Today In Music, January 24th

From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Saturday, 24th January):

Birth

1941. Neil Diamond born Noah Kaminsky in Brooklyn, New York.

On Stage

1969. Lonnie Donegan takes over from Judy Garland in the middle of her 5-week season at London’s Talk Of The Town. The Hollywood star is described as “resting” in her suite at the Ritz Hotel with a nurse in attendance. Yesterday, she had walked off stage after cigarette packets were thrown at her following her late arrival.

In Custody

1980. Paul McCartney has his first meeting with the British Consul since being detained by Japanese authorities on January 16th. The meeting with D.W.F. Warren-Knott lasted about 15 minutes. During that time, the 37 year old singer said he had no complaints about the way he was being treated.

In Court

1978. The case involving Rod Stewart‘s tour band continues at Glasgow Sheriff Court. Two road managers with the group, Patrick Logue (27) and Malcolm Culmore (31), charged with possessing cannabis are found not guilty. Unfortunately, the tour secretary, 29 year old Doris Tyler, is found guilty of perverting the course of justice and is fined £ 130. Police giving evidence against her said that officers answering three different telephones heard her say, “It’s Doris. The drug squad are in the hotel. Ditch everything you’ve got”. Mrs. Tyler was unable to attend the court in person as she’s in Hollywood and unable to travel on health grounds.

On Television

1980. Top Of The Pops. (BBC-1, U.K.) Presented by Mike Read. Barbara Dickson; Boomtown Rats; Buggles; Dollar; Joe Jackson; Legs & Co / Bee Gees; Matchbox; Nolans; Pretenders; Regents; Sheila & B.Devotion; The Specials; Suzi Quatro. Here are the Regents with “7-Teen”.

Death

1970. James “Shep” Sheppard, leader of Shep And The Limelites, is found battered to death in his car on the Long Island Expressway.

Babble

For those of you who thought I’d gone AWOL the last few days, I do apologise. My New Year resolution to get the blog up in the wee small hours may seem to have been abandoned but that’s not really the case.

As you may know, I’m planning to publish a concise version of the Rockmine Almanac through Lulu next month. This has meant making sure it was up-to-date and working properly – which it wasn’t. So, come Monday morning, I decided to get things in order, going through each of my databases and rebuilding them line by line. Two hard-drive failures in the last year had seen me lose numerous source files. I’d tried everything from freezing them to dropping them but somehow, last weekend managed to rescue the last of what I thought was too important to lose.

This week, I’ve been totally focused on my TV database which had 13, 052 shows. That figure is now 19,176 and I still have probably another 5,000 shows on text files I need to check and rebuild.  I’ve spent ages sifting through daily TV listings in various libraries and trawling through Rockmine’s vast store of music papers for something approaching a definitive listing of pop and rock on U.K. TV but those files are the most corrupted. As a result, it’s going to take some time to add those.

That said, I’m relatively happy. What I do have, even now, is a wonderful snap-shot of what we were watching across the years. Here’s what the database throws up (so far) for January 24th:

 

1958 American Bandstand. (ABC, U.S.A.) Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers – “Goody-Goody”

1959. The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show. (ABC, U.S.A.) Bill Parsons – “All-American Boy”; Joni James – “There Must Be a Way” & “Sorry for Myself”; The Wild Cats – “Gazachstahagen”

1961. American Bandstand. (ABC, U.S.A.) Johnny Burnette – “Little Boy Sad”

1964. Ready, Steady, Go! (Associated-Redifussion (ITV),U.K.) The Searchers – “Needles & Pins”; The Bachelors; Cloe; Susan Maughan; Tony Sheridan; Phil Spector

1964. The Mike Douglas Show. (Syndicated, U.S.A.) Louis Armstrong co-hosts and performs.

1965. The Ed Sullivan Show. (CBS, U.S.A.) The Animals – “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”

1966. Hullabaloo. (NBC, U.S.A.) Host: Dean Jones. Guests: The Bitter End Singers, Peter Nero, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Bruce Scott

1966. Where The Action Is. (ABC, U.S.A.) Ben E. King: “Spanish Harlem; Dick and DeeDee: “The Mountain’s High; Paul Revere and the Raiders: “Searchin'”

1967. Where The Action Is. (ABC, U.S.A.) J.J. Jackson: “But It’s Alright” & “I Dig Girls; The Outsiders: “Time Won’t Let Me” & “Help Me Girl”.

