WristRock "This Day in Music" Video Blog

"This Day in Music History" Birthdays..

BOB MARLEY (1945-1981)

Let's begin with our continuing recognition of National Black History Month in wishing a happy 67th birthday to Reggae superstar, BOB MARLEY, whom we sadly lost on May 11, 1981 at the young age of 36. Rising from the slums of Jamaica, this son of a black teenage mother and much older, absent white father, he spent his early years in the rural village known as Nine Miles in the parish of St. Ann. Moving to Kingston in the late '50s, he lived in the impoverished Trench Town district, struggling in poverty, but finding inspiration from hearing The Drifters, Ray Charles, Fats Domino and Elvis Presley.

Not finding success as a solo artist, he formed The Wailing Wailers in 1963 with Neville "Bunny" O'Riley Livingston,  Peter McIntosh (aka Peter Tosh). The band's first recording, "Simmer Down," became #1 in  Jamaica in 1964. By then, The Wailers had added Junior Braithwaite, Beverly Kelso, and Cherry Smith.

Around this time, Marley was exploring his spiritual side and developing a growing interest in the religious and political beliefs of Rastafarianism started in Jamaica in 1930s. This movement drew its inspiration from the Jamaican-born black nationalist Marcus Garvey, the Old Testament, and their African heritage and culture.

"You can fool some people sometimes...

but you can't fool all the people all of the time..."

The Wailers got their break in 1972 with their first full album, the critically acclaimed Catch a Fire. After tours with Bruce Springsteen and Sly & the Family Stone. They followed with Burnin (1973), featuring "I Shot the Sheriff" that Eric Clapton took to #1 the following year. It also featured this song, "Get Up, Stand Up", Bob's first strong political lyric. 

After the politically criticized Natty Dread (1975), the new configuration of the band, now Bob Marley and The Wailers, scored their first US Top 40 hit with "No Woman No Cry" and made the U.S. album charts with Rastaman Vibration (1976), containing the timely single "War". Its lyrics were taken from a speech by Haile Selassie, the 20th century Ethiopian emperor and spiritual leader of the Rastafarian movement. This battle cry for freedom from oppression, it discusses a new Africa, one without the colonial racial hierarchy.

Fleeing the country after an attempt on his life the day before his controversial concert at Kingston's National Heroes Park, he recorded Exodus (1977) in England. Containing the hits "Waiting in Vain" and "Jammin" the album charted for over a year and is considered to be one of the best albums ever made.

 "Exodus", Live, 1980

1978 was a full year for Bob. He released Kaya (1978) w/ "Satisfy My Soul" and "Is This Love", returned to Jamaica to play the One Love Peace Concert and made his first journey to Africa visiting Kenya and Ethiopia. Inspired by this trip, his next album Survival (1979) was seen as a call for greater unity on the African continent as in this cut, "Africa Unite". Uprising (1980) featured "Could You Be Loved" but it was "Redemption Song" that became Bob's  signature song. It was during a US tour in support of this album that the cancerous toe he refused treatment for 3 years earlier had spread throughout his body. Fighting the cancer for months, he tried to get back to his beloved Jamaica one more time but died en route Miami, Florida.

 "Redemption Song", Live from Dortmund, Germany, 1980

Bob sold more than 20 million records, making him the first international superstar to emerge from the "Third World". Marley received the Order of Merit from the Jamaican government shortly before his death and was awarded the United Nations Medal of Peace in 1980.  In 1994, Marley was inducted into the Rock HOF. Bob Marley's commitment to fighting oppression is being carried on by a foundation started by his wife, Rita, and some of his nine children. The Bob Marley Foundation helps people and organizations in the developing world. His son, Ziggy, and other talented family members carry on Bob's musical legacy as the frontman for The Melody Makers and plays his father's music as well as his own compositions. 

 This video is of his funeral in Kingston attended by over 30,000 people.

I won't say RIP, Bob... Spiritual legends don't die... and need no rest.

