1965, Blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, Sonny Boy Williamson died in his sleep. Van Morrison, Aerosmith, The Who, The Animals, Yardbirds, and Moody Blues all covered his songs. According to the Led Zeppelin biography Hammer of the Gods, touring the UK in the 60’s, Sonny Boy set his hotel room on fire while trying […]
Today in Rock History – April 22
1965, 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 […]
Today in Rock History – April 20
1968, Deep Purple made their live debut at a gig in Tastrup, Denmark. Formally known as Roundabout, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore suggested a new name, Deep Purple, after his grandmother’s favorite song. “Deep Purple” had been a hit for Peter De Rose. Blackmore’s grandmother had repeatedly asked if they would be performing the song. 1968, Apple […]
Today in Rock History – April 7
1966,The Beatles were at Abbey Road studios in London, recording overdubs on the new John Lennon song “Tomorrow Never Knows” and the new Paul McCartney song “Got to Get You Into My Life” for the forthcoming Revolver album. 1967, Pink Floyd played at the Floral Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland. 1967, Jimi Hendrix performed at […]
Today in Rock History – April 6
1968, Pink Floyd announced founder Syd Barrett had officially left the group. Barrett was suffering from psychiatric disorders compounded by drug use. 1968, Simon and Garfunkel went to number one on the US album chart with the soundtrack of Mike Nichols’ movie The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. The film boosted the profile […]
Today in Rock History – February 10
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 […]
Today in Rock History – January 29
1964, The Beatles spent the day at Pathe Marconi Studios in Paris, France, The Beatles’ only studio recording session for EMI held outside the UK. They recorded new vocals for “She Loves You,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and “Can’t Buy Me Love,” after EMI’s West German branch persuaded Brian Epstein that they would […]
Today in Rock History – January 28
1965, The Moody Blues were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Go Now!” 1965, The Who made their first appearance on UK TV show Ready Steady Go! To project the desired image, the hand-picked audience consisted only of teens dressed in the current “Mod” fashion. 1966, The Cavern Club in Liverpool closes, […]
Today in Rock History – January 12
1964, The Beatles appeared on the ATV show Sunday Night At The London Palladium performing “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” “This Boy,” “All My Loving,” “Money,” and “Twist And Shout.” The compare for the evening was Bruce Forsyth. When The Beatles appeared on this show on October 13, 1963, their fee had been £250 ($400.) […]
Today in Rock History – November 28
1963, “She Loves You” by The Beatles returned to number one for the second time on the UK singles chart. 1964, The Shangri-Las went to number one on the singles chart with the teen death song “Leader Of The Pack.” 1967, The Beatles recorded their last fan club record as a group, “Christmas Time Is […]
