Wax Museum Radio
Next broadcast October 31st Friday Night at midnight and Saturday night at 10pm on WRGG.
Hear Today In Rock and Roll History
Today In R&R History October 31st
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
October 31st
- October 31st Birthday, Folk singer, songwriter Tom Paxton, born in 1937 in Chicago, Illinois.
- October 31st Birthday, The Del Vikings tenor vocalist Norman Wright, born in 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wright died on April 23rd, 2010 at the age of 73.
- October 31st Birthday, Session drummer John Guerin, born in Hawaii in 1939. Guerin played on many jazz sessions as well as records by George Harrison, Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell and others. He died on January 4th, 2005 at the age of 64.
- October 31st Birthday, Songwriter, guitarist and solo artist Russ Ballard from Unit 4+2 and Argent, born in 1945 in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, England.
- October 31st Birthday, Bassist, singer, songwriter, record producer Bernard Edwards from Chic, born in 1952 in Greenville, North Carolina. Edwards passed away on April 18th, 1997 of pneumonia in a Tokyo Hotel room while touring Japan.
- October 31st Birthday, U2 Drummer Larry Mullen Jr, born in 1961 in Dublin, Ireland.
- October 31st Birthday, The Smiths guitarist and solo artist Johnny Marr, born John Maher in 1963 in Manchester, England.
- October 31st Birthday, Motorhead drummer Mikkey Dee, born Michael Kinakos Delaoglou in 1963 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
- October 31st Birthday, Beastie Boys singer and guitarist Adam Horovitz, born in 1966 in New York City.
Today In Rock and Roll History
October 31st
- October 31st, 1952 Pianist Johnnie Johnson hires twenty-six-year-old Chuck Berry as a guitarist in his band. While playing evening gigs in the St. Louis area, Berry will keep his day job as a hairdresser for the next three years.
- October 31st, 1959 Atlantic Records release “The Genius Of Ray Charles,” the sixth studio LP by Ray Charles. Reaching No. 17 on the album charts, the record was a departure from his previous R&B recordings, venturing into Pop and Swing music with Big Band arrangements. The album spawned four hit singles on the Pop charts, “Come Rain Or Come Shine,” “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Cryin,” “Just For A Thrill” and “Let The Good Times Roll.”
- October 31st, 1963 The eventual first wave of Beatlemania in the US is set in motion when The Beatles return from a tour of Sweden to find fifty thousand screaming fans waiting for them at London’s Heathrow Airport. By chance, US TV host Ed Sullivan witnesses the crowd and asked “Who are those guys?” Sullivan contacts manager Brian Epstein to book the band for three appearances on his CBS show early in 1964, even though he’d never seen or heard them play.
- October 31st, 1965 Lead singer Wayne Fontana leaves his group, The Mindbenders, for a solo career.
- October 31st, 1967 A&M Records release “Pleasures Of The Harbor,” the fourth full-length album by poet, folk singer and social activist Phil Ochs. The LP’s most famous piece, “Outside A Small Circle Of Friends,” was based on the New York City murder of Kitty Genovese in which many people witnessed but did nothing to help. The record peaked at No. 168 on December 30th.
- October 31st, 1967 Iggy Pop and The Stooges make their live debut at a Halloween party in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
- October 31st, 1968 The final day of sessions for the Jimi Hendrix produced “Sunrise” LP by Eire Apparent at TTG Studios in Hollywood, California. Hendrix played lead guitar on the songs “Captive In The Sun,” “Morning Glory,” “The Clown,” “Let Me Stay,” Mr. Guy Fawkes,” “Magic Carpet,” “Someone Is Sure (To Want You),” and “Yes I Need Someone.”
- October 31st, 1969 Liberty Records (Liberty LBF 15280) in Britain release “Today I Killed a Man” backed with “It's Too Good to Last” by P.J. Proby on 45. Jimmy Page played guitar on the record.
- October 31st, 1970 Warner Brothers Records release Van Morrison‘s “Domino” on 45. The song is Morrison’s personal musical tribute to New Orleans R&B singer and pianist Fats Domino. Written, demoed and recorded several times earlier, the version released on Morrison’s “His Band and the Street Choir” LP was recorded in the spring of 1970 at A&R Recording Studios in New York City with Elliot Scheiner as engineer. The record entered the charts in November and went to No. 9 on January 2nd, 1971.
