Today in 1968, WKNR-FM drops Top-40 to provide what the Inside Keener newsletter calls the first and foremost, truly authentic, progressive rock (underground) programming in the Metropolitan Detroit area.

• Today in 1967, The James Garner Formula One drama “Grand Prix” continued its Cinerama engagement at the Summit Theater. James Michener’s “Hawaii” had two shows at the United Artists on Bagley. And the reserved seat engagement of Julie Andrews as “Thoroughly Modern Millie” continued at the Northland Theater.
• Today in 1972, General Motors shareholders voted down a proposal by a group affiliated with social crusader Ralph nader to split the auto giant into tow or more companies. Only one percent of those in attendance voted in favor of the proposal.
• Today in 1977, Former President Richard Nixon told interviewer David Frost that a president had the right to crush anti-war dissent by any means short of murder, whether or not those means were legal. Asked for a reaction, President Jimmy Carter said he didn’t feel any president had the right to break the law.
• Today in 1979, The musical Grease, starring singer Rex Smith in the role John Travolta would make famous on screen was on stage at the Fisher theater for one week only. Prime time tickets were 8, 11 and 13 dollars.
• Today in 1982, Hudson’s was advertising a new video game system with a “bright and crisp color picture, realistic sound effects and no batteries required.” You could snag an Atari system and a free Atari jacket for just $139.99.
• Today in 1987, Detroit Police Commander, Gill Gil was greeted by fans before the Detroit premiere of Beverly Hills Cop II at Ford auditorium. Tickets were $50 with proceeds benefiting the Detroit Youth Foundation Scholarship Fund.

1873 Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patent the first blue jeans with copper rivets
1891 History of cinema: The first public display of Thomas Edison’s prototype kinetoscope to members of the National Federation of Women’s Club
1892 George Sampson patents clothes dryer
1895 1st commercial movie performance (153 Broadway, NYC)
1926 Thomas Edison says Americans prefer silent movies over talkies
1927 At 7:40 AM, Charles Lindbergh takes off from New York to cross the Atlantic for Paris, aboard Spirit of St Louis (1st non-stop flight)
1932 Amelia Earhart leaves Newfoundland on her journey to become the 1st woman to fly solo and nonstop across the Atlantic
1939 1st regular transatlantic airmail (Pan Am: NY to Marsseille France)
1954 Chiang Kai-shek becomes president of Nationalist China
1967 BBC bans the Beatles’ “A Day in the Life” because of drug references
1970 Beatles’ “Let it Be” movie premieres in UK
1979 Elton John is the 1st western pop star to tour USSR
1980 Drummer Peter Criss quits rock band KissMusic released today:1955: Bill Haley & His Comets, “Rock Around The Clock”, LP: Shake, Rattle And Roll. “Thirteen Women (And Only One Man in Town)”
1979: Kiss: “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”, LP: “Hard Times”
1983: The Police: “Every Breath You Take”, LP: Synchronicity: “Murder By Numbers”
1991: Bonnie Raitt: “Something To Talk About”, LP “Luck of the Draw”
1974: Climax Blues Band, LP Sense Of Direction
1976: David Bowie, LP Changesonebowie (Compilation of hits from 1969-76)
1987: Various Artists, LP Beverly Hills Cop II [Sndtrk] – Bob Seger sing the opening track, “Shakedown”

