This Day in Rock History: December 9th

Time to take a look back into this day in rock history: December 9

1968
The Supremes’ and the Temptations’ TCB (Takin’ Care of Business) special airs on NBC-TV.

1975

Keith Moon’s final appearance before a Cleveland audience takes place at the Who concert at the Richfield Coliseum. Few people realize that a TV crew manned the concerts to broadcast the stage shows and events to the loges. They were taped on two-inch wide video tape and many were simply erased and reused. The Who concert from that night is one of the survivors.

Poster courtesy of Raw Sugar Studio

1978
“Soul Man,” the John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd version, was released under the name, “The Blues Brothers.” Originally a Saturday Night Live skit, the two gathered musicians from Booker T and the MGs and others who played on the originals of the tunes they resurrected. The Blues Brothers and were booked to play Blossom Music Center, but a Cleveland Orchestra strike that summer shut down the facility.

1993
Bill Wyman leaves the Rolling Stones after more than 30 years with the band. Wyman was older than the other members and was asked to join the group in the early sixties, in part, so they could use his amplifier. In 2023 there were reports Wyman was asked to rejoin the band.

1995
The song “Free as a Bird” premiers in the six-hour ABC documentary “The Beatles Anthology”. One of two songs adapted from a cassette of demos by John Lennon, it was their first new song together in 25 years. The second was “Real Love”, and a third that George Harrison refused to work on thought to be “Now and Then” that was announced as the final Beatles single for late 2023.
Produced by Jeff Lynne, “Free as a Bird” has some familiar themes. Flapping bird wings at the start and at the beginning and end the strumming of a ukulele. George Harrison and Paul McCartney enjoyed playing ukes, and John Lennon said he had great respect for uke players like George Formby. There are more than 70 references to Beatle songs (Easter Eggs) in the video.

2022
Rock Hall inductee Ace Frehley, formerly of Kiss, brought his show to the Kent Stage on this date in 2022.

Poster courtesy of Raw Sugar Studio

Meanwhile, on that same date, one of the British Invasion’s top hitmakers, Peter Noone, was staging a Christmas spectacular at Warren’s Robins Theater.

2022

The Little River Band made a return visit to the Kent Stage on this date. This segment from another venue shows the degree of musical prowess and professionalism offered by the band.

Poster courtesy of Raw Sugar Studio