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Today in Rock History – June 15

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The Who, 1964 - from THE MARK AND COLLEEN HAYWARD COLLECTION (http://rockmusicprints.com/)
The Who, 1964 – from THE MARK AND COLLEEN HAYWARD COLLECTION (http://rockmusicprints.com/)

1964, The Who played at the Glenlyn Ballroom in Forest Hill, London.

1965, The Rolling Stones kicked off an 8-date mini-European tour at The Odeon Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland, supported by The Hollies

1966, “Substitute” by The Who peaks at number 13 on the German charts.

1967, Guitarist Peter Green quit the John Mayall Band. He went on to be a founding member of Fleetwood Mac.

1968, The Soft Machine appeared at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1968, Today John and Yoko plant their acorns outside Coventry Cathedral in England to help promote peace.

1968, Pink Floyd performed two shows (7:30 and 11:30 pm) at Magic Village in Manchester, England. Also on the bill for this all night event were Purple Stone and the Alchemist, The Jack Lancaster – Bruce Mithcell Quartet, and the Inner Light Show.

1968, Quicksilver Messenger Service supported by The Hallucinations played at Boston Tea Party, Boston, Massachusetts.

1969, Led Zeppelin, along with Liverpool Scene and Bloodwyn Pig appeared at The Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England, during a five date UK tour.

1969, The Frost played at the Sports Arena in Toledo, Ohio.

1969, The Doors appeared at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1970, The Who performed at the Community Theater, Berkeley, California.

1971, Pink Floyd performed at Abbaye de Royaumont in Royaumont, France. The show that was filmed by French TV channel ORTF, and two songs were broadcast on Cinq Grand Sur La Deux in the early hours of July 12th.

1972, The Rolling Stones appeared at University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

1973, On television’s Midnight Special, host Jim Croce welcomes guests Wishbone Ash and Bobby Womack.

1973, David Bowie performed at the Odeon Theatre, Taunton, England.

1974, Abba’s debut album Waterloo entered the chart for the first time peaking at number 28.

1974, Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Billy Don’t Be A Hero,” The song was a UK chart topper for Paper Lace.

1974, Elvis Presley played the first night of an 18-date US tour by playing four shows at the Tarrant County Center, Forth Worth, Texas.

1975, ZZ Top played at the Spokane Coliseum, Spokane, Washington.

1976, The Sex Pistols recorded their first demos in Clapham’s Majestic studios followed by a gig that night at The 100 club, London.

1976, AC/DC appeared at St. Georges Hall, Bradford, England.

1977, The Sex Pistols held a party on a boat as it sailed down The River Thames in London. The Pistols performed “Anarchy In The UK” outside The Houses Of Parliament, resulting in members from the party being arrested when the boat docked later that day.

1977, Pink Floyd performed at County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1978, During a European tour Bob Dylan played the first of six sold out nights at London’s Earl Court.

1979, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan.

1980, Nazareth played at the Hollywood Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, Florida.

1983, David Bowie performed at Ruhrland Stadion, Bochum, Germany.

1984, Yes appeared at the Scandinavium, Göteborg, Sweden.

1985, Dire Straits started a nine-week run at number one on the US album chart with, Brothers In Arms.

1986, U2 and Sting headlined a concert in New Jersey celebrating 25 years of Amnesty International.

1989 Nirvana’s debut album Bleach was released in the US. The title for the album came from a poster “Bleach Your Works” urging drug users to bleach their needles. Kurt Cobain claimed that most of the lyrics on the album were written the night before recording while he was feeling “pissed off,” and that he did not regard them highly.

1996, Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald died in Beverly Hills, California, aged 79. Already blinded by the effects of diabetes, Fitzgerald had both her legs amputated in 1993. She won 13 Grammy Awards, and the 1956 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook was the first of eight “Songbook” sets.

2002, A rare autographed copy of The Beatles’ album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band sold at auction for £34,000 ($57,800), more than five times the estimated price.

 2003, Radiohead scored their fourth UK number one with their sixth studio album Hail To The Thief, while Metallica were at number one on the US album chart with St Anger, the band’s fourth US chart topper, and a top three hit in the UK.

2005, Coldplay went straight to number one on US album chart with their third album X&Y, having already entered at number one in the UK. The last time a British artist had a simultaneous US and UK number one was in November 2000 with 1, a compilation of hits by The Beatles. The last studio album to reach number one on both sides of the Atlantic was Radiohead’s Kid A in October 2000.

