The Week That Was
1958, Jerry Lee Lewis tells all to British reporters when he
arrives for a tour of the U.K., revealing that he has just wed a
13-year-old girl, distant cousin Myra...the ensuing scandal results
in the cancellation of most of his tour dates and eventually does
serious damage to his career...
1979, Tom Petty, reeling from
financial troubles that began with the downfall of his record label,
ABC, files for bankruptcy...
1979, Jeff Stein's film "The Kids Are
Alright," documenting the history of The Who, debuts in New York...
1979, Genesis personally sell tickets to their benefit show at the
box office of L.A.'s Roxy...
1986, Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, and
Peter Tork re-create the '60s television sensation The Monkees minus
the band's most musical member, Michael Nesmith...
1998, "Van Halen
Day" is declared in Philadelphia by mayor Ed Rendell...
1965, The
Kinks' Dave Davies crashes into a cymbal on Mick Avory's kit and
knocks himself unconscious...
1987, U2 prove they're movers and
shakers when their sound system sets off earthquake alarms in nearby
neighborhoods during a concert in Rome...the Beach Boys accomplish a
similar feat in 1975 when their dancing fans get the mezzanine at
Anaheim Stadium flopping up and down as much as 18 inches...1977,
"Barracuda" is released by Heart...
1976, Zep superstars Page and
Plant, both thoroughly inebriated, harangue their fellow first-class
travelers on a flight across the Atlantic...Dudley Moore and Telly
Savalas are among the highly unamused abusees...
1955, Chuck Berry
records his first hit, Maybellene...
1932, Frankie Laine and partner
Ruth Smith set off on their interminable, brutal journey into the
history books at a marathon dance contest in Atlantic City...145 days
later they finally stop dancing...
1963, Little Stevie Wonder records
his first number-one hit, "Fingertips Pt. 2," at a live concert in
Detroit...he has just turned 13...
1973, Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" is released...the 19-year old musician plays almost all the
instruments himself...and that was the week that was.
Birthdays
May 22: Wilhelm Richard Wagner (1813), Sun Ra born Sonny Blount
(1914), Bernie Taupin (1950), Morrissey of The Smiths (1959), Jesse
Valenzuela of The Gin Blossoms (1962), Dan Roberts of Crash Test
Dummies (1967)
May 23: Scatman Crothers (1910), Artie Shaw (1910), Rosemary Clooney
(1928), Robert Moog (1934), Phil Selway of Radiohead (1967), Jewel
(1974)
May 24: Bob Dylan born Robert Allen Zimmerman (1941), Derek Quinn of
Freddie & the Dreamers (1942), Patti LaBelle (1944), Steve Upton of
Wishbone Ash (1946), Albert Bouchard of Blue Oyster Cult (1947),
Rosanne Cash (1955), Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes (1969)
May 25: Hal David (1921), Miles Davis (1926), Tom T. Hall (1936),
Jessi Colter born Miriam Johnson Eddy (1943), Klaus Meine of The
Scorpions (1948), Lauryn Hill (1975)
May 26: Al Jolson (1886), Louis Hardin (1916), Peggy Lee (1920),
Levon Helm (1942), Ray Innes of The Swinging Blue Jeans (1942), Garry
Peterson of the Guess Who (1945), Mick Ronson of Bowie's band (1946),
Stevie Nicks (1948), Hank Williams, Jr. (1949), Verden Allen of Mott
the Hoople (1949), Lenny Kravitz (1964)
May 27: Ramsey Lewis (1935), Bruce Cockburn (1945),
Pete Sears of Jefferson Starship (1948), Siouxsie Sioux of
Siouxsie & the Banshees (1957), Eddie Harsch of The Black Crowes
(1957), Sean Kinney of Alice in Chains (1966), Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
of TLC (1971), Dre of OutKast (1975)
May 28: T-Bone Walker born Aaron Thibeaux Walker (1910), "Papa" John
Creach (1917), Prince Buster (1938), Gladys Knight (1944), John
Fogerty (1945), Larry Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers (1948), Roland
Gift of Fine Young Cannibals (1952)
Departures
May 24: Gene Clark of the Byrds (1991), Duke Ellington (1974), Elmore
James (1963)
May 25: Roy Brown (1981), Sonny Boy Williamson II AKA Aleck Ford
"Rice" Miller (1965)
May 26: Little Willie John (1968), Jimmie Rodgers (1933)
May 28: Mary Lou Williams (1981)
