Here is a way to kickstart Your Monday morning.
When Ted Tocks Covers goes through the music archives in an effort to share material, a major source of ideas is ‘This Day in Music’ which is a website out of England, I believe. Outside of my clear passion for music, if Ted Tocks Covers has a launching pad, this would be it. My love of music took me here and frequently ‘This Day in Music’ sends me on many interesting journeys into the wide space of music history.
As I scroll through the calendar, there are some days that leave me wanting. This forces me to branch into other areas like significant release dates for albums or songs, and other important milestones on the musical calendar. Since I post something daily, this can become a challenge. The occasional void of events is definitely balanced by days like today.
From this writer’s perspective, September 25 has no less than eight major milestones, and in all honesty, I struggled to limit it to this number.
So, enjoy your walk through this date in music history.
To begin, we go back over nine decades.
Shel Silverstein was born on this day in 1930. Let’s just say I love the work of Shel Silverstein. The man was a poet. He was a cartoonist. In our home, the jury is out on whether he is more significant as a song writer or an author of children’s books. I believe we have them all. Shel Silverstein wrote songs for other artists, who dined out on his brilliance. Where would the world be without Johnny Cash’s rendition of ‘A Boy Named Sue’? Shortly after he wrote it, he shared this offering during a song writing circle (guitar pull) at Johnny Cash’s house. June Carter-Cash suggested to her husband that he should record that song. Shel Silverstein was the lyrical genius behind Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. In my life, never did a cottage campfire go by without a version of ‘Cover of the Rolling Stone’ or ‘(Freakin’ at the Freaker’s Ball’. Enjoy this short list of Ted Tocks features that have shared Shel Silverstein’s words and music. Cheers Shel!
Fast forward three decades and we find ourselves in Motown. On this day in 1964, The Temptations began to record their stunning song ‘My Girl’. It was written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White of the Miracles. Soon after its release, ‘My Girl’ went to #1 in the United States. It was the first of many for this act.
About a half decade later, the first episode of ‘The Partridge Family’ was broadcast. The show captured the imagination of viewers and it is still seen as an integral program in television history. The family was loosely modeled after ‘The Cowsills’. In this post, you will get an idea as to how many true musical connections stemmed from The Partridge Family creation. This was not bubble-gum pop. These people were serious. This should never be forgotten.
We are going to turn up the volume now. By 1972, Black Sabbath had three incredible albums under their belt but they were a band in transition. Legendary guitarist, Tony Iommi took over the production duties from Rodger Bain. It was felt, that Iommi was the band member who was best equipped in this capacity, because he was the most lucid and he had a natural feel for what they were doing.
This was a band going through ‘Changes’ and much of that stemmed from the fact that the band’s drug abuse was rampant. Speaking to this point, according to Black Sabbath biographies, they had cocaine delivered to the recording studio in speaker boxes.
Here is Ozzy’s recollection;
Eventually we started to wonder where the fuck all the coke was coming from … that coke was the whitest, purest, strongest stuff you could ever imagine. One sniff, and you were king of the universe.”
Ozzy Osbourne
Things came to a head when Tony Iommi was attacked on stage during a concert at the Hollywood Bowl by a deranged ‘Christian’ man with a dagger. It seems this ‘child of God’ thought that Black Sabbath were the anti-Christs. Fortunately, he was taken down by the Black Sabbath stage crew. All of this demonstrates that there is a fine line between Christianity and insanity.
This back story feeds nicely into an incredibly honest song. It’s hard to reconcile this piece with such inner turmoil and debauchery, but acts of this period were notorious for creating timeless material in what can only be described as a drug and alcohol haze. Looking back, it seems unfathomable, but the musical creativity during this era is second to none in this writer’s opinion.
