On this day in music history: October 1, 1961 - Blue Hawaii, the 14th album by Elvis Presley is released. Produced by Steve Sholes, it is recorded at Radio Recorders in Hollywood from March 21 - 23, 1961. Issued as the soundtrack to Presley's eighth film, the album is an enormous success. The songs will underscore its story and tropical Hawaiian locale, also including cover versions of traditional "Aloha 'Oe" and "The Hawaiian Wedding Song." The soundtrack will spin off the classic "Can't Help Falling In Love" (#2 Pop), which will become one of Presley's signature songs and a live performance staple as the closing song of his shows during the '70's. Blue Hawaii will spend 20 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and a total of 39 weeks in the Top 10, making it the second most successful movie soundtrack of the 1960's behind West Side Story. To date, the soundtrack has been certified 3x Platinum in the US by the RIAA.


On this day in music history: October 1, 1977 - "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" by Meco hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. Written by John Williams, it will be the biggest hit for the classically trained musician from Johnsonburg, PA.  Musician and record producer Domenico "Meco" Monardo, impressed with composer/conductor Williams' score for the blockbuster film Star Wars, will re-arrange the entire score into a 15 minute long disco suite that is released on the album Star Wars And Other Galactic Funk (issued on Casablanca subsidiary Millennium Records). The track features a group of 75 musicians, including a number of first call studio players such as Steve Gadd, Will Lee, Marcus Miller, Anthony Jackson, Neil Jason, David Spinozza, John Tropea, Alan Rubin, Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis, Suzanne Ciani, and Gene Orloff. The main theme and "Cantina Band" are extracted from the extended track and edited down to 45 length. "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" will be certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA for sales of over two million copies.

On this day in music history: September 17, 1967 - The Who appear on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour on the CBS television network, performing "I Can See For Miles" and "My Generation" (taped on September 15th). It is the band's first US television appearance following their star-making performance at the Monterey International Pop Festival in June. Prior to the taping, drummer Keith Moon will pack one of his bass drums with an explosive charge to set off at the end of "My Generation." He fails to tell anyone that he has used several times the normal amount of explosives. When Moon detonates the charge, there will be a massive explosion that engulfs the stage in smoke, causing one of his drum cymbals to shatter, cutting him on his arm and leg when he is hit by the flying shrapnel. Guitarist Pete Townshend is closest to the blast when it goes off, singeing his hair and causing him significant hearing loss. Actress Bette Davis, one of the other guests on the show that night will pass out from shock backstage into actor Mickey Rooney's arms (also appearing on the show), after seeing how Keith Moon is injured in the blast.


On this day in music history: September 17, 1967 - The Doors make their first and only on The Ed Sullivan Show performing their recent #1 hit "Light My Fire." Executives from CBS' Standards & Practices (i.e. network censors) will ask the band to change the line "girl we couldn't get much higher" to "girl we couldn't get much better," feeling the original line might be offense to some parts of the viewing audience. Lead singer Jim Morrison will agree to sing the altered line but when the band performs the song on the live broadcast, Morrison will sing the line as it was originally written, even emphasising it the second time he sings it. This will infuriate Sullivan and the network who had planned to have The Doors make another six appearances on the show, are immediately cancelled. When a show producer tells them they'll never appear on the show again, Morrison reportedly tells him, "Hey man. We just did the Sullivan Show.

Born on this day: September 10, 1898 - Civil engineer, chemist, and inventor Waldo Semon (born Waldo Lonsbury Semon in Demopolis, AL). In 1926, while working in the research department at The BF Goodrich Corporation, he developed a material called Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) originally for use as an adhesive to bond rubber to metal. Beginning in the late 1940's, PVC would be used in the manufacture of long playing LP and 45 RPM records.

Record collectors worldwide salute  Dr. Semon!!







Born on this day: September 10, 1945 - Grammy award winning singer/songwriter and virtuoso guitarist José Feliciano (born José Montserrate Feliciano García in Lares, Puerto Rico). Happy 67th Birthday, José!!


