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Rock and Roll Birthdays

Today's Rock and Roll Birthdays

December 6th

December 6th Birthday, Dave Clark Five singer Mike Smith born in 1943 in Edmonton, Middlesex, England.

December 6th Birthday, R&B singer/songwriter Willy Hutch, born William McKinley Hutchinson in 1944 in Los Angeles, California. He died on September 19th, 2005 at the age of 60.

December 6th Birthday, Rick Buckler, drummer for The Jam, born in Woking, Surrey, England in 1955.

December 6th Birthday, REM guitarist Peter Buck born in Berkeley, California in 1956.

December 6th Birthday, Ozzy Osborne and Quiet Riot guitarist Randy Rhoads born in Leesburg, Florida in 1956. He died in a plane crash on March 19th, 1982 at the age of 25.

December 6th Birthday, Singer, songwriter Ben Watt from Everything But The Girl, born in Marylebone, London in 1962, England.

Today In Rock and Roll History

December 6th

December 6th, 1963 Parlophone Records in Britain release “Poison Ivy,” the debut single by The Paramounts on 45. The band featured future Procol Harum founding members Gary Brooker, Chris Copping and Robin Trower. The song was a cover version of The Coasters hit, written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The band issued six singles on Parlophone through 1965 but this was their only chart hit, reaching No. 35 in Britain.

December 6th, 1963 HMV Records in Britain release The Swinging Blue Jeans “Hippy Hippy Shake” on 45. Originally written and recorded by Chad Romero in 1959, the Swinging Blue Jeans version went to No. 2 in England. Liberty Records in the US released the single on February 29th, 1964. Entering the singles charts in March the record went to No. 24 in the US on April 4th, the Liverpool band’s biggest hit on both sides of the Atlantic.

December 6th, 1964 The Gerry and the Pacemakers movie Ferry Cross The Mersey debuts at the New Victoria Cinema in London, England.

December 6th, 1965 Columbia Records release “Turn! Turn! Turn!” the second album by The Byrds. Recorded from June through November at Columbia Studios in Hollywood with producer Terry Melcher, the record peaked at No. 17 on March 5th, 1966.

December 6th, 1965 Tamla Records release The Miracles’ “Going to a Go-Go” on 45. Co-produced by Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore, who both co-wrote the song with fellow Miracles Bobby Rogers and Marv Tarplin. The record peaked at No. 11 on February 12th, 1966 and became the band’s fifth million selling record.

December 6th, 1965 Parlophone Records in Britain release “The Beatles’ Million Sellers” EP, featuring the songs “She Loves You,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “I Feel Fine.” The combined sales of all four songs worldwide is over twenty-seven million copies.

December 6th, 1966 The Beatles begin recording “When I’m 64” at EMI Studio Two with producer George Martin. Written by Paul McCartney as a teenager, it was the first song recorded for the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” LP than ended up on the album. The rhythm track began with Paul on bass, Ringo Starr on drums with brushes and John Lennon on guitar, recorded in a single take. McCartney’s lead vocal was taped on December 8th. On December 20th, John, Paul and George Harrison added backing vocals and Ringo added chimes. George Martin recorded his arrangement for two clarinets and a bass clarinet on December 21st.

December 6th, 1968 Produced by Peter Asher for Apple Records, the self-titled first album by James Taylor is released in England. Taylor recorded the album from July through October 1968 at Trident Studios; at the same time The Beatles were recording tracks there for “The White Album.” In America, the James Taylor album was issued the following February and “Carolina in My Mind” backed with “Something’s Wrong” was released as a single in March. The LP charted at No. 62 on November 28th, 1970, following the success of Taylor’s next album “Sweet Baby James.”

December 6th, 1968 The Rolling Stones release their seventh studio album “Beggars Banquet” in Britain, out the next day in the US. The LP was recorded during sessions at Olympic Sound, London and Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles with producer Jimmy Miller. Frequent collaborator Nicky Hopkins played piano on many of the tracks and “Beggars Banquet” was the last Rolling Stones album to be released during guitarist Brian Jones lifetime. The album reached No. 5 in the US on January 11th, 1969, No. 3 in Britain.

December 6th, 1969 The Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and The Rolling Stones, play a free concert at the speedway in Altamont, California. Three hundred thousand people show up and the resulting mayhem that followed is documented in The Stones’ movie Gimme Shelter, which opened in New York City a year later, on this date in 1970.

December 6th, 1969 Steam “Na Na Hey Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye” hits No. 1.

December 6th, 1969 Capitol Records release “Mr. Limousine Driver,” the second single by Grand Funk Railroad. The song was written by guitarist Mark Farner and produced by Terry Knight. The record peaked at No. 97 on December 27th.

December 6th, 1969 Wilbert Harrison’s “Let’s Work Together” pt.1 enters the singles charts following a June release on Sue Records. Harrison wrote the song and released it in 1962 as “Let’s Stick Together,” but reworked the lyrics and title for its 1969 release. Part 2 was issued on the 45’s B-side. Months later, a cover version of the song by Canned Heat went to No. 26. The Wilbert Harrison version peaked at No. 32 on February 7th, 1970.

December 6th, 1969 Jimmy Cliff’s “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” enters the singles charts following a November release on A&M Records. The song was written by Jimmy Cliff. The 45 was co-produced by Larry Fallon and Leslie Kong, although the original Jamaican single on the Trojan Records label only credits Kong. The record peaked at No. 25 on January 24th, 1970.

