Music Almanac: March 20, 2018

Birthdays

• 1915 - Sister Rosetta Tharpe (d. 1973)
• 1917 - Vera Lynn (101)
• 1936 - Lee “Scratch” Perry (82)
• 1937 - Tommy Hunter (81)
• 1937 - Joe Rivers (Johnny & Joe) (81)
• 1937 - Jerry Reed (d. 2008)
• 1941 - Vito Picone (Elegants) (77)
• 1942 - Robin Luke (76)
• 1944 - Jance Garfat (Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show) (d. 2006)
• 1946 - Douglas Green (Riders in the Sky) (72)
• 1949 - Marcia Ball (69)
• 1950 - Carl Palmer (Atomic Rooster, Emerson Lake &Palmer, Asia) (68)
• 1951 - Guy Perry (Motels) (67)
• 1951 - Jimmy Vaughan (67)
• 1954 - Jim Seales (Shenandoah) (64)
• 1956 - Alphonso Martin (Steel Pulse) (62)
• 1959 - Richard Drummie (Go West) (59)
• 1959 - Ian Frederick Rossiter (Stereo MCs) (59)
• 1961 - Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats) (57)
• 1967 - David Shuttleworth (Terrorvision) (54)
• 1972 - Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand) (46)
• 1976 - Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) (d. 2017)
• 1982 - Nick Wheeler (All American Rejects) (36)

Deaths

• 1987 - Norman Harris (O'Jays) - Heart Failure (39)
• 1991 - Eric Clapton's son, Conor - Fall from 53rd story apartment (4)
• 2009 - Mel Brown - Complications from emphysema (69)
• 2015 - A.J. Pero (Twisted Sister) - Heart attack (55)

On This Day

• 1954 - Tommy Evans became the bass singer for the Ravens.
• 1961 - Elvis Presley started filming Blue Hawaii. 
• 1964 - The Beatles were given a special award by Billboard magazine in recognition of their holding the top three positions on the charts.
• 1965 - The first Motown tour of the U.K. opens with Martha & the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, the Supremes and the Temptations.
• 1968 - Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Richie Furay and Jim Messina were arrested for suspicion of marijuana use. Clapton was found innocent. The rest paid a small fine.
• 1971 - The Rolling Stones took out a full page ad in the U.K.'s music papers denouncing the release of the album Stone Age.
• 1975 - Patti Smith and Television started a seven week run at CBGB.
• 1977 - Lou Reed was banned from playing The London Palladium.
• 1977 - T Rex played their final show.
• 1980 - A 28-year-old man held up the Asylum Records office demanding to talk to Jackson Browne or the Eagles. Neither was there and he gave himself up.
• 1984 - The Judds appeared for the first time in a large arena, opening for the Statler Brothers. 
• 1989 - Dick Clark announced he was going to stop hosting American Bandstand. 
• 1990 - Gloria Estefan's tour bus was hit by a tractor-trailer. Her husband and son were injured and she required back surgery two days later.
• 1991 - Michael Jackson signed a $1 billion contract with Sony.
• 1991 - The funeral was held for the eight members of Reba McEntire's band and the two pilots killed in a plane crash. Johnny Cash spoke at Reba's request. 
• 1997 - Yanni was the first western artist to play at the Taj Mahal. 
• 1999 - The Radiohead documentary, Meeting People is Easy, premiered at SXSW.
• 2000 - Madonna announced she was pregnant with her second child.
• 2001 - Loretta Lynn was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia.
• 2001 - Three members of the British Group S Club 7 were arrested while openly smoking marijuana in Covent Garden, London.
• 2002 - EMI announced they would be ridding their roster of 400 acts in an attempt to save $140 million.
• 2003 - On the day war breaks out in Iraq, Bruce Springsteen opens his Australian concert with Born in the U.S.A. and War.
• 2003 - The South Carolina House of Representatives passed a resolution asking the Dixie Chicks to apologize for statements made about then president Bush and put on a concert for returning troops.
• 2008 - The Eagles opened their Long Road Out of Eden Tour. 
• 2010 - Big Star played SXSW in Austin, TX just three days after their lead singer, Alex Chilton, died. Guests paid tribute to Chilton. 

Marriages

• 1969 - John Lennon & Yoko Ono
• 1970 - David Bowie & Angela Barnett
• 1976 - Alice Cooper & Sheryl Goddard
• 1984 - Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats) & Britt Eckland

Recorded

• 1960 - Stuck on You - Elvis Presley
• 1961 - Hello Mary Lou - Ricky Nelson
• 1963 - Abilene - George Hamilton IV
• 1967 - She's Leaving Home - Beatles
• 1972 - Back Off Boogaloo - Ringo Starr

Released

• 1964 - Can't Buy Me Love - Beatles (U.K. single release)
• 1971 - The Yes Album - Yes (U.K. release)
• 1972 - Back Off Boogaloo - Ringo Starr (single)
• 1976 - Youngblood - Bad Company (single)

Awards

• 1994 - Razzies
• Worst Actress - Madonna - Body of Evidence

Broadcasts

• 1959 - American Bandstand (ABC) - Bobby Rydell (debut performance)
• 1964 - Ready, Steady, Go (U.K.) - Beatles
• 1982 - American Bandstand - Buckner & Garcia
• 1990 - Saturday Night Live - Eric Clapton
• 2016 - The Passion (Fox) - Trisha Yearwood
• 2017 - Bates Motel (AMC) - Rihanna (premier in role)

Number Ones – U.S. Singles

• 1943 - I've Heard That Song Before - Harry James (12 weeks)
• 1954 - Secret Love - Doris Day (1 week (2 previous weeks))
• 1961 - Surrender - Elvis Presley (2 weeks)
• 1971 - Me & Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin (2 weeks)
• 1982 - I Love Rock 'n' Roll - Joan Jett &the Blackhearts (7 weeks)
• 2010 - Break Your Heart - Taio Cruz Featuring Ludacris (1 week)

Number Ones – U.S. Albums 

• 1948 - St. Patrick's Day - Bing Crosby (2 weeks)
• 1965 - Goldfinger - Soundtrack (3 weeks)
• 2010 - Need You Now - Lady Antebellum (1 week)

Number Ones – U.S. R&B Singles

• 1948 - King Size Papa - Julia Lee and Her Boyfriends (9 weeks)

Number Ones – U.S. Country Singles

• 1976 - Faster Horses (The Cowboy & the Poet) - Tom T. Hall (1 week)
• 1982 - Mountain of Love - Charley Pride (1 week)
• 1993 - Heartland - George Strait (1 week)
• 2004 - Watch the Wind Blow By - Tim McGraw (2 weeks)
• 2010 - That's How Country Boys Roll - Billy Currington (1 week)

Number Ones – U.S. Adult Contemporary Singles

• 1971 - (Where Do I Begin?) Love Story - Andy Williams (2 weeks)
• 1976 - Venus - Frankie Avalon (1 week)
• 1982 - Key Largo - Bertie Higgins (2 weeks)
• 1993 - Simple Life - Elton John (3 weeks)

Number Ones – U.K. Singles

• 1959 - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - Platters (1 week)
• 1968 - The Legend of Xanadu - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich (1 week)
• 1971 - Hot Love - T.Rex (6 weeks)
• 1993 - Oh Carolina - Shaggy (2 week)
• 2004 - Cha Cha Slide - DJ Casper (1 week)

Number Ones – U.K. Albums 

• 1976 - Blue For You - Status Quo (3 weeks)
• 1982 - The Gift - Jam (1 week)
• 1999 - Performance and Cocktails - Stereophonics (1 week)
• 2010 - Brother - Boyzone (1 week)