Speaking of rock and roll excess, and moving on to the end of the decade, the music world was stunned by the death of legendary Led Zeppelin drummer, John Bonham. As a music lover, I have to say that back in this time, in my world as a young fan there were three deaths that hit me hard; Keith Moon in 1978, John Bonham on this day in 1980 and of course, later that same year, John Lennon was assassinated by another mentally ill American who fell through the cracks of society (an often repeated tale). I thought these people would live forever and they all died so young.
Ted Tocks Covers has written so many posts about Led Zeppelin that the only thing I can do here is share this feature, but if this is not enough just search Led Zeppelin and you will find many more. Next to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, there is no band Ted Tocks Covers has written about more.
There is one constant theme that seems to penetrate the material presented by Ted Tocks Covers. On too many occasions I tell the story of great artists who died way too young. I mentioned three above, but it says here that sometimes the more interesting tales come from the (somewhat) lesser told stories. Here is where Jackie Wilson enters the picture.
Jackie Wilson died on this day in 1984, at the age of only 49. Wilson had a history of health issues. This sad reality took the ultimate toll when he contracted pneumonia. His beleaguered body was not up to fighting off the ravages of this issue and he succumbed.
Perhaps the saddest part of this tale is the fact that for a time, Jackie Wilson was buried in an unmarked grave in a cemetery near Detroit, Michigan. Thanks to an Orlando D.J. named ‘Jack the Rapper’ funds were raised to purchase a mausoleum. This is where music fans can celebrate his long-lasting influence to this day.
Chapter 7 of today’s feature is perhaps as contemporary as we will get. Dave Grohl strikes me at least, as eternally likeable. Ted Tocks Covers has described him as every music fan’s big brother. People just seem to gravitate to his magnetic charm. Some try to denigrate this image, but until I am proven wrong, that is the Dave Grohl I will share.
It was on this day in 1990 that Grohl auditioned for a band that was seen as a rising star in the emerging Seattle music scene. The prevailing thought was they just needed the right drummer. When Kurt Cobain heard Dave Grohl play with a reckless abandon that reminded some of John Bonham, he simply stated that;
That’s the kind of drummer we need.”
Kurt Cobain
In an interview with ‘Ultimate Classic Rock’, Nirvana’s sound engineer Craig Montgomery stated;
Dave had an energy that was hard to miss…He seemed like a good fit for what they were doing.”
Craig Montgomery
By the way, he got the job.
It’s difficult to know where to go with this tie to today’s date. I will recommend two things.
First, enjoy ‘Everlong’.
Then, by all means search Dave Grohl on my site, and discover a little bit more. Such a cool guy.
While I write, I am often listening to music on a steady stream. Just as I was about to begin today’s final chapter, I was visited by a friend I have never met.
Say hello to Tom Petty.
On this day in 2017, Tom Petty performed for the last time. Fittingly, the scene was the Hollywood Bowl. The truth is, as he and the Heartbreakers played the final notes of ‘American Girl’, Tom was in so much pain that he could barely move. Earlier that evening, his bandmates silently watched as he made his way up the stairs to take the stage of this iconic venue.
Here is ‘American Girl’, but again if you are a Tom Petty fan, please feel free to search his name and enjoy the many Ted Tocks Covers features that have included his music over the past six years.
As Ted Tocks Covers has stated on several occasions, there is a Tom Petty rule. If Tom Petty has covered it, Ted Tocks will include it.
The man is infinitely cool, and clearly his music will live on.
He is sorely missed.
Since this is the song that streamed into my brain while I was writing, I will share the performance from his final show here, as I conclude today’s musical buffet.
This may have been his last dance, but I still feel his words as they flow through my headphones.
I don’t think that will ever change.
Thanks Tom!
Have a great day and like Robert Hunter said, “If you get confused, listen to the music play.” The beauty of music is that it is magic. Within that magical connection there is something for everyone.
I find myself once again, recalling a quote from Tom Petty.
Music is probably the one real magic I have encountered in my life. There’s not some trick involved with it. It’s pure and it’s real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things.”
Tom Petty
Hopefully something in today’s post struck a spiritual chord with you.
Ted Tocks Covers 
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