Kansas

Today in Rock History – March 25

March 25, 2020 by Mitch Michaels

1966, At a photo session with Bob Whitaker’s studio in London, The Beatles posed in white coats using sides of meat with mutilated and butchered dolls for the cover of their next American album, Yesterday and Today. After a public outcry, the album was pulled from stores and re-issued with a new cover. At the time, some of the Beatles defended the use of the Butcher photograph. Lennon said that it was “as relevant as Vietnam” and McCartney said that their critics were “soft.” However, this opinion was not shared by all band members. George Harrison said in The Beatles Anthology that he thought the whole idea “was gross, and I also thought it was stupid. Sometimes we all did stupid things thinking it was cool and hip when it was naïve and dumb; and that was one of them.”

1966, The Who play the Corn Exchange in Hertford, England.

1967, The Beatles perform “All You Need Is Love” during a global satellite broadcast.

1967, Jimi Hendrix played at the Gliderdrome Bingo Hall in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The building was originally an open air skating rink. A roof was added just after the outbreak of World War II. The Gliderdrome was destroyed by fire on in May, 1959, but the “new” Glider was opened within a year on Wednesday, January 27 1960.

1967, The Turtles started a three week run at number one on the singles chart with “Happy Together.”

1967, The Who and Cream made their U.S. concert debut at RKO 58th Street Theatre, New York City as part of a rock and roll extravaganza promoted by DJ Murray the K.

1967, The Rolling Stones kicked off a three-week European tour in Orebro, Sweden. Arriving in Copenhagen for the tour the group were delayed after customs officers search all their luggage for drugs.

1967, Pink Floyd played three gigs in 24 hours. The appeared at the Ricky Tick Club at the Thames Hotel in Windsor, England, then headed for a late show at the New Yorker Discotheque in Swindon, with The Outer Limits as support. Lastly, then played at the Shoreline Club at the Caribbean Hotel in Bognor Regis, as part of an Easter Weekend All-Nighter.

1968, The 58th and final episode of The Monkees TV series was broadcast in the US.

1969, John and Yoko started their week long “bed-in” in the presidential suite at The Amsterdam Hilton hotel. The couple invited the world’s press into their hotel room every day, to talk about promoting world peace.

1969, Yes appeared at Madam Toussauds Hall Of Kings, London.

1970, Led Zeppelin performed at the Denver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado.

1971, Grand Funk Railroad played at Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the O’Shaughnessy Theater, St. Paul, Minnesota.

1972, America started a three week run at number one on the US singles chart with their debut hit “Horse With No Name.” The group scored eight other top 40 hits during the ’70s.

1972, Lindisfarne started a four-week run at number one on the UK album chart with their debut album Fog On The Tyne.

1973, King Crimson performed at Colston Hall, Bristol, England.

1973, Roxy Music appeared at Festival Hall, Torbay, England.

1974, Rolling Stone reports that concerts by Yes, Gregg Allman, and the Beach Boys have all been hit by streakers, no doubt inspired by Ray Stevens’ No. 1 hit “The Streak.” Meanwhile, Allman himself performs the last date of a solo tour. To reassure the audience that the Allman Brothers Band are not splitting up, the entire band comes out and performs a 90-minute encore.

1974, KISS performed at the Bayou Theater, Washington D.C.

1975, Aerosmith played at the War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, the first date on their 63 date North American Toys In The Attic Tour.

1976, US singer, songwriter Jackson Browne’s wife Phyllis Major committed suicide.

elvis-costllo-1977 — Elvis Costello – 1977

1977, Elvis Costello released his debut single “Less Than Zero.” It didn’t make the Top 40.

1978, 20 Golden Greats by Buddy Holly and The Crickets went to number one on the UK album chart, giving Holly his first ever chart topping, LP almost 20 years since his first release in 1959.

1978, Kansas performed at the Hammersmith Odeon, London.

1979, Van Halen played at Selland Arena, Fresno, California.

1981, Rush appeared at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto.

1982, The Police performed at Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri.Rush

1983, Motown Records celebrated its 25 anniversary with a concert in Pasadena, featuring; The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, Jr. Walker, The Commodores, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and The Jackson 5.

