On This Day In Rock & Roll History: May 13

As we start a new week, it’s time for another post of my irregular music history feature, the blog’s longest running series I started back in July 2016. It was my seventh post, and today is the 76th installment – yes, I had to count them all. Since the feature revolves around specific dates, this still leaves me with plenty of additional posts. With that said, let’s take a look at select happenings in the world of music on May 13.

1955: A performance by Elvis Presley in Jacksonville, Fla. led to what became known as the “first Presley riot.” During the show, Elvis told the screaming girls in the audience he’d “see them backstage after the show.” Apparently, some fans took the tease a bit too literal and rushed toward the stage when the spectacle was over. Some also corned Elvis in his dressing room and tore off his clothes, hoping to grab a souvenir. Remarkably, this all happened before he had ever appeared on national TV. Also in attendance was a man who called himself Colonel Tom Parker and would become Presley’s manager after he had witnessed his potential. Here’s an interview of Presley conducted on May 13, 1995 by Mae Boren Axton, which briefly references the “riot.” It was the first time Axton met Presley, and she ended up giving him her song Heartbreak Hotel. It worked out nicely for both of them, becoming Presley’s first no.1 in the U.S. on the national pop charts

1966: The Rolling Stones released their single Paint It Black in the UK. It had first appeared in the U.S. on May 7. Credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the initial version was a much slower, conventional soul song. When during the recording session Bill Wyman started following around on an organ with a spoof of music played at Jewish weddings, Charlie Watts joined in, improvising the double-time drum pattern, echoing the rhythm heard in some Middle Eastern dances. Another notable feature of Paint It Black is the sitar played by Brian Jones, an instrument The Beatles had introduced to pop the year before on their song Norwegian Wood.

1970: Let It Be, Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s documentary about The Beatles and the making of their studio album of the same name, made its theatrical debut in New York City. The UK premiere followed a week later in London and Liverpool simultaneously. At the time, the film wasn’t particularly well received. In addition to poor technical and conceptual qualities, most of the criticism focused particularly on it as a document highlighting the fractured relationships within the band. Peter Jackson’s documentary TV series The Beatles: Get Back, which premiered in November 2021, helped update the record. It drew largely from unused footage and audio material originally captured for and recycled original footage from Hogg’s documentary. An updated version of that documentary, which was fully restored by Jackson, started streaming on Disney+ on May 8. “Let It Be is the climax of Get Back, while Get Back provides a vital missing context for Let It Be,” Jackson told Rolling Stone.

1978: Hawaiian vocalist, songwriter and actress Yvonne Elliman, who had gained initial prominence as part of the cast of Broadway musical production Jesus Chris Superstar, hit no. 1 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100 with If I Can’t Have You. Co-written by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, the catchy dance song was part of Saturday Night Fever, the soundtrack from the 1977 film of the same name, starring 23-year-old John Travolta. At that time, the Bee Gees dominated the U.S. pop charts. If I Can’t Have You knocked off Night Fever, another Bee Gees song from soundtrack, from the top spot, which had been at no. 1 for eight weeks.

1985: The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) held their first meeting at a church in Washington, D.C. Co-founded by Tipper Gore, wife of Senator and later Vice President Al Gore; Susan Baker, wife of Treasury Secretary James Baker; Pam Howar, wife of Washington realtor Raymond Howar; and Sally Nevius, wife of former Washington City Council Chairman John Nevius, the PMRC’s goal was to increase parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related or sexual themes. Their influence led to a Senate hearing on September 19, during which John Denver, Frank Zappa and Dee Snider of Twisted Sister testified, opposing any kind of labeling, arguing any such regulation could lead to censorship. Two months later, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which represents most record companies, agreed to voluntarily place warning stickers on albums deemed offensive to avoid legislation.

