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Rock and Roll Birthdays

Today's Rock and Roll Birthdays

August 10th

August 10th Birthday, Founder of the Fender Electric Instrument Company, Leo Fender, born Clarence Leonidas Fender in 1909 in Anaheim, California. His Stratocaster and Telecaster models are two of the most popular electric guitars in the world. He died on March 21st, 1991 at the age of 81.

August 10th Birthday, The Righteous Brothers singer Bobby Hatfield, born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin in 1940. He died on November 5th, 2003 at the age of 63.

August 10th Birthday, The Ronettes singer Ronnie Spector, born Veronica Yvette Bennett in Manhattan, New York City in 1942. Spector died from cancer on January 12th, 2022, at the age of 78.

August 10th Birthday, Bread singer, songwriter and guitarist James Griffin, born in 1943 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He died from complications from cancer on January 11th, 2005 at the age of 61.

August 10th Birthday, Jethro Tull founder, singer, songwriter, flutist and solo artist Ian Anderson, born in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland in 1947.

August 10th Birthday, INXS drummer Jon Farriss, born in 1961 in Perth, Western Australia.

Today In Rock and Roll History

August 10th

August 10th, 1959 Cobra Records release “All Your Love (I Miss Loving)” by Otis Rush and His Band on 45. Rush sang and played lead guitar, Willie Dixon produced the record and played bass with Ike Turner on second guitar, Little Brother Montgomery on piano, Harold Ashby and Jackie Brenston on saxophones and Billy Gayles on drums. The song influenced Peter Green’s composition of “Black Magic Woman” eight years later.

August 10th, 1959 Fats Domino’s “I Want to Walk You Home” enters the US record charts. Written by Fats Domino, it was the last of his singles to reach No. 1 on the R&B charts and went to No. 8 on the Pop Singles charts on September 19th.

August 10th, 1963 Thirteen-year-old Little Stevie Wonder had the No. 1 song in America with “Fingertips-Pt. 2.”

August 10th, 1966 “Summer In The City” by The Lovin’ Spoonful is the No. 1 single in the US.

August 10th, 1968 Mason Williams’ “Classical Gas” hits No. 1 in the US.

August 10th, 1968 Mercury Records release a cover version of The Move song “I Can Hear The Grass Grow” by The Blues Magoos on 45. The band began in 1964 as The Trenchcoats in The Bronx, New York City and made a name for themselves playing clubs in Greenwich Village. “I Can Hear The Grass Grow” was written by Roy Wood and was a No. 5 British hit for The Move in May 1967. The Blues Magoos cover version was co-produced by Bob Wyld and Art Polhemus.

August 10th, 1968 Bang Records release “Cinnamon” by Derek. Derek was the alias of a writer and record producer professionally known as Johnny Cymbal, whose real name was John Henry Blair. Cymbal had a hit in 1963 called “Mr. Bassman” but released dozens of singles under other names over the years. When “Cinnamon” became a hit, Blair put a band together and went out on tour to promote the record. The single entered the charts in October and climbed to No. 11 on January 11th, 1969.

August 10th, 1970 Bizarre Records release “Weasels Ripped My Flesh” the eighth album by The Mothers Of Invention. The record was a combination of live and studio tracks, assembled after the original Mothers band broke up. The LP peaked at No. 189 in the album charts on October 3rd.

August 10th, 1971 The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band began recording sessions for their legendary “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” album.

August 10th, 1972 Columbia Records release a live version of Simon and Garfunkel’s “For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her” backed with “America” on 45. Both sides of the single were written by Paul Simon, co-produced by Simon and Garfunkel and Roy Halee. “For Emily” peaked at No. 53 on October 7th and “America” went to No. 97 on November 25th.

August 10th, 1973 Mercury Records in Britain release the Rod Stewart compilation “Sing It Again, Rod.” The LP was housed in a unique die-cut cover shaped and made to look like a glass of alcohol on the rocks with Rod’s face in the middle of the ice and drink. The LP gathered solo tracks from his career to that point and Stewart’s version of “Pinball Wizard” from the London Symphony Orchestra’s “Tommy.” Out in July in the US, “Sing It Again, Rod” peaked a week later, August 18th at No. 31.