- October 31st, 1970 Capitol Records release “Bloodrock 2,” the second album by Texas hard rock band Bloodrock. The LP featured the hit “D.O.A.” The record peaked at No. 21 on February 13th.
- October 31st, 1970 Neil Diamond’s “Do It” is released on 45 on Bang Records. Originally the flip side of Neil’s 1966 hit “Solitary Man,” as Diamond scored hits released on the UNI Records label, his old label continued issuing singles from his back catalog. Given its own release, “Do It” entered the charts in November and became a No. 36 hit for Diamond on December 19th.
- October 31st, 1971 UNI Records release Neil Diamond’s “Stones” backed with “Crunchy Granola Suite” on 45. Both sides of the single were written by Diamond. Produced by Tom Catalano, arranged and conducted by Lee Holdridge, both tracks charted, entering the singles charts in November and peaking at No. 14 on December 18th.
- October 31st, 1971 Pink Floyd release their sixth studio album “Meddle” in America, out November 13th in Britain. The songwriting on “Meddle” was a group effort with lyrical contributions from each member. The band self-produced the LP at AIR, EMI and Morgan Studios in London, England. The LP reached No. 70 in the US on November 27th, No. 3 in Britain.
- October 31st, 1972 Curtom Records release “Superfly” by Curtis Mayfield on 45. It was the second single issued from the “Superfly” soundtrack album, with all songs written and produced by Mayfield. The record went to No. 8 in America on January 13th.
- October 31st, 1974 The Rolling Stones Records label release “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” by The Rolling Stones on 45. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Mick Taylor all play guitar on the song. Taylor also played synthesizer, congas and bass guitar on the track. Co-written by Norman Whitfield and Eddie Holland for The Temptations in 1966, the Stones’ version hit No. 17 on December 14th.
- October 31st, 1975 EMI Records release Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” on 45 in Britain. Written by Freddie Mercury and co-produced by Queen and Roy Thomas Baker, the song was recorded at sessions throughout August and September. “Bohemian Rhapsody” topped the UK Singles chart for nine weeks and had sold more than a million copies by the end of January 1976. In 1991, after Mercury’s death, it topped the charts for another five weeks. In the US, the single entered the charts on January 3rd, 1976 and reached No. 9. Again, after Mercury’s passing, the single went to No. 2 on May 9th, 1992.
- October 31st, 1978 Warner Brothers Records release “Lotta Love” by Nicolette Larson on 45. The song was written by Neil Young. Larson/s version of “Lotta Love” featured a string arrangement by Jimmie Haskell. Produced by Ted Templeman, the record went to No. 8 on February 7th, 1979.
- October 31st, 1980 EG/Polydor Records in Britain release “Same Old Scene” by Roxy Music on 45, written by Bryan Ferry from the band’s “Flesh + Blood” LP. The track was co-produced by Roxy Music and Rhett Davies. “Same Old Scene” went to No. 12 on the British singles charts.
- October 31st, 1981 “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey enters the singles charts following a release on Columbia Records. Co-written by group members Steve Perry, Neil Schon and Jonathan Cain, the record peaked at No. 9 on December 19th.
- October 31st, 1981 Warner Brothers Records release “Discipline” by the reformed King Crimson. Guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Bill Bruford were the only remaining members from the 1974 lineup that recorded the band’s previous studio LP, “Red.” The new lineup included guitarist Adrian Belew and bassist Tony Levin. “Discipline” was co-produced by King Crimson and Rhett Davies. The record peaked at No. 45 on November 28th.
- October 31st, 1981 Island Records release “October” the second studio album by U2. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album featured the hit “Gloria.” Recorded during sessions in the Bahamas at Compass Point Studios and in Ireland at Windmill Lane in Dublin, many of the lyrics on the album were quickly written in the studio. A briefcase of words in progress for the new songs was lost in March during a club date in Portland, Oregon. Many of the songs ended up with religious overtones, mirroring Bono, Larry Mullin Jr and The Edge’s involvement with a Christian sect called Shalom Fellowship. The record peaked at No. 104 on November 28th.
