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Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Cat’s Squirrel” by Cream

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Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Cat’s Squirrel” by Cream

“All right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right…all right, all right, all right, all right.”

That pretty much sums up the lyrical content of this scorcher from Cream’s 1966 debut album, Fresh Cream. And for my money, the band’s studio recordings are far more preferable than their live workouts featuring endless jamming extended to maddening proportions.

While some were spray painting the buildings of England with proclamations that Eric Clapton was God, the real star of the show was bassist Jack Bruce. Not only was Bruce the songwriter behind some of the group’s biggest hits, but it was his voice that defined the group’s sound. And one would be hard-pressed not to mention Ginger Baker here as well for his undeniable contributions on drums.

And as for Clapton, he’s been literally coasting on the stellar guitar work he laid down with this group and solo since the late ’70s. Enjoy your retirement and thanks for the memories.

Today in Rock History – June 9

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1964, During an evening session Bob Dylan recorded “Mr. Tambourine Man” at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City. This was the first session for the album Another Side Of Bob Dylan, which saw Dylan recording fourteen original compositions that night.

1967, Pink Floyd played two gigs in one day, the first at the College of Commerce in Hull, and then the UFO at The Blarney Club, Tottenham Court Road, London, England.

1967, The Velvet Underground performed at Boston Tea Party in Boston, Massachusetts.

1967, The Monkees kicked off a North American summer tour at the Hollywood Bowl in California.

1968, Cream performed at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1969, The Rolling Stones announce that guitarist Brian Jones will be replaced by the John Mayall Band’s Mick Taylor.

1970, The Who appeared at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, Colorado.

1970, Jimi Hendrix played at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee.

1970, Princeton University gives Bob Dylan an honorary doctorate in music.

1972, The Allman Brothers Band performed at McFarlin Memorial Auditorium, Dallas, Texas.

1972, The Rolling Stones appeared at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.

1972, Elvis Presley made entertainment history by performing four sold-out shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden. George Harrison, John Lennon David Bowie, Bob Dylan and Art Garfunkel were among music stars that attended the shows. The shows were recorded and became the album Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden.

1972, Bruce Springsteen signed with Columbia Records and started to assemble the E Street Band from various Asbury Park ex-band mates.

1973, The Grateful Dead play the first of two nights at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

1974, Aerosmith played at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1975, Windsor Davies and Don Estelle were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Whispering Grass.” It was a spin-off from the BBC TV sitcom It Ain’t Half Hot Mum. The song was originally recorded by The Ink Spots in 1940.

1975, Pink Floyd performs at the Capital Centre in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland. Tickets cost $7.50.

1976, Yes played at the Broome Country Veterans Memorial Arena, Binghamton, New York.

1977, George and Patti Harrison were officially divorced.

1978, The Rolling Stones released Some Girls, their first studio album recorded with Ronnie Wood as a full member. The album cover was designed by Peter Corriston and featured The Rolling Stones in garish drag alongside select female celebrities and lingerie ads. The cover immediately ran into trouble when Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett, Liza Minnelli, representing her mother Judy Garland, Raquel Welch, and the estate of Marilyn Monroe threatened legal action.

1978, Ian Dury and the Blockheads appeared at St George’s Hall, Bradford, England.

1979, Van Halen appeared at the Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas.

1980, Genesis performed at the Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan.

1981, Rush played at the San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, California.

1983, David Bowie appeared at the Auteuil Hippodrome in Paris

1990, M.C. Hammer’s debut album started a record breaking 21-week stay at the top of the US album charts, making it the longest uninterrupted stay at the top since the album charts started.

1998, The Ronettes appeared in the Supreme Court of New York for their lawsuit against producer Phil Spector. The Ronettes, whose hits included “Be My Baby” and “Walking In The Rain,” claimed that Spector had breached the group’s 34-year-old contract by paying the members no royalties since 1963. Although The Ronettes went on to win the case, the New York State Court of Appeals overturned the decision in October, 2002, saying that the contract the Ronettes signed with Spector in 1963 was still binding.

Born on June 9: Cole Porter (1891);  Les Paul (1916);  Johnny Ace (1929); Jackie Wilson (1934); Jon Lord, Deep Purple (1941); George Bunnell, Strawberry Alarm Clock (1949); Trevor Boulder, bass, Spiders From Mars, Uriah Heep (1950); Dean Felber, bass, Hootie & The Blowfish (1967); Matthew Bellamy, Muse (1978)

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Today in Rock History – June 7

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The Grateful Dead

1968, Fleetwood Mac, Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane all appeared for the first of a three night run at the Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco, California.

1968, Cream played at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan

1969, Supergroup Blind Faith, featuring Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Steve Winwood made their live debut at a free concert in London’s Hyde Park.

1969, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at The Hangar in Columbia, South Carolina.

1969, Keith Richards and his partner Anita Pallenburg were involved in a car crash near their home in Sussex. Richards escaped serious injury but Pallenburg was taken to hospital with a broken collarbone and the car was a write-off.