Rock Birthdays: Via DrRock.com

1901: Jimmy Blythe / (James Louis Blythe), Chicago R&B/blues and boogie woogie piano player credited with over 200 piano roll tunes and for recording one of the first full-length boogie-woogie songs (“Chicago Stomp,” 1924), died from meningitis on 6/14/1931, age 30
1925: Vic Ames / (Victor Urick), Chicago R&B/blues and boogie woogie piano player credited with over 200 piano roll tunes and for recording one of the first full-length boogie-woogie songs (“Chicago Stomp,” 1924), died from meningitis on 6/14/1931, age 30
1938: Astrid Kirchherr, German artist who befriended and photographed The Beatles in Hamburg in 1960 when they were a youthful bar band playing seedy nightclubs, widely credited for transforming them from the late-50s greaser look to the mod, iconic suits and “mop-top” hairstyle in their early years of superstardom, became engaged to “Fifth Beatle” Stu Sutcliffe until his death in 1962 and continued to shoot images of the band and other groups until the late 60s, her photos hung in art galleries internationally and sold at music conventions for decades, died from a brief bout with cancer on 5/16/2020, age 81.
1940: Shorty Long / (Frederick Earl Long), Overlooked Motown R&B/pop singer, “Here Comes The Judge” (#8, R&B #4, 1968), producer and song craftsman, drowned in a Detroit River boating accident on 6/29/1969
1942: Jill Jackson, Vocals in pop duo Paul & Paula, “Hey Paula” (#1, 1963)
1944: Joe Cocker / (John Robert Cocker), Gravelly-voiced, blue-eyed soul pub-rock/blues-pop-rock vocalist and hard partying rock star, “A Little Help From My Friends” (#68, UK #1, 1968), “The Letter” (#7, 1970) and duet with Jennifer Warnes, “Up Where We Belong” (#1, 1982), died from lung cancer on 12/22/14, age 70
1946: Cher / (Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPierre), Singer and TV and film actress, first with husband Sonny Bono in pop-rock duo Sonny & Cher, “I Got You Babe” (#1, 1965) and later as a five-decade solo act with 33 charting singles (22 in the Top 4), including “Believe” (#1, 1999)
1950: Stephen Alex Broughton, Drummer for Brit blues-rock then prog rock Edgar Broughton Band, “Apache Dropout” (UK #33, 1970)
1950: Andy Johns, Brit sound engineer and record producer, worked on albums by Free (Highway, 1970), The Rolling Stones (Exile On Main Street, 1972), Television (Marquee Moon, 1977) and many others, died from complications of a stomach ulcer on 4/7/2013, age 62
1952: Warren Cann, Drummer for New Wave electro-synth-pop pioneers Ultravox, “Vienna” (UK #2, 1980) and 15 other UK Top 40 singles
1954: Guy Hoffman / (Guy Edward Hoffman), Drummer for roots rock The BoDeans, “Closer To Free” (#16, 1993)
1954: Jimmy Henderson, Guitarist for Southern raunch-rock Black Oak Arkansas, “Jim Dandy To The Rescue” (Top 30, 1973)
1955: Steve George, Keyboardist for 80s atmospheric pop-rock quartet Mr. Mister, “Kyrie” (#1, 1985)
1958: Jane Wiedlin, Guitar, songwriting and vocals for top New Wave pop-rock all-girl group The Go-Go’s, “We Got The Beat (#2, 1982) and solo, “Rush Hour” (#9, 1988)
1959: Susan Cowsill, Sub-teen vocalist for family pop band The Cowsills, “The Rain, The Park And Other Things” (#2, 1967) and theme song from Broadway musical Hair, (#2, 1969), inspiration for the TV show The Partridge Family, backing vocalist for various artists in the 80s, then formed alt country-rock supergroup Continental Drifters in 1991, solo
1961: Dan Wilson, Guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for post-grunge alt rock Semisonic, wrote “Closing Time” (Modern Rock #4, 1998), producer
1961: Nick Heyward, Guitar and vocals for New Wave funk-pop Haircut 100, “Love Plus One” (#37, 1982)
1962: Ralph Peterson, Jr., Renowned jazz drummer and bandleader, starting as the second drummer for The Jazz Messengers in 1983 and continuing through a long list of collaborations with Stanley Clark, the Marsalis brothers (Wynton and Branford) and David Murray, among many others, issued 22 albums as a leader of various ensembles and taught new generations of musicians at Berklee College of Music in Boston and at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, died from complications of cancer on 3/1/2021, age 58.
1963: Nasher / (Brian Nash), Backing vocals and guitarist for Brit New Wave pop/rock Frankie Goes To Hollywood, “Relax” (#10, 1984)

Other Notable Birthdays: Via OnThisDay.com

1806: John Stuart Mill, English philosopher, political economist and utilitarian, born in London (d. 1873)
1908: Jimmy Stewart, American actor (The Philadelphia Story; It’s a Wonderful Life; Mr Smith Goes to Washington; Vertigo), born in Indiana, Pennsylvania (d. 1997)
1913: William Hewlett, American engineer and businessman (co-founder Hewlett-Packard), born in Ann Arbor, Michigan (d. 2001)
1919: George Gobel, comedian/TV personality (I Love My Wife), born in Chicago, Illinois
1948: Dave Thomas, St Catherines Ontario, comedian (SCTV, Grace Under Fire)
1968: Timothy Olyphant, American stage and screen actor (Deadwood; Justified; Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), born in Honolulu, Hawaii