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Hear Today In Rock and Roll History
Today In R&R History August 31st
Daily Rock and Roll History, Birthday and short music clips.
A year long, day by day look back at this date in Rock History in 3-5 minute segments. Now airing WRGG in Greencastle, PA.
Rock and Roll Birthdays
August 31st
- August 31st Birthday, The Crickets drummer Jerry Allison, born in Hillsboro, Texas in 1939.
- August 31st Birthday, Singer, songwriter Van Morrison, born George Ivan in 1945 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- August 31st Birthday, Guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Bob Welch, who left Fleetwood Mac for a solo career, born in 1945 in Los Angeles, California.
- August 31st Birthday, David Bowie and Iggy Pop guitarist Ricky Gardiner, born in 1948 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. Gardiner died with Parkinson’s disease on May 13th, 2022, aged 73.
- August 31st Birthday, Scorpions guitarist and songwriter Rudolf Schenker, born in Hildesheim, Germany in 1948.
- August 31st Birthday, Singer, songwriter and vocalist for The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Firefall, Rick Roberts, born in 1949 in Clearwater, Florida.
- August 31st Birthday, Squeeze guitarist and singer, songwriter Glenn Tilbrook, born in 1957 in Woolwich, Southeast London, England.
- August 31st Birthday, The Go Go’s drummer Gina Schock, born Regina Ann Schock in 1957 in Baltimore, Maryland.
- August 31st Birthday, Blues rock guitarist and songwriter Chris Whitley, born in Houston, Texas in 1960. He died of lung cancer on November 20th, 2005.
Today In Rock and Roll History
August 31st
- August 31st, 1956 RCA Victor Records release Elvis Presley’s cover version of the Ray Charles song “I Got A Woman” on 45. The track was recorded on the same day Elvis cut “Heartbreak Hotel,” January 10th, 1956, with producer Steve Shoals at RCA Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.
- August 31st, 1958 Ricky Nelson kicks off his musical concert career by appearing at Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he sets an all-time attendance record for the venue by performing in front of 44,221 people over two days.
- August 31st, 1959 MGM Records release “Loneliness” backed with “Anna Belle” by Jerry Landis on 45. Landis was one of a few different stage names used by Paul Simon early in his music career. Both songs were written by Simon as Jerry Landis.
- August 31st, 1963 Tribute Records release an early Paul Simon single. Paul Kane was one of several stage names Simon used. The A-side was credited to The Voices of Paul Kane doing “He Was My Brother.” The flip side of the record was credited to Paul Kane doing “Carlos Dominguez.” Both songs were written by Simon, listed on the record label as Paul Kane. Tribute reissued the single in 1973, credited to Paul Simon.
- August 31st, 1963 The Angels become the first white girl group to have a US No. 1 hit when “My Boyfriend’s Back” topped the Pop Singles charts.
- August 31st, 1964 Motown Records release the “Where Did Our Love Go” album by The Supremes. Producers Brain Holland and Lamont Dozier share individual production credits on various songs on the LP with Berry Gordy Jr., Smokey Robinson and Norman Whitfield. The record featured the hits “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Baby Love” and “Come See About Me” and peaked at No. 2 on January 16th, 1965.
- August 31st, 1968 Eighteen-year-old Danny Kirwan joined Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer as one of three guitarists in Fleetwood Mac.
- August 31st, 1970 Atlantic Records release “The Sun, Moon & Herbs” by Dr. John The Night Tripper. The LP was recorded at Trident Studios in London, Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida and Dimension Recorders in Hollywood, California. In addition to The Memphis Horns, guest musicians on the sessions included Eric Clapton, Graham Bond, Carl Radle, Jim Gordon, Bobby Keys and Jim Price. Backing singers included Mick Jagger, Doris Troy, P.P. Arnold and Bobby Whitlock. The record peaked at No. 184 on November 6th.
- August 31st, 1970 Brother Records release “Sunflower” by The Beach Boys. Sessions for the album were tracked in The Beach Boys Studio, Gold Star and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles from January through July with the band producing. The record peaked at No. 151 on October 17th.
- August 31st, 1971 Ten Years After release “I’d Love To Change The World” on 45. Produced by Chris Wright, the song was written and sung by group guitarist Alvin Lee and peaked at No. 40 on November 20th, Ten Years After’s biggest US hit.
- August 31st, 1972 Warner Brothers Records release “Summer Breeze” by Seals and Croft on 45. The single entered the charts in September. Co-written by the duo and produced by Louie Shelton, the song went to No. 6 on October 25th.
- August 31st, 1973 In Britain, Rolling Stones Records release the eleventh studio LP by The Rolling Stones, “Goat’s Head Soup.” The album was recorded at Dynamic Studios in Kingston, Jamaica, The Village Recorders in Los Angeles, California and Island Studios in London, England from November 1972 through February 1973 with producer Jimmy Miller. Stones’ bassist Bill Wyman only plays on three of the songs on the album. Keyboard players Billy Preston, Nicky Hopkins and Ian Stewart all played on the sessions. Released in the US on September 12th, the record entered the charts on November 17th and peaked at No. 1 on October 13th.
