Today in Music History: Remembering George Young
October 22, 2020
History Highlight:
Today in 2017, Australian musician, songwriter and record producer George Young died at age 70. Young, the brother of AC/DC's Angus and Malcolm Young, was a member of the Easybeats and co-wrote the band's 1966 hit "Friday On My Mind". Born in Scotland in 1946, he migrated to Australia with his family as a teenager, forming The Easybeats after he met Dutch-born artist Harry Vanda in Sydney. After the band broke up in 1969, Vanda and Young embarked on a songwriting career that saw the pair produce dozens of hits. They became two of Australia's best-known songwriters, with Young's work including "Love Is In The Air" and "Yesterday's Hero".
Also, Today In:
1965 - The Beatles' "Yesterday" is the No. 1 single in the U.S., while The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is No. 10.
1966 - "Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys made its debut in the U.S. singles chart in October. It would reach No. 1 by December.
1966 - The Supremes had their first U.S. No.1 album with The Supremes a Go Go, knocking The Beatles Revolver from the top of the charts. It was the first No. 1 album by an all-women group.
1976 - Bob Seger released his ninth studio album, Night Moves. It was his first with the Silver Bullet Band, a group of Detroit-area musicians that help launched Seger to national acclaim.
1988 - Phil Collins started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with his cover of "A Groovy Kind Of Love," his sixth U.S. No. 1. The song was originally released by the Mindbenders in 1965, reaching No. 2 in the Billboard charts in May and July of 1966.
1990 - Pearl Jam played their first-ever concert, held at the Off Ramp Café in Seattle. At the time, the band operated under the name Mookie Blaylock, named for an NBA player; they signed to Epic Records and changed their name to Pearl Jam shortly thereafter. Except for then-drummer Dave Krusen, the rest of the band's lineup is the same as it is today: Eddie Vedder (lead vocals), Mike McCready (lead guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar) and Jeff Ament (bass). A blocky VHS video of the band's very first gig can be viewed on YouTube.
1998 - For the first time since the 1960s, Bob Dylan performed in his hometown of Duluth. The gig, held at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, sold out in five hours.
2000 - Pearl Jam appeared at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, celebrating the 10th anniversary of their first live performance as a band.
2008 - Guns N' Roses released their first new material since 1999 when the title track of their new album Chinese Democracy was issued as a single. The band - with Axl Rose as the only original member - first performed the song in 2001.
2012 - Taylor Swift released her fourth album, Red. The first single is the No. 1 "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," a kiss-off to an ex she refuses to name.
Birthdays:
Bassist Cris Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets is 60.
Orville Richard Burrell (better known as Shaggy) is 52.
Zac Hanson, cutest Hanson brother, is 35.
Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.