February 11 - 20, 2006

These are the scripts Joe Benson used on the air at 95.5 KLOS in Los Angeles. They all received final editing by Jan Benson, without whom the task would have been far too daunting. Remember to give credit where credit is due, and enjoy!

February 11, 2006

Rock & Roll pioneer Gene Vincent would have been 70.
The very talented Sheryl Crow is 44.

On this day in 1963, The Beatles recorded 11 songs for their first album, "Please Please Me," in one amazing 10-hour session at Abbey Road studios. Suffering from a cold and totally thrashed from the marathon session, John Lennon nailed "Twist and Shout" in one take at the end of the session. The next day, it was decided to make that song the final one on the album.

On this day in 1964, The Beatles performed their first American concert at Washington, D.C.'s Washington Coliseum. With all of the fans screaming, the Fab Four couldn't even hear themselves perform.

On this day in 1984, "That's All" by Genesis hit #6, "Pink Houses" by John Mellencamp peaked at #8 and "Middle Of The Road" by the Pretenders topped out at #19 on the charts.

On this day in 1989, "Angel Of Harlem" by U2 peaked at #14 on the charts.

This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of Yes as well as conversation with Jon Anderson, Chris Squire and Rick Wakeman.

NHRA Winternationals

This weekend (February 11 - 12): The first big drag meet of the year, the NHRA CARQUEST Winternationals Drag Races at the Fairplex in Pomona! There will be Uncle Joe Meet & Greet sessions Saturday and Sunday morning, and Unc's giving away a Harley Sunday afternoon (he's a giver!). NHRA Division 7 Super Gas Champion Randy Balough, driver of the Uncle Joe's Racing Super Gas Corvette, came within 2/100 of a second of winning last year, so you know it's going to be good! Here are photos of the most recent Uncle Joe NHRA Meet & Greet sessions.

Coffee Time!

1. Coffee is the most popular beverage worldwide with over 400 billion cups consumed each year.

2. Coffee, as a world commodity, is second only to oil.

3. Coffee is graded according to three criteria: bean quality, quality of preparation and size of bean. Kind of like radio personalities.

February 12, 2006

Ray Manzarek of The Doors is 67.
Original Genesis lead guitarist Steve Hackett is 56.
Gil Moore of Triumph is 55.

On this day in 1964, Beatlemania hit New York as the Fab Four played two shows at Carnegie Hall. In Washington, D.C., President Lyndon Johnson met with British Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home and told him, "I like your advance guard. But don't you think they need haircuts?"

On this day in 1967, Rolling Stone guitarist Keith Richards' mansion was raided by 15 policemen, who discovered "various substances of a suspicious nature." Richards, Mick Jagger and his girlfriend Marianne Faithfull were arrested, then later acquitted on drug charges.

On this day in 1968, Jimi Hendrix returned to his hometown of Seattle to receive the key to the city and an honorary high school diploma (he had dropped out at the age of 14). Jimi also did a show for the students of his old high school, and spent some time boinking Seattle maidens — a true homecoming.

On this day in 1972, Yes' "Roundabout" entered the charts, "Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin peaked at #15 and "Feeling Alright" by Joe Cocker topped out at #33.

On this day in 1977, Paul McCartney released the live version of his song "Maybe I'm Amazed."

On this day in 2001, former Eagle guitarist Don Felder sued founding members Don Henley and Glenn Frey, claiming he was wrongly fired. The associated lawyers still haven't split the cash or future royalties, but you can be sure they're working feverishly on it.

February 13, 2006

Monkee bassist Peter Tork is 64.

Producer Bill Szymczyk, who discovered Joe Walsh & the James Gang and produced several of the Eagles' greatest albums, is 63.

Former Genesis frontman, patron saint of world music, and "Sledgehammer" singer Peter Gabriel is 56.

Original Foreigner bassist Ed Gagliardi is 56.

On this day in 1966, The Rolling Stones made their first U.S. TV show appearance, performing on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

On this day in 1972, Led Zeppelin was forced to cancel a show in Singapore when officials wouldn't let the band and crew disembark the airplane because their hair was too long.

On this day in 1974, Bob Dylan finished his famous tour with The Band at the Forum here in Los Angeles. It was at that show that Bob recorded most of the songs for his live album, "Before The Flood."