1969, The Who’s Tommy album entered the album chart peaking at No.2. It was the first of two full-scale rock operas from The Who, the other being the 1973’s Quadrophenia.

1969, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell both appeared on the first ABC TV Johnny Cash Show from Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Dylan sang “I Threw It All Away” and “Living The Blues,” and duetted with Johnny Cash on “Girl From The North Country.”

1970, The Who play Tommy at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House.

1972, Led Zeppelin performed at the Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec.

1973, David Bowie played at Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England.

1974, Audiences watching ABC saw highlights from the massive California Jam concert, including performances by Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Black Oak Arkansas.

1974, On The Midnight Special, the Kinks pay host to ELO.

1975, Elton John’s album Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy, went to No.1 on the album chart, the first album ever to enter the chart at No.1.

1975, Pink Floyd begins its North American tour at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.  The band had arranged for the construction of an large inflatable pyramid to be launched at the climax of Dark Side of the Moon, but it failed to operate that evening. The next several shows were scheduled for indoor venues, so the crew used that time to fix the problem, and it worked successfully in Pittsburgh on June 20th.

1975, John Denver went to No.1 on the singles chart with “Thank God I’m A Country Boy,” the singers third No.1.

1976, The Rolling Stones played at the Pavillon De Paris in Paris.

1977, Led Zeppelin played the first of six sold out nights at Madison Square Garden, in New York City.

1978, Black Sabbath performed at St. Georges Hall, Bradford, England.

1979, Van Halen appeared at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1979, Blondie performed ‘”Sunday Girl” on UK music television show Top Of The Pops.

1980, Bob Marley And The Wailers, Average White Band, Joe Jackson and The Q-Tips all appeared at The Summer Of ’80 Garden Party, Crystal Palace, London, England. Tickets £7.50 on the day.

1981, Rush performed at Selland Arena, Fresno, California.

1984, Bob Dylan appeared at Stade de Schaerbeek, Schaarbeek, Belgium

1987,  David Bowie played a concert in West Berlin in front of the Reichstag with the speakers pointing towards the nearby Berlin Wall where thousands of young East Berliners stood and listened.

1990, The Black Crowes played their debut UK gig at the Marquee in London.

1997, Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher played a five-song set at the Tibet Freedom Concert, Downing Stadium in New York City. U2, Patti Smith and Radiohead also appeared at the concert.

1998, Songwriter Wally Gold died in a New Jersey hospital aged 70. Wrote “It’s My Party, “a hit for Lesley Gore and “It’s Now or Never,” a hit for Elvis Presley. Also a member of late 50’s group The Four Esquires, produced Kansas & Gene Pitney.

2001, During their The Tour of Brotherly Love tour, Oasis, The Black Crowes and Spacehog played the first of three nights at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

2012, Bob Welch, an early member of Fleetwood Mac who enjoyed a successful solo career with hits such as “Ebony Eyes,” was found dead after an apparent suicide at home in Nashville. He was 66. Police said Welch’s body was found by his wife Wendy with a single gunshot wound to the chest, and he had left a suicide note. Welch was part of Fleetwood Mac in their early years from 1971 to 1974 and worked on such albums as Future Games and Bare Trees.

Born on this day: Dean Martin (1917);  Tom Jones (1940); Prince (1958); and Dave Navarro, Jane’s Addiction (1967)

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Today in Rock History – June 2

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1964, The Rolling Stones play their first American show at a Lynn, Massachusetts high school football stadium. They also make their American TV debut on The Les Crane Show. An Associated Press reporter notes, “They are dirtier and streakier and more disheveled than the Beatles, and in some places, they are more popular than the Beatles.”

1966, Frank Sinatra was at number one on the singles chart with “Strangers In The Night.”

1966, The Who kicked off a 10-date European tour in front of 11,000 fans at the Grona Lund in Stockholm, Sweden. Their repertoire included a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Uptight.”

1967, David Bowie released his debut album, David Bowie, which failed to make the UK charts.

1968, Cream played at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

1969, Yes appeared at the Bay Hotel, Sunderland, England.

1971, Pink Floyd appeared at the Student Health Centre Refectory, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, Scotland.

1972, Dion reunites with the Belmonts for an oldies show at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

1972, Spirit and Blue Oyster Cult played at Ft. Homer Hesterly Armory in Tampa, Florida.

1972, Pink Floyd release their soundtrack Obscured by Clouds in the UK. The US release would take place on June 17th.

1973, Paul McCartney had both the number one positions on the US charts when Red Rose Speedway, went to the top of the album chart and “My Love” started a four week run as the top single.

1973, Led Zeppelin played to 50,000 fans at San Francisco’s Kezar Stadium. Although the 2 ½ hour show was 6,000 short of capacity, listeners blanketed the football field and stands. Hundreds of others heard the music for free from rooftops in the surrounding neighborhood.

1973, The Electric Light Orchestra began their first US tour in San Diego, California.

