Music History - August 8

In 1953, the song "Vaya Con Dios (May God Be with You)" by Les Paul & Mary Ford topped the charts and stayed there for 11 weeks.

In 1958, Hank Ballard recorded a self-penned tune called "The Twist" at Vee-Jay Records' studios in Gary, Indiana. A re-recorded version released by King Records would make a modest splash on the R&B charts in 1959, but it would take Chubby Checker to make the song a giant hit in 1960, and again in 1961-1962.

In 1958 Dion and The Belmonts were guest performers on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."

In 1958, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) presented the first Gold record album, signifying $1 million in sales, for the soundtrack of 'Oklahoma!' Four months earlier, the RIAA had issued the first Gold single, representing the sale of one million records, for Perry Como's "Catch a Falling Star."

In 1959, the singing duo Billy & Lillie visited ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."

In 1960, 16 year-old Bryan Hyland's novelty tune, "Itsy Bitsy, Teenie Weenie, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" topped the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Best Sellers list. Songwriter Paul Vance said he got the inspiration for the song when he saw his two year old daughter at the beach in a tiny little swimsuit. The record reached #8 in the UK.

Also in 1960, England's Decca Records scrapped 25,000 copies of Ray Peterson's "Tell Laura I Lover Her" because they felt the song, which recounts the last thoughts of a teenager dying from a car accident, was "too tasteless and vulgar." A rival record company felt differently and recorded a cover version by a singer named Ricky Valance, which went to number one on the British chart. In the US, Ray Peterson's version reached number seven on the Billboard Pop chart.

In 1960, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, the Everly Brothers recorded "Lucille."

In 1961, Britain's Lonnie Donegan has his biggest hit in the US when the novelty tune "Does You're Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour On The Bedpost Overnight" reached #5.

In 1961, Elvis Presley released the single "(Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame" b/w "Little Sister."

In 1963, in the UK, Freddie and the Dreamers recorded "I'm Telling You Now." It wasn't released in the U.S. until late 1964, and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1965.

In 1963, Al Martino released the single "Painted, Tainted Rose."

In 1963, Little Stevie Wonder was a guest performer on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."

In 1964, Bob Dylan releases his album 'Another Side of Bob Dylan.' The LP reached #43 in the US (although it eventually went gold), and peaked at #8 on the UK charts in 1965.

In 1964, 'England’s Newest Hit Makers – The Rolling Stones' peaked at #11 on the US album chart. The group’s US debut contains a cover of Buddy Holly’s "Not A Fade Away."

In 1964, the single by the Young World Singers called "Ringo For President" was released in the US.  Ringo Starr reacted by saying, "I don't believe I will have the time."

In 1964, "House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals was released in America. Although the band would put 14 songs in the Top 40, this would be their only US #1 hit. It was reported that the song was recorded in just one take and the band was actually in the studio for less than ten minutes. It ranked #122 on Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. It is also one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. 

In 1965, in Studio A at Hitsville U.S.A. in Detroit, the Four Tops recorded "It's The Same Old Song."

In 1965, ABC-TV's "Where The Action Is" featured performances by Sonny & Cher, Del Shannon, Linda Scott, Steve Alaimo, and Paul Revere and the Raiders.

In 1966, ABC-TV's "Where The Action Is" welcomed guests Brian Hyland and the Turtles.

In 1966, in response to John Lennon's remark about the Beatles being bigger than Jesus Christ, the South African Broadcasting Corporation banned all Beatles records.

In 1967, in New York City, the Jimi Hendrix Experience played the last night of a five-night engagement at the Salvation Club.

In 1967, the Five Americans and Donna Lauren appeared on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."

In 1968, in Chicago, Pink Floyd began their first North American tour with a show at the Kinetic Playground.

In 1969, Mick Jagger's girlfriend, singer/actress Marianne Faithfull, overdosed on barbiturates while on the set of the Jagger movie "Ned Kelly." When she awoke from her coma, she told friends that "wild horses couldn't drag me away." The Rolling Stones song "Wild Horses" was inspired by the comment.

In 1969, the cover photo for the Beatles''Abbey Road' album was taken, showing the Fab Four striding across the road outside Abbey Road studios in London. Six shots were taken and the photo session was completed in less than ten minutes. The front cover design, a photograph of the group traversing a zebra crossing, was based on sketched ideas by McCartney. At around 11:30 that morning, photographer Iain Macmillan was given only ten minutes to take the photo whilst he stood on a step-ladder and a policeman held up the traffic. The image of the Beatles on the crossing has become one of the most famous and imitated in recording history. It also provided "Paul Is Dead" enthusiasts with several erroneous "clues" to his "death." That Paul is barefoot supposedly represents him as a corpse, but McCartney has said that it was simply a hot day. The session lasted ten minutes and produced six shots, from which Paul picked the cover photo.

In 1970, Janis Joplin bought a headstone for the grave of blues singer Bessie Smith. Smith was one of Joplin's idols.

In 1970, "The Everly Brothers Show" was launched on ABC-TV as a 10-week summer series. Guests on the first broadcast were Johnny Cash, Melanie, and Kenny Rogers And the First Edition.

In 1971, Tom Waits and Tim Buckley shared the bill at the San Diego club In The Alley.

In 1972, the Eagles played the Center Coliseum in Seattle.

In 1972, Climax performed their hit "Precious and Few" on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."

In 1974, Eric Clapton received a Gold record for his chart topping album, '461 Ocean Boulevard' that contains his number one hit, "I Shot the Sheriff."