December 6th, 1974 Apple Records in Britain release George Harrison’s “Ding Dong Ding Dong” on 45. Harrison wrote the song and produced the studio track at his home Friar Park studio with Gary Wright, Klauss Voorman, Tom Scott, Ringo Starr, Ron Wood, Alvin Lee and Jim Keltner playing on the session. Out December 23rdin the US, the record entered the charts in January and peaked at No. 36 on February 8th, 1975.

December 6th, 1975 Paul Simon reaches No. 1 on the album charts with “Still Crazy After All These Years.”

December 6th, 1975 Donna Summer “Love To Love You Baby” enters the singles charts. Originally issued in Germany where Summer had been working, in the US, the 45 came out on Oasis Records in October produced by Pete Bellotte and written by Georgio Moroder. Label owner Neil Bogart encouraged Bellotte to make a longer version of the song. The result was an album side long song that became a world-wide disco hit. The record went to No. 2 on February 7th, 1976.

December 6th, 1975 Bachman-Turner Overdrive “Down To The Line” enters the singles charts following an October release on Mercury Records. Written and produced by Randy Bachman, the record peaked at No. 43 on January 3rd, 1976.

December 6th, 1976 The shooting schedule for the film Sextettebegins at Paramount Studios in Hollywood with 83-year-old Mae West. Directed by Ted Hughes, the cast included Keith Moon, Ringo Starr and Alice Cooper. Filming was scheduled through the end of March.

December 6th, 1977 Jackson Browne releases his fifth album “Running On Empty.” Recorded in August through September with Browne producing, the LP featured the single’s “Stay/The Load Out” and the record’s title track. Featuring songs themed around life on the road, the album charted for sixty-five weeks and reached No. 3 on March 4th, 1978.

Miscellaneous December

December 1951 RPM Records release “3 O’Clock Blues” backed with “That Ain’t The Way To Do It,” the first single by B. B. King. Both songs were written by B.B. King. Johnny Ace played piano on the track.

December 1953 Specialty Records release “The Things I Used To Do” backed with “Well, I Done Got Over It” by Guitar Slim and His Band on 45. The tracks were recorded at Cosimo Matassa’s J&M Studio in New Orleans with John Vincent producing. The songs were arranged by Ray Charles, who plays piano on the sessions. Both tracks were written by Guitar Slim, credited to his real name, Eddie Jones. Slim was seriously injured in an automobile accident at the time “The Things I Used To Do” was the No. 1 R&B single in the country.

December 1959 Checker Records release the Bo Diddley album “Have Guitar Will Travel.”

December 1963 Daytone Records release “Hurricane” backed with “Sweet Love” by Conrad and The Hurricanes on 45. The tracks were taped at PAL Studios in Cucamonga, California. Both songs were written by Ed Sigarlaki and produced by Frank Zappa and Dave Aerni using the aliases Curry, Ivan. The single was reissued on Era Records in June 1964 with the A&B sides reversed.

December 1964 Fantasy Records release “Don’t Tell Me No Lies” backed with “Little Girl (Does Your Mama Know?),” the first record by The Golliwogs on 45. Both sides were co-written by Tom and John Fogerty, using the names Rann Wild and Toby Green. The Golliwogs renamed themselves Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967.

December 1965 Sue Records release “The New Breed (pts. 1&2)” by Ike Turner and His Kings Of Rhythm on 45. The instrumental was written by Ike Turner and co-produced by he and Tinas Turner.

December 1968 Verve Forecast Records release “Reason To Believe” by Tim Hardin on 45. The song was a No. 62 hit for Rod Stewart when it was released as the first single from Stewarts “Every Picture Tells A Story” LP in 1971.

December 1968 Island Records in Britain release “What We Did On Our Holidays,” the second album by Fairport Convention, their first to feature singer and songwriter Sandy Denny. Produced by Joe Boyd, the record was released in America with a different cover and a self-titled name.

December 1969 Mercury Records release “Earth” backed with “Step On Me” by Smile at 45. The A-side was written by singer and bassist Tim Staffell. “Step On Me” was co-written by Staffell and guitarist Brian May. Drummer Roger Taylor and May changed the name of the band to Queen when Staffell quit the group and they hired singer Freddie Mercury.

December 1969 Island Records in Britain release the Joe Boyd produced “Liege And Lief” album by Fairport Convention. The record was issued in America on A&M Records the following July. A No. 17 hit in England, it was Fairport’s third album of 1969 and their first following the road accident that killed drummer Martin Lamble.

December 1970 The Famous Charisma Label in Britain release “H To He Who Am The Only One,” the third album by Van der Graaf Generator. The LP was recorded at Trident Studios in London with John Anthony producing. Dunhill Records in the US issued the album in February 1971. Robert Fripp of King Crimson played guitar on the track “The Emperor And His War Room.”

December 1972 Epic records release “R.E.O. T.W.O.,” the second studio LP by REO Speedwagon. Initial sessions for the LP were recorded in Nashville, then moved to The Record Plant in Los Angeles. The album was co-produced by Paul Leka and Billy Rose II.

December 1972 United Artists Records release The Move compilation “Splits Ends.” The tracks drew mostly from the band’s previous album “Message From The Country” as well as earlier group singles.

December 1974 Atlantic Records release “Can’t Stop The Music (He Played It Much Too Long)” by Hall and Oates on 45. Written by John Oates, the record was produced by Todd Rundgren at Secret Sound Studios in New York City.

December 1987 Barking Pumpkin Records release Frank Zappa “Old Masters Box Three.” The set completed a trio of archival reissues of the original albums Zappa recorded with The Mothers Of Invention. The release featured the albums “Waka/Jawaka,” “The Grand Wazoo,” “Over-Nite Sensation,” “Apostrophe (‘),” “Roxy And Elsewhere,” “One Size Fits All,” “Bongo Fury” and “Zoot Allures”.