On this day in 1982, the 300 pound headstone on the grave of Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant was stolen from a Florida cemetery. Police found it two weeks later, abandoned in a dry river bed.

An Olympic Opening

Friday's extravagant opening ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy were anything but mundane. For some unknown reason, the long procession of over 2,500 athletes from 80 nations was accompanied by thumping American dance music like "YMCA" by the Village People. Even more surreal moments included references to Fellini and Dante as well as dancing trees, brightly painted fake cows on wheels and rollerbladers hurtling down ramps in red body stockings with two-foot bursts of fire shooting from the backs of their helmets. Then former Beatle John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, read a poem calling for peace and former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel performed a totally unique version of Lennon's "Imagine." Thankfully, legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti delivered the finale in stunning fashion. The Olympic Games will continue through February 26th. While more old disco music can be expected, only heaven knows if Yoko, Peter Gabriel or the dancing trees will make another appearance.

Pay To See Free Stones

How sweet of The Rolling Stones to share their February 18th free beachfront concert in Brazil with North American fans! A special big screen presentation of the performance from the Copacabana Palace Hotel in Rio de Janeiro will take place 10 days later at more than 150 movie theaters across the U.S.A. As many as one-point-five-million people — in the Brazilian tradition, sans modest clothing — will attend the event. No word yet if American cinema audiences will have to wear clothing at the screening, but more details will soon be exposed!

Smells Like KISS

Just when you think you've seen it all! KISS have partnered with Gemini Cosmetics to launch their own line of fragrances in September. Besides the money, why perfume? Singer/guitarist Paul Stanley said it best, "We thought about doing makeup, but we weren't sure how many women would want to walk around with white-painted faces." And the beat goes on.

John's Latest Mini-Tour

John Mellencamp will resume his "Words and Music Tour" with 12 concerts scheduled in late March and April. So far, he hasn't booked any shows remotely near the West Coast, but more are likely to be added. In two brilliant pairings, John hit the road with Sixties singer/songwriter Donovan last Spring and former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty last Summer. So far there's no indication anyone will be joining Mr. M. this year, but stay tuned!

Roger's Opera

Pink Floyd singer/bassist Roger Waters' June 2nd performance at the 2006 Rock in Rio - Lisboa festival in Lisbon, Portugal has been confirmed. In addition, his opera, "Ça Ira," will get its official world premiere on July 7th in Poznan, Poland. That outdoor performance will be among the events commemorating the 50th anniversary of anti-Communist riots that took place in the city. A little further down the road, the first full-staged presentation of "Ça Ira" will be held at a Poznan theater in November.

Six Valentine's Gifty Factoids

1. 29% of men and 18% of women think giving a gift counts as foreplay.

2. Flowers (32%) and candy (20%) are the most popular presents.

3. 38% spend the holiday by going to a restaurant, while 12% dine at home. Evidently the rest just go hungry.

4. Men spend an average of $107 for Valentine's Day gifts, while women spend an average of $46.

5. 18% of people think Valentine's Day is the perfect day to propose, but more than 50% of men and women say that's too cheesy.

6. 11% of love letters and 20% of flowers received on Valentine's Day are sent by people to themselves.

February 14, 2006

Roger Fisher, Heart's original lead guitarist, is 56.

On this day in 1843, a small English circus staged a performance for the benefit of a Mr. Kite. Just 124 years later, the circus poster inspired John Lennon to write "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite" for The Beatles' classic "Sgt. Pepper's" album.

On this day in 1967, Aretha Franklin recorded her definitive version of Otis Redding's "Respect."

On this day in 1970, The Who recorded their concert at Leeds University in Northern England. The performance was immortalized as "Live At Leeds," one of the greatest live albums ever, and was released as a pseudo bootleg just three months later. The CD has now been reissued with all of the additional tracks (including the rock opera "Tommy") that were left off the original album. You must own it!

On this day in 1973, David Bowie collapsed at the end of his Valentine's Day Show at New York's Radio City Music Hall. A spokesperson said, "It was total exhaustion." Whew — we were afraid the reason for his collapse was his legendary lifestyle: staying up for days on end and partying his brains out.

On this day in 1976, E.L.O.'s "Evil Woman" peaked at #10 as The Who's "Squeeze Box" topped out at #16.

On this day in 1978, Dire Straits began recording sessions in London for the group's first album.

