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Today in Rock History – June 6

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1965, Herman’s Hermits play The Ed Sullivan Show.

1965, The Rolling Stones released the single “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” on the Decca label in the US. The song also featured on the American version of the Rolling Stones’ fourth studio album, Out of Our Heads, released that July.

1965, The Who played at St. Joseph’s Hall in London.

1966, Roy Orbison’s first wife, Claudette, was killed when a truck pulled out of a side road and collided with the motorbike that she and her husband were riding on in Gallatin, Texas, she was 25.

1966, The Who head from Sweden to Denmark, flying into Copenhagen. That night Keith Moon and John Entwistle go drinking at the Carousel Club and sit in for a set with The Tremeloes.

1968, Screaming Lord Sutch appeared at the Freehold Hullabaloo in Freehold, New Jersey. Sutch was touring the East Coast in a old custom-painted Rolls Royce hearse. The support band was The Castiles, with Bruce Springsteen on vocals).

1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Soul Survivors appeared at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee.

1969, Rod Stewart signs as a solo artist to Mercury Records.

1970, Christie were at number one on the singles chart with “Yellow River,” the group’s only chart topper. Written by Jeff Christie for the Tremeloes who turned it down, so he recorded it himself.

1970, Felix Cavaliere & The Rascals played at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.

1970, Syd Barrett played his first gig since leaving Pink Floyd at the Extraveganza ’70, at London’s Olympia. He was joined on stage by Floyd guitarist David Gilmour.

1970, This is the third of a four night residency for the Grateful Dead at San Francisco’s Fillmore West.

1970, The Doors appeared at the Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia.

1971, John Lennon and Yoko Ono jammed live on stage with Frank Zappa at The Filmore East in New York. Some of these recordings were released in 1972, on John Lennon’s third post-Beatles album, Some Time in New York City.

1971, This date was the last broadcast of The Ed Sullivan Show. Ed’s final musical guests are Gladys Knight & the Pips.

1972, David Bowie releases his album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.

1973, King Crimson played at Ellis Auditorium, Memphis, Tennessee.

1974, Billy Swan records his chart topping song “I Can Help.”

1975, Pink Floyd fly to America for a tour. It would end in disaster when an addled Roger Waters spits on the audience. The event would serve as the inspiration for writing The Wall in an attempt to exorcise his demons.

1975, The Rolling Stones appeared at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri.

1976, Genesis performed at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

1977, Queen appeared at Earls Court in London, England.

1977, Students at UCLA are shocked when Stevie Wonder appears as a guest lecturer, talking about his experiences with Motown and then performing music by way of illustration.

1978, Bob Dylan performed at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles.

1979, Def Leppard played at Crookes Workingman’s Club in Sheffield. The gig was reviewed in UK music paper Sounds and led to a recording contract with Phonogram Records.

1981, Van Halen appeared at the Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington.

1982, Tom Petty, Crosby Stills & Nash, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks and Jackson Browne all appeared at The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California to a crowd of 85,000 fans at the six hour Peace Sunday, We Have A Dream antinuclear concert. Dylan was joined onstage with Joan Baez and duetted with her on “Blowin’ In The Wind” and “With God On Our Side.” The show was partly broadcast on ABC TV’s Entertainment Tonight program on the same day.

1984, Blue Oyster Cult performed at the Agora Ballroom,  a “cavernous” former bowling alley in an industrial area in Hartford, Connecticut.

1986, A&R man Dick Rowe died of diabetes. Rowe became famous for not signing The Beatles to Decca records and made the classic quote “Nobody cares about guitar group’s anymore.” He did however sign The Rolling Stones to Decca.

2003, Keyboard player with The Animals Dave Rowberry died aged 62. He replaced Alan Price who left in 1965. The Animals had the 1964 UK and US number one single “House Of The Rising Sun.”

2006, Billy Preston died of kidney failure. The Grammy-winning keyboard player collaborated with some of the greatest names in the music industry, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Nat King Cole, Little Richard, Ray Charles, George Harrison, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan.

Born on June 6: Levi Stubbs, The Four Tops (1936); Gary “US” Bonds (1939); Clarence White, The Byrds (1944); and Steve Vai, guitarist, Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, Whitesnake (1960)

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Today in Rock History – May 27

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bob-dylan-freewheelin1963, The album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan was released by Columbia in the USA. Establishing Dylan as a leader in the singer-songwriter genre and a supposed spokesman for the youth-orientated protest movement, it reached number 22 on the US charts and number one on the UK charts. The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan showcased Dylan’s songwriting talent for the first time and propelled him to national and international fame.

1964, Pirate radio station Sutch was started by Screaming Lord Sutch, broadcasting from former army fort Shivering Sands in The Thames Estuary.

1966, The Velvet Underground go west, as Andy Warhol brings his Exploding Plastic Inevitable, featuring the Velvets and the Mothers, to San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium.

1967,  The Who play one of their weirdest dates, the Oxford Pembroke College May Ball, in Oxfordshire, England.. They are expected to play dance music but most of the prom goers spend the evening with their hands over their ears as first Cream and then The Who perform their standard repertoire. Pete’s guitar is stolen after the show.

1967, To celebrate Cilla Black’s birthday, her manager Brian Epstein organized illuminated greetings at London’s Piccadilly Circus and sites in Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham.

1967, Pink Floyd appeared at the “Bank Holiday Beano” held at the Civic Hall, Nantwich, England. The supporting act was The SOS.

1968, Pink Floyd were at EMI Studios, Abbey Road, St. Johns Wood in London recording tracks for A Saucerful of Secrets.

1969, Led Zeppelin appeared at the Boston Tea Party in Boston, Massachusetts.

1971, “First Take” by Roberta Flack began the last of its five-weeks atop the US album charts.

1972, The Chi-lites went to number one on the singles chart with “Oh Girl.”

1972, Spirit and The J Geils Band played at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago.

1972, David Bowie appeared at Ebbisham Hall, Epsom, England on his Ziggy Stardust tour.

