Calendar Search Results: i he w
February 26, 1955 LaVern Baker sends a formal letter to the US Congress to appeal a 1954 decision denying black artists a revision of the 1909 Copyright Act, a move which would make it harder for white pop artists to record exact copies of R&B hits and thus steal their thunder. Her appeal is turned down.
February 26, 1955 For the first time, sales of the newer, smaller 45rpm records outpace those of the old 78rpm variety.
February 19, 1955 Jeff Daniels is born in Athens, Georgia. Best known as an actor, he also releases several albums as a musician.
February 16, 1955 Elvis Presley plays at the Odessa Senior High School in Odessa, Texas. A young Roy Orbison is in the audience.
February 5, 1955 The Fontane Sisters' "Hearts of Stone" hits #1 in America for the first of three weeks.
January 28, 1955 The "Top 10 R&B Show" package tour kicks off its 42-date, 60-day national excursion in New York City, featuring The Clovers, Faye Adams, The Charms, Joe Turner, The Moonglows, Lowell Fulson, and The Bill Doggett Trio.
January 26, 1955 Eddie Van Halen is born in Amsterdam. His family eventually settles in Pasadena, California, where he forms Van Halen with his brother, Alex, and quickly becomes one of the most acclaimed and influential guitarists in rock history.
January 23, 1955 Reggie Calloway (of the R&B duo Calloway) is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
January 17, 1955 Steve Earle is born on a military base in Hampton, Virginia, but he's raised in Texas. In 1975 he moves to Nashville, where he has a number of near-misses as a songwriter and artist before releasing his debut album, the Americana landmark Guitar Town, in 1986.
January 12, 1955 A teenaged Etta James releases her first single, the #1 R&B hit "The Wallflower," re-titled from the scandalous-sounding "Roll With Me, Henry."
January 10, 1955 Rock guitarist Michael Schenker (of Scorpions and UFO) is born in West Germany.
January 7, 1955 Marian Anderson is the first African-American singer to appear at the Metropolitan Opera. Her performance as Ulrica in Giuseppe Verdi's Un ballo in maschera breaks barriers for black artists in the States.
January 2, 1955 In Memphis, the funeral is held for Blues star Johnny Ace, who accidentally shot himself on December 25, 1954. His pallbearers include Junior Parker and Roscoe Gordon.
January 1, 1955 Joan Weber's "Let Me Go Lover" hits #1 for the first of four weeks.
December 25, 1954 Annie Lennox is born in Aberdeen, Scotland. In 1980 she forms Eurythmics with her ex-boyfriend Dave Stewart, and in 1992 she releases her first solo album, Diva, with the hits "Why" and "Walking On Broken Glass."
December 25, 1954 Up-and-coming R&B star Johnny Ace, age 25, is killed when he shoots himself backstage at a concert in Houston, possibly while playing Russian Roulette. His song "Pledging My Love" becomes a hit after his death.
December 17, 1954 Bill Haley and his Comets' "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (originally recorded by Big Joe Turner) becomes the first rock song to hit the UK chart, where it lands at #4.
December 4, 1954 The Chordettes' harmony-driven hit "Mr. Sandman" goes to #1 in America and stays for seven weeks. It's one of the last big hits before the start of the Rock Era.
December 1, 1954 Fred Rose, country music songwriter and publisher, dies in Nashville, Tennessee, in his mid-50's. Started the first Nashville-based music publishing company with Roy Acuff. Among many others, known for writing the songs "Crazy Heart" and "Take These Chains From My Heart" for Hank Williams and "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," made famous by Willie Nelson.
November 26, 1954 On tour, Elvis Presley sends a telegram to his parents: "Hi babies, here's the money to pay the bills, don't tell no one how much I sent I will send more next week. There is a card in the mail. Love Elvis."
November 23, 1954 Singer-songwriter Bruce Hornsby is born in Williamsburg, Virginia. He has a string of hits in the late '80s, including "The Valley Road" and the chart-topper "The Way It Is." From 1990-1992 he tours with the Grateful Dead as a keyboard player.
November 22, 1954 Craig Huxley, film and soundtrack producer, is born Craig Hundley in Hollywood, California. He starts his career as a child actor with guest roles on Star Trek, Bewitched, and The Brady Bunch. As a producer and arranger, he works with scores of artists, including Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder.
November 19, 1954 Annette Guest (of the girl group First Choice) is born in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia trio First Choice was known for '70s disco hits like "Armed and Extremely Dangerous," "Smarty Pants," and "Love Thang," among others.
November 19, 1954 While driving from Vegas to Los Angeles, Sammy Davis, Jr. crashes into another car on Route 66 in San Bernardino, California, and three days later, permanently loses use of his left eye. While in the hospital, friend Eddie Cantor tells Davis about the twin struggles of the Jewish and African-Americans, leading Davis to convert to Judaism. (The accident, paradoxically, increased his popularity.)
November 18, 1954 ABC Radio stations ban Rosemary Clooney's "Mambo Italiano" due to what it considers "offensive lyrics," more than likely the exaggerated Italian patois and words "goombah" and "gidrool."
November 15, 1954 Tony Thompson (drummer for The Power Station and Chic) is born in Queens, New York City.
November 15, 1954 Joan Weber sings "Let Me Go, Lover" on the CBS Studio One variety show, sending the song up the charts to #1 in America.
November 10, 1954 Mario Cipollina (bassist for Huey Lewis & the News) is born in San Rafael, California.
November 6, 1954 Elvis Presley, who has been playing a radio concert show called the Louisiana Hayride, records a radio commercial for Southern Maid Doughnuts, who sponsors the show. It was the only commercial he ever recorded and was not false advertising: He really did love those hot donuts.
October 17, 1954 Sun Records signs John R. Cash, recently discharged from the Air Force, to a record deal, where he joins Elvis Presley on the roster. Label boss Sam Phillips renames him Johnny Cash.
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