Today in Music History

1945- Born on this day, Little Eva, US singer. She was babysitting for Carole King and Gerry Goffin who asked her to record a song they had written. It gave her the 1962 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'The Loco-Motion'. She died on April 10th 2003.



1953 - birthday - Colin Hay, Men At Work, (1983 UK and US No.1 single 'Down Under')


1968 - A free concert was held in London's Hyde Park, England, with Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Tyrannosaurus Rex and Roy Harper. (now there is a show!)

1968- The Small Faces started a six week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Ogden's Nut Gone Flake.' A concept album with a round cover designed to look like a tobacco tin.


1969 - American soul singer Shorty Long drowned aged 29 after his boat capsized on the Detroit River in Michigan. Had the 1968 US No.8 single 'Here Comes The Judge.' He acted as an MC for many of the Motown Revue shows and tours.


1973 - Ian Gillan singer with Deep Purple quit the band at the end of a tour in Japan.

1974 - Singer songwriter Gordon Lightfoot scored his only US No.1 single with 'Sundown'.


1979 - American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, Lowell George died of a heart attack. The Little Feat front man was found dead at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.



1984 - Bruce Springsteen kicked off the first leg of his Born in the USA Tour with a three night run at the Civic Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Springsteen would play a total of 156 shows ending on October 2, 1985 in Los Angeles.


1985 - David Bowie and Mick Jagger recorded a version of the Martha Reeves and the Vandellas 1964 hit 'Dancing In The Street.'' for the forthcoming 'Live Aid' fundraising event. The single went on to become a No.1 UK hit.


1991, Skid Row entered the US album chart at No.1 with 'Slave To The Grind'.



2002, American singer and actress Rosemary Clooney died of lung cancer. Had the 1954 UK No.1 single 'This Ole House' appeared in the 1954 movie White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. Her nephew, George Clooney was a pallbearer at her funeral.

Your Classic Country Video of the Week

From 1966, Buck Owens and His Buckaroos featuring the great Don Rich on lead guitar and vocals.

Casey Kasem's American Top 40 - The 80s - June 26th 2010

AT40 the 80s, this week June 25th 1988

10- Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Leppard
9- Mercedes Boy - Pebbles
8- Alphabet Street - Prince
7- One More Try - George Michael
6- The Valley Road - Bruce Hornsby & the Range
5- The Flame - Cheap Trick
4- Make it Real - The Jets
3- Together Forever - Rick Astley
2- Dirty Diana - Michael Jackson
1- Foolish Beat - Debbie Gibson
(1 week at #1)


The Top 5 Albums this week in 1988:

5- Dirty Dancing - The Soundtrack
4- Open Up and Say...AHH! - Poison
3- Hysteria - Def Leppard
2- Faith - George Michael
1- OU812 - Van Halen
(1st of 4 weeks at #1)


This was the second Van Halen album with lead singer Sammy Hagar on lead vocals and their second straight #1 album on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, the first for this line up was
5150 in 1986.
This album charted 4 singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, Black and Blue reached #34, Feels So Good made it to #35 . They reached #13 with Finish What Ya Started and their highest charting single was When It's Love that made it to the #5 spot the week of September 9th 1988.

Casey Kasem's American Top 40 - The 70s - June 26th 2010

AT40 The 70s, This Week June 28th 1975

10- Cut the Cake - Average White Band
9- Magic - Pilot
8- Get Down, Get Down (Get on the Floor) - Joe Simon
7- Listen to What the Man Said - Paul McCartney & Wings
6- The Hustle - Van McCoy
5- Love Won't Let Me Wait - Major Harris
4- I'm Not Lisa - Jessi Colter
3- Wildfire - Michael Murphey
2- When Will I Be Loved - Linda Rondstadt
1- Love Will Keep Us Together - The Captain & Tennille
(2nd of 4 weeks at #1)


The #1 Album this week in 1975:

Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
(4th of 7 Non consecutive weeks at #1)

Bret Michaels Book

The release date for Bret Michaels’ upcoming autobiography Roses & Thorns keeps getting extended following Bret’s many medical mishaps…and it’s growing exponentially. “I don't think Simon & Schuster has ever had a book like this, where every day something else happens to me,” Michaels told Billboard.com. “This book was supposed to come out June 23 of last summer (2009), and then I had the Tony Awards incident [hit in the head by a piece of scenery] happen, so they wanted to put that in there. Then I had the brain hemorrhage [this past April], and they're like, 'You gotta talk about that...' This book is going to be like War and Peace times six. It's ridiculous." Michaels is pushing for a November release for Roses & Thorns; the official release date is listed as February 1.

