ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC

December 4th

1956 - Carl Perkins

The so-called 'Million Dollar Quartet' impromptu jam session took place at Sun Studios in Memphis with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. I guess the exchange rate has changed what goes for a million dollars hey? Distinctly average and the opposite of the old saw that they were greater than the sum of the parts!

Jeff Harris' great blog 'Behind The Groove' mentions the Quartet thus

On this day in music history: December 4, 1956 - Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis record together at Sun Studios in Memphis, TN. This informal gathering of these iconic rock and roll and country performers takes place during a recording session for Carl Perkins, who is re-recording “Matchbox” and some other new songs. Jerry Lee Lewis, also a Sun recording artist is present to play piano on the session which is being produced by label founder Sam Phillips. Elvis, who by now is signed to RCA and is in the middle of his initial rush of fame, happens to drop by the studio that day to visit Phillips. Presley and Phillips are talking in the control room of the studio, when Johnny Cash (also a Sun artist) also comes by the studio. Eventually, Elvis, Carl, Johnny, and Jerry Lee end up gathering around the piano and begin an informal jam session, performing several gospel, rock and roll and country standards. Sam Phillips has a tape machine running throughout the jam session, capturing the final results on three reels of tape. The recordings are put in the vault and do not see the light of day until twenty five years later when an album titled “The Million Dollar Quartet” is released. An expanded edition of the album is released by RCA Records in 1990 featuring a total for forty six tracks, though most are only song excepts interspersed with studio chatter. Viewed as a once in a life time historic event in music history, “The Million Dollar Quartet” is adapted into a successful stage musical in 2007, with limited runs in Florida and Washington before moving to Broadway in 2010. The musical is a hit on the Great White Way, and is nominated for three 2010 Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. Actor Levi Kreis receives the Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis. 

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oh, you wanna see what I think is a million dollars?

1960 - The Crickets

The Crickets released the single 'I Fought the Law' on Coral Records. Written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets, a remake by the Bobby Fuller Four became a top-ten hit for the band in 1966 and was also recorded by The Clash in 1979 after Joe Strummer and guitarist Mick Jones heard the song on a jukebox in San Francisco.

1962 - The Beatles

The Beatles made their London-area debut on television when they appeared in a live broadcast from Wembley on Tuesday Rendezvous, on ITV station Rediffusion. The Beatles performed live, doing lip-sync performances of 'Love Me Do' and 45 seconds of ‘P.S. I Love You.’

1964 - The Beatles

The Beatles released their fourth album 'Beatles For Sale'. The album featured: ‘No Reply’, ‘I'm a Loser’, ‘Baby's in Black’, ‘Rock and Roll Music’, ‘I'll Follow the Sun’, ‘Mr. Moonlight’, ‘Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey’, ‘Eight Days a Week’, ‘Words of Love’, ‘Honey Don't’, ‘Every Little Thing’, ‘I Don't Want to Spoil the Party’, ‘What You're Doing’, and ‘Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby’. It spent 11 weeks as the UK No.1 album.

1965 - The Byrds

The Byrds started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Turn! Turn! Turn!' the group's second No.1. A No.26 hit in the UK. Unlike their first chart topper, ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’, the entire band was allowed to play on the recording, instead of studio musicians. This is nice (see below)
The Byrds reform 1978 - Big O

1967 - Pink Floyd & Jimi Hendrix

This was the penultimate night of a 16-date UK package tour, on which Pink Floyd joined The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Move, The Nice, The Eire Apparent, The Outer Limits and The Amen Corner to play at the City Hall, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Jimi Hendrix was having equipment problems and in his frustration rammed his Gibson Flying V into his speaker cabinets. Like an enormous arrow, the guitar became stuck in the amplifier, which the audience greeted as all was part of the act. Hhmmm? No sign of the Flying V here. There are loads of shots of Jimi with his Gibson V but they all seem to show his concern with it as a guitar, he went on to specialise in using almost exclusively Stratocasters 

Jimi at City Hall Newcastle

1971 - Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK chart with the Four Symbols album, otherwise known as Led Zeppelin IV. Featuring the 8-minute track 'Stairway To Heaven', the album stayed on the US chart for one week short of five years, selling over 23 million copies in the US alone. I didn't buy this when it came out and had moved on from the bravura performance stadium rock bombast. In retrospect I probably should have . . . . . . . 


