Throwback Thursday: This Week in History

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

1931: The first long-playing record, a 33 1/3 rpm recording, was demonstrated at the Savoy Plaza Hotel in New York. The high price of record players ($95, $1140 in today’s standards) doomed the technology, however, and it would not be revived for another 17 years.

1955: Little Richard enters a New Orleans recording studio to record ‘Tutti Frutti.’ With only fifteen minutes left in the session, Richard records his signature ‘a-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom.’

1961: An tiny California boy band called The Pendletones have their first recording session. The track they lay down is called ‘Surfin’,’ and would later help shape their career as The Beach Boys

1967: Jimi Hendrix’s debut, ‘Are You Experienced?’ hits shelves and stay in the Billboard Hot 200 for 106 weeks. Rolling Stone ranked it #15 on its list of the Top 500 Album of All Time.

1967: Jim Morrison breaks contract on The Ed Sullivan Show leading to The Doors being banned from the program. During a performance of ‘Light My Fire,’ Morrison promised not to sing ‘Girl, we couldn’t get much higher,’ but did anyways.

1969: The infamous “Paul is dead” Beatles conspiracy is started when global media reports that the singer was involved in a fatal car crash. He was really on vacation with his girlfriend at the time, Jane Asher, in Kenya.

1969: John Lennon announces to the group that he is leaving The Beatles.

1970: Jimi Hendrix is pronounced dead on September 18 at the age of 27 in London. Earlier that night, he left a message on his manager’s phone saying ‘I need help bad, man.’

1970: Diana Ross’ ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ hits No. 1 on the US singles chart.

1973: Singer-songwriter Jim Croce dies in a plane crash in Louisiana.

1974: Eric Clapton’s version of Marley’s ‘I Shot The Sheriff’ hits No. 1.

 

1975: Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ hits shelves. 1979: The Sugarhill Gang’s ‘Rapper’s Delight’ is released and becomes an instant success due to its catchy lyrics. I said a hip, hop, the hippie, the hippie to the hip hip hop ya don’t stop, etc., etc.

2004: Johnny Ramone dies in Los Angeles.

2005: Britney Spears and Kevin Federline become parents!

2006: Justin Timberlake’s ‘Futuresex / Lovesounds’ catapults him to No. 1 on the UK charts.

2008: ‘Sex On Fire’ by Kings Of Leon starts a month-long run at No. 1.

2011: Ice cream sales skyrocket as million of people tear up and listen to Adele’s new single, ‘Someone Like You.’

BIRTHDAYS 

Sept 14 – Amy Winehouse (1983)

Sept 16 – B.B. King (1925), Flo Rida (1979), Nick Jonas (1992)

Sept 17 – Hank Williams (1923), Baz Luhrmann (1962)

Sept 19 – Brian Epstein (1934)