1973, The Allman Brothers Band played at the  Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, California.

1974, Aerosmith appeared at the JFK Coliseum, Manchester, New Hampshire.

1975, Wishbone Ash performed at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1976, Keith Moon arrives at Brecknock School in North London school to inspect the boys of the 51st Company of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. For the occasion, Keith dons full evening attire. Keith had spent £500 ($750) on brand new bugles and drums. “Blimey,” he tells the press, “I know just how they felt playing with rotten instruments. I was in the sea cadets as a boy.” That night he and John attend the Rolling Stones’ concert at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London.

1977, Declan McManus made his “live” debut at the Nashville in London as Elvis Costello.

1977, The Sex Pistols single “God Save The Queen” was released in the UK. Banned by TV and radio, High Street shops and pressing plant workers refused to handle the record. It sold 200,000 copies in one week and peaked at number two on the UK charts.

1978, Bruce Springsteen performed at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1979, Yes appeared at the Sports Arena, San Diego, California.

1980, Journey played at the Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.

1981, Van Halen headlined at the Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio

1983, The Smiths were at number one on the UK independent chart with their debut single “Hand In Glove.” The Smiths recorded the track after their manager Joe Moss paid £250 ($375) for a one-day recording session at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England.

1984, Bob Dylan performed at the Arena di Verona, Verona, Italy.

1988, Def Leppard kicked off the third leg of their North American Hysteria world tour at George M. Sullivan Arena, Anchorage, Alaska.

1989, The Grateful Dead performed at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum in Oakland, California.

1990, The Stone Roses played at Spike Island, Widnes, Cheshire, England to a capacity crowd of 30,000. The event, considered a failure at the time due to sound problems and bad organization, has become legendary over the years as a “Woodstock for the baggy generation.”

1994, The Eagles played their first show in fourteen years when they played a show at Irvine Meadows in Irvine California. The two-and-a-half-hour show ended with three encores. The set list: Hotel California, Victim of Love, New Kid in Town, Wasted Time,  Pretty Maids All in a Row,  The Girl From Yesterday,  I Can’t Tell You Why,  Ordinary Average Guy, Lyin’ Eyes, One of These Nights, Silent Spring, Tequila Sunrise,  Help Me Through the Night, The Heart of the Matter,  Love Will Keep Us Alive, You Belong to the City,  The Boys of Summer, Funk #49, Dirty Laundry, Life’s Been Good,  All She Wants to Do Is Dance, Heartache Tonight, Life in the Fast Lane.  Encore: Get Over It, Rocky Mountain Way.  Encore 2:  Already Gone, Desperado.  Encore 3: Take It Easy.

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

2008, Sir Paul McCartney was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Yale’s president, Richard Levin, said MacCartney had “awakened a generation, giving a fresh sound to rock and roll and to rhythm and blues.”

Born on May 27: Ruby Lewis, The Drifters and Ramsey Lewis (1935); Celia Black (1943); Peter Knight, violin, Steeleye Span (1947); Neil Finn, Split Enz,  Crowded House (1956); and Siouxsie Sioux, Siouxsie And The Banshees and Eddie Harsch, keyboards, The Black Crowes (1957); and Dr. Dre (1975)

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Today in Rock History – March 31

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1967, Jimi Hendrix set fire to his guitar live on stage for the first time when he was appearing at The Astoria in London, England. It was the first night of a 24-date tour with The Walker Brothers, Cat Stevens, and Engelbert Humperdink. The Fender Stratocaster burned on stage by Hendrix sold for £280,000 at a 2008 London auction of rock memorabilia.

1967, Pink Floyd played at the Top Spot Ballroom, Ross-on-Wye, England.

1968, The Who performed at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC.

1969, Led Zeppelin performed at the Cooks Ferry Inn, in Edmonton, in north London.

1969, George Harrison and his wife, Patti, appear in an Amersterdam court charged with possession of cannabis. They are fined £250 ($375.)

1969, In Amsterdam John and Yoko call off their “Bed-In” so they can premiere Ono’s new film Rape in Vienna.

1970, Led Zeppelin appeared at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1972, The Beatles Official Fan Club closed. The Beatles Monthly magazine had ceased three years previously.

1972, Badfinger, King Crimson, along with Ashton, Gardner & Dyke appeared at Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1972, The number one album in the US is America’s self-titled debut, featuring their classic “A Horse With No Name.”

1973, The Grateful Dead played at War Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York.

1973, Roxy Music appeared at the Rainbow Theatre, London.

1974, Emerson, Lake & Palmer performed at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1975, Aerosmith headlined at the Civic Center, Lansing, Michigan.

led-zeppelin-presence1976, Led Zeppelin released Presence, their seventh studio album, on their own Swan Song Records in the UK. Jimmy Page and manager Peter Grant were fearful that Plant might have quit the band during his (and his family’s) recovery from a serious car accident the year before. So, the band rushed to Musicland Studios in Germany (for tax reasons) to get Plant out of his depression and “back in the groove.” After a month of rehearsals, the album was recorded in just eighteen days with Plant in a wheelchair.

1976, The Brotherhood Of Man were at number one on the UK singles chart with the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1976, “Save Your Kisses For Me.” The group’s first of three UK chart toppers.

1977, An Elvis Presley concert in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is postponed after Elvis doesn’t return from the intermission.

1978, Eric Clapton played at the Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland.

1979, Roxy Music appeared at the Orpheum Theater, Boston, Massachusetts.

1980, Rush performed at the Brandt Center, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

1982, The Doobie Brothers break up for the first time.

1982, ZZ Top played at the Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah.

1982, Toto release their number two single “Rosanna.”

1983, Reggae singer and one-hit-wonder Eddy Grant releases “Electric Avenue” in the US. It was released in the UK in 1982, and reached number two in England. It repeated the feat in the US.

1984, Kenny Loggins started a three week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Footloose,” the theme song from the film with the same name, a top six hit in the UK.

