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Rock and Roll Birthdays

Today's Rock and Roll Birthdays

September 9th

September 9th Birthday, A founding member of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Joe Negroni born in New York City in 1940. He passed away on September 5th, 1978 at the age of 37.

September 9th Birthday, R&B Singer and songwriter Otis Redding, born in 1941 in Dawson, Georgia. Redding died in a plane crash on December 10th, 1967 at the age of 36.

September 9th Birthday, Blues Project guitarist, solo artist and record producer Danny Kalb, born in 1942 in Mount Vernon, New York. Kalb passed away on November 19th, 2022 at the age of 80.

September 9th Birthday, R&B singer Dee Dee Sharp, born Dione LaRue in 1945 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

September 9th Birthday, Doug Ingle, vocalist, organist and leader of Los Angeles psychedelic band Iron Butterfly, born in 1945 in Omaha, Nebraska.

September 9th Birthday, Buffalo Springfield bassist and guitar player Bruce Palmer, born in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1946. He died on October 1st, 2004 at the age of 58.

September 9th Birthday, Paul Revere and the Raiders guitarist and songwriter Freddy Weller, born in 1947 in Atlanta, Georgia.

September 9th Birthday, The Doobie Brothers and Clover guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and prolific session musician John McFee, born in Santa Cruz, California in 1950.

September 9th Birthday, Guitarist, record producer, songwriter and solo artist Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics, born in 1952 in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England.

Today In Rock and Roll History

September 9th

September 9th, 1956 On his first of three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, Elvis Presley created a sensation performing “Love Me Tender,” “Hound Dog,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” and “Ready Teddy.” This in spite of the fact that he was allowed to be seen only from the waist up due to the fear that Elvis’ gyrating hips would cause mass hysteria.

September 9th, 1967 The debut single by Philadelphia based band The Soul Survivors, “Expressway To Your Heart” enters the singles charts following a July release on Crimson Records. Co-written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, the song was a regional No. 1 in the Northeast and went to No. 4 nationally on November 4th.

September 9th, 1968 After three takes on July 18th with George Martin producing, The Beatles record a rearranged version of “Helter Skelter” at EMI Studio Two with Chris Thomas serving as producer. Now utilizing EMI’s new eight-track recording deck, the group ran through eighteen more takes, designated takes four through twenty-one. The following day The Beatles began overdubbing onto take twenty-one, including a saxophone part by John Lennon and trumpet part by roadie Mal Evans.

September 9th, 1969 Columbia Records release “The Ballad Of Easy Rider” by The Byrds on 45. Written by Roger McGuinn, the track was produced by Terry Melcher. The single version is a completely different take of the song than the one on the “Easy Rider” soundtrack album. The record peaked at No. 65 on December 6th.

September 9th, 1970 Derek and The Dominos with Duane Allman record “Layla” with producer Tom Dowd. Co-written by Eric Clapton and drummer Jim Gordon, the piano progression that ends the song was actually co-written uncredited, by Gordons then-girlfriend Rita Coolidge. Released initially in March 1971, the record entered the charts on the 27th and later reissued by Atco Records on May 6th, 1972. “Layla” peaked at No. 10 on August 5th, 1972.

September 9th, 1971 Tamla Records release “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” by Marvin Gaye on 45. Gaye produced and played piano on the recording with members of The Funk Brothers on the backing track, including percussionist Eddie Brown, bassist Bob Babbitt and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Co-written by James Nyx Jr. and Marvin Gaye, the single was edited two and a half minutes shorter from its full-length album version. The record peaked at No. 9 on November 6th.

September 9th, 1971 Apple Records release the “Imagine” LP by John Lennon. Recorded February through May with Lennon and Yoko Ono co-producing with Phil Spector at John’s home studio, EMI at Abbey Road and later, New York City for string overdubs. Supporting musicians included George Harrison, keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, bassist Klaus Voormann and drummers Alan White and Jim Keltner. The album reached No. 1 in both Britain and the US on October 30th.

September 9th, 1972 “Backstabbers” by the O’Jays enters the album charts on the Philadelphia International Records label. The LP featured the album’s title track and “Love Train.” The record peaked at No. 10 on November 4th.

September 9th, 1972 Ardent Records release “#1 Record,” the debut album by Big Star. Featuring Alex Chilton and Andy Bell as the chief singers and band songwriters, the album is regarded as a classic early example of the American power pop genre, although it never charted.

September 9th, 1974 Jim Croce’s LP “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” hits No. 1 in the US.

September 9th, 1975 Atlantic Records release “Hotline” the sixth studio album by the J. Geils Band. Co-produced by Bill Szymczyk and Allen Blazek, the record peaked at No. 36 on October 25th.

September 9th, 1975 Paul McCartney and Wings begin a thirteen-month world tour at The Gaumont in Southampton, England. The tour visited the US and ended back in England at Wembley Arena.

