Jon Stebbins News Today

Living in Los Angeles in the '60s, Charles Manson was known as a musician and songwriter, described as on the "fringe" of the local scene.

It was 56 years ago today (June 14th, 1967) that the Monkees began recording their third and final Number One hit, "Daydream Believer." The song, which was tracked during the group's sessions for Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., was held off the album and released separately as a single. "Daydream Believer" was written by the late John Stewart, who had written several songs for the Kingston Trio, and at that time was performing with future superstar John...

It was 58 years ago today (October 28th, 1964), that The T.A.M.I. Show (Teenage Awards Music International Show) began its two-day film shoot. The landmark film was the first theatrically released rock n' roll concert movie. The concerts combined the biggest British and American acts on one stage. The show was hosted by Jan & Dean, who also performed but mainly appeared as comic relief while introducing each act. The concert was filmed on October 28th and 29th, 1964, at the Santa Mo...

It was 56 years ago today (October 10th, 1966) that the Beach Boys' released their masterpiece, "Good Vibrations." The song went on to top the chart for one week exactly two months later (December 10th to 16th, 1966). "Good Vibrations" was bandleader Brian Wilson's first attempt at a "modular" recording approach, which pieced together many different musical sections to form a constantly changing musical landscape. The song was also unique for its choice of...

It was 59 years ago today (October 5th, 1963) that Beach Boys guitarist and co-founder David Marks played his final concert as a full member of the band. Marks, who grew up across the street from future Beach Boys' Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, was only 15 at the time of his final show, which took place at San Diego's Balboa Park Bowl. Marks, who began making music with the Wilsons as a pre-teen, was a member of the Beach Boys from 1961 to 1963 and one of the five names on the band&#0...

It was 56 years ago tonight (September 12th, 1966) that The Monkees premiered on NBC. The series featured relative unknowns Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork as a struggling rock band, living together in a beach house, who each week would stumble from one comedic adventure to the next. The show, which was inspired by the comic lampooning in the Beatles' second movie Help!, released the previous year, proved to be the '60s answer to the Marx Brothers. The Monkees...

Happy Birthday to Beach Boys co-founder Al Jardine, who turns 80 on Sunday (September 3rd)!!! Jardine now permanently tours with Brian Wilson's band, which features fellow Beach Boy Blondie Chaplin. In recent years, Jardine has been receiving raves for his string of acoustic solo dates, dubbed "A Postcard From California - From The Very First Song." Jardine, who's joined by his son Matt Jardine on vocals and keyboardist Debbie Shair, weaves the group's key songs while ch...

It was 45 years ago today (August 22nd, 1977) that Beach Boys co-founder Dennis Wilson released his solo album, Pacific Ocean Blue. The set, which was the first solo collection to be released by one of the group's original members, peaked at Number 96 on the Billboard 200 albums chart during its 12-week-run. The album has gone on to become a cult classic and influenced a whole new generation of record makers, and tapped into many of the same emotions as his older brother Brian Wilson did wi...

It was 46 years ago tonight (August 5th, 1976) that the Beach Boys' NBC prime time special The Beach Boys: It's O.K. premiered. The show, which was produced by Saturday Night Live's executive producer Lorne Michaels, was based around the group's 15th anniversary, their new 15 Big Ones album, and the full time return of Brian Wilson to the group, kicking off the legendary "Brian's Back" publicity campaign. The special included live performances filmed on July 3r...

It was 55 years ago today (June 14th, 1967) that the Monkees began recording their third and final Number One hit, "Daydream Believer." The song, which was tracked during the group's sessions for Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., was held off the album and released separately as a single. "Daydream Believer" was written by the late John Stewart, who had written several songs for the Kingston Trio, and at that time was performing with future superstar John...