This Date in Rock Music History: June 15

1956:  John Lennon met Paul McCartney at a church dinner in Liverpool, England, and invited him to join his group the Quarrymen.
1958 - The Platters sang "Twilight Time" on The Ed Sullivan Show. 
1958:  The all-music show Oh Boy was broadcast for the first time in the U.K.
1959:  Paul Anka's "Lonely Boy" was the only new entry into the Top 10, but it made a huge move--18-8 on this date.  

1959:  Johnny Horton had the #1 song for the third week with "The Battle of New Orleans".  "Personality" by Lloyd Price would become one of the top songs ever to peak at #2, while Bobby Darin's "Dream Lover" was at 3.  
1961:  Elvis Presley topped the U.K. chart with "Surrender".
1963:  Kyu Sakamoto moved to #1 with "Sukiyaki".  Three songs entered the Top 10 Songs Club of the Rock Era--"Blue On Blue" from Bobby Vinton, "Hello Stranger" by Barbara Lewis and "18 Yellow Roses" by Bobby Darin.

1964:  Peter & Gordon landed in the United States to begin their American tour.
1964:  The Beatles were in concert at the Festival Hall in Melbourne, Australia.
1964:  Dusty Springfield released the single "Wishin' and Hopin'".

1964:  The 4 Seasons released the single "Rag Doll".
1965:  Bob Dylan recorded "Like a Rolling Stone", featuring organ from Al Kooper, for his upcoming album Highway 61 Revisited.
1965:  The Hollies and Rolling Stones performed at the Odeon Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland.
1966:  The Beatles released the album Yesterday & Today on Capitol Records.

1967:  Peter Green left John Mayall's Bluesbreakers to form Fleetwood Mac with former Bluesbreakers' drummer Mick Fleetwood.
1968:  The Beatles announced at a press conference that their visit with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi about transcendental meditation was a mistake.
1968:  Are You Experienced? by the Jimi Hendrix Experience entered the Top 10 on the album chart for a third time.  On the first two tries, it had only reached #7.
1968:  The classic "Mrs. Robinson" remained at #1 for a third week for Simon & Garfunkel.  Herb Alpert was closing fast with "This Guy's In Love with You" while Tommy James & the Shondells were up to 3 with "Mony Mony".

1969:  The Doors were in concert at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minnesota.
1969:  Led Zeppelin appeared at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England.
1970:  Jimi Hendrix recorded at his Electric Ladyland studio in New York City for the first time.
1970:  The Carpenters released the single "Close To You".

1973:  Jim Croce hosted The Midnight Special.
1974:  Geoff Britton replaced Denny Seiwell in the group Paul McCartney & Wings.
1974:  A band from Alabama saw their first hit debut on the charts on this date.  The Commodores debuted with "Machine Gun".
1974:  Elvis Presley played at the Tarrant County Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
1974:  "Rock Your Baby" by George McCrae moved from 62 to 34 on this date.
1974:  Gordon Lightfoot spent a second week at #1 on the AC chart with "Sundown".

1974:  "Sideshow" by Blue Magic deservedly reached #1 on the R&B chart.

           "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding"...


1974:  The album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John was still in the Top 10, 35 weeks after its release.
1978:  Bob Dylan performed in the U.K. for the first time in 12 years at Earl's Court in London.
1985:  Former Roxy Music star Bryan Ferry's solo album Boys and Girls was the top U.K. album.

        The first big hit for England's Howard Jones...


1985:  Tears For Fears ruled the chart for a second week with "Everybody Wants To Rule the World".  Bryan Adams had a smash at #2 with "Heaven" while "Axel F" peaked at #3 for Harold Faltermeyer.  The rest of the Top 10:  Billy Ocean's "Suddenly" at #4, Howard Jones moved up to 5 with "Things Can Only Get Better", "Sussudio" was the ninth hit for Phil Collins, moving from 12-6, the Mary Jane Girls had song #7--"In My House", Wham! was on the way down with "Everything She Wants", Madonna registered her sixth consecutive Top 10 song with "Angel" which moved into the list this week, and Katrina & the Waves remained at #10 with "Walking On Sunshine".

