March 29

 2026 

d

Gold Star Oldies USA pays tribute to Phillies Records in April the Wall of Sound  Phil Spector 

🎙️ What Was the Wall of Sound?

The Wall of Sound was a groundbreaking music‑production technique created by Phil Spector in the early 1960s at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood. It used large ensembles, dense layering, natural echo, and mono mixing to create a massive, emotional, orchestral pop sound that jumped out of AM radios.

The Life of Phil Spector 

1996 - Phil Spector

Two former members of the 1950s group, The Teddy Bears filed suit in Los Angeles, California, against producer Phil Spector and several labels. Carol Connors and Marshall Lieb alleged they had not received royalties from re-issues of their 1958 No.1 hit 'To Know Him Is To Love Him'.

Broadcast Bulletin (Daily Updates)

Album Showcase

Birthdays 

Vault Vinyl's

Beatles and Elvis 

Legacy and Lore 

Visual Archives 

Gold Star Oldies Radio  Steaming Directories 

Legends Remembered & Celebrated — Gold Star Oldies  Tributes

March 27, 1982 — Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder release their single "Ebony & Ivory" in the U.K. Written by McCartney, the lyrics use the black and white keys of a piano as a metaphor for potential racial harmony. The record reached the top of the U.K. and U.S music charts, but the South African Broadcasting company banned it when Wonder dedicated his 1984 Academy Award for Best Original Song to Nelson Mandela.

March 28, 1953 — 26-year-old Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton charts with the original version of "Hound Dog." It reaches #1 for seven weeks on Billboard magazine's R&B chart, her only hit record.

March 28, 1964 — Heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) reaches #102 on the Billboard Hot 100 with his cover version of "Stand By Me."
                                        — Radio Caroline, the U.K.'s first all-day English-language "pirate" radio station, begins broadcasting from the North Sea aboard  Fredericia, a former Danish ferry.

                         1970 — Ringo Starr releases his first solo album, Sentimental Journey, a collection of pre-rock standards.


March 30, 1953 — The Harlem, New York doo wop group The Crows record their monumental hit "Gee" at the city's Beltone Studios. It heralds the new wave in music the following year when becomes the first rock 'n' roll record to appear on the U.S. pop music charts, reaching #14.

March 31, 1956 — Elvis Presley's first smash hit, "Heartbreak Hotel," debuts. It reaches #1 on Billboard's pop chart and #3 rhythm and blues, the first of his 35 R&B chart appearances, making him the most successful white R&B performer.
                                  —  Brenda Lee ("Little Miss Dynamite") makes her U.S. network television debut when she sings the Hank Williams hit "Jambalaya" on ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee.

April 1, 1956 — Elvis takes a Hollywood screen test for producer Hal Wallis anbd receives a three-year film contract for $450,000.
                  1977 — Presley is admitted for a six-day stay at a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, suffering from exhaustion and intestinal flu. He dies 4½ months later.

April 1, 1984 — During a violent dispute, Marvin Gaye is shot to death the day before his 45th birthday by his minister father, Marvin Gay, Sr., in their Los Angeles home. An investigation reveals that the son had beaten his father, who ends up serving five years probation for voluntary manslaughter.

April 2, 1964 — The Beach Boys record their first #1 hit, "I Get Around." They also fire manager Murry Wilson, the father of three group members, including leader Brian Wilson who feels his dad is hindering their progress with unwelcome critiques at their recording sessions.

Sources:
Eight Days a Week (Ron Smith)
On This Day in Black Music History (Jay Warner)
Chronology of American Popular Music, 1900-2000 (Frank Hoffman)

Birthdays Singers and Song Writers 

1945 - Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton guitarist, singer, songwriter who has been a member of The Roosters, Casey Jones and the Engineers, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Yardbirds and Cream who had the 1967 UK No.11 single 'I Feel Free'. He was a member of Blind Faith, and later formed Derek and the Dominoes who had the 1972 UK No.7 single 'Layla'. As a solo artist, Clapton scored the 1974 US No.1 single I Shot the Sheriff and the 1992 UK No.5 & US No.25 single 'Tears in Heaven'.

1943 - Jay Traynor

American singer Jay Traynor. He was the third lead vocalist of the Mystics, singing falsetto on 'The White Cliffs of Dover', and lead on 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' and 'Blue Star'. Later, he started Jay and the Americans with Kenny Vance and Sandy Yaguda, and was the original lead singer. He sang lead on the group's first 1962 hit, 'She Cried'. Traynor died on January 2 2014 age 70.

1930 - Rolf Harris

Australian entertainer Rolf Harris who had the 1963 US No.3 single 'Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport', 1969 UK No.1 single 'Two Little Boys' and 1993 UK No.7 'Stairway To Heaven'. Harris's career ended when he was convicted and imprisoned for sexual offences. In 2014, at the age of 84, he was jailed on twelve counts of indecent assault on four teenage female victims during the 1970s and 1980s. He was sentenced to 5 years and 9 months in jail. Harris died at his home in Bray, Berkshire, on 10 May 2023, aged 93.

Early Beatles News