Wax Museum Radio
Next broadcast May 23rd Friday Night at midnight and Saturday night at 10pm on WRGG.
Hear Today In Rock and Roll History
Today In R&R History May 20th
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
May 20th
- May 20th Birthday, Singer Joe Cocker, born John Robert Cocker in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England in 1944. Cocker died from lung cancer on December 22nd, 2014 in Crawford, Colorado, at the age of 70.
- May 20th Birthday, Cherilyn Sakisian LaPierre, professionally known as Cher, born in El Centro, California in 1946.
- May 20th Birthday, Record producer and sound engineer Andy Johns. He worked in the studio with Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Free and others. He passed away on April 7th, 2013 at the age of 62.
- May 20th Birthday, The Go Go’s guitarist Jane Wiedland, born in 1958 in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
- May 20th Birthday, The Cowsills singer Susan Cowsill, born in Canton, Ohio in 1959.
Today In Rock and Roll History
May 20th
- May 20th, 1965 ABC Paramount Records release “Meeting Over Yonder” by The Impressions on 45. The song was written by Curtis Mayfield, arranged and conducted by Johnny Pate. The record entered the charts in June and peaked at No. 48 on July 17th.
- May 20th, 1966 Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who grew tired of waiting for John Entwistle and Keith Moon to arrive for a show in Windsor. When Moon and Entwistle finally show up, Townshend whacks Moon on the head with his guitar. Moon and Entwistle quit the band for a week.
- May 20th, 1966 Epic Records release “Please Tell Me Why” by The Dave Clark Five on 45. Co-written by Dave Clark and Mike Smith, in England, the song was relegated to B-side status, with “Look Before You Leap” chosen as the A-side. Produced by Dave Clark, “Please Tell Me Why” would also appear in the DC5’s “Satisfied With You” LP in September. The single entered the charts in June and peaked at No. 28 on July 9th.
- May 20th, 1967 “Groovin’” by The Young Rascals is the No. 1 record in the US.
- May 20th, 1967 Cameo Parkway Records release “Girl (You Captivate Me)” by ? and The Mysterians. The song was co-written by Joey Di Francesco and Allan Dischel and co-produced by Neil Bogart and Bob Reno. The record entered the singles charts on June 10th and peaked at No. 98 a week later.
- May 20th, 1967 The Hollies release “Pay You Back With Interest” on 45. Written by The Hollies front man Allan Clarke and guitarists Graham Nash and Tony Hicks, the track was recorded during sessions for The Hollies LP “For Certain Because” at EMI Studios in London with producer Ron Richards. “Pay You Back With Interest” peaked at No. 28 on July 8th.
- May 20th, 1967 Reprise Records signs The Jimi Hendrix Experience to the label. The debut album “Are You Experienced” would be released in August.
- May 20th, 1967 Acta Records release “Step Out Of Your Mind,” the first chart single by The American Breed. “Step Out Of Your Mind” entered the singles charts in June charted for nine weeks and peaked at No. 24 on July 15th. The American Breed would disband in 1970 and three of the members, drummer Lee Graziano, bassist Chuck Colbert Jr. and keyboard player Kevin Murphy would form the funk band Rufus with singer Chaka Khan.
- May 20th, 1967 Windy Records release “Oooh, Baby Baby” by The Five Stairsteps. The track was a cover version of the Smokey Robinson song, produced by Curtis Mayfield. “Oooh, Baby Baby” peaked at No. 63 on June 24th.
- May 20th, 1967 The BBC bans the playing of The Beatles’ “A Day In The Life” from its’ airwaves. The corporation statement referred to the lyric “I’d love to turn you on,” which they claimed advocated drug use.
- May 20th, 1968 Pete Townshend from The Who marries Karen Astley.
