AMERICAN GIRL – TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
#40 AUGUST ‘77
“AMERICAN GIRL” IS THE SECOND SINGLE FROM TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS’ SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM. THE SINGLE DID NOT CHART IN THE U.S., BUT IN THE UK IT PEAKED AT #40 THE WEEK ENDING AUGUST 27, 1977. THE SONG WAS RANKED 76TH ON THE LIST OF “THE 100 GREATEST GUITAR SONGS OF ALL TIME” BY ROLLING STONE
AS DESCRIBED IN ROLLING STONE, “THE SUPERCHARGED RIFF SET THE TEMPLATE FOR DECADES OF PETTY HITS, BUT IT WAS ALSO A HOMAGE TO THE BYRDS: PETTY AND MIKE CAMPBELL’S TWIN GUITARS MIRRORED ROGER MCGUINN’S 12-STRING, INFUSING THE FOLK-ROCK SOUNDS OF THE 1960S WITH NEW WAVE ENERGY.
1965, MARTY BALIN AND PAUL KANTNER FORMED A FOLK-ROCK GROUP THAT WOULD EVOLVE INTO THE JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, THE PREMIER SAN FRANCISCO PSYCHEDELIC BAND OF THE LATE ’60S. THE AIRPLANE MADE ITS DEBUT THE FOLLOWING MONTH AT A HAIGHT-ASHBURY CLUB, AND WAS SIGNED TO RCA LATER IN THE YEAR.
1966, ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF ROLLING STONE KEITH RICHARDS’ GIRLFRIEND, CHAS CHANDLER FROM THE ANIMALS WENT TO SEE JIMI HENDRIX PLAY AT THE CAFE WHA IN NEW YORK CITY. CHANDLER SUGGESTS THAT HENDRIX SHOULD COME TO ENGLAND, WHICH HE DOES AND CHANDLER BECAME HIS MANAGER.
1969, THE ROLLING STONES GAVE A FREE CONCERT IN LONDON’S HYDE PARK BEFORE AN AUDIENCE OF 250,000, AS A TRIBUTE TO BRIAN JONES WHO HAD DIED TWO DAYS EARLIER. MICK JAGGER READ AN EXTRACT FROM PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY’S ‘ADONAIS’ AND RELEASED 3,500 BUTTERFLIES;
2009, MICHAEL JACKSON STARTED A SEVEN WEEK RUN AT NO.1 ON THE UK ALBUM CHARTS WITH ‘THE ESSENTIAL MICHAEL JACKSON’, AND WAS ONE OF EIGHT JACKSON ALBUMS IN THE TOP TWENTY AFTER THE SINGERS DEATH ON 25TH JUNE.
1978, THE MANUFACTURING OF ‘SOME GIRLS’ THE NEW ALBUM BY THE ROLLING STONES WAS HALTED AT EMI’S PRESSING PLANT AFTER COMPLAINTS FROM CELEBRITIES INCLUDING LUCILLE BALL WHO WERE FEATURED IN MOCK ADVERTISEMENTS ON THE ALBUM SLEEVE.
1999, THE EURYTHMICS ANNOUNCED THEIR FIRST WORLD TOUR FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS AND THAT ALL PROFITS WOULD BE GIVEN TO CHARITY. THE DUO MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE GREENPEACE BOAT ‘RAINBOW WARRIOR’ MOORED ON THE RIVER THAMES IN LONDON.
2005, PINK FLOYD’S DAVID GILMOUR SAID ARTISTS WHO HAD SEEN ALBUM SALES SOAR AFTER THE LIVE 8 CONCERTS SHOULD DONATE THEIR PROFITS TO CHARITY, SAYING: “THIS IS MONEY THAT SHOULD BE USED TO SAVE LIVES.”
2009, MICHAEL JACKSON STARTED A SEVEN WEEK RUN AT NO.1 ON THE UK ALBUM CHARTS WITH ‘THE ESSENTIAL MICHAEL JACKSON’, AND WAS ONE OF EIGHT JACKSON ALBUMS IN THE TOP TWENTY AFTER THE SINGERS DEATH ON 25TH JUNE.
BORN ON THIS DAY
1946, MICHAEL MONARCH, GUITAR, STEPPENWOLF
1948, CASSIE GAINES, BACKING SINGER WITH LYNYRD SKYNYRD. GAINES WAS KILLED IN A PLANE CRASH ON 20TH OCTOBER 1977 WITH TWO OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BAND
1950, HUEY LEWIS, SINGER, ACTOR, HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS
1959, MARC COHN, US SINGER, SONGWRITER
1973, ROISIN MURPHY, IRISH SINGER, MOLOKO
1979. SHANE FILAN, VOCALS, WESTLIFE,
