July 17
1965, ‘Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag’ by James Brown is released. It goes on to sell over 2 million copies, and is considered seminal to the emergence of funk music as a distinct style.
1975, Bob Marley and the Wailers start a two night stand at The Lyceum, London, performances of which appear on a live album released later that year. The single off the album was ‘No Woman No Cry.’
1969, The Beatles begin work on two new George Harrison songs, “Here Comes the Sun” and “Something” during recording of Abbey Road. Harrison was apparently inspired to write “Here Comes the Sun” after spending the day in the garden at Eric Clapton’s house.
1977, One hit wonder Shaun Cassidy, half brother of Partridge Family heartthrob David Cassidy, went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Da Doo Ron Ron’, a cover of the 1963 hit by the Crystals. Is a one hit wonder less of a wonder if the hit is a cover?? He also was in the Hardy Boy Mysteries, a late 70’s TV series.
2007, The White Stripes played their ‘shortest live show ever’ in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, when Jack White played a single guitar C# note accompanied by a bass drum/crash cymbal hit from Meg White. At the end of the “show”, Jack announced, “We have now officially played in every province and territory in Canada.” They then left the stage and performed a full show later that night in St John’s. Why? Why not? From This Day in Music.com
Sources: This Day in Music.com; Wikipedia
1978, The Rolling Stones started a two-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with Some Girls the group’s seventh US No.1 album. It was a commerical and critical success, with many saying it was their best since 1972’s classic Exile on Main Street. The cover was designed by Peter Corriston, and featured The Rolling Stones in garish drag alongside select female celebrities and lingerie ads. The cover immediately ran into legal trouble when Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett, Liza Minnelli (representing her mother Judy Garland), Raquel Welch, and the estate of Marilyn Monroe all threatened legal action for the use of their images without permission. The album was then re-issued with a cover that removed all celebrity images. Below is the re-issued cover.
2007, Prince continues his unique independent streak (and thumbing his nose at the music industry and convention) by releasing his album Planet Earth as a ‘covermount’ in the UK Mail on Sunday newspaper, 10 days before it was to released to stores. The music industry was not pleased. Stephen Miron, the newspaper’s managing director, said: “No one has done this before. We have always given away CDs and DVDs, but this is just setting a new level.”
Sources: This Day in Music.com; Wikipedia
1912, Born on this day, Woodrow Wilson ‘Woody’ Guthrie in Okemah, Oklahoma. Guthrie was a folk singer and songwriter in the 1930s and 1940s, famous for his ‘Dust Bowl Ballads’ and protest songs. One of his best known songs, This Land is Your Land, was written as a protest answer to Irving Berlin’s God Bless America. His work was a major influence on a whole generation of folk and rock musicians, including Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. He frequently performed with a guitar with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on it. Guthrie had the neurodegenerative disorder Huntingon’s Disease, which took his life on October 3rd 1967.
1958, The Quarrymen, featuring future Beatles John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, along with John “Duff” Lowe on piano and Colin Hanton on drums, recorded a vanity disc at a electronics shop studio owned by a man named Percy Phillips. The band recorded ‘That’ll Be The Day’ and ‘In Spite Of Danger’ in one take each.
1977, Elvis Costello and The Attractions made their live debut supporting Wayne County at The Garden, Penzance, Cornwall, England.
Roughly 5 months later, he performed on SNL and famously stopped the planned song Less than Zero, and launched into Radio Radio. This got him banned from the show for more than 12 years.
Sources: This Day in Music.com; Wikipedia; YouTube
1985, Live Aid, held at both Wembley Stadium, London (attendance ~72,000) and JFK Stadium, Philadelphia (attendance ~100,000). The world’s biggest rock stars took part in the worldwide event, raising over £40million. It is estimated over 1.5bn people (about 40% of the world’s population at the time!) in 160 countries tuned in, making it the biggest live broadcast ever known. Artists who appeared included Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, The Who, U2, David Bowie and Mick Jagger, Queen, Tina Turner, The Cars, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Bryan Adams, Hall and Oates, Lionel Richie and Led Zeppelin. Of note, Phil Collins performed in both London and Philly, after catching a Concorde flight to the US after the end of the London show. Sadly, not Bruce Springsteen, who watched it from his NJ home. He has been quoted as saying that he regrets not “tossing his guitar in the car and driving on down.”
