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Hear Today In Rock and Roll History
Today In R&R History April 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
April 17th
- April 17th Birthday, Music publisher Don Kirshner, born in 1934 in New York City. Kirshner was the record executive that created The Monkees, The Archies and founded several record labels. He died on January 17th, 2011, aged 76.
- April 17th Birthday, British pop singer Billy Fury, born Ronald Wycherley in Liverpool, England in 1940. He died on January 28th, 1983 at the age of 42.
- April 17th Birthday, Mothers Of Invention bassist Roy Estrada, born in 1943 in Santa Ana, California.
- April 17th Birthday, Keyboardist, composer and record producer Jan Hammer, born in 1948 in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
- April 17th Birthday, The Buzzcocks singer, songwriter, guitarist and solo artist Pete Shelly, born in Leigh, Lancashire, England in 1955.
- April 17th Birthday, Rock singer, songwriter Liz Phair, born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1967.
Today In Rock and Roll History
April 17th
- April 17th, 1958 Ricky Nelson records “Poor Little Fool” at United Recording Studios, Hollywood, California, self-producing the track with his father Ozzie Nelson and Jimmie Haskell. The recording features the background vocals of The Jordanaires. Written by Sharon Sheeley based on a short relationship she’d had with Don Everly, the track was released on June 23rd on Imperial Records, “Poor Little Fool” entered the charts in July and reached No. 1 on August 2nd.
- April 17th, 1964 Epic Records release The Dave Clark Five’s “Do You Love Me” on 45, the same week that their song “Bits And Pieces” went to No. 4. The song was originally written and produced by Berry Gordy Jr. for The Contours in 1962. Covered by a number of British Invasion bands, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes and The Hollies also charted with their own versions of the song. The DC5’s entered the charts in May and peaked at No. 11 on June 6th.
- April 17th, 1964 Lulu and The Luvers release their version of “Shout” in Britain, with Jimmy Page playing guitar on the session. Co-written by O’Kelly, Rudolph and Ronald Isley in 1959, the Lulu version was released in June in the US. The single charted in America on August 1st, peaking at No. 94 a week later. Popular in her native Britain, Lulu would have an international hit three years later with “To Sir With Love.”
- April 17th, 1965 “Reelin’ And Rockin’” by The Dave Clark Five enters the singles charts on Epic Records. The Chuck Berry cover reached No. 23 on May 22nd, the highest charting version of the song
- April 17th, 1969 Bob Dylan’s former backing group, simply known as The Band, make their first standalone appearance at the Fillmore West in San Francisco.
- April 17th, 1970 Paul McCartney’s first solo LP “McCartney” is released in Britain and three days later in America. With Paul playing all the instruments himself, sessions for the songs on the album stretched from December 1969 through February 1970 with McCartney initially recording some of the tracks at home in London. Other songs were later cut at Morgan Studios in Willesden and EMI Studios in London. The album held the No. 1 position for three weeks on the US charts before yielding to The Beatles “Let It Be” LP. The record peaked at No. 2 in Britain.
- April 17th, 1971 Decca Records release “I Don’t Know How To Love Him” by Yvonne Elliman on 45. The song was part of the original cast recording of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The record entered the charts a week later and peaked at No. 28 on June 12th.
- April 17th, 1971 Columbia Records release “Songs Of Love And Hate,” the third studio album by Leonard Cohen. Initial sessions for the record were taped at Columbia Studio A in Nashville with producer Bob Johnston. “Sing Another Song, Boys” was taped live at the Isle Of Wight Festival on August 30th, 1970 and then recording moved to Trident Studios in London. Paul Buckmaster wrote the string and horn arrangements and conducted. Charlie Daniels played acoustic guitar, bass and fiddle. The album peaked at No. 145 in the US on June 5th, but was a No. 4 hit on the British charts.
- April 17th, 1971 “Joy To The World” by Three Dog Night is the No. 1 record in the US.
- April 17th, 1971 “Nevada Fighter” by Mike Nesmith and The First National Band enters the singles charts. The song served as the title track of Nesmith’s third post-Monkees album. Written and produced by Mike Nesmith, the record peaked at No. 70 on May 8th.
- April 17th, 1971 “Thirds,” the third studio album by The James Gang enters the album charts on ABC Records. The album was co-produced by The James Gang and Bill Szymczyk at the Record Plant in Los Angeles, Cleveland Recording Company in Cleveland and the Hit Factory in New York City. It was The James Gang’s last album with Joe Walsh. “Thirds” peaked at No. 27 on June 12th, featuring the hit single “Walk Away.”
