Brooklyn Music Milestones – September 2014

Oct. 3, 1967: Woody Guthrie, who lived for much of his later life on Coney Island’s Mermaid Avenue, dies after suffering from Huntington’s chorea disease at age 55. Thankfully he lives long enough to see the release of his son Arlo’s first album, Alice’s Restaurant, a few weeks earlier. (You can read about Woody’s musical legacy, including reflections from Arlo and his other children, Nora and Joady, in Brooklyn Roads Volume 3, Issue 1.)

Oct. 5, 1974: Clap for the Wolfman, The Guess Who’s tribute to legendary radio personality Wolfman Jack (Robert Weston Smith), peaks at number six. Wolfman, a self-described “Brooklyn boy who learned to hustle,” is not only the subject of the song, but his signature raspy patter can be heard throughout the record, most prominently during the chorus.

Oct. 10, 1935: After a brief tryout in Boston, George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess debuts on Broadway. The run is disappointingly short, but a successful revival in 1942 firmly establishes the East New York native’s “folk opera” as a classic of American theater. It has been revived six times since, most recently in 2012.

Oct. 16, 1992: Lou Reed’s rendition of Foot of Pride and Richie Havens’ classic take on Just Like a Woman, along with Al Kooper’s iconic Hammond B3 organ work on opening number Like A Rolling Stone (sung by John Mellencamp), are Brooklyn’s contribution to the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration at Madison Square Garden.

Oct. 30, 1990: Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Big Daddy Kane continues his chart success with the release of his third album, Taste of Chocolate, destined to hit number 37 on the Billboard 200 and 10 on the R&B/Hip Hop charts. Exactly one day shy of a year later he scores again with Prince of Darkness, featuring a guest appearance by East Flatbush’s own Busta Rhymes on Come on Down.

Nov. 1, 2008: Grammy Award-winning Beninoise singer-songwriter and current Brooklyn resident Angélique Kidjo makes her Carnegie Hall debut.

Nov. 4, 1986: Led by longtime Brooklynites John Flansburgh and John Linnell, They Might Be Giants release their eponymous debut album. They have since released more than two dozen studio albums, live CDs, and compilations, including the Idlewild retrospective, issued this past March.