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 […]
Today in Rock History – March 23
1966, The Who perform at the Tower Ballroom in Great Yarmouth, England. The band’s road manager, Neville Chesters, joins The Who onstage to sing “You Were On My Mind.” 1967, Pink Floyd performed at Clifton Hall at the Rotherham College of Technical Dance, South Yorkshire, England. 1967, At a ceremony held at the Playhouse Theatre […]
Today in Rock History – February 22
1967, The Beatles record the piano chord used on “A Day in the Life.” David Crosby pops by Abbey Road studios for a visit. 1968, The Who appeared at the Fillmore West in San Francisco. 1968, Genesis releases its first single, “The Silent Sun.” Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks later say they wrote the song […]
Today in Rock History – February 9
1964, The Beatles made their US live debut on CBS-TV’s The Ed Sullivan Show. They performed five songs including their current number one “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” watched by an estimated 73 million people. The show had received over 50,000 applications for the 728 seats in the TV studio. 1965, The Who play […]
Today in Rock History – January 30
1964, The Searchers were at number one on the UK singles chart with the Sonny Bono song “Needles And Pins.” The group’s second UK chart topper had originally been recorded by Jackie DeShannon 1967, The Beatles shoot a promotional clip for “Strawberry Fields Forever” in Kent, England. 1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience are filmed at […]
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 – December 23
1964, During a US tour Beach Boy Brian Wilson had a nervous breakdown during a flight from Los Angeles to Houston. Wilson left the band to concentrate on writing and producing. Glen Campbell replaced Wilson for the bands live shows. 1964, Radio London, one of England’s first offshore “pirate” radio stations, begins broadcasting. Ella Fitzgerald’s […]
Today in Rock History – December 17
1963, James Carroll at WWDC in Washington, DC, became the first disc jockey to broadcast a Beatles record on American radio. Carroll played “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” which he had obtained from his stewardess girlfriend, who brought the single back from the UK. Due to listener demand, the song was played daily, every […]
Today in Rock History – December 13
1966, Jimi Hendrix made his British TV debut on ITV’s Ready Steady Go! Marc Bolan was also on the show. The Jimi Hendrix Experience also recorded “Foxy Lady” on this day. The United States version of Are You Experienced listed the song with a spelling mistake as “Foxey Lady” and this is how it is […]
Song Of The Day – “Lovely Rita” by The Beatles
I just heard The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band for the first time today! Well, that’s not entirely true. I’ve been listening to this record since it was new. I guess that’s one of the big positives of having older siblings, you got to hear cool records when they came out, way before […]
