On this Day October 20, 1977Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines of Lynyrd Skynyrd were all killed along with manager Dean Kilpatrick when their rented plane ran out of fuel and crashed into a densely wooded thicket in the middle of a swamp in Gillsburg, Missouri. The crash seriously injured the rest of the band and crew who were due to play at Louisiana University that evening.

This Day in Music

This Day in Music

Paul Leka, who co-wrote the ubiquitous chant of a hit single, “Na Na Na Hey Hey Hey Goodbye,” passed away on October 12th according to web reports. Leka also wrote “Green Tambourine,” one of the seminal singles of the late 1960s, for his group, The Lemon Pipers.
“Na Na Na” was a hit for Steam, Leka’s group at the time. But it was a chorus that was supposed to be a throwaway B side which he’d written years earlier with another member of the group. They added it to a song written in the studio and it went on to become a massive hit. It’s now a regular chant at sports events.
Leka, from Bridgeport, Connecticut, also produced several hits including Harry Chapin‘s “Cat’s in the Cradle” and “Theme from Summer of ’42″ by Peter Nero. He also produced the first two REO Speedwagon albums from his Bridgeport studio. Leka also produced records by Gloria Gaynor, 
Angela Clemmons, and Lesley Gore.

 

Oldies Music -- News

Oldies Music -- News

Paul McCartney marries American heiress in London

Paul McCartney marries American heiress in London

Phil Spector Presents The Philles Album Collection [Box set]

REM break up after 31 years

It's The End Of The World As We Know It...Everybody Hurts... The song titles seem sadly apropos with the news that REM have decided to split after 31 years together.
On the band's website today (21 September) came the message: "To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening."
Originally comprised of vocalist Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry (who left the group in 1997), REM broke out of Athens Georgia and released the landmark albums Murmur, Reckoning, Document, Out Of Time and Automatic For The People.
After Bill Berry's departure (following an onstage brain aneurysm), the group continued as a three piece. Their most recent album was this year's Collapse Into Now. In 2007, REM was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.