hercules" from the 1972 album Honky Château (fun fact, Elton John's middle name is Hercules, taken by deed poll that same year).

Culture Club - Boy George was never one to hide his light under a bushel, and many years down the road he admitted to an affair with bandmate Jon Moss, making the latter at least bisexual-adjacent so I guess he counts too. "Church of the Poison Mind" is perhaps my favorite track off 1983's Colour By Numbers.

Jobriath - the first openly gay rocker to get a contract with a major record label, way back in the early 70s, a founding father of Glam Rock and one of the first famous losses of the AIDS Epidemic. Here's his defiant "I'm a Man" from his 1973 self-titled album.

T. Rex - singer Marc Bolan famously stated he was gay, then said bisexual, though all his many tumultuous public relationships were with women. He didn't live long enough to provide clarity. I chose the delicious "Dandy in the Underworld" from the 1977 album of the same name.

Melissa Etheridge - the whole world's favorite cool lesbian aunt, so warm and wholesome you just want to hug her. Her music leans well into soft-rock and country but has rock and blues roots, and I was thrilled to find this tight cover of "On Broadway" on the 2023 EP Melissa Etheridge On Broadway.

Tom Robinson - British singer, bassist, radio presenter, and long-time LGBT rights activist, best known for the hit 1978 protest song "Glad to Be Gay." 

Tegan and Sara - Canadians, twins, lesbians...truly a dynamic duo. I grabbed their wonderful queer love song "Boyfriend" from 2016's Love You To Death.

Faith No More - keyboardist Roddy Bottum (not a pseudonym, I was delighted to learn) came out as gay in 1993 though he had a brief relationship with Courtney Love before that. I went for the obvious with their megahit "Epic" from 1989's The Real Thing, mostly because I was running out of time to explore other options.

Judas Priest - Rob Halford publicly revealed his homosexuality on MTV in 1998. He broke down in tears saying, "It's a wonderful moment when you walk out of the closet. Now I've done that and I've freed myself. It's a great feeling for me to finally let go and make this statement..." With his leather-daddy style and unapologetic attitude he became an unofficial LGBTQ ambassador to a not very gay-friendly corner of the music world. Not a huge Judas Priest fan, myself, I selected the well-known "Living After Midnight" from 1980's British Steel because it felt cheerful.

Forgotten but not for long (I remembered these while I was playing the set at Starfall):

Super Cassette - a great lesser-known indie band from my hometown of Oakland CA (who I didn't discover until I moved to Eureka) fronted by nonbinary Max Gerlock . 

Fall Out Boy - Bassist Pete Wentz identified as bisexual early in his career but it's not mentioned on his Wiki page; however, I think he's hot so I'm holding him to his word. 

Noah Finnce - one of my YouTube crushes, a young bisexual trans man who puts out emo/thrasher punk pop that's a lot of fun.

YUNGBLUD - I can't believe I forgot him, he's been all over my news feeds lately, defending himself as pansexual and not just queerbaiting the public for credibility. Also he's a certified hottie.

ROCK HISTORY TONIGHT

I put too much work into this set to just let it waft out into the ethers unremarked by posterity, so though it's nothing to do with anything, brace yourself...

I love subbing for Dehrynn DJing at Starfall, especially when I have sufficient time to put together something good; he often builds his sets around birthdates and anniversaries of interesting happenings in the world of music, gleaned from This Day in Music; Kaj and Dov do that too, and sometimes Fieger (along with Days of the Year), though to a much lesser extent, so I think of this format as belonging to Dehrynn; but I feel like I'm allowed and encouraged to use Dehrynn's format for Dehrynn's set, and so I run with it fast and much too far. 

One of my favorite things to do, which other DJs avoid by skipping them, is to find substitutes for genres and artists and songs that I don't like and wouldn't admit to knowing, much less play in public. Covers are the easiest way, and taps into another fun format, but sometimes I have to find a song kind of related to the event that's nothing to do with the artist in the event. I skipped a lot of them anyway, but that's because I had a lot to choose from.

