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Rock and Roll Birthdays

Today's Rock and Roll Birthdays

January 18th

January 18th Birthday, The Temptations lead vocalist and solo artist David Ruffin, born in 1941 in Whynot, Mississippi. He died on June 1st, 1991, at the age of 50.

January 18th Birthday, Singer, songwriter Bobby Goldsboro, born in Marianna, Florida in 1941.

January 18th Birthday, British progressive rock keyboardist Dave Greenslade, born in 1943 in Woking, Surrey, England.

January 18th Birthday, The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band drummer Legs Larry Smith, born in Oxford, England in 1944.

January 18th Birthday, Singer Brett Hudson from The Hudson Brothers, born in 1953 in Portland, Oregon.

January 18th Birthday, Singer, songwriter Tom Bailey of The Thompson Twins, born in 1956 in Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.

Today In Rock and Roll History

January 18th

January 18th, 1964 Chess Records release “Hi-Heel Sneakers” by singer and pianist Tommy Tucker on 45. The song was credited to Tucker’s real name, Robert Higgenbothom. While some sources claim it was taped in Chicago, others say the song was recorded at producer Herb Abramson’s “A-1 Sound Studios” in New York City. Abramson was later a co-founder of Atlantic Records. “Hi-Heel Sneakers” hit No. 1 on the R&B Charts, No. 11 on the Pop Singles charts, on March 21st.

January 18th, 1968 Four Tops’ version of “Walk Away Renee” is released. Co-produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier, The Top’s Levi Stubbs sings lead on the song, backed by Obie Benson, Duke Fakir, Lawrence Payton and The Andantes. The Funk Brothers provided instrumentation. The song was co-written by The Left Banke members Michael Brown, Bob Calilli and Tony Sansone. The Four Tops version of “Walk Away Renee” was released two years after the original Left Banke version. The record went to No. 14 on March 9th.

January 18th, 1969 Warner Brothers Records release “Great Balls Of Fire” by Tiny Tim on 45. Co-written by Jack Hammer and Otis Blackwell, the song was a huge hit for Jerry Lee Lewis in 1957. The Tiny Tim version was produced and arranged by Richard Perry and peaked at No. 85 on February 22nd.

January 18th, 1969 “Getting The Corners” by The T.S.U. Tornadoes enters the singles charts. The band were best known for supplying the backing on Archie Bell and the Drells’ “Tighten Up.” The group was formed at Texas Southern University in Houston by guitarist and vocalist Cal Thomas. The record spent six weeks on the charts and peaked at No. 75 on February 8th.

January 18th, 1972 Columbia Records release “Runnin’ Away” by Sly & The Family Stone on 45. Written, produced and arranged by Sly Stone, the record charted for ten weeks and peaked at No. 23 on March 25th.

January 18th, 1972 David Bowie records five songs for the BBC Radio show Sound Of The Seventies. The songs were broadcast May 23rdand July 25th.

January 18th, 1973 The Rolling Stones’ benefit concert in Inglewood, California for Nicaraguan earthquake victims raised over four-hundred-thousand dollars.

January 18th, 1974 Former members of Free, Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke, Mott The Hoople’s Mick Ralphs and King Crimson’s Boz Burrell, formed Bad Company. The band scored a US No. 1 album with their debut release.

January 18th, 1975 British band Status Quo were at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Down Down,” the group’s only British No. 1.

January 18th, 1975 “Future Shock” by Hello People enters the single charts. Hello People were formed in New York City in late 1967 by producer Lou Futterman. The record spent seven weeks on the charts and peaked at No. 71 on February 8th.

January 18th, 1975 “Roll On Down The Highway” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive enters the singles charts. Co-written by Fred Turner and Robbie Bachman, initially composed for a commercial for the Ford Motor Company. Ford didn’t use the song, so BTO reworked it for their “Not Fragile” LP. “Roll On Down The Highway” peaked at No. 14 on March 1st, No. 4 in Canada.

January 18th, 1976 Capitol Records release “Take Me” by Grand Funk on 45. The song was co-written by drummer Don Brewer and keyboardist Craig Frost and produced by Jimmy Ienner. The single peaked at No. 53 on February 7th.

January 18th, 1977 On the eve of President-elect Jimmy Carter’s inauguration, a commemorative concert was televised. Linda Ronstadt and Aretha Franklin were among the performers, while John Lennon and Paul Simon sat in the audience.

January 18th, 1982 Atlantic Records release “Mystical Adventure” by Jean-Luc Ponty. The record peaked at No. 44 on the Pop charts on April 17th, No. 1 on the Jazz Album charts.

January 18th, 1983 A&M Records release “Cuts Like A Knife,” the third studio album by Bryan Adams. Featuring three hit singles, “Straight from the Heart,” “Cuts Like a Knife” and “This Time,” the album peaked at No. 8 on June 25th.

January 18th, 1986 CBS Associated Records release “The Ultimate Sin” by Ozzy Osbourne. The LP was recorded at Townhouse and AIR Studios in London and Studio Davout in Paris, France in 1985 with producer Ron Nevison. The album peaked at No. 6 on April 5th.

January 18th, 1988 Island Records release “If I Should Fall From Grace With God,” the third album by Irish band The Pogues. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the LP peaked at No. 88 on April 2nd.

January 18th, 1990 Eric Clapton kicks off an eighteen-night concert stay at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

January 18th, 2011 Gregg Allman’s “Low Country Blues” album is released. The album was produced by T Bone Burnett and reached No. 5 on February 5th.

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.