 

1974, KISS played at the Sundowner Drive-In Theater, Anchorage, Alaska.

1975, Rush performed at the Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco.

1976, Wings set a new world record when they performed in front of 67,100 fans in Seattle, the largest attendance for an indoor crowd.

1977, Supertramp appeared at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto.

1978, Thin Lizzy released the live double album Live And Dangerous. It was recorded in Philadelphia, London and Toronto in 1977, during the tours accompanying the albums Johnny The Fox and Bad Reputation.

1979, Van Halen played at Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, North Carolina.

1980, Roxy Music performed at Palais De Sport, Paris.

1981, Prince made his live British debut at The Lyceum Ballroom, London. He would not play the UK again for five years.

1984, Wham! had their first UK number one with “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go.” Written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo. Inspiration for the song was a scribbled note left by his Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley for Andrew’s parents, originally intended to read “wake me up before you go” but with “up” accidentally written twice, so Ridgeley wrote “go” twice on purpose.

1984, Aerosmith played at the Capitol Theater in Concord, New Hampshire, the first night on their 59-date North American Back In The Saddle tour.

1999, Junior Braithwaite from Bob Marley and the Wailers was shot dead aged 46, in the home of a fellow musician in Kingston, Jamaica. Braithwaite was one of the founders of, and the first lead singer of The Wailers. He left the band in 1964.

2002, Pop Idol winner Will Young scored his second UK No.1 single with his version of The Doors 1967 hit “Light My Fire.”

2008, Guitarist and singer Bo Diddley (born Ellas Otha Bates) died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Florida at age 79. The legendary singer and performer, was known for his homemade square guitar and his distinctive rhythm, known at the “Bo Diddley beat,” which influenced artists from Buddy Holly to Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones and U2.

Born on June 2:  Johnny Carter, American singer, The Flamingos and The Dells (1934); Otis Williams, singer, The Charms (1936); Charlie Watts (1941); William Guest, American singer-songwriter, producer, Gladys Knight & the Pips (1941); Marvin Hamlish (1944);  Chubby Tavares, Tavares (1950); Michael Steele, bass, vocals, The Bangles (1959); Lydia Lunch, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actress, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, 8-Eyed Spy, Harry Crews,  My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult (1959); Tony Hadley, English  singer-songwriter,  Spandau Ballet (1960); Dez Cadena, American singer-songwriter, guitarist Misfits, Black Flag, Osaka Popstar, DC3, The Gentlemen,  Loaded (1961); Thor Eldon, guitar, The Sugarcubes (1962);  Jason Falkner, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, Jellyfish, The Grays, and The Three O’Clock (1968); Tim Rice-Oxley, English singer-songwriter, keyboards, Keane, Mt. Desolation (1976)

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Today in Rock History – June 1

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Rock History for June 1

1966, The Beatles returned Abbey Road studios to complete recording on “Yellow Submarine. ” The band, plus friends and members of the staff helped search for a “weird instrument” to create the desired sound effects.  John Lennon ended up blowing bubbles in a bucket of water.  Paul and John imitated different voices.  Roadie Mal Evans played on a bass drum strapped to his chest, marching around the studio with The Beatles following behind singing “We all live in a yellow submarine.”

1966, The Who fly into Arlanda Airport, Stockholm. Pete Townshend is interviewed for a Swedish magazine at the airport. He tells them he is currently working on a musical called “Summer City”.

1967, The Beatles release Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Sgt. Pepper became the first Beatles album to be issued simultaneously around the world. It was also the first Beatles album where the track listings were exactly the same for the UK and US versions. The band’s eighth LP, it debuted in the UK at number one, where it stayed for 22 consecutive weeks. The album sold 250,000 copies during the first seven days.

1967, David Bowie released his self titled debut studio album. Two singles were released from the album, “Rubber Band” and “The Laughing Gnome.”

1967, Tommy James & the Shondells performed at the Sports Arena in Toledo, Ohio.

1968, Simon and Garfunkel went to number one on the singles chart with “Mrs Robinson.” The song was featured in the Dustin Hoffman and Ann Bancroft film The Graduate. A cover version by the Lemonheads was a hit in 1992.

1968, Cream appeared at the Edmonton Gardens in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

1968, Pink Floyd played three shows in the Netherlands on this date. First a 2 o’clock in the afternoon show at Lijn 3 in Amsterdam, as a replacement for Captain Beefheart, who cancelled. Secondly at 8 PM, the band played at ‘t Smurf, De Engh, Bussum. Lastly, a late show at Eurobeurs, Apeldoorn. The band arrived so tardy, that they played past their allotted time. When the promoter turned on the house lights to make the band quit playing and start the “disco,” an argument started between Roger Waters and the promoter. It got so heated that the local police had to be called in to break it up.

1969, Neil Young & Crazy Horse appeared at La Cave in Cleveland, Ohio

1969, The Who performed at Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri.

