Unusual Rock Trivia?

[roccobass]

Sometimes, it’s good to be at the right place at the right time.

Larry King once told a story on his show that was told to him by Elvis’ manager, Colonel Parker. The story goes like this: While working in Miami Beach, a limo driver picked up Elvis from a helipad upon arrival to take him to the convention center to perform. He later picked up Elvis to drive him back to the helicopter. At the end of the 10 block trip, he asked the limo driver if he owned the limo or if the company did. The driver replied he was an employee of the company. Elvis reportedly then said, “you now own it” and tipped the limo driver the limousine.

 

[IMMusicRulz]

Jeff Wald, the guy who was the husband and manager of Helen Reddy, also managed Sylvester Stallone.

 

[MrClassicMetal]

Eddie Van Halen Buried His Original “Bumblebee” Guitar With Dimebag Darrell

The late Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell idolized Van Halen and reportedly listened to their music before every show. Darrell even got to meet Eddie Van Halen for the first time in 2004, hanging out with the legend during sound check at a Van Halen show in Texas.

Just months later, on December 8, 2004, Darrell was murdered by a crazed fan while performing with his band Damageplan. Shortly before his death, he’d expressed interest in buying one of a limited-run series of Eddie’s signature “tape-striped” guitars; Van Halen told him to wait and he’d tape-stripe a guitar for Darrell the next time they met.

That day never arrived. But when Darrell’s body was being prepared for burial in a Kiss Kasket (donated by members of Kiss), Eddie placed his original black-and-yellow “Bumblebee” guitar, pictured on the back cover of Van Halen II, right in the casket with him.

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[MonetBass]

David Marks (far right) left the Beach Boys in 1963 because he couldn't stand to be around Murry Wilson, the Wilson brothers' father. Afterward, Marks worked with acts including Casey Kasem's Band Without a Name, the Moon, Delaney & Bonnie, Colours, and Warren Zevon, and studied jazz and classical guitar at the Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Tom Bomb]

Around 1995, I waltzed into a bicycle shop in Cabootlure, minutes after Chrissy Amphlett had stormed out of the shop, in a rage. We were riding home to Sydney and I needed some parts, and some other stuff so I was stocking up when the shop assistant piped up, out of the blue. He told me Chrissy was in a real flap when she marched in. I think the guy was still a bit flustered by the drama that had just unfolded.

Chrissy was living nearby with Mark McEntee who was the significant other half of the Divinyls writing team at the time. Half an hour before I rocked up, McEntee had drifted into the shop alone and bought a bike off the rack before riding off into the sunset like the Lone Ranger.

Chrissy was ropable. She'd not been informed about her guitarist's burning desire to get on a bike and nick off. This was not the plan. Where was he going? I can't tell you why exactly — the mind boggles — but she was really very anxious about the well-being of the escapee.

This was all playing out like an outtake from The Great Escape. Poor Chrissy. Poor Mark. It all worked out, in the end. Roll credits
​

 

[jamro217]

Early rock and roll pioneer Eddie Cochran (1938 - 1960) was in a band called The Cochran Brothers with Hank Cochran which was no relation. Eddie's nephew Bobby Cochran was a guitarist in the band Steppenwolf.

 

[SubHuman]

The debate goes on - which guitar maker released the first scroll headstock in the 40’s? Who influenced who?

1940’s Bigsby or Fender headstock?

How about the 1840 Martin headstock?

 

[roccobass]

Part of a Percy Jones interview on how Bill Bruford and Phil Collins auditioned for Brand X.

We changed the lineup in the band, the original drummer stepped out, he was more of a groove drummer and we needed something different. Danny Wilding, one of the A & R guys suggested we ‘try the guy in Genesis!’ I didn’t know much about them at the time. Bill Bruford came down first, and he turned it down. But Phil liked it and joined the band and we did an all-instrumental album, but Island did not like it. They did not want to put it out. But the Charisma label picked it up, with help from Phil… and that was Unorthodox Behavior (1977). So that record, which broke us, almost never came out!

 

[SubHuman]

The Beatles miming to Paper Back Writer.


I just saw John’s Epi Casino at the RnR Hall of Fame. George and John both sanded the finish off their Epi’s because they heard the guitar tone wood sounded better without the vintage sunburst finish.
John used his modified Casino on many studio tracks and most notably the Roof Top concert.

He also used it on the Revolution video.

Here it is at the RocknRoll Hall of Fame Beatles Exhibit.
Awesome Beatles exhibit
I’m not sure why the knobs don’t match.

The biggest band in the World used Epiphone guitars! I have an Epi Pelham Blue ES-339 and can’t bring myself to sand off the finish.

 

[roccobass]

The legendary producer/owner of Motown, Berry Gordy said he already had his hands full dealing with a young Stevie Wonder and he had to be "dragged" to the Jacksons 5 audition for his Motown label.

However, Gordy had a change of heart after hearing frontman Michael Jackson belt out a cover of Smokey Robinson's Who's Lovin' You.

He said, "I couldn't make up my mind (about signing them) because I was concerned he (Michael) was a kid, seven years old, eight years old, singing a Smokey song that seemed like he had been living it for 30 years... We were saying he's an old man with a kid's body because he sang Who's Lovin' You better than Smokey, and Smokey did a phenomenal job! This kid was like he'd been here before..."