For more info, check out this History Channel link
(Note: poster above doesn’t include many artists who showed up to play – Bob Dylan, Madonna, etc.
Sources: This Day in Music.com; Wikipedia; History Channel
1996, Over 2,000 guitar players, including Chet Atkins and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, set a new world record for the largest jam session ever when they played ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ for 75 minutes at Nashville’s Riverfront Park. (From This Day in Music.com) Reminds me of the massive jam session that an Italian town did in 2015 to Foo Fighers Learn To Fly to beg them to play their town- and of course it worked! Since I can’t find any video of the 1996 Heartbreak Hotel jam session, this will have to do (plus its one of the coolest things ever – it still gives me goosebumps and brings a tear to my eye its so awesome)
1962, The Rolling Stones made their live debut at the Marquee Jazz Club, London, with Dick Taylor on bass (later of The Pretty Things) and Mick Avory on drums, (later of The Kinks). Billed as The Rollin’ Stones, they were paid £20 for the gig From This Day in Music.com
According to the Rolling Stone fansite, Its Only Rock and Roll, here’s the set list:
1. “Kansas City”
2. “Baby What’s Wrong”
3. “Confessin’ the Blues”
4. “Bright Lights, Big City”
5. “Dust My Broom”
6. “Down the Road Apiece”
7. “I’m a Love You”
8. “Bad Boy”
9. “I Ain’t Got You”
10. “Hush-Hush”
11. “Ride ‘Em on Down”
12. “Back in the U.S.A.”
13. “Kind of Lonesome”
14. “Blues Before Sunrise”
15. “Big Boss Man”
16. “Don’t Stay Out All Night”
17. “Tell Me You Love Me”
18. “Happy Home
For a short summary of the gig, see the article on Rolling Stone.com
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1969, Zager and Evans started a six week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘In The Year 2525, (Exordium And Terminus)’. The song was also No.1 in the UK, making them the only one hit wonders ever in both the US and UK singles charts. From This Day in Music.com
1969, David Bowie releases ‘Space Oddity” in the UK. This is the original video from 1969.
1971, The Bruce Springsteen Band opened for Humble Pie at the Sunshine Inn, Asbury Park in New Jersey. After the show an impressed Peter Frampton from Humble Pie, tells Springsteen and the band he’d like to have them open for them on a national basis. Frampton also said he would be happy to get the band an audition with his record label, A & M Records. For no logical reason Springsteen’s manager Tinker West declined both offers on the spot. From This Day in Music.com
1964, The Beatles release ‘A Hard Day’s Night.
1965, The Rolling Stones ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction starts a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart.
1966, the Surf’n Sea Club in Seabright, NJ features Johnny Tilotson, The Jive Five, The Tymes, The Shangra-Las and local band The Castiles. The Castiles features a young Bruce Springsteen on vocals.
1987, John Hammond dies. Over his long career, he discovered or worked with Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, among others.
1975, Born on this day, Jack White, (John Gillis), guitar, vocals, The White Stripes, (2003 UK No.1 album ‘Elephant’ spent 46 weeks on the UK chart). Also a member of The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather. (From This Day in Music.com)
1946, Born on this day in Forfar, Scotland, Bon Scott (Ronald Belford Scott), singer with Australian rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980. He was brought up in Kirriemuir before moving to Melbourne, Australia, with his family in 1952 at the age of six. Having arrived from ‘Bonnie Scotland’, he was dubbed ‘Bon’, and the nickname stuck. From This Day in Music.com
1971, David Bowie started recording sessions at Trident Studios in London, for what would become the concept album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. The character of Ziggy was initially inspired by British rock ‘n’ roll singer Vince Taylor, whom Bowie met after Taylor had had a breakdown and believed himself to be a cross between a god and an alien. From This Day in Music.com
1962, Bob Dylan recorded ‘Blowin’ In the Wind’ at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City during an afternoon session. Dylan originally wrote and performed a two-verse version of the song, as in its first public performance, at Gerde’s Folk City on April 16th, 1962. Shortly after this, he added the middle verse. From This Day in Music.com.
1956 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “(We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock,” Bill Haley & His Comets. The song is the opening theme for the film “The Blackboard Jungle,” starring Glenn Ford. From This Day in Rock.com
And just because:
1976 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Afternoon Delight,” Starland Vocal Band. The song’s title is taken from a menu at a Washington, D.C., restaurant. From This Day in Rock.com (extra points if you can make it through the whole video)
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