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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 – June 10

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1966, Steve Marriott of The Small Faces collapsed while performing on UK TV show Ready Steady Go! The group were forced to cancel the following week’s gigs.

1966, Big Brother & the Holding Company perform with their new lead singer, Janis Joplin, for the first time.

1967, In Woodstock, N.Y., Bob Dylan and the Band begin to record what will become known as The Basement Tapes.

1967, Pink Floyd played at the Nautilus Club, South Pier, in Lowestoft, Suffolk, England.

1969, The Byrds, the Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Smokey Robinson, and Dionne Warwick performed at California’s Fantasy Faire and Magic Mountain Music Festival.

1969, Pink Floyd played at Ulster Hall, in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

1969,  Gary Lewis & the Playboys appeared on The Tonight Show.

1970, The Who appeared at Mammoth Gardens in Denver, Colorado.

1971, A crowd gets so excited during a performance by Jethro Tull in Denver that police fire tear gas on them.

1972, Sammy Davis Jr started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with “Candy Man,” his only US No.1. The song was taken from the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

1972, The Rolling Stones double album Exile On Main Street went to No.1 on the album chart, the bands seventh chart topping album. On the same day, they performed at the Pacific Terrace Center, Long Beach, California.

1972, Led Zeppelin played at Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York. Tickets were $5 and $6 (£3.33 and £4.) arlier this day, members of Led Zeppelin, Peter Grant and Richard Cole attend Elvis Presley’s afternoon concert at Madison Square Garden.

1973, Wet Willie, the Allman Brothers Band,and  The Grateful Dead,  played at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC.  The Allmans joined the Dead onstage for the third set of their show for It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry, That’s Alright Mama, Promised Land, Not Fade Away > Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad > Drums > Not Fade Away, Johnny B. Goode.

1974, The Who began a four-night sold-out run at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

1975, The Eagles release One of These Nights.

1975, Aerosmith appeared at Brown County Arena, Green Bay, Wisconsin.

1976, At Seattle’s Kingdome, Paul McCartney & Wings play for a crowd of 67,100, setting an indoor attendance record.

1976, Yes played at the Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island.

1977, Joe Strummer and Nicky Headon from The Clash were each fined £5 ($8.50) by a London court for spray-painting “The Clash” on a wall.

1977, Led Zeppelin played the third of six nights at Madison Square Garden in New York.

1979, Van Halen played at the Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana.

1980, Rush performed at the Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland.

1981, ZZ Top appeared at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

1981, Bob Dylan headlined at Poplar Creek Music Theatre, Hoffman Estates, Illinois (outside of Chicago.)

1982, Addie Harris from The Shirelles died of a heart attack after a show in Atlanta. 1961 US number one and UK number four single “Will You Love Me Tomorrow.” They became the first all girl group to have a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100.

1982, Eric Clapton performed at the Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan.

1986, Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead went into a five day diabetic coma, resulting in the band withdrawing from their current tour.

1991, Nirvana and Dinosaur Jr kicked off an 8-date tour at the Gothic Theater in Denver.

1993, Irish singer Sinead O’Connor took out a full-page ad in the Irish Times asking the public to “stop hurting me please.” She blamed her troubles on abuse she suffered as a child. O’Connor was still being criticized for ripping up a picture of the Pope during an appearance on Saturday Night Live the previous October.

2001, Radiohead went to number one on the UK album chart with Amnesiac. The band’s fifth studio album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 and produced three singles, “Pyramid Song,” “I Might Be Wrong,” and “Knives Out.”

2004,  Ray Charles died at age 73. Glaucoma rendered Charles blind at the age of six. He scored the 1962 UK and US number one single “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” plus over 30 other US Top 40 singles and the 2005 US chart topping album Genius Loves Company. Charles was also the winner of 17 Grammy Awards. Ray was married twice, and fathered twelve children by nine different women appeared in the 1980 hit movie, The Blues Brothers. Also, he was portrayed in a feature film starring Jamie Foxx.

2006, The surviving members of Led Zeppelin met at a secret rehearsal space in England to run through songs for the forthcoming 02 Arena benefit tribute to Atlantic Records co-founder, the late Ahmet Ertegun. It was the first time the three members had been in the same room with instruments since their four-song set at Led Zeppelin’s 1995 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

2007, The Rolling Stones played their first UK festival in over 30 years when they appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival. The Stones arrived at the Isle of Wight on their own privately chartered ferry for their 200-strong entourage including five Winnebago trailers and private security team. The Stones last UK festival appearance was Knebworth Fair in 1976

Born on June 10: Howlin’ Wolf (1910); Judy Garland (1922); Shirley Owens, The Shirells (1941); Rick Price, The Move (1944); Kim Deal, Pixies (1961); Jimmy Chamberlin, drums, Smashing Pumpkins (1964)

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Today in Rock History – May 29

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1965, Bob Dylan’s album Bringing It All Back Home was at number one on the UK charts, his second chart topping album. It would be displaced the following day by the soundtrack to The Sound of Music.

