Wax Museum Radio
Next broadcast August 8th Friday Night at midnight and Saturday night at 10pm on WRGG.
Hear Today In Rock and Roll History
Today In R&R History August 8th
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
August 8th
- August 8th Birthday, Blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon, born in 1920 in Gurdon, Arkansas. He died from throat cancer on September 18th, 1997 at the age of 77.
- August 8th Birthday, Singer, songwriter Joe Tex, born Joseph Arrington in Rogers, Texas in 1935. He died on August 13th, 1982 from a heart attack at the age of 49.
- August 8th Birthday, Bassist John Gustafson, a veteran of numerous British bands and recording sessions, born in Liverpool, England in 1942. He died on September 12th, 2014 at the age of 72.
- August 8th Birthday, Pentangle guitarist and solo artist John Renbourn, born in Hawick, Scotland in 1944. Renbourn died on March 26th, 2015 at the age of 70.
- August 8th Birthday, Long-time Billy Joel drummer Liberty DeVitto, a veteran session player, born in 1950 in New York City.
- August 8th Birthday, Isaac Hayes drummer and a member of the Blues Brothers Band, Willie Hall, born in 1950 in Memphis, Tennessee.
- August 8th Birthday, U2 guitarist The Edge, born David Evans in 1961 in Barking, Essex, England.
- August 8th Birthday, Poison guitarist Rikki Rockett, born Richard Allen Ream in 1964 in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
- August 8th Birthday, Creed vocalist Scott Stapp, born Anthony Scott Flippen in 1973 in Orlando, Florida.
Today In Rock and Roll History
August 8th
- August 8th, 1961 RCA Victor Records release “(Marie’s The Name Of) His Latest Flame” backed with “Little Sister” by Elvis Presley on 45. Both songs were co-written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. The A-side was the bigger hit, but only by one place on the charts. “Marie’s The Name Of His Latest Flame” peaked at No. 4 on September 23rd and “Little Sister” peaked at No. 5 on October 2nd.
- August 8th, 1964 “Haunted House” by Jumpin’ Gene Simmons enters the Pop Singles charts. Simmons began his recording career on Sun Records in 1958 and was an opening act for Elvis Presley. Written by Bob Geddins, “Haunted House” was Simmons’ only American Top Forty hit, peaking at No. 11 on September 26th.
- August 8th, 1964 Columbia Records release “Another Side Of Bob Dylan,” his fourth studio LP. The album was recorded in a single day, June 9th, at Columbia Studios on 7th Avenue in New York City with producer Tom Wilson. “Another Side Of Bob Dylan” peaked at No. 43 on December 5th. The album’s first single “It Ain’t Me Babe” was issued the same day.
- August 8th, 1964 Josie Records release “Last Kiss” by J. Frank Wilson and The Cavaliers, covering the Wayne Cochran song from 1961. Two earlier pressings preceded the release on Josie, first on Le Cam Records, then on the Tamara label. Produced by Ron Newdoll, the record peaked at No. 2 on November 7th.
- August 8th, 1966 Penthouse Records release “Gotta Find My Roogalator” by Bobby Jameson on 45. Jameson was touted as a rising star in advertising campaigns in music trade papers in 1963 and attracted a cult following after he issued the LP “Songs Of Protest And Anti-Protest under the name Chris Lucey in 1965. He opened for The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Chubby Checker and declined an offer to join The Monkees. “Gotta Find My Roogalator” was produced and arranged by Frank Zappa, although the label credited Norm Ratner. Zappa also played lead guitar. On June 21st, the track was recorded at HRT Studios in Los Angeles with Jameson on vocals, Carol Kaye and Louis Morell also played guitar, Robert West on bass, John Guerin and Gene Estes played drums and Larry Knechtel played piano.