1969, The Plastic Ono Band recorded “Give Peace A Chance” during a “bed-in” at the Hotel La Reine in Montreal, Canada. Producer Phil Spector, poet Allan Ginsberg and writer Timothy Leary all sang on the song.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Athens State Teachers College, Athens, Georgia.

1971, Chicago appeared at the London’s Royal Albert Hall, London.

1971, Harry Nilsson begins recording his album Nilsson Schmilsson in London.

1971, Joni Mitchell releases her album Blue.

1971, The two-room shack in Tupelo, Mississippi, where Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935 was opened to the public as a tourist attraction.

Pink Floyd at Abbey Road studios

1972, Pink Floyd were working at Abbey Road studios, London on Dark Side Of The Moon.

1973, Former Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt broke his spine after attempting to leave a party by climbing down a drainpipe and falling three stories. It left Wyatt permanently crippled and confined to a wheelchair.

1973, Paul Simon releases There Goes Rhymin’ Simon.

1974, UK weekly music paper The NME published its 100 Great Albums: at number three: The Beach Boys Pet Sounds; number two: Bob Dylan Blonde On Blonde; and The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper was voted to the top spot.

1974, John Cale, Brian Eno, Kevin Ayers, and Nico perform the concert commemorated in the live LP June 1, 1974.

1974, Linda Ronstadt begins recording “Heart Like a Wheel” in Los Angeles. Her last project for Capitol Records. Some of the studio musicians and singers included, Andrew Gold, Glen Frey, Emmylou Harris, Don Henley, Russ Kunkel, Maria Muldaur, Timothy B. Schmdt, and J.D. Souther.

1975, The Rolling Stones kicked off their biggest ever US tour at Assembly Center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. The tour would take in 45 shows in 26 cities. Guitarist Ron Wood joined The Stones on tour for the first time, replacing Mick Taylor.

1975, Aerosmith played at Roberts Municipal Stadium, Evansville, Indiana.

1976, Yes performed at Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee.

1977, Bob Marley and The Wailers played the first of four nights at the Rainbow Theatre in London. There were six nights booked at the Rainbow, but the last two shows were cancelled due to a serious toe injury Marley received, in a friendly football game with French journalists, just before the tour’s start in Paris. Subsequently, the tour’s second leg in the United States was postponed and then cancelled.

1977, Emerson, Lake & Palmer played at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1978, U2 appeared at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, Ireland.

1978, David Bowie performed at the Falkoner Theater, Copenhagen, Denmark.

1980, Rush played at the Gaumont Theatre, Southampton, England.

1981, The first issue of the Heavy Metal magazine Kerrang! was published as a special pull-out by UK weekly music paper Sounds. AC/DC appeared on the front cover, and there were features on Motorhead, Girlschool and Saxon.

1984, David Gilmour appeared at Constitution Hall, Washington D.C.

1985, Prince & The Revolution started a three-week run at number one on the US album chart with Around The World In A Day.

1986, ZZ Top performed at the Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island.

1991, American soul singer David Ruffin died of a drug overdose. After taking a large amount of cocaine Ruffin passed out, a friend drove him to a hospital in Philadelphia, where he later died. He was one of the lead singers of The Temptations (1964–68) during the group’s “Classic Five” period as it was later known. He was the lead voice on such famous songs as “My Girl” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”.

2006, The 1994 debut album by Oasis, Definitely Maybe, was voted the greatest album of all time in a survey to mark 50 years of the Official UK Albums Chart. The Beatles came in second and third place with Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Revolver, OK Computer by Radiohead was fourth and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory by Oasis was voted fifth.

2013, Modern Vampires of the City by Vampire Weekend went to number one on the US album charts. Their second album Contra’ also debuted at the top spot in 2010, making this the first time an independent rock band had entered at number one with two consecutive releases. Modern Vampires of the City also shattered the previous record for first week vinyl sales, moving nearly 10,000 units.

Born on June 1: Pat Boone (1934); James William McCarty, Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, Buddy Miles, Cactus,  Bob Seger (1945) Ron Wood, Jeff Beck Group, The Faces, The Rolling Stones (1947); Tom Robinson, singer-songwriter (1950); Graham Russell, Air Supply (1950); Alan Wilder, keyboards, vocals, Depeche Mode (1959); Simon Gallup, The Cure (1960); Mike Joyce, drums, The Smiths (1963); Alanis Morissette (1974)

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Today in Rock History – May 30

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1964, The Beatles went to number one on the singles chart with “Love Me Do,” the group’s fourth chart topper in five months. The version released in America had Andy White playing drums while Ringo played the tambourine. The British single was a take on which Ringo played the drums.

1965, The Who performed at Mojo Club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.

1965, The Rolling Stones played the final night of a US tour at the New York Academy of Music. During the afternoon the band recorded six songs for the Clay Pole TV show.

1966, The Beatles release “Paperback Writer” in the US.

1966, The Who appeared at Sincil Bank Football Ground, Lincoln, England.

