ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC

March 2nd

1955 - Bo Diddley

Bo Diddley has his first recording session at Universal Recording Studio in Chicago, where he laid down 'Bo Diddley', which went on the top the US R&B chart by the following June.

1960 - Elvis Presley

After completing his national service and flying back to America, Elvis Presley stepped on British soil for the first and only time in his life when the plane carrying him stopped for refuelling at Prestwick Airport, Scotland. There was a story however apocryphal that Elvis came to London. According to impresario Bill Kenwright Elvis came two years early that the step on the tarmac in Prestwick and had a guided tour incognito through Tommy Steele around the metropolis. There is no evidence this is true other than gossip and hearsay. The reason he never toured is alleged to be that manager (colonel) Tom Parker who was a USA illegal Dutch immigrant paranoid that should he leave the States he would never be let back in. However apocryphal too this tory may be the number of bands and singers who didn't actually tour with their protégés is innumerable but that he wanted to keep Elvis close ( protecting the nature of his contract and he did not want Elvis comparing notes with other rock stars of the day)

Parker and Presley

1961 - The Everly Brothers

The Everly Brothers had their third UK No.1 single with 'Walk Right Back' a song written by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets.
Here in 1985


1964 - The Beatles

The Beatles began filming what would become their first feature film A Hard Day's Night at Marylebone train station in London. I have said much about watching it when it came out and I was hooked! I LOVED the film and indeed everything on film ever since from Help! to Magical Mystery Tour. The boys could do no wrong for me!

1974 - Stevie Wonder

At this year's Grammys Stevie Wonder won four awards: Album of the year for 'Innervisions', Best R&B song and Best vocal for ‘Superstition’ and Pop vocal performance for ‘You Are The Sunshine Of My Life’.

1975 - Paul McCartney

A policeman who stopped a Lincoln Continental for running a red light in Los Angeles was surprised to find Paul McCartney at the wheel with his wife Linda. The cop detected a smell of marijuana and on searching the car found eight ounces of the drug. Linda was arrested for the offence.

1977 - The Jam

The Jam played the first of a five-week Wednesday night run at The Red Cow, Hammersmith, London. The group had just signed a four-year recording contract with Polydor records.

1985 - The Smiths

The Smiths were at No.1 on the UK indie charts with 'How Soon Is Now.' Soho had the 1990 No.8 UK hit with 'Hippy Chick.' a song based on a guitar sample from the song. When it came out . . . I think

1991 - Free

21 years after it's first release 'All Right Now', by Free made No.2 in the UK singles chart after being re-issued to coincide with its use in a Wrigleys Chewing gum TV ad.

1991 - Serge Gainsbourg

French singer Serge Gainsbourg died of a heart attack. Famous for his 1969 UK No.1 duet with Jane Birkin on 'Je t'aime... Moi non plus.' During his career, he wrote the soundtracks for more than 40 films.

Serge and Jane Birkin in Oxford

1991 - Madonna

Madonna's 'Rescue Me', entered the US hot 100 at No.15, making her the highest- debuting female artist in rock history. The record had been held by Joy Llayne whose 1957 single 'Your Wild Heart', entered the chart at No. 30.


1996 - Oasis

Oasis scored their second UK No.1 single when 'Don't Look Back In Anger' went to No.1. From the bands 'What's The Story Morning Glory' album it was the first Oasis single to feature Noel on lead vocals instead of his brother, Liam Gallagher.


1999 - Dusty Springfield

Dusty Springfield died after a long battle against cancer, aged 59. The British singer had her first UK hit single in 1963 with ‘I Only Want To Be With You’, which reached No.4, the 1966 UK No.1 & US No.4 single with 'You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’ plus over 15 other UK Top 40 singles.

2003 - Hank Ballard

Singer, songwriter Hank Ballard died from throat cancer. Wrote and recorded 'The Twist' but it was only released on the B-side of a record. One year later, Chubby Checker debuted his own version of 'The Twist' on Dick Clark's Philadelphia television show. It topped the charts and launched a dance craze that prompted the creation of other Twist songs, including 'Twist and Shout' by the Isley Brothers and 'Twistin' the Night Away' by Sam Cooke.

