From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Wednesday, 28th January):
Birth
1946. Rick Allen (The Box Tops) born in Little Rock, Arkansas.
On Stage
1995. Elton John, Ray Cooper and Sting perform at the first benefit for The Elton John AIDS Foundation in New York. The performance along with dinner and an auction raises $ 1 million.
In Court
1980. All five original members of Guys And Dolls appear in court for the first day of a legal case brought by their former managers, Ammo Productions Ltd., for £ 12,900 in unpaid commission. The group have issued a counter suit claiming £ 3,418 in unpaid royalties.
In Hospital
1987. Elton John’s wife, Renate, flies into London after working for the last month in Los Angeles. She has not travelled to Australia, where Elton is still recovering in hospital but did say she has spoken to him on the ‘phone “at least once a day”.
On Television
1971. Top Of The Pops. (BBC-1, U.K.) Presented by Jimmy Savile. Badfinger; Elvis Presley (Promo); Frankie Valli; George Harrison/Pan’s People; Johnny Johnson & The Bandwagon; Martha & The Vandellas; Stevie Wonder; The Equals; The Mixtures; The Supremes/Pan’s People; The Weathermen. Here are Badfinger with “No Matter What”
Death
2000. Motown saxophonist Thomas “Beans” Bowles dies in Detroit after a ten year battle with prostate cancer, aged 71. Bowles was best known as a baritone sax player and arranger but was also tour manager for the early Motown Revues that toured the U.S.A. His career with Motown was far from smooth. He claimed to have written “Fingertips” for Stevie Wonder but never received a credit. On leaving the company, he was even forced to negotiate for the rights to his own name, which he’d unwittingly given to Motown when he signed his contract in 1962.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Monday, 19th January):
Birth
1949. Robert Palmer born in Batley, Yorkshire.
On Stage
1994. The Animals, The Band, Duane Eddy, The Grateful Dead, Elton John, John Lennon, Bob Marley and Rod Stewart are inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame at a ceremony in New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Jerry Garcia can’t make it, so the rest of The Grateful Dead take along a cardboard cut-out of him instead. John Lennon was inducted by Paul McCartney who made a public display of reconciliation when he hugged Yoko Ono.
In Court
1999. Rapper Bizzy Bone’s assault trial opens in Columbus, Ohio. The Bone Thugs-n-Harmony member (real name Byron McCane) is charged with assault and disorderly conduct and could face up to six months in prison and a fine of $ 1,000. It’s alleged that Bone , accompanied by two bodyguards, confronted student barber Terrance Harden and accused him of slandering him. In the course of a heated discussion Harden is said to have lunged at the rapper but been restrained by the bodyguards. Harden’s story, which the City Prosecutor believes, says that he was dragged down a flight of stairs sustaining “visible injuries”. Neither of the bodyguards has been charged in connection with the assault.
In Hospital
1978. An unconscious Sid Vicious is carried off a flight from Los Angeles to New York on a stretcher after taking pills and alcohol during the flight. He is taken to New York’s Jamaica Hospital where, after being given oxygen and an intravenous drug antidote, he recovers to semi-consciousness. A spokesman for the hospital says, “He said he was feeling fine but his eyes were rolling about in his head”. Its thought that Sid may have travelled to New York to see Johnny Rotten who arrived in the city on January 18th claiming he had left the band.
On Television
2005. The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Syndicated, U.S.A.) 255. Guests include Wyclef John who performs with the African Children’s Choir, singing their Golden Globe-nominated theme song, “Million Voices” from the movie “Hotel Rwanda.”
Death
2008. Singer-songwriter John Stewart dies in San Diego, California. He was a member of The Kingston Trio, wrote “Daydream Believer” for The Monkees and produced a collection of highly regarded solo albums through his career. Check out “Fire In The Wind” for a taste of the man at his best.
Bbabble
I’ve spent the last couple of days listening to Bruce Springsteen’s new album, “Working On A Dream”. It has all the feel of a “real” E-Street Band album and the clips available on Amazon show The Boss enjoying himself in the studio, trading chops with old friends.
