WristRock "This Day in Music" Video Blog: "This Day in Music History" Weekend Edition (Feb 10-12)

February 10

We start our weekend tributes with a Happy Birthday but one of the saddest memories and biggest losses in recent memory. Happy 50th birthday to the dearly departed Metallica bass player, CLIFF BURTON.

"For Whom the Bell Tolls", Day on the Green, 1985

Clifford Lee Burton was born on February 10, 1962, in Castro Valley, CA and began playing bass at age 13 after his father introduced him to music through classical piano at age 6. The death of his brother Scott played a big role in motivating Cliff. His main influences were Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath), Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) and Geddy Lee (Rush) but he practiced up to 6 hours a day on everything from Classical to Jazz to Southern Rock.

He was scouted by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich of Metallica in 1982 while playing LA's Whiskey A-Go-Go with his former band, Trauma. They were blown away by Cliff's "lead solo" bass style and asked Cliff to join Metallica in time to play on the debut LP, Kill 'Em All.

Cliff only lived to perform on two more studio albums: Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets (with Cliff's killer bass pumping throughout "Orion").

After six months opening for Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica headlined their first European tour. It was during a Scandinavian tour, they had just finished a show in Stockholm on September 27, 1986.That would be Cliff's last performance. The band was en route to play in Copenhagen, when Metallica's tour bus flipped in a remote section of southern Sweden near Ljungby. Cliff was killed instantly. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Metallica on April 4, 2009. Flea hit the nail on the head in his tribute speech at that induction ceremony:

"Flea" (RHCP) delivering Cliff's eulogy at Rock HOF induction of Metallica, 2004

For more tribute to Cliff visit www.cliffinourminds.com and the Metallica Club Scandinavia.

RIP, Cliff (1962 – 1986)

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DON WILSON

Don Wilson w/ The Ventures 50th Anniversary Concert, Japan, 2009

Happy 79th birthday to Don Wilson, co-founder, original member and rhythm guitarist of The Ventures since Bob Bogle and Don founded the band in 1958. Wilson co- founded the band in 1958. Don has been with the band ever since and is still performing with them. They are just as popular in Japan today as they were in the 1950's and 60's. During the 60s, The Ventures actually outsold the Beatles 2 to 1!

Born in From Tacoma, Washington in 1933, Don met Bob when he sold him a car and they discovered their mutual interest in guitars. They did their own arrangement of Chet Atkins', "Walk, Don't Run", on their own label and was picked up for national release by Dolton Records. It hit #2 on the charts and sold 2 million copies. With over 100 million records sold, they are the best-selling instrumental band of all time. In 2008, the Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. John Fogerty was their presenter. Bob Bogle died shortly after in June, 2009, after a long battle with Lymphoma at 75.

Telstar, the Ventures w/ Cris Spedding including band interviews

Despite hundreds of albums and singles, counting compilations, they nver had a #1 chart hit and only 2 gold albums: Walk Don't Run (# 11 in 1960) and Ventures Play Telstar & The Lonely Bull (#9 in 1963. K that have done over 200 albums! Among their hits were Pipeline, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Hawaii Five-O, (Catch Springsteen and Conan's drummer Max Weinberg on drums) and MANY more.

Don Wilson and Bob Bogel, Co-founders of The Ventures

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We Remember Those Who Left

"This Day in Music History...

DAVE VAN RONK (1936-2002)

"Sunday Street" Live, Dave Van Ronk, (circa 1982)

We lost this legendary American folk singer 37 years ago today. Dave was born in Brooklyn, New York, and settled in Greenwich Village. The "Mayor of MacDougal Street" was an important figure in the folk revival of the '60's and was considered the elder statesman of the coffee house folk culture. He befriended, mentored, inspired and promoted such 'up-and-coming' folk artists as Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs, Joni Mitchell and Ramblin' Jack Elliot. His early influence on Bob Dylan while Bob was a floundering Greenwich Village singer/songwriter is well documented in this rare 1961 bootleg recording of Woody Guthrie's ''Car Car" from the Village's Gaslight Cafe.

His repertoire was diverse. From old English ballads to Bertolt Brecht, Blues, Gospel, Americana, Folk, New Orleans Jazz, and Swing to Rock, some of his most notable works include "St. Louis Tickle" and Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag. In this interview, he discusses "Green Green Rocky Road", his signature song and doing "Saturday Alley Up the Sunday Street" where he tells a story about Segovia and the frustrating art of tuning a guitar.

Van Ronk received the ASCAP Lifetime Achievement Award in December 1997.

Dave passed away at age 65 in 2002 from heart failure while undergoing post-operative treatment for colon cancer.

Dave Van Ronk at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival

RIP, Dave

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DAVE ALEXANDER (1947-1975)

Collage of rare 60's footage of Dave with Iggy & The Stooges, "No Fun"

Today is the 10th anniversary of the passing of original bassist for Iggy Pop & The Stooges, Dave Alexander. Born in Whitmore Lake, Michigan on June 3, 1947, "Zander" as he was known, dropped out of high school 45 minutes into his senior year to win a bet. After returning from the UK, he met brothers, Ron and Scott Asheton in 1967, hooked up with Muskegon native, James Newell "Jim" Osterberg, Jr., aka Iggy Pop, and The Stooges were born.

Dave arranged and played on all songs on Iggy's debut album, The Stooges and Fun House. He also wrote "We Will Fall", "Little Doll" (from The Stooges), and "Dirt" and "1970" (Fun House).

Dave wasn't around for The Stooges breakthrough hit, "Wild One"

Dave was canned by Iggy in August, 1970 for being too drunk to play the Michigan Goose Lake International Music Festival (Notice the absence of a bass line in this Goose Lake version of "1970"?) Dave joined the elusive "27 Club" after suffering pulmonary edema in 1975 after being hospitalized in Ann Arbor for pancreatitis resulting from his excessive drinking.