1986, O’Kelly Isley of The Isley Brothers died of a heart attack, aged 48. Had a hit in 1962 original version of “Twist and Shout,” (later covered by the Beatles) and the 1968 UK number three single “This Old Heart Of Mine” and 1969 US number two single “It’s Your Thing.”

1992, Def Leppard released their fifth studio album Adrenalize, the first by the band following the 1991 death of guitarist Steve Clark. Former Dio and Whitesnake guitarist Vivian Campbell, was brought in as the newest member in April 1992. He appears in all promotional videos for the album’s singles (except “Let’s Get Rocked,”) despite not playing on the album.

1995, Mexican American singer Selena was murdered aged 23 by the president of her fan club Yolanda Sald’var. Warner Brothers made a film based on her life starring Jennifer Lopez in 1997.

2002,  Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees bought his childhood home in Keppel Road, Chorlton, Manchester. Gibb said he was going to clean the house up, rent it out and put a plaque on the wall.

2015, Joni Mitchell was rushed to hospital after being found unconscious at her Los Angeles home. The singer songwriter was admitted to intensive care where she underwent tests. Los Angeles fire officials said paramedics had answered a 911 call in Bel Air, where Mitchell lives, and had taken a patient whom they did not identify to hospital.

Born on March 31: Shirley Jones, The Partridge Family (1934); Herb Alpert (1937); Al Nichol, The Turtles (1946); Thiis Van Leer, organ, flute, Focus (1948); Mick Ralphs, Mott the Hoople (1948); Angus Young, AC/DC (1955);  Pat McGlynn, Bay City Rollers (1958); Jack Antonoff, guitarist, Fun (1984)

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Black Sabbath – Rock History – February 5

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beatles-penny-lane1966, The Who, with support acts Screamin’ Lord Sutch & the Savages, the Merseys, the Fortunes, and the Graham Bond Organization, perform at the Odeon Cinema in Southend-on-Sea, England.

1967, The Beatles filmed part of the promo clip for “Penny Lane” around the Royal Theatre, Stratford, London and walking up and down Angel Lane.

1967, The News Of The World reported that Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, and Ginger Baker had taken LSD at The Moody Blues’ home in the UK. Jagger sued the paper for libel in an on-going feud between the News Of The World and The Stones.

1969, The Move were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Blackberry Way,” the group’s only UK chart topper.

1970, David Bowie recorded four songs at the BBC Paris Cinema, London, for the John Peel Sunday Concert radio show. This was guitarists Mick Ronson’s first appearance with Bowie.

1971, Little Richard, The Allman Brothers Band, and The Chambers Brothers were scheduled to appear at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Little Richard didn’t play, but disrupted ABB’s set, complaining that the promoter wouldn’t pay him.

1971, Black Sabbath started recording what would be their third album, Master Of Reality at Island Studios in London, England. Released in July, it is sometimes noted as the first stoner rock album. Guitarist Tony Iommi, decided to down tune his guitar down three semi-tones, Geezer Butler also down tuned his bass guitar to match Iommi. The result was a noticeably darker sound that almost two decades later would prove hugely influential on at least three of the biggest grunge bands, namely Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, and Nirvana.

1972, Pink Floyd played at Colston Hall in Bristol, England.

1972, T Rex were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Telegram Sam,” the group’s third UK number one which was taken from their album The Slider. The song is also known for bringing the term “main man” into popular culture.

1972, Paul Simon released his first new song without Art Garfunkel, “Mother and Child Reunion,” which peaked at number four in the US.

1974, Genesis appeared at the Palaeur, Rome, Italy.

1974, KISS played at North Alberta Tech, Edmonton, Alberta.

1976, David Bowie appeared at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California.

1977, Queen performed at Madison Square Garden, New York

1978, The Grateful Dead performed at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.

1980, Blue Oyster Cult played at the Onondaga County War Memorial, Syracuse, New York.

1980, Bob Dylan appeared at the Civic Auditorium, Knoxville, Tennessee.

Def-Leppard-Pyromania1983, Def Leppard’s album Pyromania started a 92-week run on the charts. It never reached number one, but sold over 6 million copies in the US alone.

1983, Toto went to number one on the US singles chart with “Africa,” a top three hit in the UK.

1989, The Grateful Dead played at the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland California.

1992, Nirvana appeared at the ANU Bar in Canberra, Australia, during their one and only tour of Australia and New Zealand.

2006, The Rolling Stones played three songs during the half-time show of The Super Bowl in Detroit. After the event, the Stones expressed their displeasure over having Mick Jagger’s microphone turned down during the song “Start Me Up.” The line “you make a dead man come” was cut short and a barnyard reference to “cocks” in the new song “Rough Justice” also disappeared.

2007, Producer Phil Spector won $900,000 (£459,000) after settling an embezzlement claim. Spector said former assistant Michelle Blaine removed $425,000 (£216,000) from his pension and did not repay a $635,000 (£324,000) loan. Ms. Blaine claimed the loan was a gift, and the pension funds were for a film aimed at improving Spector’s image. As part of the settlement, she dropped a counter-claim of sexual harassment.

2015, INXS guitarist Tim Farriss said he may never play the guitar properly again after severing his finger in a boating accident. Farriss caught his left hand while operating a winch on his boat in Sydney, severing his ring finger. He had undergone surgery twice to try to reattach the finger but had been left with permanent hand damage

Born on February 5: Hal Blaine, the Wrecking Crew (1929); Alex Harvey (1935); Corey Wells, Three Dog Night (1942); J.R. Cobb,  Atlanta Rhythm Section (1944); Al Kooper (1944); David Denny, Steve Miller Band (1948); Cliff Martinez, drums, Red Hot Chili Peppers (1954); Duff McKagan, bass, Guns N’ Roses (1964); Keith Mosley, bass, String Cheese Incident (1965); and Bobby Brown (1969)

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Today in Rock History – January 27

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Beatles-1962-B1962, The Beatles appeared at Aintree Institute in Aintree, Liverpool. The group had played here many times before but this was their last performance at the venue. Brian Epstein became infuriated when the promoter paid The Beatles’ fee of £15 ($24) with handfuls of loose change. Epstein took this as an insult to the group, and made sure that The Beatles never played for that promoter (Brian Kelly) again.