1966, The Doors appeared at the Hullabaloo, West Hollywood, California.

1966, The Jefferson Airplane perform at a benefit for the Haight-Ashbury Legal Organization in San Francisco.

1968, Cream appeared at Eagles Auditorium in Seattle, Washington.

1968, The Beatles began recording what became known as the White Album. The double-LP whose official title was simply The Beatles became the first Beatles album released with the Apple label. The first track they recorded was “Revolution.”

1969, Pink Floyd appeared at the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, England.

1969, The Grateful Dead played at Springer’s Inn in Portland, Oregon.

1969, Led Zeppelin played the first of two nights at The Fillmore East in New York City.

1969, Neil Young & Crazy Horse performed at La Cave in Cleveland, Ohio.

1970, Frank Sinatra performed at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1970, Ray Stevens went to number one on the singles chart with “Everything Is Beautiful.” The former DJ had a string of novelty hits, including “Guitarzan,” “The Streak,” and “Jeremiah Peabody’s Poly Unsaturated Quick Dissolving Fast Acting Pleasant Tasting Green & Purple Pill.”

1971, The Allman Brothers Band played at the State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Detroit, Michigan.

Roxy Music

1972,  Roxy Music play their first major date at Lincolnshire, England’s Great Western Express Festival.

1973, David Bowie appeared at the New Theatre Oxford, Oxford, England.

1974, Bernadette Whelan, a 14 year-old David Cassidy fan died of heart failure four days after attending a concert of his. Over 1,000 other fans had to be given first aid during the White City Stadium show.

1975, Aerosmith played at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1976, Rush performed at the Nelson Center, Springfield, Illinois.

1977, It’s the last chance to see Elvis play Florida as he appears tonight at Jacksonville’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

1978, Led Zeppelin begin recording In Through the Out Door.

1979, Yes performed at the Civic Center, Amarillo, Texas.

1980, Carl Radle, bass player with Derek and the Dominoes, died of kidney failure aged 38. Also worked with Gary Lewis & the Playboys, George Harrison, Joe Cocker, Dave Mason & Delaney and Bonnie.

1981, Pete Townshend plays a solo show at Brockwell Park in Brixton, England in support of a march against unemployment in Britain. He performs “A Little Is Enough” (twice due to bad PA mix,) “Cats In The Cupboard,” “Big Boss Man,” “Substitute,” “Corrina Corrina,” “Body Language,” “Join Together,” and “Let My Love Open The Door.” He is accompanied by Neil Abbott (guitar), Peter Hope-Evans (harmonica), Mark Brzezicki (drums) and Tony Butler (bass). Jim Capaldi comes out to do vocals for “Substitute.”

1981, ZZ Top played at the Birmingham–Jefferson Civic Center, Birmingham, Alabama.

1984, King Crimson performed at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver, Canada.

1987, David Bowie kicked off his 87-date Glass Spider world tour at the Feyenoord Stadium, Rotterdam, Holland.

1991, Morrissey played the first date on his debut Kill Uncle US concert tour at San Diego Sports Arena, California

1992, The Black Crowes went to number one on the US album chart with The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion.

2003, Record producer Mickie Most died aged 64. Member of The Most Brothers during late 50’s, and Mickie Most and the Playboys, produced hits for The Animals, Hermans Hermits, Donovan, Kim Wilde, Lulu and Jeff Beck. Most ran his own record label RAK in the 1970’s, having hits with Hot Chocolate, Suzi Quatro and Mud.

2005, Coldplay’s new album X & Y was illegally put on the internet a week before its UK and US release. The leak took place on the day copies were sent to UK radio stations, and the day before it went on sale in Japan.

2007, A leaked copy of the new White Stripes album Icky Thump was played completely on Chicago radio station WKQX 101FM. Jack White personally called the station from Spain, where he was touring, to voice his displeasure.

2009, Ozzy Osbourne was suing the band’s guitarist Tony Iommi over royalty payments. The 60-year-old had accused Iommi of falsely claiming to have sole rights to the band’s name which has cost him royalties from merchandise sales. Osbourne was seeking unspecified damages, lost profits and a declaration he is a half-owner of the trademark. Iommi claims Osbourne legally relinquished rights to the band’s name in the 1980s. Osbourne said he believed all four original members of the band should share Black Sabbath’s name equally.

2015, Jeremy Brown, guitarist for Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts, died of unknown causes at the age of 34. Brown began playing with the Stone Temple Pilots singer in 2008

Born on May 30: Lenny Davidson, The Dave Clark Five (1944); Geoffrey Lyall, aka Klaus Flouride, bass, vocals, Dead Kennedys (1949); Nicky Headon, The Clash (1955); Stephen Duffy, Duran Duran (1960); Tom Morello, Rage Against The Machine (1964);  Wynonna Judd, The Judds (1964); Thomas Callaway, aka Cee Lo Green (1974)

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Today in Rock History – May 14

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1964, Jan & Dean start recording “Little Old Lady (From Pasadena).”

