ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC
December 6th
1949 - Leadbelly
American blues artist, Leadbelly died. Huddie William Ledbetter wrote many songs including 'Goodnight Irene', ‘Cotton Fields’, 'The Rock Island Line', and ‘The Midnight Special'. Leadbelly was jailed several times for fights and knife related incidents, he was once jailed for shooting a man dead during an argument over a woman. I adored Leadbelly from an early age and knew Goodnight Irene by rote and it remains a favourite song . . . even references, it led me to 'Some Times a Great Notion' and Ken Kesey (One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest) the film starring Paul Newman, Henry Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, and Lee Remick. The are loads of 'several degrees of connection' in many many songs I love.
1961 - The Beatles
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best met with Brian Epstein for further discussions about his proposal to manage them. Epstein wanted 25% of their gross fees each week. He promises that they will never again play for less than £15, except for The Cavern lunchtime sessions, for which he will get their fee doubled to ten pounds. Lennon, as leader of The Beatles accepts on their behalf.
The film 'Ferry Cross The Mersey' premiered in London. Featuring Gerry And The Pacemakers, Cilla Black and other Liverpool acts. It was written by Tony Warren, creator of the UK's longest running TV soap 'Coronation Street'.
1965 - The Rolling Stones
1965 - The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones recorded '19th Nervous Breakdown' and 'Mother's Little Helper' at RCA's Hollywood Studios in Los Angeles.
1966 - The Beatles
The Beatles recorded Christmas and New Year's greetings for pirate radio stations Radio Caroline and Radio London. Both stations were broadcasting from ships anchored off the British coastline.
1968 - The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones released Beggars Banquet their seventh UK studio album. For the album, (which included 'Street Fighting Man', and 'Sympathy for the Devil'), the Stones had gone to great lengths to toughen their sound and banish the haze of psychedelia, and in doing so, they launched a five-year period in which they would produce their very greatest records.
1969 - Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin made their debut on the US singles chart with 'Whole Lotta Love', it went on to make No.4 on the chart and was the first of six Top 40 singles for the group in the US. During the bands career, Zeppelin never released any singles in the UK.
1969 - Steam
1969 - Steam
One Hit Wonders Steam started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye'. The song was actually recorded by Gary De Carlo, who intended it to be the "B" side of his first single. Gary didn't like the song and when record executives wanted to issue it as the "A" side, he insisted it be released under an assumed name. The song became a UK No.5 single for girl group Bananarama in 83.
1969 - The Rolling Stones at Altamont
1969 - The Rolling Stones at Altamont
The Rolling Stones played a free festival at Altamont in California, along with Jefferson Airplane, Santana, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Crosby Stills Nash & Young. Rolling Stones fan Meredith Hunter was stabbed to death as the group played by Hell's Angels who'd been hired to police the event. The Maysles brothers film of the festival showed Hunter was waving a revolver. One other man drowned, two men were killed by in a hit-and run accident and two babies were born. Some heralded the point as the collapse of the hippy dream era
1972 - Keith Richards
While reading the morning newspaper in Nice, France, Rolling Stone Keith Richards was surprised to learn that arrest warrants had been issued for him and his girlfriend, Anita Pallenberg for drug possession.
1975 - Paul Simon
Paul Simon went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Still Crazy After All These Years', his first US No.1 solo album.
1978 - Sid Vicious
1978 - Sid Vicious
Sex Pistols Sid Vicious smashed a glass in the face of Patti Smith's brother Todd Smith during a fight at New York City club Hurrah. Violent smacked out thug!
1988 - Roy Orbison
American singer songwriter Roy Orbison died of a heart attack aged 52. Scored the 1964 UK & US No.1 single 'Pretty Woman', plus over 20 US & 30 UK Top 40 singles including ‘Only the Lonely’ and ‘Crying’. Formed his first band The Wink Westerners in 1949, was a member of The Traveling Wilburys (known as Lefty Wilbury) with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty and had the 1988 UK No.21 single 'Handle With Care'. Orbison endured a great deal of tragedy in his life. His first wife, Claudette died in a motorcycle accident in 1966 and two of his three sons, died in a house fire.
Roy Orbison's unmarked grave
1994 - The Beatles
Tower Records released The Beatles 'Live At The BBC', a 69 track, double album of tunes recorded for BBC shows such as Top Gear, Easy Beat, Saturday Club and Pop Go The Beatles. The LP will rise straight to the top of the UK chart, selling over 600,000 copies by the end of the year and 2,000,000 in the US four weeks later.
2003 - Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello married jazz artist Diana Krall in a ceremony at Elton John's UK mansion. About 150 guests, including Paul McCartney attended the wedding. It was Costello's third marriage.