1965, John and Cynthia Lennon fly to the Alps for a ten-day-long skiing vacation.

1967, The Grateful Dead played at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco.

1967, Jimi Hendrix appeared at Chislehurst Caves in London, England.

1967, Pink Floyd played at the UFO, held at the Blarney Club, Tottenham Court Road in London. Also on the bill were AMM, Five Acre Light, Dave Brown, Plight of the Erogenius, and Chapter 1. The Floyd’s performance was filmed and clips of two songs were used in a Granada TV documentary program.

1968, The Bee Gees made their live debut in the United States when they played at the Anaheim Centre, Anaheim California.

1968, The Four Tops and Marvin Gaye performed at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

1968, Melody Maker became the first music publication to report that David Gilmour had become a member of Pink Floyd.

1969, The Who begin five days of rehearsals at the Whitehall Theatre working on a new set.

1970, John Lennon’s “Instant Karma!” was written, recorded and released within a period of ten days, making it one of the fastest-released songs in pop music history. The UK release was on February 6th, while the US release took place fourteen days later. The recording was produced by Phil Spector, marking a comeback for the American producer after his self-imposed retirement in 1966, and leading to him being offered the producer’s role on the Beatles’ Let It Be album (1970). The song was recorded at London’s Abbey Road Studios, “Instant Karma!” employs Spector’s signature Wall of Sound technique and features contributions from George Harrison, Klaus Voormann, Alan White and Billy Preston.

1970, The Who played at the Operettenhaus in Hamburg, Germany.

David Bowie in 1971

1971, David Bowie arrived in the US for the first time. He couldn’t play live because of work permit restrictions, but attracted publicity when he wore a dress at a promotion event.

1971, Neil Young performed at Macky Auditorium, at the University Of Colorado in Boulder.

1972, Pink Floyd performed Dark Side of the Moon at City Hall, in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England. Also in the performance was One of These Days / Set The Controls For The Heart of The Sun / Echoes, and the encore was A Saucerful of Secrets.

1973, No Secrets by Carly Simon enters the third of five weeks atop the US album charts.

1973, Roxy Music won “the most promising new name,” section in the NME reader’s poll.

1973, “Superstition,” the lead single from Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book album gave him his second number one single in the US, 10 years after his first chart topper. Jeff Beck created the original drum beat while in the studio with Wonder. After writing the song, Wonder offered it to Beck to record, but at the insistence of Berry Gordy, Wonder himself recorded it first. Beck was instead offered “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers,” which he recorded on Blow by Blow in 1975.

1975, The J Geils Band appeared at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto.

1976, David Bowie filed a lawsuit against attorney Michael Lippman claiming that he had taken a 15% agents fee instead of the customary 10%.

1977, The Clash signed to CBS Records in the UK for £100,000 ($160,000.)

1977, AC/DC performed at The Haymarket, Sydney, Australia.

1979, Ian Dury And The Blockheads were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick,” their only UK chart topper, after it overtook “Y.M.C.A.”

1980, Def Leppard played the first of two nights at The Marquee, London. Tickets cost £2 ($3.40).

1980, Bob Dylan performed at the Uptown Theatre, Kansas City, Missouri.

1984, Blue Oyster Cult played at Ausstellungshalle, Sindelfingen, Stuttgart, Germany.

1984, Madonna made her first appearance in the UK when she appeared on C4 TV music program The Tube performing “Holiday.” The show was broadcast live from the Hacienda Club in Manchester.

1994, Oasis made their London live debut when the played at King’s Cross Water Rats.

1998, James Brown was charged with possession of marijuana and unlawful use of a firearm after police were called to his South Carolina home. Brown later claimed the drugs were used to help his eyesight.

2002, Enrique Iglesias scored his first UK number one single with “Hero.” His father, Julio Iglesias, had a UK number one hit in 1981.

2006, Gene McFadden, R&B vocalist and songwriter, best known as half of the Philly soul team McFadden & Whitehead, died of cancer at the age of 56. The duo had the 1979 hit “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now,” which sold more than 8 million copies and was nominated for a Grammy Award.

2014, American folk singer and activist Pete Seeger died at the age of 94. He had a string of hit records during the early 1950’s as a member of the Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead Belly’s “Goodnight, Irene.” The song was a number one for 13 weeks in 1950. Members of the Weavers were blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. In the 1960s, he re-emerged on the public scene as a prominent singer of protest music in support of international disarmament, civil rights, counterculture and environmental causes.

2015, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne were given a song writing credit on Sam Smith’s hit “Stay With Me,” because of the similarities to his 1989 track “I Won’t Back Down.” “Stay With Me” had been nominated for three Grammy awards, including Song of the Year. The parties made an out of court settlement.

Born on January 27: Elmore James (1918); Bobby “Blue” Bland (1930); Nick Mason, drums, Pink Floyd (1944); Nedra Talley, singer, The Ronettes (1946); Kim Gardner, bass, Ashton Gardner & Dyke (1948); Brian Downey, Thin Lizzy (1951); Margo Timmins, vocals, Cowboy Junkies (1961); Gillian Gilbert,  keyboards,  singer, New Order, The Other Two (1961)

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Today in Rock History – January 20

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Fairport Convention1967, Jimi Hendrix performed at Haverstock Hill Country Club in London.

1967, The Monkees TV show was shown for the first time in the UK.

1968, Fleetwood Mac, The Move, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown and Fairport Convention  all appeared at the Roundhouse Chalk Farm in London.

