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Hear Today In Rock and Roll History
Today In R&R History May 17th
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 17th
- May 17thBirthday, The Spinners vocalist Pervis Jackson, born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1938. He died from cancer on August 18th, 2008 at the age of 70.
- May 17th Birthday, Spanky And Our Gang guitarist Malcolm Hale, born in Butte, Montana in 1941.
- May 17th Birthday, Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Taj Mahal, born Henry St. Clair Fredericks, in 1942 in Harlem, New York City.
- May 17th Birthday, American folk singer and songwriter Jesse Winchester, born in 1944 in Bossier City, Louisiana. He died on the morning of April 11th, 2014, at his home in Charlottesville, Virginia from bladder cancer, aged 69.
- May 17th Birthday, Yes, King Crimson, Genesis drummer Bill Bruford, born in 1949 in Sevenoaks, Kent, England.
- May 17th Birthday, Original Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno, born Paul Andrews in Chingford, London, England in 1958.
- May 17th Birthday, Celtic singer and keyboardist Enya, born Eithne Ni Bhraonain in 1961 in Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland.
- May 17th Birthday, Phish keyboardist Page McConnell, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1963.
- May 17th Birthday, Founder of Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor, born in 1965 in New Castle, Pennsylvania.
Today In Rock and Roll History
May 17th
- May 17th, 1963 Parlophone Records in England release “(Ain’t That) Just Like Me,” the first single by The Hollies. Co-written by Billy Guy and Earl Carroll for The Coasters in 1961, The Hollies’ version went to No. 25 in Britain.
- May 17th, 1963 Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, The Weavers and Peter, Paul And Mary were the featured acts at the very first Monterey Folk Festival in Monterey, California. Also appearing were Janis Joplin and The Wildwood Boys with Jerry Garcia on banjo and Robert Hunter on upright bass. Held at Monterey County Fairgrounds, Joplin was not a featured performer but did appear at the informal hoots on the second stage. She won three hootenanny contests and tickets to the shows on the main stage.
- May 17th, 1966 Bob Dylan plays the Manchester Free Trade Hall during his 1966 English Tour. The concert was released on October 13th, 1998 as Volume Four of Columbia Records’ Bootleg Series of Dylan albums as “Bob Dylan Live 1966, The Royal Albert Hall Concert.” The title stems from the misconception for many years that recording came from Dylan and The Hawks appearance on the tour in London at the Royal Albert Hall. The 1998 release peaked at No. 31 on the album charts on October 31st.
- May 17th, 1966 Gordy Records release “What Am I Going To Do Without Your Love” by Martha and The Vandellas on 45. The song was co-written by Sylvia Moy and William Mickey Stevenson. Stevenson co-produced the track with Ivy Jo Hunter. The record entered the singles charts in June and peaked at No. 71 on July 2nd.
- May 17th, 1967 Don’t Look Back, D.A. Pennebaker’s film chronicling Bob Dylan’s 1965 tour of the British Isles, premiered at the Presidio Theater in San Francisco.
- May 17th, 1967 Initial sessions for The Beatles “You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)” were taped at EMI Studios, London with Geoff Emerick producing, recording fourteen takes of what would be the first part of the released track; one of the quirkiest songs in the band’s catalog. Mixing Goon Show and Bonzo Dog Band styled British humor in song, The Beatles returned to “You Know My Name” on June 7th, adding overdubs to take nine. The group recorded the backing tracks for the remainder of the song on June 8th including a saxophone track by The Rolling Stones’ Brian Jones. Two years later, Lennon and McCartney added vocals, percussion and sound effects on April 30th, 1969. In November 1969 John Lennon decided to issue “You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)” backed with “What’s The New Mary Jane?” as a Plastic Ono Band single. Tentatively scheduling a December 5th release on Apple Records, the 45 was cancelled when the other members of The Beatles objected that both were Beatle recordings. “You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)” was issued as the B side of “Let It Be” in April 1970.
- May 17th, 1967 Epic Records release “You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby” by The Dave Clark Five on 45. Co-written Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer and published in 1938, Bobby Darin had a hit with the song in 1961. The Dave Clark version entered the charts in June and peaked at No. 35 on July 1st.
