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Today in Rock History – June 27

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1966, Pete Townshend and The Who’s co-manager Chris Stamp fly to New York City, the first trip by any member of The Who to America. Shortly after his arrival, Pete attends a luncheon for Herman’s Hermits who are beginning their 1966 U.S. tour. A reporter from Datebook magazine gets an interview from an irritable Pete, while he is photographed by Linda Eastman.”I don’t know why I’m here, at somebody else’s luncheon…Two of your lousy record companies haven’t been able to get us a hit in America. Without a hit record, we can’t get a visa to perform.” When a girl recognizes him and asks if Keith is there because her brother wanted Keith’s drumsticks, Pete chirps, “He’s not here. And if he were, I’m quite sure he wouldn’t give you his drumsticks.”

1967, Pink Floyd were in Studio 3, EMI Studios, Abbey Road, St. John Wood, London in recording sessions for Piper At The Gates of Dawn.

1968, Elvis Presley appeared on an NBC TV show that was billed as his “comeback special.” The show featured the king performing on a small, square stage, surrounded by a mostly female audience. Presley was outfitted in black leather and performed many of his early hits.

1968, Working at Abbey Road studios in London The Beatles recorded seven takes of “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey” for the upcoming album The Beatles, better known as The White Album.

1969, During a North American tour Jimi Hendrix appeared at Boston Gardens, Boston, Massachusetts.

1969, The Doors performed at the Forum, Mexico City, Mexico.

1970, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Byrds, Canned Heat, Steppenwolf, Jefferson Airplane, Johnny Winter, Frank Zappa And The Mothers of Invention, Dr. John, The Moody Blues and Fairport Convention all appeared at the three-day Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music in Bath, England.

1970, The Jackson Five started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with “The Love You Save,” the group’s third chart topper of the year.

1970, Traffic appeared at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario,

1970, The Trans-Continental Pop Festival (better known as the Festival Express) set off. The tour was unique in that rather than flying to each city, most of the acts traveled on a chartered Canadian National train. The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, The Flying Burrito Brothers and, Buddy Guy Blues Band all traveled together on the train, playing shows in Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Calgary.

1970, Freddie Mercury made his live debut with Smile, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor’s group, at Truro City Hall, Cornwall, England.

1971, The Fillmore East in New York closed its doors. The final concert took place with The Allman Brothers Band, The J. Geils Band, Albert King, and special guests – Edgar Winter’s White Trash, Mountain, The Beach Boys, and Country Joe McDonald  in an invitation-only performance.

1976, The culmination of lengthy legal battle that began in 1973, John Lennon finally received his green card, granting him permanent residency in the US.

1980, John Bonham, drummer with Led Zeppelin collapsed on stage during a gig in Nuremberg, West Germany.

1981, Motorhead scored their only UK number one album with No Sleep Til Hammersmith. The live album was recorded at shows in Leeds and Newcastle during their Short, Sharp Pain In The Neck tour in 1981. The name of the tour was a reference to the injury sustained by Phil Taylor when he was dropped on his head during some after-show horseplay. Despite the title of the album, the London venue the Hammersmith Odeon was not played on the tour.

1981, The Who’s “Don’t Let Go The Coat” backed with “You” hits the US charts. It peaks at number 84 in Billboard, and number 77 in Cash Box.

1987, Madonna played the first date on the North American leg of her Who’s That Girl World Tour at the Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida. The 39 date tour supported her third studio album, True Blue, released in 1986, as well as the soundtrack to Who’s That Girl.

1992, Michael Jackson played the first night on his Dangerous World tour at the Olympic Stadium in Munich, Germany. The tour consisted of 69 concerts to approximately 3.9 million fans across three continents. All profits made from the tour were donated to various charities including the Heal the World Foundation, Jackson’s main reason for conducting the tour.

1994, Aerosmith became the first major band to let fans download a full new track free from the Internet.

1997, Radiohead, Cast, The Bluetones, Manson, The Chemical Brothers, Ash, The Seahorses, Smashing Pumpkins, The Prodigy, Beck, Sheryl Crow, Sting, Dodgy, Travis, Ray Davies, Kula Shaker, Steve Winwood all appeared at the three-day Glastonbury Festival.

2002, One day before the scheduled first show of The Who’s 2002 US tour, bass player John Entwistle, died aged 57 in his hotel room in Las Vegas. The medical examiner determined that death was due to a heart attack induced by an undetermined amount of cocaine.

2003, R.E.M. David Gray, Suede, The Music, Mogwai, De La Soul, Echo and The Bunnymen, Inspiral Carpets and The Darkness all appeared at the UK Glastonbury Festival.

2008, Kings of Leon, The Fratellis, Editors, The Gossip, The Feeling, KT Tunstall, Kate Nash, Jay Z, Amy Winehouse, The Raconteurs, James Blunt, Crowded House, Seasick Steve, Martha Wainwright, The Verve, Leonard Cohen, The Ting Tings, Goldfrapp, Neil Diamond, Pete Doherty, Scouting for Girls, Mark Ronson, Duffy, The Zutons, Groove Armada, and John Mayer all appeared at three-day UK Glastonbury Festival.

2009, Black Eyed Peas went to number one on the US album charts with The E.N.D., the group’s fifth studio album. The album’s lead single, “Boom Boom Pow” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 consecutive weeks, the second single, “I Gotta Feeling” spent 14 weeks at number one.

2015, Chris Squire, the bass guitarist and co-founder of 1970s British progressive rock band Yes, died at the age of 67 after battling leukemia. He was the only member to appear on each of their 21 studio albums, released from 1969 to 2014.

