Saturday, May 5, 2018

This Date in Rock Music History: May 6



1957:  He had appeared on his parents' radio show and later on television.  On this date, Ricky Nelson first appeared on the chart with his first single, "A Teenager's Romance".
1963:  Andrew Oldham and agent Eric Easton signed a management contract with the Rolling Stones.  (Note:  some websites report that this occurred on April 29, 1963.  This is incorrect, according to the book 'The Rolling Stones:  A Musical Biography' by Murry R. Nelson.  According to Nelson, the contract was signed on May 6.)
1965:  Keith Richards began writing the Rolling Stones song "Satisfaction" in a hotel room in Clearwater, Florida.
1965:  James Brown recorded "I Got You (I Feel Good)" at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida.
1965:  Marianne Faithful married John Dunbar in Cambridge, England.
1966:  Bob Dylan played at the ABC Cinema in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1967:  Aretha Franklin led the way on the R&B chart for a seventh week with "I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)".
1967:  Frank & Nancy Sinatra remained at the top of the Easy Listening chart with "Somethin' Stupid".


Friday, May 4, 2018

This Date in Rock Music History: May 5

1900:  The Billboard (known today as Billboard), in its sixth year, switched production to weekly rather than monthly.
1956:  The Elvis Presley album Elvis becomes the first rock LP to top the Album chart.

Thursday, May 3, 2018

This Date in Rock Music History: May 4


1956:  Elvis Presley released the single "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You".  (Note:  several websites report the date of release as May 1 or May 12, and, while there are no "established" reliable sources, the website www.elvis-history-blog.com contains a pretty thorough account of the song's recording and release.  They report that Elvis released the song on May 4, and that is the best information on the release date.)
1956:  Gene Vincent recorded "Be-Bop-A-Lula" at Owen Bradley's Studio in Nashville, Tennessee.
1957:  The first rock music show on television, Alan Freed's Rock 'n' Roll Revue, premiered on ABC-TV.  Guests were the Del-Vikings, the Clovers, Guy Mitchell and Screamin' Jay Hawkins.  (Note:  some websites claim that a group called the Dell-Vikings were on the show.  There is no such group.  The proper spelling of the group is Del-Vikings.)
1959:  The first Grammy Awards Show was presented at the Beverly Hills Hotels in Los Angeles and New York City.  Volare" by Domenico Modugno received Record of the Year.

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

This Date in Rock Music History: May 3

1964:  Gerry & the Pacemakers performed "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" for their television debut in the United States on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1965:  The Beatles filmed sequences for their upcoming movie Help!  on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England with the British Army’s Third Tank Division.

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

This Date in Rock Music History: May 2

1956:  For the first time in chart history, five songs were in both the popular and the R&B Top 10.  They were Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel", "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins, "Long Tall Sally" from Little Richard, "Magic Touch" by the Platters and "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.
1960 - Production began on Elvis Presley's G.I. Blues.  It was his first post-Army movie. 


Monday, April 30, 2018

This Date in Rock Music History: May 1

1955:  Elvis Presley played three concerts at the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1955:  Leonard Chess signed Chuck Berry to a recording contract.

Sunday, April 29, 2018

This Date in Rock Music History: April 30


1957:  Elvis Presley recorded the classic "Jailhouse Rock".  (Note:  Some websites report that Presley recorded the song "Jailhouse Rock" on April 30 and May 3, and some say that he recorded it in three sessions--2 on April 30 and May 3 at Radio Recorders and 1 at MGM Studios in Hollywood, California.  Presley did record songs for the movie 'Jailhouse Rock' on those other two days, but according to the book 'Elvis Presley:  A Life In Music' by Ernst Jorgensen, Presley completed recording of the song "Jailhouse Rock" on April 30 at Radio Recorders.)
1960:  Fats Domino recorded "Walking To New Orleans".