The greatest group ever was paid with loose change for a show, Bowie wore a dress for his first night in America, James Brown was caught with guns and weed, and the J. Geils Band are the I-95 Band Of The Day!

"It's down at the end of Lonely Street."  Do you know what it is?

It's Heartbreak Hotel, and we've all been there.  It was this day in 1956 that Elvis Presley released the song, and it would be his first gold record.

"Well, the Bell hop's tears keep flowin',
and the desk clerk's dressed in black.
Well they been so long on lonely street
They ain't ever gonna look back."

God, I love it!

On this night in 1962 the Beatles played the Aintree Institute in Liverpool.  They didn't make much money that night as the promoter payed the band with loose change.  The band would never play for that particular promoter again.

Speaking of the Beatles, it was this day in 1970 that John Lennon wrote and recorded his hit song Instant Karma at Abbey Road Studios.  It be released just 10 days later!  Wow, that's pretty quick.  "I wrote it for breakfast, recorded it at lunch, and put it out for dinner", Lennon would eventually say.

For his first time ever in the United States David Bowie wore a dress at a event this night in 1971.  Hey, he wanted to look good.

On this day in 1973, Superstition by Stevie Wonder hit #1 on the charts.  Did you know that Jeff Beck created the drum beat for the song?  Now you do.  Initially, Wonder actually offered up the song for Beck to record, but Motown exec Berry Gordy said no.

The Clash was signed to CBS records on this day in 1977. Those punks.

One of my favorite songs of all f**kin' time hit #1 in England on this day in 1979, it was "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick" by Ian Dury & The Blockheads.

"In the deserts of Sudan
And the gardens of Japan
From Milan to Yucatan
Every woman, every man
Hit me with your rhythm stick"

On this night in 1998 the cops were called to James Brown's house, where they found guns and weed.  The Godfather of Soul said that the marijuana was to help his eyesight.

The only person to play on every single Pink Floyd album was born on this day in 1944. Drummer Nick Mason is 72!

And Seth Justman, the fine keyboardist with the J. Geils Band is 65 today, and we don't need much of an excuse whatsoever to make the Boston based boogie woogie group the I-95 Band Of The Day!

 

 

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