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Rock and Roll Birthdays

Today's Rock and Roll Birthdays

September 14th

September 14th Birthday, Bassist and singer with Nazareth, Pete Agnew, born in Dunfermline, Scotland in 1946.
September 14th Birthday, Sha Na Na singer Jon “Bowser” Bauman, born in Brooklyn, New York in 1947.
September 14th Birthday, MC 5 guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith, bornon Broad Branch in the Harts Creek area of Lincoln County, West Virginia in 1948. He died of heart failure on November 4th, 1994 at the age of 46.
September 14th Birthday, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Strawberry Alarm Clock guitarist Ed King, born in 1949 in Glendale, California. He died on August 22nd, 2018, aged 68.
September 14th Birthday, Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Steve Gaines, born in 1949 in Seneca, Missouri. He died in the band’s plane crash on October 20th, 1977 at the age of 28.
September 14th Birthday, Free and Back Street Crawler guitarist Paul Kossoff, born in 1950 in Hampstead, England. Kossoff died of a heart attack in his sleep enroute to New York from Los Angeles on March 19th, 1976 at the age of 25.
September 14th Birthday, Barry Cowsill of The Cowsills, born in Newport, Rhode Island in 1954. Cowsill died on September 2nd, 2005 at the age of 50.
September 14th Birthday, Los Lobos keyboardist, sax, flute, harmonica and melodica player Steve Berlin, born in 1955 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
September 14th Birthday, Singer Amy Winehouse, born in 1983 in London, England. She died on July 23rd, 2011 at the age of 27.

Today In Rock and Roll History

September 14th

September 14th, 1959 Jamie Records release “Some Kind-A Earthquake” by Duane Eddy on 45. Co-written by Eddy and Lee Hazlewood and co-produced by Hazlewood and Lester Sill, the record has the honor of being the shortest instrumental to make the Top Forty, clocking in at 1:17.
September 14th, 1959 Chess Records release “Broken Arrow” backed with “Childhood Sweetheart” by Chuck Berry on 45. Also known as “Never Do That Again,” there were two different versions used from the July 27th and 29th sessions at Chess Studios in Chicago. The 45 version ran two minutes and nineteen seconds long and the album version at three minutes and a second. Playing on the track were Fred Below on drums, Roquel “Billy” Davis, Harvey Fuqua and Etta James on backing vocals, Reggie Boyd on bass and Leroy C. Davis on tenor saxophone.

September 14th, 1963 “Night Beat” by Sam Cooke enters the album charts following an August release on RCA Records. Co-produced by Hugo and Luigi during sessions that February it was Cooke’s first charting LP. Among the studio musicians to play on the record were sixteen-year-old Billy Preston and drummer Hal Blaine. “Night Beat” peaked at No. 62 on October 12th.
September 14th, 1965 Tamla Records release “Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye on 45. Co-written by Pete Moore, Smokey Robinson, Robert Rogers and Marv Tarplin, the studio session was produced by Smokey Robinson and featured The Andantes on backing vocals. The record peaked at No. 8 on November 20th, Gaye’s second consecutive million selling single following “I’ll Be Doggone” earlier in the year.
September 14th, 1968 Liberty Records release “Stormy” by the Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost on 45. The song was produced by Buddy Buie, who co-wrote the song with James B. Cobb Jr, credited as J. Cobb. The single reached No. 5 on December 28th.
September 14th, 1968 Cadet Concept Records release the “Messages From Status Quo” album by Status Quo. The record featured the hit “Pictures Of Matchstick Men.” The album had a second life in America when it entered the charts and peaked at No. 148 on May 15th, 1976.
September 14th, 1968 UNI Records release “Sunday Sun” by Neil Diamond on 45. The song was written by Diamond and co-produced by Tom Catalano and Neil Diamond with strings arranged by Don Costa. The single entered the charts on November 9th and peaked at No. 68 on November 23rd.
September 14th, 1970 Quicksilver Messenger Service’s “Fresh Air” is released on 45. Co-written by Gary Duncan and Jesse Oris Farrow, the nom de plume of Chester William “Chet” Powers, Jr., who also used the stage name of Dino Valenti. The song was recorded as part of the sessions for Quicksilver’s “Just for Love” album between May and June. The record entered the singles charts in October and peaked at No. 49 on November 7th.

