Tag Archives: May Music et al

May 5 Music et al

May 5 Music et al

Cultural Milestone

Carnegie Hall

May 5, 1891: Carnegie Hall (then named Music Hall) opened in New York City. (see June 9, 1902)

Roots of Rock

May 5, 1956:  Elvis Presley’s album “Elvis” went to #1 on the Billboard chart. It was the first Rock and Roll album to ever reach #1. It stayed there for 10 weeks and it was also the first Rock and Roll LP to sell one million copies. (see June 2)

May 5 Music et al

The Beatles

May 5 Music et al

May 5, 1960: The Quarry Men became The Silver Beetles. (next Beatles, see May 10)

The Shirelles

May 5 Music et al

May 5 – 25, 1962: “Soldier Boy” by The Shirelles #1 Billboard Hot 100.  Luther Dixon and Florence Greenberg wrote the song.

West Side Story

May 5 – June 22, 1962: soundtrack to West Side Story was the Billboard #1 album.

May 5 Music et al

Dick Rowe

May 5 Music et al

May 5, 1963: on a recommendation by George Harrison, Dick Rowe Head of A&R at Decca records (and the man who had turned down The Beatles–“Guitar groups are on their way out, Mr Epstein.” ) went to see The Rolling Stones play at Crawdaddy Club, London. The band were signed to the label within a week. (2012 Independent article) (see May 7)

Grateful Dead

May 5, 1965: the Warlocks  played their first show at Magoo’s Pizza Parlor in Menlo Park, California. (Poster Trip article) (see Nov 27)

Roots of Rock

May 5 Music et al

May 5, 1986: thanks to a groundswell of public support and a $65 million commitment from city officials, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation chose Cleveland as the winning site, over locales such as New York, San Francisco, Memphis and Chicago where the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame would be built. (R & R Hall of Fame article) (next Roots, see May 7, 1991)

May 5 Music et al

May Music et al

May Music et al

Pete Seeger

May Music et al

In May, 1962: a Court of Appeals overturned the conviction of Pete Seeger. Fortuitously for Seeger, that same week Peter, Paul, and Mary’s cover of Seeger’s “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”  hit the Top 40 chart and his blacklisting began to dissipate. (2014 Nation article) (see June 27)

May Music et al

James Brown Live at the Apollo

In May 1963: recorded October 24, 1962, James Brown and The Famous Flames released Live at the Apollo. In 2003, the album was ranked number 24 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2004, it was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.

May Music et al

Little Stevie Wonder

In May 1963: recorded in June 1962 during a Motortown Revue performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago Little Stevie Wonder’s The 12 Year Old Genius album released.

May Music et al

LSD

Beatles and LSD

May Music et alIn May 1967: Paul McCartney reported in Queen magazine that all the Beatles had “dropped acid.” (partial text of conversation via Beatles Interviews site) (see May 20)

May Music et al

The Road to Bethel

May Music et alIn May, 1969: Woodstock Ventures hired Hugh Romney and the Hog Farm commune to work at festival for security, free food, and free stage. (see Woodstock for expanded chronology)

May Music et al

John Yoko and the Dakota

May Music et alIn May 1973: John Lennon and Yoko Ono moved from Greenwich Village to a 12-room apartment at the Dakota near Manhattan’s Central Park. They bought the apartment from the actor Robert Ryan, making it past the building’s notoriously picky board. John and Yoko had been drifting apart, however, and she had busied herself recording the albums Approximately Infinite Universe and Feeling The Space. (2010 NYT article) (see May 30)

May Music et al

May 1 Music et al

May 1 Music et al

Teenage Culture

May 1, 1957: the first issue of 16 Magazine came out, with Elvis on the cover. (see Aug 5)

May 1 Music et al

Herman’s Hermits

May 1 – 21, 1965: “Mrs Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” by Herman’s Hermits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

May 1 Music et al

Beatles’ final scheduled live appearance in Britain

May 1 Music et al

May 1, 1966: The Beatles’ final scheduled live appearance in Britain. It was their fourth appearance at the New Musical Express Annual Poll-Winners’ All-Star Concert, which took place at the Empire Pool in Wembley, London. The Beatles performed before an audience of 10,000.

The group were on a bill which also included The Spencer Davis Group, The Fortunes, Herman’s Hermits, Roy Orbison, The Overlanders, The Alan Price Set, Cliff Richard and The Shadows, The Rolling Stones, The Seekers, The Small Faces, Sounds Incorporated, Dusty Springfield, Crispian St Peters, The Walker Brothers, The Who, The Yardbirds and Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. The comperes were Peter Murray and Jimmy Savile.

The Beatles played a 15-minute set which included five songs: I Feel Fine, Nowhere Man, Day Tripper, If I Needed Someone and I’m Down.

Although ABC TV was filming the concert, Brian Epstein failed to reach an agreement over terms, so the cameras were turned off while The Beatles performed. The group was, however, filmed receiving their poll awards. (see May 16) (see Beatles last UK concert for more)

May 1 Music et al

Lennon deportation

May 1 Music et al

May 1, 1972: Judge Bernard J. Lasker signed a temporary order in Federal Court restraining the Immigration and Naturalization Service from holding a deportation hearing for John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Judge Lasker ruled that the Government must first hold a hearing on a motion made by the Lennons before it takes up the matter of deportation. Lennon’s motion asks that they be classified as “aliens of distinguished merit and ability.” (next Beatles, see May 11; see Lennon for expanded story)

May 1 Music et al