1955, LITTLE RICHARD ENTERED A NEW ORLEANS RECORDING STUDIO TO BEGIN TWO DAYS OF RECORDING. THINGS WERE NOT GOING WELL AND DURING A BREAK, RICHARD AND HIS PRODUCER; BUMPS BLACKWELL WENT TO THE DEW DROP INN FOR LUNCH. RICHARD STARTED PLAYING THE PIANO IN THE BAR LIKE CRAZY, SINGING A LOUD AND LEWD VERSION OF ‘TUTTI FRUTTI.’ WITH ONLY FIFTEEN MINUTES LEFT IN THE SESSION, RICHARD RECORDED THE SONG AND COINED THE PHRASE, ‘A-WOP-BOP-A-LOO-BOP-A-LOP-BAM-BOOM.’
1967, FILMING CONTINUED FOR THE BEATLES ‘MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR’ IN SOUTH WEST ENGLAND. THE BEATLES SEARCHED FOR A QUIET, SECLUDED FIELD IN WHICH THEY COULD CONDUCT FILMING BUT ONCE THEY’D DISEMBARKED FROM THE BUS AND SET UP FOR SHOOTING, SCORES OF ONLOOKERS BEGAN TO CROWD AROUND, CAUSING A TRAFFIC JAM THAT REQUIRED THE POLICE TO STEP IN.
2005, HMV STORES IN CANADA REMOVED BOB DYLAN CDS FROM THEIR SHELVES IN PROTEST AT THE SINGER’S DEAL TO ONLY SELL HIS NEW ALBUM IN STARBUCKS AFTER HE SIGNED AN EXCLUSIVE CONTRACT WITH THE COFFEE GIANT. THE CHAIN HAS PREVIOUSLY BOYCOTTED CDS BY ALANIS MORISSETTE AND THE ROLLING STONES TO COMPLAIN AT EXCLUSIVE DEALS.
2008, IRON MAIDEN SINGER BRUCE DICKINSON WAS ONE OF THE PILOTS WHO FLEW SPECIALLY CHARTERED FLIGHTS AFTER 85,000 TOURISTS WERE STRANDED IN THE US, THE CARIBBEAN, AFRICA AND EUROPE AFTER BRITAIN’S THIRD-LARGEST TOUR OPERATOR WENT INTO ADMINISTRATION. THE SINGER, WHO HAD WORKED FOR THE AIRLINE ASTRAEUS FOR NINE YEARS, TOOK UP FLYING DURING A LOW POINT IN HIS SOLO CAREER AFTER HE QUIT THE BAND IN 1993.
2011, IT WAS REPORTED THAT A SWEDISH BOB DYLAN FAN HAD BEEN ARRESTED FOR SINGING BOB DYLAN SONGS OUTSIDE HIS EX-GIRLFRIENDS HOUSE. THE LOVE-SICK MAN HAD ALSO COBBLED TOGETHER A GROUP OF FIVE OTHER MEN TO SERVE AS VOCAL ACCOMPANIMENT FOR THE LATE-NIGHT LIVE PERFORMANCE, EACH OF WHO DONNED HOODIES WITH THEIR HOODS UP. BUT SOON AFTER THE MAN BEGAN TO SERENADE HIS EX, WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY TAKEN OUT A RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST HIM, SHE CALLED THE POLICE, LEAVING 50-YEAR-OLD GUITARIST BLOWIN IN THE WIND. ‘I HAD THE IDEA THAT I’D PLAY A BOB DYLAN SONG FOR HER,’ THE MAN TOLD POLICE. (NO WORD ON WHICH SONG, UNFORTUNATELY.)
BORN TODAY
1949, STEVE GAINES, GUITAR, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, 1974 US NO. 8 SINGLE ‘SWEET HOME ALABAMA’, 1982 UK NO.21 SINGLE ‘FREEBIRD’). KILLED IN A PLANE CRASH ON 20TH OCTOBER 1977.
1950 – PAUL KOSSOFF, GUITAR, FREE, DIED OF A HEART ATTACK ON 19TH MARCH 1976 DURING A FLIGHT FROM LOS ANGELES TO NEW YORK.
1983 – AMY WINEHOUSE, UK SINGER, SONGWRITER). WINEHOUSE WAS FOUND DEAD AT HER HOME IN LONDON, ENGLAND ON 24TH JULY 2011.
1955 – STEVE BERLIN, LOS LOBOS,
1959 – MORTEN HARKET, VOCALS, A-HA, THE FIRST NORWEGIAN GROUP TO SCORE A UK AND US NO.1.
1981 – ASHLEY ROBERTS, SINGER, THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS
CALYPSO – JOHN DENVER
“CALYPSO” IS A SONG WRITTEN BY JOHN DENVER IN 1975 AS A TRIBUTE TO JACQUES-YVES COUSTEAU AND HIS RESEARCH SHIP, THE CALYPSO. THE SONG WAS FEATURED ON DENVER’S 1975 ALBUM WINDSONG.
RELEASED AS THE B-SIDE OF “I’M SORRY”, “CALYPSO” RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL AIRPLAY, ENABLING IT TO CHART. AFTER “I’M SORRY” FELL OUT OF THE #1 POSITION, “CALYPSO” BEGAN RECEIVING MORE AIRPLAY THAN “I’M SORRY,” THUS CAUSING BILLBOARD TO LIST “CALYPSO” AS THE NEW A-SIDE.HENCE, “CALYPSO” IS ITSELF CONSIDERED A #2 HIT .
JOHN DENVER WAS A CLOSE FRIEND OF JACQUES-YVES COUSTEAU. CALYPSO WAS THE NAME OF JACQUES COUSTEAU’S RESEARCH BOAT THAT SAILED AROUND THE WORLD FOR OCEANIC CONSERVATION
