1962 - The first photo of the Beatles (in the final four formation with Ringo on drums) was taken on August 22, 1962. The last was taken exactly seven years later, on August 22, 1969.
Photos from that session are used on the front and back covers of their Hey Jude compilation album.
1968 - Ringo Starr quit The Beatles during The White Album sessions when the constant bickering and tension became too much for him. The news of Ringo's departure was kept secret, and he rejoined the sessions on September 3rd. After Ringo walked out, the remaining Beatles recorded "Back In the USSR", with Paul on drums and John playing bass.
1970 - Derek & the Dominos begin recording their famous album, Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs. The band features Eric Clapton ( and Duane Allman) who in an attempt to lay low, downplays his involvement.
1979 - Led Zeppelin released In Through The Out Door in the U.S.. The record cover was one of the most expensive and elaborate covers ever produced (moisten the inside sleeve artwork and it turns colors).
1986 - The movie Stand By Me is released in theaters. It's based on a novella by Stephen King called The Body, but director Rob Reiner decides to name it after the famous song to play up the friendship storyline and keep it from sounding like a slasher film.
The movie is a commercial and critical success, and the song, originally sung by Ben E. King in 1961, is re-released to tie in.
Birthdays:
John Lee Hooker was born today in 1917. John Lee Hooker was the king of the endless boogie, a globally cherished bluesman whose droning, hypnotic, one-chord grooves were driving, primitive, and timeless. During a 50-year career, he melded regional sounds from the Delta, Detroit, and Chicago in a trademark, oft-imitated approach. Photo by BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images)
Roland Orzabal (Tears For Fears) is 62. Tears for Fears were always more ambitious than the average synth pop group. From the beginning, the duo of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith were tackling big subjects -- their very name derived from Arthur Janov's primal scream therapy, and his theories were evident throughout their debut, The Hurting. Driven by catchy, infectious synth pop, The Hurting became a big hit in their native England, setting the stage for international stardom with their second album, 1985's Songs from the Big Chair.
Tori Amos is 60. She was one of several female artists who combined the stark, lyrical attack of '90s alternative rock with a distinctly '70s musical approach, creating music that fell between the orchestrated meditations of Kate Bush and the stripped-down poetics of Joni Mitchell. In addition to reviving those singer/songwriter traditions of the '70s, she also reestablished the piano as a rock & roll instrument, commanding the keys with both intimacy and aggression.
Donna Jean Godchaux, the only female member of the Grateful Dead, is 75. As the only woman officially billed with the Grateful Dead, Donna Jean Godchaux held her own on-stage with the rest of the boys. However, her history as a singer isn't relegated to jam band history. Her backing vocals can be found on all kinds of records before and after her stint with the Dead.
Godchaux started out as a session singer in Muscle Shoals, AL, then moved on to Memphis and Nashville and then finally to the West Coast. She's credited as Donna Thatcher on Cher's 1969 release 3614 Jackson Highway, as well as on Elvis Presley's From Elvis in Memphis and Elvis Back in Memphis albums, among others.
R.I.P.:
2011 - The music world lost two of its greatest songwriters: Jerry Leiber, who died at 78, and Nicholas Ashford, who died at 70. Leiber formed a highly-successful creative partnership with Mike Stoller. Together, they penned such hits as “Hound Dog” (made famous first by Big Mama Thornton, followed by Elvis Presley) “Jailhouse Rock” (Presley), “Poison Ivy” (The Coasters) and “Stand By Me,” written alongside singer Ben E. King. Ashford, meanwhile, was best known for his work alongside his former wife, Valerie Simpson. Together, they wrote such notable singles as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” (both made famous by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell), and “I’m Every Woman,” which Chaka Khan made her signature hit in 1978. The couple also enjoyed a successful recording career, scoring hits with “Found A Cure” (1979) and “Solid” (1984).
2018 - Ed King died in his Nashville, Tennessee, home at 68 years of age. He was a guitarist for the psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock and guitarist and bassist for the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 to 1975 and again from 1987 to 1996.
2004 - 81 year old Al Dvorin, the announcer who became synonymous with the phrase "Elvis has left the building," was killed in a car crash on the way home from an Elvis convention in California. He had been asked to announce his now famous words by Colonel Tom Parker, who wanted to inform concert goers that Elvis would not return for an encore.
On This Day In Music History was sourced from This Day in Music, Allmusic, Classic Bands, Song Facts and Wikipedia.
KBCO