September 9th, 1978 “Long Nights (Blue Collar Man)” by Styx enters the Pop Singles charts on A&M Records following an August release. Written by guitarist Tommy Shaw and self-produced by the band, the record peaked at No. 21 on November 18th.

September 9th, 1978 The Blues Brothers, fronted by comedians John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd with a backing band featuring Paul Shaffer, Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn and others, play a gig at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, when the band opened for comedian Steve Martin. Recorded and issued as The Blues Brothers’ “Briefcase Full Of Blues” album on November 28th, the record featured the hits “Soul Man” and “Rubber Biscuit.” The LP peaked at No. 1 on February 3rd, 1979.

September 9th, 1981 Sting and Phil Collins played their first ever solo sets at Amnesty International’s The Secret Policeman’s Ball.

September 9th, 1982 Mercury Records release “Signals,” the ninth studio album by Rush. Recorded from April through July at Le Studio in Morin Heights, Quebec, Canada with Rush and Terry Brown producing, the LP featured the hits “Subdivisions” and “New World Man.” The record peaked at No. 10 on November 27th.

September 9th, 1990 Reprise Records release “Ragged Glory,” the twentieth studio album by Neil Young, his fifth with the band Crazy Horse. The record peaked at No. 31 on October 6th.

September 9th, 2022 BMG Records release “Jude,” the seventh studio LP by Julian Lennon. The title is a reference to The Beatles’ song “Hey Jude,” written by Paul McCartney for the son of John Lennon. The record was a collection of songs Julian Lennon stockpiled throughout his music career that had never been recorded. The album was recorded at The Mix Suite in South London with Julian Lennon and Justin Clayton co-producing. Leland Sklar and Peter-John Vettese were among the session musicians who played on the record.

Miscellaneous September

September 1965 Muriel Records release “Lookie There” backed with “Wail Baby Wail” by Tommy Louis with Marshall and The Versatiles on 45. Ike Turner plays guitar on the tracks.

September 1967 CBS Records in Britain release “Love Chronicles,” the second album by Al Stewart. “Love Chronicles” was issued in the US in September. The album was issued in America in January 1969 on Epic Records. The LP was co-produced by Roy Guest, John Wood and Al Stewart. Session musicians included Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and four members of Fairport Convention, Simon Nicol, Richard Thompson, Martin Lamble and Ashley Hutchings. Songs on the record were orchestrated by Alexander Faris.

September 1970 Liberty Records release “Love Is A Game” backed with “Takin’ Back My Name” by a solo Ike Turner on 45. “Love Is A Game” was written by Tina Turner’s sister Ailllene Bullock. “Takin’ Back My Name” was credited to Leah Graham, an alias for Ike Turner, who produced and arranged the tracks as well.

September 1973, RCA Records in Britain release “The Tra La La Days Are Over” by Neil Sedaka. Recorded at Strawberry Studios in the Spring with Eric Stewart producing and 10cc as the backing band, the LP produced “Love Will Keep Us Together.” The song, co-written by Sedaka with Howard Greenfield, would become a huge hit for The Captain And Tennille in 1976.

September 1975 A&M Records release “White Punks On Dope” by the Tubes on 45. The song was co-written by Bill Spooner, Roger Steen and Michael Evans and produced by Al Kooper from the band’s eponymous first album. The single was edited to omit the curse word in the lyrics.

September 1977 DEVO release their second single on their own Booji Boy label. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” was a cover version of The Rolling Stones song. “(I Saw My Baby Getting) Sloppy” was co-written by DEVO. The 45 was produced by the group. “Satisfaction” was rerecorded by DEVO and released as their major label debut for Warner Brothers Records a year later.

September 1979 Reprise Records release “Rust Never Sleeps (Hey Hey, My My [Out Of The Blue])” by Neil Young on 45. The A-side was the acoustic version of the song. The flip side was the full band version, recorded with the band Crazy Horse and both from the “Rust Never Sleeps” LP.

September 1979 CBS Records in Ireland issue the seven-inch EP “Out Of Control” backed with “Stories For Boys” & “Boy/Girl,” the first release by U2. All three songs were written collectively by the band and co-produced by U2 and Chas De Whalley.

September 1981 David Bowie records the five songs written for Bertolt Brecht’s Baal. Bowie appeared in the BBC television production of Baal. The play was transmitted in Britain on March 2nd, 1982. The tracks were co-produced by David Bowie and Tony Visconti, who also played bass on the recordings. The EP was released in September 1982, reaching No. 29 in Britain.

September 1981 Island Records in Britain release “Gloria” by U2 on 45. The second single released from the group’s second album “October,” the song was written collectively by U2. “Gloria” was recorded during July and August sessions with producer Steve Lillywhite at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, Ireland. The record peaked at No. 55 in Britain.

September 1986 Warner Brothers Records release “Summer Of Love” by The B-52’s on 45. The song was co-written Keith Strickland, Rocky Wilson, Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson, produced by Tony Mansfield from the LP “Bouncing Off The Satellites.” The single had a unique remix with additional production by Shep Pettibone.