1993, The Grateful Dead performed at the Dean Smith Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

2002, Bono from U2 made a appearance at the air rage trial of R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, telling the court “I came to court because Peter is actually famously known for being a peaceable person. I once had to twist his arm to get him to a boxing match.” Buck was later cleared of all charges. He had been accused of attacking two cabin staff and covering them in yogurt, knocking over a cart and trying to steal a knife. Buck did not deny his behavior but claimed a Zolpiden sleeping pill reacted violently with alcohol, turning him into a “non-insane automaton”.

2005, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne were forced to flee their Buckinghamshire mansion after a blaze broke out as they slept. Ozzy and his wife were roused by a fire alarm and ran to safety in the garden, rescuing their pets as they escaped.

2006, Buck Owens Jr. American singer and guitarist died. Pioneered the Bakersfield sound a reference to Bakersfield, California. He scored twenty No.1 hits on the Billboard country music charts.

2007, The Notorious B.I.G. was at number one on the US album charts with Greatest Hits. It was the rapper’s fourth album release after being killed by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California on March 9, 1997.

Born on March 25: Johnny Burnette, American singer-songwriter, The Rock and Roll Trio (1934); Hoyt Axton (1938); Aretha Franklin (1942); Elton John (1947); Jack Hall, Charlie Daniels Band (1947); Chuck Greenberg, American saxophonist, songwriter, producer, Shadowfax (1960); Steve Norman, guitar, sax, Spandau Ballet (1960); Jeff Healy (1966); Frank Ferrer, American drummer, Guns N’ Roses, The Psychedelic Furs, Love Spit Love (1966); Ryan Lewis, American DJ, producer, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (1988)

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Today in Rock History – November 9

November 9, 2019 by Mitch Michaels

1965, Wilson Pickett made his UK live debut at the Scotch of St. James Club in London.

1966, John Lennon met Yoko Ono for the first time when he visited her art exhibition “Unfinished Paintings and Objects” at the Indica Gallery in London.

1967, the first issue of Rolling Stone Magazine was published in San Francisco. It featured a photo of John Lennon on the cover, dressed in army fatigues while acting in his recent film, How I Won the War, and the first issue had a free roach clip to hold a marijuana joint. The name of the magazine was compiled from three significant sources, a Muddy Waters song, the first rock ’n’ roll record by Bob Dylan and band name The Rolling Stones.

1967, Roger McGuinn kicks out David Crosby from the Byrds. Gene Clark replaces him. Crosby would later go on to form Crosby, Stills & Nash.

1968, The Doors appeared at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri.

1968, Melody Maker’s Chris Welch reports on the recording of The Who’s new rock opera, titled Deaf Dumb and Blind Boy. Producer Kit Lambert says it will be ready for Christmas release. The Who play at the Adelphi Cinema in Slough.

1968, Led Zeppelin played their first ever London show when they appeared at The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm on the same bill as John Lee Hooker, Deviants, John James and Tyres. Zeppelin singer Robert Plant married his girlfriend Maureen in London on this day and held the reception at the gig.

1969, The Rolling Stones appear at the Coliseum, Oakland, California.

1969, Simon and Garfunkel record what would become their signature song,” Bridge Over Troubled Water,” with future member of Bread, Larry Knechtel on piano. Garfunkel wanted Simon to sing the song, but Paul insisted that Art’s voice was better suited for it. It was a decision that Paul would later say he regretted. The song won five awards at the 13th Annual Grammy Awards in 1971, including Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

1969, A planned show by The Who at Chicago’s Kinetic Playground on the is cancelled after the venue burns down.

1971, King Crimson performed at Fountains Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

1972, Roxy Music played at Hardrock Club, Manchester, England.

1973, Neil Young headlined at City Hall, Newcastle, England.

1973, The Grateful Dead played the first of three nights at the Winterland Arena, San Francisco, California.

1974, Bachman Turner Overdrive went to number one on the singles chart with “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet,” the group’s only chart topper.

1974, Pink Floyd played the second of two nights at the Odeon in Newcastle UponTyne in England.

1974, Carole King had the number one album in the US with Wrap Around Joy.

1975, Rush played at Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri.

1976, AC/DC appeared at St. Andrews Hall, Norwich, England.

1977, Kansas performed at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1979, Bob Dylan appeared at the Fox Warfield Theatre, San Fransisco.