- October 31st, 1983 Parlophone Records in Britain and Columbia Records in the US release the “Pipes Of Peace” LP by Paul McCartney. The record, like its’ predecessor “Tug Of War,” was produced by George Martin, with many of the songs on “Pipes Of Peace” begun during the earlier sessions. Musicians who contributed session work on the album were Eric Stewart, Stanley Clarke, Steve Gadd, Dave Mattacks, Ringo Starr, Michael Jackson and Andy Mackay. The album featured the hits “So Bad” and “Say Say Say.” The record peaked in the US at No. 15 on December 17th.
- October 31st, 1987 Geffen Records release the self-titled “Robbie Robertson” LP. Co-produced by Daniel Lanois and Robbie Robertson, sessions for the album included all four members of U2, Tony Levin, former Band members Rick Danko and Garth Hudson, Ivan Neville and Maria McKee, Peter Gabriel and Terry Bozio. The record peaked at No. 38 on December 26th.
- October 31st, 1988 Paul McCartney releases the oldies covers album “Choba B CCCP” in Russia only. Sessions for the album were recorded at McCartney’s home studio, Hog Hill in Sussex, England on July 20th and 21st, live in the studio, with a different set of musicians each day. The album was given a worldwide release in 1991. In America, it peaked at No. 109 on November 16th.
- October 31st, 1994 Jimmy Page and Robert Plant release the live album “No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded.” The project began as an MTV show Unledded. Recorded in Marrakesh, Morocco, State Quarry near Corris and Dolgosh Falls, Wales and in London, the record was co-produced by Page and Plant and peaked at No. 4 on November 26th.
Miscellaneous October
- Mid-October 1960, The Silver Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stu Sutcliffe) minus drummer Pete Best, play on a recording session arranged by manager Allan Williams for Lu Walters, bassist and vocalist from Rory Storm and The Hurricanes at Akustik Studios in Hamburg, Germany. Drumming on the session was Hurricane’s drummer Ringo Starr. Four copies of a 78rpm demo disc were pressed. Recorded that day were ‘Fever”co-written by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell, “Summertime” co-written by George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward and “September Song” co-written by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson.
- October 1961, Chess Records release “The Red Rooster” backed with “Shake With Me” by Howlin’ Wolf on 45, credited to blues writer and arranger Willie Dixon.
- October 1961, Canadian American Records release “I Wish I Weren’t In Love” backed with “I’m Lonely” by Jerry Landis on 45. Both songs were written by Landis, an early stage name used by Paul Simon.
- October 1961, Ray Charles releases “The Genius Sings The Blues,” his final album for Atlantic Records. The record peaked at No. 73.
- October 1964, Ringo Starr records “In America” with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes at EMI Studios, 3 Abbey Road, St. John’s Wood, London with Brian Epstein, his only record production. Co-written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Soundheim, the track was released as a single on November 16thby Parlophone Records with “Since You Broke My Heart” as the single’s B-side. Ringo sang backing vocals with Rory Storm’s brother-in-law Shane Fenton, later known as Alvin Stardust and added miscellaneous percussion.
- October 1967, Scorpio Records release “Porterville” backed with “Call It Pretending,” the seventh and final single by pre-Creedence Clearwater Revival band The Golliwogs. Written by John Fogerty using the name T. Spicebush Swallowtail, “Porterville” would be rerecorded for CCR’s first LP.
- October 1967, Verve Records release “Chelsea Girl,” the debut solo album by Nico. After recording the first Velvet Underground LP and touring with Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia show, Nico recorded the LP at Mayfair Recording in Manhattan, New York City with Tom Wilson producing. Jackson Browne played guitar and wrote songs for the record and VU members Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison and John Cale were backing musicians on many of the tracks.
- October 1968, Reprise/Bizarre Records release “The Circle” backed with “Merry-Go-Round” by Wild Man Fischer on 45. Both songs were written by Larry Fischer, credited as L. Fischer. The tracks were produced and arranged by Frank Zappa. Zappa plays all the instruments on “The Circle.”
- October 1968, Parlophone Records in Britain release “Blues Helping” the debut LP by Welsh trio Love Sculpture featuring Dave Edmunds on guitar.
