The Current Music Blog: March 31, 2010 Archive

Today In Music History: Johnny B. Goode

Posted at 6:16 AM on March 31, 2010 by Steve Seel (1 Comments)
Filed under: Music History

Birthdays:

Trumpeter and bandleader Herb Alpert is 75.
Guitarist Angus Young of AC/DC is 55.
Bassist Bob Crawford of The Avett Brothers is 39.

Today in:

1967 - Jimi Hendrix set his guitar on fire in front of an audience for the first time, during a concert in London.
1983 - MTV added Michael Jackson's video for "Beat It." It was the first video MTV played by a black artist.
1984 - Kenny Loggins started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with "Footloose", the theme from the film with the same name.
2001 - Whitney Houston and husband Bobby Brown were banned for life from Hollywood's Bel Air hotel after wrecking their room. Hotel workers said a TV was smashed, two doors were ripped of their hinges and the walls and carpets were stained by alcohol. It was reported that Whitney called in her lawyers to plead with the hotel management not to call the police. The suite was so badly damaged it had to be shut for five days for repairs.

History Highlight:

On this day in 1958, Chuck Berry released the single "Johnny B. Goode." Written by Berry in 1955, the song is about a poor country boy who plays a guitar "just like ringing a bell", and who might one day have his "name in lights". Berry has acknowledged that the song is partly autobiographical.

"Johnny B. Goode" is among the most widely covered rock and roll songs in history. Berry's recording of the song was included on the Voyager "Golden Record," attached to the Voyager spacecraft as representing rock and roll, one of four American songs included among many cultural achievements of humanity.

Comment on this post