Category Archives: On This Day In Music History
On This Day In Music History: Woody Guthrie – Take 1
Woody Guthrie was born, Woodrow Wilson Guthrie, on this day, July 14, in 1912. He was the third of five children of Charley and Nora Guthrie of Okemah, OK. So: Woody Guthrie. Where do I start? The Penguin Encyclopedia of … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: ?
OK, readers, here’s a little quiz for you. What British, Muddy-Waters-inspired, Rock & Roll/Rhythm & Blues band had their first gig at the Marquee Club in London on this day, July 12, in 1962? Band members at the time included … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: Suzanne Vega
Every year I make it a point to try to watch the Grammy Awards show on TV. As a music teacher, I feel the need to stay somewhat up to date on the popular music scene and at least be … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: John Met Paul
Here’s how it happened. John Lennon, 16-year-old singer/guitarist, had a band: the six-member Quarry Men Skiffle Group. The band had a gig. They were scheduled to play 2, 1/2 hour sets (the first at 4:15 pm and then again at 5:45 … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: “That’s All Right (Mama)”
The first thing you hear is an acoustic guitar. That’s Elvis Presley, fingering an open-position A Major chord and setting the tempo with a solid Carter scratch: boom–chuck–boom-pa-chuck-a. After 4 beats, Bill Black’s slapping upright bass comes in, doubling the guitar’s alternating … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: Mississippi John Hurt
In the August 2010 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine, interviewer Jeffery Pepper Rodgers asks singer/songwriter/guitarist Jakob Dylan about the Folk fingerpicking style he uses on his two solo albums, including his latest Women and Country. Dylan replies: “My favorite with … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: “Arkansaw Traveler”
In the summer of 1922, 34-year-old Texas fiddler A.C. “Eck” Robertson and 74-year-old Oklahoma fiddler Henry C. Gilliland performed together at the Old Confederate Soldiers’ Reunion in Richmond, VA. When the festivities ended, they took the train to New York City to … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: A Double Header
June 18, 1967 was a Sunday. At the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California, the Monterey International Pop Festival was in its third and final day. The first two days of the festival had seen performances by many of the … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: “Like A Rolling Stone”
With a sharp crack of the snare drum on 4, followed by the thump of the bass drum on the “and,” the drummer, Bobby Gregg, kicks off the third take of the day, June 16, 1965 in Columbia Records’ Studio A … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: Les Paul
Les Paul, guitarist and inventor, was born Lester William Polsfuss on this day, June 9, in 1915 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. When I hear the name Les Paul, the first thing I think of is the Gibson guitar that bears his name. … Continue reading
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