Fortunately every time I've done one of these Rock History Tonight sets, it's on a day particularly rich in historic incident, so that today I was spoiled for choice and ended up having a lot of 'Honorable Mentions' that I couldn't squeeze into the set. Once I assembled all the songs going chronologically (as it appeared on the website), I sorted them by key like I usually do (it reduces tonal whiplash if two wildly different songs are in the same or adjacent key), and sorted the notes to match the new order.

2001: A toy figure of Eminem was facing a ban from UK shops: Woolworth's and Hamleys were refusing to stock the dolls, and psychologists warned parents they would be inadvertently giving their children approval for bad language. Here's a cover of his "Lose Yourself" from the Oscar-winning soundtrack to 8 Mile.

2002: Randy Castillo, drummer with the Ozzy Osbourne band, died of cancer aged 51. He worked with Osbourne during the 1980s and early 1990s, and also worked with Lita Ford and Mötley Crüe. Here's the title track from Ozzy's 1983 album Bark At the Moon featuring Randy on drums.

1980: The Police became the first Western pop group to play in Bombay, India in over a decade when they played a one-off gig in the city. Though I couldn't find a setlist, here's a tune they might've played, off their 1980 album Neyatta Mondatta.

1977: Hall and Oates started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with "Rich Girl", the duo's first US No.1. Hall and Oates have sold an estimated 40 million records, making them the third-bestselling music duo of all time. Here's a nice cover from Me First & the Gimme Gimmes, my go-to heroes for covers of popular songs I hate.

1976: British blues singer and musician Duster Bennett was killed in a car crash. After performing with Memphis Slim, Bennett was driving home in a Ford Transit van in Warwickshire, England when he apparently fell asleep at the wheel. The van collided with a truck. His first album Smiling Like I'm Happy saw him playing as a one-man band, playing a bass drum with his foot and blowing a harmonica on a rack while playing a 1952 Les Paul Goldtop guitar given to him in 1968 by Peter Green from Fleetwood Mac. Here's Duster's best-selling single.

2005: 46-year old Australian drummer Paul Hester took his own life in Melbourne. He had been a member of Crowded House, Split Enz, and Largest Living Things. After leaving Crowded House in 1994 Hester appeared on many TV and radio shows in Australia. Here are a pair of hits from Crowded House and Split Enz (I couldn't find anything from Largest Living Things online).

1957: BOTD - English music journalist Paul Morley who wrote for the New Musical Express from 1977 to 1983 and a co-founder of the record label ZTT Records, Morley was also a member of English avant-garde synth-pop group Art of Noise who had the 1988 UK No.5 single "Kiss" with Tom Jones. Here's their brilliant cover of the Peter Gunn theme.

1917: BOTD - American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer Rufus Thomas who had the 1963 US No.10 single with "Walking The Dog" and a 1970 UK No.18 & US No.28 single with "Do The Funky Chicken". Thomas died on December 15th 2001 of heart failure at the age of 84.

1996: The Woman in Me, the second studio album by Shania Twain, was at No.1 on the Country chart. It went on to become her biggest-selling recording at the time of its release, selling 4 million copies by the end of the year. "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?", a song about a woman confronting her lover about his frequent infidelity, was released at the first single from the album. Here's a 2023 cover from the delightful Wanda Jackson with Linda Gail Lewis and The Brains.

1962: BOTD - Richard Coles from British pop duo The Communards who had the 1986 UK No.1 single with a cover version of the Thelma Houston hit "Don't Leave Me This Way". Coles is now a Church of England priest and frequent TV panel guest.

2006: Readers of Total Guitar magazine voted the guitar solo by Jimmy Page in Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" as the greatest guitar solo of all time. The 1971 track was voted ahead of tracks by Van Halen, Queen, Jimi Hendrix, and the Eagles. On the 20th anniversary of the original release of the song, it was announced via US radio sources that the song had logged up an estimated 2,874,000 radio plays - back to back, that would run for 44 years solid. I couldn't bring myself to play "Stairway..." however, so here's a Led Zeppelin song I do like that still showcases Jimmy Page's genius.

1968: : BOTD - James Jonas Iha, guitarist with American alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins, who had the 1995 US No.1 album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, whence comes this track.