1968, The Who play at Festival Hall in Brisbane, Queensland. The performances go over well with the audience but gets belittled in the next day’s press. “The Who were guilty of playing down to the yokels.” The tone of the press coverage is only to get worse. On the same day, back in England, New Musical Express reports that “Glow Girl” will be The Who’s next single. Pete Townshend mentions “Little Billy,” written for the American Cancer Society and, probably referencing “Faith In Something Bigger,” says he wants The Who to “preach” on their next album.

1968, Having been in seclusion since his 1966 motorcycle accident, Bob Dylan tries to build bridges with the folk community he left behind by going “electric.” He and the Band perform at a Carnegie Hall tribute to Woody Guthrie, sharing a bill with Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, Odetta, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott.

1968, One hit wonders John Fred and the Playboy Band started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Judy In Disguise, (With Glasses.”) The song reached the third spot in the UK. It was inspired by The Beatles “Lucy In The Sky.”

1968, Buffalo Springfield played at Whittier High School, Whittier, California.

1968, The Grateful Dead performed at the Municipal Auditorium in Eureka, California.

1969, Bruce Springsteen had two of his poems published in the Ocean County College Literary Yearbook Seascapes. Springsteen was in his second semester at the Toms River, New Jersey College.

1969, The rumor mill states that Led Zeppelin appeared at the Wheaton Youth Center, Wheaton, during their first North American tour, and played to a tiny audience. There is no evidence of this show ever occurring. Led Zeppelin’s road manager, Richard Cole, does not recall it either. The first Baltimore area show was at the Civic Center on February 16, 1969.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band played at the University of California Riverside in Riverside, California,

1970, Led Zeppelin appeared at Leeds Town Hall, England.

1970, John Lennon and Yoko Ono both cut their hair off in Denmark and declare it to be Year One.

1971, Chicago and The Chamber Brothers appeared at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1972, on the first date of a UK tour, Pink Floyd premiered their new album Dark Side Of The Moon at The Dome, Brighton, England. Due to technical problems this was abandoned after the track “Money.”

1973, Rock ‘n’ roll wild man Jerry Lee Lewis performs at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time. The Opry officials ask him to play only country music and refrain from using any obscenities. However, “The Killer” plays “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On,” before exclaiming, “I am the rock ‘n’ rollin’, country and western, rhythm and blues singin’ motherfucker.”

1973, Bob Dylan begins recording in Mexico City the soundtrack to Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, a Western starring Kris Kristofferson, James Coburn, and himself.

1974, Genesis performed at the Drury Lane Theatre, London on the Selling England By The Pound tour.

1975, The US Top Five singles: number five, Stevie Wonder, “Boogie On Reggae Woman,”  number four, Ohio Players, “Fire,” number three, Barry Manilow, “Mandy,” second, Neil Sedaka, “Laughter In The Rain,” and at number one, The Carpenters with “Please Mr Postman.”

1977, Foghat appeared at the Omni Coliseum, Atlanta.

rumours1978,  The Fleetwood Mac album Rumours went to number one on the UK album chart, also a number one in the US for thirty weeks in 1977. The album went on to sell over 15 million copies world- wide, and spent over 440 weeks on the UK chart.

1980, Aerosmith played at the Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine.

1981, Bruce Springsteen performed at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

1982, During an Ozzy Osbourne concert in Des Moines, Iowa, a member of the audience threw a bat onto the stage. Stunned by the light, the bat lay motionless, and thinking it was a rubber fake, the singer picked it up and attempted to bite its head off. As he did this, the bat started to flap its wings and Ozzy soon realized it wasn’t fake but in fact a living thing. After the show Ozzy was immediately rushed to the nearest hospital for rabies shots.

1983, Def Leppard released their third studio album Pyromania which featured new guitarist Phil Collen and was produced by Robert John “Mutt” Lange. The album has now sold over 10 million copies in the US.

1985, Foreigner had their only UK number one single with “I Want To Know What Love Is.” London-born Mick Jones wrote the song.

1986, Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan appeared at a concert to celebrate the first Martin Luther King day in the US.

1988, The Beatles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Yoko, Sean, and Julian Lennon all attend. Paul McCartney does not attend, sending instead a letter stating that continuing business differences with the other ex-Beatles was the reason for his absence.

1997, Ben and Jerry’s introduced Phish Food, a new flavor of ice cream named after the Vermont based rock group Phish. The ingredients were chocolate ice cream, marshmallows, caramel and fish-shaped fudge.

1999, Bill Albaugh drummer from the 1960’s psychedelic group The Lemon Pipers died aged 53. The Lemon Pipers scored the 1967 US number one single “Green Tambourine.”

2001, A memorial service was held for Kirsty MacColl who was killed in a boating accident off the coast of Mexico in December 2000. Bono from U2 and Billy Bragg were among friends and fans that packed St Martin-in-the-fields church in London.

2002, George Harrison had the posthumous UK number one single with the re-release of the 1971 former chart topper “My Sweet Lord.” Harrison’s single replaced Aaliyah’s “More Than A Woman,” the only time in chart history that one deceased artist had taken over from another at the top spot.

2012, Etta James, most often remembered for her signature song “At Last,” which reached the second spot on the Billboard R&B chart, died from complications of leukemia at the age of 73. She also placed nine other songs in the American Top 40, won three Grammy Awards, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

Born on January 20: Leadbelly (1889); Slim Whitman, country singer (1924); Ron Townson, The Fifth Dimension (1933); Billy Powell, vocals, The O’Jays, (1942); Rick Evans, Zager & Evans (1943); Eric Stewart, Mindenders, Hotlegs, 10cc (1946); Paul Stanley, guitar, vocals, KISS (1950); Ian Hill, bass, Judas Priest (1952); Greg Kreisel, aka Greg K, bass, The Offspring (1965); Nicholas Allen Jones, Manic Street Preachers (1969); Gary Barlow, vocals, piano, songwriter, Take That (1971); Questlove, drummer, DJ, and producer The Roots, Soulquarians (1971); Rob Bourdon, drums, Linkin Park (1979); Nathan Connolly, Snow Patrol (1981)

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Today in Rock History – January 8

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beatles_rs1966, The Beatles started a six week run at number one on the album chart with Rubber Soul, the group’s seventh chart topper, which went on to spend 56 weeks on the chart. The group also started a three week run at number one on the singles chart with “We Can Work It Out” the group’s 11th number one single.