1965, The Who appeared at Civic Hall in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England.

1965, San Francisco radio station KYA hosts the Rolling Stones, the Byrds, Beau Brummels, Paul Revere & the Raiders, and the Vejtables at the Civic Auditorium.

1966, The Who played at Palais in Bury, Manchester, England.

1967, around the UK – Jimi Hendrix played at the Elizabethan Ballroom in Manchester, The Bee Gees appeared at The Beachcomber in Nottingham, and Alan Price played at the Coatham Hotel in Redcar.

1967, Pink Floyd played “Pow R Toc H” and “Astronomy Domine” live on the arts program The Look of the Week broadcast by BBC2 television. Syd Barrett and Roger Waters were interviewed by classic music critic Hans Keller. Below is video from that appearance.

1968, Cream performed at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio.

1968, Paul McCartney and John Lennon make a guest appearance on The Tonight Show to announce the creation of Apple Corps.

1969, During a UK tour, Fairport Convention’s van crashed on the M1 motorway on the way home from a gig in Birmingham, killing the group’s 19 year-old drummer Martin Lamble and Richard Thompson’s girlfriend Jeannie Franklyn.

1969, King Crimson performed at the Revolution Club, London, while Yes appeared at the Marquee Club.

1970, The Grateful Dead played at Merramac Community College in Kirkwood, Missouri.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band played The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1973, Led Zeppelin performed at the Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans.

1974, Another Grateful Dead show at a college venue. This time at Adams Field House at the University of Montana in Missoula.

1975, Yes appeared at the Gaumont Theatre, Southampton, England.

1976, The Rolling Stones played at Granby Halls, Leicester, England.

1976, 33 year old Keith Relf, former lead singer for The Yardbirds, was electrocuted while tuning a guitar which was not properly grounded. The accident happened in his West London home where he was found by his eight year old son, still holding the plugged-in electric guitar.

1977, The Eagles’ Hotel California enters it’s last week at number one on the US album charts.  It held the top spot for five weeks in the spring of 1977, and on two occasions earlier in the year.

1977, Talking Heads played a gig at The Rock Garden in London where Brian Eno, who was in the audience, sees them and goes on to produce the band.

1980, Black Sabbath performed at the Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland.

1983, Spandau Ballet scored their first and only UK number one album with “True.” The title track from the album spent four weeks at the top of the UK singles charts and reached the second spot in the US. Other singles from the album included “Gold” (a number two UK hit and a Top 30 hit in the US), “Lifeline,” and “Communication.”

1988, Led Zeppelin reunited for the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary party at Madison Square Garden, New York, appearing with Jason Bonham the son of John Bonham on drums. Other acts performing included Foreigner, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Genesis, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Wilson Pickett and Ben E. King.

1998, singer and actor Frank Sinatra died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles aged 82, after suffering a heart attack. Sinatra had his first hit in 1940, working in the Swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1953 film From Here to Eternity. He went on to score over 25 Top 40 singles including the 1966 chart topper “Strangers In The Night.” His 1969 single “My Way,” re-entered the UK charts eight times and spent a total of 165 weeks on the UK chart.

2006, Red Hot Chili Peppers started a two-week run at number one on the UK album chart with Stadium Arcadium, the bands’ ninth studio album, also a US chart topper.

Born on this day: Bobby Darin (1936);  Jack Bruce (1943); Gene Cornish, The Young Rascals (1946);  Al Ciner, The American Breed (1947); and David Byrne (1952)

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Today in Rock History – April 28

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1966, The Kinks appeared at the Mecca Ballroom, Nottingham, England.

1966, The Young Rascals topped the Pop charts with  “Good Lovin’.” This is the first of three number one songs for group, which later records as just The Rascals.

1966, The Who perform at The Witchdoctor at the Savoy Room in Catford, England.

1967, Pink Floyd performed at the Tabernacle Club, Hillgate, Stockport, England.

1967, Johnny Cash appeared at the Burlington Auditorium in Burlington, Iowa.

1968, The Broadway musical Hair opened at the Baltimore Theatre in New York City. The musical’s profanity, its depiction of the use of illegal drugs, its treatment of sexuality, its irreverence for the American flag, and its nude scene caused much comment and controversy. The production ran for 1,729 performances, finally closing on July 1st, 1972.

1968, The Mothers of Invention played at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan.

1968, Cream performed at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis, Missouri.

1969, Yes appeared at the Marquee Club, London.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band performed at the State University of New York in Stony Brook.

1971, Hawkwind appeared St. Michels Mount, Penzance, England.

1972, Pink Floyd played at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago.

1973, King Crimson performed at the Academy of Music in New York.

Dark side1973, Pink Floyd’s album Dark Side Of The Moon went to number one on the chart, it went on to enjoy a record breaking 741 weeks, selling over 20 million copies world-wide.

1973, The Faces scored their first number one album with Ooh La La.

1974, Queen appeared at Exposition Hall, Portland, Maine.

