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Hear Today In Rock and Roll History
Today In R&R History May 15th
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 15th
- May 15th Birthday, Utah Phillips, American folk music icon, born in 1935 in Cleveland, Ohio.
- May 15th Birthday, Ian Amey (Tich), the guitarist for British 1960’s British Pop band Dave Dee, Dozey, Beaky, Mick and Tich, born in 1944 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England.
- May 15th Birthday, Drummer, singer and songwriter Rod Coombes, an original member of Steelers Wheel, born in 1946 in Notting Hill, London, England.
- May 15th Birthday, The Little River Band guitarist and songwriter Graeham Goble, born in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia in 1947.
- May 15th Birthday, Uriah Heep bassist Gary Thain, born in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1948. He died of respiratory failure due to a heroin overdose on December 8th, 1975, aged 27.
- May 15th Birthday, Keyboardist, arranger, songwriter and record producer Brian Eno, born Brian Peter George St. Baptiste de la Salle Eno in 1948 in Melton, Suffolk, England.
- May 15th Birthday, Drummer, singer, songwriter and guitarist Phil Seymour, an original member of The Dwight Twilley Band and solo artist, born in 1952 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He died of cancer on August 17th, 1993 at the age of 41.
- May 15th Birthday, Composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield, best known for his album length conceptual work “Tubular Bells,” used in the soundtrack for The Exorcist, born in 1953 in Reading, Berkshire, England.
Today In Rock and Roll History
May 15th
- May 15th, 1958 R&B pioneer Esquerita, the stage name of Eskew Reeder, Jr. records his debut single in Nashville, “Oh Baby.” On the session was tenor sax player Andrew Lee Goodrich, Vincent Moses on guitar, Floyd T. Chance on bass, Johnny “Ricardo” Young playing the drums and vocal group The Gardenias; Calvin Arnold, Carlton Sheppard Jr., Lloyd White, William Dixon, singing backup. Capitol Records released the song as a 45 on June 30th.
- May 15th, 1963 The first day of sessions at EMI Studios in London with producer Ron Richards with The Hollies for their first album. Sessions were recorded through December. All but one song on the LP were cover versions of songs by American artists. “Little Lover” was co-written by The Hollies’ Graham Nash and Allan Clarke. Issued in January 1964 as “Stay With The Hollies,” the track listing and title was changed to “Here I Go Again” when Imperial Records released it in the US in June 1964. May 15th, 1965 The Animals cover version of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home” enters the singles charts following an April release on MGM Records. This was the band’s tribute to Sam Cooke, who’d been murdered the previous December and the last Animals single release before the departure of founding member, keyboardist Alan Price. Produced by Mickie Most, the record peaked at No. 7 in Britain and No. 32 in the US, on June 12th.
- May 15th, 1965 London Records release “This Little Bird” by Marianne Faithfull on 45, out April 30th in Britain. Written by John D. Loudermilk, produced by Tony Calder and arranged by Mike Leander, the record entered the charts in the US in June and peaked at No. 32 on July 17th.
- May 15th, 1967 Columbia Records release “Time And Charges,” the second album by The Buckinghams. Recorded at Columbia Studios in New York City with producer Jim Guercio, the LP featured the hit singles “Don’t You Care” and “Mercy Mercy Mercy.” “Time And Charges” peaked at No. 58 on August 19th.
- May 15th, 1967 Columbia Records release “My World Fell Down” by Sagittarius on 45. The song was co-written by English songwriters John Carter and Geoff Stephens and first recorded by the The Ivy League on Pye Records in 1966. The Sagittarius version was a Gary Usher production. Usher recruited Los Angeles session musicians, including Glen Campbell and Bruce Johnston and songwriter Curt Boettcher to record the song under the band name Sagittarius. The record entered the singles charts in June and peaked at No. 70 on July 22nd.
- May 15th, 1968 MGM Records release “Indian Lake” by The Cowsills on 45. Written by Tony Romeo, the record entered the singles charts in June and went to No. 10 on July 13th, No. 3 in Canada. The single sold over one million copies.
- May 15th, 1970 Zubin Mehta conducts The LA Philharmonic Orchestra, performing a new Frank Zappa composition “200 Motels” at UCLA’s Pauley Pavillion.
