Monday, May 29, 2017

29 MAY

In Music History

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2013Marvin Junior (lead baritone of The Dells) dies from complications of kidney failure at age 77.
2012Aaron Freeman tells Rolling Stone that he is retiring Gene Ween, the stage name under which he has performed with Ween for nearly two decades. This appears to be the end of Ween, and the members of the now-defunct band begin pursuing other projects.
2005Jazz singer-songwriter Oscar Brown Jr., writer of the popular jazz song "Afro Blue," dies from complications of osteomyelitis at age 78.
1996Jimmy Rowles, a jazz pianist who played with the likes of Benny Goodman, Les Brown, Peggy Lee, and Ella Fitzgerald, dies of cardiovascular disease at age 77.
1989Elvis Presley's first grandchild, Danielle Riley Keough, is born to Lisa Marie Presley.
1989John Cipollina (lead guitarist of Quicksilver Messenger Service) dies at age 45 from Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, a genetic disorder that can lead to several diseases including emphysema, liver disease, lung cancer and COPD.
1988Bob Dylan duets with Band drummer Levon Helm on the group's "The Weight" at a Helm show in New York. The duo also perform Chuck Berry's "Nadine."
1984Tina Turner releases Private Dancer, her big comeback album.More
1983Kiss play their last concert in their famous makeup; at least until 1996 when they reform with all original members and painted faces once again.
1983Van Halen gets a record $1.5 million to play Day 2 ("Heavy Metal Day") of Apple founder Steve Wozniak's US Festival, the second and final year of the event. It's the most any act has ever been paid for a single performance.More
1977Goddard Lieberson, who served as president for both Columbia Records (1956-1971; 1973-1975) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), dies of cancer at age 66.
1976Dave Buckner (original drummer for Papa Roach) is born in Los Angeles, California.
1976Diana Ross' "Love Hangover" hits #1 in America. It's the first disco hit for Motown Records, which is slow to embrace the sound.
1975Melanie Brown is born in Leeds, England. With Spice Girls, she is known as Mel B or "Scary Spice."
1975The Osmonds' appearance at Wembley Pool in London sets off a riot amongst fans.
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Student Protest Gets Queen Song Re-released

1992
Concerned that students are identifying with Freddie Mercury, who has recently died of AIDS, the principal at Sacred Heart School in Clifton, New Jersey, doesn't allow 8th graders to perform the Queen song "We Are The Champions" at their graduation ceremony. When students flood the radio station Z100 with requests for the song, it is re-released as a single.

Just a few months before the 8th graders at Sacred Heart School start preparations for their graduation ceremony, Wayne's World hits movie theaters across the US, featuring a head-banging send-up to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" that lands the re-released single at #2 on the Hot 100, 17 years after its debut. Starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as the rock-obsessed slackers they originated on Saturday Night Live, the movie is one of the most successful films of the year. It also revitalizes US interest in Queen, especially among teens who are eager to hear the rest of the British rockers' catalog, including the 1977 victory anthem "We Are The Champions."

Over at Sacred Heart, a conservative Catholic school that boasts "excellent education alongside high moral values," students are furious when Principal Donald Quinlan, protecting the school's moral high ground from the bisexual dead rock star, denies them the right to cap their tenure as champions of the world - or at least of Sacred Heart. "If they wanted to sing 'I'm Popeye the Sailor Man,' that wouldn't be appropriate at a religious graduation," Sacred Heart pastor Julian Varettoni insists to the Associated Press. "This has nothing to do with the lifestyle of the author." 

The students aren't convinced and invite the group ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) to protest on campus, where two of the activists are arrested by waiting police. When the students bombard their local radio station with requests for the song, the story becomes a national headline and inspires a re-release as a medley with "We Will Rock You." The single only peaks at #52, but it's a big win for the kids at Sacred Heart, whose graduation ceremony is canceled over the controversy.

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