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Hear Today In Rock and Roll History
May 12th - Today In Rock and Roll History
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, weekday mornings on KSRQ in Three River Falls, Minnesota, KIYU in Galena, Alaska, KPUP in Patagonia, Arizona, WIZU in Newark, Delaware, KSLU at St. Louis University.
Rock and Roll Birthdays
May 12th
- May 12th Birthday, Songwriter Burt Bacharach, born in 1928 in Kansas City, Missouri. He passed away on February 12th, 2023 at the age of 94.
- May 12th Birthday, Woodwind player and multi-instrumentalist, Jimmy Hastings of Caravan, born James Brian Gordon Hastings in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1938.
- May 12th Birthday, Motown songwriter, record producer and arranger Norman Whitfield, born in Harlem, New York City in 1940. He passed away from diabetes complications on September 16th, 2008.
- May 12th Birthday, Singer Ian Dury, born in Harrow, Middlesex, England in 1942. He died on March 27th, 2000, aged 57.
- May 12th Birthday, Small Faces keyboardist and solo artist Ian McLagan, born in Houndslow, Middlesex, England in 1945. He died on December 3rd, 2014, aged 69.
- May 12th Birthday, Traffic singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and solo artist Steve Winwood, born in Handsworth, Birmingham, England in 1948.
- May 12th Birthday, Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, record producer and a member of The Patti Smith Group, Ivan Kral, born in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1948. He died at the age of 71 on February 2nd, 2020.
- May 12th Birthday, Piper singer, guitarist and solo artist Billy Squier born in Wellesley, Massachusetts in 1950.
- May 12th Birthday, Kiss drummer Eric Singer, born Eric Doyle Mensinger in 1958 in Cleveland, Ohio.
- May 12th Birthday, Guitarist for The Cult, Billy Duffy, born in 1961 in Hulme, Manchester, England.
Today In Rock and Roll History
May 12th
- May 12th, 1962 Dot Records release “Where Have You Been (All My Life)” by Arthur Alexander on 45. Issued first as the B-side of the song “Soldier Of Love,” “Where Have You Been (All My Life)” was co-written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and became Alexander’s second chart record, peaking at No. 58 on June 30th. “Soldier Of Love” was co-written by Buzz Cason and Tony Moon.
- May 12th, 1962 “Palisades Park” by Freddy Cannon enters the singles charts following an April release on Swan Records. Written by future game show creator and host Chuck Barris, amusement park sound effects and screaming riders were incorporated into the arrangement of the track. The record was the biggest hit of Cannon’s career, peaking at No. 3 on June 23rd.
- May 12th, 1965 Donovan releases his first single “Catch The Wind” on 45 in Britain. The song was written by Donovan and co-produced by Jerry Kennedy, Peter Eden and Geoff Stephens. The single version has added vocal echo and strings. The version found on Donovan’s “Greatest Hits” album is a rerecorded version of the song. “Catch The Wind” went to No. 4 in Britain, and No. 23 on July 3rd.
- May 12th, 1965 Wilson Pickett records “In The Midnight Hour” at Stax Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. Co-written by Wilson Pickett with guitarist Steve Cropper at the historic Lorraine Motel in Memphis where Martin Luther King, Jr. would be murdered in April 1968. With Cropper and Jim Stewart co-producing, Stax session regulars Al Jackson played drums and Donald “Duck” Dunn played the bass. Out in June, it was Wilson Pickett’s first hit on Atlantic Records. The single entered the charts in July and reached No. 1 on the R&B charts, peaking at No. 21 on the Pop Singles charts on September 4th.
- May 12th, 1967 The Beatles record “All Together Now” in one session at EMI Studios in London for inclusion on the “Yellow Submarine” movie soundtrack. The song was primarily written by Paul McCartney and credited to McCartney and John Lennon. The song appeared in the Yellow Submarine film and soundtrack album.
- May 12th, 1967 Deram Records in Britain release Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” on 45. The track was recorded a month earlier at London’s Olympic Sound Studios with producer Denny Cordell. The song was co-written by Gary Brooker, Keith Reid and Matthew Fisher with a melody inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Air on the G string.” Procol Harum did not have a regular drummer at the time, so the drums on the record were played by session musician Bill Eyden. The record went to No. 1 in the British singles charts on June 8th and in the US, No. 5 on July 29th.
- May 12th, 1967 Track records in Britain release “Are You Experienced,” the debut album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The LP was recorded from October 1966 through April 1967 at De Lane Lea, CBS and Olympic Studios in London with producer Chas Chandler. Chandler brought Hendrix to England, signing him to a production and management contract along with ex-Animals manager Michael Jeffery and facilitated the forming of the band with Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding. In Britain the album went to No. 2 in the charts. Issued in August in America, the album didn’t chart.