1976 - Tommy Bolin

American guitarist Tommy Bolin died from a heroin overdose aged 25 the day after opening a show for Jeff Beck in Miami, Florida. Bolin was a member of Zephyr (1969 to 1971), The James Gang (1973 to 1974) and Deep Purple (1975 to 1976).

1976 - Sex Pistols

Workers at EMI records went on strike, refusing to package The Sex Pistols single 'Anarchy In The UK.'

1980 - Prince

Go Prince!

Prince played the first night on his 31 date Dirty Mind North American tour at Shea’s in Buffalo, New York. After being told by his managers he couldn't wear spandex pants without any underwear, Prince began performing in a long trench coat, black high heeled boots and leggings, and bikini brief trunks.

Blimey!

1980 - Led Zeppelin

Two months after the tragic death of drummer John Bonham Led Zeppelin made decision to break up. Bonham was a clear alcoholic and on the night he passed had consumed some 40 shots of Vodka.
The surviving members decided that it was not right to tamper with their legacy by bringing someone else in to play drums. Bonham considered by many to be the finest drummer in the world. In a statement, the band explained their decision: "We wish it to be known, that the loss of our dear friend and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the deep sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were."

1982 - The Jam

The Jam were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Beat Surrender', the group's fourth UK No.1 and final single. They split in 1983, and leader Paul Weller formed the Style Council.

1988 - Roy Orbison

Roy Orbison played his final ever gig when he appeared in Cleveland, Ohio. Orbison died of a heart attack two days later.

One of the BEST moments in the history of Rock 'n' Roll! LOOK at that backing band!!! 

1993 - Frank Zappa

Multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer, Frank Zappa died of prostate cancer. Zappa recorded many albums with The Mothers Of Invention as well a solo recordings including the 1969 album 'Hot Rats' and 1974 album 'Apostrophe'. Zappa recorded one of the first concept albums, 'Freak Out' released in 1966, it was also one of the earliest double albums in rock music (although Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde preceded it by a week). He married Adelaide Gail Sloatman, in 1967, they had four children: Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen.

2002 - Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston admitted in an US TV interview that drink and drugs nearly killed her. Bobby Brown's missus also admitted to being addicted to sex. She said her business is sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, and got into the lifestyle after missing out on partying when her career kicked off aged 18. One of the most beautiful naturally gifted women in music, crack will take that all away and throw it on the town dump . . . . . . 

2006 - Britney Spears

Yahoo revealed that Britney Spears was the most searched for term of 2006 with more online searches done about Spears than any other topic or person. Female celebrities dominated the top 10 overall search list, with Shakira at number three, Jessica Simpson at number four and Paris Hilton at number five.

from the first search today

very pretty of course

Jessica has put on some weight and nothing wrong with that. Still a most striking woman IMHO

Nope, don't get it. Yes a rich woman but we are not up against someone with taste here are we.

2015 - The Beatles

A new statue of The Beatles was unveiled in Liverpool - 50 years after their last show in Merseyside. The bronze sculpture, by Andy Edwards which weighed 1.2 tonnes, had been given to the city by The Cavern Club the venue synonymous with the Fab Four in the 1960s.

BIRTHDAYS

1973 - Kate Rusby

Kate Rusby, UK folk singer, songwriter. 2007 No.2 indie album Awkward Annie. I LOVE Kate and have pretty much all her work on album. A career defining batch of northern songs, she is peerless IMHO

1947 - Terry Woods

Terry Woods, from Irish-British Celtic punk band The Pogues who scored the 1987 UK No.8 single 'The Irish Rover'. Bear with the terrible version as Terry is somehow high up in the mix and is worth listening to . . . . .. . .and if you are drunk it's probably worth skipping around the garden to as well!

1944 - Dennis Wilson

American musician, singer, and songwriter Dennis Wilson who co-founded The Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. (1966 UK & US No.1 single 'Good Vibrations', plus over 25 other UK Top 40 singles). Wilson drowned while swimming from his boat moored in Marina Del Rey, California on 28th December 1983 after a heavy day's drinking.

1944 - Chris Hillman

American musician Chris Hillman, who with The Byrds had the 1965 UK & US No.1 single 'Mr Tambourine Man'. He was also a member of Flying Burrito Brothers, and The Souther, Hillman, Furay Band. Hillman was a key figure in the development of country rock.

not a bad bass player either and mixed in good company . . . . .