Today in rock history: on this date in 1980, Elvis Costello released his fourth album, Get Happy!!. Continuing to buck against the restraints of the punk rock and new wave movement from which he’d broken out of in the mid-70s, Costello decided to create an album that paid homage to soul, ska and R&B music to show his diversity and interest in other styles and genres. The album was a huge surprise to his fans and was also a big hit in both England and America. The record climbed to No. 2 in the U.K. where it achieved gold sales status and almost cracked the top 10 in the U.S. stalling at No. 11 on Billboard’s pop albums chart. The album is notable in that it contains 20 selections with each side of the single record boasting 10 songs. Costello and his fantastic backing band The Attractions covered soul classics “I Stand Accused” and “I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down” on the record as well as a slew of fresh, brand new songs for this widely praised album. In an attempt to make the record sleeve resemble an old, worn cover, the original U.K. album jacket was printed with fake ring wear around the center of the front cover to give the impression that it had been part of a collection for a long time.

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN
Here's video of (and reactions to) Aretha Franklin's insanely long national anthem today

Today in rock history: on this date in 1969, a shady Florida concert promoter from Ft. Myers duped an Ocala woman who worked as a hairdresser but had an uncanny resemblance, both physically and vocally, to Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Originally told she was being hired to perform alongside Franklin, 27 year old hair stylist Vickie Jones arrived to the gig and was informed at the last minute that she was instead hired to impersonate Aretha. Sadly, Ms. Jones was broke and had no other choice than to take the stage at a nightclub and pull off her best impression of the world-famous singer…especially after the crooked promoter threatened her with violence if she wouldn’t comply. Jones was later brought up on charges of fraud and was forced to appear in court. During the case, the judge asked her to sing and, to everyone’s surprise, the resemblance to Franklin’s powerful voice was so convincing that the judge threw the case out. Incidentally, patrons who paid to see who they thought was Aretha and the nightclub performance were so enthralled with Ms. Jones’ talents that not one attendee asked for a refund for the cover charge they’d forked out.

Today in rock history: on this date in 1975, pop and country singer Linda Ronstadt occupied both the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s pop singles chart as well as the top spot on Billboard’s pop albums chart. The gifted singer had struggled for exposure and chart positioning for many years but that all changed with her fifth solo album, the breakout hit Heart Like A Wheel. Containing a fantastic collection of compositions penned by notable songwriters, Ronstadt tackled tunes by Phil Everly, Little Feat’s Lowell George, Paul Anka and Hank Williams on this outstanding record. The album’s blockbuster hit, “You’re No Good” was originally a hit for R&B singer Dee Dee Warwick in the early 1960s but Ronstadt made it all her own thanks to her commanding, crystal clear, magnificent vocal styling. After this album exposed Linda to both pop and country audiences, she went on to become the most popular and best-selling solo female artist for the duration of the 1970s.

Today in rock history: on this date in 1969, then-budding rock and roll and culture publication Rolling Stone magazine published a front cover, feature story on the rise of groupies, female fans who made themselves available for friendship, companionship and sexual escapades with world famous rock stars. At a time when the female escorts were rising to a level of popularity close to that of the rock stars they worshipped, notorious characters like Miss Pamela Des Barres and The “Plaster Caster,” a woman whose claim to fame was creating plaster molds of the genitalia of rock stars like Jimi Hendrix and his bandmates, were recognized by the then-daring magazine. The term “groupie” came into vogue with this in-depth exposé and, before long, a rock band’s stature was measured by the level of groupies it attracted. Bands like Led Zeppelin, Humble Pie and Grand Funk were known as some of the favorites of the most well-known groupies. Grand Funk even paid homage to one of the best-known groupies, Sweet Sweet Connie, who was immortalized in a verse of the band’s 1973 blockbuster hit, “We’re An American Band.”