Born on June 27: Bruce Johnston (1944); Joey Covington, American drummer, Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna, Jefferson Starship (1945);  Camile Baudoin, American guitarist, The Radiators (1948); Gilson Lavis, drums, Chuck Berry, Squeeze, Jools Holland (1951); Lisa Germano, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, John Mellencamp, Simple Minds, David Bowie, Neil Finn (1958); Jeffrey Lee Pierce, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, The Gun Club (1958); Dawud Wharnsby, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer (1972); Leigh Nash, singer, Sixpence None The Richer (1976);  Jennifer Goodridge, American keyboard player, Your Enemies Friends (1980)

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Today in Rock History – June 12

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1964, The Beatles arrived in Adelaide, Australia and were greeted by an estimated 250,000 fans, who lined the ten mile route from the airport to the city center. The group gave their first four shows in Australia at the Centennial Hall, Adelaide over two nights, playing: I Saw Her Standing There, I Want To Hold Your Hand, All My Loving, She Loves You, Till There Was You, Roll Over Beethoven, Can’t Buy Me Love, This Boy, Long Tall Sally and Twist And Shout. Temporary member Jimmy Nicol was standing in for Ringo on drums who was recovering from having his tonsils removed.

1965, The Beatles were included in the Queen’s birthday honors list to each receive the MBE. Protests poured into Buckingham Palace, MP Hector Dupuis said “British Royalty has put me on the same level as a bunch of vulgar numbskulls.”

1965, The Supremes scored their fifth consecutive chart topping single when “Back In My Arms Again” went to number one on the US charts.

1965, The Who appeared at The Town Hall, Dudley, Birmingham. England.

1965, Sonny & Cher make their television debut on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand.

1966, The Dave Clark Five made a record 12th appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

1966, Pink Floyd made their last appearance at the Marquee Club in Wardour Street, London, England. However, it was at this show that future co-manager Peter Jenner saw the band live for the first time. Floyd went on to sign a management contract with Peter Jenner and Andrew King on October 31st.

1967, Bob Dylan’s album Greatest Hits peaked at number ten in the US charts. The cover photograph of the album was taken by Rowland Scherman at Dylan’s November 28th, 1965, concert in Washington, D.C., winning the 1967 Grammy award for Best Album Cover, Photography.

1968, Speedway, starring Elvis Presley and Nancy Sinatra, premieres in Charlotte, North Carolina.

1969, Raven and Johnny Winter played at Boston Tea Party in Boston, Massachusetts.

1970, Bob Seger appeared at the Uptown Palladium 12 Theatre‎ in Birmingham, Michigan.

1970, Janis Joplin and the Full Tilt Boogie Band performed at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky.

1971, Pink Floyd played at the Palais des Sports in lyon France. The show included the song “Atom Heart Mother,” performed with the addition of a 20-piece choir, three trombones, three trumpets, and one tuba.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band @ Eastown Theater, Detroit, Michigan.

1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono release their album “Some Time in New York City.”

1972, With the help of her mother,  Ronnie Spector left her husband Phil’s Beverly Hills mansion for the last time, leaving behind her adopted sons, three year old Donté and six year old twins, Louis and Gary. Within days she filed for a divorce that would be granted in 1974.

1973, David Bowie appeared at Central Hall, Chatham, England.

1974, KISS played at I.M.A. Sports Arena, Flint, Michigan.

1975, The Rolling Stones performed at the Boston Garden, Boston.

1976, The Who, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Little Feat, Outlaws and Streetwalkers all appeared at Swansea City Football Club, Swansea, Wales, Tickets cost £4 ($7).

1976, ZZ Top appeared at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1977, Bad Company played at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1977, Genesis performed at the Palais de Sports, Paris .

1978, Playing live around the UK, Dire Straits at Erics, Liverpool. The Thompson Twins at The Limit in Sheffield, and The Jam at King George’s Hall, Blackburn.

1979, The Police appeared at The Locarno, Bristol, England, supported by The Cramps.

1981, Bob Dylan performed at the Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan.

1982, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Gary ‘US’ Bonds all appeared at a rally for nuclear disarmament in Central Park, New York to over 450,000 fans.

1982, Adam Ant was at number one on the UK singles chart with “Goody Two Shoes,” his third and last chart topper.

1984, Rush performed at the Barton Coliseum, Little Rock, Arkansas.

1987, The Grateful Dead appeared at the County Fairgrounds, Ventura, California.

1989, The Elvis Presley Autoland Museum opened at Graceland. The museum contained over 30 cars which were owned by Presley including his famous Pink Cadillac, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Stutz Blackhawks, a 1975 Dino Ferrari, a 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible, and the red MG that Elvis drove in the film Blue Hawaii.

1993, UB40 had their third UK chart topping single with (“I Can’t Help), Falling In Love With You,” a number one hit for Elvis Presley in 1962.

2003, Van Morrison, Queen, Little Richard and Phil Collins were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in a New York City ceremony.

2005, Pink Floyd announced they would reunite with former bassist Roger Waters, who left the band in 1985, on July 2nd for the Live 8 London concert. This would be the first time the band had played together as a quartet since The Wall tour in 1981.

2008, Amy Winehouse performed an exclusive gig at a Moscow art gallery for Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich and his girlfriend Dasha Zhukova. It was reported that the singer was paid £1m ($1.7 million) for the gig at the launch of The Garage gallery, which has been set up by Ms. Zhukova.

Born on June 12: Chick Corea; UK folk singer Roy Harper; Reg Presley, singer, The Troggs (1941); Barry Bailey, guitar, Atlanta Rhythm Section (1948); Brad Delp, Boston and Bun E Carlos, Cheap Trick (1951); Pete Fardon, bass, The Pretenders (1952); John Linnell,  They Might Be Giants (1959)

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Today in Rock History – May 24

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1966, Captain Beefheart appeared at the Whisky a Go Go. West Hollywood, California. Supported by Buffalo Springfield and The Doors.

1967, Jimi Hendrix played at Gröna Lund in Copenhagen, Denmark.

1968, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band appeared at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1968, Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull are arrested on charges of marijuana possession. The same day the Stones release “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” generally seen as a comeback record following the flop of Their Satanic Majesties Request. It goes to number three in the US, and the top spot in the UK.  Richards has stated that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards’ country house, where they were awoken one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded, “Oh, that’s Jack – that’s jumpin’ Jack.” The rest of the lyrics evolved from there.