On this day in 1981, Steely Dan's "Hey 19" peaked at #10 on the charts.

On this day in 1987, Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer" hit #1 as "We're Ready" by Boston peaked at #9 and Genesis' "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" broke into the Top 40.

On this day in 2000, KISS announced that the group was going on a farewell tour — a tour that still hasn't ended.

On this day in 2002, Mick Tucker, drummer for the Sweet, lost his 5-year battle with Leukemia at the age of 54.

Van Halen/Rock Star?

While the Van Halen boys have totally denied it in the past, word everywhere is that they will be the featured band on this year's edition of the "Rock Star" reality series. Representatives for the band and for CBS, which will air the second season of the reality TV series this Summer, haven't responded to inquiries. Not only was INXS the featured band last year, the group was part of the organization that created the show. In the end, they found new lead singer J.D. Fortune, who seems to be working out quite well. As INXS bassist Garry Beers said, "The concept that we put together was designed to help a band that needed to find a great singer find a great singer." Stay tuned!

Acoustic Crowes

Chris and Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes are doing a special run of multiple-night acoustic shows as a duo (sans band). You can expect the brothers to perform a collection of their catalogue, a few of their favorite/most influential covers and some new material. "Brothers Of A Feather: An Acoustic Evening With Chris & Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes" will be recorded for a possible acoustic release at some point in the future. Looks like 12 dates in four cities, including New York, Austin, San Francisco and Los Angeles. I'd say you can count on seeing the boys at The Roxy on April 24th and 25th. Stay tuned for an official announcement real soon!

Who Book T

Pretty good for a first booking: The Who will headline the T in the Park festival at Balado, near Kinross, Scotland. With no Glastonbury festival this year, organizers of T in the Park ("T" as in Tennent's Lager) will be staging Europe's biggest two-day music extravaganza. The Red Hot Chili Peppers will top the bill on the first day (July 8th) and tickets will go on sale this Friday via Ticketmaster in Scotland or England or someplace over there.

Biggest Sellers

The Eagles first "Greatest Hits" collection is still selling big 30 years after it initially hit stores. Just one week after "The Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975" was released in February 1976, it became the first album to earn a Platinum certification confirming sales in the U.S. topping the one million mark. Three decades down the road, the latest R.I.A.A. certification has added another million copies to the tally to bring its U.S. sales total to 29 million. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album is holding at the 27 million mark, while Pink Floyd's "The Wall" sits at a relatively distant third on the U.S. best-selling albums list with 23 million copies sold. Led Zeppelin's "Led Zeppelin 4," AC/DC's "Back in Black," Billy Joel's "Greatest Hits, Volumes 1 & 2" and Shania Twain's "Come On Over" are the only other albums to sell more than 20 million copies in the States. Wonder which of those artists has been able to keep the most money in the bank?

Frampton's Strings

Peter Frampton will perform reworked versions of his songs with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra at the city's Riverbend Music Center on June 24th. "It's every musician's dream to stand up there in front of an orchestra one day," says the guitarist, who is also collaborating on a new symphonic piece for the gig. In addition, Frampton intends to play gigs with orchestras in various other cities. And, word is that Peter's long-in-development instrumental album will be out in September.

Why Is It Valentine's and Not Pagan's Day?

For 800 years, prior to the establishment of Valentine's Day in the 5th century, the Romans practiced a pagan celebration every mid-February. It featured a lottery in which young men drew the names of teenage girls, each of whom would be his sexual companion for the next year. In an effort to do away with that darn pagan festival, Pope Gelasius established Valentine's Day as a tribute to St. Valentine, who had been stoned and beheaded by Roman Emperor Claudius II, also known as Claudius the Cruel. Before he was taken to his death, St. Valentine signed a farewell love note to the blind daughter of his jailer, "From your Valentine." According to legend, Valentine was beheaded on February 14th in approximately 270 A.D. Although the party-pooping Pope banned the lottery for young hotties, Roman men continued to use the mid-February holiday to seek the affection of women. It became a tradition for men to give the ones they admired handwritten messages of affection, containing Valentine's name. I'd venture a guess that if they were successful in their quest, the young men would then (figuratively) lose their head.