- August 8th, 1966 Epic Records release “Don’t Look Back” by The Remains on 45. The song was written by Billy Vera. Sometimes known as Barry and The Remains, the group were from Boston, Massachusetts. The track was recorded in New York City with producer Ted Kooper. The Remains were the opening act that summer for The Beatles final tour. The record is considered a Nugget of the garage band era.
- August 8th, 1967 The Bee Gees begin recording sessions for “(The Lights Went Out In) Massachusetts.” Co-written by the three Gibb brothers and produced by Robert Stigwood, the lead vocal was sung by Robin Gibb. The track was finished eight days later, on August 17th and entered the singles charts on November 11th, peaking at No. 11 on December 9th.
- August 8th, 1968 Paul McCartney records “Mother Nature’s Son” at EMI Studio Two in London with producer George Martin. McCartney claims its sentiment was a tribute to Nat King Cole’s “Nature Boy,” a No. 1 hit in 1945. Additional overdubs were added to take twenty-four on August 20th with McCartney adding bass drum, bongos and timpani. George Martin scored and recorded a brass arrangement for two trumpets and two trombones.
- August 8th, 1968 Capitol Records release “The Weight” by The Band on 45. Written collectively by the group and produced by John Simon, “The Weight” was used in the 1969 movie Easy Rider, but wasn’t licensed to be part of ABC-Dunhill Records’ soundtrack album. ABC-Dunhill commissioned Los Angeles band Smith to record the song for the record. The Band version of “The Weight” peaked at No. 63 on September 28th.
- August 8th, 1969 Columbia Records release Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” on 45. Written for the soundtrack of the 1973 film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, the single became a worldwide hit, reaching the Top Ten in several countries. The recording features Jim McGuinn of The Byrds on guitar and Jim Keltner on drums. The record peaked at No. 12 on October 27th.
- August 8th, 1969 The iconic cover photo for The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” album is taken by photographer Iain Macmillan, showing the band striding across a zebra crossing outside Abbey Road studios in London.
- August 8th, 1970 Decca Records release “Hello Hello” backed with “If I Could Do It Again, I’d Do It All Over You” by Caravan on 45. Both songs were co-written by the four members of the group, Dave Sinclair, Pye Hastings, Richard Coughlin and Richard Sinclair. “If I Could Do It Again, I’d Do It All Over You” also served as the title track of Caravan’s second album.
- August 8th, 1970 “Rainbow” by Marmalade enters the singles charts on London Records. Co-written by Marmalade keyboardist William “Junior” Campbell and Thomas McAleese, “Rainbow” was issued as the follow-up 45 to Marmalade’s two million selling “Reflections Of My Life.” The record peaked at No. 3 in Britain, No. 51 in America, on September 12th.
- August 8th, 1970 “Uncle John’s Band” by The Grateful Dead enters the singles charts on Warner Brothers Records. Co-written by guitarist Jerry Garcia with lyricist Robert Hunter and co-produced by Bob Matthews and Betty Cantner-Jackson, the record peaked at No. 69 on September 19th.
- August 8th, 1970 “Mongoose” by Elephant’s Memory enters the singles charts on Metromedia Records. The song was co-written by Rick Frank and Stan Bronstein and produced by Ted Cooper. The record peaked at No. 50 on October 17th.
- August 8th, 1973 Drummer Denny Seiwell quits Wings, the second member of the group to leave on the eve of sessions for the “Band On The Run” LP.
- August 8th, 1974 Eric Clapton receives a Gold Record for his chart-topping album “461 Ocean Boulevard.”
- August 8th, 1980 RCA Records in Britain release “Ashes To Ashes” by David Bowie on 45. The song was the first released from his next LP “Scary Monsters and Super Creeps.” The record was co-produced by Bowie with Tony Visconti. On August 23rd, the single tops the UK music chart, giving David Bowie his first No. 1 single since “Space Oddity” in 1975. The single was released on August 8th in the US and peaked at No. 101.