August 10th, 1973 “Rocky Mountain Way” by Joe Walsh enters the Pop Singles charts. Although credited to Walsh as a solo artist, the track is a band recording by his group, Barnstorm. The writing credits go to all four members, Joe Walsh, bassist Kenny Passarelli, drummer Joe Vitale and keyboardist Rocke Grace. The track was written while recording the Barnstorm LP “The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get” at Caribou Ranch Recording Studios in Nederland, Colorado and features Walsh using a guitar talk box effect in the song’s solo. The record peaked at No. 23 on October 20th.

August 10th, 1973 UK Records in Britain release “The Dean and I,” the fourth single by 10cc. Co-written by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme and produced by Eric Stewart, the 45 went to No. 10 in England.

August 10th, 1974 Island Records release “It’s All Right” by Traffic drummer and vocalist Jim Capaldi, who wrote and produced the track as well. The record entered the charts six months later, January 18th, 1975. “It’s All Right” spent seven weeks on the charts and peaked at No. 55 on March 1st.

August 10th, 1985 Following the release of the single “Lie For A Lie” by Mason + Fenn a week earlier, Columbia Records release the Mason + Fenn LP “Profiles.” Nick Mason from Pink Floyd and Rick Fenn from 10cc, Mel Collins and David Gilmour guest on the album.

August 10th, 1993, Columbia Records release “River Of Dreams” by Billy Joel. Working with producers Danny Kortchmar, Joe Nicolo and David Thoener, Joel recorded the LP at The Boathouse at The Island Boatyard on Shelter Island, Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York and The Hit Factory in New York City. Mountain guitarist Leslie West appears on three songs on the album. The record’s title track peaked at No. 3 on the singles charts, while the album went to No. 1 on August 28th.

August 10th, 1993 Columbia Records release “Live” by James Taylor. The double live set was recorded over fourteen shows in November 1992. Co-produced by Don Grolnick and George Massenburg, the record peaked at No. 20 on August 28th.

Miscellaneous August

August 1957 Ace Records release “Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu” by Huey “Piano” Smith on 45. The song was co-written by Smith and Johnny Vincent. The session for the track included Sidney Rayfield and “Scarface” John Williams on vocals, Lee Allen on tenor sax, Earl King on guitar, Frank Fields on bass and Charles “Hungry” Williams on drums. The record peaked at No. 52 on the Pop singles charts.

August 1958 Dot Records release “Scratchin’” backed with the novelty song “I Hates Rabbits” by Jerry Neal on 45. Neal was a stage name of Jerry Capehart. He co-wrote both songs with Eddie Cochran. Cochran is rumored to play all the instruments on “Scratchin’,” while Cochran plays lead guitar on “I Hates Rabbits.”

August 1958 Tune Town Records release “Boxtop” by Ike Turner, Carson Oliver and Little Ann, the first record release to feature the future Tina Turner on vocals. The song was written by Ike Turner, who heard the seventeen-year-old sing during the intermission of a Kings Of Rhythm set at the Manhattan Club in East St. Louis. Carson Oliver was one of the vocalists in Turner’s group, the Kings Of Rhythm band. The track was recorded at Turner’s house on Virginia Place, in East St. Louis.

August 1963 Original Sound Records release “Heavies” backed with “The Cruncher” by The Rotations on 45. The Rotations were an alias for Paul Buff and Dave Aerni. Both songs were co-written by Aerni and Buff, produced by Frank Zappa at PAL Studio in Cucamonga, California in June. A few seconds of “Heavies” is heard in the opening moments of “Nasal Retentive Caliope Music” on The Mothers Of Invention LP “We’re Only In It For The Money.”

August 1963 Original Sound Records release “Tijuana” backed with “Grunion Run” by The Hollywood Persuaders on 45. Paul Buff wrote the A-side. “Grunion Run” was performed by Paul Buff and Frank Zappa, recording at PAL Studios in Cucamonga, California in June. Zappa played guitars, bass and drums with Paul Buff on saxophone.

August 1965 Autumn Records release “Beau Brummels Volume II.” The record featured the hit “You Tell Me Why” and follow-up single “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” but didn’t chart. Sylvester Stewart, later known professionally as Sly Stone, is listed as the album’s producer, but members of the band didn’t recall him being there for the recording sessions.

