Wax Museum Radio
Next broadcast May 9th Friday Night at midnight and Saturday night at 10pm on WRGG.
Hear Today In Rock and Roll History
Today In R&R History May 4th
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 4th
- May 4th Birthday, Spirit drummer Ed Cassidy born in Harvey, Illinois in 1923. He died on December 6th, 2012, aged 89.
- May 4th Birthday, The King Of The Surf Guitar, Dick Dale, born Richard Anthony Monsour in Boston, Massachusetts in 1937. He died on March 16th, 2019 at the age of 81.
- May 4th Birthday, The Troggs drummer Ronnie Bond, born Ronald James Bullis in 1940 in Andover, Hampshire, England.
- May 4th Birthday, Motown songwriter and record producer and one half of R&B duo Ashford and Simpson, Nick Ashford, born in 1941 in Fairfield County, South Carolina. He passed away on August 22nd, 2011.
- May 4th Birthday, It’s A Beautiful Day violinist, singer and songwriter David LaFlamme, born in New Britain, Connecticut in 1941. He passed away on August 7th, 2023 at the age of 62.
- May 4th Birthday, Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Nazareth guitarist Zal Cleminson, born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1949.
- May 4th Birthday, Jackson Five singer Jackie Jackson, born in Gary, Indiana in 1951.
- May 4th Birthday, Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars, born Robert Alan Deal in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1951.
Today In Rock and Roll History
May 4th
- May 4th, 1956 Gene Vincent records four songs, “Race With The Devil,” “Be Bop A Lula,” “Woman Love” and “I Sure Miss You” at Owen Bradley‘s Film and Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee studio with producer Ken Nelson. “Race With The Devil” was co-written by Vincent and Bill Davis. “Be Bop A Lula” was co-written by Vincent, Donald Graves and Bill Davis. Jack Rhodes wrote “Woman Love” and Bill Davis and Eddie Bryan co-wrote “I Sure Miss You.” In early 1956, Gene Vincent performed the song on a radio show in Norfolk, Virginia and recorded a demo version which was passed to Capitol Records, who were looking for a young singer to rival Elvis Presley. Released on June 2nd, “Be Bop A Lulu” charted Top Ten in the Pop, R&B and Country and Western singles charts and had sold over two million copies by 1957. Capitol Records issued the track as the band’s second single in August. “Race With The Devil” peaked at No. 96 on October 20th.
- May 4th, 1959 Swan Records release “Tallahassee Lassie” by Freddy Cannon on 45. Co-written by Frederick Picariello, Cannon’s given name and the track’s co-producers Bob Crewe and Frank Slay, “Tallahassee Lassie” peaked at No. 6 on July 4th, 1959
- May 4th, 1959 Atco Records release “Along Came Jones” by The Coasters on 45. Co-written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the lyrics were inspired by the 1945 comedy film of the same name. King Curtis played the sax solo with drummer Sticks Evans, Tony Motolla on guitar and Mike Stoller on piano. The single was The Coasters second chart entry, peaking at No. 9 on June 27th.
- May 4th, 1963 Dolton Records release “Surfing” by The Ventures. Produced by Bob Reisdorff, it was the band’s first charting album, peaking at No. 44.
- May 4th, 1964 The Moody Blues are formed in Birmingham, England with vocalist and guitarist Denny Laine and bassist Clint Warwick.
- May 4th, 1964 While touring as pianist with the Muddy Waters Band in England, Otis Spann records “Pretty Girls Everywhere” with Eric Clapton on guitar at Decca Studios in London with producer Mike Vernon. The engineers were Roy Thomas Baker and Gus Dudgeon. The track came out three years later, in January 1967 on the various artists collection “Raw Blues. The album included recordings by Otis Spann, John Mayall, Eric Clapton, Peter Green and others.
- May 4th, 1966 MGM Records release “Lil’ Red Riding Hood” by Sam The Sham and The Pharaohs on 45. Written by Ronald Blackwell, the track was produced by Stan Kesler. Entering the charts in June the record went to No. 2 on August 6th. “Lil’ Red Riding Hood” became a certified Gold Record with sales exceeding one million copies.
- May 4th, 1967 Motown Record release “7 Rooms Of Gloom” backed with “I’ll Turn To Stone” by Four Tops on 45. The A-side was a Holland-Dozier-Holland composition. The same songwriters penned “I’ll Turn To Stone” with R. Dean Taylor. “7 Rooms Of Gloom” entered the charts two weeks later and peaked at No. 14 on June 17th. “I’ll Turn To Stone” followed, entering the charts in July peaking at No. 76 on August 12th.
- May 4th, 1967 Ode Records release “San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)” by Scott McKenzie on 45, written by John Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas and co-produced by Phillips with Lou Adler. John Phillips played guitar on the recording, session musician Gary L. Coleman played orchestra bells and chimes, on bass guitar Joe Osborn and Hal Blaine played drums. The record peaked at No. 4 on July 1st.
