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June 20, 1942 –It’s Brian Wilson’s birthday today, ushering in those lazy, hazy days of summer. Let’s all appreciate the fact that Brian Wilson is still around and kicking.

June 20, 1966 –The Beatles released their ninth album issued on Capitol Records and twelfth American release overall, Yesterday and Today, with the amended cover, on this date. The original release of the album Yesterday and Today by the Beatles, with the so-called “Butcher cover”, is one of the most widely recognized valuable albums inContinue reading “The controversial Yesterday and Today went on sale”

June 20, 1981 –The mash-up single by Stars on 45 (known as Starsounds in Europe,) Stars On 45 Medley reached No. 1 on the Billboard Charts on this date. The title on the US single was the names of the songs that make up the medley: “Intro Venus/Sugar Sugar/No Reply/I’ll Be Back/Drive My Car/Do YouContinue reading “Stars on 45 topped the charts”

June 20, 1975 –Steven Spielberg’s thriller, Jaws, premiered on this date. Beach vacations were never the same again. According to director Steven Spielberg, the prop arm looked too fake in the scene where Chrissie’s remains are discovered, so instead, they buried a female crew member in the sand with only her arm exposed.

June 20, 1941 – Advertised as their farewell film (they went on to appear in two more,) The Big Store, starring the Marx Brothers and Margaret Dumont (in her final appearance in a Marx Bros. film) premiered on this date. Groucho Marx was bitter when he was called for retakes on the Sing While YouContinue reading “The Big Store premiered”

June 20, 1967 –The late great Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) had refused to serve in the U.S. military, stating that it went against his religious beliefs and his opposition to the Vietnam War. This led to his conviction of violating Selective Service laws on this date. The U.S. Supreme Court later overturnedContinue reading “Standing up for his principles”

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. … John Lubbock Today is the first day of Summer, also known as the SummerContinue reading “What power you have to make us suffer and like it”

June 19, 1976 –The original emo boy, Eric Carmen’s single Never Gonna’ Fall in Love Again went to the top of The Billboard Charts on this date. Once again, Carmen uses (steals) a piece of classical music – this time, the melody line from Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 for this song. It comes from theContinue reading “Never Gonna’ Fall in Love Again topped the charts”

June 19, 1954 – The Tasmanian Devil, Taz, made his debut in the Looney Tunes cartoon, Devil May Hare, on this date. While Robert McKimson and his team were discussing new adversaries for Bugs Bunny, animator Sid Marcus suggested offhandedly that they have used everything except a Tasmanian devil. They looked the animal up inContinue reading “Devil May Hare premiered”

June 19, 1963 –Columbia Pictures releases the Ray Harryhausen fantasy film Jason and the Argonauts, directed by Don Chaffey in the U.S. on this date. In order to capitalize on the success of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Ray Harryhausen originally conceived of the film as Sinbad in the Age of Muses. The story wouldContinue reading “Jason and the Argonauts premiered”