- April 17th, 1971 Carly Simon’s first solo single “That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be” enters the charts. With music written by Carly Simon and lyrics by Jacob Brackman, Elektra Records openly worried that the song was too emotionally complex for Simon’s debut. Produced by Eddie Kramer, the recording earned Simon a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 14thAnnual Grammy Awards in 1972, where she also won the Best New Artist award. The record peaked at No. 10 on July 10th.
- April 17th, 1972 Reprise Records release “Old Man” by Neil Young on 45. The song was written for the caretaker of the Northern California Broken Arrow Ranch, which Young purchased for three hundred and fifty thousand dollars in 1970. James Taylor played six-string banjo tuned like a guitar and sang the backing vocals with Linda Ronstadt, recorded at Quadraphonic Sound Studio in Nashville Tennessee, on February 6th, 1971. The record reached No. 4 in Canada, No. 31 in the US on June 3rd.
- April 17th, 1972 UNI Records release “Song Sung Blue” by Neil Diamond on 45. The song’s melody was inspired by the second movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21. The record entered the charts in May and became Diamond’s second US No. 1 on July 1st. “Song Sung Blue” was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1973, Record of the Year and Song of the Year and charted at No. 14 in Britain.
- April 17th, 1973 Asylum Records release “Desperado,” the second studio album by The Eagles. The record was recorded at Island Studios in London with Glyn Johns producing. The album reached No. 41 on June 30th and featured the hit singles “Tequila Sunrise” and “Outlaw Man.” “Tequila Sunrise,” co-written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey, was released as a single the same day and peaked at No. 64 on July 21st.
- April 17th, 1973 Pink Floyd receives a Gold Record award for “The Dark Side of the Moon.” Recorded June 1972 through January 1973, the LP was released March 1st, 1973 and remained on the charts for seven hundred and forty-one weeks from 1973 to 1988, longer than any other album in history, selling an estimated forty-five million copies.
- April 17th, 1976 “Crazy On You” by Heart enters the singles charts following a March release on Mushroom Records. Co-written by Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson, it was Heart’s debut single in America. First time around, “Crazy On You” peaked at No. 86 on April 17th. Almost two years later, the record re-entered the singles charts and peaked at No. 35 on June 5th.
- April 17th, 1976 “Love Is Alive” by Gary Wright enters the singles charts following a September 1975 release on Warner Brothers Records. Taken from the album “Dream Weaver,” the song was written and produced by Wright, who sang and played all the instruments but the drums by Andy Newmark. Like the album’s title track, “Love Is Alive” peaked at No. 2 in the charts on July 31st.
- April 17th, 1979 Caribou Records release “Good Timin’” by The Beach Boys on 45. The song was co-written by Brian and Carl Wilson. Co-produced by Bruce Johnston, The Beach Boys and Jim Guercio, the record peaked at No. 40 on June 9th.
- April 17th, 1980 Columbia Records release “Run Like Hell” by Pink Floyd on 45. The track came from the Bob Ezrin produced LP, “The Wall.” Co-written by group guitarist David Gilmour and bassist Roger Waters, the single reached No. 53 on May 31st.
- April 17th, 1986 RCA Records release “The Way It Is,” the debut album by Bruce Hornsby and The Range. The record was co-produced by Hornsby, Huey Lewis and Elliot Scheiner at five different studios in and around Los Angeles. The LP peaked at No. 3 over a year later, on March 7th, 1987 and featured three hit singles, the album’s title track, “Mandolin Rain” and “Every Little Kiss.”
- April 17th, 1989 Virgin Records in Britain release “King For A Day” by XTC on 45. The song was written by Colin Moulding. Released from the Paul Fox produced “Oranges And Lemons” LP, the single came out in June on Geffen Records in America.
Miscellaneous April
- April 1953 Specialty Records release “Don’t Take It Out On Me” backed with “Lucy Mae Blues,” the third single by Texas electric blues guitarist Frankie Lee Sims. Both songs were written by Frankie Lee Sims, a cousin to musician Lightnin’ Hopkins. “Lucy Mae Blues” became a regional hit in Texas.
- April 1954 Specialty Records release “The Story Of My Life” backed with “A Letter To My Girl Friend,” the third single by electric blues pioneer Guitar Slim and His Band. Both songs were written by Slim, credited to his given name Eddie Jones.
- April 1963 Ron Romans record “Tell Me” and “Love Of My Life.” Daani Records released them as the A and B-side of a single. The A-side was written by Frank Zappa associate Kenny Williams, while “Love Of My Life” was a Zappa/Dave Aerni co-write. The song was recorded at PAL Recording Studio in Cucamonga, California with Zappa playing guitar and drums. Zappa rerecorded “Love Of My Life” with The Mothers Of Invention on the 1968 LP “Cruising With Ruben and The Jets.