1968. The Johnathan Winters Show. (CBS, U.S.A.) Guests include Nancy Sinatra – “Cryin’ Time”. The Young Saints – “Feelin’ Good”, “I Know a Place”.

1970. American Bandstand. (ABC, U.S.A.) Joe South – “Walk A Mile In My Shoes”; Biff Rose 

1971. Omnibus (BBC-1, U.K.) Chicago Blues

1971. The Barbara McNair Show. (Syndicated, U.S.A.) Hagood Hardy performs, “Eli’s Coming” Barbara sings “Softly, as I Leave You.”

1971. The Ed Sullivan Show. (CBS, U.S.A.) Musical guests: B.J. Thomas, Nancy Ames

1973. The Mike Douglas Show. (Syndicated, U.S.A.) Mike’s guests are The Corneilus Brothers.

1974. Top Of The Pops. (BBC, U.K.) Presented by Jimmy Savile. Andy Williams – Solitaire (Repeat); Golden Earring – Radar Love; Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes – The Love I Lost (Disc); Lulu – The Man Who Sold The World; Medicine Head – Slip & Slide; Mud – Tiger Feet; Stevie Wonder – Living For The City (Disc); Suzi Quatro – Devil Gate Drive; The Stylistics – Rockin’ Roll Baby (Disc); The Sweet – Teenage Rampage.

1975. The Midnight Special (NBC, U.S.A.) Hosts: The Marshall Tucker Band. Guests: Charlie Daniels; Charlie Daniels Band; Olivia Newton-John; Poco

1975. The Mike Douglas Show. (Syndicated, U.S.A.) Guests include singer-songwriter Paul Williams – “Family of Man”, “You and Me Against the World”.

1976. Hee-Haw. (Syndicated, U.S.A.) Guests: Cal Smith, The Statler Brothers and LaWanda Lindsey.

1976. Saturday Night Live (NBC, U.S.A.) Neil Sedaka

1976. Soul Train. (Syndicated, U.S.A.) The Jackson Five

1978. Rockpalast. (WDR, West Germany) Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias (WDR Studio-L Köln)

1978. The Mike Douglas Show. (Syndicated, U.S.A.) Paul Anka co-hosts and sings “Nights on Broadway.”

1980. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (NBC, U.S.A.) Sarah Vaughan; Jim Stafford

1980. Top Of The Pops (BBC, U.K.) Presented by Mike Read. Barbara Dickson – Caravan Song; Boomtown Rats – Someones Looking At You; Buggles – The Plastic Age; Dollar – I Want To Hold Your Hand; Joe Jackson – Its Different For Girls (Repeat);  Legs & Co / Bee Gees – Spirits Having Flown; Matchbox – Buzz-Buzz-A-Diddle It; Nolans – Im In The Mood For Dancing; Pretenders – Brass It Pocket (Repeat);  Regents – 7 Teen; Sheila & B.Devotion – Spacer (Promo); The Specials – Too Much Too Young (Promo); Suzi Quatro – Mamas Boy.

1981. Hee-Haw. (Syndicated, U.S.A.) Bruce Jenner; Reba McEntire – “Up In Heaven”; T.G. Sheppard – “I Feel Like Loving You Again”.

1981. Rockpalast. (WDR, West Germany) Michael Schenker Group (Markthalle Hamburg)

1981. Saturday Night Live. (NBC, U.S.A. ) Joe “King” Carrasco & The Crowns; 14 Karat Soul

1981. Soul Train. (Syndicated, U.S.A.) Bar-Kays; Yarbrough & Peoples; Robert Winters

1985. Top Of The Pops. (BBC, U.K.) Presented by Mike Smith, Steve Wright. Ashford & Simpson – Solid (Promo); Chaka Khan – This Is The Night; Foreigner – I Want To Know What Love Is (Promo); James Ingram – Yah Mo B There; King – Love & Pride; Strawberry Switchblade – Since Yesterday.

