Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Music History Today: May 28, 2020

May 28, 1966: Ike and Tina Turner released "River Deep, Mountain High." 
Written in the spring of 1966, "River Deep, Mountain High" originated from the pen of husband-and-wife team Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, and the producer Phil Spector.

Tina Turner caricature singing desktop wallpaper
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Tina Turner caricature singing cellphone smartphone p wallpaper
Each brought ideas to the table. Spector played guitar, Greenwich pounded the piano and Barry smacked percussion. 
Read more:U K Independent
May 28, 1945: John Fogerty was born in Berkeley, California.
"Born on the Bayou" was the B-side of “Proud Mary”, the first 45 rpm single Creedence Clearwater Revival released in 1969. It also opens the Bayou Country album. The song was going to be the first original single of the band, but radio went with “Proud Mary”.  
Read more: Electric Bayou

May 28, 1971: The Bee Gees released the single "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart," the follow-up to  their hit "Lonely Days."
The Bee Gees were the dominant chart-pop act of the ’70s, the closest thing to the Beatles that the decade had. 

Bee Gees standing in a garden
Bee Gees

No single act is ever going to tower over an entire decade the way the Beatles towered over the ’60s, but the Bee Gees’ commercial success in the ’70s is still a baffling thing to consider:  Nine #1 singles, and a grand total of 27 weeks in the top spot, as well as three #1 singles from youngest Brother Gibb Andy and a handful of huge hits that Barry Gibb wrote for other artists.    
Read More: Stereogum

May 28, 1975: The Doobie Brothers' fifth album, Stampede, was certified Gold.  
The Doobie Brothers remade "Take Me in Your Arms" for their 1975 Stampede album. Tom Johnston, who was then the Doobies' frontman, later recalled,
Doobie Brothers' album cover Stampede yellow riding horses
"I had been a fan of that song since it came out somewhere in the '60s. I just loved that song. So somewhere around '72 I started lobbying to get the band to do a cover of that. And I didn't get anywhere until '75. Then finally in 1975 we actually did it."  
Read more: Wikipedia


May 28, 1977: The Eagles were the week's biggest mover, going from 53 to 28 with "Life In The Fast Lane." 
Songs are often direct reflections of real life.

The Eagles single "Life In The Fast Lane" cover

In the case of The Eagles’ “Life in the Fast Lane,” the third single from the band’s fifth studio album, Hotel California, the song was based around an encounter musician and songwriter Glenn Frey had with a drug dealer only known as The Count.
Read more: American Songwriter


May 28, 1984: Prince released the single "When Doves Cry." It was the lead single from his sixth studio album Purple Rain.
It was during the production of “Purple Rain” that the idea for “When Doves Cry” arose. 
Prince caricature dressed in purple with bushy hair
The song was commissioned by director Albert Magnoli, who needed one more song to provide the soundtrack for a mid-movie montage that touched on the themes of the film. Prince immediately went to work by himself in the recording studio that night and came back the next day with “When Doves Cry” fully recorded and produced. 
Read more: The World


River Deep, Mountain High
Ike and Tina Turner 


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