2008: The Los Angeles Times apologized for claiming rap mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs was involved in a 1994 shooting of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur. The LA Times, which published the original story on its website, initially said its claims were based on FBI records, witness accounts and other unnamed sources. The apology followed a claim that the newspaper was conned by a prisoner who doctored the documents used. Here's a song about newspapers, since I couldn't find anything from Diddy or Tupac that I wanted to play.

1985: Radio stations in South Africa banned all of Stevie Wonder's records after he dedicated the Oscar he had won the night before at The Academy Awards to Nelson Mandela. The award-winning song was "I Just Called to Say I Love You," which makes my ears bleed and has no acceptable covers, so here's my favorite Stevie Wonder song instead.

2006: English singer-songwriter and guitarist Nikki Sudden died from a heart attack at the age of 49 after performing at the Knitting Factory in New York City. He co-founded the post-punk band Swell Maps with his brother, Epic Soundtrack. Sudden collaborated with, among others, the Waterboys, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Mick Taylor, Tom Ashton of the March Violets, and members of R.E.M. and Sonic Youth. Here's the most popular Swell Maps song (according to Spotify).

1964: The British invasion continued to make its way around the world with The Beatles taking the top six positions on the Australian pop chart. This is the A-side of the #1 single in the set.

1970: Peter Yarrow of Peter Paul and Mary pleaded guilty to 'taking immoral liberties' with a 14 year old girl in Washington D.C. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three months in jail. Just days earlier, the trio had won a Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children for their album, Peter, Paul and Mommy... here is inarguably the best and most important song on that album, and perhaps the entirety of Peter, Paul and Mary's discography. Kleenex is available on request.

1948: BOTD - Steven Tyler, multi-instrumentalist frontman and lead singer of Aerosmith, known as the "Demon of Screamin'." Aerosmith scored the 1989 UK No.13 single "Love In An Elevator", their 1989 album Pump spent 53 weeks on the US charts, and the 1993 US No.1 & UK No.2 album Get A Grip, as well as the 1998 US No.1 & UK No.4 single "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing". In 2011, Tyler made his debut appearance as a judge on American Idol. Here's my favorite Aerosmith tune from their early(ish) album Toys in the Attic.

1969: Marvin Gaye was at No.1 on the UK singles chart, with "I Heard It Through The Grapevine". The song was first recorded by The Miracles and had also been a million seller in 1967 for Gladys Knight and the Pips. But here's The Slits with their rather more punk-flavored cover.

1965: Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, and Bill Wyman all received electric shocks from a faulty microphone on stage during a Rolling Stones rehearsal in Odense, Denmark. Bill Wyman was knocked unconscious for several minutes. I couldn't find out which song they were playing at the time but this was part of the setlist for that tour and a favorite blues classic.

2004: Jan Berry of Jan & Dean died at the age of 62, after being in poor health since his 1966 car crash. They had the 1963 US No.1 & UK No.26 single "Surf City", (cowritten by Beach Boy Brian Wilson). At the height of their fame, Jan & Dean hosted and performed in The T.A.M.I. Show, a film that also featured The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. I liked this Ramones cover of "Surf City" better than Jan & Dean's, though, so...

1948: BOTD - English musician Richard Tandy, keyboardist with Electric Light Orchestra, who had the 1979 UK No.3 & US No.4 single "Don't Bring Me Down", plus 26 other Top 40 hits. He played the harpsichord on The Move's No.1 hit "Blackberry Way". Tandy died on 1 May 2024, at the age of 76. Don't bring me down, Brrrrrruce!

2020: English singer Neil Landon died age 78. He was a singer and songwriter with the band Fat Mattress, which he co-founded with guitarist/singer Noel Redding. He later joined The Flower Pot Men, who scored a hit in 1967 with "Let's Go To San Francisco" which reached No.4 in the UK Singles Chart. Here's one each from Fat Mattress and The Flower Pot Men.

1949: BOTD - Fran Sheehan, bassist for Boston (1977 UK No.22 single "More Than A Feeling", 1986 US No.1 single "Amanda"). Boston have sold more than 75 million records worldwide, including 31 million albums in the United States, of which 17 million were from their self-titled debut album and seven million were for their second album, Don't Look Back, making them one of the world's best-selling artists. This is not one of their most popular songs, but is the best I found in my brief listen to their Greatest Hits.

