This Day in Music

The Beatles are exempted from the compilation album rule, burning for Buddy, and Elvis wins an award, on this day in music.

Mama Said

1991: Lenny Kravitz releases his second studio album, “Mama Said.” Following his Gold-certified debut album, “Let Love Rule,” Lenny was under pressure to deliver again.

He did not disappoint. Spinning out seven singles, including “Always On the Run” featuring Slash on guitar, “It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over,” “Fields of Joy,” also with Slash, “Stand by My Woman,” and “Stop Draggin' Around,” the LP went to No. 39 in the U.S., No. 8 in the U.K., sold over two million copies worldwide, and was certified Platinum in the U.S., U.K., and Canada.

Red and Blue

1973: The compilation double-albums nicknamed “The Red Album” for the years 1962-1966 and “The Blue Album” for the years 1967-1970, by The Beatles, are released on Apple Records.

Both albums feature hit songs released by the band within the years indicated, either on previous LP's or as non-album singles, with “Red” featuring only songs written by the band, even though they recorded several covers during that period.

The album cover for “Red” was a reprint of the 1963 Angus McBean photograph used on their debut record, “Please Please Me,” of the four lads looking down through the stairwell at EMI House, which was record label EMI's headquarters in those days. The band re-commissioned McBean to take a similar photo in 1969 for the planned album, “Get Back,” to act as a comparison of the changes the band experienced in the intervening years. When “Get Back” became “Let It Be,” the cover idea was changed to four separate portraits of the band members, but the 1969 photo made the perfect cover for “Blue.”

“Red” peaked at No. 3 on both the U.S. and U.K. charts, while “Blue” went all the way to No. 1 in the U.S., and peaked at No. 2 in the U.K. The combined sales of the two packages are estimated to be in excess of 25 million, and both were certified multi-platinum in several regions.

Buddy Rich

1987: The music world is saddened by the news that legendary big band drummer and bandleader Buddy Rich died in Los Angeles while receiving treatment for a malignant brain tumour. He was 69 years old.

With a career too extensive to summarize in one blog, more can be learned about him through his Wikipedia page.

Turning pro in 1937, he played with famous big bands led by Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, and Count Basie. Following a two-year tour in the Marines, Rich founded The Buddy Rich Orchestra in 1945. Some of his most famous moments include his performances of West Side Story arranged for big band, which featured one of his most famous drum solos, and several appearances on the The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, where he would perform a solo and then in a rare turn for musical guests, get interview time with Johnny. Carson was a drummer himself and both a friend and fan of Buddy.

Rich would perform “drum battles” with contemporary legends such as Gene Krupa and Max Roach in the late fifties and early sixties. (Note: the clip with Max Roach is audio only, but Buddy can be heard in the right speaker.)

The battle then became standard Buddy Rich TV entertainment, wherein Buddy would go up against a number of other famous drummers, including a comedy drum battle with Jerry Lewis; a Muppet Show battle with Animal, played by the great English big band drummer Ronnie Verrell behind the scenes; the innovative and talented Louis Bellson; and a fabulous battle with Ed Shaughnessy, the supremely talented Tonight Show Band drummer.

Known for his flawless technique, especially on the snare drum, incredible power, stylistic flares such as underhanded cymbal crashes and “rim shot/pause,” and lightning speed, which he put to good use as an unaccompanied soloist, Buddy made 62 albums as bandleader including “Krupa and Rich,” “This One's for Basie,” “Big Swing Face,” “Mercy Mercy,” “Buddy and Soul,” “Stick It,” and “Live at the 1982 Montreal Jazz Festival.”

The Daily Elvis

1960: At the first-ever National Association of Recording Merchandisers Awards held in Las Vegas, Elvis wins Best-Selling Male Artist.

Pictured: Buddy Rich performing his solo on “Westside Story Medley,” a number arranged by Bill Reddie in 1966 for the Buddy Rich Big Band.