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Rock and Roll Birthdays

Today's Rock and Roll Birthdays

January 30th

January 30th Birthday, Jefferson Airplane singer and solo artist Marty Balin, born Martyn Jerel Buchwald in 1942 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He died on September 27th, 2018, aged 76.

January 30th Birthday, Sandy Deane, born Sandy Yaguda from Jay and the Americans, born in Brooklyn, New York City in 1943.

January 30th Birthday, Small Faces and Humble Pie singer and guitarist Steve Marriott, born in 1947 in Manor Park, London, England. He died on April 20th, 1991, aged 44, when a fire thought to have been caused by a cigarette swept through his 16th-century home in Arkesden, Essex.

January 30th Birthday, Genesis drummer, vocalist and solo artist Phil Collins, born in 1951 in Chiswick, London, England.

January 30th bBirthday, Guitarist Steve Bartek from Oingo Boingo born in 1952 in Garfield Heights, Ohio.

Today In Rock and Roll History

January 30th

January 30th, 1956 Elvis Presley began laying down tracks at RCA Victor’s New York studios for what would be his first album. Presley recorded his version of Carl Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes” and “My Baby Left Me.”

January 30th, 1956 Billy Lee Riley records “Red Hot” at Sun Studios in Memphis. Jerry Lee Lewis played piano on the track. Written and recorded by Billy “The Kid” Emerson and released on Sun Records in 1955, Riley’s version was produced by Sam Phillips and released on Sun Records as Billy Lee Riley and The Little Green Men, in January 1957.

January 30th, 1961 Sam Cooke begins sessions for “Twisting The Night Away” at RCA Studios in New York City. Cooke completed the recording in December nearly a year later, at RCA in Hollywood. The sessions were co-produced by a pair of Brill Building writers, cousins Luigi Creatore and Hugo Peretti, with the session musicians known as “The Wrecking Crew.” Released January 9th, 1962, the record hit No. 9 on March 24th.

January 30th, 1961 “Will You Still Love Me” by The Shirelles is the No. 1 record in the US.

January 30th, 1964 Following the huge success of “I Want To Hold Your Hand” in the US, Vee Jay Records re-release “Please Please Me” by The Beatles on 45.

January 30th, 1964 The Searchers were at No. 1 on the British singles chart with the Sonny Bono and Jack Nitzsche (Nitch-ee) song “Needles And Pins,” released in Britain just three weeks earlier, on January 7th, 1964. In the US, Kapp Records released the song on February 15th, peaking at No. 13 on April 11th.

January 30th, 1965 MGM Records release The Animals’ “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” on 45. Co-written a year earlier by Bennie Benjamin, Horace Ott and Sol Marcus for singer and pianist Nina Simone, the lyrics reflected the subtext of the Civil Rights Movement. The single entered the American charts in February and peaked at No. 15 on April 3rd.

January 30th, 1965 Philles Records release “Born To Be Together” backed with “Blues For Baby” by The Ronettes on 45. The A-side was co-written by producer Phil Spector with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and the session was arranged by Jack Nitzche. “Blues For Baby” was a Phil Spector composition.

January 30th, 1965 Gerry and The Pacemakers release the Gerry Marsden tune “Ferry Cross The Mersey” on Laurie Records. The song was recorded May 27th, 1964 at EMI Studios, London with George Martin producing with an arrangement by Johnny Scott. Gerry Marsden wrote the song specifically for the movie. The record entered the charts in February and hit No. 13 on May 15th, No. 8 in Britain and inspired a film of the same name.

January 30th, 1968 Verve Records release “White Light, White Heat” the second studio album by The Velvet Underground. Produced by Tom Wilson at Mayfair Sound in September 1967 in Manhattan, New York City, it was the final studio album the band recorded with founding member John Cale. The record peaked at No. 199 in America, on March 23rd.

January 30th, 1969 Gordy Records release “Runaway Child, Running Wild” by The Temptations. Produced by Norman Whitfield and co-written by Whitfield and Barrett Strong, The Tempts cut the track over two sessions on October 31st and December 16th, 1968 at Hitsville USA Studios in Detroit. Earl Van Dyke played keyboards. The single version of “Runaway Child” features only the first five minutes of the extended album version. The record entered the charts in February and peaked at No. 6 on March 29th.

January 30th, 1969 The Beatles made their last ever public appearance as a group, performing on the roof of Apple Studios at 3 Saville Row, London.

January 30th, 1969 Columbia Records release “Moby Grape ‘69,” the third album by Moby Grape. The LP was recorded from April through November 1968 with producer David Rubinson. The record peaked at No. 113 on April 19th.

January 30th, 1970 Atlantic Records release “Silly Silly Fool” by Dusty Springfield on 45. “Silly Silly Fool” was co-produced by Eugene Dozier and Roland Chambers and co-written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The record entered the charts in February and peaked at No. 76 on March 28th. It was Dusty’s last charting single in the US until the 1980’s.

January 30th, 1970 Chrysalis Records in Britain release “Same Old Story” by Blodwyn Pig as a non-LP single. The song was written by group guitarist Mick Abraham and produced by Andy Johns.

