Today In Music, January 17th

From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Saturday, 17th January):

Birth

1962. Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) born in Newport Beach, California.

On The Road

1972. Highway 51 South in Memphis, Tennessee is renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard.

In Custody

1974. Singer Dino Martin (son of Dean) is arrested on suspicion of possession and sale of machine guns. He spends the night in custody before being released the next morning on $ 5,000 bail.

In Court

1980. Clarence Baker, manager of Misty appears at Barnet Magistrates Court charged with assaulting a policeman on the day of the Southall riots in April 1979. The incident is alleged to have taken place when police raided the People Unite Movement musicians co-operative after which Baker was left with a fractured skull and in a coma. The magistrate dismissed the case for lack of identification evidence.

After a suggestion published in “Sounds” dated January 19th (which hit the streets yesterday), the magistrate was inundated with telegrams from fans and campaigners expressing their views on the matter.

On Television

1980. Musikladen (ZDF, West Germany) 51. Citizen Band; Emily Woods; Gibson Brothers; Madness; Babe; Monotones; Sugarhill Gang; Rachel Sweet; Specials; Fiddler’s Delight; Marianne Faithfull; A La Carte; Citizen Gang; Matchbox. Here’s Marianne with “The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan”.

Death

1970. R&B singer Billy Stewart (“Sitting In The Park”) and three of his band, The Soul Kings, die when the car they’re travelling in hits a bridge support and tumbles into the Neuse River in North Carolina. The car was a one-week old Ford Thunderbird that Stewart had planned to have serviced at their next stop, Columbia, South Carolina where they were booked for a gig.

The wheels were seen to wobble by the band’s manager who was travelling in a second car behind the others. It’s believed they locked up pulling the car into a bridge support. Stewart’s family later sued the Ford Motor Company, who settled before the case reached court.

Babble

Well, there goes the New Year resolution already. I went to bed this morning convinced I’d uploaded today’s blog. It seems that although I’d hit the “Publish” button, I’d shut down my browser before it uploaded or saved the contents. Anyway, better late than never – as they say!

Those of you who read this on a regular basis will know that I’ve been trying to clear out the Rockmine garage for some time now. This started with me listing stuff on eBay and then I moved things to Rockmine itself. Of late, I’ve been letting a dealer come and cherry-pick albums. Last week, he hit the singles and pulled out piles of interesting and obscure stuff.

I got a text from him today telling me he’s spent all the money he allocated for me, a situation we’ve all been in I suppose. One of the real gems he was going to take was a rare Scottish beat single from 1964 – The Boston Dexters – “You’ve Been Talking About Me” bw/ “Nothing’s Gonna Change Me”. It was released on Contemporary Recording CR 102. The copy is Excellent condition and I’m putting it up for sale later today on Rockmine. Strangely, I found the b-side on YouTube. Here it is:

 

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

Today In Music, August 30th

From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Saturday 30th August):

Birth

1951. Eurovision winner and one-time Irish presidential candidate, Dana born Rosemarie Brown.

On Stage

1969. The Isle of Wight Festival opens. Today’s line-up features The Who, The Moody Blues, Fat Mattress, Joe Cocker, Bonzo Dog Band, Family, Free, Pretty Things, Marsha Hunt and White Trash; Battered Ornaments; Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation; Blodwyn Pig; Gypsy; Blonde On Blonde; Edgar Broughton Band; King Crimson. Moody Blues performing “Night’s in White Satin”:

In Court

1994. Rapper Dr. Dre is sentenced to five months in jail at Los Angeles Municipal Court. He appeared on a charge of drunk driving but that was found to be in breach of a 1992 probation order placed on him after a conviction for assault. He’s also fined $ 1,053 and ordered to attend a 90 day alcoholism programme.

In Hospital

1979. Lulu is taken to hospital unconscious with multiple head injuries after her car was in collision with another at Brooks End, Birchington, near Margate where she’s been the star of a summer season. The singer’s husband, hairdresser John Frida, rushed to be at her bedside. Her agent, Pat Lake-Smith, said she would be cancelling all engagements until the end of September. Her top slot in Margate will now be taken by Rod Hull & Emu. The driver of the other car was treated for cuts.

On Television

1975. Musikladen (ZDF, West Germany) 21. Tumbleweeds; Alexis Korner; Bill Clifton & The Echo Mountain Band; Bill Clifton & Alexis Korner. Here’s Alexis with Steve Marriott performing “One Scotch, One Burbon, One Beer”

Death

1988. Thomas Sylvester better known as “Papa” Dee Allen (War) dies. The 57 year old drummer suffered an aneurysm whilst onstage at the Talk Of The Town nightclub in Vallejo, California and died soon after.

Babble

The long-running saga of the memorabilia exhibition seemed to get a new lease of life yesterday. A visit to the Red Shoes Theatre in Elgin ended up with an agreement that it would be staged the week after next. It will be tied in with a charity fund-raiser but exactly how long it will run remains to be seen. It also seems likely that I’ll get a Two Red Shoes ballroom blog up as I did for the sister venue, The Ballerina Ballroom in Nairn.

