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 (Sunday, 18th January):
Birth
1941. Bobby Goldsboro born in Marianna, Florida.
On Stage
1973. The Rolling Stones play a concert at the Los Angeles Forum to aid victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake. The gig grosses $ 516,810 the largest box office receipt for a charity show until that time.
In Custody
1985. Jerry Garcia is bust by cops while he freebases cocaine in his car in Golden Gate Park. He will be ordered into a rehab programme and instructed to play a benefit concert for the Haight-Ashbury Free Food Programme.
In Court
1980. Japanese prosecutors obtain a court order to detain Paul McCartney for another 10 days shortly before the 48 hours they have to charge a subject was due to run out. They have still not decided whether to charge the ex-Beatle or deport him. Despite being in handcuffs whenever he’s moved around Tokyo, Paul’s local lawyer, Tasuku Matsuo, said that he’s being treated quite well but is not being allowed visitors apart from a brief meeting with his wife on January 16th. According to promoter Harvey Goldsmith, Linda is “rather distraught, completely frustrated and confused”. It’s also been said that Paul will willingly perform for free for the 100,000 people who have tickets for the now cancelled Japanese tour.
On Television
1976. Rockpalast (WDR, West Germany) Climax Blues Band (WDR, Studio A, Köln). Here they are with “All The Time In The World”
Death
1990. Mel Appleby (Mel And Kim) dies in London’s Cromwell Hospital. Although she had struggled for five years against a rare form of spinal cancer, she died from pneumonia which developed after she caught the common cold.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Thursday, 15th January):
Birth
1949. Ronnie Van Zandt (Lynyrd Skynyrd) born in Jacksonville, Florida.
On Tour
1998. Oasis are donating the proceeds from tonight’s show in Toronto and next week’s show in Vancouver to the Canadian Red Cross Disaster Appeal Fund to help families devastated by the recent ice storm. The band saw the storm’s effects for themselves when they were forced to cancel last night’s gig in Montreal because of extreme weather conditions.
In Custody
1970. The jailing of Welsh language pop singer Dafydd Iwan sparks a wave of protest by members of the Welsh Language Society – 40 people stage a sit-down protest in the foyer of Cardiff Police Station; in Carmarthen 40 students barricade themselves in a hall near the courthouse and in Aberystwyth, 25 people stage a sit-down protest at the Magistrates’ Court. Other protests are not succesful – an attempt to storm the police station in Penarth fails and the protesters are escorted away.
In Court
1964. Vee Jay Records files lawsuits against Capitol Records and Swan Records over the manufacturing and distribution of The Beatles records. At the same time, in Chicago, Capitol Records is granted an injunction restraining Vee Jay from making, advertising or selling any Beatles product.
On Television
1967. The Ed Sullivan Show (CBS, U.S.A.) 902. Rolling Stones, Petula Clark. Here are the Stones with “Let’s Spent The Night Together”. The record received a wide-spread ban on American radio for its controversial lyrics. Both the TV and record companies pleaded with the band to sing “Let’s Spend Some Time Together”. The first chorus sees Mick Jagger just appearing to mumble but his facial expression gives everything away. During the second chorus, the camera catches Bill Wyman raise his eyes at what’s going on around him!
Death
1994. Harry Nilsson dies at his home in Los Angeles from a heart attack, aged 52.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Saturday, 3rd January):
Birth
1964. Raymond McGinley (Teenage Fanclub) born in Glasgow, Scotland.
On Tour
1963. The Beatles first ever tour starts with a gig at The Two Red Shoes in Elgin. Last night’s show at the Longmore Hall in Keith was cancelled due to bad weather. Paul McCartney filled in the wasted evening by flying home to Liverpool and returning this morning. Check out the Two Red Shoes blog here.
In Court
1996. After the jury is selected to try her stalker’s case, Madonna appears at the Superior Court in Los Angeles. Before the jury take their places, the singer asks for a motion to seal court documents to stop them being made public and also asks that her alleged stalker, Robert Dewey Hoskins a.k.a. Herbert Hoskins, be excluded during her testimony to the court. Hoskins is the subject of an order prohibiting him from being in close proximity to Madonna and has admitted that his “not guilty” plea was a planned action to ensure he would be in the same room as her. After arguments for both sides, the motions are denied. Once the jury take their places Madonna, obviously shaken, gives her testimony for the prosecution. The judge then adjourns the case until the next day. The court minutes for today’s proceedings.
