Rock 'n' Roll History for
September 1


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1953 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
The popular Lubbock, Texas duo of Buddy Holly and Bob Montgomery audition for radio station KDAV's Sunday Party. They will earn a time slot on Sunday afternoon that becomes known as The Bob and Buddy Show.

1955 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
Alan Freed's First Anniversary Rock 'n Roll Party kicks off at the Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, New York. Among those appearing on the bill are Chuck Berry, Tony Bennett, The Nutmegs, The Rhythmettes, The Cardinals and The Four Voices.

1956 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
19 year old Jerry Lee Lewis arrives at Sun Records hoping for an audition, only to find that owner Sam Phillips is on vacation in Florida. Producer and engineer Jack Clement has Jerry Lee record some demos that Phillips will hear when he gets back and Lewis will begin recording as a solo artist and session musician in early December.

1962 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
Tommy Roe had his first number one hit when "Sheila" reached the top of the US Pop chart. The tune was a re-recorded version of a song that was first released in 1960 when Roe was part of a group called The Satins. Roe's recording success would continue until 1971, during which time he had five more Top 10 hits.


1965 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
James Brown and Booker T. & the MG's appear on TV's Shindig! The Godfather of Soul performed "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag".

1967 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
Following the death of their manager, Brian Epstein, The Beatles meet at Paul's house in St. John's Wood to discuss their future. Paul told the others about his idea for a movie that they would make themselves based on their song, "Magical Mystery Tour". They later tell the press that they will handle their own affairs from now on.

September 1
Boz Scaggs joins the Steve Miller Band. He would stay with the group for two albums, "Children of the Future" and "Sailor", before leaving for a successful solo career in 1969. He would enjoy eight Billboard Top 40 hits between 1976 and 1988.

1972 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
The O'Jays receive a Gold record for their first single, "Backstabbers", which made it to #3 on Billboard's Pop chart.

1973 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
Paul and Linda McCartney, along with Denny Laine begin recording tracks for Wings' upcoming album "Band On The Run" at EMI studios in Lagos, Nigeria. Shortly before departing for Lagos, drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Henry McCullough quit the band. With no time to replace them, McCartney recorded bass, drums, and most of the lead guitar parts. The choice of studio turned out to be a mistake, as it was of poor quality and conditions in Nigeria were tense and difficult. At one point during their stay, the McCartneys were robbed at knifepoint, losing a bag of song lyrics and demo tapes.

1976 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
Ode Records president Lou Adler and employee Neil Silver are kidnapped at Adler's house in Malibu. The two are released after paying a $25,000 ransom. A week later, a California couple is charged with the crime, but a third accomplice got away.

1977 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
Despite being embroiled in bitter feuds between themselves, The Beach Boys played a free concert in New York's Central Park to an estimated crowd of over 150,000.

September 1
The Rock group Blondie, featuring former Playboy Bunny Debra Harry, sign their first major record company contract with Chrysalis Records.


1979 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
Debbie Boone, best known for her 1977, Billboard #1 hit "You Light Up My Life", married Gabriel Ferrer, an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church. He is the son of actor Jose Ferrer and singer Rosemary Clooney.

1980 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
Fleetwood Mac ends a nine-month tour with a performance at the Hollywood Bowl. Lindsay Buckingham announces on stage, "This is our last show for a long time."

1981 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
RCA Records releases Hall And Oates' LP "Private Eyes", which will rise to #5 on the Billboard 200 and #8 on the UK Official Album Chart. The album contains two number-one singles, the title track and "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)", as well as the Top 10 single "Did It in a Minute".

1984 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
It had been twenty-four years since Tina Turner had been on Billboard's Hot 100 with a song she recorded with her husband Ike called "A Fool In Love". Now she was back with the number one song in the US, "What's Love Got To Do With It". The record would go on to win Grammy Awards for Record Of The Year, Pop Vocal Performance - Female and Rock Vocal Performance - Female.

2005 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
77 year old Fats Domino was rescued from the flooding in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina. He had earlier told his agent that he planned to remain in his home despite the order to evacuate.

September 1
Barry Cowsill, bass guitarist for The Cowsills, died on or about September 1st from injuries believed to be caused by Hurricane Katrina. His body was not recovered until December 28th, 2005, from the Chartres Street Wharf, New Orleans. He was 51.


2006 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
The Isley Brothers leader, Ronald Isley, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for evading federal income taxes. The 65 year old singer was found guilty of five counts of tax evasion and one count of willful failure to file a tax return on millions of dollars in income.

September 1
While awaiting trial for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson and with lawsuits and counter suits revolving around him, 65-year-old Phil Spector marries 26-year-old Rachelle Marie Short during a small ceremony. The newlyweds would spend just over two and a half years together before Phil was found guilty and sentenced to 19 years to life in the California state prison system. He would die at an outside hospital on January 16th, 2021 at the age of 81.

2008 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
Jerry Reed, whose hits included "Amos Moses" (#8 in 1971) and "When You're Hot, You're Hot" (#9 in 1971), died of complications from emphysema at the age of 71. He is also remembered for his 1977 co-starring role in Smokey And The Bandit with Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason and Sally Field, in which his song "East Bound and Down" was featured.

2009 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
Elton John's keyboard player, Guy Babylon, died of a heart attack while swimming in his pool at his home in Los Angeles, California.

2010 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
The Bee Gees' Robin Gibb was given the all-clear after undergoing gastrointestinal surgery to correct the same health crisis that cost his twin brother Maurice his life seven years ago. Robin had been rushed to hospital after suffering crippling stomach aches a few days earlier.

2012 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
Hal David, the lyricist who teamed with Burt Bacharach on dozens of timeless songs for movies, television and a variety of recording artists, died at the age of 91.

2013 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
Joe Kelley, guitarist for The Shadows Of Knight on their 1966, Billboard #10 hit, "Gloria" died after a brief battle with lung cancer. He was 67.


2016 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
News reports began to surface that the Abby Road Studio's console used to record early tracks by The Beatles was being put up for sale by Vintage King Audio. No price was mentioned for the unit, named REDD.37, which was supplanted by a newer model, REDD.51, in January, 1964.

2018 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
They day after her funeral, Aretha Franklin's signature tune, "Respect" showed up on Billboard's Hot R&B / Hip-Hop Songs chart at #21.

2020 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
A stone wall outside Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee was tagged with messages supporting Black Lives Matter and defunding the police. The spray-painted words covered over the many thousands of handwritten tributes on the wall that have been left by Elvis fans since the museum opened to the public in 1982.

September 1
Ian Mitchell, who joined The Bay City Rollers in 1976 and sang lead on the title track of their fourth album, "Dedication", passed away at the age of 62.

2021 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
Marty Fried, the drummer for The Cyrkle on their two, 1966 Billboard Hot 100 hits, "Red Rubber Ball" (#2) and "Turn Down Day" (#16), died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 77.

2023 - ClassicBands.com

September 1
Jimmy Buffett, the singer-songwriter who turned his 1977, #8 hit, "Margaritaville" into an empire that included restaurants and resorts, passed away at the age of 76. "You know death will get you in the end," Buffett wrote in his book, A Pirate Looks at Fifty, "but if you are smart and have a sense of humor, you can thumb your nose at it for a while." Jimmy also enjoyed five other Billboard Top 40 hits, but none of them cracked the Top Ten. His official cause of death was given as Merkel Cell Skin Cancer.



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