February 15, 2006

Glyn Johns, who produced albums for The Who, The Rolling Stones, Van Halen and the Eagles, is 64 and just a bit cranky.
Mick Avory, long-time drummer for The Kinks is 62.
John Helliwell, master of horns with Supertramp, is 61.
Keyboardist Andrew Farris of INXS is 47.

On this day in 1964, "Meet the Beatles" became the #1 album in America for the first of 11 weeks.

On this day in 1969, The Doors' "Touch Me" peaked at #3 as Bob Seger's "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" topped out at #17 on the pop singles chart.

On this day in 1981, famed blues guitarist Michael Bloomfield died of a drug overdose in San Francisco at the age of 37.

On this day in 1985, Phil Collins released his classic "No Jacket Required" album.

On this day in 1998, The Rolling Stones performed the final show of their "Bridges to Babylon" North American tour at Las Vegas' Hard Rock Hotel. Always the master of understatement, Mick Jagger called the crowd, which included Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Sting, "the best-dressed audience I've ever seen in my life."

Brit Awards

When the 2006 Brit Awards are presented in a ceremony at Earl's Court in London tonight, Bruce Springsteen may come out a winner. He's competing for the International Male Solo Artist award against singer/songwriter Jack Johnson, SoCal's own Beck, R&B performer John Legend and rapper Kanye West. The Brits, which are the UK's equivalent to the GRAMMY Awards, recognize the top artists, albums, and tracks of the past year.

Free Stones On Beach

This Saturday, The Rolling Stones will play a free concert before an estimated one to two million people on the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A huge, seven-story stage is being built along with a walkway from The Stones' suites in the adjacent Copacabana Palace Hotel that will take them directly on stage. The production is being financed by the Rio government as well as Claro and Motorola. By the way, the "Guinness World Records" credits the largest live concert to Rod Stewart, who reportedly drew 3.5 million for a New Year's Eve 1994 performance at Copacabana Beach. Must have been his Speedo that was drawing them in!

Jonesy Update

Former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones is producing a new album by the all-female folk group Uncle Earl. Jones describes the quintet as "a fabulous old-time string band." Jonesy also played a recent London fundraiser with Brit rocker Robyn Hitchcock and R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck. The trio raised money for the humanitarian organization Medecin Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders.

Robby/Joe/Jamming

Doors guitarist Robby Krieger's band will join guitar god Joe Satriani and the jam band Particle for a February 24th concert at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood. The entire show will be filmed for a DVD that is slated for a Summer release.

Teenage Cancer Trust To Rock

Who singer Roger Daltrey has announced the lineup for the sixth annual Teenage Cancer Trust concerts, which he co-produces. The six-date series of London charity gigs will include a March 31st bill featuring the Scorpions, Judas Priest and Deep Purple's Ian Gillan, among others.

Mellencamp's Got Game (Sort Of)

John Mellencamp will play a free show April 2nd in Indianapolis as part of the festivities surrounding the finals of the NCAA college-basketball tournament. As many as 100,000 people are expected to attend the concert.

So You Think You Had a Rough Valentine's Day

Peter the Great had his wife's lover executed, then had his head put into a jar of alcohol which he forced his wife to keep in her bedroom. What a romantic joker.

Cleopatra married two of her brothers and was the mistress of both Caesar and Mark Antony. Then, on an off day, she killed herself with a snake. Go figure!

February 16, 2006

Former Def Leppard guitarist Pete Willis is 46.

On this day in 1964, The Beatles performed on "The Ed Sullivan Show" for a second time, live from the Deauville Hotel in Miami. It was the first time a musical act ever appeared twice on the variety show, and we hope the last time anyone ever performed at the crummy old Deauville Hotel.

On this day in 1968, John and Cynthia Lennon and George and Patti Harrison all flew to India to spend two months studying with transcendental meditation advocate Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Ringo and Maureen Starr, Paul McCartney, Jane Asher, Mia Farrow and Donovan soon joined them. Shortly after arriving, Ringo left because he didn't like the food. Then McCartney split and Lennon became disillusioned when the Maharishi started coming on to Farrow. Listen to The Beatles song "Sexy Sadie" for more sordid details.

On this day in 1974, Elton John released the single "Bennie and the Jets."

On this day in 1980, Led Zeppelin's "Fool in the Rain" peaked at #21 on the singles chart.

This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd as well as more of Joe's conversation with the entire band.

