ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC

November 25th

1958 - Lord Rockinghams XI

Lord Rockinghams XI were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Hoot's Mon', (based on the traditional Scottish folk song 'One Hundred Pipers'). Lord Rockingham's XI were the house band on the UK Jack Good TV show 'Oh Boy.'

1965 - The Beatles

Harrods department store in London, England, closed to the public so The Beatles could do their Christmas shopping in private. Good working class boys . . . . . 

1965 - The Seekers

The Seekers were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Carnival Is Over', the group's second No.1. Originally a Russian folk song from 1883 with lyrics written by Tom Springfield (the brother of Dusty Springfield). At its peak, the song was selling 93,000 copies per day and is No.30 of the biggest selling singles of all time in the United Kingdom. I think we all fell for Judith and there's no doubting her peerless voice

1966 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

The Jimi Hendrix Experience made their UK live debut at the Bag O'Nails Club, London, where they played using the clubs DJ booth. Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, The Beatles, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Jeff Beck,  Jimmy Page, The Hollies, and the Small Faces would all hang out at the club.

Jimi with the resident DJ at The Bag o' Nails

1968 - The Beatles

The Beatles (known as George Harrison's`0 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' was released. The album spent 101 weeks on the US chart peaking at No.1.

1969 - John Lennon

John Lennon returned his MBE to The Queen on the grounds of the UK's involvement in the Nigeria Biafra war, America in Vietnam, and against his latest single 'Cold Turkey' slipping down the charts.

1972 - Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'My Ding a-Ling', his only UK No.1. The song was originally recorded by Dave Bartholomew in 1952. Berry's version was from a concert recorded at the Locarno ballroom in Coventry, England, on 3 February 1972. Boston radio station WMEX disc jockey Jim Connors was credited with a gold record for discovering the song and pushing it to No.1 over the airwaves and amongst his peers in the United States.

1974 - Nick Drake

UK singer, songwriter Nick Drake died in his sleep aged 26 of an overdose of tryptasol an anti-depressant drug. Drake signed to Island Records when he was twenty years old, recorded the classic 1972 album Pink Moon. In 2000, Volkswagen featured the title track from Pink Moon in a television advertisement, and within a month Drake had sold more records than he had in the previous thirty years. A favourite and think I have everything official and ROIOs and posthumous stuff too. 

1976 - The Last Waltz

The Band made their final performance; 'The Last Waltz' held on American Thanksgiving Day, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The show also featured Joni Mitchell, Dr John, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton and others. The event was filmed by director Martin Scorsese and made into a documentary of the same name, released in 1978.

1984 - Do They Know It's Christmas?

The cream of the British pop world gathered at S.A.R.M. Studios, London to record the historic Do They Know It's Christmas? The single, which was written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, featured Paul Young, Bono, Boy George, Sting and George Michael. It went on to sell over three million copies in the UK, becoming the bestselling record ever, and raised over £8 million ($13.6 million) worldwide.

2003 - Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell was arrested in Phoenix Arizona with a blood alcohol level of .20 after his BMW struck a Toyota Camry. He was charged with 'extreme' drunk driving, hit and run, and assaulting a police officer. A police officer reported that while in custody, Campbell hummed his hit 'Rhinestone Cowboy' repeatedly.

2003 - Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson launched a website to defend himself following allegations of sexual abuse of a 12-year old boy. The singer posted a message saying the charges were based on 'a big lie' and he wanted to end 'this horrible time' by proving they were false in court.

2005 - Madonna

Madonna achieved her sixth number one on the US album charts with ‘Confessions on a Dance Floor’ her third consecutive US album chart topper. The album went to No.1 in 40 countries setting a new record. The Beatles previously held this record when The Beatles 1 went to No.1 in 36 countries in 2000.


2009 - Freddie Mercury

Brian May joined Freddie Mercury's 87-year-old mother Jer Bulsara in Feltham town centre, at a ceremony to unveil a plaque to the late singers memory. They were joined by over 2,000 fans from as far as Japan and Australia who descended on the Centre, in Feltham High Street in England. The plague reads: “Freddie Mercury - musician, singer and songwriter” along with the dates he lived in Feltham, between 1964 and 1968.

2010 - Bob Dylan

A restaurant fell victim to a prankster who had them make 178 pizzas by claiming they were for singer Bob Dylan and his crew. An imposter wearing a fake pass for a Dylan concert called in an Antonio's restaurant and placed the huge order worth more than $3,900. He told the owner the pizzas were for Dylan and his crew who had appeared in concert in Amherst, Massachusetts. Staff at Antonios worked until 5.30am to make the pizzas - but were left stunned when no one returned to collect the order. The man was later found and charged but it isn't clear how much the company got back. Clearly this was nothing to do with Bob . . . . . . . . >>sigh<<

not funny dude . . . . . . 

 . . . . . looks like you've had enough pizza pie too!

2011 - Don DeVito

Don DeVito, a longtime Columbia Records executive who produced the key Bob Dylan albums Blood on the Tracks and Desire died aged 72 after a 16-year battle with prostate cancer. DeVito had also worked with artists including Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and Aerosmith. DeVito started off as a guitarist touring for Al Kooper, and had his own band, The Sabres, which later broke up mid-tour. According to Columbia, DeVito was stranded in Fort Smith, Ark., when he happened to meet Johnny Cash and developed what would become a lifelong friendship; Cash would later introduce DeVito to Dylan.

BIRTHDAYS

1968 - Tunde Baiyewu

Tunde Baiyewu, singer, Lighthouse Family, (1996 UK No.4 single 'Lifted' plus 9 other UK Top 40 singles). New album 'Blue Sky In Your Head' out this year [July] and touring now from November and throughout next year

1944 - Bev Bevan

English rock musician Bev Bevan, drummer with The Move who had the 1969 UK No.1 single 'Blackberry Way'. With Electric Light Orchestra had the 1979 UK No.3 & US No.4 single 'Don't Bring Me Down' plus 26 other Top 40 hits. Bevan also served as the touring drummer for Black Sabbath during their 1983 Born Again Tour.

1940 - Percy Sledge

Percy Sledge, soul singer, (1966 UK No.4 and US No.1 single 'When A Man Loves A Woman'). He died on April 14th 2015.
Again a track from This is Soul album I bought in 1968 . . . . . . loved this, one of the greatest smoochy love songs ever!