1965, The Beach Boys started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Help Me Rhonda,” the group’s second US chart topper.

1967, The Move, Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Zoot Money and Pink Floyd all appeared at the Tulip Bulb Auction Hall in Spalding, Lincs, England. Tickets cost £1 ($1.60).

1969, Crosby, Stills & Nash released their self-titled debut on Atlantic Records label. It spawned two top 40 hits, “Marrakesh Express” and “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.”

1969, The Who appeared at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago.

1970,  Pink Floyd’s soundtrack to the Michelangelo Antonioni film Zabriske Point had its UK album release. It featured previously unreleased Pink Floyd tracks “Heart Beat, Pig Meat,” “Crumbling Land,” and “Come In Number 51, You’re Time Is Up.”

1970, Jethro Tull played at the Eastown Theater in Detroit, Michigan.

1971, The Rolling Stones started a two week run at number one on the American singles chart with “Brown Sugar.” The song was purportedly about Mick Jagger’s affair with American singer Marsha Hunt. It was the band’s sixth chart topper, and a number two hit in the UK.

1971, Three dozen Grateful Dead fans were treated for hallucinations caused by LSD after they unwittingly drank spiked apple juice served at a gig at San Francisco’s Winterland. This was the first of two nights at Bill Graham’s venue. Tickets cost $2 (£ 1.25).

1972, Paul McCartney releases his bizarre interpretation of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” as Wings. It barely makes the top thirty on the charts. McCartney apparently was making a point about censorship after the BBC banned his political single “Give Ireland Back to the Irish.”

1973, Record executive Clive Davis is fired from Columbia for misappropriating $100,000. He later founded Arista Records and engineered Santana’s comeback with Supernatural.

1973, David Bowie performed at Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, England.

1973, Mike Oldfield releases his ambient masterpiece Tubular Bells.  The opening piano solo was used briefly in the soundtrack to the William Friedkin film The Exorcist (also released in 1973), and the album gained considerable airplay because of the film’s success.

1973, Roger McGuinn performs his first solo gig at New York’s Academy of Music and confirms rumors that his band The Byrds is finished.

1975, Aerosmith were at Cobo Arena in Detroit, and Rush appeared at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas.

1976, Diana Ross started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Love Hangover,” her fourth chart topper.

1976, ZZ Top appear at Groves Stadium, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

1977, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Seger, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Kenny Logins all appeared at the Tangerine Bowl, Orlando, Florida. Tickets cost $10 – $12.50.

1977, Manchester band Warsaw, (later to become Joy Division) made their live debut supporting The Buzzcocks at The Electric Circus, Manchester, England.

1979, Yes performed at the McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado.

1980, Thin Lizzy played at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

1980, The Grateful Dead performed at the Civic Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

1981, Bruce Springsteen appeared at the Wembley Arena in London.

1983, Styx played at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi.

nirvana-nevermind1991, After just completing the recording of the Nevermind album, Nirvana played a last-minute show at the Jabberjaw in Los Angeles. In the audience was Iggy Pop, Dave Grohl’s girlfriend and L7 bassist Jennifer Finch who brought along her best friend Courtney Love.

1997, Singer songwriter Jeff Buckley disappeared after talking a swim in the Mississippi River, his body was found on six days later, after being spotted by a passenger on a tourist riverboat.

1997, The Manic Street Preachers won the best song award for “A Design For Life” at the 42nd Ivor Novello awards. Other winners included The Spice Girls for Hit of the year with “Wannabe,” Elvis Costello for Outstanding contribution to music. George Michael won Songwriter Of The Year and Most Performed work for “Fastlove.”

1999, Skeletal remains were found by photographers looking for old car wrecks to shoot at the bottom of Decker Canyon near Malibu, California. Based on forensic evidence the remains were Philip Kramer, former bassist with rock group Iron Butterfly, who had disappeared on his way home from work on February 12, 1995. His death was ruled as a probable suicide.

2007, A piano used by John Lennon on the night he died was put up for sale for $375,000 (£189,000) on The Moments in Time memorabilia website. The upright grand piano was part of the Record Plant Recording Studios in New York where the former Beatle recorded his 1971 Imagine album. Lennon was said to be so fond of the instrument that he had it moved to whichever studio he was working in and had used the piano hours before being shot on December 8, 1980.

