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
The Meeker County libraries in the Pioneerland Library System have lots of events coming up during the month of September. For more information on any of the activities, call 693-2483. The schedule for Litchfield, Dassel, Grove City and Cosmos is as follows:
Litchfield:
Wednesdays, 10:15-10:45 am: Baby/Toddler Storytime
Fridays, 10:15-11:15: Storyhour
Tues 9/9, 12-12:45 pm: Adult Book Club at Prairie Park: Number the Stars
Tues 9/9, 6:30-7:30 pm: LEGO Night, age 14 and younger with their families
Wed 9/10, 2-2:45 pm: Homeschool Connection
Wed 9/10, 6-7:30 pm: Crafter Guild bring-your-own craft program for adults and teens 16+
Sat 9/13, 1:30-3:30 pm: Teen Program: Collaborative video gaming
Tues 9/16, 6:30-7:30 pm: Board Games, all ages
Wed 9/17, 7 pm: Mystery Book Club
Thurs 9/18, 12:30-1:30 pm: Knitting Club, all ages
Sat 9/20, 11 am-1 pm: The Great North Star Read Together. Bring a book and read on the south lawn of the library.
Tues 9/23, 1-2 pm: Labor Standards Mobile Clinic with Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry
Dassel:
Fridays beginning 9/12, 10 am: Story Hour at city hall
Tuesday 9/23, 1 pm: Adult Book Club: Hello Beautiful
Grove City:
Thursdays, 3-5 pm: Crafternoon bring-your-own craft program for adults
Tues 9/9, 2 pm: Storytime
Tues 9/15, 7 pm: ATCG Book Club: The Cold Dish
Wed 9/17, 4-5 pm: Board Games, all ages
Thurs 9/18, 4-5 pm: Knitting Club, all ages
Thurs 9/25, 3-5 pm: Diamond Art. Registration required.
Cosmos:
Thursdays, 4-5:30 pm: Pokemon TCG. Ages 7-18
Sat 9/6, 10:30 am-12:30 pm: Craft Circle bring-your-own craft program for adults
The Litchfield City Council received information Tuesday evening from City Engineer Chuck DeWolf regarding a street improvement project scheduled for 2026. Swift Avenue from 6th Street to Ripley Street will be redone – including the utilities below, along with Ripley Street from Swift to Miller Avenues.
Mayor Ron Dingmann says the project will cost nearly $4.4-million but there are both state and federal funds which will help with the cost, making the local cost about $1.8-million. He says the City will advertise for bids in March and the project will take place from June through November next year.
Mayor Dingmann says the Council approved of an $8,000 façade grant request for Kaleb Lehmann at 213 North Sibley Avenue; approved of having Lisa Graphenteen help the City with a Minnesota Historical Society grant for the G.A.R. Hall; set the preliminary levy at $4,088,175 which is an increase of 7.8%; appointed John Mueller to the Planning Commission; and approved of letting the Golden Age Card Club use the community room in the new Litchfield Area Recreation Center on Friday afternoons since the construction of the new facility displaced them from their old meeting area at the Civic Arena.
The City is hosting an open house at the Litchfield Area Recreation Center on Sunday from 1-to-4 p.m. Owen Boerema is the director of the LARC and says the open house will give the public a chance to see what’s available there.
Boerema says the LARC includes a field house with 4 courts for basketball, volleyball and tennis and it can adapt to up to 12 pickle ball courts, and there’s an elevated walking track, a fitness center with all kinds of aerobic and weight equipment, and a meeting room which different groups may rent. He says they have a range of monthly membership options and you may stop in to sign up, or go to litchfieldrecreationcenter.com.
Mayor Dingmann says the idea for the LARC has been in the works for many years and a lot of different people are responsible for making it a reality.
Mayor Dingmann says Sunday’s open house will give the public a chance to “kick the tires” so to speak and check it out for themselves.
On September 3, 2009, friends and family of Michael Jackson paid their last respects to the performer at a star-studded funeral, held in Los Angeles. Elizabeth Taylor, Quincy Jones, Macaulay Culkin, Berry Gordy, and Lisa Marie Presley were among the 200 invited guests, while the singer’s famous family arrived in a motorcade of 31 vehicles. Jackson’s brothers – Randy, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon – acted as pallbearers, carrying the artist’s gold-plated coffin. An estimated 2.5 billion global viewers tuned into the funeral’s live broadcast, while public screenings were held in 37 movie theaters around the world. Jackson, who was laid to rest at Glendale’s Forrest Lawn Cemetary, died on June 25th.
In 2017, Walter Becker, the co-founder and guitarist of Steely Dan, died at the age of 67. The highly influential band first caught fans’ ears in 1972 with Can’t Buy a Thrill. From there, they released eight albums, including best-selling titles Pretzel Logic (1974), Aja (1977), and the Grammy-winning Two Against Nature (2000), plus such Top 10 hits as “Do It Again,” “Rikki Don’t Lose that Number,” and “Hey Nineteen.” During his lengthy career, Becker also released two solo albums and produced records for the likes of Rickie Lee Jones, China Crisis, and Michael Franks.
In 2009, Madonna’s Sticky and Sweet World Tour – her first major venture under a new ten-year 360 deal with Live Nation – became the highest-grossing tour in history, raking in an estimated $408 million. The run of dates, which supported Madge’s 11th studio album, Hard Candy, also marked her first tour to include stops in Mexico, as well as in countries across South America, in 15 years.
In 1967, after a two-week absence from The Beatles, Ringo Starr returned to his post as the band’s beloved drummer. Upon his return to the studio, Ringo found his drum kit covered with flowers to welcome him back. Looking back on the brief hiatus, Ringo explained his reasons for the departure: “I left because I felt two things: I felt I wasn’t playing great, and I also felt that the other three were really happy and I was an outsider.” The issue, as history proves, was quickly resolved.
In 1966, singer-songwriter Donovan went to No.1 on the US singles chart with “Sunshine Superman.” The song, which served as the title track to Donovan’s third studio album, was also a No.2 hit in the UK.
In 1982, the three-day US Festival kicked off in San Bernardino, CA. Among the weekend’s performers were Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, The Police, The Cars, the B-52’s, and the Talking Heads. The event was bankrolled by Apple founder Steve Wozniak, who hoped to encourage more community events, while pairing state-of-the-art technology with live music.
In 1983, UB40 scored their first No.1 single in the UK with “Red Red Wine.” The song, which appeared on their fourth studio album, Labour of Love, was a cover of the 1968 Neil Diamond hit. The song would be re-released in the US in 1988, where it also topped the pop charts.
BORN ON SEPTEMBER 3
1942: Al Jardine (The Beach Boys)
1945: George Biondo (Steppenwolf)
1947: Eric Bell (Thin Lizzy)
1955: Steve Jones (Sex Pistols)
1975: DJ Redfoo (LMFAO)
1980: Jay ‘Cone’ McCaslin (Sum 41)
