On this day in music, May 13, 1996, Oasis became the fastest-selling group in UK history after selling out all 330,000 tickets for their summer concerts in just nine hours. Although 2.5 million people applied for spots to attend their Knebworth House shows on August 10 and 11, only 250,000 tickets were sold, setting records for the largest demand for a concert in British history. Tickets were sold for £22.50, and the backstage guest list had over 7,000 people.
In 1970, Beatles documentary Let It Be made its world premiere in New York City. Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the film followed the band’s rehearsal and recording for their 12th and final album, Let It Be, including a segment of their historic rooftop performance. The film later earned the band an Academy Award for Original Song Score and a Grammy for Best Original Score. Although UK premieres were held the following week, none of The Beatles attended the shows.
In 1967, The Supremes scored their tenth No.1 single in the US with “The Happening,” the theme song to the 1967 film of the same name. It was the final single under the name “The Supremes,” as the group changed their name to “Diana Ross & The Supremes” before their next release.
In 1969, Led Zeppelin appeared at The Civic Auditorium in Honolulu, becoming one of the first major British rock groups to appear in Hawaii. The Honolulu Advertiser published a review about the performance, noting that “the showmanship exceeded any rock performance (with possible exception of Jimi Hendrix) here to date.”
In 1967, The Monkees’ second album, More of The Monkees, hit No.1 on the UK chart. Interestingly, there were only four albums that reached the top spot that year: The Sound of Music soundtrack, which spent 17 weeks at No.1, The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band for 25 weeks, and The Monkees’ first and second albums.
In 1971, on his 21st birthday, Stevie Wonder received his childhood earnings. Due to Wonder being signed at age 11, Motown’s Tamla label created a rolling five-year contract to hold his royalties until he turned 21. However, he and his mother were paid a weekly stipend to cover their expenses.
BORN ON MAY 13
1941: Ritchie Valens
1943: Mary Wells
1947: Pete Watts (Mott the Hoople)
1950: Stevie Wonder
1950: Danny Kirwan (Fleetwood Mac)
1966: Darius Rucker
1966: Alison Goldfrapp (Goldfrapp)
1969: Buckethead
The clean-up day for Litchfield residents is coming up this Saturday from 8-to-10:30 a.m. It will be held in the parking lot near the Litchfield High School Football Field this year at East 6th Street and North Gilman Avenue.
Litchfield Lions Club member Keith Johnson says the annual clean-up program began back in 2012 and it was normally held in the Civic Arena parking lot, but an event has been scheduled at the arena this year which is why they found a new location. He says people should line up with their loads on 6th Street – facing east, and try not to block the driveways of residents in that area.
Johnson says it’s just $25 per load which is very reasonable and it’s a good way to clean up your residence or property. He says you will need to show proof that you are a Litchfield resident and they will inspect your load to make sure there are not any hazardous items.
Johnson says the Lions are coordinating the event with the City of Litchfield and they have volunteers helping them including Jeff Wollin’s baseball players, and if anyone else is willing to help, that would be appreciated. He says younger residents may consider helping their elderly neighbors with their clean-up efforts.
The ACGC School Board has unanimously selected four semi-finalists to interview for the school district’s superintendent position. The school board has scheduled interviews for the semi-finalists beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 16th.
The semi-finalists are:
· Corinna Erickson, Principal, Breckenridge Public Schools,
· Jennifer Mahan-Deitte, Principal, Hutchinson Public Schools,
· Jason Michels, Principal, Litchfield Public Schools, and
· Michael Pagel, Superintendent/Principal, Fulda Public Schools.
The semi-finalists were selected from a pool of 11 applicants based on criteria established by the school board, as well as survey input provided by ACGC staff and members of the public.
All interviews will be held at the ACGC MS/HS Media Center (27250 MN Highway 4) in Grove City and are open to the public. To ensure a level playing field for all candidates the interviews will not be livestreamed.
On this day in music, May 12, 2017, Kendrick Lamar topped the Billboard 200 with his fourth studio album, DAMN, less than a month after its release. The Compton-raised rapper enlisted the help of numerous artists and producers to collaborate on the album, including executive producer and Top Dawg Entertainment label head Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Sounwave, Rihanna, and U2. Widely considered to be among the best releases of the year, DAMN won Best Rap Album at the 2018 Grammys and became the first non-jazz or classical work to earn a Pulitzer Prize for Music.
In 1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their debut album, Are You Experienced, in the UK. Broadly regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, the record showcased Hendrix’s revolutionary songwriting and guitar playing and was an immediate critical and commercial success, spending an impressive 33 weeks on the British charts. Across the Atlantic, the album was released several months later with revised album art that reflected the psychedelic nature of the music. Decades later, the LP was inducted into the National Recording Registry in recognition of its cultural significance.
In 1972, The Rolling Stones released Exile on Main St. on their self-titled label. Writing and recording began during the London sessions for their previous LP, Sticky Fingers, and continued through mid-1971 in the South of France. Featuring the hit singles “Happy” (with rare lead vocals from Keith Richards), “Sweet Virginia,” and “Tumbling Dice,” the band’s 10th album topped the charts in six countries, including the UK and US. According to Mick Jagger, the band felt the cover artwork reflected “runaway outlaws using the blues as its weapon against the world.”
In 1984, Lionel Richie’s “Hello” began a two-week run atop the Billboard Hot 100. The single, which marked the former Commodore’s second solo US No.1, also found massive success around the globe, including the UK, where it held the top spot for six weeks.
In 1965, Wilson Pickett recorded “In the Midnight Hour” at Stax Studios. Co-written with guitarist and producer Steve Cropper at Memphis’ Lorraine Motel (the site of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination three years later) the single reached No.1 on the R&B charts, marking the soul star’s first chart-topper and his first hit for Atlantic Records.
In 1958, The Everly Brothers began a four-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “All I Have to Do is Dream.” Written by Boudleaux Bryant (of the husband-and-wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant), the song was recorded in two takes and featured Chet Atkins on guitar.
BORN ON MAY 12
1928: Burt Bacharach
1940: Norman Whitfield (Songwriter, Producer)
1942: Ian Dury
1946: Ian McLagan (Small Faces)
1948: Steve Winwood
1950: Billy Squier
1976: Matt Mangano (Zac Brown Band)