- May 12th, 1967 Pink Floyd perform the song “Games For May” at the Games For May concert event at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. The title is later changed to “See Emily Play” and released as the band’s second single.
- May 12th, 1971 Mott The Hoople record “Midnight Lady” with producer Shadow Morton at Ultrasonic Studios in Hempstead, New York. Co-written by Ian Hunter and Mick Ralphs, Island Records in Britain released the song as a single on July 11th.
- May 12th, 1972 Columbia Records release “Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me” by Mac Davis on 45. The song was written by Davis, produced by Rick Hall and arranged by Jimmie Haskell. The record entered the charts in July and peaked at No. 1 on September 23rd.
- May 12th, 1972 Columbia Records release the self-titled first album by Weather Report. The LP was recorded from February through March 1971. The record peaked at No. 191 on August 7th.
- May 12th, 1972 Charisma Records in Britain release “Happy The Man” by Genesis. Co-written by the band, the group recorded the song as a one-off single while touring on the “Nursery Cryme” LP with producer John Anthony. The core group of Peter Gabriel on vocals, Mike Rutherford on bass and keyboardist Tony Banks was solidified with Steve Hackett on guitar and Phil Collins on drums. “Happy The Man” never appeared on a Genesis album.
- May 12th, 1972 Apple Records release Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Mary Had A Little Lamb” on 45 in Britain, out the 29th in America. Written by Paul McCartney, the German issue of the single is an anomaly, an early mix of the song that was not intended for release. The single made its way into the British Top Thirty. In the US, “Mary Had A Little Lamb” peaked at No. 29 on July 22nd.
- May 12th, 1973 Seals and Crofts “Diamond Girl” enters the singles charts, released by Warner Brothers Records. Co-written by Jim Seals and Dash Crofts, the track was produced by Louis Shelton and served as the title track of the duo’s fifth studio album. “Diamond Girl” went to No. 6 on July 28th.
- May 12th, 1973 Dunhill Records release Three Dog Night’s cover version of the Daniel Moore song “Shambala” on 45, the first track of the group’s career cut specifically as a single. The record entered the charts a week later, only a week after B.W. Stevenson’s version of the same song. Stevenson’s version climbed to No. 66, while Three Dog Night’s cover went to No. 1 on July 28th.
- May 12th, 1973 Hi Records release the “Call Me” LP by Al Green. Co-produced by Willie Mitchell and Al Green at Royal Recording Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, the album reached No. 10 on June 23rd.
- May 12th, 1973 A week before its better known version by Three Dog Night appeared on the charts, Texan singer, songwriter B.W. Stevenson’s version of “Shambala” enters the singles charts. Written by Daniel Moore, whose original version pronounced the title as “Sham-ba-la” (rhymes with ham), the lyrics of “Shambala” draw on a theme from Eastern mysticism. The mythical kingdom of Shambhala was said to be hidden somewhere within or beyond the peaks of the Himalayas and was mentioned in various ancient texts, including the Kalachakra Tantra and ancient texts of Tibetan Buddhism. The single peaked at No. 66 on June 9th.
- May 12th, 1973 “Twice Removed From Yesterday,” the first solo album by guitarist Robin Trower, enters the album charts following a March release on Chrysalis Records. The LP was produced by Matthew Fisher, Trower’s former band mate in Procol Harum. The record charted for twenty-four weeks and peaked at No. 106 on October 6th.
- May 12th, 1973 Led Zeppelin’s fifth LP “Houses of The Holy” is No. 1 album in the US.
- May 12th, 1973 Columbia Records release “Live Songs” by Leonard Cohen. Recorded at various dates in 1970 and in 1972, Cohen’s backing band included producer Bob Johnston on keyboards, fiddler Charlie Daniels and singer Jennifer Warren, who was later known professionally as Jennifer Warnes. Produced by Bob Johnston, the record peaked at No. 156 on June 16th.
- May 12th, 1975 Paul and Linda McCartney record “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer” with violinist Bob Loveday at EMI Studios in London. Credited to Johnny Marks, the McCartney version of the song became the B-side of his “Wonderful Christmastime” single in November 1979. Also recorded that day were the unreleased tracks “Karate Chaos,” Sea Dance” and “Backwards One.”
- May 12th, 1979 “Heart Of The Night” by Poco enters the singles charts following an April release on MCA Records. The song was written by Paul Cotton and the record, produced by Richard Sanford Orshoff. The 45 went to No. 20 on July 21st.
