Calendar Search Results: i he w
May 2, 1960 Dick Clark testifies before Congress on the matter of payola.More
April 26, 1960 Roger Taylor (drummer for Duran Duran) is born in Nechells, Birmingham, England. He remains with the band until their performance at the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in 1985 - but rejoins a decade later.
April 25, 1960 Elvis Presley scores his first #1 of the '60s (and 13th of his career) when "Stuck on You" hits the top spot in America.
April 23, 1960 Paul McCartney and John Lennon perform as "the Nerk Twins" at the Fox and Hounds pub in Reading, England. The pub is owned by McCartney's cousin and her husband. The duo play another set the next day.
April 21, 1960 For about 20 years, it was common practice for record companies to pay DJs to play songs, but now the US government is cracking down on what they call "Payola." Dick Clark testifies before congress and admits that he took money and gifts to play records - estimating 27% of his playlist to be paid. Clark emerges more powerful than ever, selling off conflicting interests and expanding his music empire. On the other hand, another prominent DJ and TV host, Alan Freed, refuses to admit that he took payola, insisting that he was a consultant to the industry. His career never recovers despite his massive influence and success.
April 14, 1960 The musical Bye Bye Birdie, inspired by the drafting of Elvis Presley into the Army, opens on Broadway.
April 10, 1960 Hip hop DJ Afrika Bambaataa (of Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force) is born Kevin Donovan in The Bronx, New York.
April 10, 1960 Katrina Leskanich of Katrina & the Waves is born in Topeka, Kansas.
April 4, 1960 Frank Sinatra's version of "High Hopes" from the movie A Hole In The Head wins the Oscar for Best Original Song.
April 3, 1960 Elvis Presley records "It's Now or Never" in Nashville at RCA Studio B. With a melody lifted from the 1907 song "O Sole Mio," it veers away from rock and roll but is a huge hit and the song Elvis later says is his favorite of all his recordings.
April 3, 1960 Working at RCA's Studio B in Nashville, Elvis Presley pulls an all-nighter, recording nine songs, finishing with "Are You Lonesome Tonight" in the wee hours of the morning. The mournful song becomes one of his biggest hits, going to #1 in America for six weeks.
March 25, 1960 In Nashville, Roy Orbison records "Only The Lonely." His first big hit, it sets the stage for more heart-rending songs from Orbison like "Crying" and "In Dreams."
March 18, 1960 In Nashville, The Everly Brothers record "Cathy's Clown," which is released as the first single under their new 10-year deal with Warner Bros. Records.
March 14, 1960 Sam Cooke begins an unprecedented tour of the West Indies with a concert in Jamaica's Montego Bay.
March 5, 1960 Elvis Presley is officially discharged from active duty in the US Army. He will be on reserve for 4 more years.
February 27, 1960 The Miracles make their first TV appearance when they perform on American Bandstand.
February 24, 1960 Carl Dobkins, Jr. performs in full military dress live from Ft. Dixon, Ohio, where he is serving in the national guard, on NBC-TV's Perry Como Show.
February 22, 1960 Percy Faith's "Theme From A Summer Place" hits #1 in America for the first of nine weeks, knocking Elvis Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight" from the top spot.
February 17, 1960 After a string of hits on Cadence Records, The Everly Brothers sign a 10-year contract with Warner Bros. Records which is reported at $1 million, a number likely inflated for publicity purposes.
February 8, 1960 The "payola" hearings begin, as the US government cracks down on the practice of paying for airplay on radio stations.
February 6, 1960 R&B singer Jesse Belvin, who co-wrote the Penguins' hit "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)," dies in a car crash at age 27.
February 3, 1960 Frank Sinatra launches the first fully artist-owned label, Reprise Records (pronounced "repreeze"), so he can own his own masters. Some of his cohorts, including Dean Martin and Rosemary Clooney, join the label, which is sold to Warner Brothers in 1963, where it becomes home to a number of famous acts, including Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell and Green Day.
January 18, 1960 Johnny Preston's "Running Bear" hits #1 for the first of three weeks.
January 17, 1960 Berlin bassist John Crawford is born in California. He's the main songwriter in the group, penning tracks like "The Metro" and "No More Words."
January 8, 1960 Eddie Cochran records "Three Steps To Heaven," which turns out to be his final recording session and his only #1 hit single in the UK.
January 8, 1960 Harry Gifford dies at his London home, aged 82. He co-wrote "When I'm Cleaning Windows" with Fred Cliffe & George Formby.
January 5, 1960 Phil Thornalley, "Torn" songwriter and producer of The Cure's Pornography album, is born in Worlington, near Mildenhall, Suffolk, England.
January 4, 1960 R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe is born in Decatur, Georgia. In 1980, he befriends Peter Buck, a store clerk at Wuxtry Records in nearby Athens who shares his weird taste in music. They quickly bring Mike Mills and Bill Berry into the fold and just one year later release their debut single, "Radio Free Europe."
December 21, 1959 Chuck Berry is arrested when a 14-year-old girl he brought from Texas to work in his St. Louis club reports him to police. Berry serves 20 months in prison for transporting a minor across state lines.
December 20, 1959 Jackie Fox is born Jacqueline Fuchs in California. She gives up a promising career in mathematics when she joins The Runaways as bass player at the age of 15, rather than taking early entry into UCLA. After leaving the band, she returns to her studies, graduating from UCLA and then Harvard - where she is a classmate of Barack Obama - and goes on to work as an entertainment lawyer.
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