1980, Outlaws played at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1981, The Rolling Stones played at the Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut.

1985, Jan Hammer went to number one on the US singles chart with the theme from the television show Miami Vice. It was a number five hit in the UK.

1990, The Internal Revenue Service seized all of US country singer’s Willie Nelson’s bank accounts and real estate holdings in connection with a $16 (£10) million tax debt.

1991, Prince and the New Power Generation started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Cream,” a top 15 hit in the UK.

1993, The Dave Matthews Band released their first album, Remember Two Things on the Bama Rags label.

1996, Michael Jackson played at the Ericsson Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand, the first of eleven dates in Australia and New Zealand on the HIStory world tour.

1999, Gary Glitter appeared at Bristol Crown Court, England charged with seducing and sexually humiliating a 14 year-old girl. The charges related back to 1980.

2008, Miriam Makeba, the South African singer who reached number 12 on the Billboard chart in 1967 with “Pata Pata,” suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 76. Among her many notable achievements was becoming the first African woman to win a Grammy, for Best Folk Recording in 1966 with Harry Belafonte for An Evening With Belafonte / Makeba.

Born on November 9: Tom Fogerty (1941); Lee Graziano, American Breed (1943); Phil May, The Pretty Things (1944); Joe Bouchard, bass, Blue Oyster Cult, and Alan Gratzer, REO Speedwagon (1948); Dennis Stratton, guitar, Iron Maiden (1954)

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Today in Rock History – October 28

October 28, 2019 by Mitch Michaels

1964, the first of two nights billed as the “T.A.M.I. Show” took place at the Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, and The Rolling Stones all performed. The best footage from each of the two concert dates was edited into a 123-minute film, which was released on December 29, 1964. Jan and Dean emceed the event and performed its theme song, “Here They Come (From All Over the World).”

1964, The Who, still using their former name, The High Numbers performed at Town Hall in Greenwich, England.

1965, The first mono mix of The Beatles’ “We Can Work It Out” was made for a television show, The Music of Lennon and McCartney. However, when the band heard the mix the next day, they decided to overdub more vocals.

1967, Pink Floyd played at Dunelm House, Durham University Students’ Centre, Durham University, Durham, England.

1967, The Who make their last appearance on BBC radio’s Saturday Club. They follow it by beginning a package tour of the U.K. with supporting acts Traffic, The Herd, The Marmalade and The Tremeloes. The Who play twelve songs during their first set at City Hall in Sheffield but, after the first show runs long, The Who’s second set is cut short when the stage manager orders them offstage after three songs. Pete Townshend goes ballistic, smashing two speakers and The Herd’s lighting gear. Roger Daltrey tries to stop him and they begin to scuffle. When the stage manager tries to break it up, Pete grabs him by the throat and drags him offstage where he continues smashing things backstage.

1967, Simon and Garfunkel performed at Assembly Hall at The University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois.

1968, Neil Young appeared solo at the Bitter End in New York City.

1969, Yes played at Theatre 140, Brussles, Belgium.

1970, Hawkwind appeared at Barnet College, Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe.)

1970, The Who performed at Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria.

1971, Black Sabbath headlined at Community War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, New York.

1972, The United States Council for World Affairs announced it was adopting The Who song “Join Together” as it’s official theme tune.

1972, Led Zeppelin play the first of two nights at the Pavillion in Montreux, Switzerland. Melody Maker writes about the gigs, “They will reshape your values about what is genuine and what isn’t. They just have to be the best heavy band this country has produced.”

1973, King Crimson played at Town Hall, Birmingham, England.

1973, David Cassidy was at number one on the UK singles chart with “Daydreamer / The Puppy Song,” the singer’s second chart topper. “The Puppy Song” was Cassidy’s version of the Harry Nilsson song.

1974, Jamaican reggae artist Ken Boothe was at number one on the UK singles chart with his version of a song by David Gates, from Bread, “Everything I Own.” Boy George also took the song to the the top in 1987.

1974, Three Dog Night appeared at the Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts.

1974, David Bowie played the first of seven sold-out nights on his Diamond Dogs Tour at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

1975, Rush performed at Randy’s Rodeo, San Antonio, Texas.

1976, Aerosmith appeared at Eberthalle, Ludwigshafen, Germany.