In Hospital
2001. Moby is walking down a street in New York’s Chinatown when he stops to stroke a cat. The feline is obviously no fan as it bites deep into the ambient star’s hand. Despite the hand becoming more and more swollen throughout the day, Moby leaves it until the next morning when the pain becomes unbearable and he heads for the local E.R. He’s rushed into an urgent care ward, given a tetanus shot and dosed up with anti-biotics.
On Television
1964. NBC’s “The Jack Paar Show” becomes the first U.S. TV show to feature The Beatles playing live. Despite Brian Epstein having an exclusive contract with “The Ed Sullivan Show”, NBC licensed the live footage of “She Loves You”, shot for the documentary “The Mersey Sound”, direct from the BBC. Epstein’s fury was short lived and although he tried to block the screening, he accepted the £ 225 fee received from the BBC. Without this piece of advance publicity it’s doubtful that the ground-breaking “Ed Sullivan Show” would have had quite the same impact in sparking Beatlemania in the States. Here’s the original clip!
Death
2002. Zac Foley, bass player with EMF dies aged 31. The circumstances surrounding his death are not revealed at the time of the announcement.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Thursday, 1st January):
Birth
1942. Country Joe McDonald born in El Monte, California.
On Stage
1960. Johnny Cash plays his first concert for the inmates of San Quentin Prison. In the audience is Merle Haggard who is serving a three year sentence for burglary. Cash’s visit inspires him to join the prison band. The rest, as they say, is history…
In Church
2002. Eric Clapton, his 25 year-old girlfriend, Melia McEnery and a handful of close family friends are at the Church Of St. Mary Magdalen in Ripley, Surrey for the baptism of their 6 month-old daughter, Julie Rose and Clapton’s 16 year-old daughter, Ruth Patricia (the result of an affair in 1983 with her mother Yvonne Kellyn). After the baptisms are finished the vicar, The Reverend Christopher Elson, surprises the congregation by inviting Eric and Melia to step forward to be joined in marriage, much to the delight of everyone there.
In Hospital
2000. George Harrison is discharged from Harefield Hospital earlier than expected after making what a hospital spokesman described as “such a good recovery”. He slips out of the hospital late in the evening and is driven home to his estate in Henley by Mercedes. Surgeons said that although his lung had collapsed during the attack at his home on December 30th, the knife had missed any major blood vessels. As a result, the ex-Beatle is expected to make a full recovery within a few weeks.
On Television
Top Of The Pops (BBC-1, U.K.) Presented by Jimmy Savile. Bo Flyers – Do The Buster, Greg Lake – I Believe In Father Christmas, Pan’s People dancing to Mike Oldfield’s In Dulci Jubilo (Pans People); Billy Howard – King Of The Cops, Slik – Forever And Ever; Abba – Mamma Mia, Glyder – Pick Up And Go; Dana – Its Gonna Be A Cold Cold Christmas; Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody (Promo). Here’s the first part of the whole show, which you should find on around this page.
Death
1953. Hank Williams dies in the back of a car on his way to a gig in West Virginia. Although the death certificate gives the cause of death as a heart attack, it was more probably the result of too much booze and too many pills.
Babble.
Here we are, it’s 2009. Another year gone and a new one just beginning. I hope your New Year, like mine, will be better than last year. I’m tempted to say it can’t be worse!
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Tuesday 28th October):
Birth
1941. Hank B. Marvin (The Shadows) born Brian Rankin in Newcastle, Northumberland.
On Tour
1990. Six people are arrested and a number of fans injured when a riot breaks out after The High call a halt to their gig at Newcastle University. Singer John Matthews left the stage after almost collapsing during the second song. The rest of the band played a 15 minute instrumental version of “Bombay Mix” but Matthews wasn’t well enough to return and the crowd decided to make their own entertainment.
In Custody
1965. Eric Burdon (The Animals) is arrested by police at his Chelsea home for failing to appear in court to answer a summons elleging that he did not pay import duty on a camera. He is bailed to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on November 1st.
In Business
1997. David Bowie is named Britain’s richest rock star with a fortune of $ 917 million according to “Business Age”. A $ 55 million Wall Street bond issue secured on the star’s back catalogue helped push Bowie past Paul McCartney for the first time.
