This Day in Music
December 19th
The final performance of a legendary song, the first performance of legendary song, and a performance by Elvis, with a couple of nods to the Seventies, on this day in music.
Releases
1989: English singer-songwriter, vocalist, and co-founder of post-punk band Bauhaus, Peter Murphy, releases his third studio album, “Deep.” Including the single, “Cuts You Up,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, the album was highly rated by critics and by fans alike. It reached No. 44 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 350,000 units in North America alone (one of which was purchased by this blogger), making it a strong commercial success for an alt-rock solo record.
Events
2014: Motown legend Darlene Love performs "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" on The Late Show with David Letterman, for the 28th consecutive year, spanning both his late night talk show runs on NBC and CBS. As Letterman would retire before the following Christmas, Love decided she would retire her TV performances of the song with him.
1978: ABC-TV airs The Carpenters: A Christmas Portrait. The Carpenters, siblings Karen and Richard, are joined by Gene Kelly, Kristy and Jimmy McNichol, and Georgia Engel. It’s very Seventies!
1955: Classic American singer-songwriter and guitar player, Carl Perkins, enters the Memphis Recording Service studios to record for Sun Records what would be considered one of the first rockabilly tunes, "Blue Suede Shoes." Elvis would make the song even more popular, recording it as the first track for his eponymous first album in 1956, and performing it on live TV three times.
1975: Novelty song "Convoy" by C. W. McCall, from the film of the same name that could have only been made in the Seventies, and based upon its plot, is certified Gold by the RIAA for selling 500,000 copies. Mercy sakes alive, we got us a Gold record!
1965: The Supremes top the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the third consecutive release, when their song, "Come See About Me," from their second studio album, "Where Did Our Love Go," hits No. 1.
1964: "Beatles For Sale," the fourth studio album by The Beatles, reaches No. 1 on the UK Albums chart, taking over top spot from their previous album, "A Hard Day's Night," issued only five months earlier. It would hold the No. 1 spot for seven weeks, and remain on the chart for 24 weeks.
The Daily Elvis
1955: Accompanied by would-be long-time friends, Scotty Moore on guitar and Bill Black on upright bass, Elvis performs at the Ellis Auditorium in Fort Worth, Texas, from inside a boxing ring.
Pictured: Darlene Love backed by Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra during her last performance on The Late Show with David Letterman.