1968, Pink Floyd appeared at The Punchbowl Hotel, Lapworth, England.

1969, Led Zeppelin performed at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago.

1969, Bob Dylan’s album Nashville Skyline peaked at number three in the US charts. The singer’s ninth album, it also scored Dylan his fourth UK chart topper. The album featured “Lay Lady Lay,” which became one of Dylan’s biggest pop hits, reaching the seventh position in the US, his biggest single in three years.

1969, The Beatles started a five week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Get Back,” the group’s 17th chart topper.  The song was credited to “The Beatles with Billy Preston,”  the Beatles’ only single that credited another artist.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Shady Grove Music Fair, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

1970, Peter Green played his last gig with Fleetwood Mac when they appeared at the Bath Festival, Somerset, England.

1971, Bob Dylan’s 30th birthday is commemorated with a Peanuts cartoon commenting on the event. Dylan himself spends the day visiting the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.

1973, David Bowie played at the Odeon Theatre (Lewisham), in London.

1972, Grateful Dead Europe ’72 tour plays at the Lyceum in London, England.

1974, American composer, pianist, and bandleader Duke Ellington, died of lung cancer and pneumonia aged 75. He worked with Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday.  He was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1966. In 2009 the United States Mint launched a new coin featuring Duke Ellington on the reverse side of the coin.

1974, David Bowie released his eighth studio album Diamond Dogs. Thematically, it was a marriage of the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, and Bowie’s own glam-tinged vision of a post-apocalyptic world. Bowie had wanted to make a theatrical production of Orwell’s book and began writing material after completing sessions for his 1973 album Pin Ups, but the author’s estate denied the rights. The cover art features Bowie as a striking half-man, half-dog grotesque painted by Belgian artist Guy Peellaert. It was controversial as the full painting clearly showed the hybrid’s genitalia

1975, Earth Wind and Fire went to number one on the singles chart with”Shining Star,” the group’s first and only chart topper.

1976, AC/DC performed at The Nashville, London.

1978, Neil Young appeared at The Boarding House in San Francisco.

1979, Yes played at Selland Arena, Fresno, California.

1980, Genesis fans turning up at the Roxy Club box office in Los Angeles to buy tickets for a forthcoming gig were surprised to find the band members Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford selling the tickets themselves.

1981, Van Halen played at Wings Stadium, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

1991, Founding member of The Byrds, Gene Clark, died of a heart attack aged 49. He penned group’s hits “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” and “Eight Miles High.” He was also a member of McGuinn, Clark and Hillman.

1991, Guns n’ Roses played the first show on their 192-date Use Your Illusion world Tour at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, Wisconsin.

2003, Paul McCartney made his first ever live performance in Russia when he appeared in-front of 20,000 fans in Red Square

2007, Amy Winehouse, Madonna and Arctic Monkeys were among the winners at the Ivor Novello Awards. Winehouse won best contemporary song for her hit “Rehab,” while Madonna collected the international hit of the year for “Sorry.” Sheffield-based band Arctic Monkeys collected the best album award for Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not.

2010, Paul Gray, the bassist with US metal band Slipknot, was found dead in a hotel in Des Moines, Iowa. The body of the 38-year-old musician was found by an employee at the hotel in a suburb of the city. Police said foul play was not suspected, but an autopsy would be carried out. The nine members of Slipknot wore masks in public and referred to other bandmates by numbers; Gray was number two.

Born on May 24: Bob Dylan (1941); Derek Quinn, Freddie and the Dreamers (1942); Patti Labelle, singer (1944); Steve Upton, Wishbone Ash (1946); Albert Bouchard, drums, Blue Oyster Cult (1947); Guy Fletcher, English keyboard player, guitarist, producer, Dire Straits, The Notting Hillbillies (1960); Dwight Errington Myers, aka Heavy D, rapper (1967); Rich Robinson, The Black Crowes (1969); Alessandro Cortini, keyboards, Nine Inch Nails (1976)

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Today in Rock History – April 23

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1965, The Rolling Stones kicked off their third North American tour at the Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal, Canada.

1966, The Who played at the Odeon Theatre in Rochester, Kent, England.

1967, Jimi Hendrix appeared at the Gaumont Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England.

1969, The Beatles were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Get Back,” the group’s 16th British chart topper. Writing credits included “The Beatles with Billy Preston,” the only Beatles single that included another artist credit.

1969, The Ash Grove club in Los Angeles, where Canned Heat cut their teeth, burns down.

1969, The Grateful Dead play the last of three shows at The Ark in Boston. The ill-fated club near Fenway Park didn’t last very long, and was subsequently taken over by the more famous venue the Boston Tea Party.

1970, Fairport Convention, Fotheringay and Matthews Southern Comfort all appeared at The Roundhouse, London,

1971, Emerson, Lake and Palmer performed at the Eastown Theater in Detroit, Michigan.

1971, The Rolling Stones released  Sticky Fingers in the UK. The album reached the top spot in the UK and the US.  It was the band’s first release on Atlantic Records. The cover design featured a pair of jeans with a working zipper that was designed by Andy Warhol, who was paid £15,000 for the art work.

1972, Pink Floyd’s North American tour stops at Cincinnati’s Music Hall for a performance of Dark Side of the Moon.

1972, Procol Harum played at Ford Auditorium in Detroit, Michigan.

1973, King Crimson played at Henry Levitt Arena, Wichita, Kansas.

1974, Yes performed Palazzo Di Palaeur Dello Sport, Rome, Italy.

1975, During a North American tour Pink Floyd played the first of five sold out nights at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California.

1976, The Ramones released their self-titled debut album. On the same day, The Sex Pistols played The Nashville Rooms in London supporting The 101’ers, who featured Clash vocalist Joe Strummer.

