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 7th
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 7th
- May 7th Birthday, Derek Taylor, press agent and publicist for The Beatles, The Byrds, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & The Papas and others, born in 1932 in Sudbury, Suffolk, England. He died on September 8th, 1997 of cancer at the age of 65.
- May 7th Birthday, R&B singer, songwriter, Jimmy Ruffin, born in Collinsville, Mississippi in 1936. He died on November 17th, 2014, in Las Vegas, aged 78.
- May 7th Birthday, Johnny Maestro, lead singer of The Brooklyn Bridge, born John Peter Mastrangelo in 1939 in New York City.
- May 7th Birthday, Rick West, lead guitarist for The Tremeloes, born Richard Westwood in 1943 in Dagenham, Essex, England.
- May 7th Birthday, Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzman (pronounced KROYTS-mahn) born in Palo Alto, California in 1946.
- May 7th Birthday, Bill Danoff vocalist for The Starland Vocal Band, born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1946.
- May 7th Birthday, New York Dolls drummer Jerry Nolan, born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City in 1946. He died on January 14th, 1992 from a stroke, aged 45.
- May 7th Birthday, Singer, songwriter, keyboardist, record producer and music journalist Pete Wingfield, born William Peter Wingfield in 1948 in Liphook, Hampshire, England.
- May 7th Birthday, Tubes drummer and session man Prairie Prince, born Charles Lempriere Prince in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1950.
- May 7th Birthday, Rock and Blues guitarist Bernie Marsden, born in Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, England in 1951. Marsden played with UFO, Whitesnake, Jack Bruce, various members of Deep Purple and many more. Marsden died on August 24th, 2023 at the age of 72.
- May 7th Birthday, David Bowie bassist Carlos Alomar, born in Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1951. Alomar has worked with James Brown, Ben E. King, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and others.
- May 7th Birthday, The Church guitarist, songwriter and record producer Marty Wilson-Piper, born in Stockport, Cheshire, England in 1958.
Today In Rock and Roll History
May 7th
- May 7th, 1966 “Monday Monday” by The Mamas & The Papas is the No. 1 record in the US.
- May 7th, 1966 The Animals “Don’t Bring Me Down” is released on 45. Co-written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, The Animals switched producers for the track, working with Tom Wilson, who promised them more artistic freedom. The single entered the charts two weeks later and reached No. 12 on July 2nd, No. 6 in Britain.
- May 7th, 1966 Scepter Records re-release “Mama” by B. J. Thomas on 45 following a March release on Pacemaker Records. The song was written by Mark Charron and produced by Huey P. Meaux. The single entered the charts a week later and peaked at No. 22 on June 18th.
- May 7th, 1966 “Sweet Talkin’ Guy” by The Chiffons enters the singles charts on Laurie Records. The song was written in 1966 by Doug Morris, who had joined Laurie as a songwriter and producer the previous year. Morris co-produced the session with Elliot Greenburg at Allegro Sound Studios in New York City. “Sweet Talkin’ Guy” was the last of five Top Forty hits for The Chiffons in the US, peaking at No. 10 on June 25th.
- May 7th, 1968 Columbia Records release “Back In Love Again” by The Buckinghams on 45. Written by Marty Grebb, the record was produced by Jimmy Wizner. “Back In Love Again” entered the charts in June peaking at No. 57 on the 29th.
- May 7th, 1969 After hanging out at The Scene club in New York City, Jimi Hendrix, Billy Cox, Buddy Miles went to The Record Plant and recorded a jam session with Stephen Stills and Johnny Winter.
- May 7th, 1970 Gordy Records release “Ball Of Confusion (That’s What The World Is Today)” backed with “It’s Summer” by The Temptations on 45. Both songs were co-written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. “Ball Of Confusion” went to No. 3 on June 27th. “It’s Summer” had its own chart run a year later, peaking at No. 51 on August 21st, 1971.
- May 7th, 1971 Harvest Records in Britain release “Stone-Hearted Mama” on 45. The song was written by singer Phil May and bassist Wally Allen Walder, produced by Norman Smith.
- May 7th, 1973 Apple Records release “Give Me Love, Give Me Peace On Earth” by George Harrison on 45, out May 25th in Britain. Written and produced by Harrison, playing on the session were Nicky Hopkins, Gary Wright, Jim Keltner and Klauss Voorman. The 45 version was sped up and runs at a faster tempo than its album counterpart. The record would reach the top of the US singles charts on June 30th, becoming Harrison’s second solo No. 1 in the states.
- May 7th, 1977 Chrysalis Records release “Lights Out,” the sixth studio LP by UFO. Ron Nevison produced the LP at AIR Studios in London. Noted for adding strings and brass to the band’s hard rock sound, the album peaked at No. 23 on October 1st.
- May 7th, 1977 “Hotel California” by The Eagles is the No. 1 record in the US.
- May 7th, 1977 “Elegant Gypsy” by The Al DiMeola Project enters the album charts. Recorded from December 1976 through January 1977 with DiMeola producing, the record peaked at No. 58 on June 4th.
- May 7th, 1977 “On And On” by Stephen Bishop enters the singles charts following an April release on ABC Records. The song was written by Bishop, who co-produced the track with Henry Lewy. The record charted for twenty-eight weeks and peaked at No. 11 on October 8th.
- May 7th, 1977 “Back Together Again” by Hall and Oates enters the singles charts following an April release on RCA Records. The song was written by John Oates and the track, produced by Christopher Bond. The record charted for ten weeks and peaked at No. 28 on June 11th.
- May 7th, 1984 Columbia Records release “The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking,” the first solo album by Roger Waters. Eric Clapton guested on guitar on the sessions for the LP, recorded from February through December 1983 at Olympic, Eel Pie and The Billiard Room Studios in London with Waters and Michael Kamen producing. Others who played or sang on the sessions include Andy Bown, David Sanborn, Raphael Ravenscroft, Madeline Bell, Kattie Kissoon, Andy Newmark, Ray Cooper and The National Philharmonic Orchestra. The record peaked at No. 31 on June 9th.
- May 7th, 1984 Neutron Records in England release “The Look Of Love,” the third single by ABC. Collectively written by the band, the track was produced by Trevor Horn. The 45 would become ABC’s first US release in August and peaked at No. 18 on September 11th.
- May 7th, 1984 Elektra Records release “Magic” by The Cars. Written and sung by Ric Ocasek and co-produced by The Cars with Robert John “Mutt” Lange at Morgan Studios in London, it was the second single released from the band’s “Heartbeat City” LP. “Magic” peaked at No. 12 on July 7th.
- May 7th, 1990 Brian Wilson crashed a news conference given by cousin and fellow Beach Boy Mike Love. Love wanted to be Wilson’s legal overseer. Wilson declared he was fit to handle his own affairs.
- May 7th, 1991 Polydor Records release “Star Time,” a seventy-one track career retrospective of the music of James Brown.
- May 7th, 2001 Parlophone Records release the double-album “Wingspan: Hits And History” collection by Paul McCartney and Wings. The album reached No. 2 on May 26th.
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
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Nektar Wax Museum interview 4/11/25
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Tommy James Wax Museum Interview January 2019
Tommy James
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Baltimore based Woody Lissauer steps up to the Wax Museum microphones for this in depth interview!
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