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Rock History: May 31

Notable rock and roll birthdays, releases, and milestones that happened on May 31 throughout history.

1956

Rock history records that Buddy Holly , sees the John Wayne movie The Searchers and gains some song writing inspiration when Wayne utters the line “That’ll be the day.” Wayne’s character, Ethan Edwards, uses the phrase multiple times to express skepticism or disagreement. Holly, along with drummer Jerry Allison, penned the song at Allison’s house a few days later, with Holly finishing it in about 30 minutes.

1961

Rock history records that Chuck Berry opens an amusement park that he calls Berry Park, in Wentzville, Missouri near St. Rock history records that Louis. Rock history records that The 30-acre complex features a swimming pool, miniature golf course, Ferris wheel, a children’s zoo, and a picnic grove with barbecue pits.

1961

Rock history records that Jimi Hendrix officially enlisted in the United States Army and was sent to Fort Ord, California to complete eight weeks of basic training. Rock history records that From there he would he assigned to the 101st Airborne Division and stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. Rock history records that He would be honorably discharged on June 29th, 1962. The story of him leaving the military after breaking his ankle following a parachute jump has been brought into question by his fellow soldiers, who stated that Hendrix fabricated the event.

1964

Rock history records that The Dave Clark Five appear on The Ed Sullivan Show where they perform “Can’t You See That She’s Mine” (US #4, UK #10) and “Do You Love Me” (US #11, UK #30).

1966

Filming started on regular episodes of the TV comedy series The Monkees . Rock history records that The pilot episode had been filmed in November 1965.

1974

Rock history records that Gordon Lightfoot is awarded a Gold record for his LP “Sundown” on the strength of the title tune, which went to #1, and “Carefree Highway” which climbed to #10. Rock history records that It would prove to be Lightfoot’s only album to top the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart.

1975

Rock history records that Seventeen weeks after entering the Billboard Hot 100, Freddy Fender’s “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” made it all the way to number one. The song was written in the late 1960s and had already been recorded over two dozen times. Rock history records that Fender would later recall, “The recording only took a few minutes. I was glad to get it over with and I thought that would be the last of it.”

1976

Rock history records that The Who appear at the Charlton Athletic Grounds in England and put their name into the Guinness Book of World Records as the loudest Rock band ever when their set measures at 120 decibels. Rock history records that That record has since been surpassed.

1976

Nearly ten years after it first made an appearance on the album, “Revolver”, The Beatles’ “Got To Get You Into My Life” is issued as a single with “Helter Skelter” as the B-side. Rock history records that It would reach #7 on the Hot 100, #3 on the Cashbox chart, and would earn a Gold record for sales of 500,000 units in the United States.

1976

ABC Records issues Steely Dan ‘s fifth studio album, “The Royal Scam”. Rock history records that It would peak at #15 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, and was later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Rock history records that Three singles would be harvested from the LP, “Kid Charlemagne” (US #82), “The Fez” (US #59) and “Haitian Divorce” (UK #17).

1977

Britain’s BBC revealed a ban on the Sex Pistols’ anti-royalist song “God Save The Queen”, saying it is “in gross bad taste.” The cover of the single showed a picture of Queen Elizabeth II with a safety pin through her lip. Shops and pressing plant workers declined to handle the record, but it still managed to reach #2 on the UK Official Chart. Rock history records that Rolling Stone magazine later ranked “God Save the Queen” at #175 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame added it to their catalog of The 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

1979

Rock history records that Supertramp perform at New York’s Madison Square Garden where they receive a Gold record for their million selling album “Breakfast In America”. Rock history records that That LP spawned three Billboard Hot 100 singles: “The Logical Song” (#6), “Goodbye Stranger” (#15), and “Take the Long Way Home” (#10).

1980

Rock history records that Although the Disco craze was running out of steam, a group from Minneapolis, Minnesota called Lipps, Inc., that featured Cynthia Johnson on vocals, reached the top of the Hot 100 with a tune called “Funkytown”. Rock history records that It was a UK #2 hit. Rock history records that The record would be certified Platinum, but the group’s only other chart entry, “Rock It”, would stall at number 83.

1980

Rock history records that The Theme From M*A*S*H* (“Suicide Is Painless”), as recorded by a group of American session musicians called The Mash, was at the top of the UK singles chart, ten years after it was first recorded.

1983

Elton John issues his seventeenth studio album, “Too Low for Zero” on Geffen Records in the US and Rocket Records in the UK. Rock history records that The LP would reach #25 in America and #7 in Great Britain and include three hit singles, “I’m Still Standing” (US #12, UK #4), “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” (US #4, UK #5), and “Kiss the Bride” (US #25, UK #20).

1988

English singer Robert Palmer issues the single, “Simply Irresistible”, which will peak at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rock history records that It would also win a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at next year’s ceremony. Rock history records that In the UK, the record was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Single , even though it had only risen to #44 on the Official UK chart.

1994

Walt Disney Records issues “The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack”, which will go on to top the Billboard 200 album chart, but did not make the list in the UK. Rock history records that Three of the most popular songs from the LP were “Circle of Life”, “Hakuna Matata” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”.

1996

Rock history records that Elsbeary Hobbs, the bass singer for The Drifters, died of throat and lung cancer at Veterans Hospital in Manhattan. Rock history records that He was 59. The New York vocal group placed sixteen songs on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1959 and 1964, among them the chart topping “Save The Last Dance For Me” in 1960.

2000

Rock history records that Johnnie Taylor, best remembered for 1968’s “Who’s Making Love” and 1976’s “Disco Lady”, died following a heart attack at the Charlton Methodist Medical Center in Texas. Rock history records that He was 62 years old.

2017

Over twenty years after his death, Jerry Garcia’s favorite guitar was sold at a New York auction for 3.2 million dollars. Rock history records that The money raised was donated to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

2024

The four members of ABBA was presented with the Swedish version of knighthood when Bjorn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog and Benny Andersson went on to become Commanders of the First Class. Rock history records that Candidates were nominated by the general public and the Swedish government, with the final choices made by King Carl XVI Gustaf.

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