You’ll see I’ve included the handbill for the 1969 Isle Of Wight Festival which started on this day. I’ll now do a blatant plug and tell you that I’m selling it on the Handbills and Flyers section of Rockmine. Another new addition to that page is a 1967 handbill for Cliff Richard and The Shadows in Cinderella!

 

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

Today In Music, August 20th

From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Wednesday 20th August):

Birth

1948. Robert Plant (do I really have to say Led Zeppelin?) born in West Bromwich, England.

On Tour

1996. Whitney Houston gets £ 1.3 million for a 90 minute performance at a banquet held by the Sultan Of Brunei.

In Court

1981. Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy) appears at Kingston Crown Court to face three charges – possessing cocaine, possessing cannabis and cultivating cannabis. He’s found guilty of possessing cocaine and fined £ 200 but acquitted on both of the other charges. The court case follows a police raid on Lynott’s house in Kew Road, Richmond in November 1979. It took the jury two and three-quarter hours to reach its verdicts. Speaking to reporters outside the court, Lynott said he was very concerned about the effect the guilty verdict might have on his ability to tour the United States. Lynott had told the court that he’d given up smoking cannabis after the birth of his daughter, Sara, almost three years ago. he also said that he was unaware of possessing any cocaine. The jacket, in which two packets of the drug had been found, had been loaned to a friend and only returned the day before the raid.

In Hospital

1994. Sound engineer Tim Warhurst falls from a lighting gallery during rehearsals for Take That’s appearance at London’s Docklands Arena. He is flown by air ambulance to the Royal London Hospital where he is found to be suffering from head and spinal injuries that may leave him paralysed for life.

On Television

1975. Musikladen (ZDF, Germany) 20. 10cc; Bay City Rollers; Johnny Cash; Rubettes; The Cats; Paper Lace; ABBA; Roger Glover; Creedence Clearwater Rivival (Oldie); The Seekers. Here’s 10cc with “I’m Not In Love”. 4m 06s.

Death

1971. George Jackson, one of the Soledad Brothers, is shot dead by warders when he tries to escape from San Quentin Prison in California. Jackson, 29, had served 11 years for the theft of $ 70 and was currently in jail awaiting trial for the alleged killing of a prison warder during his sentence which was served at Soledad Prison. His court hearing was scheduled for August 23rd but he decided not to wait and escape instead. During the escape attempt, two other prisoners were shot dead by guards. Two prisoners had their throats slit by those escaping and a warder was stabbed to death. The event is captured for posterity by Bob Dylan in the song, “George Jackson”.

Music Paper From Today

New Musical Express from 20th August 1977. A copy taken from Rockmine’s almost complete run of U.K. music papers from the last 45 years.

 

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

Today In Music, August 13th

From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Wednesday 13th August):

Birth

1921. R&B guitarist Jimmy McCracklin born James David Walker in St. Louis, Missouri.

On Tour

1992. Edinburgh’s senior Jewish cleric, Rabbi Shalom Shapira, calls on organisers of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to ban the rapping rabbi, MC Rebbe. His latest show at the Fringe depicts God as a drug-dealer called Hash M. Rabbi Shapira said, “His show will offend anyone who has religious beliefs”. It’s not the first time Rebbe has offended the religious community. He’s banned from some theatres in England for blaspheming and was recently been booed off stage for simulating sex with a bagel.

In Custody

1964. The Isle Of Man’s only police dog has a nervous breakdown on duty helping control 7,000 Rolling Stones fans. The screaming upsets the dog so much, it starts to snarl at the fans. It is relieved of duty for several days.

In Court

1999. Vince Neil (Motley Crue) files a lawsuit against the Rocketdyne Corporation. The singer is seeking undisclosed damages from the company over the death of his 4 year old daughter, Skyler. The suit claims that Rocketdyne dumped toxic substances on land next to the family’s home which led to Sklyer’s liver cancer. A similar class action lawsuit has already been filed against the corporation on behalf of more than 200 people. That suit is based on increased levels of cancer at the plant and in the surrounding areas. Medical expenses for Skyler’s treatment are thought to be $ 2 million.

On Television

1977. Musikladen (ZDF, Germany) 34. Mr. Walkie Talkie; Luv’; Etta Cameron; Laurent Voulzy; Showaddywaddy; Bonnie Tyler; Dana; Amanda Lear; Heart; Baccara; Tina Charles; Veronica Unlimited. Here are the dreadful Mr. Walkie Talkie with, “Be My Boogie Woogie Baby”. 1m 55s. Even the naked go-go dancers don’t make this worth watching. Sorry, I had real trouble finding anything from today!

Death

1993. Nicolette Powell, wife of Georgie Fame, walks up to two teenage girls, smiling. She hands them an envelope and says, “Excuse me, here’s my address, can you raise the alarm please?”. Seconds later she dives 245 feet to her death from the Clifton Suspension Bridge near Bristol.

 

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