In 1975, near Missoula, Montana, Hank Williams, Jr. fell 500 feet down Ajax Mountain. The accident left a portion of his brain exposed and required frequent hospitalization for the next two years. He was left with facial scars that inspired him to adopt the "hat, beard, and shades" look that became his trademark.

In 1975, jazz saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley died after a stroke at 46.

In 1978, Exile released the single "Kiss You All Over."

In 1978, after a six-month tenure, the 'Saturday Night Fever' soundtrack was finally knocked out of the #1 spot on the Billboard album chart by Gerry Rafferty's 'City To City,' which included the song "Baker Street."

In 1978, Rare Earth performed on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."

In 1979, after signing with Island Records, the B-52s made their live debut at London's Lyceum Ballroom.

In 1980, the Greater London Council ordered a halt to the plans of American heavy metal, punk-destructo band the Plasmatics to blow up a car onstage tonight. It was the group’s first performance in the U.K.

In 1981, the Pretenders opened their second U.S. tour in Fort Pierce, FL.

In 1981, MTV broadcast its first stereo concert in with REO Speedwagon who performed in Denver, Colorado, having just released the album 'Hi Infidelity' and the hit singles, "Keep On Loving You,""Take It On the Run" and "Don’t Let Him Go."

In 1983, Billy Joel released the album 'An Innocent Man.' The album featured three Billboard Top 10 hit singles: "Tell Her About It," which reached #1, "Uptown Girl," which peaked at #3 and "An Innocent Man," which peaked at #10. The LP received a nomination for the 26th Grammy Award for Album of the Year, but Joel lost the award to Michael Jackson's epic 'Thriller' album. Joel was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Uptown Girl," but Jackson won in that category as well.  The album cover artwork was taken on the front steps of 142 Mercer Street, just north of the intersection of Mercer and Prince Street in the SoHo neighborhood in New York City.

In 1984, in London, Van Morrison and Bono joined Bob Dylan on the Wembley Stadium stage to sing "It's All Over Now Baby Blue."

In 1985, Playboy and Penthouse magazines went on sale with nude pictures of Madonna taken in 1977.

In 1987, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2 was the #1 US single.

In 1989, El DeBarge was a performing guest on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand."

In 1992, Madonna went to #1 on the US singles chart with "This Used To Be My Playground."

In 1992, James Hetfield (Metallica) was injured by a stage explosion at a concert in Montreal. A riot occurred at the same show when Axl Rose cut Guns 'N' Roses' set short because of a sore throat.

In 1996, Kiss appeared at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio on their 192-date Alive world tour. During the show a fan threw his fake leg on stage, which all the members signed and handed back to him.

In 1998, the Rolling Stones performed for the first time in Russia.

In 1998, Roy Orbison's estate filed a $12 million suit seeking unpaid royalties from Sony, the current owner of his biggest hit recordings which were originally released on the Monument label.

In 1998, Nancy Sinatra announced that the U.S. Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution had agreed to house the music and film archives of her late father, singer/actor Frank Sinatra.

In 2000, attorney generals in 28 states filed a lawsuit that alleged that record companies forced discount stores to raise CD prices in 1995.

In 2004, in Chicago, 800 pounds of liquid human waste was dumped from a Dave Matthews Band tour bus through a bridge grate and onto passengers aboard a sightseeing boat passing below. The bus driver pled guilty and the band donated $50,000 to the Friends of the Chicago River and $50,000 to the Chicago Park District. In April 2005, the band paid another $200,000 to settle the civil lawsuit that followed.

In 2005, "Walking in Memphis" singer Marc Cohn was shot in the head during a tour bus-jacking in Denver, but miraculously survived.

In 2007, KoRn's untitled album was #2 on the Billboard 200. The disc sold 123,000 units in its first week of release. This was KoRn's seventh Top 10 album. The string began in '96 with their sophomore effort, "Life Is Peachy."

In 2007, Demi Lovato was at #1 on the US album chart with 'Here We Go Again,' her second album.

In 2007, citing a curfew violation, police insisted that Prince exit the stage halfway through his set during a late-night show at the First Avenue nightclub in his home town of Minneapolis. The club was allowed to stay open only until 3 a.m. Prince took the stage at 2.45 a.m. He had already given two performances in Minneapolis that night prior to his late-night club appearance.

In 2010, Ted Kowalski, a member of the Canadian quartet the Diamonds, died of heart disease at the age of 79. The vocal group had a string of hits in the late 1950s including "Little Darlin'", "Silhouettes" and "The Stroll".

In 2010, John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman, had his parole hearing delayed until early September so that officials could gather additional information. The 55-year-old Chapman became eligible for parole in 2000 after serving 20 years, but he has been denied his freedom five times.

In 2012, the members of Motley Crue and Kiss announced that they would donate $100,000 to support those affected by the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shootings where 12 people were killed and 58 were injured. The musicians hoped that their gesture will encourage others to give.

In 2013, songwriter/record producer/engineer/arranger/music publisher/singer/radio host/movie producer "Cowboy" Jack Clement died of liver cancer at age 82.

celebrating birthdays today (among others) Mel Tillis (82), Connie Stevens (76), Phil Balsley (Statler Brothers) (75), Anton Fig (Frehley's Comet, Bob Dylan, David Letterman) (62), Chris Foreman (Madness) (58),The Edge (born David Evans) (U2) (53), Rikki Rockett (born Richard Ream) (Poison) (53), Scott Stapp (Creed) (41)