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Rock and Roll Birthdays

Today's Rock and Roll Birthdays

January 11th

January 11th Birthday, Blues singer Slim Harpo, born James Isaac Moore, in 1924 in Lobdell, Louisiana. Harpo died on January 31st, 1970, from a heart attack, aged 46.

January 11th Birthday, R&B singer Lavern Baker, born Dolores Williams in 1929 in Chicago, Illinois.

January 11th Birthday, E Street Band saxophone player Clarence Clemons, born 1942 in Norfolk County, later known as Chesapeake County, Virginia. Clemons died from complications caused by the stroke on June 18th, 2011, aged 69.

January 11th Birthday, Original Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye, born Anthony John Selvidge in Leicester, England in 1945.

January 11th Birthday, Jazz guitarist and session man Lee Ritenour, born in 1950 in Los Angeles, California.

January 11th Birthday, XTC singer, guitarist and songwriter Andy Partridge, born in 1953 in Mtarfa on the Island of Malta.

January 11th Birthday, Singer, songwriter Marshall Crenshaw, born in 1953 in Detroit, Michigan.

January 11th Birthday, Blasters songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, co-founder and later a member of X, Dave Alvin, born in 1955 in Downey, California.

January 11th Birthday, Vicki Peterson, lead guitarist from The Bangles, born in 1958 in Northridge, Los Angeles, California.

Today In Rock and Roll History

January 11th

January 11th, 1956 After changing their name from The Robins, The Coasters record their first tracks for Atlantic Records in Hollywood. The L.A. quintet would make the singles charts in 1957 and place six consecutive hits in the Top Ten.

January 11th, 1958 The original version of “The Twist” was taped by Hank Ballard and The Midnighters at a Cincinnati, Ohio recording studio. Before “The Twist,” The Midnighters had hit singles with “Work With Me, Annie” and answer songs “Annie Had a Baby” and “Annie’s Aunt Fannie,” written and sung by Ballard. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

January 11th, 1960 Chess Records release “Let It Rock” backed with “Too Pooped To Pop Casey” by Chuck Berry on 45. For the recording, Berry was on guitar and vocals, Johnnie C. Johnson on piano, Reggie Boyd played electric bass and Fred Below was on drums. The single reached No. 64 on February 27th. The record was a much bigger hit in Britain, where it went to No. 6.

January 11th, 1962 Chess Records release the self-titled “Howlin’ Wolf” album. Produced by Ralph Bass, it was a collection of Wolf singles released from 1960 through 1962. The record showcases seminal Howlin’ Wolf recordings and a number of famous session players, including Hubert Sumlin, Lafayette Leake, Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy and Fred Below.

January 11th, 1962 Cliff Richard and The Shadows’ “The Young Ones” became the first British artist to enter the UK chart at No. 1. The song was co-written by two American songwriters, Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett. Produced by Norrie Paramour at studio sessions on August 11thand December 5th, 1961 at EMI Studios in London. Britain’s Columbia Records had a half a million advance orders for the single.

January 11th and 12th, 1965 The Rolling Stones were in RCA studios in Hollywood, California, recording “The Last Time” and “Play With Fire.” The single was the band’s third UK 45 to reach No. 1 in Britain, spending three weeks at the top in March and early April. Phil Spector, whose “Wall of Sound” approach can be heard on the recording, assisted with the production during the sessions. “The Last Time” became the band’s first single co-written by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger; the chorus being similar to a Staples Singers’ 1958 cover of the traditional tune, “This May Be The Last Time.” Released March 13th in the US, the A-side of the single entered the charts in March and peaked at No. 9 on May 1st. “Play With Fire” entered the charts for a week in May peaking at No. 96. “The Last Time” went to No. 1 in Britain.

January 11th, 1965 From East Los Angeles, Cannibal and The Headhunters’ “Land Of 1000 Dances” is released on Rampart Records. Adding a “Na Na Na Na” refrain to the original 1962 song by Chris Kenner, the song entered the Pop Singles charts in February and peaked at No. 30 on April 24th, the group’s only charting single. The band opened for The Beatles during their August North American tour that included the historic Shea Stadium concert on August 15th.

January 11th, 1967 The Jimi Hendrix Experience record “The Wind Cries Mary” at De Lane Lea Studios in London with Chas Chandler producing. Hendrix wrote the song as a conciliatory love song for his girlfriend in London, Kathy Mary Etchingham. Track Records in Britain released the song on May 5th, where the record peaked at No. 6 on the singles charts.

January 11th, 1967 Motown Records release “Love Is Here And Now You’re Gone” by The Supremes on 45. Co-written by Motown’s main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland and co-produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier, “Love Is Here And Now You’re Gone” became the group’s ninth No. 1 record on March 11th.

January 11th, 1969 From San Antonio, Texas, The Bubble Puppy release “Hot Smoke and Sassafras” on 45. The song was co-written by band founders Rod Prince and Roy Cox and produced by Ray Rush for International Artists Records. The Bubble Puppy’s live debut came as the opening act for The Who in San Antonio, in 1967. Entering the charts in February the record would reach No. 14 on April 12th.

January 11th, 1971 Columbia Records release “Chicago III,” the band’s third double album set. Produced by James William Guercio, the record spent over a year, sixty-three weeks on the charts, peaking at No. 2 on February 20th, No. 9 in Britain.

January 11th, 1971 Columbia Records release the posthumous “Pearl” LP by Janis Joplin. Joplin’s fourth studio album, the record was produced by Paul A. Rothchild and went to No. 1 for nine weeks, beginning February 27th.

January 11th, 1972 David Bowie records five songs for the BBC Radio show Sound Of The Seventies. The session was broadcast on February 7th.

January 11th, 1974 UK Records in Britain release “The Worst Band In The World” by 10cc on 45. The song was co-written by Lol Creme and Graham Gouldman and self-produced by the band and also appeared on the band’s second album “Sheet Music.”

January 11th, 1974 Polydor Records in Britain release “The Man Who Sold The World” backed with “Watch That Man” by Lulu on 45. Both songs were written by David Bowie, who co-produced and arranged the tracks with Mick Ronson. A third song from the 1973 sessions remains unreleased called “Dodo,” a duet between David Bowie and Lulu.

January 11th, 1974 Elektra Records release “Hotcakes,” the fourth studio album by Carly Simon. Simon’s lyrics on the LP were written from an autobiographical and more personal perspective. Produced by Richard Perry, the record spent eight months on the charts, featured two hit singles, “Haven’t Got Time for the Pain” and “Mockingbird,” and peaked at No. 3 on the album charts on March 9th. The album went Gold for a million copies sold eleven days later.

January 11th, 1975 Swan Song Records release “Movin’ On” by Bad Company on 45. The song was written by Bad Company guitarist Mick Ralphs. Self-produced by the band, the record reached No. 19 on March 1st.

January 11th, 1975 Mercury Records release “Night Life,” the fourth studio album by Thin Lizzy. The album was co-produced by Ron Nevison and Phil Lynott.

January 11th, 1975 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania band Diamond Reo’s “Ain’t That Peculiar” enters the singles charts on Big Tree Records. Co-written by Smokey Robinson, Marv Tarplin, Bobby Rogers and Pete Moore and a hit for Marvin Gaye in 1965, the Diamond Reo record peaked at No. 44 on February 8th.

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.