HC's Rock Rewind - January 15-31

HC's Rock Rewind

A look back at the past two weeks in Rock History

by Team HC

January  15th - 22nd

Historically speaking, this week in rock music has been marked by a trove of memorable events. Buddy Holly made his final recordings, a great southern band reunited following a tragic loss, and a British icon achieved his first Number One album in America. A spate of classic albums was released as well, including landmark records by The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Def Leppard. Read on for a look back at other significant moments that shaped rock and roll during this historically eventful week.

Events

1957 – The Cavern Club opens in Liverpool.

1957 – Johnny Cash makes his first appearance on national TV, performing on “The Jackie Gleason Show.”

1959 – TV ratings service Arbitron reveals that “American Bandstand” is the most popular daytime show in the U.S.

1959 – Buddy Holly makes his final recordings, sitting alone with an acoustic guitar in his apartment in Greenwich Village.

1965 – The Rolling Stones and The Kinks make their debut on the pioneering music variety show, “Shindig!” Other guests include the Dave Clark Five and Gerry and the Pacemakers.

1967 – The Monkees perform live for the first time, staging a concert at The Cow Palace in San Francisco. The show is a sell-out.

1970 – Robert Moog unveils his “minimoog” synthesizer. Carrying a retail price of $2,000, the portable synth becomes the first such instrument to be taken out on tour by rock bands.

1973 – Jerry Lee Lewis performs at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time.

1974 – Former Free members Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke team with ex-Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and former King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell to form the super-group, Bad Company.

1975 – Paul McCartney and Wings arrive in New Orleans to begin recording their Venus and Mars album. Sessions take place at Allen Toussaint’s Sea Saint studios.

1979 – Lynyrd Skynyrd reunite to perform for the first time since the horrific 1977 plane crash that took the lives of three band members.

1980 – Iconic southern rock label Capricorn Records files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

1980 – Pink Floyd’s The Wall begins a 15-week run atop the U.S. album charts.

1981 – Motley Crue forms when bassist Nikki Sixx begins rehearsing with drummer Tommy Lee and singer-guitarist Greg Leon. Leon soon departs, with guitarist Mick Mars stepping in as replacement. Singer Vince Neil joins the band in April.

1982 – Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off a bat during a performance, believing the animal to be fake. Later it’s reported that Osbourne underwent a series of rabies shots.

1982 – B.B. King donates his 20,000-record album collection to the University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture. Among the albums are 7,000 discs King played during his years as a Memphis disc jockey in the ‘50s.

1988 – Tina Turner performs for a crowd of 182,000 at a concert in Rio de Janeiro. At the time, the show marked the biggest-ever attendance turnout for a concert staged by a solo artist.

1996 – David Bowie, Pink Floyd, and the Velvet Underground are among the artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during this year’s ceremony.

2000 – Carlos Santana’s Supernatural begins a multi-week run atop the U.S. album charts. The comeback LP goes on to earn eight Grammy wins.

2008 – Charlie Daniels is inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.

2016 – David Bowie’s Blackstar reaches Number One on the American album charts. The album is the first LP by Bowie to achieve this distinction.

Releases

1964 – The Beatles: Meet the Beatles!

1966 – Simon & Garfunkel: Sounds of Silence

1967 – The Rolling Stone: Between the Buttons

1968 – Dr. John: Gris-Gris

1968 – Iron Butterfly: Heavy

1968 – Aretha Franklin: Lady Soul

1968 – Spirit: Spirit

1971 – ZZ Top: ZZ Top's First Album

1971 – Mountain: Nantucket Sleighride

1972 -- Blue Öyster Cult: Blue Öyster Cult

1974 – Bob Dylan: Planet Waves

1974 – Brian Eno: Here Come the Warm Jets

1974 – Gordon Lightfoot: Sundown

1975 – Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks

1976 – Lou Reed: Coney Island Baby

1978 – Journey: Infinity

1980 – The Pretender: Pretenders

1983 – Def Leppard: Pyromania

1984 -- Bon Jovi: Bon Jovi

1987 -- Hüsker Dü: Warehouse: Songs and Stories

1988 – Megadeth: So Far, So Good... So What!