Born on June 15: Nigel Pickering, Spanky And Our Gang (1929); Waylon Jennings (1937); Harry Nilsson (1941); Johnny Halliday, “the French Elvis” (1943); Muff Winwood, The Spencer Davis Group (1943); Russell Hitchcock, vocals, Air Supply (1949);  Steve Walsh, Kansas (1951); David Hinds, Steel Pulse (1956); rapper Ice Cube (1969)

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Today in Rock History – March 14

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rolling-stones-19641964, For the first time in British recording history, all Top Ten singles in the UK were by British acts. Number one was “Anyone Who Had A Heart” by Cilla Black. Number two – “Bits and Pieces” by The Dave Clark Five. At number three,  “Little Children “Diane” by The Bachelors. Number five, “Not Fade Away” by The Rolling Stones. Number six- “Just One Look” by The Hollies, while “Needles and Pins” by The Searchers was at number seven.  Number eight belonged to The Merseybeats with “I Think Of You.” Number nine – “Boys Cry” by Eden Kane, and rounding out the top ten, “Let Me Go Lover” by Kathy Kirby.

1968, The promotional film for “Lady Madonna” was broadcast in black and white on Top of the Pops on UK television. The video portion of the film clip was shot while The Beatles were performing the song “Hey Bulldog,” but the “Lady Madonna” audio track was paired with the video for the promo release.

1969, The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded a live concert in Amsterdam, Holland for Fan Club,” a Dutch TV show.

1970, Pink Floyd performed at Meisteringer Halle in Nurnberg, West Germany.

1970, Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water enters the second week of a ten week run atop the US album charts.

1971, The Rolling Stones played the last night of a 9-date UK tour at the Roundhouse, London.

1971, The Grateful Dead played at Camp Randall Field House on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

1972,  Carole King and producer Lou Adler  wins a Grammy for “It’s Too Late” as Record of the Year, and Tapestry wins a Grammy as Album of the Year. King also took home a statue for Songwriting for “You’ve Got A Friend,” while Carly Simon wins a Grammy as Best New Artist.

don't shoot-elton john1973, Elton John was at number one on the singles chart with “Crocodile Rock.”

1981, Eric Clapton was hospitalized with bleeding ulcers, causing a US tour to be cancelled. He was back in hospital five weeks later after being involved in a car crash.

1981, Roxy Music were at umber one on the UK singles chart with their cover of the John Lennon song “Jealous Guy.”

1982, Metallica made their live debut when they appeared at Radio City in Anaheim, California.

1991, American songwriter Doc Pomus died. With Mort Shuman he wrote many early ’60s hits including, “A Teenager in Love,” “Save The Last Dance For Me,” “Sweets For My Sweet,” “Can’t Get Used to Losing You,” and “Viva Las Vegas.”

Born on March 14: Quincy Jones (1933); Loretta Lynn (1940); Walt Parazaider, Chicago (1945);  Jim Pons, The Turtles (1946)

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Today in Rock History – October 28

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tami-show1964, 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.

David-bowie-Live1974, 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 – September 27

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Beach_Boys_070.jpg1964, The Beach Boys made their TV debut on The Ed Sullivan Show on US TV where they performed “I Get Around” and “Wendy.”

1966, The Who’s managers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp  attend a Jimi Hendrix performance at the Scotch of St. James Club. Chandler has heard about their Track Records’ startup (Hendrix originally wanted to sign with Decca because The Who were on Decca in the US.) After hearing Hendrix play, Lambert and Stamp try to talk him into letting them be his managers but Chandler, naturally, refuses so they sign Hendrix as their first act for Track

1967,  The Beatles recorded various parts for the new John Lennon song “I Am The Walrus” and the new Paul McCartney song “Fool On The Hill.”

1968, The Velvet Underground performed at the Boston Tea Party in Boston.  The support act was Fire and Ice.

1968, Pink Floyd appeared at the Queens Hall in Dunoon, Scotland. Due to bad weather all the ferries to Dunoon were cancelled, so Pink Floyd hired their own boat from Gourock and risked the rough seas to make the crossing to Dunoon to appear in front of 400 fans.

1969, Eric Burdon & War, along with Mountain, performed at the Eastown Theater in Detroit, Michigan.

1969, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Piedmont Music Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.