2009, Phil Spector was jailed for at least 19 years for murdering an actress in 2003. The producer, 69, famed for his Wall of Sound recording technique, was  found guilty of shooting Lana Clarkson at his California home. Spector had pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder during the five-month retrial in Los Angeles. His lawyers said he would appeal. Spector was given a sentence of 15 years to life for second-degree murder and an additional four years for personal use of a gun.

2015, Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch went up for sale with a price tag of $100m (£65m). Jackson bought the Santa Barbara development in 1987 for $19.5 million, but struggled to pay for it, until an investment company stepped in to help him save it from auction.

Born on May 29:  Gary Brooker, Procol Harum (1945); Mike Porcaro, Toto (1955); La Toya Jackson (1956); Mel Gaynor, drums, Simple Minds (1959); Noel Gallagher, Oasis (1967)

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Today in Rock History – May 23

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1964, Marvin Gaye appears on American Bandstand singing “You’re a Wonderful One.”

1967, Pink Floyd performed at Town Hall in High Wycombe, England.

1967, Jimi Hendrix appeared at Klub Bongo in Malmö, Sweden.

1968, Johnny Lee Hooker, supported by The Hallucinations performed at Boston Tea Party in Boston, Massachusetts.

1968, Pink Floyd played two late shows at the Paradiso in Amsterdam.

1969, Bob Seger performed at the Hullabaloo Club in Oregon, Ohio.

1969, Sly and the Family Stone, Clarence Carter, and Rotary Connection performed the first of a two night stand at the Fillmore East in New York.

1969, Led Zeppelin played the first of two nights at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago. Admission was $5 (£3.12).

1970, Paul McCartney’s debut solo album, McCartney, started a three-week run at number one on the US album chart.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Columbia High School Auditorium, Decatur, Georgia.

1970, The Beatles album Let It Be started a three week run at number one on the UK charts.

1970, The Grateful Dead played their first gig outside the US at The Hollywood Rock Music Festival, in Newcastle under Lyme, Staffs, England.

1971, It’s the end of an era as Iron Butterfly split up.

1971, Frank Zappa appears at the Ohio Theater, Columbus, Ohio.

1973, Jefferson Airplane were prevented from giving a free concert in Golden Gate Park when San Francisco authorities passed a resolution banning electronic instruments. The group later wrote “We Built this City” about the ban.

1973, David Bowie performs at the Brighton Dome, Brighton, England.

1974, George Harrison announced the launch of his own record label, Dark Horse.

1975, Alice Cooper played at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1976, NBC tapes Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue at Colorado State University. The concert later airs under the title Hard Rain.

1977, Linda Ronstadt begins work on her Simple Dreams album at Sound Factory One in Los Angeles.

1978, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off their 117-show Darkness on the Edge of Town Tour at Shea’s Buffalo in Buffalo, New York.  Several of the shows are broadcast on radio and become instant classics.

1978, Bob Seger performed at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1979, Due to a record company dispute, Tom Petty was forced to file for bankruptcy owing $575,000. A long-running battle with his record company followed.

1980, Black Sabbath performed at the Apollo Theatre, Manchester, England.

1981, Rush played at the Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts.

1983, Eric Clapton appeared at Civic Hall, Surrey, England.

1987, Twelve former members of the Doobie Brothers reunited for a charity concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The show raised $350,000 (£220,000) for Vietnam veterans, about two-thousand of whom attended the show for free.

1991, Photographer Michael Lavine took what would be the publicity shots for Nirvana’s Nevermind album at Jay Aaron Studios in Los Angeles. The idea for the front cover shot of the baby swimming was taken after Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl saw a TV documentary on water babies and was taken by Kirk Weddle. Several babies were used. five-month old Spencer Eldon’s photo came out best.

1992, Iron Maiden went to number one on the UK album chart with Fear Of The Dark, their third chart topping album.

2006, The king of Sweden presented the surviving members of Led Zeppelin with the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm recognizing them as “great pioneers” of rock music. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were joined by the daughter of drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980. The Polar Music Prize was founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, manager of Swedish pop group Abba, who named it after his record label, Polar Records.

2010, The Rolling Stones scored their first UK number one album in 16 years with the re-release of their classic 1972 double LP Exile On Main Street. The album, which was first released in 1972, had been reissued with previously unheard tracks. Their last chart topping album was 1994’s Voodoo Lounge

Born on May 23: Mac Wiesman, Foggy Mountain Boys (1925); Robert Moog, inventor (1934); Norman Johnson, Chairman of the Board (1943); Raymond Fulwood, Parliament, Funkadelic (1944); Bill Hunt, ELO (1947); Rick Fenn, 10cc (1953);  Philip James Selway, drummer, Radiohead (1967); Matt Flynn, Drummer, Maroon 5 (1970); Richard Jones, bass, Stereophonics (1974)

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Today in Rock History – April 30

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1966, The Rolling Stones fourth album Aftermath went to number one on the UK charts.  It was the group’s third chart topping album.