- May 17th, 1968 Transatlantic Records in Britain release the self-titled first album by Pentangle. The LP was produced by Shel Talmy at IBC and Olympic Studios in London from February through March.
- May 17th, 1969 Apple Records release “Is This What You Want?” by Jackie Lomax. The album was recorded during three sets of sessions, two in London and the other in Los Angeles with George Harrison producing and playing guitar. London sessions included Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Nicky Hopkins, Klaus Voorman and Paul McCartney. Sessions in LA included Wrecking Crew members Larry Knechtel on piano, Joe Osborn on bass and Hal Blaine on drums. The record peaked at No. 145 on July 19th.
- May 17th, 1969 “Last Exit” by Traffic enters the album charts on United Artists Records. The LP was a half live, half studio album put together from odds and ends by the band’s record company after the initial break-up of the group. Traffic would reform the group later that year after Steve Winwood’s appearance in Blind Faith. The album peaked at No. 19 on June 21st.
- May 17th, 1969 “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)” by The 5thDimension is the No. 1 record in the US.
- May 17th, 1969 Dot Records release “Yesterday When I Was Young” by Roy Clark on 45. The song was co-written by Charles Aznavour with English language lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. Its original French title was “Hier encore.” The record was produced by Joe Allison, entered the singles charts in June and peaked at No. 19 on August 2nd.
- May 17th, 1969 Nilsson’s “Everybody’s Talkin’” is re-released after interest in the song reignited after it was featured in the popular movie Midnight Cowboy. Written and originally released by folk artist Fred Neil in 1967, Nilsson’s version was first issued in May 1968, when it hit No. 13 on the charts. Second time around, it went to No. 6 on October 11th and won a Grammy Award in 1970.
- May 17th, 1969 Columbia Records release the self-titled double album debut by Chicago Transit Authority. The band was later sued by the real Chicago Transit Authority and was forced to shorten their name to Chicago. The album reached No. 17 in America on July 19th, No. 9 in Britain. Produced by Jim Guercio, the LP was recorded at CBS Studios in New York City over four days, January 27ththrough the 30th. The album featured the hit singles “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” “Beginnings” and “Questions 67 and 68.”
- May 17th, 1971 Paul and Linda McCartney release the album “Ram” on Apple Records. Recorded at Columbia and A&R Studios in New York City and Sound Recording in Los Angeles from October 1970 through March 1971. Co-produced by Paul and Linda McCartney, the release coincided with a period of public acrimony between McCartney and his former band mate John Lennon, who perceived verbal slights in the lyrics of some of the songs following McCartney’s legal action in the United Kingdom’s High Court to dissolve the Beatles’ partnership. Session musicians on the record included Hugh McCracken, David Spinozza and Denny Seiwell. “Ram” peaked at No. 2 in America on August 21st.
- May 17th, 1972 Epic Records release The Hollies “Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress).” The song was co-written by group vocalist Allan Clarke with Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. Recorded over two weeks of sessions from July 16ththrough the 30th at George Martin’s AIR Studios in London, self-produced by The Hollies and mixed by their long-time producer Ron Richards. Issued from The Hollies’ “Distant Light” album, the LP had been out in England since October 1971. Allan Clarke had left the band to pursue a solo career when the single became a hit in America. The band had recorded their next album “Romany” with Swedish singer Michael Rickfors. The single entered the charts in June and hit No. 2 on September 2nd, earning a Gold Record that month for a million copies sold. Clarke would return to The Hollies in the summer of 1973.
- May 17th, 1972 “You Need Love” by Styx enters the singles charts following an April release on Wooden Nickel Records. Written by Styx’ Dennis DeYoung and produced by John Ryan, the record peaked at No. 88 on May 17th.
- May 17th, 1972 “I’m Coming Home” by Stories enters the singles charts on Kama Sutra Records. The song was co-written by Stories keyboardist Michael Brown and bassist/singer Ian Lloyd. Self-produced by the band, the record peaked at No. 42 on August 19th.