1970, The Rolling Stones appeared at Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria.

1970, Pink Floyd performed two shows (6 pm and 9 pm) at the Fillmore East in New York.  Setlist for both shows: Astronomy Domine, Green Is the Colour, Careful With That Axe Eugene, Fat Old Sun, Set The Controls for the Heart of the Sun,  A Saucerful of Secrets.  The encore was Atom Heart Mother with brass and choir.

1971, Led Zeppelin appeared at the Shiei Taikukan Hall in Hiroshima, Japan.

1972, Yes played at the Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia.

1972, Rory Storm, singer from the British ’60s group Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, died aged 32 after taking an overdose of sleeping pills in a suicide pact with his mother. Ringo Starr played drums with Storm before joining The Beatles.

1972, The Grateful Dead played at Stanley Theatre in Jersey City, New Jersey.

1973, Rolling Stone announces that guitarist Carlos Santana has added the name “Devadip” since becoming a disciple of Sri Chinmoy. The name means “the Lamp of the Light Supreme.”

1974, Roxy Music performs at Trentham Gardens, Stoke, England.

ZZ-Top1975,  ZZ Top plays at the Palace Theatre, Albany, New York.

1976, Hawkwind performed at Colston Hall, Bristol, England.

1977, Yes appears at the Aladdin Theater, Las Vegas.

1978, Eric Clapton sponsored a West Bromwich Albion UEFA cup-tie against Galatasarey of Turkey. After the game, Eric presented each player with a gold copy of his latest album Slowhand.

1978, Bob Dylan performed at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York.

1979, Scottish guitarist Jimmy McCullough died from a heroin overdose in his apartment in Maida Vale, London, aged 26. He was a member of Stone The Crows, Thunderclap Newman, and Wings (1974 to 1977). When “Something in the Air” by Thunderclap Newman went to number one in 1969 it made McCulloch the youngest guitarist to ever play on a chart topping single, he was sixteen years old at the time.

1980, Rush performed at the Cape Cod Coliseum, South Yarmouth, Massachusetts.

1980, David Bowie scored his fourth UK number one album with Scary Monsters And Supercreeps.

1981, The Rolling Stones played at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York.

1982, Blue Oyster Cult appeared at the CNE Coliseum, Toronto.

1983, Black Sabbath performed at Hemmerleinhalle, Neunkirchen, Germany.

1986, Metallica bass player Cliff Burton was crushed to death after the bands tour bus crashed between Stockholm and Copenhagen. During a European tour, members from the band drew cards for the most comfortable bunk on the tour bus, Burton had won the game with an Ace of Spades and was asleep when the tour bus ran over a patch of black ice and skidded off of the road. He was thrown through the window of the bus, which fell on top of him.

1986, The Beatles’ “Twist and Shout” re-entered the US singles chart over twenty-five years after it first appeared, after the song was featured in the film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

1998, The Manic Street Preachers scored their first UK number one album with their fifth release This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours.

2000, U2 played a show from the rooftop of The Clarence Hotel in Dublin, which they own. Over 4,000 fans gathered on the streets below.

2004, Legendary record producer Phil Spector was formally charged with murder in the February 3rd, 2003 shooting of actress Lana Clarkson. He was convicted in April, 2009 and sentenced to nineteen years to life in the California State prison system.

2008, Pink Floyd’s manager Bryan Morrison died after spending over two years in a coma. Morrison suffered severe brain injuries in a polo accident at the Royal Berkshire Polo Club, England in 2006, and never recovered. He also managed The Pretty Things, and was a music publisher for Syd Barrett, The Bee Gees, Elton John, The Jam, T-Rex and Wham!

2011, Tony Bennett became the oldest living person to top the US album chart when the 85-year-old’s Duets II album went to number one. The record, which featured collaborations with Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga, was also his first US chart topper in his 60 year career. The previous oldest performer to top the chart was Bob Dylan in 2009 with Together Through Life. At the time he was 67-years old.

