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Tuesday, May 14, 2019

ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC 

1968 - John Lennon and Paul McCartney
John Lennon and Paul McCartney appeared on NBC-TV's Tonight Show with guest-host Joe Garagiola sitting in for Johnny Carson. The conversation included some light hearted banter about meditation, the forming of Apple Corps. and song writing.

1969 - Martin Lamble/Jeannie Franklyn
During a UK tour, Fairport Convention's van crashed on the M1 motorway on the way home from a gig in Birmingham killing the group's 19 year-old drummer Martin Lamble and Richard Thompson's girlfriend Jeannie Franklyn. Jeannie Franklyn, also known as Jeanie and Genie, (birth date unknown,) was a fashion designer and a member of the US Sunset Strip underground scene. She had her own hip clothing boutique, where she sold handmade clothes in the latter half of the 60's. Franklyn also wrote columns for 'Tiger Beat' magazine. Franklyn was featured in Rolling Stone magazine's 'groupie' issue but did not like the way in which she was portrayed in it and wrote a letter to the editors about it. She also appears in the 1970 book Groupies, which was an expanded version of the article. "Tiger Beat always featured articles about the tailor to the beautiful people, Genie. Genie was a young gal who got her start designing clothes for Paul Revere and the Raiders. Soon after, all of the hip Hollywood flower children wanted her personally made Indian clothes for themselves. Some of her clients included The Monkees, Cass Elliot, The Raiders, David Crosby, Coco Dolenz, Donovan, Eric Burdon, and more. Her shop opened in early 1968 and some hip scenesters came to support her. They included Micky Dolenz, Samantha Juste, Sajid Khan, and Mark Lindsay." Jack Bruce's "SONGS FOR A TAILOR is a reference to Jeannie, who used to make clothes for Cream. Jeannie a cousin of Phil Ochs, was guitarist Richard Thompson's girlfriend from 1968 onwards. Jeannie used to enjoy the way Jack sang the "high" notes." 
Also Jack Nitzsche wrote a song called "I'll Bet She Knew It" and has said that it is for Jeannie. There have been some internet speculations about Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer' also being about Franklyn, due to the lines "Blue Jean Baby, L. A. lady/Seamstress for the band" but Bernie Taupin has gone on record to say that it 'couldn't be about her as she was already dead when he wrote it' but fans rumours persist. She was more muse and inspired fashion designer than 'groupie'  despite having relationships with both Bruce and then Thompson, she didn't conform to the stereotypical behaviour that warrants 'groupie' status. 
Jeannie Franklyn
Martin Lamble was a fine drummer and his loss hit the band hard. Unhalfbricking IMHO stands as his finest work. 
The crash in the newspapers
Lamble in the leaf covered cage
Fairport Convention (with Martin in the deckchair)



 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Rest In Peace  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

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David and Brian
1977 - Brian Eno
During a UK tour, Talking Heads played a gig at The Rock Garden in London where Brian Eno who was in the audience saw the band, who then went on to produce them.


BIRTHDAYS

1952 - David Byrne
Scottish-American musician David Byrne, who was the founding member of American new wave band Talking Heads. They scored the 1983 US No.9 single 'Burning Down The House', and the 1985 UK No.6 single 'Road To Nowhere'. Byrne scored the 2002 solo UK No.2 single with 'Lazy' with X-Press. He has received Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe awards and been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
1943 - Jack Bruce
Scottish musician, singer and songwriter Jack Bruce who was a member of the Graham Bond Organization, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Manfred Mann and Cream, who had the 1967 UK No.11 single 'I Feel Free', and the 1968 US No.5 single 'Sunshine Of Your Love'. Their 1968 Wheels of Fire becoming the first platinum-selling double album. Also a member of West, Bruce and Laing. Bruce died on 25 October 2014 from liver disease in Suffolk, England, aged 71.


The album 'Songs for A Tailor' was titled in tribute to Jeannie Franklyn (see above) who designed wardrobes for Cream (and, according to Bruce's 2010 biography Composing Himself, an ex-lover of Bruce's). In 1969, Franklyn wrote Bruce a letter requesting that he "[s]ing some high notes for me," a letter that reached him on 14 May 1969, two days after the crash in Fairport Convention's touring van —and Bruce received the letter from her—on his 26th birthday.

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