portrait of this blog's author - by Stephen Blackman 2008

Sunday, October 27, 2019


ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC

October 27th

1957 - Buddy Holly

The Crickets started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'That'll Be The Day'. It was also a No.3 hit in the US where it went on to sell over a million. The song was inspired by a trip to the movies by Holly, Jerry Allison and Sonny Curtis in June 1956. 

1964 - Sonny and Cher
31 year old Salvatore Philip Bono married 18 year old Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere. For a time they performed together as Caesar and Cleo before changing the name of their act to Sonny and Cher. Their partnership lasted 12 years.

1966 - Four Tops
The Four Tops were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Reach Out I'll Be There.' The group's only UK No.1. 

1969 - Muddy Waters


Muddy Waters was seriously injured in a car crash in Champagne, Illinois. Three people were killed in the accident. 


1973 - Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight and the Pips started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Midnight Train To Georgia'. It was the group's 18th Top 40 hit written by  Jim Weatherly, written as a country song and their first No.1. The record won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus and has become Knight's signature song.
1977 - Baccara
Baccara were at No.1 in the UK singles chart with 'Yes Sir, I Can Boogie'. They were the first Spanish act to score a UK No.1, and first female duo to do so. 'Yes Sir, I Can Boogie' is also one of the thirty all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) copies worldwide.
1977 - Roy Estrada
American musician Roy Estrada known as a founding member of Little Feat and who also worked with Frank Zappa was convicted of sexual assault on a child. Estrada served six years in prison. In January 2012, he pleaded guilty to a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child which happened in March 2008. In the plea bargain agreement, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison and is not eligible for parole. So shocked and saddened to discover this . . . . .  Estrada featured as 'Orejon' in The Captain Beefheart Magic Band on 'Clear Spot' as second bass to Mark Rockette Morton' Boston to free him up to play guitar and solo bass parts. Estrada featured on the eponymous first album of Ry Cooder and was a founder member of Little Feat, and the first Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention band
I will not feature anymore about a child molester with pictures or music but suffice to say he will be 93 by the time he is able to be released when his sentence is done.
1979 - Elton John
During a US tour Elton John collapsed on stage at Hollywood's Universal Amphitheatre suffering from exhaustion.

1980 - John Lennon
Mark Chapman bought a five-shot .38 special for $169. A little over six weeks later, he would use the gun to kill John Lennon outside his New York City apartment.

1980 - Steve Peregrin Took

Former T. Rex member Steve Took, [Stephen Porter] choked to death on a cherry stone, after some magic mushrooms he had eaten, numbed all sensation in his throat, he was aged 31. Took was also a member of The Deviants with Pink Fairies members Twink and Mick Farren. Took was a notorious eccentric bohemian prankster (he took great delight in spiking others drinks with drugs mostly serious hallucinogens and Mark Bolan is believed to have suffered more than once at his hands in this regard) a life long drug user, it is believed he spent a last royalty cheque on morphine and magic mushrooms although drugs were not mentioned directly in his death it was thought to be 'death by drug related misadventure' 


1984 - Grateful Dead
During a US tour, The Grateful Dead allocated a specific recording area for fans to bootleg the show; tonight's gig was in Berkeley, California.

2000 - Lonnie Donegan
Lonnie Donegan went to Buckingham Palace to receive his MBE for his services to pop music. Lonnie pioneered skiffle in the 1950s and inspired a generation of teenagers to start bands.
From 'Putting on The Style on 78 to this I loved Lonnie Donegan all my life
and it goes like this . . . . . . 





2006 - Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse released her second and final studio album Back to Black. The album spawned five singles: 'Rehab', 'You Know I'm No Good', 'Back to Black', 'Tears Dry on Their Own' and 'Love Is a Losing Game' and won Best Pop Vocal Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. Back to Black sold 3.58 million copies in the UK alone, becoming the UK's second best-selling album of the 21st century. Worldwide, the album has sold over 20 million copies.

2007 - Keith Richards
Keith Richards marched with campaigners protesting against possible Sussex hospital cuts. The Stones guitarist joined 15,000 people for the walk through Chichester to oppose plans which could see St Richard's Hospital downgraded. A spokeswoman for the guitarist said: "Keith is a long-standing member of the West Wittering community and is pleased to lend his support to local efforts to save St Richard's Hospital.’

2013 - Lou Reed
Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed died at the age of 71. An admitted hard drinker and drug user for many years, he underwent a liver transplant in Cleveland in April 2013. Afterwards he claimed on his website to be 'bigger and stronger' than ever. 

Rehabilitation after his liver transplant Lou ventures out



great happiness at the end of his life with fellow artist musician Laurie Andersen
Lou n Laurie x

2014 - The Pet Shop Boys
The Pet Shop Boys' 'Always On My Mind' was voted the top cover version of all time in a BBC Music vote. The song, written by John Christopher, Mark James and Wayne Carson, was first made famous by Brenda Lee and Elvis Presley in 1972. Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails' 'Hurt' came in second place, followed by The Stranglers' version of Dionne Warwick's 'Walk On By'. Jimi Hendrix's take on Bob Dylan's 'All Along The Watchtower' came fourth and Jeff Buckley's cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' completed the top five.


2014 - Sting
The Last Ship, Sting's musical about shipbuilding in north-east England, opened on Broadway. The former frontman with The Police described watching the opening night as "an out-of-body experience". Billy JoelBruce Springsteen and Blondie's Deborah Harry were among the first night audience at the Neil Simon Theatre.

2016 - John Lennon
A letter John Lennon wrote to the Queen explaining why he was returning his MBE was found tucked in a record sleeve from a £10 car boot haul. The anonymous owner took the document to a valuation day at The Beatles Story in Liverpool and discovered it was worth about £60,000. Lennon had returned the MBE in protest at Britain's involvement in a civil war.



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