Marley in 1976 – photo by D. Burnett

1976, Bob Marley and The Wailers kicked off their Rastaman Vibration North American and European 42-date tour at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.

1976, Genesis appeared at the Opera House, St. Louis, Missouri.

1977, A Siouxsie & the Banshees performance at London’s Roxy Club inspires audience member Stuart Goddard to form the Ants. He later becomes international pop star Adam Ant.

1977, Thelma Houston went to number one on the US singles chart with “Don’t Leave Me This Way.” It was a number 13 hit in the UK.

1977, Joan Jett supported by Blondie appeared at the Whisky A Go-Go, Los Angeles.

1978, Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious filmed his version of “My Way” for the Sex Pistols film The Great Rock n Roll Swindle.

1979, David Bowie premiered his new single “Boy’s Keep Swinging” on the BBC’s TV’s Kenny Everett Video Show.

1980, The Who performed at McNichols Arena, Denver, Colorado.

1980, Rush played at Wings Stadium, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

1980, Bob Dylan appeared at Le Theatre Saint-Denis, Montreal, Quebec.

1982, Black Sabbath performed at Seattle Arena, Seattle, Washington.

u2-chapel-hill-19831983, U2 kicked off their 48-date War North American tour at The Carolina Concert For Children benefit at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Also on the bill were Grand Master Flash, The Producers, and Todd Rundgren, although by most accounts U2 was the highlight of the concert. At one point during the show, Bono began climbing up the vertical rigging tower, while carrying a large white flag. He made his way up on top of the scaffolding, at least 20-25 feet above the stage, in the rain, waving the flag, a scene for the ages.  There were only about 4000 in attendance, well short of the 20,000 capacity.

1987, Carole King sued record company owner Lou Adler for breach of contract. King claimed that she was owed over $400,000 in royalties. She also asked for all rights to her old recordings.

1988, Iron Maiden went to number one on the UK album chart with Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, their second chat topping LP.

1991, Founder member of The New York Dolls Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr., died of a drug overdose. He renamed himself Johnny Thunders, after a comic book of the same name. The influential New York Dolls formed in 1972 and made just two albums. A teenage Morrissey acted as president of the UK branch of the New York Dolls fan club. He formed The Heartbreakers with Dolls drummer Jerry Nolan, and Television bassist Richard Hell.

1994, Pink Floyd were at number one on the UK album chart with The Division Bell, their fourth chart topping album.

1995, Peter Hodgson from Liverpool found a tape in his attic containing 16 of The Beatles’ earliest recordings made in 1959. The tape included “Hello Little Girl,” a Lennon-McCartney composition that the Beatles never recorded, and Ray Charles’ “Hallelujah, I Love Her So.” The sessions had been made on a reel-to-reel recorder that Hodgson’s father had lent to Paul McCartney.

2008, Amy Winehouse went out on a drink and drug-fuelled spree and hit and head-butted two men. After drinking all day, Amy visited the Good Mixer pub in Camden, London with Babyshambles guitarist Mik Whitnall. Inside she allegedly punched Mustapha el Mounmi in the face after he refused to give way to her at the pool table. The singer then left to visit Bar Tok in the early hours and once at the bar shouted “I am a legend get these people out. I want to take drugs.” After leaving the bar a good Samaritan tried to get her a cab, but she reportedly thought he was trying to molest her and allegedly head-butted him in the face.

2012, Thomas “Tommy” Marth, the touring and studio saxophonist for the Killers, died after shooting himself in the head at his Las Vegas home. The 33-year-old musician joined the band in 2005 and played on the live tours with Brandon Flowers and the group between 2008 and 2010. Tommy also performed on the 2006 release Sam’s Town and 2008’s Day & Age.

Born on April 23: Roy Orbison (1936); Ray Peterson, singer (1937); John Miles, singer, songwriter, guitarist (1949); Ray Burns, (Captain Sensible), The Damned (1955); Steve Clark, Def Leppard (1960); Simon Matthews, drummer, Jesus Jones (1964)

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Check out more cool pictures of reggae artists from the ’70 including the one above.

Today in Rock History – February 10

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1967, The Beatles recorded the orchestral build-up for the middle and end of “A Day in the Life.” At the Beatles’ request, the orchestra members arrived in full evening dress along with novelty items. One violinist wore a red clowns nose, while another a fake gorilla’s paw on his bow hand. Others were wearing funny hats and other assorted novelties. The recording was filmed for a possible Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band television special which was ultimately abandoned. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Mike Nesmith from The Monkees, and Donovan also attended the session.

1967, Heavy metal pioneers Blue Cheer, best known for their cover of Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues,” perform at a “Tribute to J. Edgar Hoover” in San Francisco.

1967, At a concert at the Golden Sheaf Bakery in Berkely, Janis Joplin meets Country Joe MacDonald, whose group, the Fish are also on the bill. Shortly afterwards, Janis moves in with Country Joe.

1967, Pink Floyd played at the Leicester College Of Art and Technology, Leicestershire, England.

1968, The Who played a Valentine Ball at Essex University in Colchester, England. They are supported by The Shell Shock Show, Yum Yum Band and Exploding Orange.

1968, The Four Tops Greatest Hits was at number one on the album chart, the first chart topping album for the Motown label.

1968, Jefferson Airplane appears at the Terrace Ballroom in Salt Lake City, Utah.

1969, Led Zeppelin performed at the Field House on the campus of Memphis State University, in Memphis, Tennessee.

1970, Neil Young appeared at the Music Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio.

1971, Carole King releases her album Tapestry bringing the contemporary singer-songwriter character to the mainstream radio.

1972, The Faces appeared at The Rainbow Theatre, London, England

1972, David Bowie appeared at the Tolworth Toby Jug, London, on the opening date of his Ziggy Stardust tour.

don't shoot-elton john1973, Elton John had his first No.1 album when Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player started a six-week run at the top of the charts.

1973, King Crimson played at the Marquee Club, London.