On Television
1972. Beat Club (WDR, West Germany) 81: Ike & Tina Turner, Everly Brothers, Grease Band, Byrds, Mick Abrahams, Manassas, Heads Hands & Feet, James Taylor, Three Dog Night. Here are Manassas with “Hide It So Deep”
Death
1991. R&B vocalist Billy Wright (“The Prince Of Blues”) dies from a pulmonary embolism in Atlanta, Georgia aged 73.
Babble
First of all, I have to point out that the Newcastle connection in three of today’s entries was totally unintentional. If you noticed it, I’m sorry, there are no prizes!
Having done a slightly longer rant than normal in babble I pressed the publish button about 20 minutes ago and lost everything. I have taken the added precaution of saving this one a couple of times.
As if I haven’t got enough blogs, I am seriously considering another. This time concentrating on memorabilia; both my own and other interesting items I come across. Partly, it’s as a result of listing some new additions to Rockmine’s main site and still not finding them on the search engines. Whether this was down to the spiders giving up on me while I was having a major sulk and not posting remains to be seen. Anyway, those days are behind me and I’m full of positive thinking now!
One thing I am surprised by is the lack of interest in the Fillmore blog. I know I’ve only got one year up but it’s one of the most famous venues in the world with an array of astonishing bands. maybe that’s also down to the spiders.
To try and get a handle on what is happening with the spiders, I’m going to do another of my blatant plugs. If you don’t want to see it, look away now.
Here are three of the most interesting items for sale on Rockmine just now:
Kate Bush – Cathy.Privately published in 1986 by Kate’s brother John Carder Bush. This really is a beautiful book and almost impossible to find. Back in 2001, Future Publishing, the magazine group were keen to buy me and the archive. It even got to the point of me being flown down to meet the board and have a formal offer made but the day of the meeting their share price fell 25% and it never happened. I digress, as usual. Mick Wall, who was then editor of Classic Rock had come to see the archive. When he was browsing through it, he saw this book and was very keen that the magazine reprint some of it. Unfortunately, that never happened. It’s a pity as many fans will never get the chance to see these wonderful shots.
George Harrison – Konnichiwa. The rarest Beatle related book EVER made? George Harrison commissioned 30 to give as personal gifts on a concert tour of Japan.
Derek Taylor – Fifty Years Adrift. Probably the best Beatles-related book ever written. 23 years after it was published, normal copies of this are extremely hard to find and always very expensive. This is not part of the limited edition and is neither numbered nor signed. A real rarity!
For more on the collectable rock books available for sale on Rockmine, click here.
Finally, on the subject of collectable books, I’ll be adding a true gem to Rockmine in the next day or so. A copy of Pink Floyd‘s “Shine On” signed on the title page in three different pens by David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Tuesday, 7th October):
Birth
1943. Dino Valenti (Quicksilver Messenger Service) born in New York.
On Tour
1969. 2,000 East German Rolling Stones fans clash with police near the Berlin Wall. The fans gathered expecting to see The Stones play a concert on top of a building at the western-most section of the Wall but there was no performance. 200 police chase the fans into the centre of the city where they clash with some of the 250,000 members of the Free German Youth organisation who had gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the communist state. More than 50 of the fans are detained in custody by police.
In Court
1975. The U.S. Court Of Appeals overturns the Immigration Departments deportation order on John Lennon. This opens the way for him to apply for resident status.
In Hospital
1995. Simon Gilbert (Suede) is knocked unconscious when he and a friend are attacked by 12 queer-bashers after leaving a pub in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Both men are taken to Warwick Hospital where they are treated before being discharged. The un-named friend has six stiches for a head wound and later returns to the hospital suffering from concussion.
On Television
1970. The Johnny Cash Show (ABC, U.S.A.) Johnny with George Lindsey & June Carter, The Statler Brothers, The Carter Family. Here are Johnny and Joni Mitchell dueting on “Girl From The North County”.
Death
1966. Overton Amos Lemons, better known as R+B singer Smiley Lewis, dies of cancer in New Orleans.
Babble
Well, here I am once again in the north. I was told yesterday that the memorabilia exhibition couldn’t go ahead and yet everyone seems to want it to be staged. Just how and when are the two big questions. I’m going to give it until tomorrow and then I’ll have to make the decision to consign it to the fantasy world within the wardrobe and just imagine I’ve staged the show or get it sorted once and for all.
