Tag Archives: April Music et al

April 10 Music et al

April 10 Music et al

Black History

April 10 Music et al

April 10, 1956, Nat King Cole was performing before a white-only audience of 4000 at the Municipal Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama, when he was attacked and knocked down by a group of white men. The attack happened so quickly that some audience members believed the attackers had rushed the stage to attack a drunk man near the front row who had been jeering at Mr. Cole, “Negro, go home.” Police present at the concert in case of trouble apprehended Cole’s attackers quickly. Four men were charged with inciting a riot while two others were held for questioning. Outside the arena, officers later found a car containing rifles, a blackjack, and brass knuckles. (see May 13)

April 10 Music et al

Elvis’s GI Blues

 

April 10 – 16, 1961: Elvis’s GI Blues returns to Billboard #1 album for a third time.  The song was from the movie and album of the same name. Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett wrote the song. (see May 22)

April 10 Music et al

Stu Sutcliffe died

April 10 Music et al

April 10, 1962: Stu Sutcliffe died. The Beatles original bassist, Sutcliffe was with the band when he and John Lennon decided to call themselves “The Beatals”, which would later be changed to “The Beatles”.

Stu Sutcliffe is one of the people that are often referred to as “The Fifth Beatle”.

In July 1961 Sutcliffe left the band to pursue his career as an artist, enrolling in the Hamburg College of Art, studying under future pop artist, Eduardo Paolozzi, who later wrote a report stating that Sutcliffe was one of his best students.

Stu had also met Astrid Kirchherr in Hamburg and was engaged to her. While in college in Germany, Sutcliffe began experiencing severe headaches and acute sensitivity to light. In the first days of April 1962, he collapsed in the middle of an art class after complaining of head pains. German doctors performed various checks, but were unable to determine the exact cause of his headaches.

On 10 April 1962, he was taken to hospital, but died in the ambulance on the way. The cause of death was later revealed to have been an aneurysm. Sutcliffe was  21 years old. (see April 11)

April 10 Music et al

The Beatles’ Second Album

April 10, 1964, Capital Records released The Beatles’ Second Album. It was their second Capitol Records album and their third album released in the United States including Introducing… The Beatles released three months earlier on Vee-Jay Records.

The Beatles’ Second Album replaced Meet the Beatles! at number one on the album charts in the US.

It was not an album that the Beatles had put together as an album, but a collection of their songs unreleased in the US to that point.

The Beatles wrote five (*) of the eleven songs. (see Apr 11)

Side 1:

  1. Roll Over Beethoven
  2. Thank You Girl *
  3. You Really Got a Hold On Me
  4. Devil in Her Heart
  5. Money (That’s What I Want)
  6. You Can’t Do That *
Side 2:

  1. Long Tall Sally
  2. I Call Your Name *
  3. Please Mister Postman
  4. I’ll Get You *
  5. She Loves You *
April 10 Music et al

I’m Telling You Now

Apr 10 – 23, 1965: “I’m Telling You Now” by Freddy and the Dreamers #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video has both Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello “dancing” along.

April 10 Music et al

Mary Poppins soundtrack

April 10 – July 9, 1965: the Mary Poppins soundtrack returned to the Billboard #1 album spot.

April 10 Music et al

Oscars

A Man for All Seasons

April 10, 1967: 1966 Oscars held. Bob Hope hosted. A Man for All Seasons best  picture. Here is Sir Thomas More’s speech about the primacy of man’s laws over God’s laws.

In the Heat of the Night

April 10, 1968: 1967 Oscars held after two-day delay after Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination. Bob Hope hosted. The winner in the Best Picture category was In the Heat of the Night (with seven nominations and five wins – Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound).

April 10 Music et al

Beatles Break Up

see The Beatles break-up public for more

April 10, 1970: The Daily Mirror, Paul McCartney made the Beatles’ secret breakup public by issuing a press release to announce that he has left the group, done in the form of a fake interview: “Q: Is your break with the Beatles temporary or permanent, due to personal differences or musical ones? PAUL: Personal differences, business differences, musical differences, but most of all because I have a better time with my family. Temporary or permanent? I don’t really know.”

John Lennon was furious, especially since the breakup, already agreed upon by the group, was announced just one week prior to the British release of McCartney’s first solo album. When a reporter tracks down Lennon for his thoughts, he replies, “Paul hasn’t left. I sacked him.” (see April 20)

April 10 Music et al

April 9 Music et al

April 9 Music et al

FREE SPEECH

April 9 Music et al

April 9, 1961: Greenwich Village folk song fans battled the police for two hours in Washington Square. Police arrested ten demonstrators. Several persons, including three policemen, were hurt. Follow link above for more. (see NYC bans for expanded story)

April 9 Music et al

West Side Story

April 9 Music et al

April 9, 1962: 1961 Oscars held. Bob Hope hosts. The Best Picture winner was West Side Story. The film had eleven nominations and ten Oscar wins (losing only its Screenplay nomination) – close to matching the record established by Ben-Hur (1959) with its twelve nominations and eleven Oscars.