1977, Kansas played at the Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, Florida.

1978, Nick Gilder went to number one on the singles chart with “Hot Child In The City.”

1978, Queen played the first night on their 79-date Jazz tour at the Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, Texas.

1978, The animated cartoon, Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park, was shown on NBC-TV in the U.S. The four rock stars had to deal with a mad scientist who went crazy in an amusement park. All four members of Kiss had just released their individual solo albums.

1978, Bob Dylan played at Southern Illinois University Stadium, in Carbondale, Illinois.

1980, Dire Straits appeared at the Roxy in Los Angeles.

1981, ZZ Top played at The Astrodome, Houston, Texas.

1983, Blue Oyster Cult performed at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

1985, Bob Dylan releases Biograph, one of the first major box sets.

1985, The Grateful Dead played at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia.

1989, Janet Jackson started a four week run at number one on the US album chart with Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814. It is only one of three albums to produce seven Top-ten US singles, the other two being Thriller by Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen’s Born In The USA.

1997, R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry announced that he was leaving the group after 17 years, becoming a farmer.

2001, The various artists album God Bless America went to number one on the US chart, featuring tracks from Bruce Springsteen, Bill Withers, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Bob Dylan and Frank Sinatra.

2008, A statue honoring AC/DC’s Bon Scott was unveiled at the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour in Western Australia. Although born in Scotland, Scott grew up in Fremantle after his family emigrated to Australia in 1952. Bon started out his newfound Australian life in Melbourne, his family lived in the suburb of Sunshine for four years before moving to Fremantle. Scott died on February 20, 1980. He is buried in Fremantle cemetery.

2011, The organizers of a planned Metallica concert in India were arrested after the show was called off, leading fans of the band to destroy the stage and vandalize equipment. Metallica had been booked to play in Delhi on Friday, but they postponed the show after a security barrier in front of the stage collapsed. The four promoters of the gig, were arrested on fraud charges after they refused to refund tickets. Around 25,000 people had purchased tickets to see what would have been Metallica’s first-ever concert in India.

2013, New Zealand singer Lorde, 16, topped the UK singles chart with her debut single, “Royals,” making her the youngest solo artist to score a UK chart topper since 15-year-old Billie Piper’s “Because We Want To” in 1998. Lorde was signed to Universal on a development deal at just 13 years old, after a friend’s father sent them home recordings of her singing Duffy and Pixie Lott tracks.

Born on October 28: Charlie Daniels (1936); Graham Bond, keyboards, sax, The Graham Bond Organisation (1937); Wayne Fontana (1940); Elton Dean, sax, keyboards, Soft Machine (1945); Thelma Hopkins, singer, Dawn (1948); Stephen Morris, drums, Joy Division, New Order (1957); William Reid, The Jesus and Mary Chain (1958); Neville Henry, The Blow Monkeys (1959); Caitlin Cary, singer and violinist, Whiskeytown (1968); Ben Harper (1969); Frank Ocean (1987)

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Today in Rock History – August 15

August 15, 2019 by Mitch Michaels

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 show. The set list: Twist and Shout, She’s a Woman, I Feel Fine, Dizzy Miss Lizzie, Ticket to Ride, Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby, Can’t Buy Me Love, Baby’s In Black, Act Naturally, I Wanna Be Your Man, A Hard Day’s Night, Help!, and I’m Down. Two members of the Rolling Stones were among the audience, Mick Jagger and Keith Richard. Later that evening, Bob Dylan visited The Beatles at their hotel.

1966, During a US tour The Beatles appeared at the D.C. Stadium in Washington DC to over 32,000 fans. Tickets cost $3. Five members of the Ku Klux Klan, led by the Imperial Wizard of Maryland, picketed the concert.

1967, Jimi Hendrix performed at Fifth Dimension in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

1967, Fleetwood Mac appeared at the Marquee Club London, England.

1968, The Who headlined at the Fillmore West in San Francisco.

1968, Herman’s Hermits played at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

1969, During a North American tour, Led Zeppelin appeared at the Hemisfair Arena in San Antonio. Jethro Tull and Sweet Smoke were also on the bill. During the show Zeppelin received abuse from locals due to the length of their hair.

