ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC

January 12th

1964 - The Beatles

The Beatles appeared on the ATV show Sunday Night At The London Palladium performing ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’, ‘This Boy’, ‘All My Loving’, ‘Money’ and ‘Twist And Shout’. The compere for the evening was Bruce Forsyth. When The Beatles appeared on this show on October 13, 1963, their fee had been £250, now, just three months later, their fee was £1,000.

1969 - Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin's debut album was released in the UK. Recorded at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London, the album took only about 36 hours of studio time to complete at a cost of just £1,782, most of the tracks being recorded 'live' in the studio with very few overdubs. The album spent a total of 71 weeks on the UK chart. I have said before about the affect that the first album's release had upon us and still to this day I am flabbergasted. It was the combination of Robert's voice and the riffing from Jimmy plus the driving force of the drums and base that blew us away and I still can recall the notion that the vocals alone were impossible! Soaring ethereal and at once rocking and powerful they transported us and seemed like we were listening to the voice of the gods! 
Put the needle in the groove . . . . . . . 



Blown away . . . . . . . !!!
1974 - Steve Miller

The Steve Miller Band were at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'The Joker', the group's first of three No.1's. It reached No.1 on the UK chart in 1990.

1975 - Little Feat

The first night of a UK tour kicked off under the banner of The Warner Brothers Music Show. It featured Little Feat, Montrose, Tower Of Power, The Doobie Brothers and Graham Central Station. Also released was an album sampler featuring all the acts that was priced at 69p ($1.17).

I have no memory of this and the bands meant little to nothing to me at the time. I guess ut wasn't until much later thanks to my friend John Northcote that he played me Little Feat and I bought the single 'Dixie Chicken'


1977 - Sex Pistols

EMI Records issued a statement saying it felt unable to promote The Sex Pistols records in view of the adverse publicity generated over the last two months.

1977 - Keith Richards

Rolling Stone Keith Richards was fined £750 ($1,275) for possession of cocaine found in his car after the guitarist had been involved in a car crash.

1977 - Stewart Copeland

The Police had their first rehearsal, held at drummer's Stewart Copeland's London flat, with Henri Padovani on guitar.

1981 - Bob Dylan

It was reported that the White House had expanded its record library by including albums by Bob Dylan, Kiss and the Sex Pistols.

It of course included Bob Dylan‘s Blood on the Tracks all of which stayed up stairs during Jimmy Carter's sytay but it was reported the collection ws all moved to the basement when Reagun took office. No surprises there then . . . . . . 


1983 - Reebop Kwaku Baah

Swedish percussionist with Traffic (4 albums), Reebop Kwaku Baah died from a brain haemorrhage in Stockholm, Sweden. Also worked with Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker's Air Force, Can and The Rolling Stones.

1992 - Bob Geldof

Bob Geldof was arrested after a disturbance on a Boeing 727, which had been grounded for 5 hours at Stansted Airport.

1993 - Van Morrison

Van Morrison failed to turn up at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction dinner, making him the first living inductee not to attend.

1995 - Snoop Doggy Dogg

Snoop Doggy Dogg was charged in Los Angeles with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Known for practically chain smoking dope Snoop was once asked if anyone he had met could out-smoke him and he promptly replied "Willie Nelson! I had to hit the time out button!" 

2003 - Maurice Gibb

Singer-songwriter Maurice Gibb from The Bee Gees died aged 53 in Miami Hospital, Florida following a heart attack during abdominal surgery. The Bee Gees released over 20 albums and had the 1979 world-wide No.1 album 'Spirits Having Flown', and 'How Deep Is Your Love, 'Stayin' Alive', and 'Night Fever' from the soundtrack 'Saturday Night Fever' were all US No.1 singles. Gibb was married to the Scottish singer Lulu from 1969 to 1973. In 2002, Maurice was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE), along with his brothers.

2005 - The Beatles

It was announced that the Strawberry Field children's home immortalised by The Beatles was to close. The home in Woolton, Liverpool was made famous when John Lennon wrote 'Strawberry Fields Forever' after playing there as a child.