On this day in music history: September 10, 1966 - Revolver, the seventh album by The Beatles hits #1 on the Billboard Top 200 for six weeks. Produced by George Martin, it is recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London from April 6 - June 21, 1966. The album marks the beginning a new phase in the bands' career musically and artistically, and will be praised as one of their greatest works. Standing in stark contrast to their previous release, the largely acoustic based Rubber Soul, Revolver will see The Beatles exploring new musical and sonic territory, with most of the songs being electric guitar based, though others touch on the use of orchestral instruments ("Eleanor Rigby"), Indian music ("Love You To"), and psychedelia ("She Said, She Said," "I'm Only Sleeping," "Tomorrow Never Knows"). The album will spin off the double A-sided single "Yellow Submarine" (#2 Pop) and "Eleanor Rigby" (#11 Pop). Artist Klaus Voorman will receive a Grammy Award for the albums' cover art.

On this day in music history: September 3, 1966 - "Sunshine Superman" by Donovan hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week. Written by Donovan Leitch, it is the biggest US chart single for the Scottish-born singer/songwriter. The songs' UK release will be delayed by several months due to a contractual dispute with Pye Records. It also features future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones providing instrumental support. The record marks a major turning point in Donovan's career, which will see him moving away from his earlier folk oriented material that led the young singer/songwriter to be compared to Bob Dylan by the British press. The two will actually meet in 1965 during Dylan's now-legendary tour of the UK captured in the documentary film Don't Look Back and become friends.


On this day in music history: September 3, 1966 - "You Can't Hurry Love" by The Supremes hits #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart for two weeks, also topping the Hot 100 on September 10th for two weeks. Written by Brian Holland, Eddie Holland, and Lamont Dozier, it is the Detroit-based girl groups' second R&B chart topper and their seventh to reach #1 on the pop charts in just over two years. Following a period when three of the groups' singles either fail to reach number one or miss the top ten (after having six chart topping singles, so far), Motown founder Berry Gordy issues an edict that they will not release anything but #1 hits on their most successful act. The Supremes' writing and production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland immediately set about making that happen. HDH will take inspiration from one of their earlier Supremes hits when they begin writing. Initially they begin by playing around with the chord sequence from "Come See About Me," but it eventually evolves into something completely different. The basic track for "You Can't Hurry Love" is recorded at Motown Studio A in Detroit on June 11, 1966 with The Funk Brothers providing musical support. The Supremes will record their vocals on July 5th. Released on July 25th, it will quickly race up the pop and R&B charts, beginning the groups second consecutive streak of number one hits where their next four releases will all hit #1 on the Hot 100, three of them also topping the R&B singles chart.

Remembering blues guitar great Stevie Ray Vaughan, October 3, 1954 - August 27, 1990.


On this day in music history: August 27, 1966 - "Blowin’ In The Wind" by Stevie Wonder hits #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart for one week, also peaking at #9 on the Hot 100 on September 3rd. Written by Bob Dylan, Wonder records his cover version after receiving many requests from fans who have heard him perform the song in his live show. Stevie’s producer Clarence Paul will sing co-lead vocals on the track. The song originally appears on Stevie Wonder’s 1966 album Uptight. “Blowin’ In The Wind” will be the then 16-year-old Motown stars’ third R&B chart topper and third top 10 pop single.


On this day in music history: August 27, 1967 - I Was Made To Love Her, the seventh album by Stevie Wonder is released. Produced by Henry Cosby and Clarence Paul, it is recorded at Motown Studio A in Detroit from late 1966 to mid 1967. Titled after his recent R&B chart topper and top five pop hit, the album features covers of Ray Charles' "A Fool For You" and James Brown's "Please, Please, Please," as well as several Motown standards such as "My Girl" and "Can I Get A Witness." I Was Made To Love Her will peak at #7 on the Billboard R&B album chart and #45 on the Top 200.