FORGOTTEN SONG
CROWN HEIGHTS AFFAIR WAS AN AMERICAN R&B / FUNK / DISCO GROUP FROM NEW YORK, FOUNDED IN THE EARLY 1970S.
ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS BEN IVERSON AND THE NUE DEY EXPRESS , FOUNDED BY THEN BASSIST DONNIE LINTON, THE GROUP TOOK THEIR NEW NAME FROM A DISTRICT OF THEIR NATIVE BROOKLYN,
SIGNED BY RCA THEY RECORDED A SELF TITLED DEBUT ALBUM IN 1974.
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF PRODUCERS, WRITERS AND MANAGERS, CROWN HEIGHTS AFFAIR LEAPT TO THE FOREFRONT OF COMMERCIAL FUNK, RECORDING FOUR HIT R&B/POP SINGLES FROM THEIR FIRST TWO ALBUMS.
IN THE UK THEY MADE THE TOP 40 IN 1978 WITH “GALAXY OF LOVE”, AND #10 IN 1980 WITH “YOU GAVE ME LOVE”.
MUSIC DIARY
1965, QUEEN ELIZABETH II INVESTS THE BEATLES WITH THEIR MBES AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE, LONDON. ACCORDING TO AN ACCOUNT BY JOHN LENNON, THE GROUP SMOKED MARIJUANA IN ONE OF THE PALACE BATHROOMS TO CALM THEIR NERVES. MANY FORMER RECIPIENTS GAVE THEIR MBE’S BACK IN PROTEST, TO WHICH JOHN LENNON RESPONDED “LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO COMPLAINED ABOUT US RECEIVING THE MBE RECEIVED THEIRS FOR HEROISM IN THE WAR, FOR KILLING PEOPLE.” HE CONTINUED: “WE RECEIVED OURS FOR ENTERTAINING OTHER PEOPLE. I’D SAY WE DESERVE OURS MORE.” WHEN ASKED HOW HE ENJOYED MEETING QUEEN ELIZABETH II, JOHN SAID “SHE’S MUCH NICER THAN SHE IS IN THE PHOTOS.”
1970, A WAKE WAS HELD AT THE LION’S SHARE IN SAN ANSELMO, CALIFORNIA TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF JANIS JOPLIN. THE SINGER WHO DIED OF AN ACCIDENTAL DRUGS OVERDOSE HAD LEFT $2,500 IN HER WILL TO THROW A WAKE PARTY IN THE EVENT OF HER DEMISE.
1996, THE SPICE GIRLS HAD THEIR SECOND UK NO.1 SINGLE WHEN ‘SAY YOU’LL BE THERE’ STARTED A TWO-WEEK RUN AT THE TOP OF THE CHARTS. THE SONG INCLUDED A HARMONICA SOLO, PLAYED BY JUDD LANDER WHO ALSO PLAYED THE HARMONICA SOLO ON CULTURE CLUB’S 1984 HIT ‘KARMA CHAMELEON’.
2004, APPLE LAUNCHED THE U2 SPECIAL EDITION IPOD AS PART OF A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN APPLE, U2 AND UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP. THE NEW U2 IPOD HELD UP TO 5,000 SONGS AND FEATURED A RED CLICK WHEEL AND CUSTOM ENGRAVING OF U2 BAND MEMBER SIGNATURES. THE IPOD WAS BEING INTRODUCED AS THE BAND RELEASED THEIR NEW ALBUM ‘HOW TO DISMANTLE AN ATOMIC BOMB.’
2006, DURAN DURAN GUITARIST ANDY TAYLOR QUIT THE BAND DURING THE US LEG OF THEIR WORLD TOUR. A STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP DESCRIBED THE RELATIONSHIP WITH ANDY TAYLOR AS UNWORKABLE AND ONE THAT COULD NOT BE RESOLVED.
2007, 1,730 GUITARISTS PLAYED THE IMMORTAL BOB DYLAN CLASSIC, ‘KNOCKING ON HEAVEN’S DOOR’ IN A BID TO BREAK A RECORD IN THE STATE OF MEGHALAYA, NORTH EAST INDIA. THE GUITARISTS HOPED THEIR ACHIEVEMENT WOULD EARN THEM A PLACE IN THE GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS. THE CURRENT GUINNESS WORLD RECORD WAS HELD BY A GUITAR-ENSEMBLE FROM KANSAS CITY IN THE US WHEN 1,683 GUITARISTS, PLAYED DEEP PURPLE’S ‘SMOKE ON THE WATER’.
2011, AEROSMITH WERE FORCED TO DELAY A CONCERT IN SOUTH AMERICA AFTER STEVEN TYLER FELL IN HIS HOTEL BATHROOM. THE SINGER SUFFERED CUTS TO HIS FACE AND LOST TWO OF HIS TEETH AHEAD OF A CONCERT IN ASUNCION, PARAGUAY. HE WAS SAID TO HAVE RECEIVED STITCHES AND HAD EMERGENCY DENTAL WORK, FORCING THE GIG TO BE POSTPONED BY 24 HOURS
BORN TODAY
1946 – KEITH HOPWOOD, GUITAR, HERMAN’S HERMITS
1951 – BOOTSY COLLINS, BASS PLAYER, JAMES BROWN
1952 – DAVID WAS, WAS NOT WAS
1953, – KEITH STRICKLAND, GUITAR, KEYBOARDS, DRUMS, THE B-52′
1963, – NATALIE MERCHANT, 10,000 MANIACS,
1981, – GUY SEBASTIAN, AUSTRALIAN SINGER-SONGWRITER, WINNER OF THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN IDOL SERIES.
