1965 - The Ford Motor Company became the first automaker to offer an 8-track tape player as an option for its entire line of new vehicles. Tapes were initially only available in auto-parts stores, as home 8-track equipment was still a year away.
The 8-track automobile revolution spills out of cars and into living rooms, making it a popular listening choice and a threat to vinyl, since it takes up less room and songs can be selected with the press of a button instead of the drop of a needle.
But there are some serious flaws, most glaringly the tendency of the players to chew up the tapes, leading to piles of tangled tapes on American roadsides as drivers hurl them out their windows in frustration. And because of the loop, there is no rewind. The only options the consumer has are play, fast forward, record, and program (track) change.
Plus there was only a limited time available for each track which meant sometimes a song had to be cut or just as irritating, a song would fade out, click to the next track, and fade in. If memory serves me correctly, that's what happened during the "Frankenstein" drum solo on the Edgar Winter Group's 'They Only Come Out At Night'. Do you have an 8-track memory?
I also use to hide my weed in a hollowed out copy of Robin Trower's 8-track of Bridge Of Sighs. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Webster PR)
1965 - Otis Redding released his best-selling crossover hit, Otis Blue. It's his first fully realized album, presents his talent unfettered, his direction clear, and his confidence emboldened. More than a quarter of this album is given over to Redding's versions of songs by Sam Cooke, his idol, who had died the previous December, and all three are worth owning and hearing.
Also featured are Redding's spellbinding renditions of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (a song epitomizing the fully formed Stax/Volt sound and which Mick Jagger and Keith Richards originally wrote in tribute to and imitation of Redding's style), "My Girl," and "You Don't Miss Your Water." "Respect" and "I've Been Loving You Too Long," two originals that were to loom large in his career, are here as well; the former became vastly popular in the hands of Aretha Franklin and the latter was an instant soul classic.
1970 - Vice President Spiro Agnew said in a speech that the youth of America were being "brainwashed into a drug culture" by rock music, movies, books and underground newspapers.
1993 - Steamboat Springs names their "James Brown Soul Center of the Universe Bridge" after the singer.
The town had just built a new $1.5 million bridge connecting Elk River Road and Twentymile Road. The name was chosen by a ballot in The Steamboat Pilot newspaper.
The James Brown Soul Center of the Universe won by a narrow margin, with 7,717 votes. The New Stockbridge had 7,459 votes, 2,822 ballots were for Twentymile Bridge, Ute Bridge had 2,368 votes, Bear River Bridge had 429 votes and Yahmonite Bridge had 17 votes. There 5,569 people who voted not to name the bridge at all.
Birthdays:
Signe Toly Anderson founding member of Jefferson Airplane, was born today in 1941. She sang on the first Jefferson Airplane album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, most notably on the song 'Chauffeur Blues'.
R.I.P.
2004 - Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone (John Cummings) died in Los Angeles Known for his fast, high-energy guitar playing, Johnny's style consisted of rapid downstrokes and barre chord shapes. This unique playing style, combined with heavy gain from his amplifier, created the bright, buzzsaw-like sound Johnny's guitar parts were known for, and it was highly influential on many rock guitarists.
2008 - Pink Floyd keyboard player and founding member Richard Wright died at age 65. Wright was an integral member, his keyboard work an essential part of the Pink Floyd, though his creative input lessened over the years as Waters increasingly assumed control of the band. Ultimately, Wright was kicked out of the band by Waters during the recording of The Wall and while he toured with the band in support of the album, he didn't participate in the recording of The Final Cut, the final Waters-era Pink Floyd album. In the wake of Waters' departure from Pink Floyd, Wright returned to the band for the latter-day albums A Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell
.2019 - The Cars frontman Ric Ocasek dies at 75. Born Richard Otcasek, moved from Cleveland to Boston and began playing in a folk band called Milkwood with friend Ben Orzechowski. Inspired by proto-punk outfits the Modern Lovers, the Velvet Underground, and Roxy Music, they formed Rick & the Rabbits and changed their last names from Orzechowski to Orr, and Otcasek to Ocasek.
By the mid-'70s, the new band included additional members Greg Hawkes (keyboards/synths), Elliot Easton (guitar), and former Modern Lovers member Dave Robinson (drums). Shortly thereafter, the quintet changed their name to the Cars. Their streamlined sound and look, which fit in perfectly with the burgeoning new wave movement. Signed to Elektra, the band rocketed to stardom on the strength of their classic, mega-selling self-titled debut in 1978.
Beginning in the mid-'90s, Ocasek began producing again for acts such as Bad Religion, Black 47, Johnny Bravo, D Generation, Guided by Voices, Hole, Possum Dixon, Martin Rev, Jonathan Richman, and both of Weezer's hit self-titled releases in 1994 and 2001.
On This Day In Music History was sourced from This Day in Music, Song Facts, Loudwire, Allmusic, and Wikipedia.
KBCO