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Post by 1finemrg on Feb 1, 2015 0:38:16 GMT -5
February 1: ...Mike Campbell who turns 65 today. Mike is the multi-talented guitarist/co-producer in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Mike's been there from the beginning. Tom Petty had a successful audition with the pre-Heartbreakers band Mudcrutch and suggested Mike for rhythm guitar. He ranks #79 in Rolling Stone's 100 greatest guitarists. His style is complementary and straight forward, giving a composition exactly what it needs without wasting notes. He is in high demand and has worked with Don Henley, Johnny Cash, George Harrison, and on Roy Orbison's last album "Mystery Girl". Here he is alongside Tom Petty with a live recording of their first single, an FM staple that failed to chart. American Girl - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
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Post by 1finemrg on Feb 2, 2015 0:47:56 GMT -5
February 2: ...Graham Nash who turns 73 today. Graham is a 2 time Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductee (Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young), a published photographer, and has been appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He has one of the sweetest voices in rock and roll, and it harmonizes perfectly with David Crosby and Stephen Stills. That voice could also be one of protest as it was on this 1971 single that was the follow up to "Chicago". It reached #73 in 1971. Military Madness - Graham Nash
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Post by blackbowl68 on Feb 2, 2015 1:48:30 GMT -5
The two founding members of the R&B/disco group KC & the Sunshine Band (belatedly). First up is Harry Wayne Casey on January 31st. Eager to get his songs recorded, he worked odd jobs at Henry Stone's Tone Distributors until the right opportunity came along. At a recent concert, Casey compared his legacy to that of Justin Timberlake. (The inside joke is Justin was born on Casey's 30th birthday.) Second is his writing partner Richard Finch on January 23rd. Together they wrote and produced a string of hits in the 1970's for themselves as well as those for George McCrae & Jimmy 'Bo' Horne. This includes six #1's on the Hot 100. Here's a single from their first album that reached #15 on the Soul chart in early 1974. Sound Your Funky Horn - KC & the Sunshine BandWhile Casey is still touring and recording with a new incarnation of the Sunshine Band, Finch is currently incarcerated in Ohio on statutory rape charges.
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Post by blackbowl68 on Feb 2, 2015 2:14:27 GMT -5
the man in heaven born James Ambrose Anderson on February 1st 1948. He was reared in Buffalo, NY where he honed his skills as a perfomer. In the mid-60's, he formed a group called the Mynah Birds with Canadian musicians including Neil Young. The group was signed to Motown's VIP label but were dropped we they discovered their lead singer was AWOL from the Army. It would be another 10 years before he got another shot with Motown. Once there, he created a new sound called punk funk & produced hits for himself as well as other acts like Teena Marie, the Stone City Band, & the Mary Jane Girls. We lost him on 8/06/2004 just he was experiencing a rebirth in popularity thanks to comedian Dave Chappelle. This single was his follow-up to his breakthrough hit in late 1978. Ironically, this song would symbolically define his career. Mary Jane - Rick James
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Post by 1finemrg on Feb 3, 2015 6:24:34 GMT -5
February 3: ...Johnny Cymbal who would have been 70 today. Johnny was a multi-talented singer, songwriter and producer. His name was not a stage name, having adopted his step-father's surname at an early age. As a writer, he co-wrote "Mary In The Morning" a #27 standard for Al Martino (#1 on Easy Listening) that was also recorded by Elvis among others. As a singer, Johnny was a one-hit wonder...twice. In 1963, he reached #16 as Johnny Cymbal with this classic: Mr. Bass Man - Johnny CymbalRonnie Bright of the Valentinos provided the bass vocals. Johnny continued recording under different personas. He struck pay dirt a second time in 1968 using his brother first name. The song just missed the Top 10, peaking at #11. Cinnamon - DerekHe contributed songs to the great movie "Tender Mercies" and also "Tough Enough" in the 80s. He unfortunately left us way too soon, passing away from a heart attack in 1993.
