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Today in rock history: On this date in 1980, 9 to 5 premiered in movie theaters across America. The film found Dolly Parton — already a country music superstar — making her acting debut with a starring role alongside Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda. Parton made quite a splash in the film as the feisty secretary who was anything but the stereotypical Southern belle. The film grossed more than $100 million dollars and introduced Parton to moviegoers who may not have been familiar with her before. The movie's title song was written and performed by Parton, and it became a No. 1 hit on Billboard’s pop singles and country charts. The Academy Award-nominated tune became one of Dolly’s biggest international hits and earned her two Grammy awards. The simulated sounds of a typewriter that open the song are actually the tapping of Dolly’s long fingernails — an idea she came up with while recording the tune.
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Today in rock history: On this date in 2000, Roebuck “Pops” Staples — patriarch of the gospel family singing group, The Staple Singers — passed away at the age of 85. One of the key figures in the history of gospel music and the 1960s Civil Rights movement, “Pops” put the group of talented children together and made an indelible mark in bringing gospel music to the masses. The group reached great heights in the 1970s when it scored R&B and pop hits with soulful records like “I’ll Take You There,” “Respect Yourself” and “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me).” The Staple Singers were introduced to a totally new audience thanks to Martin Scorsese's 1978 concert documentary film The Last Waltz (they performed “The Weight” with The Band). "Pops" — who was heavily influenced by the writing and the music of Bob Dylan — fell and suffered a concussion that ultimately lead to his death just a few weeks before his 86th birthday.
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1944, Graham Anthony Barnes, better known by his stage name, Alvin Lee, was born in Nottingham, England. The founder and guitarist of blues-influenced hard-rock band Ten Years After, Lee began playing guitar at the age of 13, was soon recognized as a virtuoso and made his mark with the band’s 1967 self-titled debut album. The band’s breakthrough came when it was asked to participate in the Woodstock music festival of August 1969. Although the band’s performance was cited as one of the very best of the three-day festival, it took the release of the Woodstock documentary to bring the enormous power and grit of Lee to the attention of music fans. Continuing to write and record right up until his passing in 2013, Lee remains a massive influence on guitarists and is often regarded as the inspiration for the term “shredder” that relates to lightning fast and precise guitar players.
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1941, singer, producer, songwriter and arranger Maurice White was born in Memphis, Tennessee. As the leader and the founder of the extraordinary Earth, Wind & Fire, White was no stranger to pop and soul charts throughout the '70s and '80s. Possessing a strong, commanding voice and dynamic stage presence, White led EW&F through many successful concert tours. Before EW&F, White served as a session musician for the legendary Chess Records label while living in Chicago, Illinois where he played drums on records by Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy, to name a few. White won seven Grammy awards as part of Earth, Wind & Fire and scored countless hits with classic songs like “That’s The Way of The World,” “September,” “Fantasy,” “Let’s Groove” and “Boogie Wonderland,” among many others. White stopped touring and performing with the band in 1994 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which killed him in 2016 at the age of 74.
This article appears in Dec 13-20, 2018.