- May 15th, 1970 Island Records in Britain release “In The Wake Of Poseidon,” the second studio album by King Crimson. The band’s lineup was fluid at the time of recording, with original guitarist Robert Fripp, Greg Lake remaining long enough to complete vocals for all but one song, brothers Michael and Peter Giles playing drums and bass respectively, Mel Collins played sax and flute with Keith Tippit on piano. Gordon Haskell sang on “Cadence And Cascade.” “In The Wake Of Poseidon” was issued in America on August 12th by Atlantic Records, where it peaked at No. 11 on September 26th. After the record came out, only Fripp, Haskell and Tippet remained.
- May 15th, 1970 Edwin Starr records “War” at Hitsville USA studios in Detroit. Co-written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, Whitfield first produced the song for The Temptations. Not wanting to alienate The Temptations conservative fans with an anti-war song, Whitfield re-recorded the song with Edwin Starr as the vocalist. Members of The Originals and The Undisputed Truth were recruited for backing vocals. Released on June 10th on Gordy Records, Starr earned a Grammy nomination in 1971 for “War” for best R&B Male Vocal. The record peaked at No. 1 on August 26th.
- May 15th, 1971 “California Earthquake” by Norman Greenbaum enters the singles charts on Reprise Records. His third and final chart entry, California Earthquake” was written by Greenbaum and produced by Eric Jacobsen. The record peaked at No. 93 on June 12th, 1971.
- May 15th, 1971 Curtom Records release “Curtis/Live!” a double album live set by Curtis Mayfield. Recorded at Paul Colby’s Bitter End club in New York City, the record peaked at No. 21 on July 3rd.
- May 15th, 1971 Graham Nash’s first solo single, “Chicago” is released by Atlantic Records. The title and lyrics of the song refer to the anti-Vietnam War protests that took place during the 1968 US Democratic National Convention in Chicago and the trial of protest leaders who were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot. The record entered the charts in June and went to No. 35 on July 24th.
- May 15th, 1971 Pink Floyd play at the Crystal Palace Bowl in the London borough of Bromley, performing in front fifteen thousand fans on a hot day before a heavy rainstorm drenched the crowd. Also on the bill were Mountain, Quiver and Faces. The Floyd submerged a large inflatable octopus below the lake in front of the band that was intended to emerge from beneath the water at the end of the show but was unknowingly sabotaged by concert goers who jumped in to cool off. The combination of dry ice and loud music allegedly killed a large portion of the lake’s fish population.
- May 15th, 1972 Fantasy Records release the self-titled first solo album by former Creedence Clearwater Revival guitarist Tom Fogerty. Sessions for the LP included Mothers Of Invention bassist Billy Mundi and organist Merl Saunders. The record peaked at No. 180 on June 24th.
- May 15th, 1974 Frank Zappa and his wife announce the birth of their third child, a boy named Ahmet Rodan Zappa. The child’s middle name came from a Japanese monster movie.
- May 15th, 1974 Big Tree Records release “I’m The Leader Of The Gang” by Brownsville Station on 45. The track was a cover version of the Gary Glitter song, co-written by Glitter and Mike Leander. The record peaked at No. 48 on July 6th.
- May 15th, 1974 Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman released his first album, “Monkey Grip,” becoming the first Stone to release a solo record. A long list of session players play on the LP including Dr. John, Leon Russell, Danny Kortchmar, George Terry, John McEuen, Lowell George and Dallas Taylor. “Monkey Grip” peaked at No. 99 on July 7th.
- May 15th, 1976 ABC Records release “Rose Of Cimarron,” the eleventh album by Poco. Co-produced by Poco and Mark Henry Harmon, the record spent fifteen weeks on the charts and peaked at No. 89 on June 26th.
- May 15th, 1976 Capitol Records release the “Fly Like An Eagle” album by The Steve Miller Band. Guest musicians on the album include harmonica player James Cotten, guitarist Les Dudek and John McFee on dobro. Produced by Miller at CBS Studios in San Francisco, California, the record featured the singles “Take The Money And Run,” “Rock ‘n’ Me” and the LP’s title track and peaked at No. 3 on October 23rd.
- May 15th, 1976 Oyster Records release “Rising” the second album by Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. Recorded in Munich in less than a month, the LP was overseen by producer and engineer Martin Birch. “Rising” peaked at No. 48 on July 10th.
