22 March

Pick a Day

22 MARCH

In Music History

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2019 Scott Walker dies at 76. In the UK, he became a pop star in the '60s, but turned to more experimental music in ensuing years.

2017 Original Boston drummer Sib Hashian, who played on their first two albums, dies at age 67 after collapsing during the Legends of Rock Cruise.

2016 After years of health problems and a battle with diabetes, Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest dies at age 45.

2013 My Chemical Romance announce their breakup after 12 years as a band. They return to action in 2019.

2013 Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy releases his debut EP, God Loves You When You're Dancing.

2009 Folk music historian Archie Green dies at age 91.

2006 Cuban singer Pío Leyva (of Buena Vista Social Club) dies of a heart attack at age 88.

2006 Aerosmith cancels the rest of their Rockin' The Joint tour so lead singer Steven Tyler can have throat surgery to treat strained vocal chords.

2005 Rod Price (guitarist for Foghat) dies after suffering a heart attack and falling down a flight of stairs at his home.

2002 Celine Dion releases the album A New Day Has Come, which goes to #1 in many territories, including the US, UK, and Canada.

2001 Earl Beal of The Silhouettes dies at age 71.

1997 "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" by Puff Daddy goes to #1, the first of four chart-toppers in 1997 from his Bad Boy label. The others are "Hypnotize" and "Mo Money Mo Problems" by The Notorious B.I.G., and "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff, his tribute to B.I.G., who died on March 9, 1997.

1996 Don Murray (drummer for The Turtles) dies of complications from ulcer surgery at age 50.

1994 Ted Nugent, always a straight arrow, makes a PSA warning kids of the dangers of abusing inhalants.

1994 Dan Hartman dies of an AIDS-related brain tumor at age 43.

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The Rutles Parody The Beatles In Mockumentary

1978

A Beatles parody special called The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash, airs on ABC. The special stars various members of the Monty Python troupe.

The Rutles are Dirk McQuickly (Eric Idle), Barry Wom (John Halsey), Stig O'Hara (Ricky Fataar), and Ron Nasty (Neil Innes). Ollie Halsall (who provides vocals for Idle's McQuickly) also appears as Leppo, the "fifth Rutle." The mockumentary chronicles the rise of the "Prefab Four" while playfully poking holes in the Beatles' legacy. Rutlemania takes hold with hits like "Doubleback Alley" and "Cheese and Onions" and the animated movie Yellow Submarine Sandwich. Meanwhile, the Lennon-esque Nasty meets his Yoko Ono at the Pretentious Gallery, where she introduces herself as the daughter of Hitler. The star-studded supporting cast includes John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Michael Palin, Bianca Jagger, Mick Jagger, Paul Simon, Ronnie Wood, and George Harrison as a reporter. The Rutles were created nearly by accident for the UK sketch comedy series Rutland Weekend Television, the brainchild of former Monty Python star Eric Idle. Neil Innes, another Monty Python veteran, known for his tenure in the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, wrote a Beatles-sounding tune called "I Must Be In Love" for a black-and-white sketch called "A Hard Day's Rut." The idea for a Beatles parody band was born. When the sketch was re-broadcast on Saturday Night Live, SNL creator Lorne Michaels offered to finance a TV special about The Rutles. Innes was tasked with writing 16 more Beatles-style tunes in less than a week. "I made a conscious decision not to listen to the records," Innes told Q magazine. "I did everything from my memory of how it ought to sound. The psychedelic lyrics were easy, you just rhymed anything with anything else, but the earlier songs were difficult to get right, because one of the Beatles' trademarks is that the tunes and the words were always just a little bit unpredictable, so I was constantly throwing out tunes because they were too ordinary." The resulting Rutles repertoire includes "Ouch!" ("Help!"), "Piggy In The Middle" ("I Am The Walrus"), "Hold My Hand" ("I Want To Hold Your Hand"), and "Get Up and Go" ("Get Back"), to name a few. All You Need Is Cash fares well in the UK but bombs on American television. Perhaps its most important critics are the Beatles, who give the spoof mixed reviews. Ringo Starr likes the funnier bits but doesn't want to be reminded of the band's painful breakup, John Lennon loves it so much he keeps copies of the film and soundtrack, and Paul McCartney refuses to comment. George Harrison says, "The Rutles sort of liberated me from the Beatles in a way. It was the only thing I saw of those Beatles television shows they made. It was actually the best, funniest and most scathing. But at the same time, it was done with the most love." The Rutles become a real-life touring band, notching two UK singles, and recording the 1996 album Archaeology, a parody of the Beatles' Anthology. As for the film, it becomes a cult classic and inspires another famous mockumentary: This Is Spinal Tap.

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