Tag Archives: October Music et al

October 5 Music et al

October 5 Music et al

see Wynonie Harris for more

October 5, 1948: Wynonie Harris’s “Good Rockin’ Tonight” hits #1 on the R&B chart. (see March 31, 1949)

October 5 Music et al

Love Me Do”/”P.S. I Love You

October 5, 1962, The Beatles before their US appearance: released first single, “Love Me Do“/”P.S. I Love You“, in the UK. (see Oct 27)

October 5 Music et al

Otis Redding

October 5, 1966: Otis Redding released Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul album, his fifth.

From AllMusic: “Recorded and released in 1966, Otis Redding’s fifth album, Complete and Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul found the rugged-voiced deep soul singer continuing to expand the boundaries of his style while staying true to his rough and passionate signature sound. Redding’s ambitious interpretations of “Tennessee Waltz” and especially “Try a Little Tenderness” found him approaching material well outside the traditional boundaries of R&B and allowing his emotionally charged musical personality to take them to new and unexpected places, and while his cover of “Day Tripper” wasn’t his first attempt to confront the British Invasion, his invigorating and idiosyncratic take on the Beatles’ cynical pop tune proved Redding’s view of the pop music universe was broader than anyone might have expected at the time. 

October 5 Music et al

Jimi Hendrix

October 5 Music et al

October 5, 1966: Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding played together for the first time. (see Dec 26)

Waiting for the Sun

October 5 – 11, 1968: The Doors’ Waiting for the Sun returned to the Billboard #1 album position. From AllMusic: The Doors’ 1967 albums had raised expectations so high that their third effort was greeted as a major disappointment. With a few exceptions, the material was much mellower, and while this yielded some fine melodic ballad rock in “Love Street,” “Wintertime Love,” “Summer’s Almost Gone,” and “Yes, the River Knows,” there was no denying that the songwriting was not as impressive as it had been on the first two records. On the other hand, there were first-rate tunes such as the spooky “The Unknown Soldier,” with antiwar lyrics as uncompromisingly forceful as anything the band did, and the compulsively riff-driven “Hello, I Love You….”

October 5 Music et al

October 3 Music et al

October 3 Music et al

Roots of Rock

October 3 Music et al

October 3, 1945: Elvis Presley made his first ever-public appearance in a talent contest at the Mississippi Alabama Dairy Show singing ‘Old Shep’, Elvis was 10 years old at the time and came second. (see October 5, 1948)

October 3 Music et al

Howl and Other Poems

October 3, 1957: at the conclusion of the obscenity trial regarding Howl and Other Poems, Judge Clayton W. Horn ruled that the poem was not obscene. In his decision, he stated that, “I do not believe that “Howl” is without redeeming social importance. The first part of “Howl” presents a picture of a nightmare world; the second part is an indictment of those elements in modern society destructive of the best qualities of human nature; such elements are predominantly identified as materialism, conformity, and mechanization leading toward war. The third part presents a picture of an individual who is a specific representation of what the author conceives as a general condition.” [Full transcript of decision] [complete Howl] (BG, see April 2, 1958; FS, see Nov 1)

October 3 Music et al

Beatles not breaking up

October 3, 1966: The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein, recently released from hospitalization, denied reports that Paul McCartney was leaving the group. There had been much press speculation during the latter part of 1966 that The Beatles were splitting up. Each of the four members had pursued outside interests after their final concert, with John Lennon filming How I Won The War in Germany and Spain, George Harrison visiting India, and McCartney and Ringo Starr busying themselves in England. Epstein also revealed that Lennon was appearing as Private Gripweed in Richard Lester’s film, and that McCartney was composing the music for another movie entitled Wedlocked, or All In Good Time. (see Oct 16)

October 3 Music et al

Woody Guthrie

October 3 Music et al

October 3, 1967: Woody Guthrie died of complications of Huntington’s disease.  NYT obit. (see Oct 6)

October 3 Music et al

Fifth Big Sur Folk Festival

October 3 Music et al

October 3, 1968: The Fifth Big Sur Folk Festival (Big Sur, see 1969 Big Sur; Festival, see Oct 26 & 27)

  • Joan Baez
  • Judy Collins
  • Mimi Fariña
  • Arlo Guthrie
  • Charles River Valley Boys
October 3 Music et al

 Seventh Big Sur Folk Festival

October 3 Music et al

October 3, 1970 – The Seventh Big Sur Folk Festival (held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds) (see September 25, 1971)

