Today In Oldies Music History: March 2
--Births
1900: Kurt Weill1917: Desi Arnaz
1923: Doc Watson
1938: Lawrence Payton (The Four Tops)
1941: Keith Potger (The Seekers)
1943: Tony Meehan (The Shadows)
1943: Lou Reed
1948: Larry Carlton (The Crusaders)
1948: Rory Gallagher
1948: Eddie Money
1950: Karen Carpenter (The Carpenters)
1955: Jay Osmond (The Osmonds)
1956: John Cowsill (The Cowsills)
Deaths
1991: Serge Gainsbourg1999: Dusty Springfield
2003: Hank Ballard
Events
1960: Elvis Presley, having completed his stint with the US Army's 1st Medium Tank Battalion, 32nd Armor, leaves Germany and a tearful, teenage Priscilla Beaulieu behind to return to American civilian life. On the way, his plane refuels in Scotland's Prestwick Airport, marking the first and only time The King will set foot in the UK.1963: A "Limbo Party" at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, hosted by dance craze maven Chubby Checker, also features Marvin Gaye, The Four Seasons, The Crystals, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Lou Christie, Paul and Paula and Dick and Dee Dee. That same day, the Four Seasons become the first group to have its first three singles reach #1 in the US ("Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," and the latest, "Walk Like A Man").
1964: The Beatles begin filming their first movie, A Hard Day's Night, at London's Paddington railway station. During filming, George Harrison meets teenage actress Pattie Boyd and is instantly smitten. They would marry two years later.
1967: At tonight's Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Record and Album of the Year go to Frank Sinatra for his comeback hit "Strangers In The Night" and the album Sinatra, A Man And His Music, respectively. The Beatles' "Michelle" wins for Song of the Year, while Best Rock and Roll Recording notoriously goes to the '20s novelty "Winchester Cathedral" by The New Vaudeville Band.
1968: British teen heartthrob Cat Stevens, suffering badly from pneumonia, is hospitalized in London. After his recovery, he would experience a spiritual awakening which would lead directly to his reinvention as a singer-songwriter.
1969: At tonight's Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" wins Record of the Year, while Album honors go to Glen Campbell's By The Time I Get To Phoenix. "Little Green Apples," a hit for O.C. Smith, wins for Song of the Year, while Jose Feliciano wins Best New Artist and Best Instrumental goes to Mason Williams for "Classical Gas."
1974: At tonight's Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Stevie Wonder cleans up with five statuettes for his album Innervisions and its singles "Superstition" and "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life."
1975: Paul and Linda McCartney's car runs a red light in Los Angeles, and police discover eight ounces of marijuana in her purse. She is arrested, but Paul, who is driving, is not.
1977: The Barry Manilow Special, the singer's first TV variety special, airs on ABC, featuring guest Penny Marshall.
1981: Diana Ross' third TV special, diana, airs on CBS, featuring guest Michael Jackson.
1983: Sony and Philips, working together, introduce a new music format to the US. Called a "compact disc," it's a five-inch wonder which runs one hour of playing time.
1984: Model Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger are the proud parents of their first child, Elizabeth Scarlett Jagger.
2006: Glam rock legend Gary Glitter goes to trial for the alleged molestation of two girls, ages 11 and 12, in his Vietnamese home. Glitter claims he was merely teaching the duo to speak English.
Releases
1964: The Beatles, "Twist And Shout"1968: Blue Cheer, "Summertime Blues"
Recording
1955: Bo Diddley: "Bo Diddley," "I'm A Man"1967: The Beatles, "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"
1967: The Supremes: "Reflections," "The Happening"
Charts
1963: The Four Seasons' "Walk Like A Man" hits #11974: Terry Jacks' "Seasons In The Sun" hits #1
