Nokie Edwards is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame who was primarily a guitarist, best known for his work with The Ventures and was known in Japan as the King of Guitars. He was also an actor, who made a brief appearance in Deadwood, a TV Western drama series on HBO. Edwards died in Yuma, Arizona following complications from hip surgery.
Jack Ely (second from left) with The Kingsmen was 19 when he sang the Portland, Oregon garage-band classic version, “Louie, Louie”.
Based on outcry from parents who bought into what may have started as an idle rumor, the FBI launched a formal investigation in 1964 into the supposedly pornographic lyrics of the song “Louie, Louie.” That investigation finally neared its conclusion on this day in 1965, when the FBI Laboratory declared the lyrics of “Louie Louie” to be officially unintelligible.
No one will ever know who started the rumor that “Louie Louie” was dirty. As written by Richard Berry in 1955, the lyrics revolve around a sailor from the Caribbean lamenting to a bartender named Louie about missing his far-away love. As recorded in poor conditions and in a single take by The Kingsmen in 1963. (This Day In History)
Jack Brown Ely (September 11, 1943 – April 28, 2015)
On this day in 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled for school integration in Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka. The ruling declared that racially segregated schools were inherently unequal.
The U.S. Senate Watergate Committee began its hearings on this day in 1973. Sen. Sam Ervin (center) was the chairman of the Investigating Committee
On this day in 1792, the New York Stock Exchange was founded at 70 Wall Street by 24 brokers.
The actual Buttonwood Agreement is shown on the right. The New York Stock Exchange traces its origins to this historic document.
The first Kentucky Derby was held at what would become known as Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. on this day in 1875.
Winning the race was Oliver Lewis riding the horse named Aristides with a time of 2 min 37 seconds. The purse at that time was said to be $2,850.