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Remembering jazz saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr. (born in Buffalo, NY) - December 12, 1943 - December 17, 1999.

On this day in music history: December 17, 1955 - Musician Carl Perkins will write the rockabilly classic "Blue Suede Shoes." The song is inspired by a story told to Perkins by his friend and Sun Records labelmate Johnny Cash. Cash tells him about a black airman referring to his military regulation shoes as "blue suede shoes." Not long after that, Perkins is playing a dance and from the bandstand he'll see a couple dancing and he'll hear the man say "uh-uh, don't step on my suedes!" After the show, he will begin writing the song on his guitar laying down the chord progression when the lyrics start coming to him. With no other paper around, Perkins will begin scrawling the words down on a brown paper potato sack. Two days later, on December 19th, Perkins and his band will record the song at Sun Studios in Memphis. It will be released on January 1, 1956. Initially radio stations begin playing the singles' flipside, "Honey Don't." DJ Bill Randle at WERE in Cleveland will flip the record and begin featuring "Blue Suede Shoes" on his nightly radio show. By the end of January, the record is a hit in the Cleveland area and begins to spread to other cities. Within another month the single is a national hit, simultaneously climbing the pop, country, and rhythm & blues charts. Tragedy will strike on March 22, 1956 for Perkins when, while traveling to New York City to make a television appearance on the Perry Como Show, he and his band are involved in a serious car accident. The singer and his brother sustain serious injuries. Fortunately this incident does not stop the record's momentum. "Blue Suede Shoes" will spend three weeks at #1 on the Country & Western chart, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Best Sellers chart and #2 on the Rhythm & Blues chart, selling over a million copies. Carl Perkins recording of "Blue Suede Shoes" will be inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1986.
 

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Remembering R&B legend Otis Redding (born Otis Ray Redding, Jr. in Macon, GA) - September 9, 1941 - December 10, 1967.

Also remembering Ronnie Caldwell, Carl Cunningham, Jimmy King, and Phalon Jones of The Bar-Kays.

On this day in music history: December 10, 1966 - “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it is the third number one single for the Southern California based band. The song will have its origins in a conversation that Brian Wilson has with his mother during his childhood; she will tell him that dogs bark at people depending on the "vibrations" they sensed from them. Wilson tells this to his bandmate Mike Love and Love will come up with the title "Good Vibrations." Initially, Wilson will collaborate with lyricist Tony Asher on the song. Not entirely pleased with the lyrics, Love will completely re-write them. "Vibrations" will be recorded in 17 sessions over a period of six months in four different studios. The song will incorporate a number of instruments not typical for a pop song including cellos and a electro-therimin.  At an approximated cost of over $50,000, it is the most expensive single record ever produced (at the time), with the final version being edited together from various sections recorded over the lengthy sessions. The song’s innovative production and structure will make it an immediate smash on both sides of the Atlantic, stoking demand for the band’s next album Smile, which is currently in the works. The album itself will not surface in its intended form until nearly 45 years later in 2011.
 

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On this day in music history: December 3, 1965 - Rubber Soul, the sixth album by The Beatles is released (US release date is December 8th). Produced by George Martin, it is recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London on June 17 and from October 12 - November 11, 1965. Recorded in just four weeks following their second world tour, the album will be a major artistic milestone in their career, demonstrating yet another great leap forward in the bands' material both musically and lyrically. The influence folk rock (particularly Bob Dylan and The Byrds) will be apparent on several tracks. No singles will be released from the album, but nearly every track will become an airplay staple over the years including "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," "Michelle," "Drive My Car," "In My Life," and "If I Needed Someone." The albums' iconic cover shot is taken by photographer Robert Freeman. He will change the original picture to its distinctive altered state after showing the band slides of the photo session projected on an LP sized piece of cardboard. When the cardboard falls backward it will slightly distort their faces into the now familiar image. Rubber Soul will top the UK album chart, Billboard Top 200 for eight weeks and is certified 6x Platinum in the US by the RIAA.
 

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On this day in music history: November 26, 1962 - The Beatles record "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why" in Studio Two at Abbey Road in London. It will be the band's second attempt at recording "Please," having previously recorded it on September 11th (during the session for the second version of "Love Me Do") in a different and slower arrangement, influenced by Roy Orbison's "Only The Lonely." Producer George Martin is initially not fond of the song and suggests that the band's next single be the Mitch Murray-penned "How Do You Do It?" That song had been passed over in favor of "Love Me Do" and is once again up for consideration. In the interim, Lennon and McCartney will  dramatically re-arrange "Please Please Me" and play it again for Martin. Duly impressed, "Please" is issued along with "Ask Me Why" as The Beatles second single on January 11, 1963 (and February 25th in the US). "Please" will reach #2 on the UK single chart. While the song goes on to be a big hit in the UK, it will flop on its original US release. After The Beatles break in the US with "I Want To Hold Your Hand," Vee Jay Records will re-release "Please Please Me" (b/w "From Me To You" on the second issue) in January 1964, peaking at #3 on the Hot 100 on March 14, 1964.
 

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On this day in music history: November 19, 1966 - "Knock On Wood" by Eddie Floyd hits #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart for one week, also peaking at #28 on the Hot 100 on December 10th. Written by Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper, It will be the biggest hit for Alabama-born soul singer. The song is actually recorded in the Summer of 1965 (with Booker T. & The MG's, Isaac Hayes on piano, and The Mar-Keys' horn section), but is held back from release by Stax Records president Jim Stewart when he believes that it is too similar to Wilson Pickett's "In The Midnight Hour." The record will actually experience resistance from radio upon its release, failing to receive any airplay initially. Stax Records' head Al Bell will hit upon the idea of Floyd performing live in an area where he has a strong fanbase. Washington DC will be city that is chosen. The ploy will work, with the single breaking on radio stations in the DC and Baltimore area. From there, the record will go national. Over the years, "Knock On Wood" will be covered by a number of artists Ike & Tina Turner, David Bowie, and Eric Clapton. Singer Amii Stewart's disco rendering of the song will become a worldwide hit, hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April of 1979.