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Rock and Roll Birthdays

Today's Rock and Roll Birthdays

September 4th

September 4th Birthday, Gladys Knight and The Pips singer, songwriter and record producer Gerald “Bubba” Knight, born Merald Woodrow Knight Jr. in 1942 in Atlanta, Georgia.

September 4th Birthday, The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and sound engineer Gene Parsons, born in Morongo Valley, Mojave Desert, California in 1944.

September 4th Birthday, Guitar virtuoso Danny Gatton, born in 1945 in Washington, DC. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot on October 4th, 1994 at the age of 49.

September 4th Birthday, Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist Gary Duncan, born in 1946 in San Diego, California. He passed away on June 29th, 2019 at the age of 72.

September 4th Birthday, Pretenders drummer Martin Chambers, born in 1951 in Herefordshire, England.

September 4th Birthday, Soundgarden guitarist, bassist and mandolin player Kim Thayll, born in Seattle, Washington in 1960.

September 4th Birthday, New York Dolls and Hanoi Rocks bassist Sami Yafta, born Sami Lauri Takamäki in 1963 in Espoo, Finland.

Today In Rock and Roll History

September 4th

September 4th, 1961 Bob Dylan debuts at Carnegie Hall, playing for a grand total of fifty-three fans.

September 4th, 1962 The Beatles record in Studio Two, EMI Studios, 3 Abbey Road, St. John’s Wood, London with producer George Martin. Assistant Ron Richards put the band through a 2-5pm rehearsal in Studio Three to determine which songs would be recorded at the evening session, scheduled 7-10pm, but actually lasting until 11:15pm. One tune was already selected by George Martin and sent to the group on acetate prior to the session, Mitch Murray’s “How Do You Do It?” The band had significantly rearranged the song for the recording from its original demo form. Martin wanted the song to be the group’s first Parlophone single. “Love Me Do” and “Please Please Me” were among the five other numbers rehearsed during the afternoon. Most the early recordings done at EMI by The Beatles were performed in the studio as a complete performance, vocals and instruments together for each take. Recorded that day were “How Do You Do It?” written by Mitch Murray, with an unknown number of takes recorded, “Love Me Do” co-written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, with at least fifteen takes recorded. Instrumental backing tracks for “Love Me Do” were recorded first, then vocals superimposed over the best take. Documentation states that George Martin and balance engineer Norman Smith mixed both tracks at the conclusion of this session, cutting acetates for both songs for George Martin and Brian Epstein. The version of “Love Me Do” recorded this day appeared as the 45 version of The Beatles’ first Parlophone single from an unknown numbered take. Although “How Do You Do It?” remained unreleased at the time, it must have been considered for release, as a mastered version was prepared and logged in the EMI library.

September 4th, 1963 A seventeen-year-old Eric Clapton joins The Yardbirds, playing a gig at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, Surrey, England.

September 4th, 1964 Decca Records in Britain release the first single by Joe Cocker, a cover version of The Beatles’ song “I'll Cry Instead” backed with "Those Precious Words" on 45. Produced by Mike Leander, the B-side written by Claudia Robinson. The record was released in America by Philips Records on February 13th, 1965.

September 4th, 1965 After entering the singles charts on August 7th, The Beatles’ “Help!” starts a three-week run at No. 1 in the US singles charts.

September 4th, 1970 Bell Records in Britain release “Oh Baby” backed with “Universal Love” on 45 by Dib Cochran and The Earwigs. The record was a one-off collaboration between Marc Bolan on guitar, Rick Wakeman on keyboards. Tony Visconti on bass, John Cambridge on drums with vocals by Bolan and Visconti. The B-side artist is credited to The Earwigs only as well as the production credit. “Oh Baby” credits Tony Visconti as the producer.

September 4th, 1970 Decca Records in Britain release “If I Could Do It All Over Again I’d Do It All Over You,” the second album by Caravan. Issued by London Records the following January the record was recorded at Tangerine Studios in London with manager and producer Terry King.

September 4th, 1970 The Rolling Stones release their first live album “Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out” on Decca Records in Britain. The LP was recorded with new lead guitarist Mick Taylor at shows in Baltimore on November 26th, 1969 and New York City on the 27th and 28th, co-produced by the band and Glyn Johns just before the release of the “Let It Bleed” album.

September 4th, 1971 Paul McCartney scores his second solo No. 1 hit in the US with “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey.”

September 4th, 1971 Joni Mitchell’s 45 “Carey” enters the singles charts. “Carey” was inspired by the time Joni Mitchell spent with Cary Raditz living with a cave-dwelling hippie community at Matala, on the Greek island of Crete. The studio recording features Mitchell, who wrote and produced the track, on the Appalachian Dulcimer and Stephen Stills on bass and acoustic guitar. “Carey” peaked at No. 93 on September 4th.

September 4th, 1973 Elektra Records release the self-titled debut album by Queen. The record was co-produced by John Anthony and Roy Thomas Baker at Trident Studios and De Lane Lea Music Centre, London. The LP was completed by November 1972, completely financed by Trident owners Barry and Norman Sheffield, who eventually released the LP in England in a licensing deal with EMI Records. The record peaked at No. 83 on February 2nd in America, No. 25 in Britain.