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Post by 1finemrg on Feb 4, 2015 0:14:23 GMT -5
February 4: ... Alice Cooper who turns 67 today. In the beginning he was Vince Furnier and the band was Alice Cooper. Eventually he assumed the name and the rest is history for the "Godfather Of Shock Rock". On the Billboard charts "Billion Dollar Babies" reached #1, and there was a pair of #7 singles "School's Out" and "Poison". How's this for coincidence? Listening to internet radio and as I'm typing "Poison" is playing. The follow up to the first Top 40 single, "I'm Eighteen" (peaked at #21) is a great rocker and probably my favorite. A track from the "Killer" album that peaked at #59. Under My Wheels - Alice Cooper
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Post by blackbowl68 on Feb 4, 2015 7:21:39 GMT -5
...the woman born Ms. Safka in New York City on February 3rd. She was one of the performers on Yasgur's farm at the legendary Woodstock festival. That led to a string of top 40 hits starting with "Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)." She founded her own label Neighborhood Records with her late husband in which she released her biggest hit, "Brand New Key." Casey has related a story stating that before her American hits, she sold a significant number of records in a European country that averages to 1 in 5 households. (She is of Ukranie descent.) It likely would have been on the strength of this recording. Happy birthday to Melanie! Beautiful People - Melanie
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Post by 1finemrg on Feb 5, 2015 5:07:55 GMT -5
February 5: Yesterday, birthday wishes went out to Alice Cooper. Today we light 71 candles for Al Kooper. If you measured success in terms of hits in the Hot 100, Al's career would go unnoticed. His contributions to the history of Rock and Roll are legendary. - At 14, he played guitar on the Royal Teens #3 hit "Short Shorts". - He was a co-writer of Gary Lewis & The Playboys #1 hit "This Diamond Ring". - He was on organ when Bob Dylan went electric at the Newport Jazz Festival, and also contributed organ to Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone". - After a stint with the Blues Project who reached the Hot 100 with "No Time Is The Right Time", Al formed Blood, Sweat And Tears in 1967. They recorded the critically acclaimed "Child Is Father To The Man". He left the band prior to their commercial success due to creative differences. - His next project was another late sixties classic album "Super Sessions" with Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills. - He again was on organ for the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want". - In the 70s he discovered and produced the first three albums for Lynyrd Skynyrd. There are countless recording sessions that Al played on from the likes of B. B. King, The Who, Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Cream. For this one, Al steps up to the mike and belts out this B S & T classic. Their first single, it went uncharted. The Arbors would later reach #67 with their cover. I Can't Quit Her - Blood, Sweat & Tears
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Post by blackbowl68 on Feb 5, 2015 7:16:36 GMT -5
...a man who is currently in the news for all the wrong reasons. Bobby Brown turns 46 today. Just the facts. Bobby was born in Roxbury, MA. He was recruited by producer Maurice Starr to create a teen vocal quintet called New Edition. The group had a string of hits throughout the 1980s, but Bobby left in 1985 to begin a solo career. While all the members have topped the Soul charts together and apart from the group, Bobby is the only member to top the Hot 100. In 1992, he married superstar Whitney Houston and had a daughter together, shortly before her biggest success, The Bodyguard. While Whitney would continue to have success throughout the 1990s, Bobby would rejoin New Edition for their only #1 album. Love would not last as the couple divorced in 2006. While Bobby has since remarried, Whitney would gain custody of their daughter. The world would lose Whitney on 2/11/2012 from drowning in a bathtub. This song represents what was once a happy marriage. Something In Common - Bobby Brown with Whitney HoustonFOOTNOTE: Say a prayer for daughter Bobbi Kristina, who is now on life support after being found unconscious in her bathtub, an eerie reminder of mother's passing as we approach the 3rd anniversary of her death.
