Today In Oldies Music History: September 20

--

Births

1924: Gogi Grant
1925: Billy Nunn (The Coasters)
1930: Eddie Bo
1946: Michael Oldroyd (Manfred Mann's Earth Band)
1949: John Panozzo (Styx)
1949: Chuck Panozzo (Styx)

Deaths

1973:Jim Croce
1984: Steve Goodman
2008: Nappy Brown

Events

1967: Rick (no longer Ricky) Nelson becomes the proud father of his first two sons, Matthew and Gunnar. 22 years later, the two would form the hair-metal band Nelson.


1969: Frustrated by what he sees as a lack of artistic fulfillment, John Lennon announces privately to the rest of the Beatles that he will be leaving the band. The announcement, which comes at one of several grueling financial meetings designed to untangle the band's mismanaged assets, comes abruptly and takes everyone by surprise: when Paul announces that the band should go out on tour anonymously, playing small clubs to get back the feel of band unity, Lennon declares "I think you’re daft. I want a divorce." The band realizes they cannot go on without him, but agrees to delay the announcement until after the release of the Let It Be soundtrack -- an agreement Paul will break. On the same day, ATV (Associated Television) of Britain buys up controlling interest in the Beatles' songwriting catalog.
1970: In Miami, Jim Morrison of the Doors is sentenced to six months hard labor and a fine of $500 for allegedly exposing himself during an infamous show in the Dinner Key Auditorium in Coconut Grove, FL.

The verdict will still be on appeal when Morrison dies of a drug overdose in Paris ten months later.
1971: Humble Pie guitarist and British teen idol Peter Frampton leaves the group to start his solo career.
1972: For the second time in a month, Paul McCartney and wife Linda are arrested on marijuana charges, this time for growing the drug on their farm in Campbeltown, Scotland.
1975: The main competitor for the new late-night NBC sketch show Saturday Night, an ABC program entitled Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell, debuts with a performance by England's newest rage, boy band The Bay City Rollers. Though their performance of "Saturday Night," the song, will eventually push the single to #1, the show itself fizzles out after six months, at which point NBC's Saturday Night renames itself Saturday Night Live.
1976:The Captain and Tenille musical variety and comedy show debuts on ABC-TV, but will be canceled in six months after the duo find the workload of producing a weekly show too heavy.
1982: A seriously ill Karen Carpenter, now weighing only 77 pounds due to her anorexia, is admitted to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York and fed intravenously in order to get her weight back to normal. Six weeks later and 30 pounds heavier, she decides to check herself out of the facility.
1983: Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, John Paul Jones, Charlie Watts and Kenney Jones perform at the first ARMS (Action into Research for Multiple Sclerosis) concert in London, a benefit for former Faces guitarist Ronnie Lane, now fighting MS.
1994: The Temptations are awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7060 Hollywood Blvd.
2003: An unknown arsonist sets fire to the Wentzville, Missouri ranch of Chuck Berry, destroying most of it.
2004: Billy Joel is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6233 Hollywood Blvd.
2004: In an interview with England's The Sun tabloid, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones claims to have finally given up illegal drugs, in part because "the quality's gone down. All they do is try and take the high out of everything. I don't like the way they're working on the brain area instead of just through the blood system. That's why I don't take them any more. And you're talking to a person who knows his drugs."

Releases

none

Recording

1965: The Animals, "It's My Life"
1968: The Beatles, "Piggies"

Charts

1969: The Archies' "Sugar, Sugar" hits #1
1969: The Blind Faith LP hits #1
1975: David Bowie's "Fame" hits #1

Certifications

1978: The Who's LP Who Are You is certified gold