Wax Museum Radio
Next broadcast May 23rd Friday Night at midnight and Saturday night at 10pm on WRGG.
Hear Today In Rock and Roll History
Today In R&R History May 19th
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 19th
- May 19th Birthday, Bass guitarist and tuba player Herbie Flowers, born Brian Keith Flowers in 1938 in Isleworth, Middlesex, England. It is his bass that opens Lou Reed’s “Walk On The Wild Side,” David Essex’s “Rock On” and Nilsson’s “Jump Into The Fire.” In 1969, Flowers co-founded the group Blue Mink.
- May 19th Birthday, Songwriter, singer, leader of The Newbeats and solo artist Mickey Newbury, born Milton Sims Newbury, Jr. in 1940 in Houston, Texas. He died on September 29th, 2002 of pulmonary fibrosis, aged 62.
- May 19th Birthday, Blood Sweat and Tears trombonist Jerry Hyman, born in New York City in 1943.
- May 19th Birthday, Singer, songwriter, The Who guitarist Peter Townshend, born Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend in 1945 in Chiswick, Middlesex, England.
- May 19th Birthday, Blood, Sweat and Tears saxophonist Greg Herbert, born in 1947 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- May 19th Birthday, T Rex bassist Steve Currie, born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England in 1947.
- May 19th Birthday, Saxophonist, songwriter and arranger Tom Scott, born in Los Angeles, California in 1948.
- May 19th Birthday, ZZ Top bass player Joseph Michael “Dusty” Hill, born in 1949 in Dallas, Texas. He died on July 28th, 2021, aged 72.
- May 19th Birthday, Stylish, theatrical pop, funk star Grace Jones, who grew up in Syracuse, New York, born in 1948 in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, British Jamaica.
- May 19th Birthday, The Ramones singer Joey Ramone, born Jeffrey Hyman in 1951 in Queens, New York City. Ramone passed away on April 15th, 2001 of lymphatic cancer at the age of 49.
- May 19th Birthday, AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd, born Phillip Hugh Norman Witschke Rudzevecuis in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1954.
- May 19th Birthday, A founding member of The Human League and Heaven 17, musician, songwriter and record producer Martyn Ware, born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England in 1956.
Today In Rock and Roll History
May 19th
- May 19th, 1956 After launching the skiffle craze and taking the British charts by storm, Lonnie Donegan kicks off a tour of the US by appearing on The Perry Como Show, where he performs “Rock Island Line.”
- May 19th, 1958 Ritchie Valensuela demos the self-penned “Come On, Let’s Go” for Del-Fi Records’ Bob Keane at Keane’s basement studios in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. With his stage name changed to Ritchie Valens, the hit version of “Come On, Let’s Go” was rerecorded at Gold Star Studio in Hollywood, California. The record came out a few weeks after the first recording and peaked at No. 42 on November 22nd.
- May 19th, 1958 Specialty Records release “Ooh! My Soul” by Little Richard on 45 and 78 rpm record. The song was recorded that month at J&M Studios in New Orleans, Louisianna with producer Robert “Bumps” Blackwell. Written by Richard, the song peaked at No. 35 on June 30th. Ritchie Valens took the melody of “Ooh My Soul” and rewrote the lyrics, releasing the song as “Ooh My Head” in 1959.
- May 19th, 1960 DJ Alan Freed is indicted for accepting thirty thousand, six hundred and fifty dollars from record companies in what the government said was a pay for play scheme to boost sales of records. Freed was convicted of the charges two years later, receiving a suspended sentence and a three hundred dollar fine.
- May 19th, 1960 The Drifters record “Save The Last Dance For Me” with Ben E. King on vocals. By the time it was released on August 22nd on Atlantic Records, Ben E. King had left the group for a solo career. Co-written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman and co-produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the record reached No. 1 on October 17th. “Save The Last Dance For Me” would reach No. 2 in the UK in December.
- May 19th, 1962 The Marvelettes record “Beechwood 4-5789.” Co-written by Marvin Gaye, William “Mickey” Stevenson and George Gordy, the song charted nationally at No. 17 on September 22nd. The lead vocal was sung by Gladys Horton and Marvin Gaye played drums on the track.
- May 19th, 1963 The Experimental Music of Frank Zappa is staged by the student orchestra of Mount St. Maty’s College in Brentwood, California. The concert was broadcast on Pacifica Radio station KPFA-FM in Berkely, California.
- May 19th, 1967 The Beatles hold a press release party for their “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” LP at manager Brian Epstein’s London home. Photojournalist Linda Eastman meets Paul McCartney at the reception.
- May 19th, 1967 UNI Records release The Strawberry Alarm Clock’s “Incense and Peppermints.” The song is officially credited as having been co-written by John S. Carter and Tim Gilbert, although it was based on an instrumental idea by band members Mark Weitz and Ed King. It was the first single credited to The Strawberry Alarm Clock, though the group had issued four singles on All-American Records under the name Three Sixpence. “Incense and Peppermints” hit No. 1 on November 27thbut didn’t chart at all in the UK. On December 19th, the single received a Gold Record award for a million copies sold.