1973, British Rail, which was due to demolish Liverpool’s Cavern club to build a subway station, gives the fabled venue a stay of execution. Owner Roy Adams says he will try to use the extra three months to preserve the famed cellar where the Beatles played some of their earliest concerts.

1974, record producer Phil Spector was injured in a car crash. He needed extensive plastic surgery that dramatically altered his looks. Details of how the accident happened were kept secret.

1974, Deep Purple kicked off a 28-date North American tour at the Los Angeles Forum, California.

1975, Dave Alexander, the original bassist for The Stooges died from pneumonia aged 28. He was fired from the band in August 1970 after showing up at a gig too drunk to play.

1975, Roxy Music performed at Massey Hall in Toronto.

1976, Elvis Presley was made a police reserve for the Memphis police.

1977, The Clash started recording their debut album at CBS studios in London, England.

1979, The Grateful Dead played at Soldier’s and Sailors Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Missouri.

1979, Rod Stewart started a four week run at number one on the singles chart with “Do Ya Think I”m Sexy,” his third chart topper. Also today Rod started a three-week run at number one on the album chart with Blondes Have More Fun.

1980, ZZ Top played at the San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, California.

1984, Frankie Goes To Hollywood were at No.1 on the UK singles chart for the third week with “Relax.” Eurythmics had the UK No.1 album with Touch.

1986, Bob Dylan appeared at the Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia.

1993, On a special edition of the Oprah Winfrey show, Michael Jackson gave his first TV interview for 14 years, live from his Neverland Valley Ranch.

2005, Prince topped Rolling Stone magazine’s annual list of the years biggest money earners after his 2004 tour grossed over $90 million (£53 million). Madonna came in second place after earning $54.9 million (£34.3 million) and Metallica came third with $43 million (£25.3 million).

2008, Amy Winehouse won five prizes at this year’s Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and record of the year, both for her single “Rehab”, and Best New Artist. The UK singer was not at the Los Angeles ceremony to collect them due to visa problems. Instead, she made an acceptance speech by satellite, paying tribute to her husband, “my Blake incarcerated,” who was in custody awaiting trial on charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice and grievous bodily harm. Kanye West took home four Grammy Awards, while Bruce Springsteen won three. The White Stripes, Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood and Mary J Blige all picked up two awards.

Born on February 10: Jerry Goldsmith, film scores (1929); Don Wilson, The Ventures (1937);  Roberta Flack (1937); Jimmy Merchant, singer, Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers (1940); Nigel Olsson, Elton John Band (1949); Cliff Burton, bass, Metallica (1962)

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Today in Rock History – January 24

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Gerry-&-the-Pacemakers-Ferry-Cross-the-Mersey1965, The film Ferry Cross the Mersey premieres at the Liverpool Odeon. It was the first to be shot on location in Liverpool after the city’s emergence into the music mainstream For authenticity, many scenes were shot in clubs near the home of Gerry and the Pacemakers’ frontman Gerry Marsden. Marsden wrote nine new songs for the film which also starred Julie Samuel, Cilla Black, Jimmy Savile, and The Fourmost.

1967, Jimi Hendrix performed at the Marquee Club in London.

1969,  The Beatles work on recording “On Our Way Home,” “Teddy Boy,” “Maggie Mae,” “Dig It,” “Dig A Pony,” and “I’ve Got A Feeling” at the Apple Studios in London.

1969, Jethro Tull played in America for the first time. They open up for Led Zeppelin in New York City.

1969, New Jersey state prosecutors issue a warning to US record dealers that they would be charged with distributing pornography if they were caught selling the John Lennon / Yoko Ono LP Two Virgins. The front cover of the album showed the pair frontally nude, while the back cover showed them from behind. The album still managed to reach number 124 on the US, but failed to chart at all in the UK, where only 5,000 copies were ever pressed.

1969, The Doors played at Madison Square Garden, New York City, They were paid over $50,000 for the gig making them one of the highest paid acts this year.

1970, The Who play in Copenhagen at Det Kunglige Teater. They had been turned down for hotel reservations at the Copenhagen Inn because of that establishment’s policy against “long-haired pop groups.” The Dutch Royal family does not have a problem with The Who’s hair as they attend that night’s show. Due to the cold weather Pete announces their opera as “Tommy On Ice!”

1970, Led Zeppelin appeared at Leeds University, Leeds, England. It was at this show when Zeppelin had a meeting with fine arts lecturer Zacron to discuss their ideas for the album sleeve of the band’s next album, Led Zeppelin III. Zacron, born Richard Drew, had studied at Kingston College of Art with members of the Yardbirds.

1970, The Grateful Dead played  at the Civic Auditorium in Honolulu, Hawaii.

1971, Neil Young performed at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis, Missouri.

1972, Black Sabbath played at Town Hall, Birmingham, England.

1974, Emerson, Lake & Palmer appeared at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia.

1975, Genesis performed The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The show was included in the Genesis box set release.

1976, Bob Dylan started a five-week run at number one on the US album chart with Desire his third US chart topper.

1979, The Clash’s “I Fought the Law” becomes their first single released in the United States.

1979, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys divorced his wife Marilyn after 15 years together. She was a member of the Honeys, and mother of Wendy and Carnie Wilson, who would go on to sing in Wilson-Phillips.

the wall1980, A billboard was erected on Sunset Strip, West Hollywood, California to promote Pink Floyd’s new album The Wall. A blank wall was pasted up and each day a brick was ‘removed’ to slowly reveal the inside spread and title of the album.

1982, ZZ Top appeared at the Huntington Civic Center, Huntington, West Virginia.

1984, Eric Clapton performed at the Teatro Tenda Lampugnano, Milan, Italy.

1992, Nirvana played their first ever show in Australia at the Phoenician Club in Sydney. Also on the bill, Tumbleweed and The Meanies.