- August 8th, 1980 Island Records in Britain release “A Day Without Me” backed with the instrumental B-side “Things To Make And Do” by U2 on 45. Both songs were collectively written by the band and produced by Steve Lillywhite. The A-side was the first single issued from U2’s debut LP “Boy.”
- August 8th, 1981 “The Voice” by The Moody Blues enters the singles charts on Threshold Records. The song was written by Justin Hayward from the Pip Williams produced LP “Long Disdtasnce Voyager.” The single peaked at No. 15 on October 3rd.
- August 8th, 1981 The “Party Mix” EP by The B-52’s enters the album charts, issued as a twelve-inch disc by Warner Brothers Records. The records featured remixed versions of three songs from both of the band’s full-length LP’s. “Party Mix” peaked at No. 55 on August 22nd.
- August 8th, 1987 “The World Where You Live” by Crowded House enters the singles charts on Capitol Records, the third American single released from the band’s debut LP. The song was written by Neil Finn. The record was produced by Mitchell Froom. “The World Where You Live” peaked at No. 65 on September 12th.
- August 8th, 2008 Todo Mondo Records release “Everything That Happens Will Happen Today,” the second album by Brian Eno and David Byrne. Work on the album began with Byrne contributing lyrics and vocals to unreleased home studio Eno demos. Further sessions with Byrne and English musician record producer Leo Abrahams added further instrumentation.
Miscellaneous August
- August 1957 Ace Records release “Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu” by Huey “Piano” Smith on 45. The song was co-written by Smith and Johnny Vincent. The session for the track included Sidney Rayfield and “Scarface” John Williams on vocals, Lee Allen on tenor sax, Earl King on guitar, Frank Fields on bass and Charles “Hungry” Williams on drums. The record peaked at No. 52 on the Pop singles charts.
- August 1958 Dot Records release “Scratchin’” backed with the novelty song “I Hates Rabbits” by Jerry Neal on 45. Neal was a stage name of Jerry Capehart. He co-wrote both songs with Eddie Cochran. Cochran is rumored to play all the instruments on “Scratchin’,” while Cochran plays lead guitar on “I Hates Rabbits.”
- August 1958 Tune Town Records release “Boxtop” by Ike Turner, Carson Oliver and Little Ann, the first record release to feature the future Tina Turner on vocals. The song was written by Ike Turner, who heard the seventeen-year-old sing during the intermission of a Kings Of Rhythm set at the Manhattan Club in East St. Louis. Carson Oliver was one of the vocalists in Turner’s group, the Kings Of Rhythm band. The track was recorded at Turner’s house on Virginia Place, in East St. Louis.
- August 1963 Original Sound Records release “Heavies” backed with “The Cruncher” by The Rotations on 45. The Rotations were an alias for Paul Buff and Dave Aerni. Both songs were co-written by Aerni and Buff, produced by Frank Zappa at PAL Studio in Cucamonga, California in June. A few seconds of “Heavies” is heard in the opening moments of “Nasal Retentive Caliope Music” on The Mothers Of Invention LP “We’re Only In It For The Money.”
- August 1963 Original Sound Records release “Tijuana” backed with “Grunion Run” by The Hollywood Persuaders on 45. Paul Buff wrote the A-side. “Grunion Run” was performed by Paul Buff and Frank Zappa, recording at PAL Studios in Cucamonga, California in June. Zappa played guitars, bass and drums with Paul Buff on saxophone.
- August 1965 Autumn Records release “Beau Brummels Volume II.” The record featured the hit “You Tell Me Why” and follow-up single “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” but didn’t chart. Sylvester Stewart, later known professionally as Sly Stone, is listed as the album’s producer, but members of the band didn’t recall him being there for the recording sessions.
- August 1969 Immediate Records in Britain release the self-titled album by “The Nice,” the group’s second album.