One of the great albums in the Top 10 of 1985 on this date

1985:  There were some great albums out, although I wouldn't include the #1 Around the World in a Day by Prince in that category.  No Jacket Required from Phil Collins was #2, with the Soundtrack to "Beverly Hills Cop" third, Songs From the Big Chair by Tears For Fears at #4 and Born In the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen still hanging around after 52 weeks.  The rest of the Top 10:  Wham! with Make It Big, Bryan Adams' great album Reckless, Sade's smooth Diamond Life at #8, Madonna at 9 with Like a Virgin and The Power Station had a Top 10 album with their debut.
1986:  U2 and Sting performed at the 25th year anniversary celebration concert for Amnesty International.
1989:  Nirvana released their first album Bleach.

1991:  On this date, a great new Philadelphia R&B group first appeared on the chart.  They would go on to be near the top of the music business with eight Top 3 songs over the next five years.  "Motownphilly" debuted on the singles chart and would eventually reach #3 and be certified as a Platinum single (over 2 million copies sold)--Boyz II Men...
1991:  Spellbound by Paula Abdul continued to set the pace on the album chart.

1991:  "Power of Love/Love Power" by Luther Vandross topped all on the R&B chart.
1991:  "Rush, Rush" became Paula Abdul's fifth #1 song out of her last six releases.
1996:  The great album The Score by the Fugees was #1 for the fourth week.  Jagged Little Pill was moving back up after 51 weeks while Celine Dion had #3--Falling Into You.  New Beginning by Tracy Chapman was fourth, followed by Soundgarden's Down on the Upside.

1998:  The Spice Girls began a North American tour in Miami, Florida.
2000:  In today's edition of Inmates Run Rap Music, the guy who called himself "Flesh-N'Bone" of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony was convicted of assault with a firearm.  Being an ex-convict already, he wasn't even supposed to have the firearm and was convicted for that crime as well.
2002:  An autographed copy of the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band sold for $57,800 at an auction.
2003:  Former members of the Grateful Dead performed at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, Tennessee.
2003:  Radiohead sat atop the U.K. album chart with Hail to the Thief.
2003:  Over on the other side of the Atlantic, Metallica had the #1 album with St. Anger.
2004:  Glen Campbell was sentenced to 10 days in jail for extreme drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident in Phoenix, Arizona.
2004:  Alanis Morissette announced her engagement to actor Ryan Reynolds.
2005:  Bo Bice married Caroline Merrin Fisher in Helena, Alabama.
2005:  Destiny's Child announced they would break up following their world tour.

              "The Hardest Part" from Coldplay...


2005:  Coldplay topped the album chart with X&Y.  The Black Eyed Peas debuted at #2 with Monkey Business.
2008:  Coldplay once again hit #1 in the U.K. with their album Viva La Vida.
2008:  Lionel Richie was given a TV Land Icon Award.


Born This Day:
1910:  David Rose, whose biggest hit was "The Stripper" in 1962, was born in London; died August 23, 1990 of heart disease.
1929:  Nigel Pickering of Spanky & Our Gang was born in Pontiac, Michigan.
1934:  Ruby Nash of Ruby & the Romantics was born in Akron, Ohio.

1941:  Harry Nilsson (Harry Edward Nelson III) was born in Brooklyn, New York; died of heart failure on January 15, 1994 in Agoura Hills, California. 
1943:  Muff Winwood of the Spencer Davis Group; later became a producer and A&R man, was born in Erdington, Birmingham, England.
1946:  Noddy Holder, vocalist of Slade, was born in Walsall, West Midlands, England.

1949:  Russell Hitchcock, talented vocalist of Air Supply, was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
1949:  Michael "Sam" Lutz of Brownsville Station ("Smokin' in the Boy's Room" from 1973)

1951:  Steve Walsh, lead singer of Kansas, was born in St. Joseph's, Missouri.
1954:  Terri Gibbs ("Somebody's Knockin'" from 1981) was born in Miami, Florida.
1956:  Bernie Shaw, lead singer of Uriah Heap, was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
1963:  Scott Rockenfield, drummer of Queensryche, was born in Seattle, Washington.
1966:  Michael Britt, guitarist of Lonestar
1966:  Rob Mitchell of Sixpence None the Richer ("Kiss Me")
1968:  Ice Cube was born in Los Angeles.
1976:  Gary Lightbody, vocalist and guitarist of Snow Patrol, was born in Bangor, Northern Ireland.
1981:  Billy Martin, guitarist of Good Charlotte, was born in Annapolis, Maryland.
1985:  Nadine Coyle of Girls Aloud