Saturday, December 25, 2021

Music History Today: December 26, 2021

December 26, 1986: The Beastie Boys started their Licensed To Ill tour with a show at The Ritz in New York City.

Perhaps Licensed to Ill was inevitable -- a white group blending rock and rap, giving them the first number one album in hip-hop history. 

Beastie Boys Licensed To Ill tour
(sign up to follow by email) 
But that reading of the album's history gives short shrift to the Beastie Boys; producer Rick Rubin, and his label, Def Jam, and this remarkable record, since mixing metal and hip-hop isn't necessarily an easy thing to do.  
Read more: Allmusic

December 26, 1961: Jay & the Americans recorded "She Cried."

Jay Traynor, the singer best known for his stint as the original lead vocalist in Jay and the Americans, has passed away at the age of 69 following a struggle with liver cancer.

Jay and the Americans 1962
Jay & the Americans

Jay and the Americans rose to prominence in 1962 with the hit single 'She Cried,' which was supposed to be the B-side of their song 'Dawning' but caught on in its own right after a DJ in San Francisco decided to put it in rotation instead. When further hits failed to materialize, Traynor left the group; as he recalled in a recent interview, he needed money and wanted to avoid being drafted by the Army, so he joined the Marine Reserves instead. 

Read more: Ultimate Classic Rock

December 26, 1964: "Goin' Out of My Head" by Little Anthony and the Imperials peaked at Number 6 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart.

Goin' Out of My Head" was written by Teddy Randazzo and Bobby Weinstein. Randazzo, a childhood friend of the group, wrote the song especially for Little Anthony & the Imperials, having also supplied the group with their previous Top 20 Hit "I'm On The Outside (Looking In)". Their original recording is the most commonly known version of the song, although it's been covered by many other artists. 
Read more: Last FM

 

December 26, 1970: "Temptation Eyes" by The Grass Roots began climbing the American music chart.

"Temptation Eyes" by The Grass Roots was released on their second compilation album, More Golden Grass.

The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots

The song reached number 15 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1971. It spent 18 weeks on the charts, making it the band's single of greatest longevity, sustaining itself three weeks longer than their greatest hit, "Midnight Confessions". 
Read more: Wikipedia

 

December 26, 1998: A Country & Western cover of Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" made a huge move, from Number 72 to 49, for Mark Chesnutt on the US Pop music chart.

In December 1998, country music artist Mark Chesnutt released a cover of "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from his 1999 album of the same name. Chesnutt chose to cover the song through the suggestion of his record producer Mark Wright. According to Wright, he and Chesnutt only listened to Aerosmith's rendition twice before recording, in order to allow Chesnutt to come up with a rendition that was "his". It topped out at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. 
Read more: Wikipedia

(You Gotta) Fight For
Your Right (To Party)
Beastie Boys

No comments:

Post a Comment