Wax Museum Radio
Next broadcast May 9th Friday Night at midnight and Saturday night at 10pm on WRGG.
Hear Today In Rock and Roll History
Today In R&R History May 9th
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 9th
- May 9th Birthday, The Ventures guitarist Floyd “Nokie” Edwards, born in Lahoma, Oklahoma in 1935.
- May 9th Birthday, Sam and Dave vocalist Dave Prater Jr, born in 1937 in Ocilla, Georgia. Prater died in a car accident in Sycamore, Georgia on April 9th, 1988 at the age of 50.
- May 9th Birthday, Sonny Curtis, guitarist for The Crickets, born in Meadow, Texas in 1937.
- May 9th Birthday, Keyboardist John Hawken, a member of The Nashville Teens, Renaissance and the Strawbs, born in Bournemouth, England in 1940.
- May 9th Birthday, Danny Rapp, lead singer for Danny and The Juniors, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1941. He died on April 5th, 1983 at the age of 41.
- May 9th Birthday, bassist for Freddie and the Dreamers Pete Birrell born in 1941 in Wythenshawe, Manchester, Cheshire, England.
- May 9th Birthday, Singer Tommy Roe, who had eleven Top Forty hits from 1962 through 1971, born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1942.
- May 9th Birthday, Guitarist and founding member of Buffalo Springfield, Poco and The Souther, Hillman, Fury Band, Richie Fury, born in Yellow Springs, Ohio in 1944.
- May 9th Birthday, Blues Project guitarist and record producer and an original member of Blood Sweat and Tears, Steve Katz in Brooklyn, New York City in 1945.
- May 9th Birthday, Singer, songwriter, pianist Billy Joel, born William Martin Joel in The Bronx, New York City in 1949.
- May 9th Birthday, Tom Petersson, bassist for Cheap Trick born Thomas John Peterson in Rockford, Illinois in 1950.
- May 9th Birthday, Status Quo bassist John Edwards, nicknamed “Rhino,” born in Chiswick, London, England in 1953.
- May 9th Birthday, Singer David Gahan (pronounced Gahn) from Depeche Mode, born David Callcott in Epping, Essex, England in 1962.
Today In Rock and Roll History
May 9th
- May 9th, 1956 Little Richard records “Rip It Up” and “Ready Teddy” at J&M Music Shop in New Orleans, Louisiana. Both songs were co-written by the singles’ producer Robert Blackwell and John Marascalco. Specialty Records released “Rip It Up” and “Ready Teddy” as both sides of Richard’s next single on June 16th. The record topped the US R&B charts and hit No. 27 on the Pop Singles charts on September 8th.
- May 9th, 1960 After The Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley both turned the song down, Roy Orbison’s “Only the Lonely (Know How I Feel)” is released on Monument Records. Produced by Fred Foster and co-written by Orbison and Joe Melson, the song entered the charts in July and went to No. 2 stateside on July 30th. In Britain, “Only the Lonely (Know How I Feel)” went to No. 1 in October.
- May 9th, 1962 The Beatles sign their first record contract with Parlophone Records in Britain.
- May 9th, 1964 Brunswick Records release “Big Boss Line” by Jackie Wilson on 45. Co-written by Wilson and Alonzo Tucker, the record charted for one week on May 23rd, peaking at No. 94.
- May 9th, 1965 Bob Dylan plays the first of two sold out shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall, the last two dates of The Bob Dylan England Tour 1965. Donovan and all four Beatles were in the audience. The tour was documented by filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker in the movie Don’t Look Back.
- May 9th, 1966 Columbia Records release “Midnight Ride With Paul Revere and The Raiders,” the band’s fifth studio album. Produced by Terry Melcher, the LP reached No. 9 on August 6th and featured the hit single “Kicks.” Lead guitarist Drake Levin left the band after the album’s release.
- May 9th, 1966 Philips Records release “Opus 17 (Don’t You Worry “Bout Me)” by The 4 Seasons featuring The Sound Of Frankie Valli on 45. The song was co-written by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell and produced by Bob Crewe. The record entered the charts two weeks later and went to No. 13 on June 25th.
- May 9th, 1969 Zapple Records release “Life With The Lions,” the second experimental album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
- May 9th, 1969 Zapple Records in Britain release the second solo album by George Harrison, an LP of experiments on the Moog synthesizer, called “Electronic Sound.” The record came out in the US on May 26th.
