January 8 Born – Luther Perkins (1928) – Country music guitarist with The Tennessee Three. Bill Graham (aka Wolodia Grajonca, 1931) Elvis Aron Presley (1935) Shirley Bassey (1937) Anthony Gourdine (1941) – Little Anthony and The Imperials. John Petersen (1942) – drummer for The Beau Brummels. Lee Jackson (1943) – The Nice. Marcus Hutson (1943) – The Whispers. Joel "Taz" DiGregorio (1944) – keyboardist for The Charlie Daniels Band. Robbie Krieger (1946) – The Doors. Terry Sylvester (1947) – The Swinging Blue Jeans. David Bowie (1947) Mike Reno (aka Joseph Michael Rynoski, 1955) – singer for Loverboy. Paul Hester (1959) – drummer for Split Enz and Crowded House. Chris Marion (1962) – session keyboardist, Little River Band. Andrew Wood (1966) – vocalist for Mother Love Bone. R. Kelly (aka Robert Sylvester, 1967) – R&B singer/songwriter/ producer. Jeff Abercrombe (1969) – bassist for Fuel.
January 8 R.I.P. – Georgie Auld (1990) – Age 71. Jazz saxophonist, Georgie Auld and His Hollywood All Stars. Steve Clark (1991) – multiple drug and alcohol overdose. Age 30. Guitarist for Def Leppard. George Handy (1997) – Age 76. Jazz composer/arranger. Laura Webb (2000) – colon cancer. Age 59. The Bobbettes. Clyde Otis (2008) – Age 83. Songwriter/producer (“It’s Just A Matter Of Time”). Cornelia Ellis Wallace (2009) – cancer. Age 69. Country singer/ songwriter with Roy Acuff. January 8 album releases – Marvin Gaye – That’s The Way Love Is (1970) The Beach Boys – Holland (1973) Yoko One – Approximately Infinite Universe (1973) U.S. Elvis Presley – Promised Land (1975) Bette Midler – Songs For The New Depression (1976) Peter Frampton – When All The Pieces Fit (1989) Gwar – Scumdogs Of The Universe (1990) Patti Smith – iTunes Originals (2008) January 8 events – 1940 – Vincent Lopez and His Orchestra record the third version of Lopez' theme song, "Nola," in Hollywood for Bluebird Records. 1944 – Billboard magazine publishes their first country music chart under the title The Most Played Juke Box Folk Records, with the #1 song being “Pistol Packin’ Mama” by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters. 1946 – Elvis Presley receives a guitar from his mother for his 11th birthday. The guitar is purchased at the Tupelo Hardware Store for $12.95. 1957 – Bill Haley and His Comets play their first date outside the U.S. when they begin their Australia tour with two sold-out shows in Newcastle. Also on the tour are LaVern Baker, The Platters, Big Joe Turner, and Freddie Bell and The Bellboys. 1957 – The Memphis Draft Board announces that Elvis Presley is classified "A1" and fit for service. 1958 – The Everly Brothers kick off a 17 date North American tour at the Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Also on the bill are Buddy Holly, The Rays, The Royal Teens, The Shepherd Sisters, Paul Anka, Margie Rayburn, and Danny and The Juniors. 1960 – Eddie Cochran holds his final recording session, and records "Three Steps To Heaven" at Gold Star in Hollywood, with The Crickets as his backing band. 1960 – On his 25th birthday, Elvis Presley does a telephone interview with Dick Clark for American Bandstand while stationed in Germany. Presley never once appeared on Bandstand. 1961 – Robert Goulet makes his first of 17 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. 1962 – Brenda Lee releases her single, “Break It To Me Gently” b/w “So Deep” on Decca Records. 1963 – The Beatles appear on the Scottish children’s television show, Roundup, lip-synching to “Please Please Me,” which is due to be released in the UK in three days. The show is filmed at Scottish Television Studios in Glasgow and is broadcast live. 1966 – Shindig airs its last episode, with guests Jackie DeShannon, The Wellingtons, The Blossoms, The Knickerbockers, Bobby Sherman, Dick and Dee Dee, and Billy Preston. 1966 – Lou Christie records "Rhapsody In The Rain" at Olmstead Sound Studios in New York. 1968 – Otis Redding's single, "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" b/w "Sweet Lorene" is posthumously released on the Volt label. 1969 – Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are barred from the exclusive Hotel Crillón in Lima, Peru for wearing "op art" pants only, and refusing to put on shirts or change clothes. 1974 – After seeing one show, Neil Bogart signs KISS to Casablanca Records. 1974 – The city of Memphis celebrates "Elvis Presley Day" with a parade down Elvis Presley Boulevard. Also, Georgia governor Jimmy Carter declares it “Elvis Presley Day” in his state, as well. 1975 – Led Zeppelin sells out three up-coming shows at Madison Square Garden in barely four hours, setting a new ticket sales record for the venue. 1979 – Rush is named Canada's official "Ambassadors of Music" by the Canadian government. 1981 – “Elvis Presley Day” is declared in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, North and South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia. 1982 – The Johnny Cash Parkway is dedicated in Hendersonville, Tennessee, making the singer the town's first living inhabitant to have a road named after him. 1983 – CBS & Sony demonstrate the "Video 45," a new 4 song video cassette. 1985 – The U.S. Postal Service issues an Elvis Presley stamp on what would have been the singer's 50th birthday. 1989 – Singer Richard Marx marries singer/dancer Cynthia Rhodes. 1993 – Loudon Wainwright III appears at The Bottom Line in New York City, and records the show for album release. 1996 – In a Los Angeles courtroom, Robert Hoskins is found guilty on five counts of stalking, assault and making terrorist threats by threatening to kill Madonna. 2001 – Karen McNeil is arrested for the second time for stalking Guns ‘N Roses singer Axl Rose when she is spotted loitering outside his house. McNeil believes that Rose communicates with her via telepathy. 2002 – Fabian gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 2004 – George Harrison's estate sues Dr. Gilbert Lederman of Staten Island University Hospital for $10 million, alleging he forced a dying Harrison to sign souvenirs for him. 2010 – Jimmy Page launches a new set of stamps in the UK which feature classic album covers from the last 40 years, including Led Zeppelin IV, Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, The Division Bell by Pink Floyd, A Rush Of Blood To The Head by Coldplay, Power, Corruption And Lies by New Order, Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones, London Calling by The Clash, Screamadelica by Primal Scream, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie, and Parklife by Blur.