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Post by 1finemrg on Feb 6, 2015 0:08:51 GMT -5
February 6: ...Bob Marley who would have been 70 today. His life has been well documented. Not much to say except I wish he had been on earth longer so there was more of his music to enjoy. Bob wrote this song in 1967, but recorded it for his 1973 album "Catch A Fire". Johnny Nash's version peaked at #12 on the Hot 100 in 1972. Stir It Up - Bob Marley and the Wailers
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Post by rayshae3 on Feb 7, 2015 0:18:17 GMT -5
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Post by 1finemrg on Feb 7, 2015 6:59:13 GMT -5
February 7: ...Jimmy Green s p o o n, keyboardist Three Dog Night turns 67 today. Along with Danny Hutton and Cory Wells, Jimmy has been a member in all versions of the band. His 1991 book "One Is the Loneliest Number: On the Road and Behind the Scenes With the Legendary Rock Band Three Dog Night " co-written with Mark Bego is a must-read. Released before Chuck Negron's "Three Dog Nightmare", it is as the title advertises. He kicks off this #19 hit for the band, one of my personal favorites. (Everytime I type Green s p o o n as one word, it comes up Greensthingy. Really??? Stretching it a bit as far as censorship goes. I'll go have a glass of the powdered orange drink that's the choice of astronauts. ) One Man Band - Three Dog Night
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Post by 1finemrg on Feb 8, 2015 7:13:01 GMT -5
February 8: ...Terry Melcher who would have blown out 73 candles on his cake today. He was a producer, singer, and Doris Day's son. Terry produced the Byrds early works "Turn, Turn, Turn" and "Mr. Tambourine Man" and some of their albums in the late 60s/early 70s. He probably best known as the producer for Paul Revere and the Raiders during their hit-making years. He also worked with Glen Campbell and the Beach Boys during their "Pet Sounds" sessions. He earned a Golden Globe nomination as co-writer of the Beach Boys #1 hit "Kokomo". As a singer, Terry provided lead vocals for the Rip Chords on their #4 hit "Hey Little Cobra" along with future Beach Boys member Bruce Johnston. Terry and Bruce also recorded as the Rogues and as a duo whose song is featured today. Something we can all use a little of. Summer Means Fun - Bruce & Terry
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Post by 1finemrg on Feb 9, 2015 6:39:55 GMT -5
February 9: ...a king by name, but a queen in terms of rock and roll royalty, Carole King. As a songwriter, she and her then-husband Gerry Goffin hold the distinction of being the first to have two of their song reach #1 twice by different artists. "Go Away Little Girl" reached #1 for Steve Lawrence and Donny Osmond and "The Locomotion" chugged its way to the top for Little Eva and Grand Funk. Their songwriting contributions to the rock and roll era is massive, from "Up On The Roof" to "Pleasant Valley Sunday" to "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". She was the subject of Neil Sedaka's "Oh Carol", a number #9 hit from 1959, and first charted on her own in 1962. "It Might As Well Rain Until September" peaked at #22. After a brief stint in a trio known as The City, she released her first solo album "Writer". It garnered some recognition peaking at #84 on the Billboard 200 album charts. Then came "Tapestry", the album that spent 15 weeks at #1 and earned four Grammy awards. It included her only #1 single "It's Too Late", and her original on what would become James Taylor's only #1 single "You've Got A Friend". Two additional #1 albums followed "Carole King: Music" and "Wrap Around Joy". As a music fan, I will be forever grateful for her contributions to the history of rock and roll. One of my favorite compositions from King/Goffin is a song first recorded by Dusty Springfield and became a minor hit for the Byrds. Her version is on the 1980 album "Pearls: The Songs Of Goffin And King". Goin' Back - Carole King
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Post by blackbowl68 on Feb 9, 2015 7:22:56 GMT -5
to the woman who won the Grammy for Record of the Year twice in a row in the early 1970s. Born on February 10th, she was a former schoolteacher discovered by Les McCann and was a classmate at Howard University with another promising prodigy, Donny Hathaway. She released her first album on Atlantic Records in 1969 and remained with the label for more than twenty years. In Billboard, she topped the Hot 100 three times and the Soul chart four. All were with different songs except for one...a sultry ballad written by Gene McDaniels she charted with in the summer of 1974. You can bet a lot of babies were conceived while listening to this lovely record. Happy Birthday to Roberta Flack! Feel Like Making Love - Roberta Flack
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