- May 20th, 1969 Columbia Records release “Spinning Wheel” by Blood Sweat and Tears. The song was written by the band’s lead vocalist David Clayton-Thomas and produced by Jim Guercio. The record peaked at No. 2 on July 5th. “Spinning Wheel” was nominated for three Grammy Awards in 1970, Record of the Year and Song of the Year and won for Best Instrumental Arrangement. Their self-titled album won the Grammy for Album of the Year and was awarded a Gold Record on July 23rd for a million copies sold.
- May 20th, 1972 Warner Brothers Records release “Lazy” by Deep Purple on 45. Self-produced and written by the band and its five members, the track was issued from their “Machine Head” album. The single version was edited to less than half the length of the LP track.
- May 20th, 1972 A&M Records release the second single by the Carpenters, “(They Long To Be) Close To You.” The song was co-written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, produced by Jack Daugherty and arranged by Richard Carpenter. The record entered the singles charts in June and peaked at No. 1 on July 25th.
- May 20th, 1972 “Day By Day” from the original cast album of the musical “Godspell” enters the singles charts following a March release on Bell Records. Robin Lamont was the uncredited lead singer on the song. Written and produced by Stephen Schwartz, the record peaked at No. 13 on July 29th.
- May 20th and 21st, 1975 Touring together with The Mothers Of Invention, Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart play Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas. The performances were recorded and selections from the shows were released by DiscReet Records on October 18th as part of the “Bongo Fury” LP, produced by Frank Zappa. The record peaked at No. 66 on December 6th.
- May 20th, 1976 RCA Victor Records release “Changesonebowie,” a greatest hits collection by David Bowie. The album peaked at No. 10 on July 17th, No. 2 in Britain.
- May 20th, 1977, Blondie perform their first concert in Britain at the Village Bowl in Bournemouth, England.
- May 20th, 1977 Charisma Records in England release the “Spot The Pigeon” three-song EP by Genesis in both seven-inch and twelve-inch vinyl formats. It was the band’s final studio recordings issued with guitarist Steve Hackett in the group. The disc included the songs “Match Of The Day,” “Pigeons,” and “Inside And Out.”
- May 20th, 1977 Capricorn Records release “Playin’ Up A Storm” by The Gregg Allman Band. Artists who guested on the LP included Dr. John, Bill Payne from Little Feat, George “Red” Callender, Milt Holland, Victor Feldman, Clydie King, Sherlie Matthews and Venetta Fields. Co-produced by Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman, the album peaked at No. 42 on July 23rd.
- May 20th, 1978 “With A Little Luck” by Wings is the No. 1 record in the US.
- May 20th, 1978 “Take Me Back To Chicago” by Chicago enters the singles charts on Columbia Records. Co-written by drummer Danny Seraphine and David “Hawk” Wolinski, the track was produced by Jim Guercio. The record peaked at No. 63 on June 3rd.
- May 20th, 1978 “You’re Not Alone” by Roy Buchanan enters the album charts on Atlantic Records. Produced by Raymond Silva at Atlantic Studios in New York City, the record peaked at No. 119 on June 17th.
- May 20th, 1978 “Stone Blue” by Foghat enters the singles charts on Bearsville Records. The song was co-written by Foghat guitarist and singer Dave Peverett. The record peaked at No. 36 on July 1st.
- May 20th, 1978 “Hold On To The Night” by Starz enters the singles charts. Written and produced collectively by Starz, the record peaked at No. 78 on May 27th.
- May 20th, 1981 Rocket Records in Britain release “The Fox,” the fifteenth studio album by Elton John. Co-produced by Elton John, Clive Franks and Chris Thomas at various sessions from August 1969 through March 1980 at Super Bear Studios in Nice, France, Sunset Sound Recorders, The Village Recorder and Davlen Sound Studios in Los Angeles and EMI Studios at Abbey Road in London, England. Former Elton John band mates Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson played on sessions for the LP, along with James Newton-Hoard, Steve Porcaro, Richie Zito, Steve Lukather, Jeff Porcaro, Jim Horn, Marty Paich and others. Released in America, the record peaked at No. 21 on June 27th.