CBS Says Forget That Halen

CBS TV has dismissed recent rumors claiming that Van Halen will be the next band to search for a new singer on the "Rock Star" reality series. The network says it has yet to sign a group for the show's upcoming season. You may now return to your regularly scheduled lives.

Roger's Booking

Former Pink Floyd bassist/singer Roger Waters has just been booked to headline at Denmark's Roskilde Festival on July 2nd. His special "festival set" will include a performance of the Floyd's classic album "Dark Side of the Moon" from beginning to end, as well as additional Floyd tunes and selected songs from Roger's solo work. In addition, Waters is playing at the Rock in Rio Festival in Lisbon on June 2nd, the Berlin Whulheide on June 8th, in Iceland on June 12th, the Norwegian Wood Festival on June 14th and in Athens on June 18th. Now how about the States, Roger?

She's Back With More Photos

When her first solo exhibition sold upwards of $150,000 worth of photographs last year, you kind of knew she'd be back. A new exhibition of photographs taken by Pattie Boyd — the ex-wife of both George Harrison and Eric Clapton — opened Tuesday at the San Francisco Art Exchange. Among the images in "Shared Memories: Photographs By Pattie Boyd" are pictures of her two ex-husbands and friends like Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Jeff Beck and Mick Fleetwood. Some recently unearthed photos of Paul McCartney and John Lennon have also been included. Boyd, who was the inspiration for such songs as "Something," "Layla" and "Wonderful Tonight," will attend receptions at the gallery tomorrow and Saturday.

New/Old Carlos All The Time

Carlos Santana is one busy guitar god/recording mogul. Next Tuesday, an expanded re-mastered version of his 1971 album "Santana III" will hit stores. The album itself was recorded with the original band line-up plus a very young guitarist named Neal Schon, who later formed Journey. The expanded edition includes additional live recordings and previously unreleased material. Meanwhile, Carlos and the latest version of his Santana band will kick off a three-month South American and European tour on March 9th to support his latest album "All That I Am." Sure hope he doesn't get the material confused along the way!

Bon Is Heritage

The grave site of AC/DC singer Bon Scott in the Fremantle Cemetery in Western Australia has been made an official heritage listing. Even though Australian heritage listings are usually reserved for buildings, the grave was recognized because of AC/DC's global popularity and because it is visited by thousands of fans each year. In addition, the Bon Scott fan club's efforts to get a Scott statue erected in a park opposite the Fremantle railway station have received the blessing of the mayor. This Saturday, bands around Australia are holding tribute nights for Scott to celebrate his death anniversary. At Melbourne's Hi Fi Bar, AC/DC tribute band Thunderstruck will be joined onstage by former AC/DC bassist Mark Evans before a crowd expected to include Scott's widow Irene. For the record, Scott choked to death on his own vomit in February 1980 at the age of 33, but his status as a Rock & Roll legend has grown around the world in the years since.

Graham & Jim

Graham Nash and Buffalo Springfield bassist Jim Messina will play at a benefit show for the Algalita Marine Research Foundation on March 24th at the Playhouse Theatre in the Hermosa Beach Community Center. The acoustic concert will kick off the environmental organization's Watershed Expo 2006 educational conference. A limited number of tickets to the gig will include admission to a reception with Nash and Messina. Go to: http://www.algalita.org for more details.

Quote Of The Week

It was Stephen Covey who said, "If we keep doing what we're doing, we're going to keep getting what we're getting."

The Multitasking Monster

While 90% of American adults are busier than ever multitasking, nearly 57% often feel like they are getting less done.
* 67% of respondents to a "Scientific American" survey said they cleaned the house, cooked and took care of the kids simultaneously.
* Another 47% said they read or write e-mails while talking on the phone.
* 36% do other things while working such as "doing business by phone" while playing with the kids.
* 59% of American adults revealed that they "do other things while driving." Despite laws restricting cell phone use while driving, 50% spoke on the cell phone while at the wheel. An idiotic 24% acknowledged reading while driving, while 16% said they drove and performed grooming tasks, such as doing hair or applying make-up!
* The topper: 9% acknowledged that they eat while working out!

February 17, 2006

On this day in 1973, Lou Reed's "Walk On The Wild Side" entered the charts.

This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd as well as more of Joe's conversation with the entire band.

