ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC

September 14th

1955 - Little Richard

Little Richard entered a New Orleans recording studio to begin two days of recording. Things were not going well and during a break, Richard and his producer; Bumps Blackwell went to the Dew Drop Inn for lunch. Richard started playing the piano in the bar like crazy, singing a loud and lewd version of ‘Tutti Frutti.’(Italian for All Fruits which would prove apt.) With only fifteen minutes left in the session, Richard recorded the song and coined the phrase, ‘a-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom.’

1967 - The Beatles

Filming continued for The Beatles 'Magical Mystery Tour' in South West England. The Beatles searched for a quiet, secluded field in which they could conduct filming but once they'd disembarked from the bus and set up for shooting, scores of onlookers began to crowd around, causing a traffic jam that required the police to step in.

Paul and Julian Lennon

Taking a break

1968 - Roy Orbison

Roy Orbison's house in Nashville burnt down, his two eldest sons both died in the blaze. Orbison was on tour in the UK at the time of the accident. Orbison's life seemed especially beset by tragedy, his wife, Claudette, having been killed in a car accident two years earlier in 1966. The house where his two oldest boys died was bought by Johny Cash who raised the house to the ground and planted an orchard on it.

1974 - Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton scored a US No.1 with his version of the Bob Marley song 'I Shot The Sheriff' which was first released in 1973 on The Wailers' album Burnin'. Clapton's version was included on his 1974 album 461 Ocean Boulevard. I liked the '461' album but I was never comfortable with his version of the Marley song sounding too much like a white man singing a pidgeon version of a very much Jamaican number to my ears


1974 - Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder started a two-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Fulfillingness First Finale' his second US No.1. The album received three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, in 1974.

1979 - The Who

The film Quadrophenia was released. Based on The Who's 1973 rock opera the film featured Phil Daniels, Toyah Willcox, Ray Winstone, Michael Elphick and Sting.

1981 - The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones played a secret pre-tour warm-up show at the Sir Morgan's Cove club in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. Billed as Little Boy Blue & The Cockroaches, a local radio station announced that the Stones were in town, resulting in the club being besieged by over 4,000 fans attempted to get into the 350-person venue. Police were drafted in to control the crowds, which resulted in eleven fans being arrested.

1984 - David Bowie

David Bowie won Video of the year for 'China Girl' at the first MTV Video awards. The song co-written by David Bowie and Iggy Pop during their years in Berlin, first appeared on Pop's album The Idiot released in 1977.

1989 - Perez Prado

Cuban bandleader and composer Perez Prado died of a stroke in Mexico City. Had the US & UK 1955 No.1 single 'Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White'.

1994 - Steve Earle

US singer Steve Earle was sentenced to 1 year in jail after being found guilty of possession of crack cocaine. I was turned on to Steve Earle by my old friend John Northcote and loved his work until the drugs and alcohol kinda distracted him too much. The first album 'Guitar Town' is still a classic and never far away from my turn table. Earle made good later including his regular backing band the Dukes and his work in recent years has been amongst his best

1995 - The Beatles

The lyrics to The Beatles song 'Getting Better' hand-written by Paul McCartney sold for £161,000 at a Sotheby's auction in London.

1996 - Peter Andre

Peter Andre scored his first UK No.1 single when 'Flava' went to the top for one week. The English-born Australian singer became a major television personality after taking part in the British reality TV series I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!; during which he met and subsequently married glamour model Jordan. The couple split in May 2009 after three and a half years of marriage. 

Tip:don't let little Peter do the thinking for you!

1997 - Jimi Hendrix

Over 2000 fans watched Pete Townshend (and Noel Redding) unveil a English Heritage Blue Plaque at 23 Brook Street, Mayfair London, to mark where Jimi Hendrix had lived in 1968-69. Hendrix was the first pop star to be awarded with the plaque.

1999 - George Michael

It was reported that George Michael was being sued for $10m by the policeman who arrested the singer in a public lavatory. Marcelo Rodriguez claimed he was mocked in the video 'Outside' leaving him in physical distress. That'll be America for you  . . . . . 



2005 - Britney Spears

Britney Spears gave birth to a baby boy by Caesarean section. Spears and husband Kevin Federline had been taken to the UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, under police escort, early in the morning. 
Shock! Woman gives birth!

2005 - Bob Dylan

HMV stores in Canada removed Bob Dylan CDs from their shelves in protest at the singer's deal to only sell his new album in Starbucks after he signed an exclusive contract with the coffee giant. The chain has previously boycotted CDs by Alanis Morissette and The Rolling Stones to complain at exclusive deals.

You fer coffee?

2011 - Bob Dylan

It was reported that a Swedish Bob Dylan fan had been arrested for singing Bob Dylan songs outside his ex-girlfriends house. The love-sick man had also cobbled together a group of five other men to serve as vocal accompaniment for the late-night live performance, each of who donned hoodies with their hoods up. But soon after the man began to serenade his ex, who had previously taken out a restraining order against him, she called the police, leaving 50-year-old guitarist blowin in the wind. 'I had the idea that I'd play a Bob Dylan song for her,' the man told police. (No word on which song, unfortunately.)

2014 - Amy Winehouse

A life-size bronze statue of singer Amy Winehouse was unveiled in Camden, north London. Her father, Mitch Winehouse, said she was "in love with Camden" and it was the place fans associated with her. Created by sculptor Scott Eaton, the statue features the Back to Black star with her hand on hip and her trademark beehive hairdo.

like much of public art commissioned today we appear to have lost whatever skills we had to afford a likeness and it is of course dreadful

1983 - Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse, UK singer, songwriter. Winehouse's debut album, Frank (2003), was a critical success in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Her follow-up album, Back to Black (2006), led to five 2008 Grammy Awards, tying the then record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night, and made her the first British female to win five Grammys. Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning on 23 July 2011, aged 27. Her album Back to Black posthumously became, for a time, the UK's best-selling album of the 21st century.

1970 - Mark Webber

Mark Webber, from English rock band Pulp, who had the 1995 UK No.2 single 'Common People'. He quit the band in January 1997. Pulp were regarded among the Britpop "big four", along with Oasis, Blur and Suede.

1955 - Steve Berlin

American saxophonist and keyboardist Steve Berlin from Los Lobos (Spanish for "the Wolves"), who had the 1987 UK & US No.1 single with their cover version of 'La Bamba', which was a 1958 hit for Ritchie Valens and one of early rock and roll's best-known songs.

1950 - Paul Kossoff

Paul Kossoff, guitar, Free (1970 UK No.2 & US No.4 single 'All Right Now'). Formed Back Street Crawler. Kossoff died of a drug related heart attack on 19th March 1976 during a flight from Los Angeles to New York.


1914 - Mae Boren Axton

Songwriter Mae Boren Axton, known as the 'Queen Mother of Nashville' and mother of singer 'Hoyt' she wrote over 200 songs including a co-writing credit on the Elvis Presley hit 'Heartbreak Hotel'.  The song was written in 1955, by Axton, then a high school teacher with a background in musical promotion, and Jacksonville based singer–songwriter Tommy Durden. They finally sold a third of the royalties to Presley if he sang it and made it a hit. 

She died on April 9th 1997 aged 82 after drowning in her bath at her home in Hendersonville, Tennessee after an apparent heart attack.

thanks to This Day In Music