September 4th, 1976 “Beth” by Kiss enters the singles charts following an August release on Casablanca Records. Originally issued as the B-side of “Detroit Rock City,” “Beth” was produced by Bob Ezrin, who co-wrote the song with Peter Criss and Stan Penridge. “Beth” peaked at No. 7 on December 4th.

September 4th, 1978 Chrysalis Records release “Parallel Lines” by Blondie. The LP featured the hits “One Way Or Another” and “Heart Of Glass.” The band recorded the album at The Record Plant in New York City in June and July 1978 with producer Mike Chapman. Chapman worked closely with the band members to perfect the sound of their instruments on the record. King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp plays on the song “Fade Away And Radiate.” The record peaked at No. 6 on April 28th.

September 4th, 1982 Warner Brothers Records release “It’s Hard,” the tenth studio album by The Who. It was the band’s last studio album for twenty-four years and the last for both drummer Kenny Jones and bassist John Entwistle, who passed away in 2002. Andy Fairweather-Low played rhythm guitar on the song “It’s Your Turn” and Tim Gorman played keyboards and electric piano on “Eminence Front.” Produced by Glyn Johns, the LP featured the hit “Athena” and peaked at No. 8 on October 23rd.

September 4th, 1990 Mercury Records release the “Chronicles” compilation by Rush on CD. The record peaked at No. 51 on October 6th.

September 4th, 1992 Former Husker Du guitarist Bob Mould releases his first album with his band Sugar. “Copper Blue” was issued on Rykodisc Records in the US, co-produced by Mould and Lou Giordano. The sessions for the LP were recorded at The Outpost in Stoughton, Massachusetts. “Copper Blue” peaked at No. 10 in Britain.

Miscellaneous September

September 1965 Muriel Records release “Lookie There” backed with “Wail Baby Wail” by Tommy Louis with Marshall and The Versatiles on 45. Ike Turner plays guitar on the tracks.

September 1967 CBS Records in Britain release “Love Chronicles,” the second album by Al Stewart. “Love Chronicles” was issued in the US in September. The album was issued in America in January 1969 on Epic Records. 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. Songs on the record were orchestrated by Alexander Faris.

September 1970 Liberty Records release “Love Is A Game” backed with “Takin’ Back My Name” by a solo Ike Turner on 45. “Love Is A Game” was written by Tina Turner’s sister Ailllene Bullock. “Takin’ Back My Name” was credited to Leah Graham, an alias for Ike Turner, who produced and arranged the tracks as well.

September 1973, RCA Records in Britain release “The Tra La La Days Are Over” by Neil Sedaka. Recorded at Strawberry Studios in the Spring with Eric Stewart producing and 10cc as the backing band, the LP produced “Love Will Keep Us Together.” The song, co-written by Sedaka with Howard Greenfield, would become a huge hit for The Captain And Tennille in 1976.

September 1975 A&M Records release “White Punks On Dope” by the Tubes on 45. The song was co-written by Bill Spooner, Roger Steen and Michael Evans and produced by Al Kooper from the band’s eponymous first album. The single was edited to omit the curse word in the lyrics.

September 1977 DEVO release their second single on their own Booji Boy label. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” was a cover version of The Rolling Stones song. “(I Saw My Baby Getting) Sloppy” was co-written by DEVO. The 45 was produced by the group. “Satisfaction” was rerecorded by DEVO and released as their major label debut for Warner Brothers Records a year later.

September 1979 Reprise Records release “Rust Never Sleeps (Hey Hey, My My [Out Of The Blue])” by Neil Young on 45. The A-side was the acoustic version of the song. The flip side was the full band version, recorded with the band Crazy Horse and both from the “Rust Never Sleeps” LP.

September 1979 CBS Records in Ireland issue the seven-inch EP “Out Of Control” backed with “Stories For Boys” & “Boy/Girl,” the first release by U2. All three songs were written collectively by the band and co-produced by U2 and Chas De Whalley.

September 1981 David Bowie records the five songs written for Bertolt Brecht’s Baal. Bowie appeared in the BBC television production of Baal. The play was transmitted in Britain on March 2nd, 1982. The tracks were co-produced by David Bowie and Tony Visconti, who also played bass on the recordings. The EP was released in September 1982, reaching No. 29 in Britain.

September 1981 Island Records in Britain release “Gloria” by U2 on 45. The second single released from the group’s second album “October,” the song was written collectively by U2. “Gloria” was recorded during July and August sessions with producer Steve Lillywhite at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, Ireland. The record peaked at No. 55 in Britain.

September 1986 Warner Brothers Records release “Summer Of Love” by The B-52’s on 45. The song was co-written Keith Strickland, Rocky Wilson, Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson, produced by Tony Mansfield from the LP “Bouncing Off The Satellites.” The single had a unique remix with additional production by Shep Pettibone.