17 SEPTEMBER
In Music History
1968 Rapper Lord Jamar (of Brand Nubian) is born Lorenzo Dechalus in New Rochelle, New York.
1968 The Supremes record "Love Child."
1968 5th Dimension's "Stoned Soul Picnic" is certified Gold.
1964 Charles Finley, who owns the Kansas City Athletics baseball team, pays The Beatles $150,000 to play a show at his Municipal Stadium. The Beatles add their version of "Kansas City" to the setlist, marking their only American performance of the song.
1962 Arthur Alexander releases "Anna (Go to Him)."
1962 R&B/gospel singer BeBe Winans is born Benjamin Winans in Detroit, Michigan.
1960 The Everly Brothers record "Walk Right Back."
1956 The BBC bans Bill Haley's new single "Rockin' Through The Rye," based on the 17th-century Scottish tune "Comin' Through The Rye," to avoid offending its Scots listeners.
1955 After DJs keep complaining that Les Paul's "Magic Melody" single ends abruptly, Capitol Records releases the shortest single of all time, Les Paul's "Magic Melody Part 2," which is merely the final two notes of the old "shave and a haircut" tag. Released only as a promo, it lasts exactly one second.
1955 The Perry Como Show moves to NBC-TV, expanding from three 15-minute programs per week to one hour-long variety show on Saturday night.
1952 Frank Sinatra does his last recording session for Columbia Records. His next musical move is signing to Capitol Records, where he teams up with arranger Nelson Riddle and revives his career with swinging hits like "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "Witchcraft."
1950 Fee Waybill (lead singer/songwriter for The Tubes) is born John Waldo Waybill in Omaha, Nebraska.
1940 R&B singer LaMonte McLemore (of The 5th Dimension) is born in St. Louis, Missouri.
1931 RCA Victor unveils its new invention, the 33 1/3 rpm long-playing or "LP" record, at the Savoy Plaza Hotel in New York. However, the company badly overprices the record players themselves, leading the new format to lie dormant for years until Columbia revives it in 1948.
1929 Jazz saxophonist Sil Austin is born in Dunnellon, Florida. Known for his signature tune, "Danny Boy."
Pink Floyd's Movie The Wall Opens In Theaters
1982Pink Floyd's seminal double album The Wall makes it to the big screen as a feature-length musical. Few expected the sprawling concept album to be turned into a feature film, but the band's celluloid collaboration with director Alan Parker and animator Gerald Scarfe becomes a surprise box office hit and a cult classic.
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Featured Events
1991 Instead of releasing a double album, which they decide would be too expensive for fans, Guns N' Roses issue both Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II on the same day.
1983 Star Search debuts on CBS. Hosted by Ed McMahon, the TV talent competition introduces scores of future superstars, many from the music realm, including Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Alanis Morissette, Jessica Simpson, Christina Aguilera, Tiffany, LeAnn Rimes, Usher, Aaliyah, and Destiny's Child.
1967 Appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Doors are asked to change the line "Girl, we couldn't get much higher" in their hit "Light My Fire" to "Girl, we couldn't get much better." Lead singer Jim Morrison agrees, then sings the offending line anyway, angering the host and earning a lifetime ban from the show.
1967 Keith Moon of The Who rigs his bass drum to explode at the end of "My Generation" during the group's appearance on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, but he doesn't realize that the stage crew has already set the charge. The resulting explosion cuts Moon's leg, singes Pete Townshend's hair, and startles fellow guests Bette Davis and Mickey Rooney.
1955 Pat Boone banks his first #1 on the US Pop charts when "Ain't That A Shame" hits the top spot. Some folks think it's a shame that his sterilized version is far more popular than Fats Domino's original, but Boone's cover draws lots of attention to Domino and earns the New Orleans singer substantial royalties.
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