... and more October 20 birthdays –
Jelly Roll Morton (aka Ferdinand LaMothe, 1885) – Ragtime pianist/
composer.
Bill Chase (1934) – trumpeter for Chase (“Get It On”).
Wanda Jackson (1937) – Rockabilly singer/songwriter.
Kathy Kirby (1938) – British singer ("Secret Love").
Jay Siegel (1939) – The Tokens (“The Lion Sleeps Tonight”).
John Carter (aka John Shakespeare, 1942) – singer/songwriter/producer,
The Ivey League.
Larry Gronsky (1949) – keyboardist for Looking Glass (“Brandy”).
Tom Petty (1950)
Ricky Byrd (1958) – guitarist for Joan Jett and The Blackhearts.
David Ryan (1964) – drummer for The Lemonheads.
Jim “Soni” Sonefeld (1964) – drummer for Hootie & The Blowfish.
Norman Blake (1965) – Teenage Fanclub.
Snoop Dogg (aka Calvin Broadus Jr., 1971) – rapper.October 20 R.I.P. – Merle Travis (1983) – heart attack. Age 65. Country singer/songwriter (“Sixteen Tons”). Henry Vestine (1997) – heart/respiratory failure. Age 52. Guitarist for Canned Heat. Shirley Horn (2005) – stroke. Age 71. Jazz singer/pianist with Miles Davis. Paul Raven (2007) – heart attack. Age 46. Bassist for Killing Joke. October 20 album releases – Elvis Presley – Roustabout (1964) Frampton’s Camel – Frampton’s Camel (1973) Frank Zappa – Zoot Allures (1976) U2 – Boy (1980) Black Sabbath – Reunion (1988) Aerosmith – A Little South Of Sanity (1998) October 20 events – 1954 – LaVern Baker records “Tweedle Dee” with Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler producing in New York. 1955 – Brooklyn High School in Cleveland, Ohio, is host to a rock and roll concert featuring Bill Haley, LaVern Baker, Roy Hamilton, Johnnie Ray, up-and-coming artist Elvis Presley, Pat Boone, and The Four Lads. The concert is filmed for a documentary about local DJ Bill Randle, entitled The Pied Piper Of Cleveland: A Day In The Life Of A Famous Disc Jockey, but the film, which includes the very first known footage of Elvis, has never been released. 1955 – Harry Belafonte records “Day-O,” whose title is changed to “The Banana Boat Song” a year later when the song becomes popular. 1957 – Joe Bennett and The Sparkletones sing "Black Slacks" on The Ed Sullivan Show. 1961 – Eddie Holland releases his single, “Jamie” b/w “Take A Chance On Me” on Motown. 1962 – The Four Seasons release their single, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” b/ w “Connie-O.” With their previous single “Sherry” still atop the charts, “Big Girls” is released at #66 on the Billboard Hot 100. 1962 – Leroy Van Dyke becomes a member of the Grand Ole Opry. 1964 – A riot breaks at the Olympia Theatre in Paris during a Rolling Stones gig, leading to the arrest of 150 concertgoers. 1965 – The Beatles begin recording “We Can Work It Out.” 1966 – In New York, The Yardbirds - with Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck on guitars - record a version of their hit "Over Under Sideways Down" as a jingle for General Foods' Great Shakes beverages. 1966 – Del Reeves joins the Grand Ole Opry. 1967 – Monkee Davy Jones opens his Zilch boutique at 217 Thompson Street in Greenwich Village, selling "hip" clothing and accessories. 1968 – Cream plays at the International Sports Arena in San Diego, with opening act Deep Purple. 1968 – The 5th Dimension appear on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing “Sweet Blindness.” 1969 – The Who plays the first of seven nights at Fillmore East, performing Tommy in its entirety every night. 1969 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono, as the Plastic Ono Band, releases their single, “Cold Turkey” b/w “Don’t Worry, Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow)” in the U.S. 1973 – Steve Miller’s "The Joker" enters the Billboard Hot 100 at #86. 1974 – Former Animals lead singer Eric Burdon becomes a father for the first time when his wife Rose gives birth to their daughter, Mirage. The couple will later think better of it and re-name her Alexandria. 1976 – The Led Zeppelin concert movie, The Song Remains The Same, filmed during their 1973 American tour at Madison Square Garden, premieres in New York City. 1977 – Siouxsie Sioux and Kenny Morris from The Banshees are arrested and held overnight at Holloway police station in London for obstruction of justice after a London gig. 1978 – The Police make their U.S. stage debut at CBGB’s in New York. 1979 – Bob Dylan appears on Saturday Night Live and performs Christian songs from his new album. 1980 – In east suburban Nashville, legendary Bradley's Barn recording studio burns to the ground. Owner and producer Owen Bradley will rebuild. 1991 – Country singer Clint Black marries actress Lisa Hartman. They’re still married. 1994 – Bob Dylan appears at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City, and is joined on stage by Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young who perform "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" and "Highway 61 Revisited" with Dylan. 1996 – Carly Simon cancels a planned show aboard the famous cruise liner Queen Elizabeth II, docked in New York, citing severe stage fright as the reason. 1996 – Country songwriters Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison are married. 1999 – Johnny Cash is admitted to Baptist Hospital in Nashville in serious condition, battling pneumonia. 2001 – The Concert For New York City takes place at Madison Square Garden to benefit the families and victims of the 9/11 attacks. Performers at the concert include The Who, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Melissa Etheridge and many others. 2003 – Jimmy Cliff is awarded Jamaica's prestigious Order of Merit for his contributions to the world of music and movies. 2003 – A jury finds Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy guilty of assaulting toilet attendant Sophie Amogbokpa at The Drink nightclub in Guildford, Surrey, with Tweedy claiming she only punched her in self defense. 2004 – Just months after being acquitted of child molestation charges, Michael Jackson is tapped for jury duty. 2005 – Rapper Sticky Fingaz (aka Kirk Jones) is arrested after leaving an unlicensed gun in his Manhattan hotel room. 2006 – George Michael openly smokes a joint during an interview on a TV show in Madrid, Spain, where the drug is legal. 2007 – Rock music photographer Barry Feinstein, who has shot some 500 album covers, passes away at age 80. Dylan’s The Times They Are A- Changin’, George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, and Janis Joplin’s Pearl are just three of his iconic album cover photos. 2008 – Elton John appears at the Amsterdam Theatre in New York City and performs a benefit concert to celebrate the 35th anniversary of his Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album, performing the double album in its entirety.