On Stage Tonight

Big Head Tod & The Monsters rock the House Of Blues on Sunset and the amazing David Lindley will destroy the Coach House tonight.

Ozzy Sells The Pad

The Ozz-man's crash pad has been sold! Ozzy Osbourne's Beverly Hills mansion, where he and his family lived during the filming of the MTV reality series "The Osbournes," has been sold for $10.8 million. The Prince Of Darkness and his wife/manager, Sharon, put the six-bedroom house up for sale early last year after deciding to relocate to a smaller home when their son Jack and daughter Kelly moved out. Don't worry — the new Osbourne hacienda is large enough to leave room for the servants.

More For U2

Do you suppose U2 has a warehouse packed full of awards they've collected over the years? The Irish band's "Vertigo 2005" tour won two trophies, including the Major Tour of the Year honor, at the 17th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards on Wednesday in Las Vegas. Among the event's other winners was the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers/Black Crowes joint outing, which was recognized in the Most Creative Tour Package category. No word on who won the Most Over-Priced Merchandise award, but there were some very serious contenders!

An Eclectic Fest

The definition of the term "Jazz" has always been broad, especially in New Orleans. With that in mind, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival has booked Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, the Dave Matthews Band, Jimmy Buffett to headline with folks like Allen Toussaint, Elvis Costello and Keith Urban. The first post-Katrina Jazz Fest will run April 28th through the 30th and May 5th through the 7th. Organizers say that this year' goal is for anybody who comes to the Festival "to bear witness to the healing power of music." Rock on, we say!

Elty Wins Suit

Elton John has won a libel suit against London's "Sunday Times." The newspaper published a story last year claiming the singer had acted in a self-important, arrogant and rude manner at one of his AIDS charity functions, and had issued a "bizarre and absurd edict" to guests not to address him unless spoken to. The "Times Newspapers Ltd" has agreed to publish an apology and pay undisclosed damages to John which he'll in turn donate to his AIDS Foundation. As for the suit John brought against Britain's "Daily Mail," which originated the story, you can expect a couple more zeros before the decimal point on the check.

May Goes Sci-Fi

Queen guitarist Brian May was recently filmed doing the narration for "Return To The Forbidden Planet," a musical loosely inspired by the 1956 film "Forbidden Planet." The musical will tour the U.K. theater circuit this Spring. Brian said, "I will be appearing on a high-tech screen as part of the excellent sci-fi space age set design. I think the show will be a great bit of escapist entertainment." But will he play his guitar?

Photos Of Nudes With Grilled Cheese?

Don't know who is in charge of survey questions over at "Playboy" these days, but they sure got some diverse answers in their most recent poll. Check out these three:

52% of American adults admit to having posed nude for a camera.

44% of women say they can't enjoy sex with a less intelligent partner.

8 is the average number of grilled cheese sandwiches eaten by Americans each year, whether they were naked in front of a camera or not.

February 18, 2006

Yoko Ono is 72.
Singer/keyboardist Dennis DeYoung, formerly of Styx, is 59.
Robbie Bachman, drummer with Bachman Turner Overdrive, is 53.

On this day in 1965, The Beatles recorded "Tell Me What You See" and "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" for their "Help!" album. The latter was a Dylan-influenced John Lennon composition which featured tenor and alto flute work by Johnnie Scott — the first session musician brought in by the Fab Four to augment their recordings.

On this day in 1968, guitarist Dave Gilmour officially replaced founder Syd Barrett in Pink Floyd. The highly psychedelicized Syd was soon checked into a psychiatric hospital, and later slipped into seclusion.

On this day in 1978, "Love Is Like Oxygen" by Sweet entered the charts.

On this day in 1980, bassist Bill Wyman announced he was leaving The Rolling Stones in 1983. Never one to waffle on a decision, Bill finally left the band in 1992.

February 19, 2006

Guitarist Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath is 58.
Bassist Mark Andes of Heart is 58.

On this day in 1972, America's "A Horse With No Name" entered the singles charts.

On this day in 1977, Fleetwood Mac released their classic "Rumours" album, which stayed at #1 on the charts for 31 weeks, and sold over 18 million copies!

On this day in 1977, Manfred Mann's Earth Band's remake of Bruce Springsteen's "Blinded By The Light" hit #1 on the singles charts. Ironically, Springsteen himself hadn't even scored a Top 20 single yet.

