Rock Source Music Facts Day by Day


May 23 1908	James Bracken is born in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. As Jimmy Bracken, he will found Vee-Jay Records in Chicago in 1953. With acts like The Spaniels, Jimmy Reed, The Impressions and Gene Chandler, his company will become a major competitor with Chess Records. In the early 60s, Vee-Jay will be the first label to issue The Beatles material in America. (1908)
May 23 1925	The Benson Orchestra Of Chicago records Oh, How I Miss You Tonight and Riverboat Shuffle for Victor Records in Camden, New Jersey, USA. (1925)
May 23 1936	Benny Goodman And His Orchestra come to the end of a seven-month long residency in the Joseph Urban Room of the Congress Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, USA. In the course of the residency, Goodman has established a popular new style of big-band music - swing. (1936)
May 23 1950	Jimmy Palmer And His Orchestra play the third night of four weeks at The Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, USA. (1950)
May 23 1950	Griff Williams And His Orchestra play the third of 28 nights at The Trianon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, USA. (1950)
May 23 1961	Jerry Lee Lewis, Ben E. King, Bobby 'Blue' Bland, Mary Wells , Sugar Pie DeSanto and others play the fifth night in a week of concerts at The Regal, Chicago, Illinois, USA. (1961)
May 23 1961	Jimmy Rogers plays the twelfth night of two weeks in the Camellia house Lounge at The Drake Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, USA. (1961)
May 23 1962	Jeff Jacobs, who will play keyboards with Foreigner, Billy Joel and others, is born in Chicago, Illinois, USA. (1962)
May 23 1962	Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers play the third night of a two-week season at McKie's Disc Jockey Lounge, Chicago, Illinois, USA. (1962)
May 23 1964	Big Walter Horton records Easy, Have A Good Time, Mean Mistreater, In The Mood, West Side Blues, Louise, Tin Pan Alley and This Is It [Walter's Boogie] for The Swedish Broadcasting Company at the bar of Sutherland Hotel, 4569 South Drexel Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, USA. At the same session, Paul Butterfield records Everything's Gonna Be Alright, Poor Boy, Got My Mojo Working, Last Night, Loaded and One Room Country Shack. (1964)
May 23 1968	Dick Jurgens And His Orchestra play at The Willowbrook Ballroom, Willow Springs, Chicago, Illinois, USA. (1968)
May 23 1969	Led Zeppelin, Pacific Gas And Electric and The Illinois Speed Press, play the first of two nights at The Kinetic Playground, 4812 North Clark Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, USA. (1969)
May 23 1991	Chicago play at The Fox Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, USA. (1991)
May 23 1997	Blues pianist and singer Lovie Lee dies aged 88 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. (1997)
May 23 2010	Imogen Heap plays at The Riviera Theatre, Chicago, Illinois, USA. (2010)
May 23 2011	Swedish singer and songwriter Lykke Li plays at Metro, Chicago, Illinois, USA. (2011)