Today's Billboard Album Chart

For the Week ending June 26th 2010

10-The Fame - Lady Gaga
9- Up On The Ridge - Dirks Bentley
8- Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
7- Glee: The Music Vol. 3 - The Showstoppers
6- My World 2.0 - Justin Bieber
5- Goon Affiliated - Plies
4- To The Sea - Jack Johnson
3- Bionic - Christina Aguilera 2- The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - Soundtrack
1- Glee: The Music, Journey to Regionals
(debuting at #1 this week)

June Carter Cash

Today would have been the 80th birthday of June Carter Cash, wife of the legendary Johnny Cash. She was a member of the famed Carter Family and wrote the #1 hit for Johnny "Ring of Fire".

Here they are together with one of their biggest hits together "If I Were A Carpenter" from 1970.
It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Charts and #36 on the Hot 100 Pop singles chart.

Casey Kasem's American Top 40 - The 80s - June 19th 2010

AT40 the 80s, this week June 25th 1983.

10- Too Shy - Kajagoogoo
9- Affair of the Heart - Rick Springfield
8- Never Gonna Let You Go - Sergio Mendes
7- Don't Let it End - Styx
6- Family Man - Hall and Oates
5- Let's Dance - David Bowie
4- Every Breath You Take - The Police
3- Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant
2- Time - Culture Club
1- Flashdance (What a Feeling) - Irene Cara
(5th of 6 Weeks at #1)



The #1 Album this week in 1983:
Flashdance -The Soundtrack
(1st of 2 weeks at #1)



from the blockbuster motion picture, the soundtrack album sold over 6 million copies in the United States. The other single released from the soundtrack, Maniac by Michael Sembello, also hit #1 on the Hot 100 in September of 1983 for 2 weeks.

Casey Kasem's American Top 40 - The 70s - June 19th 2010

This week on AT40 the 70s, June 23rd 1973

10- Right Place, Wrong Time - Dr. John
9 - Long Train Running - Doobie Brothers
8- Daniel - Elton John
7- Kodachrome - Paul Simon
6- Pillow Talk - Sylvia
5- Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) - George Harrison
4- Will it Go Round in Circles - Billy Preston
3- I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby - Barry White
2- Playground in My Mind - Clint Holmes
1- My Love - Paul McCartney & Wings
(4th of 4 weeks at #1)


The #1 album this week in 1973:

Living in the Material World - George Harrison
(1st of 5 weeks at #1)


After knocking former bandmate Paul McCartney out of the #1 spot, George Harrison moves in for a 5 week stay at the top of the Billboard Album Chart.
The only single to chart on the Top 40 was this weeks #5 song and soon to be #1 on the Hot 100, Give Me Love.
George again would knock Paul off the top of the charts.

Your Classic Country Video of the Week

From April/May of 1973, Behind Closed Doors by Charlie Rich.
2 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Chart and #15 on the Hot 100 Pop Singles chart.

America's Top Ten June 19th 1983

#1 Song of the Week (The Four Seasons Edition)

In 1976 Frankie Valli and The Four Season would find success again as a group. They last topped the chart in 1964 and the only original left was Frankie Valli, although founding member Bob Gaudio did lend keyboard support in studio and was the group's producer and main songwriter.
The Gaudio penned tune "December, 1963 (Oh What a Night)" became the biggest selling single for the Four Seasons and also their first #1 single in the UK. They spent 3 weeks on top of the US Billboard Hot 100 in March of 1976.

Hot Country Chart June 12th 1971

Here are the Top 10 Songs on the Billboard Country chart this week in 1971.