1966, The Young Rascals went to number one on the American singles chart with “Good Lovin.” The song had been a hit for The Olympics the year before.

1967, Pink Floyd appeared at the Plaza Teen Club in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.

1967, Jimi Hendrix and Chas Chandler are interviewed at their shared flat in London, by Ray Jones for the May edition of Beat Instrumental magazine.

1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s first UK Tour comes to a close following two final performances at Granada theatre in Tooting, London. Once again the evening includes performances by The Walker Brothers, Cat Stevens, Engelbert Humperdinck, The Californians, The Quotations, and MC Nick Jones.

1968, Pink Floyd played for a recording of the music program Moef Ga Go at Nederland 1 TV Studios in Zaandam, The Netherlands. Two concerts scheduled for later the same day had to be cancelled due to a problem with work permits.

1968, BBC TV launched The Cilla Black Show making Cilla the first British female performer to have her own TV show. The theme song, “Step Inside Love” was written by Paul McCartney.

1968, Al Kooper announces he is leaving Blood, Sweat & Tears.

1970, Twiggs Lyndon, the road manager for the Allman Brothers Band, was arrested for murder after he stabbed a club manager during an argument over a contract. At the ensuing trial, Lyndon’s lawyers argued that he had been temporarily insane at the time of the incident and that touring with the Allman Brothers would drive anyone insane. Lyndon was acquitted.

1971, Three Dog Night performed at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

DavidBowieFiveYears1972, David Bowie played at Guildhall, Plymouth, England.

1973, King Crimson appeared at the State Fair Coliseum, Syracuse, New York.

1973, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York.

1974, King Crimson played at the Civic Theatre, Akron, Ohio.

1975, Genesis headlined at Colston Hall, Bristol, England.

1976, The Who’s drummer Keith Moon paid nine cab drivers to block-off both ends of a New York street so he could throw the contents of his hotel room out of the window.

1976, The Rolling Stones played at Halle Münsterland, Muenster, Germany.

1976, Lynyrd Skynyrd appeared at the Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, Florida.

1977, The Grateful Dead perform at The Palladium in New York City.

1977, Glen Campbell went to number one on the US singles chart with “Southern Nights,” his second chart topper.

1977, Led Zeppelin broke a new world attendance record at a concert when they played to 76,229 people at a gig at the Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan. The Who held the previous record at the same venue with 75,962 people.

1977, Pink Floyd performed at Jeppesen Stadium, in Houston, Texas during their In The Flesh North American tour. The set list consisted of the albums Animals and Wish You Were Here, with an encore of “Money” and “Us and Them” from Dark Side of the Moon. General admission tickets cost $10 (£6.67.)

1978, Bob Seger appeared at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1979, Rush played at the Manchester Apollo, Manchester, England.

1980, McVicar, starring Roger Daltrey, premieres.

1982, American music journalist, author and musician Lester Bangs died of a heart attack aged 33. Bangs worked for Rolling Stone, Creem, and The Village Voice.

1983, Muddy Waters dies from a heart attack in Westmont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He was 68. Muddy Waters grew up on Stovall Plantation, near Clarksdale, Mississippi, and by age seventeen was playing the guitar at parties, emulating local blues artists Son House and Robert Johnson. He was recorded in Mississippi by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress in 1941. Two years later, he moved to Chicago with the hope of becoming a full-time professional musician, eventually recording, in 1946, first for Columbia Records, and then for Aristocrat Records, a newly formed label run by the brothers Leonard and Phil Chess.

1983, Michael Jackson started a three week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Beat It,” his fifth solo US chart topper. The third single from the singer’s Thriller album featured Eddie Van Halen on the song’s distinctive overdriven guitar solo, but Van Halen was prevented by his record label from appearing in the music video.

1990, Prince played a concert at Rupert’s Night-club, Minneapolis. The $100 a head ticket proceeds all went to the family of his former bodyguard Charles “Big Chick” Huntsberry, who had died from a heart attack.

1991, Nirvana signed a recording contract with Geffen’s DGC label for $290,000 (£193,333.)

1999, Nazareth drummer Darrell Sweet died aged 52, after suffering a fatal heart attack before a show in New Albany, Indiana. Nazareth had the 1973 UK number nine single “Broken Down Angel,” and the 1976 US top eight single “Love Hurts.”

