In 1964, The Animals began a three-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with their breakthrough hit, “House Of The Rising Sun.” The traditional folk song was transformed by the British band, who created a haunting, electric rock track. Initially, the Animals chose to cover the tune as a closer for their live act, to help them stand out from other bands in the scene. The song quickly became a favorite – so much so that producer Mickie Most decided that it had the potential to be a hit, despite its unusual sound for the era. Considered to be the first folk-rock hit, the song was unlike anything anyone had heard before on the US or UK airwaves. The song would influence a range of artists, even inspiring the likes of Bob Dylan to go electric.
In 1967, The Beatles began recording John Lennon’s enigmatic new song, “I Am The Walrus,” at Abbey Road Studios. The psychedelic track, which was featured in the film and album Magical Mystery Tour, featured a series of nonsensical lyrics. According to Beatles lore, Lennon purposefully wanted to confuse listeners, who often tried to interpret and analyze the band’s songs.
In 1981, Stevie Nicks’s solo debut, Bella Donna, topped the US album chart. The multi-platinum record, which remained on the Billboard 200 for nearly three years, featured such hits as “Edge of Seventeen,” “Leather and Lace” with Don Henley, and “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
In 1965, Sonny & Cher made their first live UK appearance at the 100 Club in London. The pair achieved fame earlier that year with two hit songs: “Baby Don’t Go” and “I Got You Babe.”
In 1994, Oasis appeared at The Hacienda in Manchester to celebrate the launch of their debut, Definitely Maybe. The LP went on to become the fastest-selling debut of all time in the UK and marked the beginning of Oasis’ success in America, where they sold over one million copies.
In 1966, John Lennon began filming his role as Private Gripweed in Richard Lestor’s black comedy, How I Won the War. The movie, which was filmed in Spain, marked Lennon’s first role in a non-Beatles feature.
BORN ON SEPTEMBER 5
1941: Elliot Mazer (Producer)
1946: Loudon Wainwright III
1946: Freddie Mercury
1956: Roine Stolt (Swedish guitarist, vocalist, and composer)
1968: Brad Wilk (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave)
The G.A.R. Hall and Meeker County Museum was busy over the summer months with a lot of travelers stopping in to visit. Several members of the New London to New Brighton Antique Car Run stopped in on August 9th as the cars parked right outside of the museum on North Marshall Avenue.
Museum Executive Director Danelle Erickson says they get a lot of visitors who are doing genealogy research and they are happy to help them. She says the next Civil War Roundtable program will be coming up on Thursday, September 11th at 1:30 p.m.
Erickson says she had an article in the July 24th Litchfield Rail newspaper about the Crow River store and there’s a replica of the store on the second floor of the museum. She says she will have another article coming out soon about Rosendale – another small Meeker County community which typically contained a store, post office and creamery.
The G.A.R. Hall and Meeker County Museum is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10-to-4 and on Saturdays from noon-to-4. For more information, go to meekercomuseum.org.
On September 4, 1954 – to coincide with the release of his second Sun Records single, “Good Rockin’ Tonight” – Elvis Presley, along with his backup musicians Bill Black and Scotty Moore, made their first appearances at The Grand Ole Opry. The audience’s reaction was so harsh that the Opry’s manager, Jim Denny, told Elvis that he should return to his day job of truck driving. Two weeks later, the trio appeared at a rival venue, the Louisiana Hayride (which also broadcast weekly shows on radio and TV), and inked a deal to appear on 52 Saturday night broadcasts, which effectively launched his career.
In 1962, The Beatles had their first formal recording session at EMI’s Abbey Road studios. While the band had committed several songs to tape on June 6, producer George Martin was not thrilled with the results, so he asked the band back into the studio to try again. This time, they recorded six songs, including “Love Me Do” and “Please Please Me.” In order to prepare for the event, the band arranged a three-hour practice in Studio Three, supervised by EMI’s Ron Richards, during which they ran through the six-song set over and over again. The occasion also marked drummer Ringo Starr’s first ever session with the band.
In 1969, the film Easy Rider – starring Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda, and Dennis Hopper – opened at The Classic in London, England. The movie’s soundtrack featured songs from a handful of then-current acts, including The Band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Steppenwolf.
In 1971, Paul and Linda McCartney topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey,” from their album Ram. Released only in the US, the track was McCartney’s first solo No.1 in the country. Paul would later explain that “Uncle Albert” was based on his real-life uncle: “He’s someone I recall fondly and when the song was coming, it was like a nostalgia thing.”
In 1976, The Bee Gees went to No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “You Should Be Dancing.” The song, which would later be featured on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, launched the trio towards disco stardom and marked the group’s first chart-topper to feature their trademark falsetto vocals.
Across the Atlantic that same year, the Sex Pistols made their television debut by appearing on the Manchester-based Granada TV program, So It Goes.
In 1982, The Steve Miller Band began a two-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Abracadabra.
BORN ON SEPTEMBER 1
1942: Bubba Knight (The Pips)
1944: Gene Parsons (The Byrds)
1946: Ronald LePread (The Commodores)
1960: Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)
1975: Mark Ronson
1981: Beyoncé