- May 4th, 1968 The Ohio Express’ single “Yummy Yummy Yummy” enters the singles charts following an April release on Buddah Records. Co-written by Arthur Resnick and Joey Levine, who sang lead vocals on the track, the record was co-produced by the pair with Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz. The team was responsible for a number of charting hits, creating an entire genre of “bubble gum” hits for the teen market. Like many of the acts they produced records for, none of the official members of the group actually played on the records. “Yummy Yummy Yummy” peaked at No. 4 on June 15th.
- May 4th, 1968 Buddah Records release “Jelly Jungle (Of Orange Marmalade)” by The Lemon Pipers on 45. The song was co-written by the record’s producer and arranger Paul Leka, with Shelley Pinz. The record peaked at No. 51 on June 1st.
- May 4th, 1969 “Get Back” backed with “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Beatles with Billy Preston is the No. 1 record in the US, the group’s 17th US No. 1 record.
- May 4th, 1970 Polydor Records release the album “In The Beginning (circa 1960)” by The Beatles with Tony Sheridan The record charted for seven weeks and peaked at No. 117 on June 13th.
- May 4th, 1970 Parrot Records release “Raw Sienna,” the fifth album by British band Savoy Brown. The LP was co-produced by guitarist Kim Simmonds and singer Chris Youlden. Youlden left following the sessions to pursue a solo career. “Raw Sienna” peaked at No. 121 on May 30th.
- May 4th, 1973 Apple Records release the “Red Rose Speedway” LP by Paul McCartney and Wings, released to coincide with the band’s upcoming British tour. Intended as a double album to include McCartney songs as well as ones written by other members of Wings, record company objections to the proposal led to a very different released LP. The record was issued five days earlier in the US, where it peaked at No. 1 on June 2nd and featured the hit single “My Love.”
- May 4th, 1973 Harvest Records release “Money” by Pink Floyd on 45. Written by bassist Roger Waters and sung by guitarist David Gilmour, the track was issued as the first single from the band’s “Dark Side Of The Moon” LP. Self-produced by the band and engineered by Alan Parsons, the record charted for fifteen weeks and peaked at No. 13 on July 28th.
- May 4th, 1973 Columbia Records release “Silver Train” by Johnny Winter on 45. Co-written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Rick Derringer, the record came out before The Rolling Stones version on their “Goat’s Head Soup” LP.
- May 4th, 1973 Led Zeppelin opened their US tour, billed as the ‘biggest and most profitable Rock and Roll tour in the history of the United States.’ The group grossed over three million dollars.
- May 4th, 1974 “Moontan” by Dutch band Golden Earring enters the album charts following an April release on Track Records. Self-produced and arranged by Golden Earring, the LP came out in Europe nine months earlier. The tracks that formed the basis of ‘Moontan’ were recorded in Hilversum, Holland and the overdubs and mixing were done at IBC Studios in London, England. The album peaked at No. 12 on August 10th and featured the hit single “Radar Love.”
- May 4th, 1974 Columbia Records release “Secret Treaties,” the third studio by Blue Oyster Cult. Co-produced by Murray Krugman and Sandy Pearlman at Columbia Records’ 30thStreet Studio in New York City, the album reached No. 53 on June 1st.
- May 4th, 1974 “The Loco-Motion” by Grand Funk is the No. 1 record in the US.
- May 4th, 1974 Atco Records release “(Everybody Wanna Get Rich) Rite Away” by Dr. John on 45. Written by Dr. John and produced and arranged by Allen Toussaint, the record entered the charts a week later and peaked at No. 92 on May 11th.
- May 4th, 1974 “Daybreaker” by the Electric Light Orchestra enters the singles charts, released as the B-side of “Ma-Ma-Ma Belle” by United Artists Records in February. Written and produced by Jeff Lynne, the single peaked at No. 87 on May 25th.
- May 4th, 1977 Capitol Records release “The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl,” a record assembled from archived live shows the band played in 1964 and 1965. Capitol had planned to release the recordings in the 1960’s, but technical problems coupled with excessive crowd noise caused delays with its release. The album peaked at No. 2 on June 11th.
- May 4th, 1979 Radar Records in Britain release “Accidents Will Happen” by Elvis Costello and The Attractions. Written by Elvis Costello and produced by Nick Lowe, the single reached No. 28 in England and No. 101 in the US.
- May 4th, 1981 Slash Records release “Wild Gift,” the second album by X. Like the first LP, the record was produced by Ray Manzarek. Recorded at Clover Recorders in Los Angeles and Golden Sound Studios in Hollywood, the record reached No. 165 in the album charts.
- May 4th, 1982 A&M Records release “Special Forces,” the fifth studio album by 38 Special. 1981 sessions for the LP at Studio One in Doraville, Georgia were co-produced by Don Barnes, Jeff Carlisi and Rodney Mills. The album reached No. 10 and featured the hits “Caught Up in You,” “Chain Lightnin’,” “Back on the Track” and “You Keep Runnin’ Away.”
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 3rd
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 5/3 The Moody Blues
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
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Music and conversation with Andy Tillison of The Tangent
Wax Museum interview May 2024
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Jonas Reingold Interview
Jonas Reingold in The Wax Museum
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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
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King Crimson guitarist Radio Oz interview
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Annie Haslam 2019 Wax Museum interview
Annie Haslam "In Words and Music"
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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.