1966, ABC broadcasts the last ever episode of pop music program Shindig! The Kinks and the Who see off the twice-weekly show in explosive fashion.

1967, Jimi Hendrix performed at the Mojo Club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.

1968, David Gilmour rehearsed for the first time with Pink Floyd prior to recording and touring commitments.

1968, The Who appear at Silver Blades Ice Rink in Bristol, England. Twelve months before, the band had sold out the Locarno Ballroom next door. This time, however, their British popularity has sunk to such a degree that the much smaller ice rink is only two-thirds full.

1969, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were both barred from an exclusive hotel for wearing “op art” pants and nothing else. They were both asked to leave the Hotel Crillen in Lima, Peru after refusing to change clothes.

1970, Led Zeppelin appeared at Colston Hall in Bristol, England.

1971, Black Sabbath played at Town Hall in Birmingham, West Midlands, England.

1971, Yes played at Stadsschouwburg in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

1972, The New Seekers were at number one on the singles chart with “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing, (in Perfect Harmony”). The song started as a Coca Cola TV ad. It originally included the line, “I’d like to buy the world a Coke.”

1973, Yoko Ono releases Approximately Infinite Universe, a double album whose highlights include songs like “I Felt Like Smashing My Face in a Clear Glass Window.” Ono explains she felt she should make a double LP because “if George Harrison can put out a triple album, then I can put out a double album.”

1974, KISS is signed to its first recording contract. KISS drum up some press by performing a “dress rehearsal” shortly after signing to Casablanca Records and honing their circus/glam/carnival style image. Rolling Stone‘s reporter says, “The group plays very heavy, loud and ultimately monotonous rock in the Black Sabbath tradition. … A sure crowd-pleaser. The crowds of kiddies, that is.”

1975, Tickets for three Led Zeppelin concerts at Madison Square Garden go on sale. The box office has to call on other ticket outlets to help cope with demand and sells out their 60,000 tickets in four hours.

1976, The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

Queen-A-Day-at-Races1977, Queen went to number one on the album chart with A Day At The Races.

1979, Canadian rock band Rush were named the country’s official Ambassadors Of Music by the Canadian government.

1983, ZZ Top appeared at the Riverside Centroplex, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

1991, Steve Clark guitarist with Def Leppard, was found dead at his Chelsea flat by his girlfriend, after a night of heavy alcohol consumption combined with prescription drugs. The autopsy revealed he had died from an overdose of codeine and had Valium, morphine and a blood alcohol level of .30, three times the British legal driving limit.

1994, Jamaican reggae/rap (ragga) duo Chaka Demus and Pliers were at number one in the UK with their version of “Twist And Shout.” The song was originally recorded by the Top Notes, and produced by Phil Spector in 1961, and then covered by The Isley Brothers. It was also covered by The Beatles on their first album Please Please Me.

2006, The Strokes went to number one on the UK chart with First Impressions Of Earth the band’s third album and first chart topper.

2016, American blues and soul singer Otis Clay died aged 73. Clay, who started in gospel music, scored R&B hits in the late 60’s and 70’s. His biggest hit was a cover of version of the Sir Douglas Quintet song, “She’s About A Mover,” which reached #97 on the pop charts.

2016, David Bowie released his twenty-fifth and final studio album, Blackstar, coinciding with his 69th birthday and two days before his death. It became his first and only album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 album chart in the US.

Born on January 8: Elvis Presley (1935); Shirley Bassey, singer (1937); Lee Jackson, The Nice (1943); Robbie Kreiger, The Doors (1946);  David Bowie (1947); Paul Hester, drums, Crowded House (1959); Dave Weckl, American drummer (1960); R. Kelly, singer, writer, producer (1969)

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Today in Rock History – October 23

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Jimi_Hendrix_Hey_Joe_11966, The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded their first single “Hey Joe,” at De Lane Lea studios in London. The earliest known commercial recording of the song is the late-1965 single by the Los Angeles garage band the The Leaves. The band then re-recorded the track and released it in 1966 as a follow-up single which became a hit. The Byrds also performed and recorded a version of the song.

1966, The Yardbirds, with new recruit Jimmy Page, perform at San Francisco’s Fillmore.

1967, Pink Floyd plays at the Bath Pavilion in Bath, Somerset, England.

1969, Columbia Records announces it will take legal action to stop sales of Great White Wonder, the popular bootleg set of previously unreleased Bob Dylan material.

1969, The Who continue a six-night stand at the Fillmore East in New York accompanied by the Joshua Light Show.

1970, Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention perform at Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo, New York.

1970, The Who appear at Green’s Playhouse in Glasgow, Scotland.

1971, Yes played at the Empire Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland.

1972, The Grateful Dead appeared at the Performing Arts Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1972, Filming begins on That’ll Be the Day, a musical starring David Essex, Ringo Starr, and Keith Moon.

1973, Genesis appeared at City Hall, Newcastle, England.

1973,  “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight & The Pips reaches number one on the US singles chart.

1974, David Bowie  appeared at the Arie Crown Theater, Chicago

1975, Eric Clapton performed at Festival Hall, Osaka, Japan.

The Clash
The Clash

1976, The Clash appeared at The ICA in London.

1976, The Jam played an afternoon show at Soho Market in London.

1976, Chicago started a two week run at number one  on the singles chart with “If You Leave Me Now.” It was the group’s 18th Top 40 and first number one.  It went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance.

1976, Led Zeppelin made their US television debut on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, when footage from The Song Remains the Same movie of “Dazed and Confused” and “Black Dog” is aired on the popular weekly music show.

1977, AC/DC played at Town Hall, Middlesborough, England.