2005, The Dave Matthews Band agreed to pay $200,000 (£105,000) after their tour bus dumped human waste on a boatload of tourists in Chicago in August 2004. Bus driver Stefan Wohl who was alone on board the bus at the time the sewage was dumped was fined $10,000 (£5,200.) The band had already donated $100,000 (£54,252) to two groups that protect the Chicago River and its surrounding area. The Dave Matthews Band offered their “deepest apologies” to more than 100 boat passengers who were on an architectural tour.

2008, Gail Renard, who was given the hand written lyrics to “Give Peace A Chance” by John Lennon in 1969, announced plans to sell the lyric sheet at a Christie’s auction. At the time, Lennon told Renard to hang on to the piece of paper, saying “It will be worth something someday.” The piece of music history was expected to fetch around $400,000 (£266,667.)  When it was actually sold in July later that year, it went for $790,000 (£400,000.)

2015, Ben E. King,  born Benjamin Earl Nelson, soul and R&B singer with The Drifters, died at the Hackensack University Medical Center at the age of 76. The Drifters had the 1960 US number one and UK number two single “Save The Last Dance For Me,” and King scored the the 1987 UK number one solo single “Stand By Me,”  which was first released in 1961.

Born on April 30: Percy Heath, American bassist, Heath Brothers, Modern Jazz Quartet (1923);  Johnny Horton, American singer-songwriter, guitarist (1925); Johnny Farina, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, Santo & Johnny (1941); Bobby Vee (1943);  Wayne Kramer, MC5 (1948); Merrill Osmond, American singer, bass player, actor,The Osmonds (1953); Chris Henderson, guitarist, 3 Doors Down (1971); J. R. Richards, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, Dishwalla (1972)

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Today in Rock History – April 26

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1965, Bob Dylan arrives in England for a tour promoting his new album, Bringing It All Back Home. D.A. Pennebaker films his performances and acerbic exchanges with the press for the documentary Don’t Look Back.

1965, The Who perform at Town Hall in Bridgwater, Summerset, England.  They are paid £200 ($320).

1966, Dusty Springfield was at number one on the singles chart with “‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me.”

1966, The Who’s first album is released in the U.S. on Decca. Retitled The Who Sings My Generation, it features a different cover, drops “I’m a Man” for the Shel Talmy-produced “Instant Party,” edits the instrumental break out of “The Kids Are Alright,” and reverses the order of “A Legal Matter” and “The Ox.” It is released in both mono and stereo although both are simply mono electronically processed as stereo. Billboard says: “the four boys from London have an ear-splitting, gut-busting and best-selling package in this program of blues-oriented rock numbers.” It fails to reach the U.S. charts, but does get airplay on Detroit radio.

1966, The Who performed at the Lynx Club in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England.

1966, The New York Times reports that Ray Charles has been ordered to undergo tests at a Boston hospital to confirm that he has been weaned off drugs.

1967, Mamas and the Papas singer Mama Cass gave birth to a daughter, Owen Vanessa, in Los Angeles.

1969, King Crimson appeared at the Technical College, Ewell, Surrey, England.

1969, Jimi Hendrix played at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

1969, The Original Cast of Hair started a 13-week run at number one on the album chart.

1969, The Doobie Brothers played at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California.

1969, “Get Back,” credited to the Beatles with Billy Preston, goes to number one on the UK singles chart.

1969, During the band’s second North American tour, Led Zeppelin played the second of two nights at The Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco in California.

1970, Jimmy Page’s solo appearance on the BBC’s Julie Felix Show reveals an interesting change of direction for Led Zeppelin. While the band is pegged as a purveyor of blues bombast, his performance of the acoustic “White Summer/Black Mountain Side,” influenced by folk guitarist Bert Jansch, is a good indication of the gentler direction of Led Zeppelin III.

1972, Pink Floyd played the first of two nights at Ford Auditorium in Detroit, Michigan in support of Dark Side of the Moon.

1974, Queen appeared at the Orpheum Theater in Boston.

1975, BJ Thomas went to number one on the singles chart with “(Hey Won’t You Play), Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song.” It was the singer’s second US chart topper.

1976, David Bowie performed at Kungliga Tennishallen, Stockholm, Sweden.

The Grateful Dead in 1977 (from deadlistening.com)

1977, The Grateful Dead appeared at the Capitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jersey.

1977, Glen Campbell had a number one hit with “Southern Nights.”

1978, Ringo Starr’s TV special, Ringo, a musical version of The Prince and the Pauper aired on American television. Ringo played both characters, George Harrison provided the narration.

