1965, The Byrds were forced to cancel a concert during their UK tour at The Guildhall, Portsmouth when only 250 of the 4,000 tickets had been sold. 1966, During a North American tour The Beatles played two shows at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada. The attendance for each show was 18,000. 1967, The Who’s manager […]
Today in Rock History – August 16
1938, American blues musician Robert Johnson died, likely poisoned by a jealous husband, at the age of 27 at a country crossroads near Greenwood, Mississippi. His recordings from 1936 -1937 have influenced generations of musicians including Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. 1962, […]
Today in Rock History – August 15
1965, The Beatles set a new world record for the largest attendance at a pop concert when they played in front of 55,600 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City. Also on the bill were Brenda Holloway, The King Curtis Band, The Young Rascals and Sounds Incorporated. The Beatles were paid $160,000 for the […]
Today in Rock History – August 14
1965, The Beatles taped an appearance for CBS-TV’s The Ed Sullivan Show at Studio 50, New York City. They performed “I Feel Fine,” “I’m Down,” “Act Naturally,” “Ticket to Ride,” “Yesterday,” and “Help!” Also, The Beatles fifth album Help! started a nine-week run at number one on the charts. 1965, Sonny & Cher started a three week […]
Today in Rock History – August 12
1966, The Beatles performed two shows at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois. This was the first stop on what would turn out to be The Beatles’ final US tour. Support acts were the Remains, Bobby Hebb, Cyrkle, and the Ronettes. 1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience appeared at The Ambassador Theatre, Washington D.C. 1967, The […]
Today in Rock History – August 10
1968, The lineup for day two of the National Jazz & Blues Festival was Alan Haven, Deep Purple, Ginger Baker, Jeff Beck Group, Joe Cocker, Mike Westbrook, Ronnie Scott, T. Rex, Ten Years After, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, The Don Rendell & Ian Carr Quintet, and The Nice. The festival was held at […]
Today in Rock History – August 1
1964, “A Hard Day’s Night” went to the top of the charts giving The Beatles their fifth US number one single in seven months. 1964, Billboard Magazine reported that the harmonica was making a comeback in a big way thanks to its use by Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Bob Dylan. 1965, […]
Today in Rock History – July 29
1966, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker made their unofficial live debut as Cream at The Twisted Wheel, Manchester, England. The official unveiling came two nights later at the Sixth Annual Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival. 1966, Bob Dylan was injured when his Triumph motorcycle crashed near his home in Woodstock, New York. Though […]
Today in Rock History – July 14
1964, The Rolling Stones were at number one on the UK singles chart with “It’s All Over Now,” the group’s first of eight UK chart toppers. The original Valentinos version of the song was played to the Rolling Stones during their first North American tour in June 1964 by New York radio DJ Murray the […]
Today in Rock History – July 13
1964, The Animals continued to top the UK singles charts with “The House Of The Rising Sun.” Recorded in one take, this was the first number one to have a playing time of more than four minutes. 1964, The Supremes record “Come See About Me,” which later goes to number one. 1965, Paul McCartney was […]
