From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Thursday, 8th January):
Birth
1943. Lee Jackson (The Nice) born in Newcastle, England.
On Stage
1997. David Bowie celebrates his 50th birthday by making five previously unheard tracks available to fans via 50 hand-picked internet web sites. Rockmine was one of the 50.
Not content with celebrating on the internet, Bowie stages a birthday bash at New York’s Madison Square Gardens where he is joined onstage by Lou Reed and Billy Corgan. The post gig party has one minor interuption when the smoke alarms are triggered by the amount of smoke coming from party goers. It takes 15 minutes to kill the noise but no-one seems to care.
In Court
1994. Rapper D.O.C. (real name Tracy L. Curry) and Solar Records boss Dick Griffey file a lawsuit against the executives of Death Row Records including Dr. Dre in Los Angeles. The suit claims that Death Row was founded after a previous partnership involving all the parties was illegally disolved.
In Hospital
2000. Billy Ray Cyrus‘ wife, Tish, gives birth to a baby girl – Noah Lindsey Cyrus. Noah weighed in at 6lb 2oz at Nashville’s Baptist Hospital. The country star was later quoted as saying, “A brand new baby girl on Elvis’ birthday … What a perfect way for me and Tish to begin the new millennium together. The couple already have six children.
On Television
1977. Rockpalast (WDR, West Germany) Todd Rundgren‘s Utopia seen here with “Sunburst Finish” (WDR Studio-L Köln)
Death
2003. Film score composer, arranger and conductor, Ron Goodwin dies in Brampton Common, Berkshire, aged 77. Among the 60 plus films he scored were: Village of the Damned (1960); The Day of the Triffids (1962); 633 Squadron (1964); Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965); Where Eagles Dare (1969); One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing (1975); Force Ten from Navarone (1978).
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Sunday, 4th January):
Birth
1956. Bernard Albrecht or Sumner (Joy Division and New Order) born Bernard Dicken in Salford, Manchester.
On Tour
1968. Police are called to an incident at the luxury Opalen Hotel in Gothenburg, Sweden. As a result Jimi Hendrix has his passport seized by police and is taken to the city’s hospital for stitches in his right hand. He will have to report to police for the next two days the group will spend on tour in the country. Criminal charges for damage are dropped by hotel management after they receive adequate financial compensation from the group’s road manager, Gerry Stickles. It’s thought that more than £ 200 worth of damage was done while Hendix and his colleagues partied. In the evening Jimi plays at the Lorensbergs Cirkus with his hand in bandages.
In Custody
1970. Keith Moon, his wife, “Legs” Larry Smith and Moon’s chaffeur, Cornelius Borland attend the opening of a new discotheque at The Red Lion public house in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. As they’re leaving at approx. 10.45 their Bentley is approached by a group of 20 skinheads. Borland moves towards the gang of youths and is soon involved in a scuffle. As Moon starts to drive away from the scene, Borland is knocked to the ground and falls under the wheels of the moving car where he is trapped, receiving fatal injuries. The fire brigade was called to the scene to free Borland’s body.
Moon spends three hours helping police with their inquiry but is not cautioned or charged. Several of the youths are also interviewed resulting in David Paul Holden, 18, appearing in Hatfield Court and an un-named boy appearing at Hatfield Juvenile Court on Monday January 5th, both charged with causing an affray. At their hearings, they are both remanded in custody for a week. On both occasions, Detective Sergeant R.G. Beveridge explains in his statement to the court that a man died during the incident.
In Hospital
1985. Doctors at Sheffield’s Royal hallamshire Hospital take the unfortunate decision to amputate the Def Leppard drummer, Rick Allen‘s arm only days after they had sewn it back on after being severed in a car crash on December 31st. They said that a serious infection had built up where it had been sewn on and they had no alternative but to remove it.