- August 31st, 1973 CBS Records in Britain release “All The Way From Memphis” by Mott The Hoople on 45. The song was written by singer Ian Hunter as an autobiographical travelogue of a working musician. Co-produced by the members of the band, “All The Way From Memphis” peaked at No. 10 in England. Columbia Records in America issued the song as a 45 on September 5th.
- August 31st, 1974 “Carefree Highway” by Gordon Lightfoot enters the singles charts on Reprise Records. Written by Lightfoot, the track came from his No. 1 LP “Sundown,” produced by Larry Waronker. “Carefree Highway” peaked at No. 10 on November 9th.
- August 31st, 1974 “Highway Call” by Richard (Dickie) Betts, enters the album charts. The first solo album by the Allman Brothers guitarist was recorded at Capricorn Studios in Macon, Georgia. The record peaked at No. 19 on October 19th.
- August 31st, 1974 “An Anthology Vol. II,” a second volume of career spanning tracks by Duane Allman enters the album charts on Capricorn Records. Like the first volume issued in November 1973, the double album set combined Allman’s career as a session man, his work with the Allman Brothers Band and solo recordings. The album peaked at No. 49 on October 19th.
- August 31st, 1974 “Not Fragile,” the third album by Bachman-Turner Overdrive, enters the album charts for the first of fifty weeks. The record featured the hits “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” “Let It Ride,” “Hey You” and peaked at No. 1 on October 19th.
- August 31st, 1976 George Harrison is found guilty of subconscious plagiarism of the song “He’s So Fine” in the writing of his hit song “My Sweet Lord.” He would eventually pay the copyright holder, Bright Tunes, five hundred and eighty-seven thousand dollars in damages.
- August 31st, 1979 Rainbow’s “Since You Been Gone” is released on 45. Written by Russ Ballard and first released by Ballard on his 1976 solo LP “Winning.” The Rainbow version featured singer Graham Bonnet and was produced by Roger Glover. The record peaked at No. 57 on December 22nd.
- August 31st, 1985 The Mick Jagger and David Bowie cover version of “Dancing In The Street” enters the singles charts on EMI Records. Co-written by Ivy Joe Hunter, William “Mickey” Stevenson and Marvin Gaye and originally a hit for Martha and The Vandellas in 1966, the Jagger/Bowie version was co-produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley to coincide with the duo’s prerecorded video appearance at Live Aid. The record peaked at No. 7 on October 12th.
- August 31st, 1985 Twenty years after it originally topped the UK chart for Sonny And Cher, “I Got You Babe” was a No. 1 hit all over again for UB40 and Chrissie Hynde.
- August 31st, 1987 IRS Records release “Document,” the fifth studio album by R.E.M. Produced by the band and Scott Liit, the LP featured the hits “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It” and “The One I Love.” The record peaked at No. 10 on November 7th.
- August 31st, 1994 Virgin Records release “Mamouna,” the ninth solo album by Bryan Ferry. Ferry’s former bandmates in Roxy Music, Andy Mackay, Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera played on the record, as well as Robin Trower, Guy Fletcher and others. Co-produced by Bryan Ferry and Robin Trower, the LP peaked at No. 11 in Britain.
- August 31st, 2010 Elton John and Leon Russell issued “If It Wasn’t For Bad,” the first single from their upcoming collaborative album “The Union.”
Miscellaneous August
- August 1957 Ace Records release “Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu” by Huey “Piano” Smith on 45. The song was co-written by Smith and Johnny Vincent. The session for the track included Sidney Rayfield and “Scarface” John Williams on vocals, Lee Allen on tenor sax, Earl King on guitar, Frank Fields on bass and Charles “Hungry” Williams on drums. The record peaked at No. 52 on the Pop singles charts.
- August 1958 Dot Records release “Scratchin’” backed with the novelty song “I Hates Rabbits” by Jerry Neal on 45. Neal was a stage name of Jerry Capehart. He co-wrote both songs with Eddie Cochran. Cochran is rumored to play all the instruments on “Scratchin’,” while Cochran plays lead guitar on “I Hates Rabbits.”
- August 1958 Tune Town Records release “Boxtop” by Ike Turner, Carson Oliver and Little Ann, the first record release to feature the future Tina Turner on vocals. The song was written by Ike Turner, who heard the seventeen-year-old sing during the intermission of a Kings Of Rhythm set at the Manhattan Club in East St. Louis. Carson Oliver was one of the vocalists in Turner’s group, the Kings Of Rhythm band. The track was recorded at Turner’s house on Virginia Place, in East St. Louis.
- August 1963 Original Sound Records release “Heavies” backed with “The Cruncher” by The Rotations on 45. The Rotations were an alias for Paul Buff and Dave Aerni. Both songs were co-written by Aerni and Buff, produced by Frank Zappa at PAL Studio in Cucamonga, California in June. A few seconds of “Heavies” is heard in the opening moments of “Nasal Retentive Caliope Music” on The Mothers Of Invention LP “We’re Only In It For The Money.”
