January in Music History On January 1, 1985, the debut of VH-1, featuring Marvin Gaye's "Star Spangled Banner" video...ten years later Barbra Streisand's video "Barbra - The Concert" was ranked the year's top-selling music video by Billboard...in 1962, the Beatles failed an audition for a recording contract with Decca...this month in 1967, the Monkees' "I'm a Believer," topped the Billboard pop charts...at seven months it was the longest in that slot since "I Want to Hold Your Hand"...two of the arboreal pop stars shared a birthday on December 30...1965, Leo Fender sold Fender Guitars for 13 million big ones...The Allman Brothers band got a surprise January 2, 1975, when they were named "Outstanding Community Organization" by the Georgia Department of Corrections. This month in 1979 saw the split up of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer...ten years before that Jimi Hendrix and his Band of Gypsys made their live debut at New York's Fillmore East...WAY on back there in 1930, Radio Luxembourg became the first English Language commercial radio station in Europe. Elvis was born this month in 1935. In 1950, a 15-year-old Elvis took notice that Gene Autry sold over 8 million copies of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and licked his chops...this month in 1956, he started his first sessions for RCA, recording among other songs "Heartbreak Hotel"...in 1971, the U.S. Jaycees name Elvis one of the top 10 most outstanding young men in America. In 1973, Elvis sued Priscilla for divorce...in 1993 a 29¢ U.S. postage stamp bearing the likeness of the '50s era Elvis was issued...this stamp was the result of a vote held the year before in which fans, in a landslide, chose the image of the younger over the older Elvis...Notable non-Elvis events include the deaths of jazz giants Charles Mingus and Dizzy Gillespie, as well as blues legend Howlin' Wolf...this month also saw the 1946 birth of Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd...later on in his life, Pink Floyd's 1973 album "Dark Side of the Moon" would become the longest-charting album of all time with 10 years on Billboard's album chart, and over 10 million copies sold. In 1978 The Sex Pistols made their U.S. debut in Atlanta...in 1994 Nirvana played its last U.S. show at the Seattle Arena. In 1995 Michael Jackson publicly stated, "I will no longer stand by and watch reckless members of the media try to destroy my reputation"...he failed to mention what he would do about his own efforts toward that end...as a final hopeful note for us all, we mention the 1999 signing this month of 81-year-old Lena Horne to a renewed contract with Blue Note. On January 12,1995, The Allman Brothers, Al Green, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Neil Young, The Orioles, and Frank Zappa were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On that same day in 1991 country singer Johnny Paycheck got out of jail after two years on a barroom shooting rap...Steve Miller's "The Joker" owned the Billboard top slot on this date in '74...and in '57 Elvis went into a Hollywood studio and recorded "All Shook Up"On Jan. 13, 1967, the Rolling Stones appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and did their then-current hit, "Let's Spend the Night Together"...the stone-faced host insisted the lyrics be changed to "Let's spend some time together"...January 14, 1995, was marked by the "father and sons" performance of Neil Young with Pearl Jam in support of Voters for Choice. In January 1999, Hollywood hot spot the Whiskey A Go-Go put on a concert series celebrating its 35th anniversary by featuring acts that had previously played the club...included were The Grass Roots, Johnny Rivers, Nancy Sinatra, Jan & Dean, etc...curiously, the club briefly operated under the moniker "Whisk A Go-Go" when local liquor control board authorities enforced an obscure rule prohibiting the use of alcoholic beverages in the names of places dispensing them...and on December 16th, 1996, Wayne Newton played his 25,000th Vegas show...a Strip record unlikely to be eclipsed any time soon. Three years ago, this month in 1999 - Bizzy Bone of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, a Grammy Award-winning rapper, went on trial, charged with dragging a student barber down a flight of stairs. In 1957 - Johnny Cash first hit national network TV on CBS' Jackie Gleason Show. In 1960 the world's preeminent pelvis was promoted to sergeant in the U.S. Army...Don McLean's American Pie hit the top of the charts this month in 1972...at almost eight and a half minutes, it had to be split into two parts to be sold as a 45. In 1966 George of Fab Four fame married Patti Boyd, a bit-part player he met on the