On Television
1979. Rockpalast (WDR, West Germany) Kevin Coyne (WDR Studio-L Köln). Here he is with “Having A Party”.
Death
1986. Phil Lynott dies in the intensive care unit of Salisbury Infirmary eleven days after being transferred from a rehabilitation clinic in Wiltshire. Initially it isn’t clear what caused his death but a post mortem shows that years of drug abuse had finally caught up with him. He suffered kidney, liver and heart failure as a result of blood poisoning and multiple internal abcesses.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Thursday 18th September):
Birth
1939. Frankie Avalon born Francis Avallone in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
On Tour
2000. Matchbox 20 are playing Gainsville in Florida but the night doesn’t go well. Guitarist Adam Gaynor has his favourite guitar stolen. The customized Taylor acoustic-electric is described as translucent green with brass hardware and a smoothcutaway design. The band is offering an undisclosed reward for the guitar, thought to be worth at least $ 3,300.
In Custody
1981. Jackson Browne and 36 other protestors are arrested whilst trying to blockade a nuclear power plant at Diablo Canyon in California. It’s the fourth day of protests and so far 966 people have been arrested. The Federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission is due to vote on licensing the plant on September 21st. Until the licence is granted, it will be unable to start production. Environmental protestors are claiming that siting the plant so near an earthquake fault line is unsafe.
In Court
1978. Coroner Gavin Thurston records an open verdict at the inquest into the death of Keith Moon.
On Television
1986. Late Night With David Letterman (CBS, U.S.A.) Musical guest: Keith Emerson who joins Paul Shaffer and the “Late Show Band” to perform a rockin’ version of the song, ‘America’
Death
1970. Jimi Hendrix is taken from a flat in Landsdowne Crescent, Notting Hill, where he’s collapsed to St. Mary Abbott’s Hospital in Kensington but is found to be “dead on arrival”. It’s believed that his death is the result of a drug overdose. A hospital spokesman said “the matter had been referred to the coroner”. For an insight into the differing conspiracy theories surrounding Jimi’s death, why not check out an article I did many years ago for the magazine “Idols” here.
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.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Thursday 7th August):
Birth
1949. Tim Renwick (Quiver, Mike & The Mechanics) born in Cambridge, England.
On Tour
1984. Death threats have been received by The Knoxville News Sentinel against Michael Jackson who is performing the first of two shows in the city tonight. The threats are taken seriously enough that the F.B.I. are called in. The F.B.I. think the threats are unfounded but organisers step up security all the same. Both tonight’s concert and another on the 9th pass off without incident.
In Court
1998. Bernard Ortiz, a homeless man who has been stalking Linda Ronstadt for three years, is sentenced to ten months in jail. It was his second time in court over the singer. He had previously been given three years probation and ordered not to contact Ronstadt or her family. He violated the probation after only three months, sending his “victim” a watch, candles and a letter on her birthday.
In Hospital
1997. Richard Marsh (Bentley Rhythm Ace) breaks his back during a parachute jump at Langar Airfield, Nottinghamshire. The jump was being filmed for the video of the band’s next single, “Bentley’s Gonna Sort You Out” but Marsh was caught by a gust of wind during landing and thrown heavily onto his back. He was taken to Nottingham General Hospital where doctors said he would make a full recovery but need three months rest.
On Television
1957. American Bandstand (ABC, U.S.A.) 3. Paul Anka; The Tassels. This was Paul Anka’s first network TV appearance in the U.S.A. Aged only 16, he performed his soon to be massive international number 1 hit, “Diana”. While I can’t guarantee this is the correct clip, it is the correct period and I’m a bit short of time today. 2m 13s.
Death
1978. Les Perrin, publicist for The Rolling Stones and others, dies.
Babble
There’s not a huge amount to report since yesterday. I spent another three hours in the Heritage Centre in Elgin digging through microfiche copies of the Northern Scot newspaper. So far I’ve compiled a list from 1966 to 1970 of the bands that played the Ballerina Ballroom in Nairn.
Here’s a sample from July – December 1967:
July07 – Cream plus Newton’s Theory with its Go-Go Girls. The gig was cancelled when the van carrying the band’s equipment failed to turn up.
