On Jan. 9, 1959, “Rawhide” premiered on CBS.
In 1964, The Temptations recorded the song “The Way You Do The Things You Do” at Motown Studios in Detroit.
In 1965, “The Beatles ’65” album hit number one and stayed there for nine weeks.
In 1973, the Rolling Stones’ plans to tour Asia were halted when Japan refused to grant Mick Jagger a visa. The Japanese turned down Jagger’s request because of his 1969 drug bust.
In 1977, country singer Emmylou Harris married music producer Brian Ahern. They divorced in 1984.
In 1979, “A Gift Of Song: The Music For UNICEF Concert” was held at the United Nations. Pop stars including ABBA, the Bee Gees and Rod Stewart performed, raising about $500,000 to fight world hunger. The concert was taped and broadcast by NBC.
In 1989, “The Pat Sajak Show” made its debut on late night TV, but it was unable to compete with the likes of Johnny Carson and David Letterman.
In 1990, Madonna began auditioning dancers for her 1990 world tour. She had taken out a newspaper ad that said, “Wimps and wannabes need not apply.”
In 1991, actor Delta Burke filed a lawsuit against the producers of “Designing Women.” She claimed they wrote her out of a script.
In 2012, Jay-Z released the song “Glory” that featured the cries of his 2-day-old daughter, Blue Ivy. Because she was credited, she became the youngest person to appear on a Billboard chart when it debuted at number 74 on the R&B/hip-hop songs chart.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor K Callan (“Lois and Clark”) is 89. Singer Joan Baez is 84. Guitarist Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin is 81. Actor John Doman (“Gotham”) is 80. Singer-actor Buster Poindexter (David Johansen) is 75. Singer Crystal Gayle is 74. Actor J.K. Simmons (TV’s “The Closer,” ″Spider-Man” movies) is 70. Actor Imelda Staunton (“Harry Potter” movies, “Vera Drake”) is 69. Guitarist Eric Erlandson (Hole) is 62. Actor Joely Richardson is 60. Guitarist Carl Bell of Fuel is 58. Actor David Costabile (“Billions,” ″Breaking Bad”) is 58. Singer Dave Matthews of The Dave Matthews Band is 58. Actor Joey Lauren Adams (“Chasing Amy,” ″Big Daddy”) is 57. Actor Deon Cole (“black-ish”) is 54. Actor Angela Bettis (“Carrie,” ″Girl, Interrupted”) is 52. Actor Omari Hardwick (“Power”) is 51. Singer A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys is 47. Guitarist Drew Brown of OneRepublic is 41. Singer Paolo Nutini is 38. Actor Nina Dobrev (“The Vampire Diaries”) is 36. Actor Kerris Dorsey (“Ray Donovan,” ″Brothers and Sisters”) is 27. Actor Tyree Brown (“Parenthood”) is 21.
January is National Mentor Month which is a good time for the Litchfield Area Mentorship Program to spread the word about what it does in the community. The organization officially formed back in 2007.
LAMP board member Jo Carlson says it had its beginnings in 2005 with the influence of Kiwanis members like Jim Ellingson and Judge Steve Drange. She says they are always looking for adults who are willing to be mentors and provide a little extra support for some of the children in the county.
Carlson says if anyone would like more information, they may call 320-699-1616 or email info@lampkinship.org. She says there may be some people who are not as comfortable with a one-on-one situation so they are forming a LAMP 4-H club which may be a good way for adults to get involved in the program with group mentoring.
Judy Hulterstrum says the 4-H club will meet on the last Monday of each month, and it will be a way for children who’ve signed up for LAMP, but haven’t been matched yet to be involved in the program. She says she’s heard from several adults who want to help with the 4-H club.
Hulterstrum says the 4-H ambassadors – the older kids in 4-H – will be helping with the new club. She says LAMP is open to children ages 5-to-17, but most of the kids are in the 10-to-15- year age group which will fit in well with the parameters of 4-H membership.
The Peanut Butter & Milk Festival Committee is meeting every Tuesday night in January as plans are coming together for the 53rd annual festival the first week of February. The group met on January 7th, and the next meeting is coming up on January 14th at 7 p.m. in the Litchfield High School ag room.
The schedule for the week of February 1st through the 8th is still in the beginning stages, but it appears that some of the usual days for events may be shuffled a bit with the trip to the State Capitol and Mall of America taking place on Wednesday instead of Tuesday and the ski day at Powder Ridge happening on Friday instead of Thursday.
The public events should be the same – with the snowmobiling event being held as usual the afternoon of February 2nd, the soup and chili supper on February 3rd at a yet-to-be-determined location, and the potluck banquet on February 6th at 6:30 p.m. at St. Philip’s Church social hall. Dairy Day will be on February 3rd. The Alabama guests will tour local businesses and industries on February 4th and attend a hockey game that evening.
This year’s visitors from Hartford, Alabama will include Geneva County High School students Ava Waldo, Kaitlyn Harris and Kyleigh Saunders, and chaperones Charlie & Brenda Skinner and ag teacher Nathan Parker.
On Jan. 8, 1935, Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. He died at his Graceland mansion in Memphis in 1977.
In 1947, musician David Bowie was born. He died in 2016, two days after his birthday.
In 1966, the last episode of ABC’s “Shindig” music show was broadcast. The Kinks and The Who were the guest performers.
In 1974, Kiss signed their first recording contract, with Casablanca Records.
In 1979, the Canadian government named Rush its official “Ambassadors of Music.”
In 1989, the musical “42nd Street” closed on Broadway after more than 3,400 performances.
In 1990, a Los Angeles judge ruled that columnist Art Buchwald came up with the idea that inspired the Eddie Murphy movie “Coming To America.” Buchwald had sued Paramount Pictures, claiming the studio stole the idea.
In 1991, guitarist Steve Clark of Def Leppard was found dead in his London home. He was 30. A coroner ruled that Clark’s death was the result of heavy drinking.
In 1993, at a minute after midnight, the Elvis Presley commemorative stamp went on sale at his Graceland mansion in Memphis. People in the rest of the country got to buy them at post offices starting at noon.
In 1996, Robert Dewey Hoskins was found guilty of stalking Madonna.
In 2005, Motley Crue singer Vince Neil married Lia Gerardini in Las Vegas. It was his fourth marriage, her second. They separated in 2010.
Today’s Birthdays: Singer Shirley Bassey is 88. Game show host Bob Eubanks (“The Newlywed Game”) is 87. Country-gospel singer Cristy Lane is 85. Singer Anthony Gourdine of Little Anthony and the Imperials is 84. Singer Juanita Cowart Motley of The Marvelettes is 81. Actor Kathleen Noone (“Knots Landing”) is 80. Guitarist Robby Krieger of The Doors is 79. Director John McTiernan (“Predator,” “Die Hard”) is 74. Actor Harriet Sansom Harris (“Desperate Housewives”) is 70. Actor Michelle Forbes (“True Blood,” ″Star Trek: The Next Generation”) is 60. Actor Maria Pitillo (“Providence”) is 59. Bassist Jeff Abercrombie of Fuel is 56. Singer Sean Paul is 52. Singer-actor Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley is 49. Actor Amber Benson (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer”) is 48. Actor-director Sarah Polley is 46. Actor Gaby Hoffman (“Girls,” ″Field of Dreams”) is 43. Guitarist Disashi Lumumbo-Kasongo of Gym Class Heroes is 42. Actor-singer Cynthia Erivo is 38.