1998, Oasis went to number one on the UK singles chart with “All Around The World.” The longest running-time for a UK chart topper with a total duration of 9 minutes 38 seconds. It was one of the first songs to be written by Noel Gallagher.

2007, Record producer Dave Shayman, also known as Disco D, was found dead at his home in New York City. 26-year-old Shayman was famous for his production work on hip hop records and was a rising star in the business. His death was being treated as a potential suicide after he was recently diagnosed with manic depression.

2008, Amy Winehouse was admitted into rehab in a battle to kick her addiction to drugs. A statement from her record company, Universal said she entered the facility “after talks with her record label, management, family and doctors to continue her ongoing recovery against drug addiction.”

Born on this day: Zeke Carey, singer, The Flamingos (1933); Aaron Neville (1941);  Neil Diamond (1941); Ray Stevens (1941); Warren Zevon (1947) and John Belushi (1949); Jools Holland, founding member of Squeeze and British TV presenter (1955)

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Today in Rock History – January 14

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bob-dylan-bring-it-all-back-home1965, Bob Dylan starts recording Bringing It All Back Home.

1966, The Who play Municipal Hall in Pontypridd, Wales, United Kingdom.

1966, David Bowie release his first single, “Can’t Help Thinking About Me,” on Parlophone Records.

1967, Pink Floyd played at the Coming-Up Hop, held at The Great Hall, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading England.

1967, Over 25,000 people attend The Human Be-In-A Gathering Of The Tribes at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The event was a forerunner of major, outdoor rock concerts and featured The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Big Brother And The Holding Company. Sir Douglas Quintet and Loading Zone also appear.

1969, Jimi Hendrix performed at Halle Münsterland in Muenster, Germany.

1970, Diana Ross made her last appearance with The Supremes at The Frontier Hotel, Las Vegas.

1971, Black Sabbath performed at City Hall, Sheffield, England.

1972, Yes played the first of two nights at the Rainbow Theatre, London.

1972, Jefferson Airplane landed at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

1972, Stevie Wonder kicked off a 15-date UK tour at London’s Hammersmith Odeon.

1973, Pink Floyd played two shows at the Palais des Sports de la Porte de Versailles in Paris

1973, Led Zeppelin performed at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, Merseyside, England.

1973, Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh is arrested on drug possession charges.

ElvisPresleyAlohafromHawaii1973,  Elvis can still pull an audience. In fact, he can pull around a billion people. That’s how many are said to have watched the satellite transmission of his live concert in Hawaii today. The United States gets its Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii special taped.

1975, Hawkwind appeared at Gaumont, Southampton, England.

1976, The Allman Brothers Band played at Municipal Auditorium Music Hall, Kansas City, Missouri.

1977, Bob Seger performed at Cobo Arena in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan.

1978, The Sex Pistols perform before a sold-out crowd  at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom. At the end of an epoch-defining gig, Johnny Rotten asks the audience, “Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” and walks out on the band. That was their first “break-up.” The band reformed in 1996.

1978, The Grateful Dead appeared at Municipal Auditorium in Bakersfield, California.

1979, Rush played at The Palladium in New York.

1980, Bob Dylan performed at the Paramount Northwest Theatre, Seattle, Washington.

1981, Roxy Music appeared at the Apollo, Manchester, England

1982, The Kinks played at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1984, Paul McCartney was at number one on the UK singles chart with “Pipes Of Peace.” With this release McCartney made chart history by becoming the first artist to have a number one in a group, The Beatles, in a duo, with Stevie Wonder, in a trio, with Wings, and as a solo artist.

1992, Jerry Nolan drummer with The New York Dolls died from a fatal stroke. The influential American band formed in 1972 and made just two albums, the 1973 New York Dolls and 1974 Too Much Too Soon.

1996, Oasis went to number one on the UK album chart with (What’s The Story) Morning Glory. The group’s second UK chart topper spent a total of 145 weeks on the chart.

2007, Amy Winehouse started a two week run at number one on the UK album chart with Back To Black, which went on to become the biggest-selling album of 2007 with sales over 1.5 million copies. Nas was at number one on the US album chart with Hip Hop Is Dead.

2010, The BBC admitted coverage of the launch of U2’s album No Line On The Horizon in 2009 went too far, giving “undue prominence” to the band. RadioCentre, the trade body for commercial radio companies, had made a formal complaint over the coverage saying the BBC had given U2 “the sort of publicity money can’t buy”.

Born on January 14: Alain Toussaint (1938); James Todd Smith,  aka L.L. Cool J (1968); Dave Grohl (1969); and Caleb Followill, lead singer, rhythm guitarist, Kings of Leon (1982)

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Today in Rock History – December 29

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Jimi Hendrix-19661966, The Jimi Hendrix Experience made their debut on the UK TV show Top Of The Pops performing “Hey Joe.”

1966, Working at Abbey Road studios, London, Paul McCartney began work on his new song “Penny Lane,”recording six takes on the paino, then added a second piano, put through a Vox amplifier with vibrato and reverb to create various percussion effects. Penny Lane is a neighborhood in the Beatles’ hometown of Liverpool, as well as a street, and a bus station through which Paul used to travel in order to get to John Lennon’s house.

1966, Pink Floyd and Syn, featuring bassist Chris Squire, who would later became a member of Yes, appeared at The Marquee, Wardour Street, London, England. As well as Pink Floyd, a list of the biggest selling acts in the world who appeared at The Marquee would include AC/DC, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Simon & Garfunkel, and The Rolling Stones.

1967, Wilson Pickett performed at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

1967, British guitarist and singer Dave Mason quit Traffic after differences of musical opinion. Mason wrote “Hole in My Shoe,” a psychedelic pop song that became a hit for Traffic in 1967.

1968, Led Zeppelin appeared at the Civic Auditorium, Portland on their first North American tour, opening for Vanilla Fudge

1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono have a session with Canadian hypnotists Hammrick & Leonard. The couple are trying to stop smoking.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1972, Roxy Music performed at the Cumberland Auditorium, Fayetteville, North Carolina.