 

[SubHuman]

Long before The Beatles signaled the official start of what became known as the British Invasion, there were the Tornados, and there was Joe Meek. Their brilliantly innovative instrumental “Telstar” captured the spirit of the age and rocketed to the top of the American Hot 100 on December 22, 1962.
So taken was Meek by the technological advancements happening halfway across the world that he set about writing an instrumental named in honour of the satellite. He decided to record “Telstar” with the Tornados.

Not only had Meek written an extremely catchy melody, but his production prowess gave him a new secret weapon. The tune was played on the suitably futuristic-sounding clavioline, a keyboard instrument that, with the benefit of hindsight, was the undoubted forerunner of the synthesisers that would dominate pop long after Meek’s untimely demise. Joe Meek gave us the modern Studio Producer, used the studio as an instrument and built his own studio compressors and studio gear. He was a studio genius who turned down a chance to record a new British Band known as The Beatles!

‘Telstar’: Satellite Launch Mesmerizes Joe Meek And Tornados

 

[roccobass]

You definitely want to keep your game up in Finland.


Finnish Law Requires Refunds for Subpar Concerts


We've all been to our share of bad concerts, but disgruntled Chuck Berry fans who witnessed the rock legend's poor performance at a 2013 concert in Finland were actually ticked off enough to go to court — and they won, enacting a Finnish law that requires concert promoters to issue a 50 percent refund for shows that are "well below reasonably expected standards."

Just my IMO:
With all due respect to Finland, the fact that Chuck actually made it onstage as well doing that in Finland, is worth the price of admission. He was about 87 years in 2013.

 

[FilterFunk]

You definitely want to keep your game up in Finland.


Finnish Law Requires Refunds for Subpar Concerts


We've all been to our share of bad concerts, but disgruntled Chuck Berry fans who witnessed the rock legend's poor performance at a 2013 concert in Finland were actually ticked off enough to go to court — and they won, enacting a Finnish law that requires concert promoters to issue a 50 percent refund for shows that are "well below reasonably expected standards."

Just my IMO:
With all due respect to Finland, the fact that Chuck actually made it onstage as well doing that in Finland, is worth the price of admission. He was about 87 years in 2013.

It makes me wonder what they were expecting from an 87-year-old, even though he's Chuck Berry.

 

[roccobass]

Cloud Nine” released in 1969 by The Temptations won Motown its first Grammy Award.

 

[IMMusicRulz]

The Band bassist Rick Danko appears in a short scene in The Who documentary The Kids Are Alright, where he plays cards with drummer Keith Moon and his girlfriend Annette, and despite being credited, the scene was eventually deleted because Danko supposedly failed to sign a release form.

 

[Jeff K]

You definitely want to keep your game up in Finland.


Finnish Law Requires Refunds for Subpar Concerts


We've all been to our share of bad concerts, but disgruntled Chuck Berry fans who witnessed the rock legend's poor performance at a 2013 concert in Finland were actually ticked off enough to go to court — and they won, enacting a Finnish law that requires concert promoters to issue a 50 percent refund for shows that are "well below reasonably expected standards."

Just my IMO:
With all due respect to Finland, the fact that Chuck actually made it onstage as well doing that in Finland, is worth the price of admission. He was about 87 years in 2013.

I saw Chuck Berry at the Memphis In May festival in the mid-'90s. There were several stages with various acts over 3 days. Our drummer at the time really wanted to see Chuck's act, so we headed down to that stage. He was awful.

The next day, I read a review in the Memphis newspaper. The reviewer said, "Apparently, Chuck Berry is the only guitarist in the world who can't play Chuck Berry licks..."

 

[The Owl]

I saw Chuck Berry at the Memphis In May festival in the mid-'90s. There were several stages with various acts over 3 days. Our drummer at the time really wanted to see Chuck's act, so we headed down to that stage. He was awful.

The next day, I read a review in the Memphis newspaper. The reviewer said, "Apparently, Chuck Berry is the only guitarist in the world who can't play Chuck Berry licks..."

From the very beginning, Chuck never had a regular touring band (by choice), but always relied on local pickup bands and never rehearsed. Thus, the quality of his live shows could be either really good or a total trainwreck.

 

[SubHuman]

I saw Chuck Berry at the Memphis In May festival in the mid-'90s. There were several stages with various acts over 3 days. Our drummer at the time really wanted to see Chuck's act, so we headed down to that stage. He was awful.

The next day, I read a review in the Memphis newspaper. The reviewer said, "Apparently, Chuck Berry is the only guitarist in the world who can't play Chuck Berry licks..."

Unfortunately if we listed all of the performers who played past their prime it would be a long list. I’ve seen some awesome senior performers too! A lot depends on their life style.

 

[roccobass]

Unfortunately if we listed all of the performers who played past their prime it would be a long list. I’ve seen some awesome senior performers too! A lot depends on their life style.

I saw BB King about 8 years ago. Yes, he was passed his prime. He never got up from his stool, looked a little winded at times and at the end he had to be assisted off stage. His sidemen got more than liberal time to shine too. They were good players too.

However, he did flashes of old BB guitar lightning many times. His voice still was good. His stories throughout the show were funny, entertaining and just treasures and almost always had a smile on his face. He was still putting as much as had out there. He passed away the next year.

 

[FilterFunk]

Ray Parker Jr. was the guitarist in the church picnic scene in the 1974 movie "Uptown Saturday Night." He's the one in the tank top. I don't recognize the bassist.