1969, Woodstock Festival was held on Max Yasgur’s 600 acre farm in Bethel, New York, 109 miles north west of New York City. Attended by over 400,000 people, the event featured, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Santana, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Canned Heat, Joan Baez, Melanie, Ten Years After, Sly and the Family Stone, Johnny Winter, Jefferson Airplane, Ravi Shanker, Country Joe and the Fish, Blood Sweat and Tears, Arlo Guthrie, and Joe Cocker. During the three days there were three deaths, two births and four miscarriages. Joni Mitchell was booked to appear but had to pull out due to being booked for a TV show, and wrote the song “Woodstock.”

1970, Derek and the Dominoes appeared at Tofts Club, Folkestone, England.

1970, Melody Maker says “Make way for the Townshend brothers!” in an article about Pete Townshend recording his brothers Simon and Paul. Around this time, Pete buys a large American van he dubs “Maxine” which he drives everywhere. The van’s size, comfort and air-conditioning inspire Pete to imagine a heavily-polluted world where people travel and live in sealed vans. The idea sparks the song “Going Mobile” and becomes one of the ideas behind the Lifehouse project

1970, The New Haven Jaycees produced four summer “pop” concerts at the Yale Bowl in New Haven Connecticut. Led Zeppelin performs one of those shows on this date. Tickets were $5 and $6.50.

1971, The Who US tour stops at the Metropolitan Sports Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1971, Pink Floyd played at the Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Academy of Music, New York.

1971, The Grateful Dead played at the Community Theatre in Berkeley, California.

1972, Deep Purple appeared at the Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan, Osaka, Japan.

1974, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young performed at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.

1975, David Bowie’s single “Fame” is released and becomes his first US number one.

1975, Eric Clapton appeared at Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, California.

1976, Kansas played at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland.

1977, Yes performed at the Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island.

1979, The futuristic satire film Americathon premiered in Los Angeles featuring Meat Loaf. The soundtrack included songs by The Beach Boys, Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello.

1980, Van Halen played at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

1981, Diana Ross and Lionel Richie started a nine week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Endless Love,” a number seven in the UK. The song was the title from a film starring Brooke Shields.

1981, Billy Ryan, Jimmy Hall, Leon Russell, the Allman Brothers Band, Charlie Daniels Band, and Cheap Trick performed at Alabama Jam 2, held at Ladd Memorial Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

1982, Roxy Music played at the Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland.

1984, Simple Minds appeared at the Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan.

1986, ZZ Top performed at The Forum, Inglewood, California.

1987, Michael Jackson had his third UK No.1 with the single ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’, a duet with Siedah Garrett. It was originally intended to be a duet between Jackson and either Barbra Streisand or Whitney Houston. Session singer Siedah Garrett also worked with Madonna.

1991, Paul Simon played a free concert in New York’s Central Park before an audience of 750,000.

1992, Jamaican singer-song writer Jackie Edwards died. Edwards worked as a singer, songwriter for Island Records. He wrote both “Keep On Running”and “Somebody Help Me,” that became chart topping singles for The Spencer Davis Group as well as releasing his own albums.

1992, INXS went to number one on the UK album chart with Welcome To Whoever You Are, their first British chart topping album.

2002, A memorial to John Lennon was unveiled in the remote Scottish village of Durness, where Lennon had spent his holidays from age seven to fifteen. The lyrics from “In My Life” had been inscribed on three stones.

2007, Sixteen solo John Lennon albums were made available to download on iTunes for the first time. A deal was approved by the Yoko Ono following a lengthy legal battle between the band’s label Apple Corps and Apple.

2008, US record producer Jerry Wexler, who influenced the careers of singers including Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Bob Dylan, died at his home in Sarasota, Florida aged 91. Wexler produced the Aretha Franklin hit “Respect,” the Wilson Pickett song, “In the Midnight Hour,” and helped Bob Dylan win his first Grammy award by producing the 1979 album, Slow Train Coming. He also coined the term “rhythm and blues” while writing for Billboard magazine in the late 1940s.