1973,  Jim Croce scored his second number one US single of the year when ‘Time In A Bottle’ went to the top of the charts. Croce was killed in a plane crash on 29th September 1973.

elton-john-lucy-sky-diamonds1974, Number one chart toppers pop hit: “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” Elton John. The John Lennon-Paul McCartney song first appeared on the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967.

1974, Lynyrd Skynyrd played at the Barton Coliseum, Little Rock, Arkansas.

1975, Grace Slick divorces her Jefferson Airplane bandmate Paul Kantner.

1977, Rush appeared at  Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto.

1979, ZZ Top played at the Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas.

1980, Tim Hardin dies from a heroin overdose just six days after his 39th birthday. Although he wrote Rod Stewart’s hit “Reason to Believe” and “If I Were a Carpenter,” which was a hit for both Bobby Darin and the Four Tops, he had not recorded an album of his own since 1973.

1982, Sets of commemorative stamps in memory of Bob Marley were issued in Jamaica.

1983, Aerosmith performed at the Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine.

1984, The Grateful Dead play at the Civic Center, in San Francisco.

1999, UK music paper The Melody Maker published it’s Music of the Millennium Poll of albums, placing The Smiths’ The Queen Is Dead at number one.

2010, Pollstar reported that Bon Jovi were the highest earning touring act of the year, taking in over $200 million (£130.7m.) Australian rockers AC/DC landed at number two for the second year in a row, with tickets sales from their recent trek totaling $177m (£115m.) U2, which was the top worldwide act in 2009, came in at third place, with ticket sales totaling $160.9m (£104.6m.) Lady Gaga followed in fourth place, with Metallica at number five.

2011, Robert Lee Dickey, who performed as Bobby Purify in the ’60s Soul duo James And Bobby Purify, passed away at the age of 72. The pair are most often remembered for their 1966, Billboard Top 10 hit, “I’m Your Puppet.”

2012, According to sales data, Adele’s 21 had overtaken Oasis’ (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? to become the UK’s fourth biggest selling album of all-time. Latest data confirmed that, Oasis’ 1995 second album had sold 4,555,000 copies to date, while Adele’s 21 has surged ahead with sales of over 4,562,000 copies. The news came just over a year since 21 overtook Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black to become the UK’s biggest selling album of the 21st Century.

Born on December 29: Ray Thomas , Moody Blues (1942); Rick Danko, The Band (1943); Maryanne Faithfull (1946); Cozy Powell, drummer (1947); Yvonne Elliman, singer (1951); Neil Giraldo, Pat Benatar group (1955); Jim Reid, guitar, singer, The Jesus and Mary Chain (1961); Mark Day, guitar, Happy Mondays (1961); Dexter Holland, singer-songwriter, guitarist, The Offspring (1965); Glen Phillips,  singer-songwriter and guitarist Toad the Wet Sprocket (1970)

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Today in Rock History – December 26

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beatles-1964B1964, The Beatles started a three week run at number one on the singles chart with “I Feel Fine.” It was the group’s sixth chart topper of the year in which they had 30 entries on the chart, giving them a total of 18 weeks at the top of the charts.

1964, The Rolling Stones placed an advertisement in the music paper New Musical Express, wishing starving hairdressers and their families a Happy Christmas.

1965, While spending Christmas at his father’s home in Cheshire, Paul McCartney crashed from the moped he was riding and suffered a five-inch cut to his mouth.

1966, John Lennon appeared as a men’s room attendant in Peter Cook’s and Dudley Moore’s BBC TV show Not only… But also.

1966, The Jimi Hendrix Experience played an afternoon show at The Uppercut Club, London. Hendrix also wrote the lyrics to “Purple Haze” in the dressing room on the same day.

1967, BBC Television broadcast The Beatles’ movie Magical Mystery Tour in black and white. The next day, the British press and the viewing public pronounce the film an utter disaster. The negative reaction was so strong that a US television deal for broadcasting the movie was cancelled.

1967, The Doors performed at Winterland Arena in San Francisco.

1968, Led Zeppelin started their first North American tour supporting Vanilla Fudge and Spirit at Denver Auditorium, Colorado. Tickets for this Sunday night gig cost $5. Denver music man Barry Fey nearly became famous for being the guy who refused to book Led Zeppelin. “About 10 days before the show, I got a call from the agent saying, ‘Barry, I want to add an act to our show,’ ” Fey said. “I said, ‘all the tickets are sold.’ “He said, ‘You’ve got to do this for me, Barry, this is a big, big act. Their name is Led Zeppelin.’ I thought it was a joke.” Fey turned Terry down, until the agent showed Fey the money. “Ten minutes later Ron called back and said ‘Vanilla Fudge is going to give you $750, and if you give $750 of your own money, we still can put Led Zeppelin on the show.’ ” Fey caved in. “I got up on the stage and said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, give a warm Denver welcome to Led Zeppelin,’ ” Fey said. “They started playing, and it was incredible. It was an unbelievable show; people were gasping.”

1969, Yes played at the Marquee Club, London.

1969, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Fillmore East, New York.

1970, George Harrison started a four week run at number one on the singles chart with “My Sweet Lord,” making him the first Beatle to score a number one hit. The song was originally intended for Billy Preston.

1972, Roxy Music played at Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa Bay, Florida.

1973, Alice Cooper performed at New Haven Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut.

1974, KISS appeared at the Civic Auditorium, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

1976, The Sex Pistols recorded “God Save The Queen” at Wessex Studios London, England.

1978, Rush played at the Montreal Forum, Montreal, Canada.

1979, The first night of a series of concerts were held at The Hammersmith Odeon in London, for the People of Kampuchea, featuring Queen, The Clash, The Pretenders, The Who, Elvis Costello, Wings, and many more artists. The events which were organized by Paul McCartney and Kurt Waldheim were aimed to raise money for the victims of war-torn Cambodia.

