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)
Ecumen of Litchfield observed Assisted Living Week last week with all kinds of special activities. The organization will have more events coming up this fall to enrich the lives of area seniors and their families.
Jillian Miller from Ecumen of Litchfield Home Care and Hospice says they provide a bereavement service and stay in touch with families who have lost a loved one for up to 13 months after their death. She says there are grief groups that meet and the next meeting will be on September 22nd at 1:30 p.m. at Ecumen Oaks and Pines dining room in Hutchinson. For more details, call 651-760-3533.
Miller says Ecumen will be participating in the Senior Expo on September 23rd from 8:30 a.m.-to-noon at Peace Lutheran Church in Hutchinson.
Miller says for more information about that event or if you have other questions about Ecumen Home Care and Hospice, call her at 320-221-5223.
Nicole Larson says there are a couple of apartments available right now at Emmaus Place in Litchfield and if anyone is interested, they may call her at 320-373-6370. She says Ecumen Adult Day is coordinating a workshop on caregiver burn-out on September 23rd at 2 p.m. in the Ecumen Chapel in Litchfield and there will be a guest speaker.
Larson says you can call Dawn Doty for more details about the caregiver workshop at 320-373-6627. She says Ecumen will have a booth at the Fallin’ Into Fun Fest this Saturday in downtown Litchfield, and she will be participating in the Atwater Senior Expo tomorrow morning in the Atwater Community Center from 9-to-11:30.
The Chamber Serving the Meeker County Area is hosting the Fallin’ Into Fun Fest on September 20th. The event each year coincides with the beginning of Autumn and there will be lots of fun events in downtown Litchfield this Saturday from 10-to-3.
Deana Wheeler says there will be something for everyone with a craft and vendor fair in Central Park, along with food trucks, and 2nd Street West will be closed from Sibley to Ramsey Avenues with a business fair and a kid’s corner. She says there are spaces available for businesses and they don’t have to be Chamber members – just call the Chamber office at 693-8184 or go to litch.com to register; and for potential craft vendors in Central Park, call Sunrise Events and Craft Shows at 763-269-2166 or visit their website.
Wheeler says the kid’s corner will have bounce houses, chalk art, free caricatures and novelty sales, and a ten-dollar 50/50 raffle is underway to help fund the children’s activities. She says there’s also a pumpkin shelf hunt and participants can get a passport to fill out a passbook at participating businesses. More volunteers are needed to help during the event, so again – call the Chamber office at 693-8184.
September is Suicide Prevention Month, and a youth mental health first aid training session is coming up on Monday, Sept. 22nd from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Meeker County Fairgrounds in Litchfield. The free training is open to parents, teachers, coaches or any caring adult who interacts with youth.
Tammy Diehn is with the 2BContinued organization which she founded back in 2019, following the suicide of her sister. She says they offer a suicide loss support group on the second Monday of each month in Glencoe and also provide educational opportunities within an 8-county area. She says preregistration is required by this Friday, and lunch is provided during the workshop.
Diehn says you can call 2BContinued at 320-854-4673 or visit 2BCONTINUED.org to pre-register. She says the more people who are trained to look for signs of suicidal individuals, the more lives that can be potentially saved. The National Suicide Hotline is 988.
The Minnesota State Patrol responded to a fatal accident at the Highway 7/22 intersection at 6:11 Saturday evening. A 2018 Ford F150 was westbound on Highway 7 – driven by 82-year-old Allan Duane Hoff of Fergus Falls – and a 2015 Kawasaki Mule 610 UTV – also westbound on Highway 7 – driven by 80-year-old William LeRoy Christensen of Hutchinson – collided just west of the Highway 7/22 intersection. Christensen was killed in the accident. Hoff was not injured, but a passenger in his vehicle – 77-year-old Patricia Kaye Hoff of Fergus Falls received non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the E.R. in Hutchinson. Also responding to the scene were the McLeod County Sheriff’s Offive, Hutchinson Police & Fire and Allina Ambulance.