- May 15th, 1976 “Music” by John Miles enters the singles charts following an April release on London Records. Written by John Miles, the track was produced by Alan Parsons and arranged by Andrew Powell. The record peaked at No. 88 on May 29th.
- May 15th, 1978 “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton enters the singles charts following an April release on RSO Records. The heartfelt love song was written for Clapton’s wife Patti, ironically as he impatiently waited for her to get ready as they were late for an event hosted by Paul and Linda McCartney. Vocal harmonies on the song were sung by Marcy Levy and Yvonne Elliman. The record peaked at No. 16 on July 15th.
- May 15th, 1978 “Roll With The Changes” by REO Speedwagon enters the singles charts following an April release on Epic Records. The song was written by singer Kevin Cronin, reflecting his decision to rejoin REO after first leaving the band in 1973. The changes hit paydirt when the album the song came from, “You Can Tune A Piano But You Can’t Tuna Fish,” became the group’s first to go Top Twenty, selling two million copies. “Roll With The Changes” peaked at No. 58 on June 10th.
- May 15th, 1978 “Only The Good Die Young” by Billy Joel enters the singles charts following a release early in May on Columbia Records. The song was written by Billy Joel. “Only The Good Die Young” was produced by Phil Ramone. The record peaked at No. 24 on July 8th.
- May 15th, 1978 “Still The Same” by Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band enters the singles charts following an April release on Capitol Records. The song was written by Seger, who co-produced the track with Punch Andrews. “Still The Same” peaked at No. 4 on July 22nd.
- May 15th, 1981 A&M Records release “East Side Story,” the fourth album by Squeeze. The album featured new band keyboardist Paul Carrack on “Tempted,” the single issued from the album that became the band’s biggest hit. The track “Labeled With Love” was a Top Ten hit in Britain as well. Co-produced by Elvis Costello and Roger Bechirian at Eden Studios in London, “East Side Story” peaked at No. 44 on August 22nd.
- May 15th, 1981 Aslylum Records release “There Goes The Neighborhood,” the fifth solo album by Joe Walsh. Walsh co-produced the LP with George “Chocolate” Perry at Santa Barbara Sound Recording. Don Felder, Timothy B, Schmit, Russ Kunkle, David Lindley, Kenny Passarelli, Joe Vitale and Bob Mayo appear on the LP. “There Goes The Neighborhood” featured three hits, “Rivers (Of The Hidden Funk),” “Things” and “A Life of Illusion.” “There Goes The Neighborhood” reached No. 20 on July 18th.
- May 15th, 1981 The Moody Blues release the “Long Distance Voyager” LP in Britain before beginning an extensive tour to promote the record. Recorded at Threshold and RAK Studios in London with producer Pip Williams, who arranged the strings performed by the New World Philharmonic. It was the debut of keyboard player Patrick Moraz on a Moody Blues record. The album would ultimately go Gold. Produced by Pip Williams, the record came out in June in America and peaked at No. 1 on July 25th.
- May 15th, 1982 Atlantic Records release “Animation,” the third album by Yes singer Jon Anderson. The LP was co-produced by Anderson, Neil Kernon and Tony Visconti. Clem Clemson, Ian Wallace, Jack Bruce, Morris Pert, Simon Phillips, Jack Bruce and Blue Weaver were among the guest musicians on the sessions. The LP peaked at No. 176 on July 17th.
- May 15th, 1982 Columbia Records release “Business As Usual,” the debut album by Men At Work. Recorded March through September 1981 at Richmond Recorders in Melbourne, Australia with producer Peter McIan, the album charted for ninety weeks in the US and peaked at No. 1 on November 13th, 1982.
- May 15th, 1982 Five weeks after first appearing on the pop charts, “Ebony and Ivory” hits No. 1 in the United States. The Paul McCartney/Stevie Wonder duet would stay at the top for seven weeks and was a No. 1 hit in Britain as well.
- May 15th, 1984 Just prior to the launch of the “Born in the USA” world tour, guitarist Nils Lofgren became a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, replacing Miami Steve Van Zandt, who had temporarily departed.
- May 15th, 1987 Elektra Records release “Girls, Girls, Girls” by Motley Crue. Recorded at One On One and Rumbo Studios in Los Angeles and Conway Studios in Hollywood with Tom Werman producing, the album peaked at No. 2 on June 27th.
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 10th
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 5/10
Cool songs from the Rock and Roll Era, Closet Classics and more.
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