Time to take a look back into this day in rock history: September 13
1960
No no payola! The Federal Communications act was amended to ban payments of cash or gifts in exchange for airplay of records.
They tried to ban the American hit ‘Tell Laura I Love Her’ by Ray Peterson in the UK. The British press claimed the song could inspire a teen-age “glorious death cult.” It describes a lovesick youngster who drives in a stock car race to win the hand of his sweetheart. Then he crashes and just before dying, groans out the words of the title.
1965
Paul McCartney’s “Yesterday”…the song recorded more times than any other in pop history…is released as a single in the US. It’s McCartney’s vocal and acoustic guitar and a string quartet essentially making it the first solo performance of the band. The final recording was so different from Beatles stuff the band members initially vetoed the release of the song as a UK single.
1985
When MTV played music, the Best Group Video and the Viewer’s Choice at the MTV Video Music Awards go to the song, “We Are the World”. Don Henley’s ‘The Boys Of Summer’ wins Best Video, with Bruce Springsteen’s ‘I’m On Fire’ gets Best Male Video. Tina Turner took Best Female Video for ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’.
2007
Always a huge crowd when Skynrd hits town. Here’s a look at the typical crowd at Blossom Music Center
2009
92-year old Vera Lynn goes to No.1 on the British album chart with ‘We’ll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn’ That makes her the oldest living artist to achieve the Number One spot with an album. The previous record holder was Bob Dylan who at 67 when his album ‘Together Through Life’ become number one in the UK earlier that year.
Vera Lynn was honored by Pink Floyd on their album “The Wall.
2019
An icon of the 1970s, 80s and 90s music scene, Eddie Money died of cancer at age 70. Money had over ten albums and had a bunch of hits in the Seventies including ‘Baby Hold On’, ‘Two Tickets to Paradise’ and ‘Take Me Home Tonight’.