On this day in 1980, Bon Scott, the hard living lead singer of AC/DC, died of drunken "misadventure" in London at the age of 33.

On this day in 1995, Baywatch eye candy Pamela Anderson married Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee on a Cancun beach. The bride wore a white bikini (for a brief period of time) and their "honeymoon" video became very, very popular.

February 20, 2006

Guitarist J. (Jerome) Geils is 60.
Half of Steely Dan, Mr. Walter Becker is 56.
Guitarist Randy California of Spirit would have been 55.
Guitarist Kurt Cobain of Nirvana would have been 39.

On this day 1958, George Harrison joined John Lennon and Paul McCartney onstage as a member of the pre-Beatles group The Quarry Men (sometimes listed as The Quarrymen).

On this day in 1965, The Beatles' "Eight Days A Week" broke into the American Top 40.

On this day in 1971, Santana released "Oye Como Va," and Alice Cooper released "Eighteen."

On this day in 1974, Yes played the first of two sold out concerts at New York's Madison Square Garden. The most remarkable thing about those concerts: more than 40,000 tickets were sold by word-of-mouth alone — not one cent was spent on advertising!

On this day in 1982, Stevie Nicks released "Edge of 17" and the J. Geils Band released the song "Freeze Frame."

On this day in 1982, Pat Benatar married her guitarist and producer, Neil Geraldo on Maui, just four days before she won her second GRAMMY Award.

A SoCal Daytona 500

Don't be talking about "good ol' boys" — these guys grew up racing in the desert and surfing! Jimmie Johnson of El Cajon and Casey Mears of Bakersfield finished first and second in yesterday's NASCAR Nextel Cup Daytona 500. Both did what few of the rest of the field seemed able to do: Race without hitting anyone. Jimmie will be featured on the CBS' Late Show with David Lettermen tonight and on ABC's Live with Regis and Kelly tomorrow morning. Of course, all of the NASCAR drivers will be at California Speedway for this weekend's big race, along with the KLOS Cool Patrol and yer Uncle Joe — who will be doing his afternoon Rock & Roll radio show from the garage area Friday afternoon and announcing at the track the rest of the weekend.

President's Day?

America is the kind of place where you need a license to drive, hunt, fish, cut hair or own a dog, but anyone over 35 can run for President. President's Day originated on February 22, 1796 in commemoration of George Washington's birthday during the last full year of his presidency. The first formal observance of President Abraham Lincoln's birthday took place on February 12, 1865 — the year after his assassination — when both houses of Congress gathered for a memorial in his honor. While Lincoln's Birthday did not become a federal holiday, as Washington's had, it eventually become a legal holiday in several states. In 1968, legislation was passed that affected several federal holidays including Washington's Birthday, the observation of which was shifted to the third Monday in February each year whether or not it fell on the 22nd. This act, which took effect in 1971, was designed to simplify the yearly calendar of holidays and give federal employees some standard three-day weekends in the process. While the holiday is still officially known as Washington's Birthday, it has become popularly known as "President's Day," a time for honoring Washington and Lincoln, as well as the other men who have served as President.

Presidential Factoids

While George W. Bush is our 43rd president, there have actually been only 42 presidents: Grover Cleveland was elected for two nonconsecutive terms and is counted twice, as our 22nd and 24th president.

Eight presidents were actually born British Subjects: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison.

Nine presidents never attended college: George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland and Harry Truman.

Episcopalian is the most common religious affiliation among presidents, followed by Presbyterian.

The oldest president inaugurated was Ronald Reagan (age 69); the youngest was John F. Kennedy (age 43). Theodore Roosevelt, however, was the youngest man to become president — he was 42 when he succeeded William McKinley, who had been assassinated.

The tallest president was Abraham Lincoln at 6'4". At 5'4", James Madison was the shortest.

The term "First Lady" was first used in 1877 in reference to Lucy Ware Webb Hayes. Most First Ladies, including Jackie Kennedy, are said to have hated the label.

James Buchanan was the only "single" president never to get married while in office. Five presidents remarried after the death of their first wives, two of which — John Tyler and Thomas Woodrow Wilson — remarried while serving in the White House. Ronald Reagan was the only divorced president. Six presidents had no children, while John Tyler — father of 15 — had the most. A busy man, that President John Tyler!