2003 - Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera started a two week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Linda Perry written and produced song 'Beautiful'. The singers fourth UK No.1 which earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

2003 - Norah Jones

Norah Jones started a four week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with her debut album 'Come Away With Me'. The album spent over a year on the chart and was also a US No.1.

2007 - Kelis

American R&B singer Kelis was arrested in Miami Beach, Florida, after the singer started screaming racial obscenities at two female police officers who were working on an undercover operation on South Beach as prostitutes. Kelis was detained and charged with two misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and for resisting arrest. So no milkshake THAT day!

2008 - Amy Winehouse

Three months after its initial release, the deluxe edition of Amy Winehouse's Grammy Award-winning album 'Back to Black' went to No.1 on the UK album chart. 

2009 - Norman Cook

DJ and Ivor Novello award winner Norman Cook checked himself into rehab to battle an alcohol addiction. His manager Garry Blackburn said. "Norman is voluntarily seeking help for his alcohol problem but he's in good shape."

Norman 'Fatboy Slim' Cook leaves rehab with then wife Zoe Ball both self admitted alcoholics

2009 - The Beatles

Liverpool University launched a Masters degree on The Beatles, popular music and society. Liverpool Hope University claimed the course which looked at the studio sound and compositions of The Beatles was the first of its kind in the UK.

2013 - Paul McCartney

A pencil doodle by Paul McCartney when he was a teenager sold for over $5,000. The sketches were drawn by McCartney during the late 1950s while a student at the Liverpool Institute High School For Boys. The drawings showed multiple faces with different expressions on a single sheet of paper in pencil. The auction house said the drawing sold for £3,764 ($5,692). Both he and John doodled of course but Paul's interest in fine art resulted in two Beatles covers being involved in the commissioning of Peter Bak and Jann Haworth (Sgt Pepper) and Richard Hamilton (The White Album) and befriended many painters numbering people like Willem De Kooning. 

2016 - Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan sold his personal archive of notes, draft lyrics, poems, artwork and photographs to the University of Tulsa, where they would be made available to scholars and curated for public exhibitions. The 6,000 item collection also included master recording tapes of Dylan's entire music catalog, along with hundreds of hours of film video.

http://bobdylanarchive.com

BIRTHDAYS

1948 - Rory Gallagher

Rory Gallagher, Irish blues guitarist. Gallagher recorded solo albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s, after forming the band Taste during the late 1960s. His albums have sold over 30 million copies worldwide. Gallagher died on June 14th 1995.

1943 - Tony Meehan

Tony Meehan, English drummer. A founder member of the British group The Drifters which would evolve into The Shadows. They scored the 1963 UK No.1 single 'Foot Tapper' plus 28 other UK Top 40 singles. Meehan quit the music industry in the 1990s for a major career change as a psychologist. He died on 28 November 2005 aged 62 from head injuries sustained in a fall.

1943 - Lou Reed

American musician, singer and songwriter Lou Reed from the Velvet Underground. After leaving the band in 1970, Reed released twenty solo studio albums. His second, Transformer (1972), was produced by David Bowie and arranged by Mick Ronson, and brought mainstream recognition. Reed scored the 1973 solo hit 1 'Walk On The Wildside', and the 1997 UK No.1 charity single 'Perfect Day'. Reed died from liver disease on 27th Oct 2013 aged 71.

1938 - Lawrence Payton

Lawrence Payton, American singer with The Four Tops, who had the 1965 US No.1 single with ‘I Can’t Help Myself’ and a 1967 UK No.6 single with ‘Standing In The Shadows of Love’. Payton died on June 20th 1997. Founded as the Four Aims they helped established the Motown Sound heard around the world during the 1960s. Amongst the first real should records we heard at school over here in the UK so that 'This Is Soul' of 1968 was one everyone's playlist and I bought when it came out