1983: Duran Duran went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with "Is There Something I Should Know", their first No.1 and their eighth single release. The group were on a US promotional trip when the single dropped, and they were greeted by 5,000 screaming fans at an in-store appearance in New York City.

2016: Billy Joel's iconic hit, "Piano Man", was selected by the US Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its 'cultural, historic, or artistic significance.' Even though the record only made it to No.25 on the Hot 100 in 1974, it had become Joel's signature song, and was ranked at No.421 in the 2004 list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. I'm kind of ambivalent about the song, I both love it and hate it, but I couldn't find a good cover (except for a Wierd Al parody), so here it is with reservations stated.

1959: BOTD - British session drummer Chris Whitten who provided drums for the hit singles "What I Am" by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, "World Shut your Mouth" by Julian Cope, and "The Whole of the Moon" by The Waterboys. Whitten has also worked with Paul McCartney, Dire Straits, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash, The Pretenders, Swing Out Sister, ABC, and The The. Here's my favorite of the abovementioned.

2019: British musician Ranking Roger died age 56. In January 2019 it was announced that Roger had undergone surgery for two brain tumours, and was undergoing treatment for lung cancer. He was a vocalist in the 1980s two-tone band the Beat (known in North America as the English Beat) and later General Public. Here's one from each project.

2019: A school book Sir Paul McCartney used as a teenager sold for £46,800 – nearly 10 times its estimate. The exercise book which features a doodle of a man smoking and a teacher’s critical comments sold at an auction of Beatles memorabilia in Merseyside. McCartney had used the book at Liverpool Institute High School for Boys, where he was taught English literature by Alan "Dusty" Durband. Here's Sir Paul with Eric Clapton and a beloved Beatles classic.

Honorable Mentions

1995: Rapper producer, and record executive Eazy-E (Eric Lynn Wright) died of AIDS in Los Angeles aged 31. Formed Ruthless Records, worked with Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.

1981: BOTD - Jay Sean, British producer and songwriter who had the 2009 US No.1 single 'Down' with Lil Wayne and the critically acclaimed debut album Me Against Myself.

1971: BOTD - John Hendy from English pop boy band East 17 who had the 1994 UK No.1 single 'Stay Another Day', plus 18 top-20 singles and four top-10 albums, and were one of the UK's most popular boy bands during the early to mid-1990s.

1968: BOTD - Kenny Chesney, US country singer, songwriter, (2002 US No.1 album ‘No Shoes, No Shirt’, 2005 US No.1 album 'Be As You Are'). Married Bridget Jones and Chicago actress Renee Zellweger in May 2005.

1967: BOTD - American record producer and songwriter Rob Fusari. A child prodigy, Fusari won numerous piano competitions at Radio City Music Hall at 8 years old. He has worked with Destiny's Child, Kelly Rowland, Will Smith, Whitney Houston and Lady Gaga.

1955: BOTD - Martin Price from English electronic music group 808 State who had the 1989 UK No.10 single 'Pacific State'. They took their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine.

1953: BOTD - Scottish musician William Lyall, keyboards with Pilot who had the 1975 UK No.1 single 'January'. He also worked with Sheena Easton and The Bay City Rollers. Lyall died in 1989.

1950: BOTD - Teddy Pendergrass, soul singer, (1978 US No.25 single 'Close The Door', 1994 UK No.35 single 'The More I Get The More I Want'). One time member of Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes. Died on 13th Jan 2010 at the age of 59 following a difficult recovery from colon cancer surgery.

1949: BOTD - Vicki Lawrence, American actress, comedian, and pop singer. In 1973, Lawrence became a one-hit wonder songstress, landing on the US chart with the No. 1 'The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia'.

1944: BOTD - Diana Ross, American singer, The Supremes (1964 UK & US No.1 single 'Baby Love' plus over 20 other US & UK Top 40 hits). Solo (1980 US No.1 single 'Upside Down, 1986 UK No.1 single 'Chain Reaction'). During the 1960s The Supremes became Motown's most successful act, and is to this day the United States' most successful vocal group. As part of the Supremes, her success made it possible for future African-American R&B and soul acts to find mainstream success.