1979, The Allman Brothers Band played at the Civic Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.

 

1980, Blondie were at number one on the singles chart with “Call Me,” featured in the Richard Gere movie American Gigolo.

1980, Humble Pie performed at the Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia.

1980, The Beat released “Mirror In The Bathroom.” It was the first digitally recorded single in the UK.

1980, The Who play at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.

1980, Van Halen played at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1988, Mick Jagger appeared in White Plains, New York, Federal Court in the copyright infringement case brought by reggae singer Patrick Alley, who claimed the Mick Jagger solo track “Just Another Night” was a plagiarism of his own song of the same name. Alley was claiming $7 million (£4.66 m) in profits from the track. During the case Sly Dunbar played drums to the court to show how the beats were different in each song and Mick sang and played demos of his song to show the court the development of the track. At the end of the week-long trial, Jagger won the case.

1990, Nirvana appeared at the Pyramid Club in New York City. The band’s label Sub Pop filmed the show and the performance of “In Bloom” was later used as a promo clip.

1997, Ernest Stewart, keyboard player with KC and the Sunshine Band, died of an asthma attack.

2008, Amy Winehouse spent the night in custody after being arrested on suspicion of assault. Police said Winehouse had been “in no fit state” to be questioned when she arrived at the London station and she was kept in the cell. The 24-year-old was to be questioned about an incident said to have occurred 3 days earlier after a 38-year-old man claimed he was assaulted.

2013, US country singer George Jones, who had a string of number one songs between the 1950s and 1990s, died aged 81. Nicknamed “Possum,” his signature song was “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” a track about love and death. He was married to Tammy Wynette between 1969 and 1975 and the pair recorded several songs together in the 1970s.

Born on April 26: Maurice Williams, The Zodiacs (1938); Giorgio Moroder, producer (1940); Tony Murray, The Troggs (1945); Gary Wright, Spooky Tooth (1945); Roger Taylor, Duran Duran (1960); Chris Mars, drums, The Replacements (1961);  Jose Antonio Pasillas II, drummer, Incubus (1976)

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Today in Rock History – April 17

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1965, Bob Dylan”s debut album The Freewheelin” Bob Dylan was at No.1 on the album chart.

1965, Paul McCartney spent the day shopping for furniture in Portobello Road, London disguised in a cloth cap, moustache, glasses and overcoat.

1966, The Who performed at the Regal Cinema in London.

1967, Jimi Hendrix played in Luton, Bedfordshire, England.

1969, The Band step out from behind Bob Dylan for the first time to perform solo at San Francisco’s Winterland auditorium

1970, While performing at the White House at the invitation of President Richard Nixon, Johnny Cash was asked to perform “Okie From Muskogee.” Cash declined because it was not his song, but had been a hit for Merle Haggard. Instead, Cash sang his number one hit, “A Boy Named Sue”.

1970, Country Joe & the Fish along with the Hampton Grease Band played at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1970, Paul McCartney releases his first post-Beatles solo album, McCartney. The the versatile musician played every instrument on the record.

1970, Santana began sessions for what would be their breakthrough album Abraxas at Wally Heider Recording Studio, San Francisco, California. When released in September of this year, Abraxas peaked at number one on the US chart.

1971, All four Beatles had solo singles on the charts, Paul McCartney with “Another Day,” John Lennon, “Power To The People,” George Harrison, “My Sweet Lord,” and Ringo Starr with “It Don”t Come Easy.”

1971, Three Dog Night started a six week run at number one on the singles chart with “Joy To The World.” It was the group’s second chart topper.

1972, The Grateful Dead perform at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark during their legendary Europe ’72 tour.

1972, Keith Richards girlfriend Anita Pallenberg gave birth to their second child, daughter Dandelion.

1973, Pink Floyd’s album Dark Side of the Moon went gold in the US. The LP went on to stay in the US chart for more than ten years and become the longest charting rock record of all time.

1973, Yes appeared at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri.

1973, Tito and John Jackson from The Jackson Five were arrested for buying stolen TV and stereo equipment.

1974, Vinnie Taylor, guitarist with US rock and roll revival band Sha Na Na, was found dead in a Holiday Inn hotel room in Charlottesville, Virginia from a drug overdose. Sha Na Na played at the Woodstock Festival, their 90-second appearance in the Woodstock film brought the group national attention. The group appeared in the movie Grease as Johnny Casino & The Gamblers.

1975, Pink Floyd performed at the Coliseum in Denver, Colorado.