Born on September 27: Randy Bachman (1943); Marvin Lee Aday, aka Meat Loaf  (1947); Greg Ham, Men At Work (1953); Robbie Shakespeare, session bass player (1953); Shaun Cassidy (1958); Stephan Jenkins, Third Eye Blind (1966); Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., aka Lil Wayne (1982);  Avril Lavigne (1984)

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Today in Rock History – August 8

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1969, The photo session for the cover of The Beatles Abbey Road album took place on the crossing outside Abbey Road studios. Photographer Iain McMillan, balanced on a step-ladder in the middle of the road took six shots of John, Ringo, Paul, and George walking across the zebra crossing while a policeman held up the traffic. The band then returned to the studio and recorded overdubs on “The End,” “I Want You (She’s So Heavy,”) and “Oh! Darling.”

1969, During a North American tour Led Zeppelin appeared at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, California, supported by Jethro Tull.

1969, Yes played at Mother’s, Birmingham, England.

1969, Alice Cooper performed at the Eastown Theater in Detroit, Michigan.

1969, Pink Floyd appeared at the 9th National Jazz Pop Ballads & Blues Festival at the Plumpton Race Track in Streat, England, along with Soft Machine, Keith Tippett, East of Eden, the Bonzo Dog Band, Roy Harper, The Who, and many others.  It was the kickoff night of a three day event.

1970, Blood Sweat & Tears started a two week run at number one on the US album chart with Blood Sweat & Tears 3.

1970, Janis Joplin bought a headstone for the grave of her greatest influence Bessie Smith at the Mont Lawn Cemetery in Philadelphia. Blues singer Smith died in 1937 after being refused admission to a whites only hospital.

1971, Hawkwind appeared at the Red Lion in London.

1972, Yes performed at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, Washington.

david-bowie-young-americans1974, Recording sessions for David Bowie album Young Americans begins at Philadelphia’s Sigma Sound Studios.

1974, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young played at Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey.

1975, Cannonball Adderley, the jazz bandleader who charted with “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” dies from a stroke in Gary, Indiana. He was 46.

1975, The lineup at this year’s Summerfest at Rich Stadium in Buffalo, New York  was The Rolling Stones, Bobby Womack, and The Outlaws.

1977, Alice Cooper played at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1978, Neil Diamond appeared at Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan.

1979, KISS brought their act to Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York.

1980, The Greater London Council banned The Plasmatics from blowing a car up on stage during their UK live debut at London’s Hammersmith Odeon.

1980, The Allman Brothers Band performed at Mesa Auditorium in Phoenix, Arizona.

1981, The Pretenders kick off their second American tour in Fort Pierce, Florida.

1981, MTV makes its first live concert stereo broadcast. The band is REO Speedwagon.

1981, ZZ Top played at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska.

1981, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, Wisconsin.

1982, The Grateful Dead are joined onstage by John Cippolina, founding member of Quicksilver Messenger Service, for the final six songs of the second set of their show at Alpine Valley Music Theatre.

1983, The Police performed at the Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1986, David Crosby of Crosby, Stills and Nash was released from prison after serving three years for drug and weapons possession. His conviction would be overturned by a Texas appeals court in November 1987.

1987, U2 scored their second US number one single from their Joshua Tree album with “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” The song received two nominations for the 30th Grammy Awards in 1988, for Record of the Year, and Song of the Year.

1991, On A Friday, later to become known as Radiohead, appeared at The Jericho Tavern, Oxford, England. The band had met while attending Abingdon School, a boys-only public school. “On a Friday” referred to the band’s usual rehearsal day in the school’s music room.

1992, A riot broke out during a Guns N’ Roses and Metallica gig at Montreal stadium when Metallica’s show was cut short after singer James Hetfield was injured by pyrotechnics. Guns N’ Roses took the stage but frontman Axl Rose claimed that his throat hurt, causing the band to leave the stage early. The cancellation led to a riot by the audience who overturned cars, smashed windows, looted local stores and set fires.

2007, The US National Musical Publishers’ Association joined other businesses in seeking to sue YouTube claiming songwriters were not being properly compensated when their music appeared on the site. The legal action had been combined with those of several other companies, including Viacom and Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and Comedy Central.

Born on August 8: Joe Tex (1933); John David, drums, Dr Hook (1942); Airrion Love, singer, The Stylistics (1949); Ali Score, A Flock Of Seagulls (1956); Christopher Foreman, guitar, Madness (1958);  Dave “The Edge” Evans, U2 (1961); Scott Stapp, singer, songwriter, Creed (1973)

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Today in Rock History – August 4

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PInk-Floyd-Piper_at_the_Gates_of_Dawn1967, Pink Floyd released their debut album The Piper At the Gates of Dawn in the UK, on which most songs were penned by Syd Barrett.  When reviewed by the two main UK music papers, Record Mirror and NME both gave the album four stars out of five. The album was recorded at Abbey Road studios, London during the same time that The Beatles were recording Sgt Pepper’s. It peaked at number six on the UK album chart, and failed to chart in the US, when it was released on October 21st. Since that time, it has come to be regarded as a significant album in psychedelic rock.