- April 1964 Chess records release the “Folk Singer” album, the fourth by Muddy Waters. The album features Waters on acoustic guitar, Willie Dixon on string bass, Clifton James on drums and Buddy Guy on acoustic guitar.
- April 1965 Fantasy Records release “Where You Been” backed with “You Came Walking,” the second single by The Golliwogs on 45. Both sides were co-written by Tom and John Fogerty, using the names Rann Wild and Toby Green. The Golliwogs renamed themselves Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967.
- April 1966 Are You Kidding Me? Records issue “The Ballad Of The Yellow Beret” backed with “Florida Time” by The Beach Bums, actually Bob Seger’s first released record. Done as an answer record to Sgt. Barry Sandler’s “The Ballad Of The Green Beret,” “The Ballad Of The Yellow Beret” is executed in a humorous manner but the lyrics are a sharp criticism of men who dodged the draft in the US. The song is credited to D. Dodger. “Florida Time” is closer to the style of The Beach Boys, written by long-time Seger producer “Punch,” with both sides produced and arranged by The Omens.
- April 1966 Paradise Records out of Texas release “Splash Day” backed with “Life’s A Misery” by The Warlocks on 45. The band featured brothers Rocky and Dusty Hill. The band would change their name to American Blues when drummer Frank Beard joined. Beard and Dusty Hill would later join Billy Gibbons in ZZ Top.
- April 1969 Liberty Records in Britain release “Folkjoke Opus,” the third album by Roy Harper. Produced by Shel Talmy, the LP sessions included Nicky Hopkins on piano and Clem Cattini on drums. Ron Geesin scored the arrangements on the record.
- April 1970 CBS Records in Britain release “Zero She Flies,” the third album by Al Stewart. The LP was produced by Roy Guest at Sound Technics Studios in London. Gerry Conway and Trevor Lucas from Fairport Convention played sessions on the record.
- April 1971 Harvest Records release “Stormcock,” the fifth studio album by Roy Harper. Produced by Peter Jenner at EMI Studios in London, David Bedford played keyboards and did the arrangements and Jimmy Page played guitar on “The Same Old Rock,” credited as S. Favius Mercurius.
- April 1973 Chrysalis Record in England release “Parcel Of Rogues,” the fifth studio album by Steeleye Span. The LP was co-produced by Steeleye Span and Jerry Boys at Sound Techniques Studios in Chelsea, London. The band toured the album in the US opening for Jethro Tull.
- April 1975 Asylum Records release “Fountain Of Sorrow” by Jackson Browne on 45. Written by Browne, it was the second single issued from his “Late For The Sky” LP. The 45 version was two minutes shorter than the nearly seven-minute-long album version.
- April 1975 Bob Seger releases “Beautiful Loser,” his first single for Capitol Records. The 45 peaked at No. 103 on the Pop Singles charts.
- April 1978 DB Records in Georgia release “Rock Lobster” backed with “52 Girls,” the debut single by The B-52’s. The A-side was co-written by Fred Schneider and Ricky Wilson. “52 Girls” was co-written by Jeremy Ayers and Ricky Wilson.
- April 1978 Virgin Records release “This Is Pop” backed with “Heatwave,” the third single by XTC. “This Is Pop” was written by Andy Partridge and “Heatwave” was written by Colin Moulding. Both songs were produced by Robert John “Mutt” Lange. The A-side was an album track, re-recorded for its’ single release.
- April 1979 Asylum Records release “Alison,” Linda Ronstadt’s cover version of the Elvis Costello song on 45, produced by Peter Asher.
- April 1980 Harvest Records release “The Unknown Soldier,” the tenth studio album by Roy Harper. Co-produced by Harper and Peter Jenner at Abbey Road Studios in London, David Gilmour Andy Roberts, Andy Newmark, Kate Bush, B.J. Cole, Pete Wingfield and others play on the record. David Bedford did the orchestral arrangements.
- April 1981 RCA Records release the soundtrack to the movie Christiane F., Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo. The record was a collection of previously released songs by David Bowie that spanned the years 1976-1978. Bowie appears in an in-concert sequence of the movie during the Isolar Tour of 1976.
- April 1982 Warner Brothers Records release “Deep Sleep” by The B-52’s on 45. The track came from the David Byne produced “Mesopotamia” EP, recorded at Blank Tape Studios in New York City. The song was co-written by Keith Strickland, Kate Pierson and Robert Waldrop.
- April 1982 Woody Records in Britain release “O.T.T.” backed with “Mystery Song” by Roy Wood on 45. Both songs were written and produced by Roy Wood.
This Week In Rock and Roll History
This Week In Rock and Roll History week of April 12th
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.
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