set of "A Hard Day's Night"...the fetching model inspired Harrison to write "Something," then provided the grist for Eric Clapton's "Layla"...after a fling with Stones guitarist Ron Wood, she wound up marrying Clapton...George attended their wedding. In 1986 (the year Patti and Eric divorced) - the first inductees entered the Rock-and- Roll Hall of Fame and they included: Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley. In 1978 - Chicago founder and guitarist Terry Kath, while reportedly playing with a pistol in good fun, accidentally shot himself in the head. In 1974 - "You're Sixteen" made the top of the charts, one of several post-Beatles hits by Ringo Starr...just twelve years earlier, in 1962, Brian Epstein signed a management contract with a quartet of bowl-headed Liverpudlians. In 1969 Jethro Tull opened its first U.S. tour. In 1999 - Sinead O'Connor, with characteristic reserve, asked about Clinton: "Does impeachment mean they're gonna turn him into a peach? If so, can I eat him?" BIRTHDAYS: January 1: Country Joe McDonald (1942) Grandmaster Flash (1958) January 2: Roger Miller (1936) Chick Churchill of Ten Years After (1946) January 3: Beatles producer George Martin (1926) Stephen Stills (1945) January 4: John McLaughlin (1942) Michael Stipe of REM (1960) January 5: Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Records (1923) George Brown of Cool and the Gang (1950) January 6: Wilbert Harrison of "Kansas City" fame (1929) Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd (1946) Malcolm Young of AC/DC (1953) January 7: Paul Revere of Paul Revere and the Raiders (1942) Kenny Loggins (1948) January 8: Elvis Presley of "Heartbreak Hotel" fame (1935) Shirley Bassey (1937) Terry Sylvester of the Hollies (1945) Robbie Krieger of The Doors (1946) David Bowie (1947) January 9: Joan Baez (1941) Jimmy Page (1944) Donald Fagen (1948) Gloria Estefan (1957) January 10: Johnny Ray (1927) Jim Croce (1943) Rod Stewart (1945) Pat Benatar (1953) January 11: Slim Harpo (1924) Vicki Peterson of the Bangles (1958) January 12: "Long" John Baldry (1941) Maggie Bell of Stone The Crows(1945) Cynthia Robinson of Sly & The Family Stone (1946) MichaelHutchence of INXS (1960) January 13: Earth Wind and Fire's Freddie White (1955) Suggs AKA Graham McPherson of Madness (1961) January 14: New Orleans pianist and bandleader Allen Toussaint (1938) Chas Smash AKA Cathal Smyth of Madness (1959) Dave Grohl of Nirvana/Foo Fighters (1969) January 15: Earl Hooker (1930) Captain Beefheart AKA Don Van Vliet (1941) Ronnie Van Zandt of Lynyrd Skynyrd (1949) The Motels' Martha Davis (1951) January 16: Bob Bogle of the proto-surf band The Ventures (1937) Sade AKA Folosade Adu (1959) January 17: Bobby "Blue" Bland AKA Robert Calvin Bland (1930) TheDelfonics' William Hart (1945) Mick Taylor of The Rolling Stones (1948) Paul Young (1956) January 18: Bobby Goldsboro (1941) The Temptations' David Ruffin (1941) "Legs" Larry Smith of the Bonzo Dog Dooh-Dah Band (1944) Phil Everly (1939) Janis Joplin (1943) Dolly Parton (1946) Robert Palmer (1949) Dewey Bunnell of America (1952) Paul Stanley of Kiss (1951) Richie Havens (1941) Billy Ocean (1950) Sam Cooke (1935) Meat Loaf (1946) Steve Perry of Journey (1953) Anita Pointer (1948), Patrick Simmons of the Doobie Brothers (1950) Robin Zander of Cheap Trick (1953) Doug Kershaw (1936) Ray Stevens (1939) Neal Diamond (1941) Warren Zevon (1947)   Richard Finch of KC and the Sunshine Band (1954) Terry Chimes of the Clash (1955) Andy Cox of Fine Young Cannibals (1960) China, daughter of Grace Slick and Paul Kantner (1971) OBITUARIES: January 1: Singer/songwriter Ted Hawkins (1995) Hillbilly Piano Player Moon Mulligen (1967) Hank Williams (1953) January 2: Producer Nik Venet (1998) David Lynch of the Platters (1981) Tex Ritter (1974) January 3: Bluesman Amos Milburn (1980) January 4: Balladeer John Gary (1998) Phil Lynott (1986) January 5: Charles Mingus (1979) Sonny Bono (1998) January 6: Georgeanna Tillman of the Marvelettes (1980) Dizzy Gillespie (1993) January 8: Steve Clark of Def Leppard (1991) January 10: Howlin' Wolf (1976) January 13: Donny Hathaway (1979) January 15: Songwriter Sammy Cahn (1993) Harry Nilsson (1994) January 16: Gospel singer Clara Ward of The Ward Sisters (1973) Paul Beaver of Beaver and Krause (1975) January 17: Stutter-style R&B singer Billy Stewart (1970) January 19: Carl Perkins (1998)   January 20: Alan Freed, the DJ who coined the term "rock 'n' roll" (1965)   January 21: Elvis promoter Col. Tom Parker (1997)   January 23: Richard Berry, writer of Louie Louie (1997), Thomas A. Dorsey, inventor of gospel music (1993) Terry Kath of Chicago (1978)   January 24: James "Shep" Sheppard of Shep and the Limelites (1970)