July10 – Cream return to play their concert.
July21 – Pink Floyd
July28 – Gino Washington and The Ram Jam Band plus The Copy Cats
August18 – The Small Faces – concert cancelled.
August31 – Zoot Money and his new group Dantalion’s Chariot plus The T-Set
September08 – The Freddie Mack Show
September15 – The Throb plus The Life N’ Soul
September22 – Tony Merrick plus The T-Set
October06 – The Who plus Gideon’s Few
October 13 – The Beatstalkers plus The Rebel Sound
October20 – The Four Shades Of Blue plus The T-Set
October27 – The Tamala Express plus The Beatroute
November03 – The Rhubarb plus The Barons
November10 –Clock-work Orange plus Last Chapter
November17 – Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
December01 – The Delroy Williams Show plus Keith Taylor
December08 – The Troggs plus The Throb
December15 – Symon Dupree
December22 – Cash Boutique Queen For 1967. Grand Final
December25 – Aberdeen Students’ Charities’ Campaign present Their Xmas Beatnik Ball with The Circle plus The T-Set
December29 – The 1967 Last Fling with The Middle Earth plus The T-Set
I have to say it’s been a bit disappointing. While I wasn’t expecting a weekly or monthly catalogue of household names, they’ve so far been few and far between apart from the period above. That said, it paints an incredible picture of the constant touring of small to medium sized bands. The names that have stood out are the likes of Writing On The Wall, My Dear Watson, Spiggy Topes and Archemedes Principle. Now what i’m trying to do is find photos and adverts for some of them.
I went back to the Ballerina and found that John Byrne had more or less completed the area that will serve as exhibition space and festival cafe. I’ll get up some images either later today or tomorrow.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Wednesday 30th July):
Birth
1949. Andy Scott (The Sweet) born in Wrexham, Wales.
On Tour
1971. A security guard is stabbed to death outside Forest Hills Tennis Stadium where The Who are playing. The guard, 22 year old George Etheridge, died after an announcement was made that the show was a sell-out and no tickets remained to be sold. A 21 year old man pulled a knife and shouted, “I’ll kill him”. The man suffered concussion and head wounds, in the scuffle that followed, and is in hospital in a “critical” condition. He has been charged with criminally negligent homicide.
In Custody
1993. Dickey Betts (Allman Brothers Band) is arrested in Saratoga Springs, New York, and charged with resisting arrest and obstructing govenmental administration. The arrest follows a post-gig argument with his wife, Donna, in the couple’s hotel room. She got so worried that she called the police. When they arrived, Betts agreed she could move to another room until things calmed down but just as she was about to leave, he changed his mind. A scuffle broke out and the guitarist pushed one of the cops. Betts was jailed overnight and released in the morning having posted $ 1,000 bail.
In Court
1997. Boys Don’t Cry file a $ 7 million lawsuit against Paula Cole, Warner Brothers Records and Imago Records alleging that Cole’s song “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?” is in part a copy of their 1986 hit, “I Wanna Be A Cowboy”.
On Television
1976. Midnight Special (NBC, U.S.A.) Host: David Brenner. Guests: George Benson; Hot Chocolate; Phoebe Snow; The Sylvers; Gary Wright. Here’s Gary with, “Dream Weaver”. 4m 30s.
Death
1999. The Grateful Dead‘s archivist, Dick Latvala, dies two days after suffering a heart attack. He was taken to hospital in a coma on July 28th and never regained consciousness. The Dead hired him in the early eighties and in 1993 he released the first of a series of thirteen personally selected live recordings under the title, “Dicks Picks”.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Monday 14th July):
Birth
1952. Chris Cross (Ultravox) born Christopher St. John in London, England.
On Stage
1964. Film-maker Kit Lambert is at The Railway Hotel in Harrow to see The High Numbers play their Tuesday residency. He and his business partner, Chris Stamp have been keen to make a film about the new pop music scene but couldn’t afford to pay any established band. So, they hit upon the idea of discovering their own group and filming its rise to stardom. Before the month is out, Lambert and Stamp will become the group’s manager. By November, The High Numbers will have reverted to one of their previous names, The Who (they were also The Detours).