- October 1969, Island Records release the self-titled second album by Free. Traffic flutist Chris Wood played on the song “Mourning Sad Morning.” Produced by Island label founder Chris Blackwell, the LP peaked at No. 22 in Britain but didn’t chart in the US.
- October 1969, Island Records in Britain release “Rock And Roll Queen,” the first single by Mott The Hoople. Written by guitarist Mick Ralphs, the record was issued in America on Atlantic Records the following July.
- October 1970, Reprise Records release the self-titled debut album by guitarist Ry Cooder. The LP was co-produced by Van Dyke Parks and Lenny Waronker. Cooder was part of the Los Angeles folk music scene in the mid-1960’s, playing in a band called The Rising Sons with Taj Mahal and future Spirit drummer Ed Cassidy.
- October 1971, Charisma Records in Britain release “Pawn Hearts,” the fourth album by Van der Graaf Generator. Robert Fripp guested on the LP sessions at Trident Studios, recorded July through September with producer John Anthony. The album came out the following May in the US.
- October 1971, Capitol Records release “People Let’s Stop The War” backed with “Save The Land” by Grand Funk Railroad on 45. Both songs were Mark Farner compositions with Terry Knight producing.
- October 1973, RCA Records release Lou Reed’s tragic rock opera “Berlin.” Recorded at Morgan Studios in London with producer Bob Ezrin, session players on the record include Steve Wagner, Jack Bruce, Steve Winwood, Aynsley Dunbar and B.J. Wilson. The record peaked at No. 98 in America and No. 7 in Britain.
- October 1974, RCA Records release “Subterranean Homesick Blues” by Nilsson on 45. A cover version of the Bob Dylan song, the track came from the John Lennon produced “Pussycats” LP. The singe’s B-side was a medley of Lennon’s “Mucho Mungo” and Nilsson’s “Mt. Elga.”
- October 1974, Harvest Records in Britain release “See My Baby Jive,” a compilation album by Roy Wood’s band Wizzard.
- October 1975, A&M Records release “Mama Coco” by Gino Vannelli on 45. Written by Vannelli and co-produced by he and his brother Joe Vannelli, the record peaked at No. 115 in America.
- October 1975, Discreet Records release the album “Bongo Fury” by Frank Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention with Captain Beefheart. The LP was recorded mostly live on May 20thand the 21st at Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas with two studio tracks in January 1975.
- October 1976, 20th Century Records release the various artist movie soundtrack “All This And WWII.” The record featured songs by The Beatles recorded by various artists Peter Gabriel, Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne, Ambrosia, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Bryan Ferry and others. The album peaked at No. 48 on December 25th.
- October 1977, John Entwistle produces the self-titled debut LP by The Fabulous Poodles and played on the Lonnie Donegan LP “Puttin’ On The Style.”
- October 1977, Virgin Records in Britain release “Science Friction” backed with “She’s So Square” the first single by XTC. Both songs were written by singer and guitarist Andy Partridge and produced by John Leckie.
- October 1978, Brian Eno’s “Music For Films” is released. Originally issued as a limited edition of five hundred copies sent to filmmakers, the full release of the record added more tracks to the set. The ambient songs on the album were recorded from 1975 through 1978.
- October 1978, Chrysalis Records release “Hanging On The Telephone” by Blondie on 45. The song was a cover version of The Nerves’ song from 1976, written by Jack Lee. Produced by Mike Chapman, the single went to No. 5 in Britain.
- October 1980, Atco Records release “In The Midnight Hour,” a cover version of the Wilson Pickett hit, on 45. Ther record had a brief chart run, peaking at No. 106 on the US singles charts.
- October 1980, Atco Records release “People Who Died” by The Jim Carroll Band on 45. Written by Jim Carroll and produced by Earl McGrath, the record peaked at No. 103.
- October 1980, Virgin Records in Britain release “Towers Of London” by XTC on 45. The song was written by Andy Partridge, taken from the Steve Lillywhite produced LP “Black Sea.” The record peaked at No. 31 in England.
- October 1981, Capitol Records release “Lunatic Fringe” by Red Rider on 45. Written by singer and guitarist Tom Cochran, the record peaked at No. 11 in the US.
- October 1986, Legacy Records release “Raining In The City” by Roy Wood on 45. The song was 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 October 25th
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 of 10/25 Robert Wyatt
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 the 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.