- May 20th, 1985 Es Paranza Records release “Shaken ‘n’ Stirred,” the third solo album by Robert Plant. Co-produced by Plant, Benji Lefevre and Tim Palmer. Little Feat drummer Richie Hayward plays on the album. The songs on the LP were co-written by Plant, guitarists Robbie Blunt and Paul Martinez, keyboard player Jazz Woodroffe and Hayward, in different combinations. The record peaked at No. 20 on July 13th.
- May 20th, 1985 Daryl Hall and John Oates headlined a concert for the grand re-opening of the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. The performance is recorded and released by RCA Records in August as “Hall and Oates Live At The Apollo with David Ruffin and Eddie Kendrick.” The record peaked at No. 21 on October 26th.
- May 20th, 2000 The Guess Who perform in their hometown of Winnipeg, leading to a reunion tour. The line-up featured Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Jim Kale, Donnie McDougall and Garry Peterson. Kale would be replaced by another former member, Bill Wallace, before the first show on the tour.
- May 20th, 2016 Columbia Records release “Fallen Angels,” the thirty-seventh studio album by Bob Dylan. All but one song on the record had once been recorded, like Dylan previous LP “Shadows In The Night,” by Frank Sinatra. Self-produced using the pseudonym Jack Frost at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, the record peaked at No. 7 on June 11th.
Miscellaneous May
- May 1949 “Back Home Blues” backed with “Rock Awhile” by Goree Carter and His Hep Cats is released as a 78 rpm record on the Freedom Records label. Influenced by the guitar work of T Bone Walker, “Rock Awhile” stakes a legitimate claim as the first rock and roll record released. Eighteen years old when he recorded the song, the overdriven guitar tone and pentatonic lead predated rock and a style similar to Chuck Berry.
- May 1966 White Whale Records release “If You Gotta Go, Go Now” backed with “I’ll Go On,” the second single by Lyme & Cybelle, the folk rock duo of Warren Zevon and Violet Santangelo. Bob Dylasn wrote “If You Gottsa Go, Go Now,” and the B-side was a Zevon/Santangelo co-write. The record was produced by Bones Howe.
- May 1968 Parlophone Records in Britain release “(The Autobiography Of) Mississippi Hobo,” the second single by Hans Christian. Hans Christian was future Yes singer Jon Anderson. The single was arranged and produced by Paul Korda.
- May 1970 Viking Records press promotional copies of “From Denver To L.A.” on 45. Credited with a vocal by “Elton Johns,” it was taken from the movie soundtrack from the 20thCentury Fox film The Games. Original copies of the record are considered one of the rarest Elton John singles.
- May 1972 Bearsville Records release “Wonder Girl,” the debut single by Sparks. Written by Ron Mael, the record was produced by Todd Rundgren. Rundgren signed the band to Bearsville and produced their first album when the band was known as Halfnelson. The band changed its’ name to Sparks after the LP came out in October 1971. The name change led to a new cover and re-release of the album in February 1972.
- May 1973 Chrysalis Records release “Grand Hotel” by Procol Harum on 45. Co-written by Keith Reid and Gary Brooker, the song served as the title track of Procol Harum’s sixth studio LP, produced by Chris Thomas.
- May 1975 Harvest Record release “HQ,” the eighth studio album by Roy Harper. Recorded in March at Abbey Road Studios in London with producer Peter Jenner, when the LP came out in America, the cover art and the title changed to “When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease.” David Gilmour, Chris Spedding, Bill Bruford and John Paul Jones played sessions on the LP.
- May 1976 MCA Records release “Gimme Back My Bullets” by Lynyrd Skynyrd on 45. The song was co-written by Gary Rossington and Ronnie Van Zant. The studio track was produced by Tom Dowd.
