Keefer

Keefer

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ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY: 10.6

1969 - George Harrison's song "Something" was released as the A-side of a Beatles' 45, a first for Harrison.

It seemed to be inspired by Harrison's wife, Pattie. When asked in 1969 by BBC presenter David Wigg if she inspired the song, Harrison dithered, saying, "Maybe Pattie, probably."

Later he said its original intent was as a devotion to Lord Krishna. In fact, the lyric was "something in the way HE moves," but George ended up changing it.

Frank Sinatra called this "The greatest love song ever written."

1972 - During sessions at RCA Studios, New York City, David Bowie recorded "The Jean Genie", which became the lead single from his 1973 album Aladdin Sane. The line "He's so simple minded, he can't drive his module" would later give the band Simple Minds their name.

2011 - Starship's "We Built This City" was named "the worst song of the 1980s" in a poll by Rolling Stone magazine. "The Final Countdown" by the Swedish band Europe came in second and "Lady in Red" by Chris de Burgh was third. Also, making the top (?) five were Wham!'s "Wake Me Up (Before You Go Go)" and "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats.

2016 - Prince's Paisley Park compound opened to the public almost six months after his passing. Graceland Holdings, the company that has managed Elvis Presley's Graceland since 1982, announced it would organize the tours. The 65,000-square-foot complex acts as both a museum and a memorial of Prince. Inside artifacts of Prince's life are on display to be viewed on guided tours. The complex also contains two live music venues and Paisley Park Studio's which are still used by musicians to record today. Prince's intention before his death was to establish Paisley Park as a public venue like Graceland.

Birthdays:

Tommy Stinson of The Replacements is 57. The Replacements were one of the definitive American alternative rock groups. He joined Guns N' Roses. in 1998. He also formed Bash & Pop.

Los Lobos frontman David Hidalgo is 69. One of America's most venerated bands since they gained a national audience in the mid-'80s, Los Lobos were seasoned musical veterans with nearly 15 years of experience under their belts when they scored their first hit in 1987 with a cover of Richie Valens' "La Bamba." Though their time as pop stars was short, the group -- who enjoy calling themselves "just another band from East L.A." -- won over critics and a legion of loyal fans with their bracing mixture of rock, blues, Tex-Mex, country, R&B, and folk influences.

Matthew Sweet is 59. An artist who skillfully navigates the line between the power pop underground and the mainstream end of alternative rock, Matthew Sweet was a master of potent pop tunes and catchy melodic hooks, but he also knew how to make his songs rock, and his inspired use of incisive guitar work gave his songs an edge that was fresh and satisfying. Essential album: 1991's "Girlfriend".

R.I.P.:

2019 - Cream founder, drummer, and one time Colorado resident, Ginger Baker passed away on this day in 2019 at the age of 80. Baker struggled with heroin addiction throughout his life, and in February of 2016, was diagnosed with "serious heart issues" and cancelled all future gigs. Writing on his blog, he said, "Just seen doctor ... big shock ... no more gigs for this old drummer ... everything is off ... of all things I never thought it would be my heart".

Ginger Baker was rock's first superstar drummer and the most influential percussionist of the 1960s. There were other drummers who were well-known to the public before him, but they were famous primarily for the groups in which they played and for attributes beyond their musicianship. Baker made his name entirely on his playing, initially as showcased in Cream, but far transcending even that trio's relatively brief existence.

He and his wife, Karen, founded the Mile High Polo Club, an organization whose board of directors included avid polo fan/gonzo laureate Hunter Thompson and Denver trumpeter Ron Miles.

2020 - Eddie Van Halen, the revered guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Van Halen died at the age of 65. Eddie Van Halen belongs in a rarefied group of musicians who changed the very notion of the possibilities of their chosen instrument. In Van Halen's case, he was a guitarist of superlative imagination and skill, innovating and introducing a number of techniques that would soon become part of the arsenal of many guitarists, including finger-tapping, hammer-ons, and dive bombs on a whammy bar.

2020 - American singer-songwriter Johnny Nash died of natural causes age 80. He is best known for his 1972 hit 'I Can See Clearly Now'. Primarily a reggae and pop singer, he was one of the first non-Jamaican artists to record reggae music in Kingston.

On This Day In Music History was sourced from This Day in Music, Song Facts, Allmusic, Westword, and Wikipedia.

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