1978, Sid Vicious tries to commit suicide at Rikers Island in New York.  Vicious was waiting to be charged with murder following the stabbing death of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen.

1980, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Sunrise Theater, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

1980, Mark David Chapman quit his security job and signed out for the last time. Instead of the usual “Chappy” he wrote “John Lennon.” Chapman would murder Lennon on December 8th outside his New York City home.

1982, Culture Club were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me,” the group’s first chart topper and the first of twelve UK Top 40 hits. The song became a major hit after their memorable debut performance on Top of the Pops, when they stood in for Shakin’ Stevens who was ill and not able to appear.

1984, Pete Townshend stages and performs at an anti-heroin benefit concert at The Moonlight in Hampstead. Making their live debut at this show is a new band called The Stone Roses. Their drummer, Alan “Reni” Wren, also sits in for Pete’s set.

1989, Nirvana played their first ever European show when they appeared at Newcastle’s Riverside Club in North East England. It was the first night of a 36 date European tour for the group who were sharing the bill with Tad.

1993, Meat Loaf had his first UK chart topper with “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That.”) It stayed at number one for seven weeks. A number one in twenty-eight countries and gave Meat Loaf his first US top hit.

1995, Def Leppard gave themselves a place in the Guinness book Of World Records, by playing three gigs in three continents in 24 hours. Tangier, London and Vancouver.

2002, A federal judge in St. Louis dismissed a lawsuit against Chuck Berry by Johnnie Johnson, a piano player and former collaborator who wanted royalties for more than 30 songs written between 1955 and 1966. The songs in question included “No Particular Place To Go,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” and “Sweet Little Sixteen.” Johnson’s lawsuit argued that he and Berry were co-writers on many of the songs, but because Berry copyrighted them in his name alone, Johnson got none of the royalties. The judge ruled that too many years had passed to bring about a royalties suit.

2005, Arctic Monkeys scored their first UK number one single with “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor,” the Sheffield band’s debut single.

Born on October 23: Ellie Greenwich, songwriter (1940); Freddie Marsden, Gerry And The Pacemakers (1940); Greg Ridley, bass player, Spooky Tooth, Humble Pie (1943); Michael Burston, Motorhead (1949); Dwight Yoakam, (1956); Robert Trujillo, bass, songwriter Metallica, Black Label Society, Suicidal Tendencies (1964); Dale Crover, singer-songwriter, drummer, producer Melvins (1967);

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Today in Rock History – October 14

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Spencer Davis Group

1965, The Rolling Stones, The Spencer Davis Group, Unit 4 Plus 2, The Checkmates, The Habit, The End and Charlie Dickins all appeared at The Odeon, Birmingham during a UK tour.

1966, Pink Floyd and Soft Machine appeared at the London Free School All Saints Hall, Notting Hill, London.

1966, The Who performed at Queens Hall in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

1967, Cream appeared at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan.

1967, Bobbie Gentry started a two-week run at number one on the album chart with Ode To Billie Joe.

1967, Pink Floyd performed at Caesars Club in Bedford England.

1967, The second series of The Monkees TV show started on BBC TV in the UK. Plans for the shows to be screened in color were dropped, so it was aired in black & white.

1967, The Who’s “I Can See For Miles” backed with “Someone’s Coming” is released in Britain. Pete Townshend had held the song back for over a year until The Who would need a surefire hit single. Incredibly, this masterful recording ends up tying with “Anyway Anyhow Anywhere” as the poorest charting to date of The Who’s official U.K. singles, peaking at number ten.

1968, Yes played at the Revolution Club, London.

1968, Pink Floyd began two days in the studio working on “Point Me At The Sky” and “Careful With That Axe, Eugene” at Abbey Road Studios, London.

1968, The Jackson Five make their national TV debut on ABC TV’s Hollywood Palace.

1969, Police in New Jersey issued a warrant for the arrest of Frank Sinatra in relation to his connections with the Mafia.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Leon Cole Auditorium at Jacksonville State University, in Jacksonville, Florida.

1971, Music publishing firm Arco Industries filed a $500,000 dollar lawsuit against Creedance Clearwater Revival’s John Fogerty, claiming that Fogerty’s song “Travelin’ Band” contained substantial material copied from Little Richard’s “Good Golly, Miss Molly.” The suit was eventually dropped.

1972, Joe Cocker was arrested for possession of drugs after a show in Adelaide, Australia.

1972, Michael Jackson went to number one on the singles chart with “Ben,” his first solo song to top the charts.

1973, Queen appeared at Le Blow Up in Luxembourg.

1974, Roxy Music played at Winter Gardens, Bournemouth, England.

1975, Roxy Music performed at Belle Vue, Manchester, England.

The Grateful Dead in 1976

1976, Aerosmith kicked off their first ever UK tour at Liverpool’s Empire Theatre.

1976, The Grateful Dead played at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

1977, Rush performed at the Assembly Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

1978, Bob Dylan appeared at the Hulman Civic University Center, Terre Haute, Indiana.

1980, Black Sabbath played at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1981, King Crimson performed at Stadthalle Muehlheim, Cologne, Germany.

1982, Van Halen appeared at the Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1983, Iron Maiden played at the Hollywood Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, Florida.

1988, Def Leppard became first act in chart history to sell seven million copies of two consecutive LPs, with Pyromania, their third studio album released in 1983, and Hysteria, which became the band’s best-selling album to date. It sold over 20 million copies worldwide, and spawned six hit singles.

1989, Motley Crue started a two-week run atop on the US album charts with Dr. Feelgood.

1990, Multi-Emmy and Grammy award-winning American composer, pianist, conductor, and music lecturer Leonard Bernstein died of pneumonia. Composed music for the 1957 musical West Side Story, and the film On The Waterfront. Bernstein conducted the New York Philharmonic aged 25 after guest conductor Bruno Walter came down with the flu.  In addition, he wrote three symphonies, two operas, five musicals, and numerous other pieces.