January 30th, 1970 Minit Records release “More Than I Can Stand” by Bobby Womack. Originally issued as the B-side of the song “Arkansas State Prison,” the record entered the singles charts in April and peaked at No. 90 on May 2nd.

January 30th, 1971 Parrot Records release “She’s A Lady” by Tom Jones on 45. Written by Paul Anka, the record entered the charts in February and peaked at No. 2 on March 20th. “She’s A Lady” was Jones’ highest-charting single in the states and his final Top Ten hit.

January 30th, 1971 Warner Brothers Records release “Blue Money” by Van Morrison on 45. “Blue Money” was the second of two Top Forty hits from Morrison’s 1970 album “His Band and the Street Choir.” The single entered the charts in February and peaked at No. 23 on March 4th.

January 30th, 1971 Curtom Records release “Ain’t Got Time” backed with “I’m So Proud” by The Impressions on 45. Both sides of the single were written and produced by Curtis Mayfield, but the B-side was the track that charted, reissued on March 28thand peaking at No. 14 on May 23rd.

January 30th, 1982 Hall and Oates went to No. 1 on the US singles charts with “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do).”
January 30th, 1988 Australia’s INXS had their first No. 1 single in the US with “Need You Tonight.”

January 30th, 1989 Quest Records release “Technique” by New Order. The band self-produced the album at Mediterranean Studios on the island of Ibiza and Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Bath, England. The record peaked at No. 32 on March 11th.

January 30th, 2012 Ringo Starr releases the album “2012.” The record peaked at No. 80 on February 18th.

Miscellaneous January

January 1959 Del Fi Records release “Fast Freight” backed with Big Baby Blues” by Arvee Allens on 45. Both instrumentals, the name was a pseudonym for Ritchie Valens, who wrote the songs. Rereleased later under his real name, it was Valens’ last single issued in his lifetime.

January 1967 Verve Folkways Records release “More Than A New Discovery,” the first album by Laura Nyro. The LP was produced by Milton Okun from July through November 1966 at Bell Sound Studios in New York City. Verve reissued the tracks as “The First Songs” in 1969 on their Verve Forecast imprint and Columbia did the same in 1973, reissued with a new cover, when it peaked at No. 97 on March 24th.

January 1968 CBS Records in Britain release “Come Out Fighting Genghis Smith,” the second album by Roy Harper. The LP was produced by Shel Talmy.

January 1969 CBS Records in Britain release “Love Chronicles,” the second album by Al Stewart. 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.

January 1971 Warner Brothers Records release the self-titled debut album by Little Feat. Produced by Russ Titelman, the LP didn’t chart. Little Feat were formed by guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in Los Angeles in 1969.

January 1972 Reprise Records release “The Spotlight Kid,” the sixth studio album by Captain Beefheart. The album was recorded in the Autumn of 1971 with Beefheart and Phil Schier co-producing.

January 1972 Buddah Records release “City Of New Orleans” by songwriter Steve Goodman. Although Goodman’s version didn’t chart, two subsequent cover versions did. Arlo Guthrie and Willie Nelson both had hits with the song. Goodman received a posthumous Grammy award for best Country Song at the 27th Grammy Awards in 1985 for Nelson’s cover of the song.

January 1973 Palladium Records release “Back In ‘72” by Bob Seger. The album contains the original studio version of one of Seger’s signature songs, “Turn the Page.”

January 1974 Warner Brothers Records release “Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath” by Black Sabbath on 45. The single version of the song was edited to three minutes and thirty-three seconds from the album version that was nearly six minutes long.

January 1974 Ardent Records release “Radio City,” the second album by Big Star. Down to the three-piece unit of Alex Chilton, Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel, former guitarist Chris Bell did contribute to the writing of a few songs on the LP before departing in late 1972. A few of the songs were completed by Chilton with session players. Sales were hampered by poor distribution of the album when Ardent’s parent company had disagreements with Columbia Records, who otherwise would have placed the album in stores.

January 1975 Wilco Johnson’s band, Dr. Feelgood, release their first LP “Down The Jetty” on United Artists Records in Britain.

January 1976 Mercury Records release “Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed” by Thin Lizzy on 45. The song was co-written by Phil Lynott, Scott Gorham and Brian Downey. The track was produced by John Alcock from the band’s “Johnny The Fox” LP.

January 1977 Private Stock Records release the eponymous first album by Blondie. Produced by Richard Gottehrer, the group bought back their contract with Private Stock and re-signed with Chrysalis Records, wrote re-released the album the following September.

January 1981 Full Moon/Epic Records release “Outside” by Ambrosia as a single backed with the Eagles song “I Can’t Tell You Why” on the flip side. Both songs were featured in the 1980 Richard Donner film soundtrack Inside Moves. The record peaked at No. 102 in the US.

January 1981 Sire Records release Talking Heads “Once In A Lifetime” on 45. Co-produced and written by the band and Brian Eno. It was the lead single from Talking Heads’ fourth studio album, “Remain In Light.” The LP went to No. 19 on December 6thbut the single never entered the Top One Hundred despite significant airplay on early MTV broadcasts. A live version released in 1986 peaked at No. 91.