December 8th in the Evolution of Rock 'n Roll: The Best of Times and the Worst of Times, too...

December 8^th Birthdays in the Evolution of Rock ‘n Roll…

Jerry Butler (The Ice Man):

According to Wikipedia: 

Jerry Butler (born Jerry Butler Jr.; December 8, 1939, Sunflower, Mississippi)   is an American soul singer and songwriter. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the famed R&B vocal group, The Impressions, as well as a 1991 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Butler is also an American politician. He serves as a Commissioner for Cook County, Illinois, having first been elected in 1985. As a member of this 17-member county board, he chairs the Health and Hospitals Committee, and serves as Vice Chair of the Construction Committee…

Jim Morrison (The Lizard King):

A member of the “27 Forever Club”

James Douglas "Jim" Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was a singer and songwriter best remembered as the lead vocalist of the Doors…

Gregory LeNoir "Gregg" Allman (born December 8, 1947) is an American rock and blues singer-songwriter, keyboardist, guitarist and a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band…

December 8^th in the Evolution of Rock ‘n Roll: Some of the best of times but definitely one of the worst of times, too…

R.I.P. Brother John Lennon…

 John Ono Lennon, MBE, born John Winston Lennon; Born October 9, 1940 

and murdered on December 8, 1980...

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Louis Jordan, Johnny Otis, Jerry Butler and Barbara Lewis all score MAJOR HITS ON AUGUST 21st in THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK ‘n ROLL…

MAJOR HITS ON AUGUST 21^st in

THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK ‘n ROLL…

1947: Louis Jordan did a taste of RAP before the parents of those who would make it a genre were even born!!!

On August 21, 1947 Mr. Jordan  hit #1 on the R ‘n B chart and #21 on the pop chart with

 "Jack, You're Dead"… 

August 21, 1951: Johnny Otis (You know, the HAND JIVE guy) hit #4 on the R ‘n B chart with

 "Mambo Boogie"…  

On the 21^st of August in 1961, Jerry Butler, not yet dubbed “The Ice Man” by Philly DJ Georgie Woods, hit #25 with

 "I'm Telling You"…  

For years later, on the 21^st of August in 1965,  Barbara Lewis hit  #11 with

"Baby I'm Yours"…

 

(BTW: Barbara Lewis was born in Salem, near Ann Arbor, Michigan. She was writing and recording by her teens with record producer Ollie McLaughlin, a DJ at Ann Arbor radio station WHRV, now WAAM…)

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… 

JulY 20, 1958: Illinois Jacquet, The Monotones and Jerry Butler play at The Howard Theater, Washington, DC, USA.

Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet

(October 31, 1922 - July 22, 2004)

American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home"

--The performance was critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo…

In 1942, at age 19, Jacquet soloed on Lionel Hampton Orchestra's recording of "Flying Home", one of the very first times a honking tenor sax was heard on record…

On July 20, 1958 Jacquet headlined the bill at Washington DC’s Howard Theater, supported by:

 The Monotones

                            and Jerry Butler…

YET ANOTHER GREAT NIGHT AT THE HOWARD!

The Howard Theater in 1964

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