Music History Today: August 25, 2020

August 25, 1949: Gene Simmons (of KISS) is born Chaim Weitz in Haifa, Israel.

Musician Gene Simmons first decided he wanted to be in a band while in middle school, after watching girls scream at The Beatles on television. 

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Gene Simmons

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Gene Simmons

He was in several bands before co-founding KISS with Paul Stanley in the 1970s. Simmons later pursued interests in fashion, publishing and acting, and starred in the A&E reality TV show Gene Simmons Family Jewels. 

Read more:  Biography

August 25, 1962: "The Loco-Motion," written by Carole King, became the new Number 1 R&B song. 

When Carole King and Gerry Goffin wrote “The Loco-Motion,” they had the idea that Dee Dee Sharp, who’d already had a dance-craze hit with “Mashed Potato Time,” might sing it. But Sharp passed, so they ended up recording a version of the song with Eva Boyd, their 17-year-old babysitter, singing it.  

Read more: Stereogum

August 25; 1967: Jimmy Page's band The Yardbirds play the Village Theatre  in New York City, where their opening act, Jake Holmes, plays his song "Dazed And Confused."

In June 2010, folk singer Jake Holmes filed a controversial lawsuit against the band Led Zeppelin, alleging copyright infringement and naming the guitarist Jimmy Page as a co-defendant. 

Robert Plant & Jimmy Pagr

Holmes was pursuing Jimmy Page and Led Zepp’s labels for at least $1 million in authorship damages, claiming that the band stole his song “Dazed and Confused,” their psychedelic staple and a favorite of classic rock radio for years. "The lawsuit was “dismissed with prejudice” and settled out of court between Page and Holmes for an undisclosed amount in 2011. 

Read more: The Vintage News

August 25; 1976: Boston releases their self-titled album, which will become the best-selling, debut Rock album of all time.

There's a lot to be said for the guiding hand of an A&R executive while an artist is working on new material. But every so often, an artist manages to make a perfect statement without any help from anyone at a label. Boston mastermind Tom Scholz served up a multi-platinum example with his band's debut record in 1976. 

Read More: Ultimate Classic Rock

August 25: 1979: The Knack's tune "My Sharona" reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 where it would remain for six weeks.

The real-life girl at the center of the Knack's smash hit 'My Sharona' was only 17. Now, to be fair, Knack singer Doug Fieger was only 25 at the time, and the couple -- that's her, Sharona Alperin, on the single's cover -- ended up dating for several years.  

Read more: Ultimate Classic Rock

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