AXL ROSE is 50???

  Welcome to the Jungle, Baby...

Happy 50th birthday to William Bruce Rose, Jr., aka AXL ROSE, lead vocalist for GUNS N' ROSES. We celebrate superstar artists here. Though Axl's image seems to be on the opposite spectrum of the unselfish and "involved" social contributor that Bob Marley's is, Axl is unquestionably a superstar that changed the face of Rock-n-Roll when G N' R bludgeoned their way into music history in 1985. At a time when pop music fans became disco'd out and Glam Rock was fading into heavy metal in the late '80's and early '90's, it was GN'R's "hedonistic rebelliousness" that revived good ol' nasty rock-n-roll in the pop music culture. 

 

Guns N' Roses - "Paradise City" (Live in Tokyo 1992)

 

Axl was born in Lafayette, Indiana, into a very religious Pentecostal family. His psychotic father abandoned the family at age 2. His mother remarried and Axl was  raised as William Bailey. After singing in the church choir, Axl gravitated to more secular music. We are all thankful for that!

Axl is the only original member of the group carrying the moniker of GN'R after the initial group consisting of the March, 1985 lineup of Axl and Jeff Isbell (aka Izzy Stradlin) on rhythm guitar from Axl's first band, Hollywood Rose. They joined forces with lead guitarist Tracii Guns and Ole Belch (bass) and drummer Rob Gardner from LA Guns. Hence the combination name: Guns N' Roses. 

The core of the group that met with success, however, was Slash (lead guitar), Izzy Stradlin (rhythm guitar) Duff McKagan (bass) and Steve Adler (drums). After six studio albums and 100 million in record sales, this lineup disbanded. From their all-time best selling debut album (28X Platinum) Appetite for Destruction (1987), to the commercial flop, Chinese Democracy (2008), Axl's fan base has remained loyal. Appetite for Destruction was a tough act to follow but G N' R Lies (1988) tried. 

  "Patience", Live, 1989 with Eagles' Don Henley on drums

But it was the twin release of Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II (1991), that sold a combined 35 million copies worldwide. The two are  sometimes considered a double album but were, in fact, separate releases prior to the two-year Use Your Illusion World Tour in 1991. Illusion I debuted at #2 on the Billboard Album charts, while Illusion II was slightly more popular and debuted at #1 the week of release. Both have been certified 7× Platinum albums. 

 

"You Could Be Mine", Live In Tokyo 1992

Complete with Axl's Arnold Schwarzenegger impression

The 'cover' album "The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993) was the band's last studio LP with Slash and McKagan. The long-promised Chinese Democracy (2008) debuted at #3 but never lived up to all the years of hype and anticipation. Axl continues to tour under the name of Guns N' Roses with an assortment of side men, but true GN'R fans know the difference. Guns N' Roses will always remain a cultural phenomenon caught like lightening in a bottle... but sometimes you can't put the genie back in the bottle.  

For 30+ more G N'R videos, see Guitar Maniacs' "Top 10 Hard Rock Guitarists" where you'll find Slash at #4.

Our losses this date in musical history... 

GARY MOORE (1963-2011)

"King of the Blues", Live at HammerSmith Odeon, 1990

One year ago today the world lost one of the true guitar virtuosos with the passing of GARY MOORE at the young age of 58. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, he started playing acoustic guitar at age 8. He was playing a right-handed electric guitar by age 14 despite being left-handed. Gary started his professional career in the 1960's playing with such artists as Phil Lynott and Brian Downey during his teens. His early musical influences were Albert King, Elvis Presley, The Shadows and The Beatles. After seeing Jimi Hendrix and John Mayall play in Belfast, he became enamored with the blues. His biggest influence and mentor became early Fleetwood Mac guitarist, Peter Green. He even bought Peter's old Les Paul guitar from him. Peter served as a mentor to Moore when performing in DUblin though he went the rock route first playing with Skid Row and Thin Lizzy on three separate occasions. 

