This Day in Music: January 25th

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Born on this day:

1915, Ewan MacColl, folk singer-songwriter
1931, Stig Anderson, ABBA producer
1938, Etta James, singer
1954, Robert Finch, vocals, KC and the Sunshine Band
1955, Terry Chimes, drums, The Clash
1956, Andy Cox, guitar, The Beat, Fine Young Cannibals
1981, Alicia Keys, singer-pianist

1960, The original cast recording of The Sound of Music started a 16-week run at #1 on the U.S. album chart.

1967, The Beatles made a last-minute remix of “Penny Lane” before the pressing of their next double-A-sided single “Strawberry Fields Forever”/“Penny Lane.” Both songs were originally intended for forthcoming album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

1971, Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane gave birth to a daughter, naming her God. She was later re-named China. For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

1975, The Carpenters went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with their version of The Marvelettes’ 1961 hit “Please Mr. Postman.”

1978, Joy Division made their live debut when they played Pips in Manchester, England.

1983, The Allman Brothers Band’s bassist Lamar Williams died of lung cancer at age 34. He joined the band in 1972 after the death of original bassist Berry Oakley.

1984, Yoko Ono donated ?250,000 ($425,000) to Liverpool old people’s home Strawberry Fields.

1986, Manager Albert Grossman died of a heart attack while flying on Concorde from New York to London. He managed Bob Dylan (between 1962 and 1970), Peter, Paul and Mary, The Band, Janis Joplin and Todd Rundgren. Grossman built the Bearsville Recording Studio near Woodstock in 1969, and in 1970 he founded Bearsville Records.

1992, The inaugural Big Day Out festival took place at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney. Acts appearing included, Nirvana, Beasts of Bourbon, Box The Jesuits, Celibate Rifles, Cosmic Psychos, The Clouds, Club Hoy, Died Pretty, Falling Joys, The Hard Ons with Henry Rollins Hellmen, Massappeal, The Meanies, Smudge, Sound Unlimited Posse, Ratcat, The Village Idiots, Violent Femmes and Yothu Yindi.

2008, British Sea Power’s keyboard and cornet player Phil Sumner ended up in the hospital after being knocked unconscious when he attempted a stage dive. The crowd at Leeds Irish Centre failed to catch him when he jumped off a 12-foot PA system, landing head first. A spokeswoman for the band said: "The impact knocked him out straight away. He was unconscious for three minutes and there was a lot of blood.”

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