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‘That Wasn't Encore Applause’: Bill Graham's Backstage Battles at Fillmore East
Bill Graham left an indelible mark on the rock music industry with his Fillmore East and West concert halls, eclectic show lineups, and mega-sized concerts he staged until his death in 1991 in a helicopter crash.
Country Joe McDonald was a mainstay of Graham’s San Francisco and New York City venues as the leader of Country Joe & the Fish and as a solo performer. McDonald was one of the musicians chosen by Graham for the star-studded closing of Fillmore East on June 27, 1971.

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 28, 20252 min read


How the Beatles’ Shortest Song Accidently Ended Up on ‘Abbey Road’
At 23 seconds long, “Her Majesty” is the shortest tune in the Beatles catalog. Written by Paul McCartney, the song was intended to fit between “Mean Mr. Mustard” and “Polythene Pam” in the Abbey Road medley.

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 26, 20252 min read


Think You Know Rock & Roll? Take This Rock Quiz!
Think You Know Rock & Roll? Take This Rock Quiz!

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 23, 20251 min read


The Who and Cream’s US Debut Was on the Same Bill
Murray the K presented the last of his package shows for nine days beginning March 25, 1967, at the RKO 58th Street theater at 154 East 58th Street in Manhattan. Billed as “Music in the Fifth Dimension,” the headliners were Mitch Ryder and Wilson Pickett. “Direct from England” were two bands making their American debuts: The Who and Cream, who were billed as “The Cream.”

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 22, 20253 min read


Sam the Sham Lures 'Li'l Red Riding Hood' into the Top 10
“Lil’ Red Riding Hood” was the second Top 10 hit for Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, their follow-up to “Wooly Bully.” The 1966 novelty tune, written by Ron Blackwell, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Lil’ Red Riding Hood” is a takeoff on the Charles Perrault fairy tale. Sam, the wolf in sheep’s clothing, doesn’t think Red Riding Hood should “go walkin’ in these spooky ol’ woods alone.”

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 21, 20252 min read


Percy Sledge Made a Tragic Mistake with 'When a Man Loves a Woman'
In early 1966, Sledge recorded “When a Man Loves a Woman” with some of the area’s finest musicians: Junior Lowe (bass), Spooner Oldham (organ), Roger Hawkins (drums), and Jimmy Johnson (lead guitar). The band was borrowed from Rick Hall’s FAME Studios, where the Muscle Shoals Sound was born.

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 18, 20253 min read


‘We Didn’t Think It Was Anything Anyone Would Buy’: The Newbeats’ ‘Bread and Butter’
“Bread and Butter” was a №2 hit in 1964 for the Newbeats: lead singer Larry Henley and brothers Dean and Mark Mathis. The group formed in Shreveport, LA, and was signed by Hickory Records on the strength of a demo of “Bread and Butter.”

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 15, 20252 min read


Remembering Connie Francis: The Interview
I had 18 sides, 9 bomb records before “Who’s Sorry Now.” So I didn’t think it was going to come. “Who’s Sorry Now” was going to be my last record for MGM. Of course, when Dick Clark played it, it became a hit.

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 12, 20257 min read


Is “White Christmas” by the Drifters the Greatest Christmas Song?
The Drifters would place nine records in the R&B Top 10, including the greatest holiday song ever put on vinyl: “White Christmas.”

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 10, 20253 min read


The Drifters Were Fired — then Reborn — at the Apollo Theater
Things came to a head when one of the Drifters, who had been drinking, argued and cursed at Dr. Jive and Apollo owner Frank Schiffman. Treadwell fired the entire group backstage and offered four of the Five Crowns the opportunity to become the new lineup of the Drifters.

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 9, 20252 min read


Think You Know Rock & Roll? Take This Rock Quiz!
1. Roger McGuinn got a Dylan lyric wrong in
A. “My Back Pages”
B. “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”
C. “Mr. Tambourine Man”

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 8, 20251 min read


‘The Hippest of All Trips’: Rosko, New York's Coolest DJ
“Want to take a mind excursion? How ‘bout a little diversion? The hippest of all trips. The return to reality. Well, join me.”

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 8, 20252 min read


‘Two Big Cap Guns, Plus a Toupee!’ The Characters of The Band’s ‘The Weight’ Explained
The Hawks left Hawkins in 1964 and started working as Bob Dylan’s backing band a year later. After he suffered a motorcycle accident in 1966, Dylan invited the Hawks to join him in Woodstock.

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 7, 20253 min read


‘Expressway to Your Heart’ Led Instead to a Dead End
“One night, one of the guys jumped off the stage and opened up the cash register and started throwing money all around the place. That made the papers. After that, a couple of the cash registers would be stacked with ones. We did that in that one club, then in another club we’d tear out the ceiling tiles.”

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 6, 20255 min read


The Crazy Disguise Paul McCartney Wore at NYC’s Fillmore East
Kip Cohen: Paul would come with Linda, who wasn’t well known, and they bought tickets to sit in the back of the orchestra. We would take a couple of the ushers who were on to it and we would bring them food and drinks and they would visit three or four times. They were very sweet about it.

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 6, 20252 min read


Are You Ready for a Brand-New Beat? ‘Dancing in the Street' by Martha Reeves & the Vandellas
The song was ‘Dancing in the Street’ and it became the Motown anthem “At first, I didn’t like it. But then I thought about my neighborhood and how we’d stay up all night, dancing in the street.”

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 6, 20252 min read


Immortalized on ‘Seinfeld’: Bleecker Bob’s Records
Bleecker Bob’s was much more than an oldies record shop. Plotnik recognized new trends in music and it was the source of hard-to-find punk rock releases in the genre’s early days. Thousands of albums and singles were stacked in countertop compartments and posters and memorabilia covered the walls.

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 6, 20252 min read


Albert Brooks Will Do Anything for Success in ‘A Star Is Bought’
A Star Is Bought was written and produced by Brooks and Harry Shearer. Brooks, according to the album’s scenario, wants to become a crossover recording star, appealing to as many different music fans as possible.

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 6, 20252 min read


The Left Banke’s ‘Walk Away Renée’ Was Set in . . . Brooklyn?
“Renée was Mike Brown’s big love, and Tommy liked her a lot too,” said Cameron. “Tall, blonde and quiet. Mike was like a little kid around her. He’d bring her up to the studio to hear his latest songs, and then we’d all come out and sing. She’d just sit there and listen and smile a lot.”

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 6, 20254 min read


‘Surfin’ Bird’ by the Trashmen: ‘It Just Sticks in Your Mind’
On November 13, 1963, the Trashmen released the surf rock classic “Surfin’ Bird.” Despite its sound, the band recorded the song 2,000 miles away from the sun, sand, and surf of Southern California.

edgarstreetbooks
Dec 6, 20255 min read

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