1987. American Bandstand. (ABC, U.S.A.) The Beastie Boys – “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)!”

1987. Hee-Haw. (Syndicated, U.S.A.) John Schneider (co-host). Guests: Louise Mandrell; The New Grass Revival.

1987. Saturday Night Live. (NBC, U.S.A.) Debbie Harry

1990. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. (NBC, U.S.A.) Hoyt Axton

1991. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. (NBC, U.S.A.) Garth Brooks

1991 Top Of The Pops BBC U.K. Presented by Simon Mayo. 2 In A Room – Wiggle It (Promo); A Tribe Called Quest – I Can Kick It (Promo); Off-Shore – I Cant Take The Power; Queen – Innuendo (Promo); Rick Astley – Cry For Help; Robert Palmer – Mercy Mercy Me-I Want You (Repeat);  The Simpsons – Do The Bartman (Promo); Tongue N Cheek – Forget Me Nots.

1992. The Word. (Channel 4, U.K.) Musical guests:  Boy George, Jah Wobble, Sinead O’Connor, Ride, Jagdeep.

1993. Taratata. (France 4, France) Recorded 21 janvier 1993. Solos: Véronique Sanson; Kezia Jones; Les Négresses Vertes; Jocelyne Beroard. Duos: Véronique Sanson & William Sheller; Véronique Sanson & Dany Brillant

1996. Late Show With David Letterman. (CBS, U.S.A.) Musical guest: Joe Ely

1997. Never Mind The Buzzcocks. (BBC-2, U.K.) Peter Hook, Ace, Clare Grogan, Alan Davies

1997. TFI Friday. (Channel 4, U.K.) Musical guests: Gabrielle, Candyskins, Audioweb

1997. The Rosie O’Donnell Show. (Syndicated, U.S.A.) Guests include Tori Amos.

1997. Top Of The Pops (BBC, U.K.) Presented by Phil Daniels. Byron Stingily – Get Up (Everybody); En Vogue – Don’t Let Go (Love) (Promo); Ginuwine – Pony; Outhere Brothers – Let Me Hear You Say Ole’ Ole’; Reef – Come Back Brighter; Suede – Saturday Night; U2 (Disc);otheque (Promo); White Town – Your Woman (Promo).

1998. Soul Train. (Syndicated, U.S.A.) H-Town; Kimberly Scott; Mic Geronimo

2002. Last Call with Carson Daly. (NBC, U.S.A.) Guests include JaRule.

2002. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. (NBC, U.S.A.) Guests include Chuck Berry; Little Richard 

2003. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. (NBC, U.S.A.) Guests include Sheryl Crow 

2003. Top Of The Pops (BBC, U.K.) Presented by Richard Bacon.  – Year 3000; Daniel Bedingfield – If You’re Not The One; David Sneddon – Stop Living The Lie; Feeder – Just The Way I’m Feeling; Jaimeson ft Angel Blu – TRUE; Libertines – Time For Heroes; Panjabi MC – Mundian To Bach KE; The Everly Brothers – Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots.

2004. Austin City Limits. (PBS, U.S.A.) Keith Urban followed by Rodney Crowell  

2005. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. (CBS, U.S.A.) Guests include: Population One

2006. Last Call with Carson Daly. (NBC, U.S.A. ) Guests include The Constantines.

2006. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. (NBC, U.S.A. ) Jamie Foxx performs “Unpredictable” from album Unpredictable

2007. Late Show With David Letterman. (CBS, U.S.A.) Rosanne Cash performing “Black Cadillac.”

2007. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. (NBC, U.S.A. ) Branford Marsalis performs “Fate” from his CD Braggtown

2008. Late Show With David Letterman. (CBS, U.S.A.) Super Furry Animals perform “Neo-Consumerism.”

2008. Never Mind The Buzzcocks (BBC-2, U.K. ) Sophie Ellis Bextor, Yannis, Tim Minchin, James Lance

2008. The Ellen DeGeneres Show. (Syndicated, U.S.A.) Guests include Natasha Bedingfield

2008. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. (CBS, U.S.A.) Guests include:  Ringo Starr

2008. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. (NBC, U.S.A. ) Buckcherry performs from the CD “15”

 

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© Copyright 1995 – 2008 Rockmine Archives. Use of this content is prohibited unless licensed by Rockmine Archives.

Today In Music, January 14th

From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Wednesday, 14th January):

Birth

1938. Allen Toussaint born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

On Stage

1963. Charlie Watts takes the drum-stool for the first time with The Rolling Stones at the Flamingo Jazz Club in London’s Wardour Street. He had been approached by Mick Jagger to join the band the week before but hadn’t been sure. Charlie was used to working for money, which the stones didn’t have – but as he didn’t have anything else lined up, he took the job.