1:00 pm Concert:
Beach Boys
John Phillips
Joan Baez
Merry Clayton and Love Ltd.Kris Kristofferson (with Chris Gantry and Vince Matthews)
John Hartford
8:00 pm Concert:
Beach Boys
John Phillips
Linda Ronstadt, with Swamp Water
Mimi Fariña & Tom Jans
Mark Spoelstra
Country Joe McDonald
Tom Ghent
Joan Baez
October 3 Music et al

October Music et al

October Music et al

Fear of Rock/WDIA Memphis

In October 1954:  WDIA [Memphis, TN] and several other large popular-music radio stations banned several songs fro their sexually suggestive lyrics. The station ran announcements saying, “WDIA, your goodwill station, in the interest of good citizenship, for the protection of morals and our American way of life, does not consider this record [they named record], fit for broadcast on WDIA. We are sure all you listeners will agree with us.” (“Rock Is Dead” book link) (see  February 24, 1955)

October Music et al

Frank Sinatra

In October 1957:  Associated Press reprinted an excerpt from a magazine called “Western World” published in Paris. In it Frank Sinatra denounced rock music and musicians. The AP article said in part: 

The famed crooner, writing in the magazine Western World … praised the influence of American jazz and popular music as a way of winning friends and influencing people throughout the world.

 “My only deep sorrow,” he said, “is the unrelenting insistence of recording and motion picture companies upon purveying the most brutal, ugly, degenerate, vicious form of expression it has been my displeasure to hear—naturally I refer to the bulk of rock ‘n’ roll.

October Music et al

Mutual Broadcasting System

In 1958 the Mutual Broadcasting System (radio) dropped all rock from its network music programs, calling it “distorted, monotonous, noisy music.” To coincide with the ban, the network changed the title of its 21 hours of music programming from “Top 50” to “Pop 50.” Songs removed from play included “Splish Splash” by Bobby Darin and Elvis Presley’s “Hard Headed Woman.” (see Jan 12)

October Music et al

Future Woodstock Performers

 Joan Baez

October Music et al

In October 1960:  Joan Baez (age 19) released her first album, Joan Baez.

Ravi Shankar

In 1962: Ravi Shankar released his 4th album, Improvisations. He released his first  at age 17 in 1937.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCEU1QthKgM&list=PLWgPB85I_6O6KmW7cRr6btm5hbGquxBrr

 Paul Butterfield

In October, 1965: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band album released. (Paul Butterfield age 23). The personnel are:

  • Paul Butterfield – lead vocals, harmonica
  • Mike Bloomfield – guitars
  • Elvin Bishop – guitars
  • Mark Naftalin – organ
  • Jerome Arnold – bass
  • Sam Lay – drums, lead vocals 

Jimi Hendrix

In October 1965: recorded a single with Curtis Knight, “How Would You Feel” backed with “Welcome Home”  (see In December 1965)

Sly and the Family Stone

In October 1967: Sly and the Family Stone released first album, “A Whole New Thing.”  (Sly Stone, 24) Personnel for the album are:

  • Sly Stone – vocals, organ, guitar, piano, celeste, harmonica, and more
  • Freddie Stone – vocals, guitar
  • Larry Graham – vocals, bass guitar
  • Cynthia Robinson – trumpet, vocal ad-libs
  • Jerry Martini – saxophone
  • Greg Errico – drums
  • Little Sister (Vet Stone, Mary McCreary, Elva Mouton) – background vocals

 

October Music et al

 Green Onions

In October 1962: Southern soul has its first major hit with the instrumental “Green Onions” by Booker T. & the MG’s. On a broadcast of the radio program Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! on June 24, 2013, Booker T Jones was asked about the title and said, “The bass player thought it was so funky, he wanted to call it ‘Funky Onions’, but they thought that was too low-class, so we used ‘Green Onions’ instead.”Green Onions.”

October Music et al

LSD

In October 1966: after faking his suicide and months on the run in Mexico, Ken Kesey gets word from fellow prankster, Carolyn Adams (aka Mountain Girl), that the cops are on to him. He sneaked back into the US where he will be caught and serve his sentence. (see Oct 2)

October Music et al

Nina Simone

In October 1967: Nina Simone released “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free.”

From a Joe Hagen article: The door swung open and there she was: Nina Simone, alone in her dressing room, sweat cascading down her shaved head, a wig thrown to the floor and two glittering fake eyelashes mashed unceremoniously against the mirror.(see Oct 7)

October Music et al