FEBRUARY 11 in THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK ‘n ROLL...

FEBRUARY 11 in

THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK ‘n ROLL...

TOP STORY OF THE DAY:

Estelle Bennett of the Ronnetts

Estelle Bennett’s passing in 2009…

Check it out…  

Also on this date:

February 11, 1935: 

Gene Vincent hits the planet…

 

February 11, 1937:

1937 - General Motors agreed to recognize the United Automobile Workers Union, which ended the current sit-down strike against them…

1940 - Bobby "Boris" Pickett hits the planet!

February 11, 1943: 

Johnny Lamont Merrett is born in Gregory, Arkansas. He will find success as blues and soul vocalist Little Johnny Taylor in the 60s and 70s…

February 11, 1950: Country Boy by Dave Bartholomew And His Orchestra, enters the Billboard Best-Selling R'n'B Singles chart at No14. It will rise no higher. Bartholomew will, however, achieve greater success as a producer and arranger for Fats Domino and other New Orleans singers…

 

February 11, 1967:  

 
The Turtles release their biggest hit, "Happy Together", which will reach #1 in the US and #12 in the UK. Co-written by Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon, the song had been rejected by several other performers…

February 11, 1983: 

The Recording Industry Association of America awards Bob Seger his seventh consecutive US platinum award for the album, "The Distance"…

February 11, 1990: Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in captivity…

THE USE OF ANY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS USED UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF "FAIR USE" IN TITLE 17 & 107 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE. SUCH MATERIAL REMAINS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL HOLDER AND IS USED HERE FOR THE PURPOSES OF EDUCATION, COMPARISON, AND CRITICISM ONLY. NO INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT IS INTENDED… 

Gene Vincent, Roy Orbison, James Taylor and Honey Cone

June 5^th Chart Busters in

THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK ‘n ROLL…

June 5, 1956:

Gene Vincent's "Be-Bop-A-Lula"  is released in America where it will reach #5 and sell over a million copies…

June 5, 1958: 

The L.P. "Johnny Mathis' Greatest Hits" went to number 1 in the US…

It stayed on the charts for 490 weeks, setting a longevity record that would not be broken until the 1980s by Pink Floyd's, "Dark Side of the Moon"…

June 5, 1960: "I'm Sorry" by 15-year-old Brenda Lee entered the Billboard Pop chart, on its way to number one…

June 5, 1961: Roy Orbison had his first US number 1 hit with "Running Scared"…

 

 Earlier, he had placed "Only theLonely"   and "Blue Angel"   into the Top 10...

           Orbison had to be coaxed into the soaring vocal climax at the end of the song because he was being drowned out by the instrumental build-up. Roy and his songwriting partner Joe Melson would later say that they wrote the song in about five minutes…

June 5, 1971:

James Taylor's "You've Got A Friend"    is released. Of the 14 US Top 40 hits he will achieve, this will be his only chart topper…

June 5, 1971:
A song called "Want Ads" hit the top of the Cashbox chart in the US. The tune had first been recorded for the Hot Wax label by the group

 Glass House,

                            then by Freda Payne,

  

but producers weren't satisfied with either version and had a three piece girl group called Honey Cone give it a try…

 As seen in the next clip, the result was a smash and was followed by three more Top 30 hits for the Los Angeles based trio…

June 5th HITS in The Evolution of Rock 'n Roll...

THE USE OF ANY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS USED UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF "FAIR USE" IN TITLE 17 & 107 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE. SUCH MATERIAL REMAINS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL HOLDER AND IS USED HERE FOR THE PURPOSES OF EDUCATION, COMPARISON, AND CRITICISM ONLY. NO INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT IS INTENDED…