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This is the week that was in matters musical…

1953, in what is now considered the golden age of vocal groups, seven of the R&B chart's Top 10 positions are occupied by doo-wop acts including The Orioles, The Clovers, The Five Royales, The Royals, The Spaniels, The Dominoes, and The Coronets …

1954, Memphis DJ Dewey Phillips secures his place in rock 'n' roll history when he spins a test pressing of Elvis Presley’s "That’s All Right" on radio station WHBQ … it’s the first time an Elvis record hits the airwaves …

1956, Elvis Presley’s much-anticipated single "Love Me Tender" notches a music biz record when advance orders for the record top one million …

1963, "She Loves You" is played on the radio by influential DJ Murray "The K" Kaufman on WINS in New York … it is the first time a Beatles song is played on U.S. airwaves … Murray later becomes a staunch Beatles advocate and supporter, helping them to break into New York and America …

1967, the previously sedate British Broadcasting Company discovers rock and launches its new BBC Radio 1 service … the first record played is The Move's "Flowers in the Rain" …

1975, soulman Jackie Wilson suffers a heart attack in mid-performance at the Latin Casino in Camden, N.J. … the singer, dubbed "Mr. Excitement," falls off the stage and strikes his head on the concrete floor, causing permanent brain damage … he lapses into a coma and spends the rest of his life hospitalized until death overtakes him in 1984 … the soul group The Spinners donate $60,000 for his medical care but much of that money is consumed in lawyer's fees due to relatives tussling over control of Wilson's estate … the singer will be laid to rest in an unmarked grave … the Wilson family is haunted by tragedy … son Jackie Jr. was killed in 1970 during a burglary, daughter Sandra will die of a heart attack in 1977, and daughter Jacqueline will be shot to death in a 1987 drive-by shooting …

1976, Jerry Lee Lewis nearly lives up to his nickname while taking a little target practice at a soda bottle with his .357 magnum … The Killer completely misses the bottle and shoots his bass player, Norman "Butch" Owens, twice in the chest … Owens reportedly clutches his chest and staggers out onto the front porch before collapsing … Owens lives to sue Lewis, who is charged with shooting a firearm within city limits …

1982, the first compact discs and players hit the market in Japan … a joint venture between Sony and Philips, the CD will become a dominant musical format within five years …

1988, Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy" becomes the first a capella song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 … the single will also land George Bush the elder in hot water when he uses it in his presidential campaign without permission … in 2008, Billboard listed the tune in its top ten One Hit Wonders from the last 50 years … McFerrin, a classically trained musician and conductor, later expresses reservations about the single, saying "It's not that I don't love the song. My songs are like my children: some you want around and some you want to send off to college as soon as possible." …

1991, arguably one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, the legendary Miles Davis leaves this mortal coil …

1996, Smashing Pumpkins get off to a delayed tour start … the band needed extra time to integrate former Filter drummer Matt Walker and former Frogs' keyboardist Dennis Flemion … the pair replace former keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin who died three months earlier from a heroin OD and drummer Jimmie Chamberlin who was canned following a drug possession bust … leader Billie Corgan will later acknowledge the replacements were a bad idea that hurt the band’s music and reputation … in 1999 a rehabilitated Chamberlin will rejoin the Pumpkins …

1997, the Audio Engineering Society unveils the new DVD Audio format in New York …

1998, rock fan Drew Carey hosts a truckload of big-name musicians on The Drew Carey Show in an episode titled "La Ramada Vida"… they all appear as themselves to try out for lead guitarist of Carey's band … the list includes Joey Ramone, Slash, Dusty Hill, Roy Clark, Jonny Lang, Lisa Loeb, Matthew Sweet, Dave Mustaine, Rick Nielsen, and Joe Walsh …

2004, Dolly Parton, who is considering breast-reduction surgery, complains, "My boobs are killing me and I don’t know if I can stand the pain any longer." …

2005, while touring, Paul McCartney sings his reportedly anti-Yoko song from 1971 "Too Many People" … a few days later, while accepting a posthumous tribute for John Lennon at the Q Awards in London, Ono recounts how her late husband asked why his songs were not covered as extensively as McCartney’s, to which she had replied, "You’re a good songwriter, it’s not just 'June' and 'spoon' that you write"… later, she comments on her earlier remarks saying, "I certainly did not mean to hurt Paul, and if I did, I’m very sorry." …

2006, choreographer Twyla Tharp's musical, The Times They Are A-Changin', previews on Broadway … the show features 25 Dylan songs including some obscurites … Dylan was reportedly impressed with the show when he attended a dress rehearsal earlier in San Diego … the show's band includes J.J. Jackson who played guitar for Dylan during the '90s … the musical will fold after just 28 performances and deadly reviews … a move that worked for Dylan also works for veteran soul man Solomon Burke when he releases Nashville, a collection of rootsy country tunes recorded in producer Buddy Miller's Nashville home … the record gets rave reviews and features Dolly Parton, Gillian Welch, Patty Griffin, and Patty Loveless backing up the "The Bishop of Soul" and his weathered, yet still resonant, voice … following a six-month hiatus prompted by Steven Tyler's surgery for a broken blood vessel in his larynx and bassman Tom Hamilton's chemo treatments for throat cancer, Aerosmith reunites for a show at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts … it's been a tough year for the band with Tyler slicing his hand while opening a suitcase and battling hepatitis C …

2007, Van Halen kicks off its first reunion tour since 1984 in Charlotte, North Carolina with David Lee Roth aboard … the band rips through a best-of set list with Eddie Van Halen and Roth bouncing off each other without a hint of the bad blood that has existed between the pair for decades … Eric Clapton's Clapton: the Autobiography is released … the guitar maestro candidly addresses the highs and lows of his career and life including marital troubles, drug and alcohol problems, and the death of his son …

2008, E Street Band axeman Nils Lofgren undergoes double hip replacement surgery …

And that was the week that was.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

hahahah, please Dolly NO!!! Leave the girls alone!

Thanks Mike, very informative!

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

As usual Mike I appreciate you posting this info!

It always makes me feel old reading some of these things....wait....I am old.

_________________
Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Mike I know that took some effort to write all that but I have to say I enjoyed it immensly. Wow the Jackie Wilson family tradgedies were off the chart and I did not know he was in a coma like that. I always thought he just had a heart attack and not one while performing. A truly great artist and an ex pug to boot.