The Current Music Blog: October 14, 2009 Archive

Today in Music History: Influence or Plagiarism?

Posted at 8:07 AM on October 14, 2009 by Jill Riley
Filed under: Music History

Thomas Dolby is 51

In 1955, Bill Haley and his Comets, at the height of their fame
with "Rock Around the Clock," played a concert in Lubbock, Texas.
The opening act was the then-little-known Buddy Holly.
In 1964, Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts secretly married
Shirley Ann Arnold.
In 1972, singer Joe Cocker was arrested in a drug raid after a
concert in Adelaide, Australia. Cocker could have been fined and
jailed for two years, but police instead ordered him to leave the
country within four hours.
Also in 1972, Michael Jackson had his first solo hit, with
"Ben."
In 1977, singer Bing Crosby died near Madrid, Spain, at age 73.
In 1998, "polka king" Frankie Yankovic died at his home in New
Port Richey, Florida, a week after suffering a fall. He was 83.

On this day in 1971, John Fogerty was sued for allegedly plagiarizing Little
Richard's "Good Golly Miss Molly" for Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Travelin' Band." We played the two songs back to back this morning. What do you think? Was John Fogerty just incorporating the influence of the 1950's rock 'n roll sound, or is it just a rip off?