This Day in Music
In 1965, Otis Redding released his best-selling crossover hit, Otis Blue, on Stax Records. For his third studio LP, the soul star recorded both original material and a variety of popular songs from the day. In addition to topping the R&B Albums chart and landing at No.6 in the UK, the album produced three Top 40 hits, including “Respect” (later popularized by Aretha Franklin), “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” and a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Today, Otis Blue is considered to be a definitive title in the soul canon and has been ranked as one of the greatest albums of all time by a variety of outlets, including Rolling Stone.
In 1961, a young band called The Pendletones entered Hite Morgan’s Los Angeles studio to record a demo called “Surfin’.” The Southern California group would re-record the song in October and, by the end of the year, they would sign their first record deal and be re-christened The Beach Boys. “Surfin’,” meanwhile, became their first single. It not only became a popular regional hit, but also broke the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No.75.
In 1956, Elvis Presley topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Don’t Be Cruel.” Released as a double-sided single (with “Hound Dog”), the two songs would occupy the top spots on the pop chart for a total of 11 weeks (and remain on the Hot 100 for a total of 55 weeks). “Don’t Be Cruel” also became The King’s biggest selling single, with sales reaching more than six million by 1961.
In 2019, 75-year-old singer, songwriter, and producer Ric Ocasek was found dead in his New York City apartment. Best-known as the co-founder and frontman of The Cars, Ocasek rose to fame in the late 70s with songs like “Just What I Needed,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” and “Let the Good Times Roll.” The band continued to soar in the early 80s, landing in the Billboard Top Ten with such hits as “Shake It Up” and “Drive.” After The Cars broke up, Ocasek found success as a solo artist and a producer, working with the likes of No Doubt, Weezer, and Bad Religion.1
In 1990, The Steve Miller Band topped the UK charts with “The Joker,” 16 years after its original release. The song, which hit No.1 in the US in 1974, found a new generation of fans after appearing in a Levi’s TV ad, and earned the record for the longest gap between transatlantic chart-toppers.
In 1965, The Ford Motor Company became the first automaker to offer an 8-track tape player as an option for their entire line of vehicles in the US. The latest audio technology was only offered in auto stores at the time, and was still a year away from being sold to consumers for home use.
In 1978, Bob Dylan embarked on the longest US tour of his career, which consisted of 65 shows in 62 cities. The tour kicked off in in Augusta, ME.
BORN ON SEPTEMBER 15
1941: Signe Toly Anderson (Jefferson Airplane)
1946: Ola Brunkert (ABBA)
1960: Michel Dorge (Crash Test Dummies)
1972: Paul Thomson (Franz Ferdinand)