10- Gwen (Congratulations) - Tommy Overstreet
9- Touching Home - Jerry Lee Lewis
8- Oh, Singer - Jeannie C Riley
7- Just One Time - Connie Smith
6- I've Got a Right To Cry - Hank Williams Jr
5- How Much More Can She Stand - Conway Twitty
4- Ruby (Are You Mad) - Buck Owens
3- I Won't Mention it Again - Ray Price
2- When You're Hot, You're Hot - Jerry Reed
1- You're My Man - Lynn Anderson
(2nd of 2 weeks at#1)

Casey Kasem's American Top 40 - The 70s - June 12th 2010

AT40 the 70s, this week June 12th 1971

10- Bridge Over Troubled Water - Aretha Franklin
9- I'll Meet You Halfway - The Partridge Family
8- Treat Her Like a Lady - Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose
7- Sweet and Innocent - Donny Osmond
6- It's Too Late/I Feel the Earth Move - Carole King
5- Joy To The World - Three Dog Night
4- It Don't Come Easy - Ringo Starr
3- Rainy Days & Mondays - The Carpenters
2- Brown Sugar - The Rolling Stones
1- Want Ads - The Honey Cone
(1 week at #1)


The #1 album this week in 1971:
Sticky Fingers - The Rolling Stones
(4th of 4 weeks at #1)

the album had 2 top 40 singles, last weeks #1 and this weeks #2 song on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Wild Horses" which reached #28.

Casey Kasem's American Top 40 - The 80s - June 12th 2010

This week AT40 the 80s is from June 16th 1984.

10- Borderline - Madonna
9- Dancing in the Dark - Bruce Springsteen
8- Jump (For My Love) - The Pointer Sisters
7- Self Control - Laura Branigan
6- The Heart of Rock N Roll - Huey Lewis & The News
5- Sister Christian - Night Ranger
4- Oh Sherrie - Steve Perry
3- Let's Hear it for the Boy - Deniece Williams
2- The Reflex - Duran Duran
1- Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper
(2nd of 2 weeks at #1)


The #1 album this week in 1984:
Footloose - Soundtrack

on the soundtrack was the #1 song from 2 weeks ago and this week's #3 hit:


also moving up the charts this week from the Footloose soundtrack was the #14 song this week:
Almost Paradise - Mike Reno and Ann Wilson

Your Classic Country Video of the Week

From this week in 1972 the #1 Country song was Donna Fargo's "The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A".
She spent 3 weeks at #1 and reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Chart.

One Hit Wonders

Today is the birthday of Stuart Edwards, lead guitar for Edison Lighthouse. He is 66.
Edison Lighthouse was a studio only group formed by vocalist Tony Burrows with producers Tony Macaulay and Barry Mason.
They hit it big as Edison Lighthouse in 1970 with "Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes". It topped the UK Top 40 for 5 weeks, #4 for 2 weeks on the Cashbox Hot 100. Reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1970 and became a million selling record for a non existant group.
They quickly had to throw together a "band" because of the success in the UK they were ask to perform on the "Top of The Pops" show highlighting the Top 10 songs on the UK charts.
Burrows left the "group" after "Rosemary" success to pursue other projects and the producers who owned the rights to the name put together an actual touring group but had little success thus becoming a One Hit Wonder.
Here is there performance on "Top of the Pops" with Tony Burrows.



As a side note you may recognize Tony Burrows' voice as he put together several studio only "groups" to release the songs "My Baby Loves Lovin" as White Plains, "Gimme Dat Ding" as the duo The Pipkins with Roger Greenaway, Brotherhood of Man's "United We Stand" and "Beach Baby" by First Class.

Happy Birthday Today June 8th

Nancy Sinatra is 70 today



Chuck Negron of Three Dog Night is 68



Boz Scaggs is 66



Bonnie Tyler is 57



Mick Hucknall of Simply Red is 50

Captain Fantastic

This week is the 35th anniversary of Elton John's album Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy, becoming the first album to debut in the #1 position on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart.
Captain Fantastic spent six consecutive weeks at #1 in June and July of 1975 before being moved out of the top and down to #2 by Wings and their new LP Venus and Mars.
The album stayed in the top five for 5 more weeks before displacing the Eagles One of These Nights for another week at #1, giving Elton 7 weeks at #1.