In Custody
1978. Mick Jones (The Clash), Clash sound-man Dave Jacobs and two members of Suicide are arrested after the local Drugs Squad raid their rooms at the Saxon Motor Inn, Blackburn, Lancashire in the early hours of the morning. Both bands had played at the town’s St. George’s Hall last night. All four men were taken to a local police station for questioning but released after a few hours. Various substances, found on or about the four, were retained for analysis.
Suicide’s luck continued in a downward path later in the day when they were dumped from their gig at Bury St. Edmunds. Despite rumours that this related to their arrest, organisers insisted that their exclusion was due to a late running order. The Clash, of course, played as planned.
Talking of which, it was much rumoured that Bob Dylan would be in Bury to see The Clash strut their stuff. In reality, he opted for the musical, “Evita” in London.
In Court
1989. In Manhattan Family Court, Tom Jones (49) loses a paternity suit brought against him by Katherine Berkery (26) who had a four day sex romp with him at a New York hotel in 1987. She hasn’t seen the singer since he left her in 1987, despite trying to contact him over the birth of the baby.
A blood test ordered by the court proved that Jones, who was not in court, was the father of the baby and the judge ordered him to make immediate payments of £ 200 a month to care for one year old Jonathan. The lawyers will be back in court in September to finalise the level of support. Berkery’s attorney, Raoul Felder (who handled Robin Givens’ divorce from Mike Tyson last year) will be seeking £ 2,000 a week. After the case was over, Katherine revealed that the singer’s lawyers had offered her $ 50,000 to drop the case.
On Television
1982. Late Night With David Letterman (CBS, U.S.A.) Musical guest: Pete Best
Death
1980. Malcolm Owen lead singer of The Ruts dies from a heroin overdose in the bath at his mother’s house.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Thursday 3rd July):
Birth
1940. Soul singer Fontella Bass born in St. Louis, Missouri.
On Stage
1999. Mark Sandman, lead singer and bass player of Morphine collapses onstage at a rock festival in Palestrina, about 30 miles east of Rome, Italy. The 46 year old could not be revived and was pronounced dead in the ambulance enroute to a nearby hospital. It’s thought he suffered a heart attack.
In Custody
1975. Chuck Negron (Three Dog Night) is arrested for possession of cocaine in his hotel room in Louisville, Kentucky on the first night of the band’s tour. Charges are eventually dropped in October when a court decides that the warrant used in the bust was granted on a basis of “unfounded information”.
In Hospital
1978. Keith Moon is taken off a plane at Mauritius just before it was due to fly to London. The captain of the British Airways flight felt that the drummer was unfit to travel and referred him to the airline’s resident doctor who admitted him to hospital where he is detained overnight. It’s thought the illness was a reaction to sleeping pills taken before the flight.
On Television
1985. Shelley Preston steps into the limelight on the BBC-1’s “Wogan” show as the new member of Bucks Fizz. The 21 year old was chosen from more than 1,000 hopefuls who auditioned as replacements for Jay Aston last month.
Death
1971. Jim Morrison dies in Paris. Okay, that’s way too simple. Here are the three main possibilities:
a) Jim has a heart attack in the bath in his appartment at 17 Rue Beautreillis (pictured above) and dies.
b) Jim overdoses while out boozing in a nightclub or brothel.
c) Jim never dies but uses the story as a means of bowing out of public life and an impending jail sentence.
The Doors say they were sick of rumours about his death so they didn’t respond as quickly as they might have to yet another story regarding his demise. By the time Bill Siddons was sent by the band it was too late to see the body. All we’ve got is Pamela’s word that it was Jim in the coffin. Unfortunately she’s not around to question; or is she? Anyway, the closest we can get to finding out what did happen is to check out Pamela Courson’s statement to the Paris police:
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