Gary & Thin Lizzy, "Don't Believe A Word", 

UK's Old Grey Whistle Test, 1979, Phil, Cozy and Gary are have reunited

Gary's first solo album was Grinding Stone (1973). It was 5 years before his next solo effort; a bluesy collaboration w/ Phil Lynott, "Parisienne Walkways", followed by the Thin Lizzy album Black Rose: A Rock Legend, which reached #2 on UK album charts.

 

Gary Moore & Scott Goram, " Black Rose " Live in Dublin, 2005

After Gary recorded a series of rock albums, including Thin Lizzy's big #1 hit, "The Boys are Back in Town", Gary reverted to his first love, the blues, with Still Got the Blues (1990) with guitar backing from Albert King, Albert Collins and George Harrison. In 1995, he paid his respects to Peter Green with an LP of Peter's blues compositions, Blues for Greeny and continued with the blues for the rest of his career with Back to the Blues (2001), Power of the Blues (2004), Old New Ballads Blues (2006), Close As You Get (2007) and his last, Bad For You Baby (2008).

 

"The Prophet", Live at Montreux Jazz Festival, 2001

CARL WILSON (1946-1998)

Gary fell victim to an apparent heart attack at his hotel in Estepona, Spain last year while vacationing with his girl friend. A talent like Gary's is rare and certainly missed. Look for him near the top of the forthcoming Guitar Maniacs' chapter "Top 10 Virtuoso Guitarists" later this year. RIP, Gary.

Carl Wilson & The Beach Boys, "Good Vibrations", Midnight Special, 1979

Carl Wilson was a founding member, lead guitarist and falsetto vocalist of The Beach Boys as a 14 year old in 1960 until his death 14 years ago today.  Born on December 21, 1946, in Hawthorne, California, Carl was the youngest of the three Beach Boy Brothers (Dennis, drums and Brian, bass being the other two). His Chuck Berry-like riffs were a characteristic sound for the surf sound made famous with early hits like "Surfin' USA", "Surfer Girl" and "Fun, Fun, Fun".

"Fun, Fun, Fun", Live at Knebworth, 1980

When Brian, the band director, started using session musicians on many of their mid-'60s studio albums, Carl would have none of it and insisted playing on all the guitar tracks. (He was a very underrated guitarist as he matured). He never did vocals on any of the Beach Boys' hits as that was Mike Love and Brian's department. But after his lead on "God Only Knows" (1966), he was  featured more as lead vocalist on the albums Smiley Smiles and Wild Honey, including the hit singles "Good Vibrations," "Darlin'," and "Wild Honey.

  "Darlin" with Carl singing lead

By 1965, Brian's mental and physical health had deteriorated to the point he eventually became withdrawn and detached from the band. He retired from the stage and Carl became the leader of the band onstage and shortly thereafter, the in-studio leader, too. He produced the bulk of the albums from then on: 20/20 (1969), Sunflower (1970), Surf's Up (1971), Carl and the Passions - "So Tough" (1972), and Holland (1973).  In 1967, Wilson made headlines as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, at one point having to let the rest of the band tour the UK without him while he was up before the draft board.

Kokomo Video, 1988 with scenes from Cocktail

In 1988, they scored their first number-one hit single in 22 years with "Kokomo", which was written for the movie Cocktail becoming their biggest-selling hit ever. Interesting fact here is that their biggest hit came the year after the Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock HOF (1987). There were only the second artist to have a #1 hit after entering the Rock Hall (Aretha Franklin was the first). 

After a couple unsuccessful solos albums, collaborations with bands such as Status Quo, random TV guest appearances on shows like Full House, Home Improvement, and Baywatch. Carl chose to travel and perform with the the For the Summer Tour in 1997, despite his medical issues. With years of heavy smoking since childhood, Carl finally succumbed to lung and brain cancer on February 6, 1998 after a long battle with the disease. RIP, Carl.

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