1975,  John Lennon appears on The Tonight Show, and Ringo Starr shows up on The Smothers Brothers Show to sing his “No No Song.”

1976, The Rolling Stones played at Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany.

1977, Eric Clapton appeared at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

1978, Mike Oldfield played the first of two nights at London’s Wembley Arena, England.

1979,  When “Heart of Glass” by Blondie hits number one, Andy Warhol throws a party for the group at Studio 54 in New York.

1979, The Very Best Of Leo Sayer started a three-week run at number one on the UK album chart, giving Sayer his first and only chart topping LP.

1980, The Grateful Dead played at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama.

1980, Marshall Tucker Band bass player Tommy Caldwell died of injures from a jeep car crash in his hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The thirty year-old was an original member of the band, and composed several of their songs and played bass, percussion, guitar, and contributed backup vocals.

1981, Steve Currie, former member of T Rex, was killed in a car crash returning to his home near Vale de Parra, Algarve, Portugal, he was 33 years old. Currie joined T. Rex (recently renamed from Tyrannosaurus Rex) as bass guitarist in late 1970, and also worked as a session player, playing on “Motorbikin” by Chris Spedding.

1983, During the second leg of their War North American tour, U2 appeared at the Rochester Institute Of Technology Ice Rink, Rochester, New York.

1984, King Crimson appeared at Kani Hoken Hall, Tokyo.

1985, Eric Clapton performed at the Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island.

1988, Rush played at Wembley Arena in London.

1990, Guns N’ Roses leader Axl Rose married Erin Everly, daughter of The Everly Brothers Don at Cupid’s Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. They divorced in January 91 after a stormy nine months of marriage.

1990, Sinead O’Connor started a six-week run at number one on the US album chart with I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.

1999, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2002, Sugababes scored their first UK chart topping single with “Freak Like Me.” The song was originally sung by American Adina Howard in 1995, and was mixed with the synth line from Gary Numan’s 1979 hit “Are Friends Electric?”

2008, Scott Weiland, singer with The Stone Temple Pilots, was sentenced to 192 hours in county jail for his November 2007 drunk driving conviction. He was also fined $2000 (£1333,) and required to complete an 18-month alcohol program, as well as placed on probation for four years.

2015, Jack Ely died at the age of 71 after a long illness. The Kingman singer’s hit ‘Louie Louie’ reached the top of the charts in 1963 and sparked an FBI investigation into whether or not its lyrics were obscene

Born on April 28: John Wolters, drums, Dr. Hook (1945); Chuck Leavell, American singer-songwriter, keyboards, The Allman Brothers Band, Sea Level (1953); Kim Gordon, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, Sonic Youth, Ciccone Youth, Free Kitten (1953);  Eddie Jobson, English keyboardist,  violinist, Curved Air, Roxy Music, U.K., Jethro Tull (1955);  Phil King, English bass player, Lush, The Jesus and Mary Chain (1960) Scott Putesky, aka Daisy Berkowitz, American guitarist, Marilyn Manson, Jack Off Jill (1968); Howard Donald, English singer-songwriter, producer, Take That (1968); Violent J, American rapper, producer, wrestler, actor, Insane Clown Posse, Dark Lotus,  Psychopathic Rydas (1972)

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Today in Rock History – April 22

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beatles-ticket-to-ride1965, The Beatles were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Ticket To Ride.” Taken from the film Help! it was the group’s seventh UK chart topper.

1966, “Wild Thing” by The Troggs (who were originally called The Troglodytes) was released in the US on both the Atco and Fontana labels. The song went on to reach number one. Fronted by Reg Presley, “Wild Thing” became a major influence on garage rock and punk rock. The original version was written by Chip Taylor in 1965 with his New York based group The Wild Ones.

1967, Jimi Hendrix played at the Odeon Theatre in Manchester, England.

1967, Pink Floyd performed a 45-minute set at Benn Memorial Hall, in Rugby England. Keyboardist Rick Wright was quoted in a local paper, “We started off as an R&B group, but later decided to adopt our own style. Our music is made to represent hallucinatory effects and this is enhanced by the use of lights.”

1967, In the most popular Monkee poll conducted in the music paper Disc & Music Echo, Davy Jones received 63% of the votes, Mickey Dolenz 22%, Peter Tork 8% and Mike Nesmith 7%.

1968, Cream performed at Massey Hall in Toronto.

1969, John Lennon changed his middle name from Winston to Ono on the roof of the Apple building in London.

1969, In Dolton, England, the Who perform their rock opera Tommy live in its entirety for the first time.

1969, A&M signs a brother-sister act called the Carpenters.

1969, Fleetwood Mac kicked off a 10-date UK tour at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Also on the bill, BB King, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and Duster Bennett.

1970, Pink Floyd performs at the Capitol Theater, Port Chester, New York.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band played at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

1971, Pink Floyd performs at Norwich Lads Club in Norwich, England.

deep purple-machine-head1972, Deep Purple scored their second UK number one album with Machine Head.