It’s got a feel-good feeling to it and the more I listen to it, the more I warm to it but something rankles me about it. I don’t know if it’s a cynicism that’s dogging me over it. I’d like to be listening to it when a new president wasn’t just about to take power in America. It seems laden with hope, from its title onwards.
In interviews, Springsteen has said that The American Dream had been lost but now with Obama, we see that it can be achieved. I worry that even more than with “Born In The USA”, this work will be misunderstood or misinterpreted. My basic distrust of politics has always seen me believe that rockers should be protesting, not encouraging us to believe in anything.
Newsclips last night showed Bruce on the steps of The Capitol singing “The Rising”. I hope the coming days and weeks see his faith in America strengthened and not shattered as politicians have so often done before.
His finest work charted growing up in America’s industrial heartland. He now faces his greatest challenge, to give voice to the millions affected by economic hardship and job losses. Rich, secure middle America has seen its world shattered. Regardless of what happens in The White House, it certainly needs hope in the future.
As for the album itself, I’ll be back with a review tomorrow.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Tuesday, 13th January):
Birth
1952. Cornelius Bumpus (The Doobie Brothers) born.
On Tour
1989. Much to the annoyance of local police, Duran Duran end their concert at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia by asking the 10,000 fans to sing along with their newly-penned song, “Free James Brown“. They’re the latest stars to join the campaign to obtain a pardon for the 55 year old “Godfather Of Soul” who was given a six year prison sentence last month for assault and failing to stop during a car chase.
In Custody
1993. Bobby Brown is arrested in Augusta, Georgia for simulating a sex act onstage. This is the second time the Georgia police department have arrested the singer for the same offence.
In Court
2000. Puff Daddy (a.k.a. Sean “Puffy” Combs) and Anthony “Wolf” Jones are indicted by a Manhattan grand jury. Both men are charged with “criminal possession of a weapon in the second and third degree”. The charges relate to their arrest (along with Jennifer Lopez and rapper Jamail “Shyne” Barrow) on December 27th following a nightclub shooting in New York’s Times Square. Barrow has already been indicted with several offences, including attempted murder. Later in the day, Combs releases a statement declaring his innocence and announcing that he will be defended by Johnnie Cochran (one of the O.J. Simpson defence team).
On Television
1995. The Word (Channel 4, U.K.) Musical guests: Veruca Salt, MN8, Tricky. Here are Veruca Salt with “Number One Blind”.
Death
2007. Saxophonist Michael Brecker (The Brecker Brothers) dies in New York from leukemia, aged 59. He worked with Dire Straits, Herbie Hancock, Billy Joel, Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Steely Dan, James Taylor and Frank Zappa amongst others.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Monday, 5th January):
Birth
1923. Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Records, born in Florence, Alabama.
On Tour
1982. The Addicts are scheduled to be part of the line-up at London’s 100 Club tonight but are forced to drop out at the last minute after drummer Kid Dee (real name Michael Davison) breaks his collar bone while pogo-ing in the snow before the gig.
In Court
2000. One of Sean “Puffy” Combs entourage is indicted with attempted murder following a nightclub shooting in New York’s Times Square on December 27th. 21 year old Jamail “Shyne” Barrow is alleged to have shot and injured three people after a dispute. Barrow is also charged with assault, recless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon. His lawyer, Murray Richman, sad the indictment had been expected and they would be defending the charges.
In Hospital
1987. Elton John is admitted to a hospital in Sydney, Australia for treatment of a non-malignent leison on his vocal chords. He is ordered not to speak for a while and cancels all remaining concerts of his world tour.
On Television
2006. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, U.S.A.) 219. Guests include: Aimee Mann singing “She Really Wants You”.
Death
1998. Congressman Sonny Bono dies aged 62 in a skiing accident at the Heavenly Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe, California. Cher’s one-time partner in Sonny & Cher was reported missing at 5 p.m. and was found by a ski patrol two hours later.
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