- May 19th, 1967 Island Records in Britain release Traffic’s debut single, “Paper Sun.’ Produced by Jimmy Miller, the song was co-written by Steve Winwood, Dave Mason, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood. The 45 went to No. 5 in Britain. In America the single was issued as Traffic featuring Steve Winwood, charting for one week and peaking at No. 94 on September 2nd.
- May 19th, 1969 Epic Records release “Pickin’ Up The Pieces,” the debut album by Poco. Formed by ex-Buffalo Springfield members Richie Furay and Jim Messina, steel guitarist Rusty Young and drummer George Grantham, the album was a country-rock hybrid. Conflicts between the band and Randy Meisner led to his exit from the band before the record came out. The album peaked at No. 64 on September 20th.
- May 19th, 1970 Tamla Records release “The End Of Our Road” by Marvin Gaye on 45. “The End of Our Road” was co-written by Roger Penzabene, Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1967 and was first released by Gladys Knight and The Pips. The Marvin Gaye version entered the charts in June and peaked at No. 40 on July 11th.
- May 19th, 1971 Atlantic Records release Aretha Franklin’s live album “Aretha Live At The Fillmore West.” Co-produced by Jerry Wexler and Arif Mardin, the record peaked at No. 7 on June 26th.
- May 19th, 1972 Bronze Records in Britain release “Demons And Wizards,” the fourth studio LP by Uriah Heep. The LP was recorded at Lansdowne Studio in London, England with Gary Bron producing. The band included new bassist Gary Thain and drummer Lee Kerslake, who was a former band mate of guitarist Ken Hensley in The Gods and Toe Fat. Issued in June in America, the album peaked at No. 23 on October 28th.
- May 19th, 1972 RCA Records in Britain release “Little Willy” by Sweet on 45. Co-written and produced by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, the single went to No. 4 in Britain. Released in September in the US, “Little Willy” became their biggest stateside hit, entering the charts in January 1973 and peaking at No. 3 on May 5th.
- May 19th, 1973 “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” by Stevie Wonder is the No. 1 record in the US.
- May 19th, 1973 “You Broke My Heart So I Busted Your Jaw” by Spooky Tooth enters the album charts on A&M Records. It was the first group album since the band’s initial break-up in 1970. Joining the line-up was future Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones. The LP was recorded at Olympic, Island and Apple Studios in London, self-produced by the band. The record peaked at No. 84 on July 7th.
- May 19th, 1973 “Think” by James Brown enters the singles charts following an April release on Polydor Records. Written by Lowman Pauling, the record peaked at No. 77 on June 9th.
- May 19th, 1975 DJM Records in Britain release “Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy,” the ninth studio album by Elton John. The autobiographical lyrics told the story of Elton and lyricist Bernie Taupin’s pre-fame years spent writing songs together. The LP was recorded at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado with Gus Dudgeon producing. In America, the record entered the charts at No. 1 on June 7th, the first in history to sell a million copies on the day it was released.
- May 19th, 1975 Asylum Records release “One Of These Nights” on 45 by the Eagles, co-written by group members Don Henley and Glenn Frey and produced by Bill Szymczyk. The record went to No. 1 in the US on August 2nd.
- May 19th, 1975 MCA Records release “Saturday Night Special” by Lynyrd Skynyrd on 45. Co-written by Ed King and Ronnie Van Zant, the record entered the singles charts in June and peaked at No. 27 on August 2nd.
- May 19th, 1976 Columbia Records release “Turnstiles,” the fourth album by Billy Joel. Sessions for the LP began at Caribou Studios in Nederland, Colorado with members of Elton John’s band, Nigel Olsson and Dee Murray with Jim Guercio producing. Joel was not happy with the recordings and returned to New York, where he rerecorded the tracks with his touring band, the first time Joel’s band played on his own albums. Completed at Ultrasonic Studio in Hempstead, New York and Columbia in New York City with Joel producing, the album featured the hit “Say Goodbye To Hollywood” and peaked at No. 122 on July 3rd.
- May 19th, 1978 Arista Records release “Misfits” by The Kinks. Recorded at Konk Studios in London with Ray Davies producing, bassist Andy Pyle and keyboardist Ray Gosling left the group after the sessions ended, with some drum and bass tracks recorded with guest musicians Clem Cattini, Nick Trevisik and Zaine Griff. The album peaked at No. 40 on July 15th.
- May 19th, 1978 Dire Straits “Sultans Of Swing” is released on 45 in Britain. After an early demo version of the song earned the group a record deal, the band rerecorded the track at Basing Street Studios in London in February 1978 with producer Muff Winwood. The US release came in January 1979. “Sultans Of Swing” entered the US singles charts in February and peaked at No. 4 on April 7th.