I was offered a date in November but that’s meant to tie in with a book launch that should have been held on June 21st. The book, on growing up in Liverpool in the sixties, was seemingly available back in May so I’m not sure why a launch is being held six months on. My biggest worry is that the launch is meant to be run by Waterstone’s local branch but the company’s web site has no information regarding ANY events in Elgin or Inverness in either October or November. I have found one book that fits the description but it was launched at the Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre back in April. Its author, Nicholas Murray is giving a poetry reading on October 13th in Venice. Maybe it’s just me but I can’t then see what he’d be doing in Elgin. Obviously it may not be him and as there’s nothing on the Elgin venue’s website mentioning anything that fits the bill.
I hope from this you’ll get some sense of my frustration. I know I’m dealing with a theatre but it surely doesn’t need to involve suspending all disbelief. I found a fascinating description of the concept here. The world of Narnia really has been moved to Moray. I just hope that I can find my way back out of the wardrobe. Despite the frustration, I’m going to give it one last shot. If I can’t get an agreement to use the venue we’d agreed on (which I’ve decided not to name because it will just give them free publicity) from Thursday to Saturday or another space to stage it, then I give up.
Strangely, the link to my Two Red Shoes Ballroom blog from the Northern Scot is proving nowhere near as successful as flyers were in Nairn back in August. 1,400 flyers and a dozen A4 posters pulled in 180 people a day and all this one’s getting is 55! Before I leave here, I think I’ll get flyers into the local library and other places. Then I’ll just forget these eerily unreal place.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Saturday 13th September):
Birth
1977. Fiona Apple born Fiona Apple Maggart in New York City.
In Court
1999. Marcelo Rodriguez, the Beverly Hills cop who arrested George Michael for committing a lewd act in a public toilet, files a $ 10 million lawsuit against the singer. The policeman claims he’s been slandered in interviews and made mockery of a music videos.
All At Sea
1993. An R.A.F. helicopter and the local lifeboat are scrambled when Paul McCartney‘s 16 year old son, James, disappears in heavy seas while surfing with friends after school. He’s swept out to sea from a dangerous sandbar off Camber Sands near Rye in Kent but washed ashore three-quarters of a mile down the coast unhurt but exhausted.
In Hospital
1965. Ringo Starr‘s wife, Maureen, gives birth to the couple’s first child at Queen Charlotte’s Hospital in London. The baby boy will be called Zak. After visiting his wife and child, Ringo told reporters, “We’ve chosen the name because it’s short”. It’s also said they picked the name because the couple liked Westerns.
On Television
1975. Disco (ZDF, West Germany) 57. Hank The Knife + The Jets; Adam + Eve; Sweet; Olga Garcia; Roland Kaiser; Albert Hammond; Vicky Leandros; Rubettes. Here’s Albert Hammond with “Down By The River”. 3m 17s.
Death
1996. Tupac Amaru Shakur (aka Makaveli) dies from a drive-by shooting in New York.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Sunday 7th September):
Birth
1957. Margot Chapman (Starland Vocal Band) born in Honolulu, Hawaii.
On Tour
1965. Sandie Shaw announces she’s cancelling a week’s residency at a cabaret in Manchester and two television shows due to laryngitis. Sandie suffered from the same problem only three weeks ago when she was preparing to leave for a concert tour of New Zealand.
In Court
1966. Vivian Martin Prince, 25, former drummer with The Pretty Things, is fined a total of £ 102 at Marlborough Magistrates Court. Prince pleaded guilty to possession of three Drynamil tablets (for which he is fined £ 50), a gas gun (£ 50) and seven cartridges of tear gas (£ 2). He is given 28 days to pay. Prince told police that the drugs had been left by a friend and the gun was a souvenir of his German tour last year. Prince already has a drugs conviction from 1963, for which he was fined £ 25.
In Hospital
1997. Julio Iglesias‘s 31 year old Dutch girlfriend, Miranda Rijnsburger, gives birth to the couple’s first child, Michael Alexander, at Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami, Florida. The 53 year old crooner was present for the birth. He already has three other children in their twenties.
On Television
1976. Rockpalast (WDR, West Germany) Mallard (WDR Studio-L Köln). “Back On The Pavement” 3m 40s.
Death
1978. Keith Moon‘s body is discovered by his 23 year old fiancee, Annette Walter-Lax at the couple’s penthouse flat in Curzon Street, Mayfair, London. The couple had spent a night out at the London premiere of “The Buddy Holly Story” after a large dinner with Paul McCartney and other friends, where they’d announced their engagement. In the morning, Moon got up, had some breakfast and took some pills to help him sleep before returning to bed. He never woke up again. Initial reports indicate death was due to an overdose of Heminevrin, prescribed for insomnia.
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