1967, The Who performed at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska.

1967, A female Monkees fan stowed away on the band’s plane between shows in Minneapolis and St Louis. The girl’s father threatened to bring charges for transporting a minor across state lines.

1968, Jimi Hendrix performed at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas.

1968, The second day of the two day Newport Pop Festival took place in Costa Mesa, California with Blue Cheer, Eric Burdon & The Animals, Grateful Dead, Illinois Speed Press, Iron Butterfly, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service and The Byrds. Over 100,000 fans attended the festival.

1970, After falling asleep on a woman’s porch in Los Angeles, Jim Morrison is arrested for public drunkenness.

1971, Emerson Lake & Palmer appeared at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

1972, The Allman Brothers Band played at the Community Theater, Berkeley, California.

1974, KISS performed at the Morris Civic Auditorium, South Bend, Indiana.

1975, Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant and his wife were both badly injured when the rented car he was driving spun off the road and crashed on the Greek island of Rhodes. Plant smashed both his ankle and his elbow, and was not fully fit for the best part of two years. A forthcoming North American tour had to be cancelled.

1976, The Grateful Dead played at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey.

1977, AC/DC played at Dubs, Gainesville, Florida.

1979, A benefit concert was held to raise money for Little Feat guitarist and singer Lowell George, featuring members of his band plus Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt.

1979, Led Zeppelin play to 120,000 people at Knebworth Park in England. It was their first concert in the U.K. in four years.

1980, Blue Oyster Cult appeared at the Mary E. Sawyer Auditorium, LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

1980, John Lennon began recording what would become his final album, Double Fantasy, at The Hit Factory, New York.

1980, Pink Floyd kick off five nights of The Wall tour at London’s Earls Court. During the ambitious show, a giant wall is built across the stage between the band and the audience.

1981, Bruce Springsteen performed at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1982, Metallica played at the Whiskey A-Go-Go, Hollywood, California.

1984, Prince started a 24-week run at the top of the US album charts with Purple Rain. His sixth studio album which features the hits “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” along with the title track. It has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, becoming the seventh best-selling soundtrack album of all time.

1990, Mariah Carey’s started a four week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Vision Of Love,” her debut release. The song was nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 33rd annual ceremony, held on February 20, 1991, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, winning the latter.

1996, Oasis played two sold out nights at Balloch Castle Country Park, Loch Lomand, Scotland to over 80,000 fans.

2001, Dave Stewart married fashion photographer Anouska Fisz on a private beach on the French Riviera. Guest’s included Elton John, Mick Jagger, Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, and his former Eurythmics partner Annie Lennox.

2002, Bruce Springsteen scored his fifth UK number one album with The Rising, also a chart topper in the US.

2005, American blues singer and guitarist Little Milton died. Milton had suffered a brain aneurysm on  July 25th and had lapsed into a coma. In 1952, while still a teenager playing in local bars, he caught the attention of Ike Turner, who at the time a talent scout for Sam Phillips’ Sun Records. He signed a contract with the label and recorded a number of singles, including the 1965 US number 25 single “We’re Gonna Make It,” and 1969’s “Grits Ain’t Groceries.”

2007, US singer, songwriter Lee Hazlewood died of cancer, in his home near Las Vegas aged 78. Hazlewood wrote and produced many of Nancy Sinatra’s most famous hits, including “These Boots Were Made For Walkin’,” “Jackson,” and “Did You Ever” as well as “Something Stupid,” the duet Nancy recorded with her father Frank in 1967. Hazelwood also produced Duane Eddy and Gram Parsons.

Born on August 4: Louis Armstrong (1901); Elsberry Hobbs, The Drifters (1936); Larry Knechtel, guitar, Keyboards, Bread (1940); Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream (1947); Robbin Crosby,  guitarist, Ratt(1958); Paul Reynolds, A Flock Of Seagulls (1962); Max Cavalera,  singer, guitarist, Sepultura (1969); Tom Parker, singer, The Wanted (1988)

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