Rock 'n' Roll History for
September 27


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1957 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
With Bill Black and Scotty Moore having recently departed, Elvis Presley appears at the Mississippi - Alabama Fair and Dairy Show in Tupelo with two new backing musicians, Hank Garland and Bob Moore.

1958 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
Connie Francis reaches the top of the UK chart for the second time this year with "Stupid Cupid" / "Carolina Moon". Last spring, she led the hit parade with "Who's Sorry Now".

1964 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
The Beach Boys make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, where they perform "I Get Around" and "Wendy". Leslie Uggams, Alan King and Robert Goulet were also on the program that evening.

1969 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
Carlos Santana had his first taste of success when his debut LP entered Billboard's Hot 200. The album would eventually climb to #4 and stayed on the chart for over two years, aided by the #9 hit single "Evil Ways". In the UK, it reached #26.

1970 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
After Geritol dropped its sponsorship of the series, CBS cancels Ted Mack's The Original Amateur Hour. The show was a forerunner of such talent shows as Star Search, American Idol and America's Got Talent. Winners who went on to show business careers included Gladys Knight, Ann-Margret, Pat Boone, Raul Julia, and Teresa Brewer.

1975 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
John Denver's two sided hit, "I'm Sorry" / "Calypso" reached the top of the Billboard singles chart. It was his fourth and final US number one record, although he would place six more songs in the Top 40.

1976 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
Ten days after its UK release, Ringo Starr's LP, "Ringo's Rotogravure" is issued in America. It would turn out to be the last album featuring active involvement from all four former Beatles. John Lennon played piano on "A Dose Of Rock And Roll", Paul McCartney played bass on "Pure Gold" and George Harrison contributed a song called "I'll Still Love You", but because of previous commitments, did not actually play on the track. The album did not get good reviews and although it climbed to #28 in America, it did not chart at all in England.

1986 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
The Beatles' "Twist and Shout" re-enters the Billboard Hot 100 over twenty-five years after it first appeared. The song was featured in the films Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Rodney Dangerfield's Back To School.

September 27
Cliff Burton, bass guitarist for Metallica, was killed when the band's tour bus skidded and flipped over in rural southern Sweden. The 24-year-old Burton was thrown through a window of the bus, which fell on top of him, crushing him to death. He would be posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the group on April 4, 2009.

1990 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
Marvin Gaye received a posthumous star on The Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Gaye's children, Nona, Marvin III and Frankie, accepted the award on behalf of their father. Neither Marvin Gay Sr., who shot and killed his son on April 1st, 1984, or Marvin's mother, Alberta, attended the event.

2001 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
Jonathan King, who reached #17 in the US and #4 in the UK in 1965 with "Everyone's Gone To The Moon", was sentenced to seven years in prison for the sexual assault of underage boys. In March, 2005, he was freed after serving half of his sentence. King has always maintained his innocence.

2004 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
Legendary record producer Phil Spector was formally charged with murder in the February 3rd, 2003 shooting of actress Lana Clarkson. He will be convicted in April, 2009 and sentenced to nineteen years to life in the California State prison system. He would die in custody on January 16th, 2021 at the age of 81.

2006 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
Jamie Lyons, lead singer of The Music Explosion, died of a heart attack at the age of 57. The band is most often remembered for their garage-band classic "Little Bit o' Soul", which spent sixteen weeks on the Billboard Pop chart in 1967, peaking at #2.

2007 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
Dale Houston, one half of the singing duo Dale And Grace, died of heart failure at the age of 67. The duo reached #1 in 1963 with "I'm Leaving It Up to You" and #8 in 1964 with "Stop and Think It Over".

2010 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
Phil Collins topped the UK album chart for the first time in twelve years with "Going Back". His last number one LP was "Hits" in 1998.

September 27
Elton John's mother announced that she would be auctioning off some of her son's memorabilia when she moved into a smaller house. Among the items were tour jackets and more than one hundred Gold and Platinum discs.

September 27
Cleveland's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame announced the 2011 inductees that included Alice Cooper, Dr. John, Neil Diamond, Leon Russell, and Darlene Love. Among those who were nominated but not selected were Bon Jovi, The J. Geils Band, Donna Summer and Chic.

2011 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
Fourteen-time Grammy winner Tony Bennett achieved his first #1 album on the Billboard 200 with "Duets II", making the 85-year-old singer the oldest living act to achieve that feat. His all-star collaborations album sold 179,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

2012 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
Rapper Little Wayne became the new king of the Billboard Hot 100 by placing his 109th song on the chart. Elvis Presley, with 108 entries, held the title for forty-five years, with his last appearance, "Rubberneckin'", reaching #100 in 2003.

September 27
(Robert Bertram) R.B. Greaves, the R&B singer who scored a #2 hit in 1969 with the infectious break-up song, "Take a Letter, Maria", died of prostrate cancer at the age of 68.

2016 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
Bruce Springsteen releases his autobiography, Born To Run as an audio book.

2017 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
Prince's custom high-heeled boots, worn on 1987's Sign o' the Times Tour, were sold for $75,147 by Boston-based RR Auction. "People say I'm wearing heels because I'm short," the late musical super-star, who stood at 5'3", once said. "I wear heels because the women like 'em."

2018 - ClassicBands.com

September 27
Jefferson Airplane co-founder Marty Balin passed away on the way to the hospital in Tampa, Florida at the age of 76. Along with his work with the Airplane, he also sang lead on four Billboard Top 40 hits with Jefferson Starship, and enjoyed two more hits on that chart as a solo artist.



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