Deaths

Alan Freed – Jan. 20, 1965

Jackie Wilson – Jan. 21, 1984

Colonel Tom Parker – Jan. 21, 1997

Carl Perkins – Jan. 19, 1998

Wilson Pickett – Jan. 19, 2006

Denny Doherty (The Mamas & the Papas) – Jan. 19, 2007

Don Kirshner – Jan. 17, 2011

Johnny Otis – Jan. 17, 2012

Etta James – Jan. 20, 2012

Glenn Frey – Jan. 18, 2016

John Stewart – Jan. 19, 2008

Steve Knight (Mountain) – Jan. 19, 2013

Births

Earl Hooker – Jan. 15, 1930

Bobby Bloom – Jan. 15, 1946

Ronnie Milsap – Jan. 16, 1946

Mick Taylor – Jan. 17, 1949

Leadbelly – Jan. 20, 1888

George Handy – Jan. 17, 1920

Sam Cooke – Jan. 22, 1931

Bob Bogle (The Ventures) – Jan. 16, 1937

Phil Everly -- Jan. 19, 1939

David Ruffin (The Temptations) – Jan 18, 1941

Richie Havens – Jan. 21, 1941

Janis Joplin -- Jan. 19, 1943

Rod Evans (Deep Purple) – Jan. 19, 1945

Dolly Parton – Jan. 19, 1946

Robert Palmer – Jan. 19, 1949

Steve Perry (Journey) – Jan. 22, 1949

Dewey Bunnell (America) – Jan. 19, 1951

Randy California – Jan. 20, 1951

Paul Stanley – Jan. 20, 1951

Ian Hill (Judas Priest) – Jan. 20, 1952

Steve Earle – Jan. 17, 1955

Michael Anthony (Van Halen) – Jan. 20, 1955

Susanna Hoffs – Jan. 17, 1959

Michael Hutchence – Jan. 22, 1960

Steve Adler (Guns N’ Roses) – Jan. 22, 1965

Luther Dickinson – Jan. 18, 1973

Nick Valensi (The Strokes) – Jan. 16, 1981

Orianthi – Jan. 22, 1985

Sam Cooke, January 22, 1931

Nigel Pegrum (The Small Faces), January 22, 1949

Steve Perry (Journey), January 22, 1949

Teddy Gentry (Alabama), January 22, 1952

Michael Hutchence (INXS), January 22, 1960

Steve Adler (Guns N' Roses), born Michael Coletti, January 22, 1965

Orianthi Panagaris, January 22, 1985

January  23nd - 31th

From the birth of Eddie Van Halen to the release of Elvis Presley’s timeless tune “Heartbreak Hotel,” the week of Jan. 23 through 31 is a good one for rock ‘n’ roll. Let’s not forget Nirvana recording a special demo tape with the Melvins’ Dale Crover, to boot. Read on for some major events, historic record releases and births and deaths taking place Jan. 23 through 31.

Events

1962 - Warner Brothers Records signed a deal with Peter, Paul & Mary.

1969 - Jethro Tull performed their debut U.S. concert in New York City. They opened at the show for Led Zeppelin.

1986 - The first musicians were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Fats Domino.

1988 - Nirvana recorded a 10-track demo tape with producer Jack Endino. Dale Crover from the Melvins played drums.

1990 - "Tom Petty Day" was made official in Petty’s hometown of Gainsville, Florida.

Births

Danny Federici (E Street Band), January 23, 1950

Robin Wayne Zander (Cheap Trick), January 23, 1953

Earl Falconer (UB40), January 23, 1959

Ray Stevens, January 24, 1939

Neil Diamond, January 24, 1941

Etta James, January 25, 1938

Richard Finch (KC and the Sunshine Band), January 25, 1954

Corky Laing (Mountain), January 26, 1948

Lucinda Williams, January 26, 1953

Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen), January 26, 1957

Norman Hassan (UB40), January 26, 1958

Nick Mason (Pink Floyd), January 27, 1944

Brian Downey (Thin Lizzy), January 27, 1951

Seth Justman (The J. Geils Band), January 27, 1951

Gillian Gilbert (New Order), January 27, 1961

Mike Patton (Faith No More), January 27, 1968

Mark Trojanowski (Sister Hazel), January 27, 1970

Corky Laing (Mountain), January 28, 1948

Tommy Ramone (drummer for Ramones), January 29, 1952

Eddie Jackson (Queensryche), January 29, 1961

Jonny Lang, January 29, 1981

Marty Balin – Jan. 30, 1942

Andrew Loog Oldham – Jan. 29, 1944

Charlie Musselwhite – Jan. 31, 1944

Terry Kath – Jan. 31, 1946

David Byron (Uriah Heep) – Jan. 29, 1947

Tommy Ramone – Jan. 29, 1949

Jonny Lang – Jan. 29, 1981

Steve Marriott – Jan. 30, 1947

Phil Collins – Jan. 30, 1951

Phil Manzanera – Jan. 31, 1951

John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) – Jan. 31, 1956

Jody Watley – Jan. 30, 1959

Jeff Hanneman (Slayer) – Jan. 31, 1964

Deaths

Terry Kath (Chicago), January 23, 1978

Allen Collins (Lynyrd Skynyrd), January 23, 1990

James "Shep" Sheppard, January 24, 1970

Lamar Williams (The Allman Brothers Band), January 25, 1983

Jim Capaldi (Traffic), January 28, 2005

Billy Powell (Lynyrd Skynyrd), January 28, 2009

John Martyn – Jan. 29, 2009

Rod McKuen – Jan. 29, 2014

Professor Longhair – Jan. 30, 1980

Lightnin’ Hopkins – Jan. 30, 1982

Slim Harpo – Jan. 31, 1970

John Wetton (King Crimson, Asia) – Jan. 31, 2017

Releases

Elvis Presley, Heartbreak Hotel, 1956

Prince, Take Me With U, 1985

Van Halen, Balance, 1995

Dream Theater, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, 2002

Bruce Springsteen, Working on a Dream, 2009

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Anne Erickson holds years of bylines in Gannett Media publications, as well as music magazines Premier Guitar, Guitar Edge and more. She also hosts radio shows with iHeartRadio and has been syndicated in Seattle, Dayton, Central Coast California and beyond. Anne is a loyal Spartan and holds a Master’s degree from MSU. She resides in Lansing, Michigan.A

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