Elton and the record company decided to release only one single since this a concept album dealing with the early struggles of Elton and Bernie Taupin. The single "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" is about the disastrous engagement between Elton and Linda Woodrow and Elton's suicide attempt in 1969.
The song itself peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 the week of August 16th.

Casey Kasem's American Top 40 - The 80s - June 5th 2010

AT 40 the 80s, this week June 5th 1982

10- Rosanna - Toto
9- '65 Love Affair - Paul Davis
8- Heat of the Moment - Asia
7- Always on My Mind - Willie Nelson
6- Don't You Want Me - The Human League
5- The Other Woman - Ray Parker Jr
4- 867-5309/Jenny - Tommy Tutone
3- I've Never Been To Me - Charlene
2- Don't Talk To Strangers - Rick Springfield
1- Ebony & Ivory - Paul McCartney/Stevie Wonder
(4th of 7 weeks at #1)


The #1 Album this week in 1982 was:
Tug of War - Paul McCartney
(featuring this weeks #1 hit single)
2nd of 3 weeks consecutive weeks at #1

Another single from the album hit the #10 on the Hot 100 and stayed there for 10 weeks, with Ringo Starr on drums for "Take it Away"

Really Oldie but Goodie

Here is Johnnie Ray and his legendary songs from 1951 "Cry" and the B side of that record "The Little White Cloud That Cried".

"Cry" would top Cashbox's best selling songs list from Feb 2nd 1952 to March 22nd 1952, and Billboard's Best Seller list from December 29th 1951 to March 8th 1952. The B side of "The Little White Cloud That Cried" reached #2 on the Billboard Best Sellers list.

An interesting note about Johnnie Ray, he went deaf in his right ear at the age of 13 from an accident and he performed wearing hearing aids. He had surgery in 1958 but that left him almost completely deaf in both ears and he needed hearing aids for both ears.

Casey Kasem's American Top 40 - The 70s - June 5th 2010

American Top 40 the 70s

 June 4th 1977

10- When I Need You - Leo Sayer
9- Feels Like the First Time - Foreigner
8- Lonely Boy - Andrew Gold
7- Lucille - Kenny Rogers
6- Couldn't Get it Right - Climax Blues Band
5- Gonna Fly Now (Theme from "Rocky") - Bill Conti
4- Got To Give It Up Part 1 - Marvin Gaye
3- Dreams - Fleetwood Mac
2- I'm Your Boogie Man - KC and The Sunshine Band
1- Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
(3rd of 3 weeks at #1)

  The #1 Album this week in 1977:

Rumors - Fleetwood Mac(5th of 31 non consecutive weeks)Currently 10th on the list of the biggest selling albums of all time worldwide with approx. 40 million copies sold. This album is a true classic with 4 singles released and all 4 made it to the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100 with "Dreams" reaching the #1 position June 18th 1977 for one week.
The other releases were "Go Your Own Way" #10, "Don't Stop" #3, "You Make Loving Fun" #9.
The album replaced "Hotel California" by the Eagles at the top of the album chart on May 21st 1977 and dropped out of the top spot for one week in July for "Barry Manilow Live".
After returning to the top it stayed until December 3rd 1977 when Linda Rondstadt took over the top with "Simple Dreams" for all of December. "Rumors" reclaimed the top for the first 2 weeks of January 1978 before leaving the top spot for good.

Chart Watch

I was reading today's chart watch column on Yahoo! and found these little tidbits interesting.

Here's a sign that Glee has surpassed American Idol as the key music show on TV.

In what was for Glee a routine week, it put more songs on Hot Digital Songs than American Idol did in this special week where their songs from the season are released for the first time.
There are 11 Glee songs on this week's chart, topped by the cast's version of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" (featuring Idina Menzel), which debuts at #9. It's the sixth Glee song to make the top 10 on Hot Digital Songs; the third in the past four weeks.

In other digital download news:

Guns N' Roses' 1988 classic "Sweet Child O' Mine" tops the 2 million mark in paid downloads this week. It's the seventh pre-1990 song to reach this plateau. It follows Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," Michael Jackson's "Thriller," Survivor's "Eye Of The Tiger," Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer," Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." It's an extraordinary achievement for songs to connect in a big way in two separate eras.