Robbie Williams accepted substantial libel damages over claims that he was secretly homosexual. The People newspaper, Star and Hot Stars magazines in 2004 published stories alleging Mr Williams had engaged in casual homosexual sex. The publications' owners, MGN Limited and Northern & Shell plc, now accepted the stories were untrue and had agreed undisclosed damages. Tom Shields QC, told the court: "Mr Williams is not, and has never been, homosexual."
2011 - Dobie Gray
American singer and songwriter Dobie Gray died from complications of cancer surgery in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 71. His hit records included 'The 'In' Crowd' in 1965 and 'Drift Away', which was one of the biggest hits of 1973, and went on to sell over one million copies.
2013 - Bob Dylan
2013 - Bob Dylan
The electric guitar played by Bob Dylan at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival was sold at auction in New York for a record $965,000. The Fender Stratocaster had been in the possession of a New Jersey family for 48 years after Dylan left it on a private plane.
2018 - Pete Shelley
English singer, songwriter and guitarist Pete Shelley died of a suspected heart attack aged 63. He formed the new wave/punk rock band Buzzcocks with Howard Devoto in 1976, (who latter left to form Magazine). Buzzcocks had the 1978 UK No.12 single 'Ever Fallen In Love, With Someone You Shouldn't've' and was know for the hits ‘Orgasm Addict’, ‘What Do I Get?’and ‘Everybody's Happy Nowadays’. Shelley also had a solo career: his song ‘Homosapien’ charted in the US in 1981. I never liked the Buzzcockas! There I've said it. I never bought any and didn't care for anything I ever heard but that is irrelevant on the one hand in that I appreciated their position in New Wav/Punk music
BIRTHDAYS
1962 - Ben Watt
Ben Watt, is an award-winning British musician, singer, songwriter, author, DJ and radio presenter best known as half of the duo Everything But The Girl, with singer Tracey Thorn (1995 UK No.3 & 1996 US No.2 single 'Missing'). Ben is always worth check in IMHO. Interesting thoughtful and thought provoking he always seems to make highly listenable sensitive music for the introspective . . . . . . . .
Peter Buck, guitar, R.E.M. (1991 UK No.6 & US No.10 single 'Shiny Happy People', plus over 20 Top 40 UK singles, 1992 UK No.1 & US No.2 album 'Automatic For The People').
1955 - Rick Buckler
Rick Buckler, drummer with The Jam who had 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1982, including four No.1 hits. 'That's Entertainment' and 'Just Who Is the 5 O'Clock Hero?' remained the best-selling import singles of all time in the UK. A favourite drummer he is in my top ten of all time, tight soul driven and like a machine, Rick worried me when Weller split The Jam as did bass player Bruce Foxton. How could two such accomplished players disappear in front of our eyes. Simply one of the tightest rhythm sections to a band anywhere
1955 - Edward Tudor-Pole
Edward Tudor-Pole, vocals, actor, Tenpole Tudor, (1981 UK No.6 single 'Swords Of A Thousand Men'), appeared in the film 'Absolute Beginners' and became the presenter on TV's Crystal Maze.
1944 - Jonathan King
Jonathan King, UK pop mogul, singer, producer, TV presenter, (1965 UK No.4 single 'Everyone's Gone To The Moon', plus 12 other UK Top 40 singles under various names, Bubblerock, Shag, Weathermen, Father Abraphart, Sakkarin). King could be said to have discovered Genesis and certainly heard their first demo tapes. Involved also with 10cc, Eurovision and various other fringe to mainstream projects. King was jailed for seven years in 2001 for sex attacks on five boys. He remains of course on the Sex Offender's Record and despite the collapse of other subsequent cases, is considered the most dangerous of peadophiles, those who think they have done nothing wrong.
1943 - Keith West
Keith West, (Keith Hopkins), UK singer, (1967 UK No.2 single 'Excerpt From A Teenage Opera'). Everyone raved about West and this piece especially I couldn't stand it. Pretentious and overblown, Ray Davies it wasn't! Attempt to cover the Penny Lane kind of description. It was ubiquitous however and seemed acceptable to those who pretensions towards classic influences. To me it sounded like second rate musical theatre Other musicians who appeared on the single were the guitarist Steve Howe, bassist Ronnie Wood, and drummer Aynsley Dunbar. It has since been included on the remastered CD version of the Tomorrow album (1999). The Opera itself written by Mark Wirtz not West as is often thought.
1920 - Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck, jazz pianist, (1962 UK No.12 album 'Time Further Out'). Brubeck died of heart failure one day before his 92nd birthday on December 5, 2012.
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