2007 - Toni Braxton

Toni Braxton filed a lawsuit at the U.S District Court in Manhattan against her former manager Barry Hankerson for $10 million, alleging "fraud, deception and double dealing." According to Braxton, Hankerson placed his own personal financial interests ahead of hers by using "double-talk" to compromise the relationship between Braxton and her former recording label, Arista Records.

still the writer and performer of some of the sexiest songs out to vinyl IMHO

2010 - Shakin' Stevens

Shakin' Stevens was found guilty of hitting a press photographer with a microphone stand during a concert at a hotel in Ballymena. The Welsh singer who scored No.1's in the 80s was fined £300 for assault and criminal damage and ordered to pay the photographer £479 to compensate for his damaged camera lens.

Prime Shakey!

2013 - Freddie Mercury

The 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow used by Freddie Mercury until his death in November 1991, sold at auction for £74,000 to a Russian businessman. The 62,000-mile classic Rolls-Royce which had a guide price of just £9,000-£11,000 featured grey leather, wood trim, electric windows, automatic gearbox, a car phone and radio cassette player and a 6.75-litre V8 engine. It was sold as part of the Coys auction at Autosport International.

BIRTHDAYS

1991 - Pixie Lott

Pixie Lott, British singer, 2009 UK No.1 with her debut single 'Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh)'. We like Pixie don't we? She seems bright to me . . . . . . . 

1974 - Mel C

Melanie Chisholm, Mel C, Sporty Spice, The Spice Girls who scored the 1996 UK No.1 & 1997 US No.1 single 'Wannabe'. Her first solo attempt was collaborating with Bryan Adams on a hit "When You're Gone". She then released her debut solo studio album, Northern Star in 1999, which sold four million copies.

I always liked Mel C and she is one of those women who seems to get more beautiful with age. There I've said it! I like her

1963 - Guy Chambers

Guy Chambers, singer, songwriter, producer, member of The Waterboys, World Party, The Lemon Trees. Worked with Robbie Williams from 1997 as co-songwriter and producer penning tracks including 'Angels', 'Rock DJ', 'Millennium' and 'Let Me Entertain You'.

Now I think the people behind or cohorts with and of the star writing things behind the scenes are really interesting. Given that Guy started off with The Waterboys makes him more so for me when he did all that work with Robbie. He has worked with a lot more people that that though he has written songs with other artists including Caro Emerald, Rufus Wainwright, Katy B, Marlon Roudette, Miles Kane, Mark Ronson, John Newman, Kylie Minogue, Example, The Wanted, James Blunt, Melanie C, Katie Melua, Schmidt, Tina Turner, Zak Abel and many many others.

1959 - Blixa Bargeld

Blixa Bargeld, from Australian rock band Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds who have released over 15 studio albums including the 2013 Australian No.1 Push the Sky 

Away.

1946 - George Duke

American musician, composer, singer and producer George Duke. He released over thirty solo albums, of which A Brazilian Love Affair from 1980 was his most popular. Duke worked with other musicians, particularly Frank Zappa and also appeared on Michael Jackson's Off The Wall album. He died on August 5, 2013 aged 67.

1946 - Cynthia Robinson

Cynthia Robinson, vocals, trumpet, Sly and the Family Stone who had the 1968 US No.1 singles 'Everyday People', the 1971 US No.1 'Family Affair' and the 1971 US No.1 album There's a Riot Goin' On. She died on November 23, 2015.

1945 - Maggie Bell

Maggie Bell, singer, The Power, Stone The Crows & solo, (UK No.11 solo single 'Hold Me').

1941 - Long John Baldry

Long John Baldry, vocals, Bluesology and solo artist, (1967 UK No.1 single 'Let The Heartaches Begin'). Baldry died of a chest infection on 21st July 2005.

1926 - Ray Price

Ray Price, singer, songwriter and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone has often been praised as among the best male voices of country music. He sand and wrote with them all and was life long friends with the likes of Willie Nelson and featured on tour with The Last of the Breed when he was 81 and still joking and singing a treat.I first came across his work though Dwight Yoakum singing Price's ' Heartaches By The Number' class act
Price died on 16th Dec 2013 aged 87 at his ranch outside Mount Pleasant, Texas.

with thanks to 'On This Day in Music' as ever . . . .