Happy 86th birthday to rock and roll icon Chuck Berry!
Happy 86th birthday to rock and roll icon Chuck Berry!
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – You can’t possibly have a Memphis Music Hall of Fame and not put Elvis Presley in. He’s among the first 25 inductees, along with B.B. King, Three 6 Mafia, Al Green, Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. and the MGs, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Howlin’ Wolf, The Staples Singers, ZZ Top and Sun Records founder Sam Phillips. The Memphis Daily News reports the first class will be inducted November 29 as part of the Memphis Rock n’ Soul Museum.
NEW YORK (AP) – When Steven Van Zandt gets an award named after Clarence Clemons, it makes sense that Bruce Springsteen should present it to him. Springsteen gave Van Zandt the Big Man of the Year Award in New York Tuesday during a benefit for Little Kids Rock, a music education charity. Springsteen joked about Van Zandt’s poor housekeeping skills when they were roommates, a charge Van Zandt claims with a smile is a lie. Darlene Love, Elvis Costello and Dion performed at the event. Van Zandt says music as a career is fun, but it requires a lot of work.
On Oct. 17, 1957, the movie “Jailhouse Rock,” starring Elvis Presley, premiered in Memphis. This musical drama is considered by many to be the best movie Elvis Presley ever made–and he never saw it. Elvis’ female co-star, Judy Tyler, died in an automobile accident two weeks after filming was completed. Stricken with gief, Elvis did not attend the premiere, and could never bring himself to view the film.
CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) – Normally “Beatle” with an “a” would not be an allowable word in Scrabble, but it will in the new version. A Beatles-themed version of Scrabble will have art based on The Beatles’ “Anthology” releases, with green apples on the Triple Word Score squares. It can be played with normal Scrabble rules or with Beatles rules that allow for Beatles-related words and use “Help!” cards for twists like swapping tiles with other players. Beatles Scrabble is on sale now for about $30.
On this date in 1976, Stevie Wonder’s album “Songs In The Key Of Life” was released. The album spawned several classic hits, including this homage to music icons of another era:
http://youtu.be/-t_K1Fm3lWM
NASHVILLE (AP) – Lisa Marie Presley duets with her father in her new video. “I Love You Because” will debut on CMT and CMT.com on Thursday. It ran during a Memphis concert during Elvis Week in August and that was supposed to be the only time, but fan reaction was so warm Presley agreed to release it. Presley will tour in support of her “Storm and Grace” album starting November 1 outside Memphis.
NEW YORK (AP) – Bob Dylan is one of the first authors signed to Johnny Depp’s publishing imprint. “The Unraveled Tales of Bob Dylan” will be based on interviews Dylan gave to historian Douglas Brinkley. It comes out in 2015 on Depp’s Infinitum Nihil imprint through HarperCollins. Dylan and Brinkley will collaborate on editing a recently discovered novel by Woody Guthrie called “House of Earth.” That will come out in January.
LONDON (AP) – So maybe it’s not the 50th anniversary tour everyone was hoping for, but The Rolling Stones have booked four concert dates. Two will be later this month in London, while the December 13 and 15 shows will be in Newark, New Jersey. The band says its scenery will include the tongue-and-lips logo that will “reach out into the crowd.” The Rolling Stones have no plans for a bigger tour. However, the December 15 show will be on pay-per-view.
On this date in 1971, Rick Nelson was booed when he performed new material at an oldies show in New York. It inspired him to write the song “Garden Party”, a cryptic rock classic and one of the all-time great “story songs”.