August 1969 Immediate Records in Britain release the self-titled album by “The Nice,” the group’s second album.

August 1971 A&M Records release “White Light,” the second studio album by The Byrds’ singer, songwriter Gene Clark. The LP was recorded at A&M Studios and Village Recorders in Los Angeles with Jesse Ed Davis producing in the Spring, 1971. Playing on the record were Davis, bassist Chris Ethridge of the Flying Burrito Brothers, organist Michael Utley, pianist Ben Sidran and drummer Gary Mallaber, both of the Steve Miller Band.

August 1972 Thunderclap Newman pianist Andy Newman releases the solo LP “Rainbows” on Track Records in England. Pete Townshend is the executive producer of the album.

August 1974 Ardent Records release “September Gurls” by Big Star on 45. The song was written by Alex Chilton with autobiographical lyrics about several women in his life. The record was co-produced by Big Stay and John Fry on a six track recording console at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee during sessions for the band’s second album “Radio City.”

August 1976 Mushroom Records in Australia release “Second Thoughts,” the second LP by Split Enz. The group’s first LP “Mental Notes” had not been released in America or in Europe, so Chrysalis Records issued “Second Thoughts” in September in Britain and January 1977 in the US – as “Mental Notes” with new cover art. “Second Thoughts” was produced by Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera at Basing Street Studios in London. The LP went to No. 18 in the New Zealand album charts.

August 1978 Chrysalis Records release “I’m Gonna Love You Too” by Blondie on 45, a cover version of The Crickets’ song from 1957. The song was written by Crickets’ bassist Joe Maudlin, guitarist Niki Sullivan and record producer Norman Petty. Produced by Mike Chapman, it was the first single released from Blondie’s “Parallel Lines” LP.

August 1980 Virgin Records in Britain release “Generals And Majors” by XTC on 45. Written by Colin Moulding and produced by Steve Lillywhite, it was the first single released from the band’s “Black Sea” album and peaked at No. 32 in England.

August 1980, Virgin Records release “Doc At The Radar Station” by Captain Beefheart. The album was recorded in June at Sound Castle Recording Studios in Los Angeles with Beefheart producing.

August 1983 Warner Brothers Records release “Song For A Future Generation” by The B-52’s as the second single from the “Whammy!” LP. The song was written collectively by The B-52’s, produced by Steven Stanley.

August 1984 EG Records release “The Pearl,” the second album by Harold Budd and Brian Eno. Recorded in Toronto, Canada with Daniel Lanois also producing, the premise of the recordings were established on the pair’s first collaboration “The Plateaux Of Mirror,” with Eno treating Budd’s improvised piano parts with studio effects and later making compositional decisions together to create the released tracks.

August 1986 IMP Records in Britain release “Tokyo Storm Warning” by Elvis Costello and The Attractions on 45, a song Costello wrote with his wife, The Pogues bassist Cait O’Riordan. The track was Costello’s first single release to give credit to his given name MacManus. “Tokyo Storm Warning” was co-produced by Nick Lowe and Colin Fairley.

August 1987 Virgin Records in England release “Psonic Psunspot,” the first full-length album by The Dukes Of Stratosphere, actually XTC under a different name with guitarist Dave Gregory’s brother Ian on drums. The record was co-produced by John Leckie and the band at Sawmills Studio in Fowey, Cornwall, England in June.

August 1987 Columbia Records release the movie soundtrack LP “Back To The Beach,” a various artists collection of songs from the film. Highlights include the Stevie Ray Vaughn/Dick Dale remake of “Pipeline,” songs by Dave Edmunds, Eddie Money, Aimee Mann, M<arti Jones and a Herbie Hancock version of “Wipe Out” featuring Dweezil Zappa on guitar and Terry Bozzio on drums.

August 1989 Virgin Records release “The Loving” by XTC on 45 in Britain. The track came from the band’s Paul Fox produced “Oranges And Lemons” LP.

August 1992 Warner Brothers Records in Britain release “Real Cool World” by David Bowie on 45. The song was the theme from Real Cool World movie, written by Bowie and produced by Nile Rodgers. The B-side was an instrumental version of the track.