Today in Oldies Music History: August 17

Today In Oldies Music History: August 17

--

Births

1909: Larry Clinton
1919: Georgia Gibbs
1932: Duke Pearson
1933: Mark Dinning
1944: John Seiter (Spanky and Our Gang)
1947: Gary Talley (The Box Tops, Big Star)
1949: Sib Hashian (Boston)

Deaths

1973: Paul Williams (The Temptations)
1987: Gary Chester
1990: Pearl Bailey
1991: Rick Griffith

Events

1960: The Beatles begin the first of forty-eight nights playing the Indra Club on Grosse Freiheit in Hamburg, Germany, playing for four-and-a-half hours every day (six on the weekends), an arrangement that leads to twenty-minute versions of songs like Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally." Notable as the first time the group performed under the name "The Beatles" (having dropped the "Silver" from their name en route), the gigs feature John Lennon yelling at the German audiences, calling them Nazis, shouting "Sieg Heil!" at them, and wearing outlandish outfits -- at one point appearing on stage in only his underwear, at another with a toilet seat around his neck. The young crowd, perhaps predictably, love the show, as does the owner, Bruno Koschmider, who repeatedly tells the group to "mach shau" ("make a show"). After moving to Bruno's Kaiserkeller club the group eventually moved to the Top Ten Club -- breaking their contract with Bruno, who took revenge by getting George Harrison being deported for being too young to play in bars, and Paul and Pete Best deported for starting a fire in the tiny room the group shared behind a screen in a local movie house.
1962: A riot breaks out during a Gary U.S. Bonds performance at the Boston Arena.
1966: During a press conference in Toronto (where the group was scheduled to play that night) the Beatles creates more controversy by siding with American "draft dodgers" who moved to Toronto rather than be sent to Vietnam. John jokes, "Ah, we've had it in Memphis now," referring to the death threats received there after his "bigger than Jesus" statement.
1972: Gladys Knight appears as a contestant on ABC-TV's The Dating Game.
1977: One day after Elvis Presley's untimely demise, thousands of fans crowd Memphis and Graceland to mourn. FTD florists report the largest number of flower orders in their history sent as tributes to the King's family; US President Jimmy Carter issues a statement saying, in part, "Elvis Presley's death deprives our country of a part of itself. He was unique and irreplaceable... he was a symbol to people the world over of the vitality, rebelliousness and good humor of his country."
1979: Rolling Stone guitarist Keith Richards' wife, Anita Pallenberg, is accused of running a witches coven, complete with "pot smoking sex orgies," by the New York Post.
1984: At the outset of his latest world tour, a fatigued Elton John announces his upcoming retirement, which, like so many before and after, wouldn't take.
1992: Wayne Newton files for bankruptcy, claiming debts of over $20 million.
1993: While in therapy, the thirteen-year-old son of a Beverly Hills dentist, Jordan Chandler, alleges that singer Michael Jackson molested him while he visited Jackson's Neverland Ranch. The resultant civil suit costs Jackson over $20 million, but no criminal charges are filed, with Jackson's lawyers claiming the family in question had previously attempted to extort the singer.
1995: Microsoft buys the rights to the Rolling Stones' 1981 smash "Start Me Up" to use as the theme for their Windows 95 rollout.
1997: Liverpool, Nova Scotia, dedicates The Hank Snow Country Music Centre, a museum dedicated to its native country music legend.
1998: Carlos Santana is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1999: Derek Longmuir of the Bay City Rollers is arraigned on charges of possession of illegal drugs and child pornography. He is sentenced to 300 hours of community service.
2004: Singer / songwriter Dan Fogelberg reveals that he is battling advanced prostate cancer.
2004: Chevy officially ends its association with Bob Seger, whose 1986 hit "Like A Rock" had been used in Silverado ads since 1989. Two years later, General Motors would begin using John Mellencamp's "Our Country" as the Silverado theme.

Releases

1964: The Kinks, "You Really Got Me"
1968: Deep Purple, "Hush"
1974: Bad Company, "Can't Get Enough"

Recording

1966: The Hollies, "Stop, Stop, Stop"
1967: Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, "Woman, Woman"

Charts

1950: The Weavers' "Goodnight Irene" hits #1
1968: The Rascals' "People Got To Be Free" hits #1
1968: The Doors' Waiting For The Sun LP hits #1
1974: Paper Lace's "The Night Chicago Died" hits #1
1974: Eric Clapton's 461 Ocean Boulevard LP hits #1

Certifications

1968: The Rascals' "People Got To Be Free" is certified gold