- May 17th, 1972 Epic Records release Johnny Nash’s “Stir It Up” on 45. Written by Bob Marley in 1967, “Stir It Up” was first recorded by Marley’s group, The Wailers, that year and issued as a single. A year before Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now” album was released, Marley and Nash collaborated on the score for the Swedish film Vill så gärna tro, which cast Nash in a starring role. Nash’s backing band for the album was the Jamaican reggae group Fabulous Five Inc. The Johnny Nash version of “Stir It Up” wasn’t a big hit during its first release but was reissued on January 15th, 1973. Second time around, the record entered the charts in February and peaked at No. 11 on April 21st, No. 4 in Canada.
- May 17th, 1973 Yes receive Gold Records for both their triple record live LP “Yessongs” and “The Yes Album.”
- May 17th, 1974 RCA Records in Britain release “Diamond Dogs” backed with “Holy Holy” on 45. Both songs were written by Bowie. “Holy Holy” was a different recording of the same song first released on a single in the UK in 1971. Bowie produced the A-side and co-produced “Holy Holy” with Ken Scott.
- May 17th, 1974 On the same day that RCA Records release David Bowie’s “Diamond Dogs” on 45, Mooncrest Records issue “Hang On To Yourself” backed with “Man In The Middle” by Bowie fronting the fictitious band Arnold Corns on 45. “Hang On To Yourself” had been issued twice in 1972 with a different flip sides. The Arnold Corns tracks all date to 1971 sessions with Bowie and the embryonic Spiders From Mars lineup.
- May 17th, 1975 “Hey You” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive enters the singles charts. Written by guitarist Randy Bachman for the Bachman-Turner Overdrive album “Four Wheel Drive,” the lyrics of “Hey You” were a poke at Bachman’s former Guess Who band mate Burton Cummings. It was the second BTO single to go to No. 1 in their native Canada, peaking at No. 21 in America on July 5th.
- May 17th, 1975 Polydor Records release “Shoes” by Reparata on 45. First recorded by Pennsylvania band Felix Harp, with music and lyrics by band member Eric Beam. It was released as a single in 1973, renamed “She Didn’t Forget Her Shoes (Johnny and Louise)” on Lou Guarino’s NAMI label. Guarino produced the Reparata track using a remix of the original Felix Harp backing track. Reparata was the stage name of Brooklyn, New York singer Mary Katherine O’Leary. Legal issues with the record and the use of the name Reparata caused the record to stall in America, but “Shoes” had big international sales, going to No. 43 in Britain and No. 4 in South Africa.
- May 17th, 1975 “Rock and Roll All Nite” by Kiss enters the singles charts. The track was recorded at Electric Lady Studios, in New York City in February 1975. The song was co-written by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. The band produced the track with Neil Bogart. The record peaked at No. 65. A live version of the song was released in October and went to No. 12 on January 24th, 1976.
- May 17th, 1980 Joe Walsh’s “All Night Long” from the Urban Cowboy movie soundtrack enters the singles charts on Asylum Records. Written and produced by Joe Walsh, “All Night Long” became one of Walsh’s best charting singles, peaking at No. 19 on July 20th.
- May 17th, 1980 “Animal Magnetism” by the Scorpions enters the album charts following an early May release on Mercury Records. Produced by Dieter Dierks at Dierks Studio in Stommein, West Germany and Manta Sound Studios in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from October 1979 through February 1980. The record peaked at No. 52 on July 5th.
- May 17th, 1983 MCA Records release “Reach The Beach,” the second studio album by The Fixx. Rupert Hines produced the LP at Farmyard Studios in Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, England. The record featured three US hits, “One Thing Leads to Another,” “Saved by Zero” and “The Sign of Fire.” “Reach The Beach” spent over a year on the charts and peaked at No. 8 on October 15th.
- May 17th, 1986 Arista Records release the self-titled debut album by GTR. Formed by guitarists Steve Hackett and Steve Howe, the album was produced by Geoff Downes at The Townhouse Studios in London, England. “GTR” reached No. 11 on July 12thin the album charts and featured the hits “When The Heart Rules The Mind” and “The Hunter.”
- May 17th, 1987 A fire destroys Tom Petty’s Los Angeles home and causes eight hundred thousand dollars worth of damage. It was later discovered to be the work of an arsonist.
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 17th
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 5/17 The Beatles
Cool songs from the Rock and Roll Era, Closet Classics and more.
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