September 14th, 1970 Columbia Records release “Untitled” by The Byrds. Co-produced by Terry Melcher and Jim Dickson, the double album set featured two sides of live material, with sides three and four containing new studio material. The record peaked at No. 40 on November 28th.
September 14th, 1970 Blood Sweat and Tears’ “Lucretia Mac Evil” is released on 45. Written by band singer David Clayton-Thomas before he’d joined the group, the track was co-produced by Columbia Records staff producer Roy Halee and the band’s Bobby Colomby. The record entered the charts in October and peaked at No. 29 on November 7th.
September 14th, 1970 Derek and The Dominos release their debut single “Tell The Truth” b/w “Roll It Over” on Atco Records, produced by Phil Spector and recorded during the George Harrison “All Things Must Pass” studio sessions as a favor to the band for their help on the Harrison album. Depending on who’s telling the story either the band or the record label were not happy with the Spector production and the single was withdrawn, becoming an instant collector’s item. In a 1980’s era interview, Eric Clapton claimed it was the label who pulled the record from circulation.
September 14th, 1973 Island Records in Britain release “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall,” the first solo single by Roxy Music singer/songwriter Bryan Ferry. The track was recorded at AIR Studios in London with Ferry, John Porter and John Punter co-producing during sessions for Ferry’s first album “These Foolish Things.”
September 14th, 1973 Harvest Records in Britain release “Showdown” by the Electric Light Orchestra as a stand-alone single. Written and produced by Jeff Lynne, the single came out in America on United Artists Records and entered the charts on December 1st. It was ELO’s second charting 45 in America, peaking at No. 53 on February 2nd. “Showdown” was included on the US version of the band’s “On The Third Day” LP.
September 14th, 1973 Sweet release “Ballroom Blitz” in Britain, out April 1975 in the US. Co-written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, the song was inspired by an incident on January 27th, 1973 when the band were performing at the Grand Hall in Kilmarnock, Scotland and were driven offstage by a bottling from the rowdy audience. The song was recorded at Audio International Studio, London with producer Phil Wainman. The record peaked in America at No. 5 on October 18th, 1975.
September 14th, 1974 Dunhill Records release “Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)” by Three Dog Night on 45. Written by Allen Toussaint, the song was released by five different artists that same year, the Three Dog Night version, along with B.J. Thomas, Maria Muldaur, Frankie Miller and R&B artist Sylvester. “Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)” by Three Dog Night reached No. 33 on November 16th, No. 25 in Canada.
September 14th, 1974 Eric Clapton’s version of Bob Marley’s “I Shot The Sheriff” is the No. 1 song in the US.
September 14th, 1978 The Grateful Dead begin three nights of shows at the pyramids, becoming the first Western rock and roll act to headline in Cairo, Egypt. The band used The Who’s PA system, setting up for three nights on the east side of the Great Sphinx. The final night’s show on September 16th coincided with a total lunar eclipse.
September 14th, 1979 Chrysalis Records release “Dreaming” by Blondie, the lead single from the band’s fourth LP “Eat To The Beat.” The song was co-written by group guitarist Chris Stein and singer Debbie Harry and went to No. 27 on the Pop Singles charts on December 1st, No. 2 in the UK.
September 14th, 1979 The film version of Quadrophenia, the Who’s 1973 rock opera about growing up Mod in London, opens in theaters.
September 14th, 1981 The Pink Floyd film The Wall began production.
September 14th, 1984 EMI Records release “Blue Jean” by David Bowie on 45. Written by David Bowie, the single was issued in both blue and black vinyl versions with a custom picture sleeve. “Blue Jean” was co-produced by Bowie, Derek Bramble and Hugh Padham. The record peaked at No. 8 on November 3rd.
September 14th, 1985 Elektra Records release “The Head On The Door,” the seventh album by The Cure. Recorded at Angel Recording in London, England, co-produced by Robert Smith and Dave Allen, the record peaked at No. 59 on December 7th.
September 14th, 1987 EMI Records in Britain release “Learning To Fly” by Pink Floyd on 45. Issued in America the following day, the single peaked at No. 70 on October 31st.
September 14th, 1990 Columbia Records release “Painkiller” by Judas Priest. The album was co-produced by the band and Chris Tsangarides at Mitaval Studios in Brignoles, France. “Painkiller” peaked at No. 26 on November 3rd.
September 14th, 1993 “August And Everything After” by Counting Crows is released. Produced by T Bone Burnett in Los Angeles from February through June the album peaked at No. 4 on April 2nd, 1994.

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.