Great Balls of Fire!

This is a special two-for-one holiday weekend edition of “We have All Been Here Before,” in which I examine rock and roll scandals and a well-known rock and roll drummer.

Big day in rock and roll history, fans! On this date, Fats Domino had one of his live appearances cancelled in 1955. Police were worried that the show at the Connecticut Ritz Ballroom might turn into a “rock and roll dance.” (Really? A rock and roll dance? Scandalous!) The authorities referred to a similar occurrence at a New Haven arena where near riots had to be broken up. “Ain't It a Shame” had just debuted on the R&B charts. Also, Jerry Lee Lewis had 34 of his 37 concert dates in the U.K. cancelled in 1958 when it was discovered that his new bride with him was also his 14 year old cousin. The Killer’s career was all downhill from there. When rock and roll was in its infancy, with black R&B “race music” making the transition to a wider acceptance with white audiences, these “scandals” were numerous and all too common. Remember the Alan Freed payola scandal? And Chuck Berry being jailed under the Mann Act for “smuggling” an underage girl in from Mexico? Parents didn’t like to think of their precious little teens writhing around the dance floor, listening to suggestive lyrics, because it smacked too much of – dare I say it – sex!? And ol' Jerry Lee just couldn’t help himself – could be that, down in Loosiana where he hailed from, marrying your 14-year old cousin was an accepted practice, but the world recoiled in horror at the impropriety of it all. Nowadays, a good scandal can be counted on to sell lots of records and concert tickets, but not in the uptight ‘50’s. Here’s a little sample of the Killer in his prime.

On this date, Ringo Starr released one of his very best albums in 1992. Time Takes Time featured outstanding tracks like “Weight of the World”, “Golden Blunders” and “Runaways.” It was his first studio album since Old Wave, which wasn't even released in most countries. Since 1990 when the All-Starr concerts began, Ringo has been recording and touring on a regular basis. My good bud Mr. Whoamus and I and our spouses took in an All-Starr band concert back in ’01, and we would both agree that it was one of the finest events we’ve ever had the pleasure to attend. Ringo had a knack for bringing together second-tier rock stars who, by themselves, probably couldn’t sell out an arena; put ‘em all together, and you’ve got an interesting evening of eclectic entertainment that promises something for everyone. Here’s a sample from one of Ringo’s All-Starr tours. Thanks, as always, to www.garylessard.com for the info, have a safe and happy holiday weekend, and keep on rockin’!