In Court

1981. Marianne Faithfull fails to appear at Horseferry Road Magistrates Court in London to answer charges (in her married name of Brierley) of possessing 15 milligrammes of heroin and 900 milligrammes of cannabis at her flat in Danvers Street, Chelsea. Her solicitor told the court she had been admitted to hospital for the removal of a wisdom tooth. The case is continued until February 17th.

In Hospital

1994. Tammy Wynette performs with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra in Arizona despite the fact she had to leave hospital for the performance. She was struck by a life-threatening bile duct infection in the new year and was on a life support machine for four days remaining in a critical condition until recently.

On Television

1987. Late Night With David Letterman (CBS, U.S.A.) Musical guest: Joan Jett

Death

1970. Songwriter Harry Woods (“When The Red Red Robin Comes Bob-Bob-Bobbin’ Along”) dies after a car crash in Phoenix, Arizona aged 73.

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© Copyright 1995 – 2008 Rockmine Archives. Use of this content is prohibited unless licensed by Rockmine Archives.

Today In Music, January 11th

From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Sunday, 11th January):

Birth

1958. Vicki Peterson (The Bangles) born in Los Angeles.

On Tour

1963. The Rolling Stones sack their drummer, Tony Chapman, after tonight’s gig at the Ricky Tick Club at The Star & Garter in Windsor. The incensed Chapman goes to Bill Wyman and tries to pursuade him to leave with him and start their own goup but Bill refuses.

In Court

1972. John Lee (singer with New World) is fined £ 10 at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to assaulting Mrs. Lillian Zoeller, a traffic warden, on December 29th by throwing a bucket of water over her. The singer had arrived at the Alexanda Theatre, Birmingham where he was appearing in the pantomime, Robinson Crusoe. He was late for a curtain call and parked in a suspended parking bay. Explaining his situation to the traffic warden who was nearby, he was warned to move his car or she would issue a ticket for illegal parking but he rushed into the theatre. A few minutes later as she was reaching to place the ticket on the car she was hit by a volume of cold water and looked up to see a window in the theatre being closed.

In Hospital

1985. Eric Clapton‘s first child, Ruth Kelly, is born in Doncaster maternity Hospital. Clapton met her mother, Yvonne, on the island of Montserrat in 1984. Within a week of meeting, the couple were conducting an affair. Since Ruth’s birth, he has lavished presents on mother and child as well as ensuring maintenance payments are regularly made.

On Television

1977. Rockpalast (WDR, WestGermany) Leo Kottke (WDR Studio-L Köln). Here are the first 8 minutes of the gig – “Up Tempo”, “Hear The Wind Howl” and “Busted Bicycle”.

Death

2003. Mickey Finn, percussionist with T. Rex, dies in Mayday Hospital, Croydon, London. He had been suffering from kidney and liver problems, aged 55,

 

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© Copyright 1995 – 2008 Rockmine Archives. Use of this content is prohibited unless licensed by Rockmine Archives.

Today In Music, January 9th

From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Friday, 9th January):

Birth

1944. Scott Walker born Noel Scott Engel in Hamilton, Ohio.

On Tour

1979. The “Music For Unicef” concert takes place in the General Assembly Hall at The United Nations in New York. Among those taking part is Abba who announce they are donating all royalties from the song “Chiquitita” to the charity.

In Court

2002. Thanks to plea bargaining, rapper DMX avoids prison when he appears in court in Bergen County, New Jersey today. The rapper, who appeared under his real name of Earl Simmons faced thirteen counts of animal cruelty, two counts of maintaining a nuisance, one count of disorderly conduct and one count of possessing drug paraphenalia. Other weapons and child endangerment charges against Simmons and his wife Tashera were dropped as part of the deal although they seemed unlikely to succeed as the prosecution’s main witness for them, Tashera’s mother, Marcia Tate had refused to co-operate.

The charges stem from June 1999 when police called on the Simmons’ home in Teaneck, New Jersey after finding Tashera’s purse near the spot where DMX’s business manager (who’s also his uncle) had been shot in the foot at the Fort Lee Hilton. Marcia Tate, who was at the house told the police her son-in-law had been smoking crack cocaine all week and at one point pulled out a pistol in front of her. A search by the officers uncovered a loaded 9mm pistol, hollow-nosed bullets and six used glass cocaine smoking pipes in a bedroom vanity unit. Also in the house were thirteen Pit Bull dogs, the Simmons’ six year old son and a fifteen year old cousin, hence the animal cruelty and child endangerment charges.

