Tuesday, June 6, 2017

6 JUNE

In Music History

Page 1
123
2014The BBC broadcasts You've Got A Friend: The Carole King Story, named for her 1971 song
2012One Direction's video release of Up All Night: The Live Tour debuts at #1 on the Billboard Music Video Sales chart. In the same week, "What Makes You Beautiful" is also peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
2006Billy Preston, a virtuoso keyboardist who worked with the likes of Ray CharlesSam Cooke, and The Beatles, dies of kidney failure at age 59 after a long battle with kidney disease and hypertension.
2003Dave Rowberry (keyboardist for The Animals) dies at age 62 of an ulcer hemorrhage.
2002Natalie Appleton (of All Saints) marries Liam Howlett (of The Prodigy) in France. They met two years earlier at England's V Festival.
2001Elton John auctions off 20 vehicles in his car collection, earning $2.75 million. He says he "doesn't have time to drive them anymore."
1993The Velvet Underground reform for the first time in 24 years for a show at London's Wembley Arena.
1993The Who's Tommy, which has been converted into a Broadway play, wins five Tony Awards.
1992David Bowie and Iman renew their vows in Florence, Italy, after wondering about the legality of their wedding in Switzerland.
1991Jazz saxophonist Stan Getz dies of liver cancer at age 64. His ashes are poured from his saxophone case by his grandson off the coast of Marina del Rey, California.
1987After being criticized by church members for his "worldliness," Michael Jackson cuts ties with the Jehovah's Witnesses.
1986Dick Rowe, the Decca Records executive who rejected The Beatles but signed The Rolling Stones, dies of diabetes at age 64.
1982The "Peace Sunday: We Have a Dream" concert takes place in Los Angeles, featuring Tom PettyStevie NicksBob DylanJackson Browne and Stevie Wonder. 85,000 attend the show, which supports nuclear disarmament.
1979A gig at a British club gets a good review and leads to a record deal for Def Leppard.
1977The Doobie Brothers sponsor a charity golf tournament and concert to benefit the United Way.
Page 1
123

2 Live Crew Declared Legally Obscene

1990
The 2 Live Crew album As Nasty As They Wanna Be becomes the first album declared legally obscene when Federal District Judge Jose Gonzalez rules that the album violates community obscenity standards in three south Florida counties: Broward, Dade, and Palm Beach.

The ruling sets off a censorship firestorm which drives sales of the album past 2 million copies. Two days later, a record store owner is arrested for selling the album, and two days after that, the group is arrested for performing the songs in concert. The court ruling is eventually overturned.

According to the standards set by the United States Supreme Court, art is judged obscene if it:

1) Appeals primarily to prurient interest.

2) Is patently obscene by community standards.

3) Lacks serious artistic, literary, political or scientific merit.

2 Live Crew's case rests on #3, with their lawyer arguing that the group's songs "reflect exaggeration, parody, humor, even about delicate subjects." The case illuminates the divide between those who appreciate hip-hop and those who see it as meaningless. When the case is finally decided, it proves that by legal standards, even the crudest form of hip-hop has artistic merit, just as the nastiest punk rock and metal did before.

No comments:

Post a Comment