American Bandstand

This Day in Music History — September 6

1976 : Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis reunite after 20 years on Lewis’ Labor Day Telethon to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Frank Sinatra surprised Lewis by bringing out Martin

1987 : Performing as the “Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Band,” members of the band who survived their 1977 plane crash perform the first of a series of shows to mark the 10 year anniversary of the crash. The enthusiastic response from fans leads the band to reform permanently and record new material.

1997 : Elton John sings a new version of Candle In The Wind at Princess Diana’s funeral. The new version, which replaces “Goodbye Norma Jean” with “Goodbye England’s Rose,” becomes the best-selling single of all time.

This Day in Music History — September 5

1964 : A British group scores a #1 hit in America with a folk song about a New Orleans brothel when The Animals’ The House Of The Rising Sun tops the chart.

1968 : John Lennon flies to Germany for his role in the movie How I Won the War – the only major non-documentary film in which he would ever appear. He character wears glasses that he would use as the basis for his distinctive eyewear.

1987 : American Bandstand airs on network TV for the last time. ABC picked up the show in 1957, and throughout its run on the network, Dick Clark was the host. The show continued another year in syndication and aired one season on the USA network in 1989.

1991 : The steamy video for Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” scoops Best Male Video, Best Cinematography and Best Video from a Film at the MTV Video Music Awards

This Day in Music History — August 5

1957– American Bandstand first aired on US TV. Dick Clark had replaced Bob Horn the previous year when the show was still called Bandstand, Clark went on to host the show until 1989. Countless acts appeared on the show over the years, including Abba, The Doors, Talking Heads, Madonna, Otis Redding, R.E.M. and Pink Floyd.

1972– Aerosmith signed to CBS Records for $125,000 after record company boss Clive Davis saw them play at Max’s Kansas City Club New York.

1975 – The first all-female hard-rock band is formed when producer Kim Fowley puts together The Runaways, featuring Joan Jett, future Bangle Michael Steele, and Lita Ford.

1984– Bruce Springsteen played the first of ten nights at the Meadowlands in New Jersey to mark the homecoming of the Born in the USA Tour.

2007- DNA tests prove that at least two of the twelve claimants to the estate and fortune of recently deceased soul legend James Brown are found to be legitimate. His will had already named six known children.