2004, Eric Clapton was suspended from driving in France after being caught speeding at 134 mph in his Porsche 911 Turbo near Merceuil. He was given a 750 euro (£515, $975) fine and his UK licence was confiscated. After paying his fine Clapton, posed for photographs with French police and then left the scene in his Porsche, with his secretary behind the wheel.

2006, Freddy Fender, the Tex-Mex singer, died of complications from lung cancer at the age of 69. He was known for standards as “Before the Next Teardrop Falls, ” a US number one in 1975,  and “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights.”

2014, Isaiah “Ikey” Owens, the American keyboardist known for his work with The Mars Volta, Jack White and an array of bands from the Long Beach music scene, died aged 39. Owens was found dead due to a heart attack in his hotel room in Puebla, Mexico.

Born on October 13: Cliff Richard (1940); Colin Hodgkinson, bass, Whitesnake (1945); Justin Hayward (1946);  Thomas Dolby (1958); Natalie Maines, singer, songwriter, Dixie Chicks (1974)

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Today in Rock History – September 22

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great-society
The Great Society

1965, San Francisco band The Great Society, featuring Grace Slick, make their live debut at The Coffee Gallery, North Beach, California. The lineup featured Grace, her then-husband Jerry Slick on drums, his brother Darby Slick on guitar, David Miner on vocals and guitar, Bard DuPont on bass, and Peter van Gelder on flute, bass, and saxophone.

1967, The Doors appeared on the Murray the K show on WPIX-TV in New York City performing “People Are Strange” and “Light My Fire.”

1968  Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum gives its Beatles statues their fifth hair and clothes makeover in four years, in keeping with the lads’ taste for hippie fashions.

1968, The Amboy Dukes played at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1969, A new weekly TV show,  The Music Scene aired on ABC for the first time. Stevie Wonder Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Tom Jones, Cass Elliot, James Brown, Janis Joplin, and Sly and the Family Stone were all booked to appear on the show.

1969, The Band released their self-titled album, which peaked at number nine on the US chart, and included “Rag Mama Rag,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” In 2009, the album was preserved into the National Recording Registry because the album was “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and reflects life in the United States.”

1970, The Rolling Stones performed at the Palais des Sport in Paris.

1971, David Crosby and Graham Nash appear at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio.

Bowie-ziggy-stardust1972, David Bowie kicked of the North American leg of his Ziggy Stardust world tour at the Music Hall in Cleveland, Ohio.

1973, The Rolling Stones scored their eighth No.1 album when “Goats Head Soup” started a two-week run at the top of the charts.

1974, The Sonny Bono Comedy Revue was shown for the first time on ABC-TV.

1976, Rush perform at The Dome Arena, Rochester, New York.

1977, Yes appear at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California.

1978, Jethro Tull released the live album Bursting Out. It was recorded at various locations during the European Heavy Horses tour in May and June 1978

1978, Black Sabbath plays at Selland Arena, Fresno, California.

1979, Gary Numan had his second and final UK number one single with “Cars.” Also on this day Gary Numan went to number one on the UK album chart with The Pleasure Principle.

1979, Jackson Browne, Chaka Khan, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt and Tom Petty, appeared at Madison Square Garden, New York for two anti-nuclear benefit shows.

1979, Def Leppard had their first major live review when UK music weekly Melody Maker reviewed a gig the band had played in Wolverhampton.  The band had just released their debut 3-track single, and featured a 15 year-old drummer

1981, Composer Harry Warren died aged 88. He wrote over 800 songs including “I Only Have Eyes For You,” a hit for The Flamingos and Art Garfunkel, “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby,” “Jeepers Creepers,” “That’s Amore,” and “Chattanooga Choo Choo.” Warren’s songs were featured in over 300 films.

1983, During a UK comeback tour The Everly Brothers appeared at the Royal Albert Hall in London. In the audience, Paul and Linda McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, and Mickey Dolenz.

1984, Echo And The Bunnymen, Spear Of Destiny, The Sisters Of Mercy, The Redskins, and The Chameleons all appeared at the first York Rock Festival, York, England.

1985, The first Farm Aid benefit concert was held before a crowd of 80,000 people at the Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. Organized by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young, the event had been spurred on by Bob Dylan’s comments at Live Aid earlier in that year that he hoped some of the money would help American farmers. The star studded line-up of country stars included Alabama, Hoyt Axton, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels Band, John Denver, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Vince Gill, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Roger Miller, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Willie Nelson, Charley Pride, Bonnie Raitt, Kenny Rogers.

1987, The Grateful Dead play at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1990, Nirvana played their biggest gig to date when they appeared at the Motor Sports International Garage in Seattle. Drummer Dave Grohl who would audition for the band in a few days time, was in the audience of 15,000 people.

1990, Garth Brooks album No Fences entered the US album chart. It went on to become the biggest selling country album of all time and sold over 13 million copies in the first five years of release.

1991, The Grateful Dead appeared at the Boston Garden in Boston.

2001, A Tribute to Heroes was aired commercial-free on most of the major US TV networks. The live program was organized to raise money following the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and New York’s World Trade Center. Neil Young, Tom Petty, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, U2, Limp Bizkit, Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam all performed. Manning the telephones to take pledges were celebrities including Jack Nicholson, Jim Carrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Goldie Hawn, Robin Williams, Meg Ryan, Cuba Gooding Jr., Kurt Russell, Adam Sandler and many more.

2004, Cat Stevens, who now goes by the name of Yusuf Islam, was escorted from a diverted transatlantic flight and refused entry into America by FBI agents. His name showed up on a US watch list after his United Airlines  had taken off from London. The flight landed in Maine where Islam, who was traveling with his 21-year-old daughter, was detained and questioned.

Born on September 22: David Coverdale, vocals, Whitesnake (1949); Richard Fairbrass, singer, Right Said Fred (1953); Debby Boone (1956); Nick Cave (1957); and Joan Jett (1960); Will Farquarson, guitar, Bastille (1983)

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