1975, Elvis Presley bought a Convair 880 Jet formally owned by Delta Airlines for $250,000, which he re-christened Lisa Marie. Presley spent a further $600,000 refurbishing the Jet to include personal quarters, a meeting area and a dance floor.

1976, David Bowie performed at Hallenstadion, Zürich, Switzerland.

1977, The Stranglers, Cherry Vanilla, The Police, and The Jam all appeared at The Roundhouse, London, England.

1978, Genesis played at The Forum, Inglewood, California.

1979, The Allman Brothers Band performed at Cameron Indoor Stadium, on the campus of Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.

1983, Felix Pappalardi, producer and bass player with American rock band Mountain was shot dead by his wife Gail Collins during a jealous rage. Collins was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and sentenced to four years in prison. Pappalardi who was 43, had produced the  albums Disraeli Gears and Wheels of Fire by Cream

1987, Reggae drummer and percussion player Carlton Barrett of The Wailers was shot dead outside his house in Kingston, Jamaica. He joined Bob Marley and The Wailers in 1970, wrote the Marley song “War.” Barrett was the originator of the one-drop rhythm, a percussive drumming style.

1991, Nirvana appeared at the OK Hotel in Seattle, Washington, where they played a new song, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” live for the first time.

1994, Pink Floyd started a four-week run at number one on the UK album chart with The Division Bell, their fourth chart topping album.

1998, Linda McCartney died after a long battle against cancer. She married Paul McCartney in 1969 when she was working as a photographer. As well as a being a member of Wings, she became an animal rights campaigner and launched her own brand of vegetarian food.

2004, Kurt Cobain’s Mark IV-style Mosrite Gospel guitar sold for $100,000 (£66,667) at the Icons of 20th Century Music auction held in Dallas, Texas. Other items sold included Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s song writing piano which sold for $140,000 (£93,333) and a 1966 Rickenbacker guitar owned by The Byrds Roger McGuinn’s sold for $99,000 (£66,000.)

2008, Danny Federici, the longtime keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen and a member of The E Street Band, died of cancer at the age of 58. Federici had worked with Springsteen for over 40 years, starting with his early bands Steel Mill, and Child.

Born on April 17: Don Kirshner (1934); Roy Estrada, Frank Zappa Band (1943);  Jan Hammer, Mahavishnu Orchestra (1948); Pete Shelley, English drummer, The Buzzcocks (1955); Maynard James Keenan, American singer-songwriter, producer, Tool, A Perfect Circle, Puscifer,  Green Jellÿ (1964); LizPhair (1967); Matt Chamberlain, session drummer, Edie Brickell, Pearl Jam, Tori Amos, Morrissey, David Bowie, Elton John, Peter Gabriel, The Wallflowers, Kanye West, Garbage, John Mayer (1967)

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Today in Rock History – April 2

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The Beach Boys, 1964

1964, The Beach Boys recorded their next single “I Get Around,” which became their first US number one in the summer of ’64.

1965, The Who made their first radio appearance on the UK BBC’s Joe Loss Pop Show.

1966, a charity concert at The Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, California, took place featuring, Jan and Dean, Sonny & Cher, The Mamas And The Papas, The Turtles, Otis Redding, Donovan, and Bob Lind.

1967, 154 Austrian Rolling Stones fans were arrested when a riot broke out at a 14,000-seated Town Hall gig; a smoke bomb was thrown on the stage.

1967, Steve Winwood leaves the Spencer Davis Group to form his own band, Traffic.

1968, Janis Joplin and Big Brother & the Holding Company, as her band was being billed, performed at The New Generation in New York.

1968, Jimi Hendrix appeared at the Paul Suave Arena, Montreal, Canada.

1969, Bruce Springsteen’s new group Child made their live debut at the Pandemonium Club in Wanamassa, New Jersey.

1970, Phil Spector completed final editing and mixing for The Beatles Let It Be album, 16 months after the “Get Back” project had begun.

1970, Janis Joplin decides to get a tattoo on her wrist and another over her heart reading “One for the Boys.”

1971, Janis Joplin was posthumously at number one on the album charts with Pearl.

1971, Ringo Starr releases his debut single, “It Don’t Come Easy.”

1973, The Grateful Dead performed at the Boston Garden.

1973, Led Zeppelin played at the Centre Sportif on the Ile de Vannes, in Paris. The setlist: Rock and Roll, Over the Hills and Far Away, Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I’ve Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains the Same, Rain Song, Dazed and Confused (incl. San Francisco), Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (medley including Everybody Needs Someone To Love, Let That Boy Boogie, I’m Going Down, (You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care, Let’s Have a Party, I Can’t Quit You Baby), Heartbreaker.

1974, Queen performed at Barbarella’s, Birmingham, England.