- May 12th, 1979 “Can’t Keep A Good Man Down” by Eddie Money enters the singles charts following an April release on Columbia Records. The song was co-written by Money, Chris Solberg and Dan Alexander and produced by Bruce Botnick. “Can’t Keep A Good Man Down” peaked at No. 63 in June 2nd.
- May 12th, 1980 Columbia Records release “It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me” by Billy Joel. Written by Joel, the song is a re-examination of the themes of a musician’s declining fame and changing public tastes that were first expressed in Joel’s 1975 hit “The Entertainer.” The 45 version is a different mix than the version on Joel’s “Glass Houses” album. “It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me” became Billy Joel’s first No. 1 hit on June 20th.
- May 12th, 1988 Dark Horse Records release “This Is Love” by George Harrison on 45, out a month later, on June 13th, in Britain. The song was co-written and produced by Harrison and Jeff Lynne, recorded at George Harrison’s home studio in 1987.
- May 12th, 1992 Def Jam Records release “The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion,” the second album by The Black Crowes. Co-produced by the band and George Drakoulias, the album charted for fifty-one weeks in America and debuted at No. 1 the week of May 30th.
- May 12th, 1999 Capitol Records release the tenth solo album by Paul McCartney, “Flaming Pie.” McCartney co-produced different songs on the album with either Jeff Lynne or George Martin, with sessions spread over September 1992 through February 1997. James McCartney, Ringo Starr, Steve Miller and Linda McCartney guest on the record. “Flaming Pie” charted for twenty-one weeks and peaked at No. 2 on June 14th.
- May 12th, 2003 Dark Horse Records release the posthumous George Harrison single “Any Road” on 45 in Britain. Written by Harrison and co-produced by Harrison, his son Dhani and Jeff Lynne. Jim Keltner played drums on the song.
Miscellaneous May
- May 1965 Independent Los Angeles based label Revis Records release “My Diary” backed with “Utee” by Rosa Lee Brooks on 45. The A-side was written by Jimi Hendrix and Brooks but is credited on the record label to future Love singer and songwriter Arthur Lee, who sang backing vocals on both sides of the record. The B-side, “Utee” is credited to Brooks and label owner Billy Revis, based on a studio jam between Revis, Hendrix, Brooks and the other players on the track. The March 1964 session that produced the tracks are one of the earliest documented on which Jimi Hendrix plays guitar.
- May 1965 Tower Records release “You Can’t Take Your Love (Away From Me)” backed with “Born In Grenada” by Harry Nilsson on 45. Nilsson wrote the A-side and co-wrote the B-side with producer John Marascala, credited as a Vine Street Production.
- May 23rd, 1966 Fairmount Records release “Go Go Shoes” by Lonnie Youngblood on 45. Arranged and produced by Youngblood, who co-wrote the song with backing vocalist May Thomas and bassist Ace Hall, Jimi Hendrix played guitar on the session. The B-side “Go Go Place” was a continuation of the A-side with a piece of music missing from the middle.
- May 1967 RCA Records release their first single by Nilsson, “Without Her” backed with “Freckles.” “Without Her” was written by Harry Nilsson. The B-side was co-written by Cliff Hess, American lyricist Howard Johnson and Milton Ager. Both sides were produced by Rick Jarrard.
- 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 RCA Records release “Caroline” backed with “Yellow Man,” the second single from Nilsson’s “Nilsson Sings Newman” album. Both songs feature the song’s writer Randy Newman on keyboards. The record was produced by Harry Nilsson, credited to A Nilsson House Production.
- 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 single 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 1974 At Ron Wood’s home studio “The Wick,” Paul McCartney did some unspecified production work on an unreleased Wood original “Take A Look At The Guy.” Wood was working on his first solo record “I’ve Got My Own Album To Do.”
- 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 for 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 sessions for the record were guitarist Earl Slick and future Foreigner drummer Dennis Elliot.
- May 1978 PVK Records in Britain release the self-titled “Freddie Starr” album. Starr was the former lead singer of Liverpool, England’s The Midnighters. Paul McCartney sings backing vocals on Starr’s cover version of The Righteous Brothers song “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling,” written by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and Phil Spector.
- May 1982 MCA Records release “Martyrs And Madman” on 45. The song was written by Steve G. Swindells, who wrote two of the three new songs included on Daltrey’s “Best Bits” hits compilation.
- May 1986 Atlantic Records release “The Pride You Hide” by Roger Daltrey on 45. Taken from the Daltrey LP “After The Fire,” the song was co-written by Nick Tesco, Alan Dalgleish and Roger Daltrey. The track was produced by Alan Shacklock.
This Week In Rock and Roll History
This Week In Rock and Roll History week of May 11th
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 May 11th
Cool songs from the Rock and Roll Era, Closet Classics and more.
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