Calendar Search Results: i he w
December 31, 1940 After forming the rival company BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.), radio stations in the United States stop playing music licensed by ASCAP (the American Society of Publishers and Composers) in a dispute over fees. The boycott lasts 10 months, with stations filling airtime with non-ASCAP songs, mostly older tunes in the public domain.
December 30, 1940 Perry Ford, of The Ivy League, is born Brian Pugh in Lincoln, England. The vocal trio, made up of session singers, was first heard on The Who's 1965 hit "I Can't Explain."
December 26, 1940 Famed record producer Phil Spector is born in The Bronx, New York. He moves to Los Angeles in his teens and develops his "wall of sound" recording technique, heard on classic songs like "Be My Baby" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'." He goes on to produce The Beatles' Let It Be album and also solo albums for George Harrison and John Lennon.
December 23, 1940 The Chi-Lites lead singer and primary songwriter Eugene Record is born in Chicago, Illinois.
November 30, 1940 Desi Arnaz marries Lucille Ball. The pair met on the set of the RKO musical Too Many Girls and eloped less than two months after the film's release.
November 29, 1940 Jazz composer and flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione, known for his instrumental hit "Feels So Good," is born in Rochester, New York.
November 29, 1940 Denny Doherty is born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. With Cass Elliot, he forms a group called the Mugwumps in 1964. A year later, they join John and Michelle Phillips to form The Mamas & The Papas.
November 24, 1940 Country singer-songwriter Johnny Carver is born in Jackson, Mississippi. Known for his 1973 hit cover of Tony Orlando's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree."
November 13, 1940 Justine "Baby" Washington is born in Bamberg, South Carolina, but would be raised in Harlem, New York. Known for her biggest hit, "That's How Heartaches Are Made," in 1963.
November 11, 1940 Guitarist Dennis Coffey is born in Detroit, Michigan. A Motown alum, he is known for the Funk instrumental hit "Scorpio."
November 10, 1940 Screaming Lord Sutch is born David Edward Sutch in Hampstead, London, England.
November 4, 1940 Blues rocker Delbert McClinton, known for the 1992 country duet (with Tanya Tucker) "Tell Me About It," is born in Lubbock, Texas.
November 1, 1940 Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler is born in Carlsbad, New Mexico. His stage name refers to his service as a Green Beret combat medic during the Vietnam War.
October 31, 1940 Eric Griffiths (original guitarist for The Quarrymen, a pre-Beatles rock 'n roll group founded by John Lennon) is born in Denbigh, North Wales.
October 23, 1940 Ellie Greenwich is born Eleanor Louise Greenwich in Brooklyn, New York. One of the most successful songwriters of the '60, her co-writes include "Leader of the Pack" and "Be My Baby."
October 18, 1940 Songwriter Cynthia Weil is born in New York. Known for her work with husband Barry Mann, including "On Broadway," "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," and "We Gotta Get Out of This Place," to name a few.
October 17, 1940 Frank Sinatra hosts the weekly radio program Fame and Fortune, which gives amateur songwriters the chance to compete for $100 and a publishing deal with NBC Music.
October 9, 1940 John Winston Lennon is born in Liverpool, England. The "Winston" comes from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill - John would later add "Ono" to his middle name in honor of Yoko.
September 19, 1940 Singer/songwriter Paul Williams is born in Omaha, Nebraska. A TV fixture in the '70s and '80s, he also writes many popular songs, including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song," the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun," and David Bowie's "Fill Your Heart."
September 15, 1940 Rock 'n Roller Jimmy Gilmer (of Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs) is born in Chicago, Illinois, but would be raised in Amarillo, Texas. Known for the 1963 hit "Sugar Shack."
September 9, 1940 Joe Negroni (of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers) is born in New York City, New York.
September 4, 1940 Soul singer Sonny Charles (of Sonny Charles & The Checkmates, Ltd.) is born Charles Hemphill in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
September 2, 1940 Teen idol Jimmy Clanton is born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Known for the swamp pop/R&B hits "Just a Dream" (1958) and "Venus in Blue Jeans" (1962).
August 20, 1940 John Lantree (bass guitarist for The Honeycombs) is born in Newbury, Berkshire, England.
August 20, 1940 In exile in Mexico, Leon Trotsky is attacked with an ice pick by Stalinist agent Jaime Ramón Mercader del Río. Trotsky dies of brain injuries the next day in a Mexican hospital. His assassination is immortalized in The Stranglers' song "No More Heroes."
August 19, 1940 Johnny Nash is born in Houston, Texas. As a teen, he performs regularly on Arthur Godfrey's variety show and lands a series of minor hits, but he makes his biggest mark in the '70s with the reggae hits "I Can See Clearly Now" and "Stir It Up" (written and later recorded by Bob Marley).
August 15, 1940 Mark Marush, saxophonist for the Fabulous Wailers, is born.
August 13, 1940 Jim Sullivan is born in San Diego, California. His 1969 album U.F.O. will become a cult favorite after he disappears into the New Mexican desert in 1975.
August 10, 1940 Bobby Hatfield (of The Righteous Brothers) is born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
July 27, 1940 Billboard issues its first chart detailing what records are selling the most copies. Titled "National List of Best Selling Retail Records," it's a precursor to the Hot 100 and the first to count record sales (the existing charts are for sheet music sales, jukebox play and radio plugs). It's not an exact science, as Billboard polls record stores to find out what is selling - a practice that stays in effect until the '90s, when call-a-clerk is replaced with Soundscan technology. The first chart is dominated by big band hits, with "I'll Never Smile Again" by Tommy Dorsey (featuring Frank Sinatra on vocals) at #1 and three songs by Glenn Miller in the Top 10.
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