17 JUNE
In Music History
1967 Barbra Streisand sings for an estimated 135,000 fans at a concert in New York's Central Park. The show later airs on CBS as a TV special with the soundtrack album A Happening In Central Park.
1967 Liberty Records runs an ad in the British music magazine New Musical Express that reads: "Liberty wants talent. Artists/composers/singers/musicians to form a new group." Among the thousands of applicants are lyricist Bernie Taupin and musician Elton John. The label teams them up, resulting in one of the greatest songwriting duos in rock history.
1967 The Hollies release "Carrie Anne."
1967 Moby Grape release all five singles from their debut album: "Changes," "Sitting By The Window," "8:05," "Omaha," and "Hey Grandma."
1966 Paul McCartney buys the farm in Kintyre, Scotland, that inspires his 1977 megahit ballad "Mull Of Kintyre."
1966 Peter Green joins John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.
1964 Jay & the Americans record "Come A Little Bit Closer."
1964 Elvis Presley's 15th movie, Viva Las Vegas, co-starring Ann-Margret, opens nationally.
1959 Liberace wins his libel case against the Daily Mirror at the High Court in London, and says afterwards "I cried all the way to the bank." The paper published an article claiming the pianist was homosexual.
1954 The UK music newspaper Record Mirror goes to press for the first time.
1954 Danny Cedrone, guitarist featured on Bill Haley & His Comets' "Rock Around The Clock," dies at age 33 after falling down stairs and breaking his neck.
1947 Keyboard player Gregg Rolie, a founding member of both Santana and Journey, is born in Seattle, Washington. He handles a lot of the vocals for Santana and is also Journey's lead singer for their first three albums until Steve Perry joins for their fourth.
1947 Paul Young, singer with Sad Café and Mike + the Mechanics, is born in Manchester, England. Not to be confused with the Paul Young who sang "Everytime You Go Away."
1945 Eric McCredie (bassist for Middle of the Road) is born in Partick, Glasgow, Scotland.
1944 Chris Spedding is born Peter Robinson in Staveley, Derbyshire, England. A renowned session guitarist, he's recorded with the likes of Elton John, Paul McCartney, Brian Eno, and Art Garfunkel.
Katy Perry Gives Up Gospel For Pop
2008Katy Perry's major-label debut album, One of the Boys, is released, featuring the hit single "I Kissed a Girl." It's not her first album: In 2001 she released a gospel album under her real name, Katy Hudson.
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Featured Events
2014 Sam Smith releases his debut album, In the Lonely Hour, in the US.
2008 With Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne becomes the first artist since 50 Cent in 2005 to sell more than 1 million copies of an album in a single week. It goes on to sell 3 million.
2006 Shakira lands her first #1 hit on the Hot 100 when her single "Hips Don't Lie," featuring Wyclef Jean, reaches the top of the tally. It also breaks the record for the most-played pop song in a single week when it's aired on American radio 9,637 times.More
2000 Eighteen months after Billboard starts factoring airplay into their Hot 100 chart, "Try Again" by Aaliyah becomes the first song to hit the top spot based on airplay alone, as the song is not available for purchase as a single.
1997 When Ozzy's voice gives out before the Ozzfest date in Columbus, Ohio, he doesn't appear but the show goes on without him. Fans, who aren't told until later that he won't be there, don't take the news well and trash the venue.More
1994 Megadeth is kicked off their tour with Aerosmith after Dave Mustaine is heard in an interview saying that his band should be the headliners. Jackyl and 4 Non Blondes open the remaining dates on the US tour.
1994 With the United States hosting the World Cup, the opening ceremonies are held at Soldier Field in Chicago. In one of the production numbers, Diana Ross sings "I'm Coming Out" while she takes a penalty kick. She misses, but the goal splits open anyway and she runs through to complete the bit.More
1972 Grateful Dead keyboard player and founding member Ron "Pigpen" McKernan plays his last show with the band at a Hollywood Bowl concert. Health problems force him to stop touring, and he dies in March 1973 at age 27.
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