On this day in 1963,The Drifters recorded “On Broadway.” A 24 year old Phil Spector played the guitar solo. George Benson won a Grammy Award for his version in 1978.
On this day in 1966, Brian Wilson went solo into the studio to record “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” None of the Beach Boys played on the session. Most of those who participated were a group of studio musicians known as the “Wrecking Crew.” Vocals were added on March 10th. The B-side of the single featured my favorite Beach Boy tune “God Only Knows.”
Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” hit #1 on this day in 1977. Stevie’s sister Renee Hardaway provides the “You nasty boy” lyrics. The song was sampled by Will Smith for his song “Wild Wild West.”
On this day in 1981, A picture of a naked John Lennon embracing a fully clothed Yoko Ono, taken hours before his death, appeared in a tribute issue of Rolling Stone magazine. The entire interview was not published until 2010.
On this day in 1984, At Tampa Stadium in Florida, Barry Manilow sang the National Anthem at Super Bowl XVIII. The Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins, 38-9. The DJ on duty was at that game with his dad. We are Redskin fans and that’s all I’m saying about that game.
And finally, we roll to this day in 1989. Gene Simmons of KISS and his girlfriend, Playboy model Shannon Tweed, welcome their first child, a boy named Nicholas. Nicholas, who turns 29 today, is a contributing writer for The Huffington Post.
Today in Music History is brought to you by Cory Fairbanks Mazda.
What’s the story at Cory? For over 20 years Cory Fairbanks Mazda in Longwood has been your friend in the car business. We sell more because We care more!
