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Today in rock history: On this date in 1973, The Rolling Stones released “Angie,” one of its best-loved ballads, as a single. The record was released just weeks before the album from which it hails, Goat’s Head Soup, hit record store shelves. Much speculation has been made about the origin of the title; for many years, it was believed that the song was written with Angela Bowie, the former wife of rock icon David Bowie, in mind. Although the song was credited as being written by the well-known songwriting pair in the band, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song was written mostly by Keith himself. Richards later made it known that the title was chosen randomly and that it wasn’t about any one person in particular. The song was a huge hit all over the world. It went all the way to the No. 1 spot on sales charts in countries like Belgium, Canada, France and the United States to name a few. “Angie” also sold more than 1 million copies in the U.S. alone and has been played often during many of the band’s world tours since its release.
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1979, Bob Dylan released his 19th album, Slow Train Coming. Coming at a time when the highly respected singer and songwriter was mired in poor reviews both for his previous album (1978’s Street Legal) and his recent concert/documentary film (Renaldo and Clara). The backlash didn’t stop there. Having recently converted to Christianity, Slow Train Coming was the first in a series of albums that would delve heavily into Bob’s newfound faith as evidenced through the songs and the subject matter he starting including in his compositions. While the album was renounced by plenty of journalists and longtime fans, many followers of Christian music jumped on board the Dylan bandwagon and expressed delight with his new direction. Co-produced by the great Jerry Wexler, known for his work with many great R&B artists like Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, the album has aged well and sounds fresh thanks to Dylan’s stellar performances throughout as well as the tasty guitar work provided by the great Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame. The album’s first single, the gospel-tinged “Gotta Serve Somebody,” proved to be a hit single for Dylan and the album performed incredibly well on American sales charts. Slow Train Coming climbed all the way to No. 3 on Billboard’s pop albums charts, sold in excess of 1million copies and earned Bob a Grammy award. Dylan comes to Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall on October 20 — more info on the show is available here.
BOOKS ISSUE 2017
Review: The real Isaac Hayes gets shine in The Spirit of Memphis
Today in rock history: On this date in 1942, the late, great Isaac Hayes was born in Covington, Tennessee. Beginning his musical career mainly as a songwriter, musician and record producer, Hayes and early songwriting partner David Porter gained fame and notoriety for writing scores of great, classic soul songs for artists like Carla Thomas and Sam & Dave. “Soul Man,” one of the most well-known and recognizable R&B songs of all time, is probably Hayes’s best-known composition from the days when he was writing for other artists. He’d soon pursue his own musical career and reach incredible heights with his 1971 score and soundtrack for the film, Shaft. Hayes’s work on that soundtrack gained him an Academy Award, making him one of the very first African-American artists to ever win an Oscar. As his musical career continued to soar in the early 1970s, Hayes would release more classic albums, and he would later take up acting and voiceover work that showed off his deep, booming voice with his most recognizable role coming as the voice of Chef on long-running animated series South Park. Hayes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and stayed active right up to his untimely death in 2008 at the age of 65.
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1948, the amazing Robert Plant was born in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England. Developing a love of music as a child, Plant was heavily influenced by Elvis Presley before diving into the music of blues greats like Robert Johnson and Willie Dixon by his teen years. A member of a band called Band of Joy in the late 1960s, Plant eventually got the nod from guitarist Jimmy Page, who’d decided to form a new band after his stint with The Yardbirds. Plant’s powerful voice, his rock star looks and his songwriting abilities were all positives, and those qualities all helped him stand out as the focal point of Led Zeppelin, one of the most popular and best-selling rock and roll bands of all time. As one of the most exciting and commanding rock and roll frontmen to ever grace a concert stage, Plant soon got labeled as the “rock god” thanks to his overwhelming presence and his charisma. A string of multiplatinum albums and successful concert tours with Led Zep came to an end at the dawn of the 1980s when the band’s drummer, John Bonham, passed away. Plant has since continued to work and stay active and has released several solo albums that continue to show off his many talents. Collaborations have also been common for Plant, who has worked with side band The Honeydrippers, occasionally with former bandmate Jimmy Page as well as with bluegrass star Alison Krauss, with whom he recorded the Grammy-winning album, 2007’s Raising Sand. Plant turns 70 years old today.
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This article appears in Aug 16-23, 2018.