- May 1977 CBS Records in Britain release “Ian Hunter’s Overnight Angels” album. Recorded at several different studios in the US, Canada and England with producer Roy Thomas Baker, Hunter’s US label, Columbia Records refused to release the LP with Hunter’s business management in disarray and no tour scheduled to support the album. Featured on the album sessions were guitarist Earl Slick.
- May 1984 Passport Records release “Russians & Americans,” the tenth studio album by Al Stewart. The LP was produced by Mike Flicker at four different studios, three in California and Abbey Road Studios in London. British and US issues on the record had different tracks. A 2007 reissue collected all the songs on one CD.
- May 1985 EMI Records in Britain release remixed versions of “Loving The Alien” backed with “Don’t Look Down” on 45, originally from from the David Bowie LP “Tonight.” Bowie wrote the AS-side. “Don’t Look Down” was a song co-written by David Bowie and The Stooges’ guitarist James Williamson.
- May 1985 Legacy Records in Britain release “Under Fire” backed with “On Top Of The World” by Roy Wood on 45. Both songs were written and produced by Roy Wood from the LP “Starting Up.”
This Week In Rock and Roll History
This Week In Rock and Roll History week of May 17th
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 5/17 The Beatles
Cool songs from the Rock and Roll Era, Closet Classics and more.
Craig Maher / Exo-X-Xeno Wax Museum Interview
Craig Maher from Exo-X-Xeno talking about the 2025 album "Luminous Voyage"
- Click picture to listen to the interview with Craig talking about the Exo-X-Xeno project with Yes members Billy Sherwood, Jay Shellen and Patrick Moraz.
Nektar Wax Museum interview 4/11/25
Nektar interviewed on the second night of the 2025 "Mission To Mars" Tour
- Click image to hear the exclusive the Wax Museum interview with Nektar discussiing the current tour, future plans and group history.
The Paul Bielatowicz Band Wax Museum interview 4/11/25
The Paul Bielatowicz Band interviewed on their 2025 Spring Tour
- Click image to hear the exclusive the Wax Museum interview with The Paul Bielatowicz Band discussiing the current tour and future plans.
Music and conversation with Andy Tillison of The Tangent
Wax Museum interview May 2024
- Click image to hear The Wax Museum's Andy Tillison interview
Jonas Reingold Interview
Jonas Reingold in The Wax Museum
Click image to hear Chris Palladino's Wax Museum Interview with Jonas Reingold
Carl Giammarese / The Buckinghams Interview
The Buckinghams Radio Show
Click image to hear Chris Palladino's interviews on WRGG with Carl Giammarese from The Buckinghams in 2022 and 2024
Robert Fripp Radio Oz interview 7/25/85
King Crimson guitarist Radio Oz interview
- Click Fripp's image to hear the King Crimson guitarist, record producer, solo artist in this 1985 interview for the WARX Sunday night Radio Oz program. Fripp discusses his then current Guitar Craft courses, King Crimson stories, his start in the music business, and more.
Annie Haslam 2019 Wax Museum interview
Annie Haslam "In Words and Music"
- Click picture to hear Annie Haslam "In Words and Music". The iconic Renaissance singer talks at length about music, her life, and artwork for an exclusive interview in The Wax Museum.
Tommy James Wax Museum Interview January 2019
Tommy James
- Click picture to hear Tommy promoting all his planned 2019 activities; new album, Sirius XM radio show, touring, new movie, etc.
From the Radio Oz interview archives
Firesign Theatre interview 1980
- Click picture to listen to this archival interview with The Firesign Theatre recorded during their 1980 Fighting Clowns tour of the US for Radio Oz now available for purchase in the Firesign Theatre's "Fighting Clowns" of Hollywood" collection! Also check out this Tiny Ossman interview from 1995 -
Woody Lissauer Wax Museum Interview 2/22/20
Baltimore based Woody Lissauer steps up to the Wax Museum microphones for this in depth interview!
- Click picture to listen to the Wax Museum interview with Woody Lissauer and his latest album "Trouble The Water" with Barbara Ireland and Steve Caplan.