- August 1971 A&M Records release “White Light,” the second studio album by The Byrds’ singer, songwriter Gene Clark. The LP was recorded at A&M Studios and Village Recorders in Los Angeles with Jesse Ed Davis producing in the Spring, 1971. Playing on the record were Davis, bassist Chris Ethridge of the Flying Burrito Brothers, organist Michael Utley, pianist Ben Sidran and drummer Gary Mallaber, both of the Steve Miller Band.
- August 1972 Thunderclap Newman pianist Andy Newman releases the solo LP “Rainbows” on Track Records in England. Pete Townshend is the executive producer of the album.
- August 1974 Ardent Records release “September Gurls” by Big Star on 45. The song was written by Alex Chilton with autobiographical lyrics about several women in his life. The record was co-produced by Big Stay and John Fry on a six track recording console at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee during sessions for the band’s second album “Radio City.”
- August 1976 Mushroom Records in Australia release “Second Thoughts,” the second LP by Split Enz. The group’s first LP “Mental Notes” had not been released in America or in Europe, so Chrysalis Records issued “Second Thoughts” in September in Britain and January 1977 in the US – as “Mental Notes” with new cover art. “Second Thoughts” was produced by Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera at Basing Street Studios in London. The LP went to No. 18 in the New Zealand album charts.
- August 1978 Chrysalis Records release “I’m Gonna Love You Too” by Blondie on 45, a cover version of The Crickets’ song from 1957. The song was written by Crickets’ bassist Joe Maudlin, guitarist Niki Sullivan and record producer Norman Petty. Produced by Mike Chapman, it was the first single released from Blondie’s “Parallel Lines” LP.
- August 1980 Virgin Records in Britain release “Generals And Majors” by XTC on 45. Written by Colin Moulding and produced by Steve Lillywhite, it was the first single released from the band’s “Black Sea” album and peaked at No. 32 in England.
- August 1980, Virgin Records release “Doc At The Radar Station” by Captain Beefheart. The album was recorded in June at Sound Castle Recording Studios in Los Angeles with Beefheart producing.
- August 1983 Warner Brothers Records release “Song For A Future Generation” by The B-52’s as the second single from the “Whammy!” LP. The song was written collectively by The B-52’s, produced by Steven Stanley.
- August 1984 EG Records release “The Pearl,” the second album by Harold Budd and Brian Eno. Recorded in Toronto, Canada with Daniel Lanois also producing, the premise of the recordings were established on the pair’s first collaboration “The Plateaux Of Mirror,” with Eno treating Budd’s improvised piano parts with studio effects and later making compositional decisions together to create the released tracks.
- August 1986 IMP Records in Britain release “Tokyo Storm Warning” by Elvis Costello and The Attractions on 45, a song Costello wrote with his wife, The Pogues bassist Cait O’Riordan. The track was Costello’s first single release to give credit to his given name MacManus. “Tokyo Storm Warning” was co-produced by Nick Lowe and Colin Fairley.
- August 1987 Virgin Records in England release “Psonic Psunspot,” the first full-length album by The Dukes Of Stratosphere, actually XTC under a different name with guitarist Dave Gregory’s brother Ian on drums. The record was co-produced by John Leckie and the band at Sawmills Studio in Fowey, Cornwall, England in June.
- August 1987 Columbia Records release the movie soundtrack LP “Back To The Beach,” a various artists collection of songs from the film. Highlights include the Stevie Ray Vaughn/Dick Dale remake of “Pipeline,” songs by Dave Edmunds, Eddie Money, Aimee Mann, M<arti Jones and a Herbie Hancock version of “Wipe Out” featuring Dweezil Zappa on guitar and Terry Bozzio on drums.
- August 1989 Virgin Records release “The Loving” by XTC on 45 in Britain. The track came from the band’s Paul Fox produced “Oranges And Lemons” LP.
- August 1992 Warner Brothers Records in Britain release “Real Cool World” by David Bowie on 45. The song was the theme from Real Cool World movie, written by Bowie and produced by Nile Rodgers. The B-side was an instrumental version of the track.
This Week In Rock and Roll History
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The Cool Song Of The Week
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