... and more August 15 birthdays –
Léon Theremin (1896) – inventor.
Hugo Winterhalter (1909) – musician/arranger (“Canadian Sunset”).
Buster Brown (1911) – R&B singer ("Fannie Mae").
Oscar Peterson (1925) – Jazz pianist/composer.
Bill Pinkney (1925) – The Drifters.
Rose Maddox (aka Roselea Brogdon, 1925) – Country music singer ("Sing
A Little Song Of Heartache").
Jackie Brenston (1930) – R&B singer (“Rocket 88”).
Floyd Ashton (1933) – The Tams.
Nesbert "Stix" Hooper (1938) – drummer for The Crusaders.
Shirley "Shan" Palmer (1938) – The Kaye Sisters.
Don Rich (1941) – guitarist/fiddler for Buck Owens and The Buckaroos.
Jimmy Webb (1946) – songwriter.
Tom Johnston (1948) – guitarist/vocalist for The Doobie Brothers.
Kate Taylor (1949) – Folk singer.
Bobby Caldwell (1951) – singer/songwriter/producer (“What You Won’t Do
For Love”).
Matt Johnson (1961) – singer for The The.
Marcia Schofield (1962) – keyboardist for The Fall.
August 15 R.I.P. –
"Big" Bill Broonzy (1958) – throat cancer. Age 55. Country blues
singer/songwriter.
Thomas Wayne (1971) – car crash. Age 31. Singer ("Tragedy").
Norman Petty (1984) – leukemia. Age 57. Songwriter/producer, recording
studio owner ("Mood Indigo").
Rudy Collins (1988) – Age 54. Jazz drummer with Dizzy Gillespie and
Herbie Mann.
Lew DeWitt (1990) – Crohn's disease. Age 52. The Statler Brothers.
Jackie Edwards (1992) – heart attack. Age 54. Jamaican songwriter
(“Keep On Running”).
Ed Roberts (1993) – cancer. Age 57. Ruby and The Romantics.
Jerry Wexler (2008) – congestive heart failure. Age 91. Music
journalist/producer.
August 15 album releases –
Fleetwood Mac – The Pious Bird Of Good Omen (1969)
The Band – Rock Of Ages: The Band In Concert (1972)
Rod Stewart – Atlantic Crossing (1975)
Led Zeppelin – In Through The Out Door (1979)
America – Alibi (1980)
The Cars – Panorama (1980)
The Pretenders – Pretenders II (1981) U.S.
The Kinks – Give The People What They Want (1981) U.S.
AC/DC – Flick Of The Switch (1983)
Cheap Trick – Next Position Please (1983)
Dio – Sacred Heart (1985)
Brian Wilson – I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times (1995)
Garbage – Garbage (1995)
August 15 events –
1939 – The Wizard Of Oz has its Hollywood premiere at Grauman’s
Chinese Theatre.
1955 – After RCA bids $20,000 to land a contract with Elvis Presley,
Columbia A&R man (and anti rock and roller) Mitch Miller claims, “No
singer is worth that much.”
1955 – Frank Sinatra records “Love And Marriage” in L.A.
1958 – Buddy Holly marries Maria Elena Santiago in his family home in
Lubbuck, Texas.
1963 – The Four Seasons headline a show in Dundas, Ontario in Canada,
with supporting acts Dionne Warwick, The Chiffons, Randy and The
Rainbows, Johnny Cymbal and Bob B. Soxx and The Blue Jeans.
1964 – After the massive success of the Beatles' film, A Hard Day's
Night, United Artists rushes to sign The Dave Clark 5 to a film
project entitled Catch Us If You Can.
1964 – Dean Martin knocks The Beatles out of the #1 spot on the Hot
100 with his hit, “Everybody Loves Somebody.”
1965 – The Beatles begin their second U.S. tour at sold out Shea
Stadium, setting a world attendance record. Opening acts on the tour
include Brenda Holloway, Cannibal and The Headhunters, King Curtis,
and Sounds Incorporated.
1965 – Otis Redding releases his single, “Respect” b/w “Ole Man
Trouble” on the Stax label.
1966 – The Beatles play at D.C. Stadium in Washington, D.C. Prior to
the concert, the Ku Klux Klan holds a parade in front of the stadium
to protest Lennon’s blasphemous Jesus comment.
1966 – Bobby Darin records “If I Were A Carpenter” in L.A.
1967 – Fleetwood Mac makes their club debut at the Marquee in London.
1968 – The Beatles record “Rocky Raccoon.” It is the last Beatles song
to feature Lennon on harmonica.
1969 – Led Zeppelin declines to play at Woodstock for a more lucrative
gig at the Hemisfair Arena in San Antonio, where they earn $30,000.
Jethro Tull opens the show.
1973 – Baltimore, Maryland declares the day “Cass Elliott Day” in
honor of the native singer.
1980 – George Harrison’s autobiography, I Me Mine, hits bookshelves.
1980 – John Lennon begins recording his final album at the Record
Plant in New York City.
1991 – Paul Simon gives a free concert in Central Park.
1995 – The Clarence, a Dublin hotel owned by U2’s Bono and The Edge,
burns out of control for three hours and sustains major fire damage.
The Kitchen nightclub, located in the same building, is also damaged
by fire.
1998 – Reba McEntire is given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2005 – Sly Stone emerges from seclusion and drives his younger sister,
Vet Stone, on his motorcycle to Los Angeles' Knitting Factory, where
Vet is performing with her edition of Sly & The Family Stone.
2007 – The Osmonds reunite for the first time in over twenty years to
celebrate their 50th anniversary in show business at The Orleans in
Las Vegas. The event is taped for broadcast by PBS.
2007 – 16 John Lennon albums become available for download on iTunes.
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Events correction --
The Bob Dylan album Slow Train Coming was released on August 20, 1979.
