Today in rock history: on this date in 1942, Carole King, one of the most successful female musical artists of all time, was born in New York City. Starting out as a songwriter and penning several hit songs for other artists with her co-writer and husband Gerry Goffin, King had already made a name for herself as an accomplished songwriter throughout the 1960s. She also scored big when she opted for a solo career as a singer when her second album, 1971s Tapestry became one of the best-selling albums of all time on the way to topping Billboard charts for 15 weeks throughout the year of its release. King has had a hand in writing over 100 charting pop hits from the 1950s through the end of the 90s. King (born Carol Joan Klein) is the recipient of several Grammy awards and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Some of King’s best-known compositions include pop classics like “You’ve Got a Friend,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “It’s Too Late”.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1964, one of the most historic and significant televised music-related events occurred. Marking the official start of “Beatlemania,” the term used to describe the sheer pandemonium that broke out whenever Liverpool foursome the Beatles performed, the band became instant stars thanks to its appearance on the weekly TV variety show, "The Ed Sullivan Show.” The estimated total number of viewers who tuned in for this momentous event topped 73 million Americans, roughly three-fourths of the total number of U.S. television audience. The band performed five songs for its American television debut: “All My Loving,” “Till There Was You,” “She Loves You,” “I Saw Her Standing There” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand” Almost all the performances were drowned out by a wall of screams and shrieks that emerged from the mostly teenage female admirers who made up the live audience for which the band performed. With this one appearance, the face and the complexion of rock and roll music had changed and The Beatles became the most popular band in the world.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1983, Minneapolis, Minnesota’s musical genius, Prince, released “Little Red Corvette,” the second single from his stellar 1982 2-LP set, 1999. His biggest and most successful hit single to that point, the slow, building, seductive track was Prince’s very first single to reach the top 10 on Billboard’s pop singles chart in America. The song was also the first Prince single to perform better on pop charts than on R&B charts, a feat that had never occurred prior to this. The chart performance only served as proof that the young singer/songwriter/musician/producer was on his way to super-stardom. Of local interest, the memorable music video — which depicts the artist performing and dancing across a huge, empty stage — was filmed at the former hotbed for concerts in the area, the Lakeland Civic Center. While rehearsing for his enormous world tour to support the 1999 album, Prince filmed this now legendary video at the venue where the second leg of tour would kick off on February 1, 1983.
YOU MAKIN' MY DREAMS COME TRUE
Hall & Oates and Train will play Amalie Arena on June 22
Today in rock history: on this date in 1974, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania blue-eyed soul duo Daryl Hall and John Oates released its first hit single, which drew attention to the duo's unique sound: “She’s Gone” was plucked from the pair’s superb second album, Abandoned Luncheonette and was a moderate hit on pop charts. The single was a massive hit in the Philadelphia area. Later that year, Rhode Island based R&B singing group Tavares covered “She’s Gone” and took it all the way to No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart. Success would come for Hall and Oates a few years later when its blockbuster hit “Sara Smile” would make the act superstars, prompting the re-release of “She’s Gone” which would then peak at No. 7 on Billboard’s pop chart. The song is one of Daryl and John’s most recognizable hits and has remained a staple in their live concerts since its initial release. As you can see above, Hall and Oates is set to play Tampa's Amalie Arena on June 22.