- August 1963 Original Sound Records release “Tijuana” backed with “Grunion Run” by The Hollywood Persuaders on 45. Paul Buff wrote the A-side. “Grunion Run” was performed by Paul Buff and Frank Zappa, recording at PAL Studios in Cucamonga, California in June. Zappa played guitars, bass and drums with Paul Buff on saxophone.
- August 1965 Autumn Records release “Beau Brummels Volume II.” The record featured the hit “You Tell Me Why” and follow-up single “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” but didn’t chart. Sylvester Stewart, later known professionally as Sly Stone, is listed as the album’s producer, but members of the band didn’t recall him being there for the recording sessions.
- August 1969 Immediate Records in Britain release the self-titled album by “The Nice,” the group’s second album.
- August 1971 A&M Records release “White Light,” the second studio album by The Byrds’ singer, songwriter Gene Clark. The LP was recorded at A&M Studios and Village Recorders in Los Angeles with Jesse Ed Davis producing in the Spring, 1971. Playing on the record were Davis, bassist Chris Ethridge of the Flying Burrito Brothers, organist Michael Utley, pianist Ben Sidran and drummer Gary Mallaber, both of the Steve Miller Band.
- August 1972 Thunderclap Newman pianist Andy Newman releases the solo LP “Rainbows” on Track Records in England. Pete Townshend is the executive producer of the album.
- August 1974 Ardent Records release “September Gurls” by Big Star on 45. The song was written by Alex Chilton with autobiographical lyrics about several women in his life. The record was co-produced by Big Stay and John Fry on a six track recording console at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee during sessions for the band’s second album “Radio City.”
- August 1976 Mushroom Records in Australia release “Second Thoughts,” the second LP by Split Enz. The group’s first LP “Mental Notes” had not been released in America or in Europe, so Chrysalis Records issued “Second Thoughts” in September in Britain and January 1977 in the US – as “Mental Notes” with new cover art. “Second Thoughts” was produced by Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera at Basing Street Studios in London. The LP went to No. 18 in the New Zealand album charts.
- August 1978 Chrysalis Records release “I’m Gonna Love You Too” by Blondie on 45, a cover version of The Crickets’ song from 1957. The song was written by Crickets’ bassist Joe Maudlin, guitarist Niki Sullivan and record producer Norman Petty. Produced by Mike Chapman, it was the first single released from Blondie’s “Parallel Lines” LP.
- August 1980 Virgin Records in Britain release “Generals And Majors” by XTC on 45. Written by Colin Moulding and produced by Steve Lillywhite, it was the first single released from the band’s “Black Sea” album and peaked at No. 32 in England.
- August 1980, Virgin Records release “Doc At The Radar Station” by Captain Beefheart. The album was recorded in June at Sound Castle Recording Studios in Los Angeles with Beefheart producing.
- August 1983 Warner Brothers Records release “Song For A Future Generation” by The B-52’s as the second single from the “Whammy!” LP. The song was written collectively by The B-52’s, produced by Steven Stanley.
- August 1984 EG Records release “The Pearl,” the second album by Harold Budd and Brian Eno. Recorded in Toronto, Canada with Daniel Lanois also producing, the premise of the recordings were established on the pair’s first collaboration “The Plateaux Of Mirror,” with Eno treating Budd’s improvised piano parts with studio effects and later making compositional decisions together to create the released tracks.
- August 1986 IMP Records in Britain release “Tokyo Storm Warning” by Elvis Costello and The Attractions on 45, a song Costello wrote with his wife, The Pogues bassist Cait O’Riordan. The track was Costello’s first single release to give credit to his given name MacManus. “Tokyo Storm Warning” was co-produced by Nick Lowe and Colin Fairley.
- August 1987 Virgin Records in England release “Psonic Psunspot,” the first full-length album by The Dukes Of Stratosphere, actually XTC under a different name with guitarist Dave Gregory’s brother Ian on drums. The record was co-produced by John Leckie and the band at Sawmills Studio in Fowey, Cornwall, England in June.
- August 1987 Columbia Records release the movie soundtrack LP “Back To The Beach,” a various artists collection of songs from the film. Highlights include the Stevie Ray Vaughn/Dick Dale remake of “Pipeline,” songs by Dave Edmunds, Eddie Money, Aimee Mann, M<arti Jones and a Herbie Hancock version of “Wipe Out” featuring Dweezil Zappa on guitar and Terry Bozzio on drums.
- August 1989 Virgin Records release “The Loving” by XTC on 45 in Britain. The track came from the band’s Paul Fox produced “Oranges And Lemons” LP.
- August 1992 Warner Brothers Records in Britain release “Real Cool World” by David Bowie on 45. The song was the theme from Real Cool World movie, written by Bowie and produced by Nile Rodgers. The B-side was an instrumental version of the track.
This Week In Rock and Roll History
This Week In Rock and Roll History week of August 30th
This Week In Rock and Roll History is a weekly one hour look back at the songs, the artists, and the stories behind the music of the rock and roll era.
The Cool Song Of The Week
Cool Song Of The Week of 8/30 The Count Five
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