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Today in rock history: On this date in 1956, a totally impromptu and unplanned occurrence took place at the famed Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. “Blue Suede Shoes” recording star Carl Perkins was in the studio at the same time as a brand new up-and-coming rock and roll pianist named Jerry Lee Lewis. By pure coincidence, Elvis Presley — who’d recently made his way from being a Sun Records artist to joining the roster at the much larger RCA Records — stopped by. Soon after, future country music legend Johnny Cash appeared and the rest is history. The group of musicians began jamming and running through a variety of songs together. Luckily, the session was recorded and would later be released to the public. Dubbed the “Million Dollar Quartet,” the sessions that were captured featured the group’s renditions of several rock and roll and gospel songs. Released many years after the event took place, the recordings of this completely spontaneous and once-in-a-lifetime event have been treasured by fans of the four artists involved for many years.
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1993, rock innovator and founder of 1960s band The Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa, passed away in Los Angeles after a long bout with prostate cancer. Boasting one of the most prolific and massive catalogs as a solo artist, Zappa was a highly influential and revered musician and composer whose work continues to inspire and amaze listeners 25 years after his passing.
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1976, phenomenal young guitarist Tommy Bolin died from a drug overdose. The respected musician had served stints with bands Zephyr and James Gang before being asked to join legendary hard rock band Deep Purple. Bolin appeared on and wrote many of the compositions from Purple’s fine 1975 album Come Taste the Band while also working on solo projects of his own (including his heralded album Teaser). Touring on his own as an opening act for Jeff Beck and Peter Frampton, Bolin passed away hours after playing a tour stop in Miami, Florida. The 25-year old guitar hero had eerily mentioned to a newspaper reporter who’d interviewed him at the conclusion of the concert that he’d “be around for a long time."
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1948, John Lyon, better known by his stage name, Southside Johnny, was born in Neptune, New Jersey. An integral part of the Jersey sound, Lyon's first album with his dynamic, horn-driven band The Asbury Jukes (I Don’t Want to Go Home was released in 1976) boasted a sound heavily influenced by R&B. Produced by Bruce Springsteen band member Steven Van Zandt — who also wrote the album’s title track — Lyon used this album to start a long string of albums that would come to define the music of the Garden State. Still touring and recording, Lyon has been regarded as one of the most engaging live performers to emerge from New Jersey. He turns 70 years old today.
This article appears in Nov 29 – Dec 6, 2018.