Keefer

Keefer

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ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY: 2.15

1969 - Rolling Stone's front cover features an article on "groupies" - introducing a new term to the popular lexicon.

Some groupies become well-known in their own right, preempting the post-millennial culture of becoming "famous for being famous." Among them are Bebe Buell (the mother of Liv Tyler) and Pamela Des Barres, who writes two books on the subculture: I'm With The Band (1977) and Take Another Little Piece of My Heart: A Groupie Grows Up (1993).

As for how the word "groupie" developed a negative connotation, Pamela Des Barres says, "People just got jealous because we were getting backstage and they weren't."

1975 - John Lennon's Rock and Roll album is released. It was as an out-of-court settlement between John Lennon and an aggrieved publisher. John had been sued for using for using a Chuck Berry lyric in "Come Together": "Here come old flat-top, he come groovin' up slowly", from "Catch Me If You Can."

While slighted in some circles, Rock 'n' Roll, in fact, stands as a peak in his post-Imagine catalog: an album that catches him with nothing to prove and no need to try. Lennon blasts through the music with which he grew up with, covering Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, and others. (Photo credit should read TORU YAMANAKA/AFP via Getty Images)

1977 - Sid Vicious replaced Glen Matlock on bass with the Sex Pistols. Matlock rejoined in the 90s when the Pistol's reformed.

1987 - Ben and Jerry's introduces a new flavor: Cherry Garcia, named after the Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia. It's a blend of cherry ice cream, cherries, and fudge flakes - is the first named for a rock icon.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering how Jerry Garcia himself felt about being immortalized in an ice cream flavor, he was honored. “It’s a good flavor,” said BenCohen (the Ben of Ben & Jerry's). “Plus, he gets his royalty.”

Birthdays:

Brian Holland of Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting/production team is 83. As part of the Holland-Dozier-Holland production and songwriting axis, Brian Holland helped pioneer the classic Motown sound of the 1960s, scoring hit after hit at the helm of artists including the Supremes, the Four Tops, and Martha & the Vandellas.

By the middle of the decade, Holland-Dozier-Holland's signature "symphonic soul" sound -- a sophisticated blend of indelible melodies, propulsive rhythms, heavenly arrangements, and clever yet heartfelt lyrics -- was setting the pace for pop music everywhere.

Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos, Monsters of Folk, and Better Oblivion Community Center is 44. With his trembling voice, acoustic guitar, and confessional approach to songwriting, Conor Oberst played an important role in shaping the lighter, intimate side of indie rock during the late '90s and beyond.

Gary Clark Jr. is 40. With his acclaimed debut Blak and Blu, Gary Clark, Jr. emerged at the dawn of the 2010s as the great hope for modern electric blues. He spent the rest of the decade fulfilling that promise, both by continuing the blues-rock tradition and expanding it to encompass contemporary funk, rock, and hip-hop.

R.I.P.:

1965 - The much loved and respected crooner/jazz singer and pianist Nat King Cole died He was 48. First famous for his jazz piano stylings, he also had an unforgettable voice and was one of the first African Americans to host a national television variety show, "The Nat King Cole Show".

On This Day In Music History was sourced, copied, pasted, edited, and occasionally woven togther with my own crude prose, from This Day in Music, Song Facts, Rhino, Unofficial Martin Guitar, Allmusic, and Wikipedia.

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