1973, Yes appeared at the West Palm Beach Auditorium, West Palm Beach, Florida.

1974, Tina Turner starts filming in the role of Acid Queen in the Who’s film Tommy.

1975, Pink Floyd performed at the Sports Arena in San Diego, California as part of their North American tour.

1975, Rush appeared at the Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana.

1976, Bob Dylan played at the Belleview Biltmore Hotel, Clearwater, Florida.

1977, The Grateful Dead play at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1978, Bob Marley and the Wailers performed at the One Love Peace Concert in Jamaica. It was Marley’s first public appearance in Jamaica since being wounded in an assassination attempt a year and a half earlier.

1977, Black Sabbath appeared at Lisebergshalle, Gothenberg, Sweden.

1978, Gerry Rafferty releases his hit single “Baker Street.”

1978, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd made their first ever appearance as The Blues Brothers on NBC television’s Saturday Night Live.blues brothers

1980, The Who appear at The Salt Palace Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah.

1985, Eric Clapton played at The Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia.

1989, Madonna began a three week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Like A Prayer.”  It was her seventh US chart topper, and a number one hit in the UK.

1991, The Dave Matthews Band played their first ever-live show when they appeared at The Earth Day festival in Charlottesville, Virginia.

2003, Songwriter Felice Bryant died of cancer. She wrote many hits with her husband Boudleaux including: The Everly Brothers, “Bye Bye Love,” “All I Have To Do Is Dream,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” and “Raining In My Heart,” a hit for Buddy Holly. Other acts to record the duo’s songs include Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Tony Bennett, Simon & Garfunkel, Sarah Vaughan, Grateful Dead, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Beach Boys, Roy Orbison, Elvis Costello, Count Basie, Dean Martin, Ruth Brown, Cher, R.E.M., and Ray Charles.

2008, It was revealed that ’60s singer Tommy Steele took Elvis Presley on a secret tour of London in 1958 after Presley struck up a friendship with Steele. When the rock legend flew into London for a day, Steele apparently took him round the city, showing him famous landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament. For more than 50 years, Presley fans had believed the only time Elvis ever set foot in the UK was during a stop-over at Prestwick Airport in Scotland in March 1960.

2013, Richie Havens, the folk singer who opened the legendary 1969 Woodstock rock festival, died of a heart attack at 72. He died at his home in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Born on April 22: Charles Mingus (1922); Glen Campbell (1936); Jack Nitzsche, producer, songwriter (1937); Peter Frampton (1950); Pete Car, American guitarist, Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (1950); Paul Carrack, Squeeze (1951); Shavo Odadjian, bass, System of a Down (1974)

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Today in Rock History – April 16

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1963, The Beatles perform on BBC TV for the first time on The 625 Show.

1964, The Rolling Stones first album was released in the UK, it went to No.1 two weeks later and stayed on the chart for 40 weeks, with 11 weeks at No.1.

1964, The Beatles filmed the “chase scenes” for A Hard Days Night with actors dressed as policemen in the Notting Hill Gate area of London. In the evening they recorded the title track for the film, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ at Abbey Road. John and Paul had the title first, and had to write a song to order, completing the track in nine takes.

1967, Cream appeared at the ‘Daily Express Record Star Show’ at The Empire Pool, Wembley, England.

1969, Desmond Dekker and the Aces were at No.1 on the singles chart with ‘The Israelites’, making Dekker the first Jamaican artist to have a No.1 single.

E.L.O.

1969, Elektra Records dropped Detroit’s MC5 from their label after the band took out an advertisement in a local paper that included the company logo and said; “Fuck Hudsons.” The band were protesting at the Michigan department store’s refusal to stock their albums.

 

1970, The Led Zeppelin single Whole Lotta Love was certified Gold in the US after selling over a million copies. The single had peaked at No. 4 on the US singles chart. In the UK Atlantic Records had expected to issue the edited version themselves, and pressed initial copies for release on 5th December 1969. However, band manager Peter Grant was adamant that the band maintain a ‘no-singles’ approach to marketing their recorded music in the UK, and he halted the release.

1972, The Electric Light Orchestra made their debut at The Fox and Greyhound in Croydon, London.

1972, Pink Floyd appeared at the Township Auditorium, Columbia, South Carolina, USA. A typical set list on this the Dark Side of The Moon tour was: The Dark Side of the Moon (entire album), One of These Days, Careful with that Axe Eugene, Echoes, Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun.

1973, During his Ziggy Stardust World tour, David Bowie appeared at the Kobe, Kobe Kokusai Kaikan, Japan.

1974, Queen play their first American concert at Denver’s Regis College.

1976, Aerosmith played at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, the first date on their 76 date North American Rocks Tour.

Born on this day – Henry Mancini (1924); Bobby Vinton (1935); Dusty Springfield (1939); Gerry Rafferty (1947); and Dave Pirner, Soul Asylum (1963)

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