Time to take a look back into this day in rock history: January 29
Years before Pee Wee Herman would revive it in the film “Back to the Beach”, a band called the Champs release the song “Tequila” that skyrockets up the charts. The band includes Jim Seals and Dash Crofts who would have a string of soft rock hits in the seventies and some guitar work by a young session player named Glen Campbell. A touring band later takes the name for live dates.
Tragedy inspires yet another song. Two people are killed and nine others wounded when 16-year old Brenda Spencer opens fire with a .22 caliber rifle from her house across the street toward the entrance of San Diego’s Grover Cleveland Elementary School. The rifle was a gift from her father, and her reason? “I don’t like Mondays.” The news story and her victims touch Bob Geldof with the Boomtown Rats who writes and records a song based on that event. As for Spencer, she continues to be denied parole since the shooting in 1979.
1982
The Police bring their “Ghost in the Machine” tour to the Richfield Coliseum with openers, the Go-Go’s.
Poster courtesy of Raw Sugar Studio
Blues great Willie Dixon dies of heart failure. Several of his songs are covered by Led Zeppelin, the Stones, Cream and others. A lawsuit against Led Zeppelin also gives Dixon writing credit for “Bring It on Home”.
Gotta say no. Garth Brooks refuses the 1996 American Music Award for Favorite Overall Artist saying Hootie and the Blowfish were more deserving that year than he was….and then he took off is hat.
Akron native, and Grammy Award winner, James Ingram dies of brain cancer. He was just 66 years old. A graduate of East High, he won an athletic scholarship to the University of Akron, but ended up in LA here he began a long career delivering hits like “Baby, Come To Me” with Patti Austin, “Just Once“[5] and “One Hundred Ways” among others. His duet with Linda Ronstadt on “Somewhere Out there” was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. In the ten days following Ingram’s death, sales of his back catalog soared over 6,500%.
2022
Canada’s Guess Who brought decades of hits to the Goodyear Theater
Poster courtesy of Raw Sugar Studio