In return for keeping his freedom DMX has agreed to record a number of public safety announcements for children relating to the dangers of weapons and the need to care for animals. State Superior Court Judge, Donald R. Venezia has asked prosecutors to establish the number and content of the announcements in time for sentencing on March 15th. The rapper will then learn if he’ll face the maximum $ 1,000 fine for each count of animal cruelty and if he’ll be put on probation as well.

In Sickness And In Health

1978. Leonid Bortkevich, leader of Russia’s top pop group, Pesniary, marries the former Olympic gymnast, Olga Korbut.

On Television

1994. Taratata (France 4, France) No. 35. Recorded 7 décembre 1993. Solos: Stephan EICHER; Texas; Grant Lee Buffalo; Jil Caplan; Arno. Duos: Stephan Eicher & Texas. Here they are with “I Shall Be Released”

Death

2003. Music journalist Penny Valentine (Penelope Ann Valentine) dies of cancer in London, England. She wrote for Disc, Sounds and Street Life magazines.

 

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© Copyright 1995 – 2008 Rockmine Archives. Use of this content is prohibited unless licensed by Rockmine Archives.

Another Year Over

To say the blog’s been neglected is an understatement! Hopefully, with the start of the New Year tomorrow, that will all change.

While I may not have been posting anything, I haven’t been idle. The Almanac, the albatross round my neck for the last 23 years, finally seems to be working as a database although the task of updating it is becoming enormous. 

I’ll be posting a daily slice again from midnight and the plan is to ensure that publication time from now on. For those that can make use of the information on a commercial basis, I’ll be offering it one week in advance for a small subscription fee.

February will see the publication of The Rockmine Almanac as a hard copy book which will be available via Lulu but published by Rockmine. Needless to say, it will be completely different to the daily blog version.

Rockmine’s ballroom blogs will also be getting brought up to date and work will continue on the big ones, like the Marquee Club. I’m glad to report (and somewhat surprised) that despite my inactivity, all the blogs are still being read which must mean I’m doing something right!

To all those who get it before midnight GMT, Have A Happy New Year!

Today In Music, October 27th

From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Monday 27th October):

Birth

1942. Philip Catherine (Focus, Larry Coryell) born in London, England.

In Sickness And In Health

1970. Peter Asher, 26, (Peter & Gordon) marries former Rolling Stones publicist Betsy Doster, 27, at Marylebone Register Office in London.

In Court

1997. Following toy company Mattel’s lawsuit against MCA Records and Danish pop group Aqua, alleging trademark violation in the hit single, “Barbie Girl”, MCA today file a countersuit. The label claims that it has been defamed by the toy maker which has subjected it to “hatred, contempt and ridicule”. It goes on to allege that Mattel’s suit has caused a loss of reputation as well as an unspecified sum of money.

In Hospital

1979. The Specials/Selector/Madness gig at Hatfield Polytechnic is disrupted when 30 banner carrying members of the Hatfield Anti-Fascist League gatecrash the venue. They make several random attacks on members of the audience with razors and knives and at least one of the gang is knocked unconscious after being caught by skinheads. Some members of the audience are taken to the local hospital where they are detained overnight for treatment. It seems likely that the gang, also known as the Cockney Reds, is responsible for a recent attack on an Upstarts gig at the Nashville in London.

On Television

1973. Disco (ZDF, West Germany) 34. Cherrie Vangelder-Smith; Tony Marshall; Sweet; Christian Anders; Mungo Jerry; Adamo; John Kincade; Bobbie McGee; Udo Jürgens. Here are Mungo Jerry with “Alright, Alright, Alright”.

Death

1980. Steve Peregrine-Took (real name Steve Ross Porter) dies when he chokes on a cocktail cherry at his flat in London.

Babble

There’s a new addition to the ballroom blogs. The Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco is now online with 1966. It includes a number of posters for the gigs and a dozen YouTube clips with some great bands like Sopwith Camel, Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs, The Turtles and The Wildflower. There’s even Jefferson Airplane from the night of the listing!

Here’s the direct link to it.

