Rock 'n' Roll History for
January 25


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1958 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock" becomes the first single ever to enter the UK Pop chart at number one. Backed by "Treat Me Nice", the record would stay on top for three weeks. Rolling Stone magazine later ranked "Jailhouse Rock" at #67 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named it to its 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

1961 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
The House of Representatives Special Sub-committee on Legislative Oversight opens hearings on disc jockey payola. Legendary Cleveland DJ Alan Freed would eventually be convicted, while Philadelphia's Dick Clark would be cleared.

1964 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
The Beatles scored their first number one hit in the US when "I Want To Hold Your Hand" reached the top of the Cashbox Best Sellers chart. The Fab Four would eventually rack up twenty-five number ones in America.

1971 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
Grace Slick and Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane become the proud parents of a baby girl. They originally wanted to name the child God, but after a storm of controversy, settled on China.

1975 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
"Please Mr. Postman" became a US number one for the second time when The Carpenters took it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The Marvelettes' version led the hit parade in January, 1961. Although The Beatles also recorded a popular version of the song, it didn't make the American Top 40.

January 25
The initial instrumental tracks for "Love will Keep Us Together" by Captain & Tennille were recorded at A&M Studios in Hollywood. The song was written by Neil Sedaka (who originally recorded it in 1973) and Howard Greenfield. Drummer Hal Blaine and keyboardist Daryl Dragon (Captain) were the only two musicians on the three hour session. All of the other parts and vocals were overdubbed later by Daryl, his brother Dennis Dragon, and Toni Tennille. "Love Will Keep Us Together" was certified Gold by the RIAA and also won the 1975 Grammy Award for Record of the Year on February 28th, 1976.

1976 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
Chris Kenner, the New Orleans-based R&B singer who reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the million selling record, "I Like It Like That" in 1961, suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 46. As a song writer, he had success with "Something You Got" and "Land Of 1000 Dances".

1983 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
Allman Brothers bassist Lamar Williams died of lung cancer at the age of 34. His doctors believed that the disease was caused by exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam War service between 1968 and 1970.

1987 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
Neil Diamond sings the national anthem at Superbowl XXI (21).

1990 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers appears as himself on the NBC-TV comedy Cheers. In one scene, Woody Boyd (played by Woody Harrelson) asks him, "Ah, well, Mr. Medley, how come you changed your name from Righteous?"

1994 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
Michael Jackson reached a multi-million dollar settlement with a boy who had accused him of sexual molestation.

2003 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
Billy Joel received minor injuries when he lost control of his Mercedes Benz and struck a tree on Long Island.

2005 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
Ray Peterson, the voice behind the June, 1960, US number 7 hit, "Tell Laura I Love Her" passed away at the age of 65. After the hit records stopped coming in the early '70s, Peterson became a Baptist Church minister and occasionally played the oldies music circuit.

2011 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
Michael Jackson's physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, told Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor "I am an innocent man" in a pre-trial hearing in Los Angeles.

2012 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
Dick Kniss, who played bass for Peter, Paul And Mary for five decades and co-wrote the John Denver hit "Sunshine on My Shoulders", died of pulmonary disease at the age of 74.

2013 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
Without offering an explanation, Tina Turner revealed that she was giving up her US citizenship to become a resident of Switzerland. Her reasons were probably was not tax related, as Switzerland itself is also a high tariff environment.

January 25
69-year-old Barry Manilow was forced to call off the opening three nights of his Broadway comeback show after coming down with bronchitis.

2019 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
The soundtrack LP to the film The Greatest Showman extended it's run at the top of the UK albums chart to twenty-eight weeks. That matched The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", which logged twenty-eight non-consecutive weeks at #1 between June 1967 and February 1968.

2021 - ClassicBands.com

January 25
The Rolling Stones introduced a pair of candy bars called Brown Sugar and Cherry Red to their line-up of band endorsed, on-line merchandise.



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