April 9 Music et al

(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration

April 9 Music et al

April 9 – 29, 1966: “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration” by The Righteous Brothers #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

From Wikipedia The song was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil who were part of the legendary Brill Building pop machine in New York City. They first started writing it following the success of the Righteous Brothers’ first single with Phil Spector, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'”, a song they also wrote. However, the song was not completed as they thought it sounded too much like “Lovin’ Feelin”,  and Spector chose instead to record Carole King and Gerry Goffin’s “Just Once in My Life” with the duo as their second single.

After leaving Spector’s Philles Records in late 1965, the Righteous Brothers moved to the mostly jazz-oriented Verve label. Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers then made inquiry to Mann about the incomplete “Soul and Inspiration” that the songwriters had previously played to Medley when they first started writing it, and asked them to complete the song. Mann and Weil complied with the wishes of Medley, and the Righteous Brothers then recorded the finished song.

The song was arranged by Jack Nitzsche who arranged many of Phil Spector’s song.

April 9 Music et al

Nashville Skyline

April 9, 1969: Bob Dylan released Nashville Skyline, his ninth album and the last album of the 1960s. He had recorded Feb 12 – 21, 1969.

Like any Beatle release, Dylan’s move toward a more country sound pushed many groups in that direction as well as attracting Dylan fans to bands already in that genre.

April 9 Music et al

“It Don’t Come Easy”

April 9, 1971: Ringo’s “It Don’t Come Easy”  released in UK. It will be released in US on April 16.

Ringo is the only songwriter credited on this, but he had a lot of help from George Harrison, who was very generous in giving his buddy full writing credit. The track (less Ringo’s vocal and horn parts) was already completed when Harrison gave it to him, and it included a scratch vocal by George.

This was Ringo’s first big hit as a solo artist (his cover of “Beaucoups of Blues” made #87 US a year earlier). (see Apr 15)

April 9 Music et al

Phil Ochs

April 9, 1976: Phil Ochs committed suicide.

From the New York Times Phil Ochs, the folk singer, guitarist and lyricist whose music provided some of the strongest notes of protest against the Vietnam War in the early 1960’s, committed suicide yesterday morning at his sister’s home in Far Rockaway, Queens, the family reported.

“Phil had been very depressed for a long time,” a family friend said. “Mainly, the words weren’t coming to him anymore.”

Mr. Ochs, who was 35 years old, had been living with his sister, Sonny Tanzman, since December, according to a family friend. He died by hanging. 

April 9 Music et al

April 8 Music et al

April 8 Music et al

Elvis Soldier Boy

April 8, 1960: Elvis recorded “Soldier Boy” as part of his first post-military service album. (see Apr 20)

April 8 Music et al

Julian Lennon

April 8 Music et al

April 8, 1963: Julian Lennon born. The Beatles were on tour at and John Lennon didn’t see his son until 11 April. On this evening the group were in the south of England, performing at the Swimming Baths in Leyton, London. (Julian Lennon site) (see Apr 13)

April 8 Music et al

Lawrence of Arabia

April 8 Music et al

April 8, 1963, 1962 Oscars held.  Frank Sinatra hosts. Lawrence of Arabia, with ten nominations and seven Oscars, was the Best Film winner.  This was the first of four British-made films that won the top Best Picture Oscar in the decade of the 1960s. The other three were Tom Jones (1963),  A Man For All Seasons (1966), and Oliver! (1968). (1962 NYT review)

John Lennon’s Rolls Royce

April 8 Music et al

April 8, 1967: John Lennon took his Rolls Royce to coachbuilders J.P. Fallon Ltd in Surrey to inquire if they could paint his car in psychedelic colors. This was based on an idea by Marijke Koger (“The Fool” who was a member of Dutch team of gypsy artists). J.P. Fallon commissioned Steve Weaver’s pattern of scroll and flowers for the Phantom V. The cost for having the work done came in at £2,000. A custom interior/exterior sound system was also installed as well as a Sony television; telephone (WEYBRIDGE 46676) and a portable refrigerator. (2017 Rolling Stone magazine article) (see Apr 19)

Cannabis

 

April 8 Music et al

April 8, 1968:  Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs established by President Johnson. It is the predecessor agency of the modern Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) 

It was formed as a subsidiary of the US Department of Justice, combining the Bureau of Narcotics (from the United States Department of the Treasury) and Bureau of Drug Abuse Control (from the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare’s Food and Drug Administration) into one agency. (SAGE knowledge site article) (next Cannabis, see May 19, 1969, or see CC for an expanded Cannabis chronology)

April 8 Music et al