There is one band that links the Fillmore to the Two Red Shoes and Ballerina ballrooms, they played all three venues in 1966 – The Mindbenders! It’s fascinating to compare the acts playing the different ballrooms at the same period. In the U.K., we were dancing to beat groups and chart acts but in San Francisco it was a more underground scene that seemed to develop out of the jug band and folk cultures. That said, there’s blues, psychedelia and pop all thrown in for good measure.  

One thing’s sure, the Fillmore has a treasure trove of rare rock video to plunder. Thanks to the wonders of YouTube, there’s no need for standards conversion which was long the bane of collectors. I remember the days of optical copies of NTSC video tapes. A multi-standard VCR and TV would have a video camera set up in front of them and the show would be recorded to PAL that way. Digital conversions in the 1980s were expensive and often no better quality. 

 

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© Copyright 1995 – 2008 Rockmine Archives. Use of this content is prohibited unless licensed by Rockmine Archives.

Today In Music, October 2nd

From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Thursday, 2nd October):

Birth

1949. Richard Hell (Voidoids/Dim Stars) born Richard Myers in Lexington, Kentucky.

On Stage

1998. Michael Stipe, Patti Smith and composer Philip Glass stage a one-off performance in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan. The event, seen by a crowd of 4,000, honoured the memory of poet Allen Ginsberg and raised funds for Jewel Heart, the Tibetan Buddhist organization.

In Custody

1967. Narcotics agents raid the Grateful Dead‘s communal house in San Francisco, arresting eleven people including Bob Weir and Pigpen. They then had to let everyone go as no-one had thought to get a warrant before smashing the front door in!

In Court

2000. The inspiration for Paul Anka‘s 1970’s hit, “Having My Baby” filed for separation from the singer. Anne Anka’s petition cited irreconcilable differences for the decision to leave the man she married in 1963.

Paul Bloch, a spokesman for Paul Anka said the couple are slitting on amicable terms and remain the best of friends. He said the couple would be together for Thanksgiving with their five daughters.

On Television

1978. Disco (ZDF, West Germany) Boomtown Rats; Andrea Jurgens; Clout; Klaus Zufall; Melanie; Suzi Quatro; Peter Orloff and Smokie, seen here with “Mexican Girl”

Death

1990. Blues saxophonist Evelyn Young dies in Memphis’ Methodist Hospital from heart failure.

Babble

It’s been an odd couple of weeks. The blog, as you’ll has seen, hasn’t been up. This is mainly due to problems that I’m not going to go into. Suffice it to say that I think these are now over. 

I’ve used some of that time to concentrate on another blog, this time for the Two Red Shoes Ballroom in Elgin. I’m in Elgin as I type this although I’m starting to feel that it’s rather like Narnia (as someone else described it). I’m hoping to complete my research on the bands that played there today but I’m almost wondering why.

Although I’ve never finished my Ballerina Ballroom blog, it had (and still seems to have) a buzz about it that is sadly missing with Elgin’s venue. The local Nairn blog, the “Gurn From Nurn” described my Ballerina blog as an “exciting project” but there seems to be none of that here. There seems to be a real apathy about the concept. Maybe as an archivist and compulsive list maker, I assumed that others would share my interest but by and large that doesn’t seem to have happened.

It was pointed out to me that with my Nairn blog I had undertaken a fairly impressive but very cheap publicity campaign that saw flyers distributed around the town and posters put in most of the shops. While that was done at the time of the “Ballerina ballroom Cinema Of Dreams Festival” and the Highland Games, it still brought people flocking to the site. 

Maybe with Elgin, the struggle is that there are no other things happening, that the audience is much larger and more sophisticated and the financial woes of the country have given people something more important to think about that the history of one of Scotland’s old ballrooms.

I suppose only time will tell how wrong I got this.

One other thing, I am in part here to decide on whether or not to stage my memorabilia exhibition. The last agreed date for it was next week but there seems to be no response to my press releases and my desire to do it seems to fade with the last warmth of summer. Part of me refuses to give up on an idea that was great but what is the point of flogging a dead horse?

Who knows, things may improve before the end of the day.

 

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© Copyright 1995 – 2008 Rockmine Archives. Use of this content is prohibited unless licensed by Rockmine Archives.

