All Born On December 30th to be factors in THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK 'N ROLL

December 30th Birthdays

In The Evolution of Rock ‘N Roll:

1928: Bo Diddley 

1934: Del Shannon

1939: Felix Pappalardi  was born in the Bronx, New York. A classically trained musician, he graduated from New York City's prestigious High School of Music & Art, and attended the University of Michigan.

As a musician, Pappalardi is widely recognized as a bassist, vocalist, and founding member of the Mountain, a band born out of his working with future bandmate Leslie West's soul-inspired rock and roll band The Vagrants, and producing West's 1969 Mountain solo album. The band's original incarnation actively recorded and toured between 1969 and 1971. Felix produced the band's albums, and co-wrote, and arranged a number of the band's songs with his wife Gail Collins and Leslie West.

Pappalardi was shot and killed by his wife, Gail Collins Pappalardi, on April 17, 1983 in their East Side Manhattan apartment…

 Mountain at Goose Lake

1939: Kim Weston  Born Agatha Natalie Weston in Detroit, Michigan, she was signed to Motown Records in 1963

1940: Kenny Pentifallo (Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes)

1947: Jeff Lynne (The Electric Light Orchestra)

1951: Chris Jasper (Isley Brothers)

OBVIOUSLY NOT A BAD DAY TO BE BORN

INTO

THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK 'N ROLL!!!

CHUCK BERRY: On December 29, 1957

On December 29, 1957
At Chess Studio, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

 CHUCK BERRY RECORDED:

Sweet Little Sixteen

Reelin' And Rockin'

Johnny B. Goode

THAT'S A MAJOR TURN

IN THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK 'N ROLL!!!

The Coasters and The Chantels at The Howard Theater, Washington D.C.~~ In The Evolution of Rock ‘N Roll

The Howard Theater opened on August 22, 1910, in a primarily African-American area of Washington, near Howard University which lead to the theater’s name

In the mid-1920′s,  Abe Lichtman, a white theater owner of theaters that catered to African-Americans, bought The Howard

 As you can see from the vintage photograph above, it was billed as the “largest colored theater in the World.”

During the 1950′s, the Howard Theater became a venue for rock and blues artists, and the audience switched from sophisticated, upper-and-middle class patrons to young adults and teenagers…

On December 29, 1958
The Coasters

and The Chantels

Rocked The Howard!!!

THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK 'N ROLL--James Brown, Maurice Williams and Larry Williams on December 29, 1960 at The Apollo

On December 29, 1960
James Brown played the third night in a week of dates at
The Apollo Theater in Harlem...  

The full album of this show is available on You Tube...

 He was supported by Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs

And none other than Larry Williams opened the show!  

Just one of the many incredible evenings of Rockin’ R&B in
The Evolution  of Rock ‘N Roll! 

Clarence "Pinetop" Smith In The Evolution Of Rock 'N Roll ~ The Cat Who Invented Boogie Woogie!!!

Clarence Smith
came from deep in the heart of Alabama. After playing piano for a few years and developing his own style derived from the blues he had heard all around him, Clarence first performed publicly in Birmingham at around age fifteen. Soon after, he relocated north to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he launched his career as a performer, and a moniker of "Pinetop"

Based for a time in the Steel City, Smith joined the Theatre Owners Booking Association (TOBA) Vaudeville circuit--he was one of Maddy Dorsey's pickaninies.

PANTAGES IN PINETOP'S TIME

PANTAGES THEATER TODAY

 Pinetop, though,  focused more on piano as his stint with TOBA progressed, often taking in the local night spots on their tours where barrelhouse pianists played the deepest of blues and also at rent parties, local taverns, and the occasional brothel.

By the mid-1920s, he had a fairly well developed boogie style, and enhanced it with a moving bass ("eight to the bar"), and coined that  as Boogie Woogie.  Smith soon became a master of Boogie Woogie and his reputation spread.  He moved his family to Chicago in late 1927 or early 1928.

Smith cut his first sides at the end of 1928...

 While performing PineTop's Boogie Woogie the composer talked over the playing giving instructions on how to dance to the tune. When released, it was allegedly the first record with the name "boogie woogie" on the label, and it soon became a hit in Chicago and beyond. 

He was soon playing in Chicago hot-spots and had a promising future.

 On March 15, 1929 "PineTop" Smith was performing at a Chicago dance hall when a fight broke out and gunplay followed. Smith was hit by a bullet from the gun of David Bell.

The headline in Downbeat magazine read "I Saw Pinetop Spit Blood and Fall."

The world was deprived of a promising string of original performances and compositions by this stellar player who left behind his wife, two children, a handful of records, and a cadre of mourners...

R.I.P. Pinetop Smith
~ The Cat Who Invented Boogie Woogie!!!

TROPICAL JON'S EVOLUTION OF ROCK'N ROLL: THE BEATLES ON CHRISTMAS EVE

THE BEATLES were at the top of the charts on Christmas Eve

UNFORTUNATELY, THEY DIDN'T MAKE ENOUGH MONEY OVER THE YEARS AND ALL OF THESE VIDEOS HAVE BEEN REMOVED DUE TO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. SORRY GUYS, DIDN'T MEAN TO CUT INTO YOUR 'MEAGER' FORTUNES, JUST TO SHARE YOUR HISTORY...TJ


In 1963:

In 1964:

In 1965:

In 1968:

And in 1969:

NOT TOO SHABBY…

THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK’N ROLL: THE FLAMINGOS ON CHRISTMAS EVE

December 24, 1953 :
The Flamingos record September Song, Blues In A Letter, and Jump Children at Universal Recording, Chicago, Illinois, USA. 

December 24, 1999:
65 year old Zeke Carey of The Flamingos passed away on Christmas Eve. The group is most often remembered for their 1959 US #11 single "I Only Have Eyes For You"

REST IN PEACE ZEKE...

CHRISTMAS EVE 1954 IN THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK 'N ROLL!

Geeze, if we could just get into the time machine and rocket back to Christmas Eve in  1958 we could catch  Deejay Alan Freed's Christmas Rock'n'Roll Spectacular on its first night of ten days  at Loew's Theatre, New York City

STARRING…

 Bo Diddley

Chuck Berry

 Eddie Cochran

Dion

Jackie Wilson  

The Everly Brothers

 Johnnie Ray, Covering the Little Willie John classic (penned by Otis Blackwell) 

Frankie Avalon

and The INCREDIBLE Moonglows hipping us all to THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF LOVE and they probably did some of the MEAN OLD BLUES, too…

THOSE WERE THE DAYS!!!