Today in Music History: Commemorating Ian McLagan
May 12, 2015
History Highlight:
Today in 1946, keyboardist Ian McLagan was born in the London borough of Hounslow. Best known for his work with the Small Faces and the Faces, McLagan also worked with the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Cocker, Billy Bragg and Bruce Springsteen. A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, McLagan passed away on Dec. 3, 2014, in Austin, Texas, at age 69 due to complications from a stroke. McLagan's visit to The Current in June 2014 remains a favorite among the staff of the station, whom McLagan impressed not only with his musical chops but also with his charm, his friendship and his sincere warmth.
Also, Today In:
1958 - The Everly Brothers started a four-week run at No. 1 with "All I Have To Do Is Dream." Written by the husband-and-wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, the track was recorded in just two takes.
1963 - Bob Dylan walked out of rehearsals for The Ed Sullivan Show after being told he couldn't perform his song "Talking John Birch Paranoid Blues" due to it mocking the U.S. military and segregation. CBS officials asked Dylan to substitute it for another song, but the singer reportedly said: "No, this is what I want to do. If I can't play my song, I'd rather not appear on the show."
1964 - The Beach Boys started a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Beach Boys Concert, the group's first No. 1 album.
1965 - The Rolling Stones recorded "(I Can't Get No), Satisfaction" at RCA Hollywood studios. Keith Richards had come up with the guitar riff in the middle of the night a week earlier. It gave the Stones their first No. 1 single in the U.S.
1973 - Led Zeppelin started a three-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with their fifth album Houses Of The Holy. The group's third U.S. No. 1 album went on to spend 39 weeks on the U.S. chart. Houses Of The Holy has now been certified 11 times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for US sales in excess of 11 million copies.
1977 - After being dropped by both EMI and A&M records in less than six months, Virgin Records announced that it had signed the Sex Pistols.
1984 - Lionel Richie started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Hello", his second U.S. solo No. 1.
2001 - Singer and TV host Perry Como died aged 88. He scored 14 No. 1 singles, including the singles "Magic Moments" and "Catch A Falling Star." Como was once the highest-paid performer in the history of television.
2008 - Singer-songwriter Neil Young had a spider named after him. College biologist Jason Bond discovered a new species of trapdoor spider in Alabama and decided to name it after his favorite musician.
Birthdays:
Burt Bacharach is 87. The songwriter, pianist and arranger has written many classic songs, including "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head."
Steve Winwood is 67.
Billy Squier is 65.