Daily Dirt: From Elvis to the Zombies to ZZ Top … and let’s not forget about Rosi Sasaki 

Daily Dirt for Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Elvis was an incredible talent, but not a a songwriter … Welcome to Vol. 257 of The Daily Dirt and today’s three thoughts.

1. Want to win a trivia contest with friends?

Here’s some rock music beauties that should come in handy. You’re welcome.

• Elvis Presley recorded more than 600 songs, but wrote none of them.
• Bono is the only person to ever be nominated for an Oscar, Grammy, Golden Globe and Nobel Peace Prize.
• Led Zeppelin came up with the title “Black Dog” after a black Labrador walked into the studio during recording.
• Before starting the band KISS, Gene Simmons was a sixth-grade teacher in Manhattan.
• The Beach Boys once recorded a song written by Charles Manson.
• Bob Dylan’s real name is Robert Allan Zimmerman. Before he decided on becoming Bob Dylan, he performed as Elston Gunn.
• The Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” in an alleged haunted house once owned by Harry Houdini.
• The Doors were the first rock band to advertise a new album on a billboard. The album was “The Doors” in 1967, featuring “Light My Fire” and “Break On Through”.
• Queen holds the Guinness record for having the longest-running fan club, now in its 48th year.
• Two songs were recorded by the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Elvis: “That’s Alright, Mama” and “Yesterday.”

And, arguably, my favorite: After the breakup of the popular 1960s British rock band the Zombies, a promotion company in America hired some musicians from Texas to go on tour as the band, claiming they were still together. Eventually, the actual Zombies served the fake Zombies with a cease and desist order, but the fake Zombies stayed together and became — drum roll, please — ZZ Top.

2. This week’s Great Plate award winners, spotted on streets, highways and parking lots across West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri:

Gold medal: SIR LAW. An attorney, correct? Or a fan of Perry Mason?

Silver medal: ALOHA 37. I would say all three of this week’s medal winners have a shot at cracking the 2022 top 20.

Bronze medal: 24 GOAT. Tribute to Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr. and/or Kobe Bryant?

Honorable mention: COBB, HIVE, RATTS 3. A BAUM.

The new top 20 rankings for the year will appear in this space later in the week. Can LUV YADI hang on to No. 1 again for an eighth straight week?

3. in case you missed it…

20-year-old Japanese pitcher Rosi Sasaki threw the 16th perfect game in the history of Nippon Professional Baseball, Japan’s top baseball league (its MLB equivalent) — and the first in 28 years. Sasaki struck out a phenomenal 19 batters while pitching for the Chiba Lotte Marines against the Orix Buffaloes. Sasaki’s strikeout total tied the all-time Japanese record, and his 13 consecutive whiffs established a new mark. Sasaki’s fastball and forkball were clocked at 102 mph.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. His fastball was clocked at 22.