Today In Music, September 14th

From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Sunday 14th September):

Birth

1950. Paul Kossoff (Free, Back Street Crawler) born in Hampstead, London, England.

In Court

1972. The inquest into the death of George Dew, 25 year old road manager with the Storm pop group, hears that he died as a result of overloading a stage cannon. An explosives expert from Scotland Yard told the inquest, at Romford in Essex, that the cannon, which was used to round off the group’s shows, was so weak it could only take an explosive charge of two or three ounces. He said the damage caused was probably the result of three pounds of explosives being used. The cannon killed Dew when it exploded on stage at Albermarle Youth Centre in May.

In Hospital

1965. French singer Juliet Greco is found unconscious in her Paris apartment in the early morning and rushed to hospital. The 38 year old star had overdosed on sleeping pills.

On The Street

1997. English Heritage honour Jimi Hendrix with the unveiling of a “Blue Plaque” on the wall outside his old flat at 23 Brook Street in London. Pulling the string was Pete Townshend flanked by Jimi’s old girlfriend Kathy Etchingham and Noel Redding.

The convivial atmosphere is ruined when Jimi’s father Al Hendrix and step-daughter Janie Wright turn up in a blatant attempt to grab publicity. Although they were sent invitations they claimed to know nothing of the event. Strange then that both the official Hendrix magazine and web-site announced they would be attending.

On Television

1968. Beat Club (WDR, West Germany) 35: Amen Corner, John Walker, Equals, Ben E. King, Nice, Status Quo, Dave Dee & Co, Canned Heat, Arthur Conley, Leapy Lee, Hollies. Here are The Nice with “America”. 4m 32s.

Death

1968. Fire destroys the lakeside home of Roy Orbison near Hendersonville, Tennessee. Two of his sons, 11 year old Duane and 6 year old Tony are killed in the blaze although 3 year old Wesley escapes without injury. Orbison is believed to be returning home after concerts in the U.K. The children were being cared for by their grandparents, their mother having been killed in a motorcycle crash two years ago. The fire also destroyed an adjoining garage housing the singer’s collection of vintage cars.

 

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© Copyright 1995 – 2008 Rockmine Archives. Use of this content is prohibited unless licensed by Rockmine Archives.

Today In Music, September 13th

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.

 

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Today In Music, September 1st

From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Monday 1st September):

Birth

1955. Bruce Foxton (The Jam) born in Woking, England.

On Stage

1979. It’s revealed that the stage for tonight’s performance at Edinburgh’s Rock Festival had to be specially designed as the headlining act, Van Morrison, suffers from Vertigo if the stage is more than six feet high. Promoters for the festival, at Ingleston Showgrounds, said both the singer and the audience would be happy with the stage. Morrison’s problem came to light earlier in the year when he played Glasgow’s Apollo Theatre. During the show he never left the safety of the piano as the only other microphone was too close to the edge of one of Britain’s tallest stages!

In Court

1999. An acrimonious three year legal battle between George Clinton and his former talent agent comes to an end in Los Angeles Superior Court. Clinton had originally been sued by the agent, Earl Ciccel, who claimed wrongful termination of his services. Clinton counter sued when he discovered Ciccel was not properly licensed as an agent and claimed back all monies collected on his behalf. Although Clinton won that suit, Ciccel was today succesful in getting a motion barring its enforcement on the basis that the court had already ruled in his favour regarding the original suit. Both parties will now have to share the legal expenses for the past three years.

In Politics

1967. The House Of Keys, the lower house of the Manx (Isle Of Man) Parliament is forced to accept the British government’s ban on pirate radio stations. Mr. Charles Keruish, Speaker of The House Of Keys, said the British government may have the legal right to impose its will but lacked any moral justification. He said, “It’s the first time that the mother country has forced unwanted legislation on the island, and that makes it the blackest day in the history of the relationship between the United Kingdom and the Isle Of Man”. As a result of the legislation, residents of the island have been banned from assisting Radio Caroline International which is moored 4 miles off Ramsay. Ronan O’Rahilly, head of the Radio Caroline organisation, said the station would get its supplies from the continent and would not be leaving the area.

On Television

1980. Disco (ZDF, West Germany) 113. Eruption; Chris Roberts; Spider Murphy Gang; Ingrid Peters; Secret Service; Gitte; Oliver Onions; Olivia Pascal; Stefan Waggershausen; Village People. Here are Secret Service with “10 O’Clock Postman”. 3m 38s.

Death

2008. Country singer, songwriter and actor Jerry Reed (born Jerry Reed Hubbard) died in Nashville, Tennessee, of complications from emphysema, aged 71.

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