Sources: Wikipedia; Songfacts Music History Calendar; Florida History Network; Rolling Stone; YouTube

On This Day in Rock & Roll History: January 21

Dare I say it, it looks like my irregularly recurring music history feature is becoming more frequent. But with nearly 300 dates left to cover, I still have a long way to go, so it’s safe to assume this series won’t end anytime soon. With that said, let’s take a look at some of the events in music that happened on January 21 over the past six decades or so. I would also like to briefly acknowledge the untimely death of operatic rock artist Meat Loaf, which was reported overnight. He was believed to have been 74 years old. The cause of death has not been revealed.

1963: Since nearly everything in my little music world starts or finishes with The Beatles, let’s get this bloody item out of the way. According to The Beatles Bible, the ultimate source of truth about the band, On this day The Beatles appeared on the EMI plug show The Friday Spectacular, at EMI House, 20 Manchester Square, London. They chatted to hosts Shaw Taylor and Muriel Young, and studio recordings of ‘Please Please Me’ and ‘Ask Me Why’ were played. The show was recorded before an audience of around 100 teenagers, and was broadcast live on Radio Luxembourg. The overwhelming crowd size tells you this was still pre-Beatlemania. Though their press officer Tony Barrow said that during the recording, “I was finally convinced that The Beatles were about to enjoy the type of top-flight national fame which I had always believed that they deserved.” Side note: Three years later on that same date, George Harrison married his first wife Pattie Boyd, with Paul McCartney serving as best man.

1966: The Trips Festival, a three-day landmark event in the development of psychedelic music, kicked off at Longshoreman’s Hall in San Francisco. According to Songfacts Music History Calendar, Produced by Ken Kesey, Ramon Sender, and Stewart Brand, the event is largely recognized as the first to bring together what would be called the “hippie” movement. The sold-out festival, which drew 10,000 people, featured the Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company and Jefferson Airplane, among others. And some 6,000 people drinking punch spiked with LSD, who witnessed one of the first fully developed light shows of the era. I also found this trippy clip!

1978: Saturday Night Fever, the soundtrack album of the 1977 motion picture starring John Travolta, stood at no. 1 on the Billboard 200, the first of 24 weeks on top of the U.S. mainstream chart. It also reached no. 1 in Canada, the UK, Australia and many other countries. Saturday Night Fever became one of the best-selling albums in music history. With more than 40 million copies sold worldwide, it remains the second-biggest selling soundtrack of all time after The Bodyguard. But, as oftentimes is the case, what goes up must come down. Not even three years later, the Bee Gees, the group most associated with the soundtrack and disco, called it quits, finding themselves caught in the furious backlash toward disco including bomb threats – something you could sadly picture nowadays as well! I said it before and I’ll say it again: I don’t care whether you call Bee Gees music disco, R&B, disco-influenced or anything else – I dig it!

1984: British progressive rock stalwarts Yes hit no. 1 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100 with Owner of a Lonely Heart. Co-written by band members Trevor Rabin (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Jon Anderson (lead vocals) and Chris Squire (bass vocals), together with co-producer Trevor Horn, the catchy pop rocker was first released in October 1983 as the lead single for the group’s 11th studio album 90125, which came out the following month. Owner of the Lonely Heart became Yes’s first and only no. 1 on the U.S. mainstream chart. It also did well in Europe, especially in The Netherlands where it peaked at no. 2. While earlier singles like Yours Is No Disgrace, Roundabout and And You and I are great songs as well, they simply weren’t radio-friendly. Yes, Owner of a Lonely Heart has a commercial ’80s sound, but it’s a hell of a catchy tune!

1987: Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul”, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Keith Richards during the Rock Hall’s second annual induction ceremony. Here’s what the Rock Hall posted on their website: Lady Soul. The first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Aretha Franklin was an artist of passion, sophistication and command, whose recordings remain anthems that defined soul music. Long live the Queen. And here are The Rolling Stones guitarist’s live remarks from that night – let’s just say it was a classic Keith Richards speech!

Sources: Wikipedia; The Beatles Bible; Songfacts Music History Calendar; Rock & Roll Hall of Fame website; YouTube