1the wall979, Pink Floyd’s The Wall was at number one on the album chart. The album spent a total of 15 weeks at the top, during a 35-week stay on the chart.

1980, Blue Oyster Cult played at Cumberland County Memorial, Fayetteville, North Carolina.

1981, AC/DC started a three-week run at number one on the US album chart with For Those About To Rock We Salute You the follow-up to their highly successful album Back In Black. The name of the album was inspired by a book Angus Young read, entitled For Those About to Die, We Salute You, about Roman gladiators.

1982, Aerosmith appeared at the Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, Texas.

1983, Blue Oyster Cult played at Memorial Coliseum, Portland., Oregon.

1999, American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter Curtis Mayfield died aged 57. He was a member of The Impressions,  who had the 1965 US number seven single “Lilies Of The Field,” and as a solo artist, with the 1971 UK number 12 single “Move On Up,” and 1972 US number four single “Freddie’s Dead, Theme From Superfly.”

2007, Amy Winehouse’s second album Back to Black was named as the biggest-selling album of the year. Released at the end of 2006 the album has sold more than 1.5 million copies in the UK, achieving five platinum sales awards. Winehouse was also nominated for six Grammys including song of the year.

2012, Fontella Bass, the US female singer, pianist, who had the 1965 US number four and UK number 11 single “Rescue Me” died of complications following a heart attack aged 72.

Born on December 26: Steve Allen (1921); Abdul “Duke” Fakir, The Four Tops (1935); Phil Spector (1940); John Scofield (1951); Henning Schmitz,  drummer,Kraftwerk (1953); Lars Ulrich, Metallica (1955); Jay Farrar,  singer-songwriter, guitarist, Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt (1966); James Mercer, guitarist, The Shins, Broken Bells (1970);  Zach Blair, guitarist Hagfish, Gwar, Rise Against (1973)

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Today in Rock History – July 28

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1965,  The Who pre-tape an appearance on Radio Luxembourg’s Ready Steady Radio! at The Marquee followed by a gig at the Pontiac Club in southwest London’s Putney, where the band’s PA blows up after the first set. The Who’s first live performance of “My Generation” may have taken place at this explosive set.

1965, Rolling Stone Charlie Watts buys a 16th century wooden mansion in Sussex, England. His father tells the press, “We can’t understand why he prefers an old place like this to something modern.”

1966, James Brown appeared at The Apollo Theatre in New York City.

1968, Pink Floyd plays a Friday night gig at UFO, The Blarney Club, on Tottenham Court Road in London.  On the bill were Fairport Convention and Shiva’s Children. From Melody Maker, “In a cacophony of sound played to a background of multi-coloured projected lights the Pink Floyd proved they are Britain’s top psychedelic group. In two powerful sets they drew nearly every conceivable note from their instruments, but ignored their two hit singles…..Bass player Roger Waters gave the group a powerful depth and the lights played on to them to set an impressive scene.” This was the last show at the “intimate” Blarney Club. The landlord kicked producer Joe Boyd out of the space, and they relocated to the much larger Roundhouse venue.

1969, Yes play at the Old Granary in Bristol, England.

1969, Police in Moscow reported that thousands of public phone booths had been vandalized after thieves were stealing parts of the phones to convert their acoustic guitars to electric. A feature in a Russian youth magazine had shown details on how to do this.

1970, “Ned Kelly,” starring Mick Jagger as the behelmeted highwayman, opens in Australia. Reception is unkind. Halliwell’s Film Guide fumes, “Obstinately unlikable action picture with some kind of message which never becomes clear amid all the cleverness.”

1973, Chicago went to number one on the album chart with Chicago IV. It was the group’s second chart topper.

1973, The Watkins Glen outdoor summer jam was held outside of Watkins Glen, New York with The Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead and The Band. Over 600,000 rock fans attended. Many historians claimed the event was the largest gathering of people in the history of the United States. 150,000 tickets were sold for $10 each, but for all the other people it was a free concert. The crowd was so huge that a large part of the audience was not able to see the stage.

1974, Peter Frampton appears at the Garden, in Boston, Massachusetts.

1975, Bob Dylan plays his first session for the Desire album. On “Romance in Durango,” he’s joined by Eric Clapton on dobro, while Emmylou Harris plays steel guitar on “Abandoned Love.” The album features the song “Hurricane.” It protests the conviction of former middleweight boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter for triple murder in 1966, arguing for his innocence.

1975, The Rolling Stones perform at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Tickets were $9.50.

1978, The lineup for Buffalo’s Summerfest at Rich Stadium was Bob Welch, Pablo Cruise, Foreigner, and the headliner was Welch’s former mates, Fleetwood Mac.

1979, Van Halen plays the Fieldhouse in Dayton, Ohio.

1979, “I Don’t Like Mondays” gave The Boomtown Rats their second UK number one single. Bob Geldof wrote the song after reading a report on the shooting spree of 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer, who fired at children playing in a school playground across the street from her home in San Diego, California. She killed two adults and injured eight children and one police officer. Spencer showed no remorse for her crime, and her full explanation for her actions was “I don’t like Mondays, this livens up the day.”

1980, The Police, U2 and Squeeze all appeared at the Dalymount Festival in Dublin, Ireland.

1996, Marge Ganser from The Shangri-Las died of breast cancer. The group scored over ten hits during the 60’s including the 1964 US number one “Leader Of The Pack.”

2008, Amy Winehouse was rushed to hospital after she started to have fits at her home in Camden North London. A spokesman said it appeared the singer had suffered a reaction to medication she was taking to help her off hard drugs.

Born on July 28: George Cummings, steel guitar, Dr Hook (1938); Michael Bloomfield (1944); Rick Wright, Pink Floyd (1945); Jonathan Edwards (1946); Garald Casale, Devo (1948); Simon Kirke, drums, Free (1949); Steve Morse, Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple, Kansas (1954); Dan Warton, drums, Neds Atomic Dustbin (1972)

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