- May 19th, 1979 “Gold” by former Kingston Trio member John Stewart enters the singles charts on RSO Records. Written and produced by Stewart, the track features Stevie Nicks on harmony vocals and Lindsey Buckingham on lead guitar. “Gold” spent eighteen weeks on the charts and peaked at No. 5 on August 4th.
- May 19th, 1979 “Say Maybe” by Neil Diamond enters the singles charts on Columbia Records. Diamond wrote the song and the track was produced by Bob Gaudio. The record peaked at No. 55 on June 16th.
- May 19th, 1979 “Sad Eyes” by Robert John enters the singles charts on EMI America Records. Written by John and produced by George Tobin, the song spent more than half a year on the charts, twenty-seven weeks and peaked at No. 1 on October 6th.
- May 19th, 1979 The closest thing to a Beatles reunion happened when Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr played together at Eric Clapton’s wedding. Joining them for a jam session were Clapton, Mick Jagger and Ginger Baker.
- May 19th, 1983 Modern Records release Stevie Nicks’ “Stand Back” on 45. The song would be one of Stevie’s biggest solo singles, released from her second solo studio album, “The Wild Heart.” Inspired to write the song when she heard “Little Red Corvette” by Prince playing on the radio, Prince himself would play synthesizer on “Stand Back” on the February 8th recording session. Written by Nicks and produced by Jimmy Iovine at Studio 55 in Los Angeles, the single mix of the song is thirty seconds shorter with a significantly different mix than the album version. The record peaked at No. 5 on August 20th.
- May 19th, 1986 Virgin Records in Britain release “So,” the sixth studio album by Peter Gabriel. After working Gabriel’s soundtrack to the film Birdy in 1984, producer Daniel Lanois was invited to remain at Gabriel’s Somerset home during 1985 to work on his next solo project. Initial sessions for “So” consisted of Gabriel, Lanois and guitarist David Rhodes. The record featured the hit singles “Big Time,” Don’t Give Up,” “In Your Eyes” and “Sledgehammer.” The album received four Grammy Award nominations, Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, all for “Sledgehammer,” and Album of the Year. “So” was a No. 1 record in England and peaked at No. 2 in the US on July 26th, where it charted for ninety-three weeks.
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 17th
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 5/17 The Beatles
Cool songs from the Rock and Roll Era, Closet Classics and more.
Craig Maher / Exo-X-Xeno Wax Museum Interview
Craig Maher from Exo-X-Xeno talking about the 2025 album "Luminous Voyage"
- Click picture to listen to the interview with Craig talking about the Exo-X-Xeno project with Yes members Billy Sherwood, Jay Shellen and Patrick Moraz.
Nektar Wax Museum interview 4/11/25
Nektar interviewed on the second night of the 2025 "Mission To Mars" Tour
- Click image to hear the exclusive the Wax Museum interview with Nektar discussiing the current tour, future plans and group history.
The Paul Bielatowicz Band Wax Museum interview 4/11/25
The Paul Bielatowicz Band interviewed on their 2025 Spring Tour
- Click image to hear the exclusive the Wax Museum interview with The Paul Bielatowicz Band discussiing the current tour and future plans.
Music and conversation with Andy Tillison of The Tangent
Wax Museum interview May 2024
- Click image to hear The Wax Museum's Andy Tillison interview
Jonas Reingold Interview
Jonas Reingold in The Wax Museum
Click image to hear Chris Palladino's Wax Museum Interview with Jonas Reingold
Carl Giammarese / The Buckinghams Interview
The Buckinghams Radio Show
Click image to hear Chris Palladino's interviews on WRGG with Carl Giammarese from The Buckinghams in 2022 and 2024
Robert Fripp Radio Oz interview 7/25/85
King Crimson guitarist Radio Oz interview
- Click Fripp's image to hear the King Crimson guitarist, record producer, solo artist in this 1985 interview for the WARX Sunday night Radio Oz program. Fripp discusses his then current Guitar Craft courses, King Crimson stories, his start in the music business, and more.
Annie Haslam 2019 Wax Museum interview
Annie Haslam "In Words and Music"
- Click picture to hear Annie Haslam "In Words and Music". The iconic Renaissance singer talks at length about music, her life, and artwork for an exclusive interview in The Wax Museum.
Tommy James Wax Museum Interview January 2019
Tommy James
- Click picture to hear Tommy promoting all his planned 2019 activities; new album, Sirius XM radio show, touring, new movie, etc.
From the Radio Oz interview archives
Firesign Theatre interview 1980
- Click picture to listen to this archival interview with The Firesign Theatre recorded during their 1980 Fighting Clowns tour of the US for Radio Oz now available for purchase in the Firesign Theatre's "Fighting Clowns" of Hollywood" collection! Also check out this Tiny Ossman interview from 1995 -
Woody Lissauer Wax Museum Interview 2/22/20
Baltimore based Woody Lissauer steps up to the Wax Museum microphones for this in depth interview!
- Click picture to listen to the Wax Museum interview with Woody Lissauer and his latest album "Trouble The Water" with Barbara Ireland and Steve Caplan.
