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Today in rock history: On this date in 1987, Vermont-based, hippie-leaning ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry’s introduced a new flavor that paid homage to the lead singer of one of the most beloved bands of all time: The Grateful Dead. Coming from a suggestion made by one of the company’s patrons, Cherry Garcia was an obvious nod to Jerry Garcia, the frontman for San Francisco’s best-known band. Containing a combination of cherry ice cream, cherries and chocolate flakes, Cherry Garcia remains Ben & Jerry’s best-selling flavor and continues to remain a fan favorite. Another music-related flavor the company developed, Phish Food, pays homage to Phish, the Vermont-based band that boasts one of the most dedicated and loyal fan bases of all time.
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1975, Canadian-born, Italian singer Gino Vannelli became the first white recording artist to appear on an episode of Soul Train. The weekly show regularly featured black soul and R&B acts, but radio playlists and genres were widening, at the same time Vannelli’s hit, “People Gotta Move,” was riding high on R&B charts. Vannelli continued to attract multi-racial audiences throughout the 70s, and Soul Train slowly started to expand its guest rosters on the way to eventually hosting other artists with crossover appeal (David Bowie, Elton John).
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1975, Canadian rock band Rush released its second album, Fly By Night. On the heels of the band’s 1974, self-titled debut, Fly By Night attracted fans in the States thanks to a title track that enjoyed radio airplay on numerous American album-oriented rock radio stations. Significant in that it was the first Rush album to feature the songwriting and drumming talents Neil Peart (the group’s newest member at the time), Fly By Night featured Rush classics like “Anthem” and “Beneath, Between and Behind,” sold better than its predecessor and earned Rush slots opening for Aerosmith and Kiss, which were both at the height of their commercial successes.
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1954, Big Joe Turner recorded “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” which is widely considered to be one of the very first rock and roll records to ever be released. The Kansas City-based singer recorded the definitive version of the song, but Bill Haley & His Comets’ version fared better on charts. Although subtle, the song contained plenty of sexual and suggestive references that were all too clever to rile the feathers of any censors. A No. 1 hit on Billboard’s R&B chart, the song made it to the Top 20 on pop charts and was later recorded by Elvis Presley, which cemented the song’s status as one of the most recognizable song of the 1950s.
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This article appears in Feb 14-21, 2019.