- May 9th, 1969 “Get Back” by The Beatles is awarded a Gold Record for a million copies sold of the single.
- May 9th, 1969 Motown Records release “No Matter What Sign You Are” by Diana Ross and The Supremes on 45. The Supremes members Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong do not perform on the record. The song was co-written and produced by Berry Gordy Jr. and Henry Cosby. The record went to No. 31 on June 28th.
- May 9th, 1969 Fontana Records in Britain release “Beginnings,” the debut album by Ambrose Slade. By the time the next album came out, the name was shortened to Slade. Out October 25th in America, the record was renamed “Ballzy” and was a combination of group originals and cover versions.
- May 9th, 1969 Tamla Records release Smokey Robinson and The Miracles’ version of “Abraham, Martin and John.” The song was a cover of Dion’s hit, written by Dick Holler. The Miracles version was co-produced by Smokey Robinson and Motown Records president Suzanne DePassa. The group performed the song on The Ed Sullivan Show on June 1st. The record went to No. 33 on July 19th.
- May 9th, 1970 “American Woman” b/w “No Sugar Tonight” by The Guess Who is the No. 1 record in the US.
- May 9th, 1970 “If You Believe In Love” by The Tee Set enters the singles charts on Colossus Records. The track was produced by Peter Tetteroo, who wrote the song with Hans Van Eijck. Following the hit “Ma Belle Amie,” it was the Dutch band’s only other charting hit in the US, peaking at No. 81 on May 23rd.
- May 9th, 1970 Capitol Records release “Gimme Dat Ding” by The Pipkins on 45 following a March 6th release in Britain. Tony Burrows sang lead on the song. Co-written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood as part of the musical section of the British children’s show “Little Big Time,” the record peaked at No. 9 on July 18th.
- May 9th, 1970 “I Call My Baby Candy” by The Jaggerz enters the singles charts on Kama Sutra Records. Written by Dominic Ierace (Donnie Iris), the record peaked at No. 75 on May 23rd.
- May 9th, 1970 “Ride Captain Ride” by Blues Image enters the singles charts on Atco Records. Recorded at Elektra Sound Studios, the song was co-written by Mike Pinera and keyboardist Frank “Skip” Konte. The record went to No. 4 on July 11th.
- May 9th, 1972 Columbia Records release “Nobody But You” by Loggins and Messina on 45. Written and produced by Jim Messina, the record peaked at No. 86 on June 17th.
- May 9th, 1973 Mick Jagger makes a three hundred- and fifty-thousand-dollar donation on behalf of The Rolling Stones to aid victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake, adding one hundred and fifty thousand dollars of his own money to receipts from the Stones benefit concert at The LA Forum.
- May 9th, 1978 Tubes lead singer Fee Waybill falls off stage in London, England at the Hammersmith Odeon and breaks his leg while wielding a chainsaw during the band’s set.
- May 9th, 1980 Charisma Records in England release “Duchess” as the second single from the “Duke” LP. On the album, the song appeared as part of a thematic suite of songs. “Duchess was co-written by the band and co-produced by Genesis and David Hentschel at Polar Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. The record peaked at No. 46 in Britain.
- May 9th, 1980 EG/Polydor Records in Britain release “Over You” by Roxy Music on 45. Co-produced by the band and Rhett Davies, the song was co-written by singer Bryan Ferry and guitarist Phil Manzanera. The single was issued two weeks in advance of the band’s “Flesh And Blood” LP. “Over You” peaked at No. 5 in England on June 14th. Atco Records in America issued the single in July, where it became Roxy Music’s third chart 45, peaking at No. 80 on August 13th.
- May 9th, 1981 “Arc Of A Diver” by Steve Winwood enters the singles charts on Island Records. Co-written by Winwood with Vivian Stanshall, the record peaked at No. 48 on June 6th.
- Steve Winwood “Arc Of A Diver”
- May 9th, 1986 Rolling Stones Records release “One Hit (To The Body)” on 45. Co-written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the record peaked at No. 28 on June 28th.
- May 9th, 1987 Atlantic Records release “Ready Or Not,” the title track of the debut solo album by Foreigner singer Lou Gramm on 45. Co-written by Gramm and Bruce Turgon, the record peaked at No. 54 on June 13th.
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 3rd
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
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