Born on August 15: Bill Pinkney, The Drifters (1933); Bobby Helms, singer, guitar (1933); Pete York, Spencer David Group (1942); Tommy Aldridge, drums, Whitesnake (1950); Matt Johnson, singer, songwriter, The The (1961); David Welsh, guitarist, The Fray (1984); Ted Dwane, bass, Mumford & Sons (1984)

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Today in Rock History – July 27

July 27, 2019 by Mitch Michaels

1968, Bee Gee Robin Gibb collapsed, as the group were about to set out on their first US tour. The singer was suffering from nervous exhaustion.

1968, The Steve Miller Band appeared at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1968, Cass Elliot released her first solo single following the break up of The Mamas and Papas. “Dream a Little Dream of Me” had been around since 1931 and had been recorded by Frank Sinatra and Frankie Laine, among others. many others. Cass’ version would be the most successful when it peaked at number 12 on the charts.

1968, Jackie Wilson performed at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

1969, Led Zeppelin and the Doors play the Seattle Pop Festival at Gold Creek Park in Woodinville, Washington. Robert Plant remembers the following about Jim Morrison. “He hung on the side of the stage and nearly toppled into the audience and did all those things that I suppose were originally sexual things, but as he got fatter and dirtier and more screwed up they became more bizarre. So it was really sickening to watch.”

1972, Hawkwind played at the Pier Pavillon, Hastings, England.

1973, Led Zeppelin played the first of three nights at New York”s Madison Square Garden. Top ticket price was $7.50 (£5.00.)

1974, John Denver started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Annie’s Song,” the singer’s second chart topper. The song was a tribute to his wife and was written in ten minutes while he was on a ski lift.

1974, Wings started a seven-week run at number one on the UK album chart with Band On The Run, featuring the title-track, “Jet” and the American hit “Helen Wheels.” The album sold over 6 million copies world-wide.

1974, Aerosmith performed at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Madison, Wisconsin.

1974, Eric Clapton appeared at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, Davenport, Iowa.

1974, The Grateful Dead played the Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia.

1975, The Rolling Stones perform at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1976, After a four-year legal fight, John Lennon was awarded his Green card, allowing him permanent residence in the US.

1976, Bruce Springsteen sued his manager Mike Appel for fraud and breach of trust. The case dragged on for over a year, halting Springsteen’s career. An out of court settlement was reached the following year.

1976, Tina Turner filed for divorce from her husband Ike, ending their violent 16-year marriage and successful musical partnership.

1977, AC/DC appeared at Amarillo World Headquaters, Austin., Texas.

1978, Kansas played at the Pine Knob Music Theatre, in Clarkston, Michigan, just outside of Detroit.

1978, Joy Division performed at the Roots Club, Leeds, England.

1979, Blondie appeared at the Orpheum Theater, Memphis, Tennessee.

1980, Van Halen headlined at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York.

1981, Ozzy Osbourne played at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario.

1985, Paul Young went to number one on the US singles chart with his version of the Daryl Hall song “Every Time You Go Away.”

1986, Queen became the first western act since Louis Armstrong in 1964 to perform in Eastern Europe when they played at Nepstadion in Budapest, Hungary. The gig was filmed and released as “Queen Magic in Budapest.”

1991, Jesus Jones went to number two on the US chart with “Right Here, Right Now. The failed to upend Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do), I Do It for You” from a seven week stay at the top position.

1996, The Spice Girls scored their first UK number one single with “Wannabe,” spending seven weeks at number one. The song won Best British-Written Single at the 1997 Ivor Novello Awards and Best Single at the 1997 Brit Awards.

2001, Leon Wilkeson, bass player with Lynyrd Skynyrd, was found dead in a hotel room in Florida aged 49. Wilkeson had apparently been suffering from chronic liver and lung disease. His death was attributed to natural causes. He was also a member of the Rossington-Collins Band.

2012, The Beatles returned to the Top 40 of the Billboard albums chart with the iTunes-exclusive compilation Tomorrow Never Knows. The set included 14 classic songs by the band and marked the first time The Beatles released an album exclusively to iTunes that had never been previously issued.

Born on July 27: Nick Reynolds, The Kingston Trio (1933); Al Ramsey, Gary Lewis and the Playboys (1943); Bobby Gentry (1944); Maurenn McGovern (1949); Michael Vaughn, guitar, Paper Lace (1950); Conway Savage, bass, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds (1960); Rex Brown, bass, Pantera (1964); Juliana Hatfield, singer, songwriter (1967)