Time to take a look back into this day in rock history: January 3
Where did the Beatles first appear on American TV? Ed Sullivan? Guess again. It was the late night Jack Paar Show in a segment from the BBC’s Mersey Sound with the band playing “She Loves You” in the background. He beat Sullivan by almost two weeks! (Paar wasn’t crazy about the hair styles either.)
David Bowie ends his run on Broadway playing John Merrick, The Elephant Man. He wins high praise for his portrayal. One night he looks into the audience at the Booth Theater and noticed an older woman with a big hat and an infectious smile. Bowie went to the side of the stage and asked a grip that she be brought backstage after the show. It was a New York City reunion with the Plain Dealer’s Jane Scott!
Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers dies at age 74. The cause is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Part of the Vanguard of the sixties “British Invasion”, Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers falls victim to a fatal infection in his heart. He was 78. Marsden had seven hits on the Billboard Top 40, and was part of Brian Epstein’s stable of stars. He stayed in touch with John Lennon and during his visit to Madison Square Garden for the “One on One Concerts” he and Lennon spent most of the time laughing about old British pro wrestlers. His version of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” is the anthem sang at Liverpool Football Club soccer games.