1975, Genesis appeared at Killesberghalle, Stuttgart, Germany.

1976, Robin Trower played at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1977, Abba were at number one on the UK singles chart with their fifth chart topper, “Knowing Me, Knowing You.” The song was also a Top ten hit in over 15 countries.

1977, Fleetwood Mac went to number one on the US album chart with Rumours. Also on this day Fleetwood Mac kicked off a 7-date UK tour at the Odeon, Birmingham, England.

1983, Pink Floyd release the US version of The Final Cut, their last album with Roger Waters. The UK release took place on March 21st.

1987, U2 kicked off their 29-date North American Joshua Tree tour at Arizona State Activity Centre in Phoenix.

1987, One of the greatest jazz drummers of all time, Buddy Rich died aged 69 due to complications caused by a brain tumor. Rich worked with many acts including, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey’s band, Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson. Rush’s Neil Peart organized a pair of 90s tribute albums (titled Burning for Buddy), which also featured the work of Kenny Aronoff, Dave Weckl, Steve Gadd, Max Roach, Steve Smith and Matt Sorum.

1990, Nirvana went into Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin and started work on demo versions of “In Bloom,” “Dive,” “Lithium,” “Pay To Play,” “Imodium,” “Sappy,” and “Polly,” with Butch Vig producing.

1998, Rob Pilatus, one half of pop duo Milli Vanilli was found dead in a Frankfurt Hotel room after taking a lethal combination of drugs and alcohol. Milli Vanilli won the 1989 best new artist Grammy after hits like “Blame it on the Rain” and “Girl, You Know It’s True,” selling 30 million singles and 14 million albums. But in late 1990, the performers were stripped of the award after it was revealed that neither actually sang on the Milli Vanilli album.

2003,  soul singer Edwin Starr died at his British home in Nottingham aged 61. Formed The Future Tones in 1957, had the 1970 US number one and UK number three anti-Vietnam War protest song “War.” According to Starr, the song was recorded in one take.

2006, A John Lennon schoolbook containing the 12-year-old’s drawing of Lewis Carroll’s poem The Walrus and the Carpenter was sold at auction for £126,500, ($239,733). The poem inspired Lennon to write The Beatles’ 1967 song “I Am the Walrus.” Also sold for £12,000, ($22,741) was a ship’s log book written by Lennon during a stormy trip to Bermuda in 1980, and a letter from Paul McCartney to his bandmates Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr failed to reach its £50,000, ($94,742) reserve price

2006, Gnarls Barkley started an eight-week run at number one on the UK singles chart with “Crazy.” The American duo made chart history by becoming the first act ever to reach the top of the charts through computer downloads only. The single was not available to buy in shops until the following week.

2013, A grand piano used in the Motown Records studios was fully restored and put on display at a museum dedicated to the legendary record label in Detroit. Sir Paul McCartney helped fund the restoration of the 1877 Steinway, which was originally in Motown’s Studio B. and was used to create hits for names including Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Edwin Starr.

Born on April 2: Serge Gainsbourg, (1928); Marvin Gaye (1939); Leon Russell (1941); Emmylou Harris (1947); Leon Wilkeson, bass, Lynyrd Skynyrd (1952); David Robinson, The Cars (1953);  Greg Camp, Smash Mouth (1967)

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Today in Rock History – March 1

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1967, The Beatles began recording  “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” at Abbey Road studios, London. Work on the new John Lennon song began the day before with extensive rehearsals. Despite the acronym of the song spelling out LSD, the origins of the composition came from a drawing that Lennon’s son Julian had made of his classmate Lucy O’Donnell. John wrote a song inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

1967, “Happy Jack” peaks at number four on the German charts. It is The Who’s biggest singles hit in that country.

1968, Elton John’s first single “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” was released on the Phillips label.  It didn’t chart.

1968, On or around this date, Pink Floyd officially announces Syd Barrett’s departure from the band.

1968, The Hollies played at the Civic Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

1969, Jim Morrison of The Doors was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior after allegedly showing his penis to the audience during a show in Miami. He was found guilty at a  1970 trial,  of two misdemeanors — indecent exposure and “open profanity,” and sentenced to eight months hard labor. Morrison died in Paris while the sentence was on appeal. On December 9, 2010, a pardon was requested by outgoing Florida Governor Charlie Crist and the state Clemency Board unanimously granted it.

1969, Pink Floyd performed at University College, in Bloomsbury, London, England.

1969, The Who play Mother’s Club in Erdington Birmingham, England.

1969, The Jeff Beck Group performed at the Alexandria Roller Rink in Alexandria, Virginia.

1970, Mott The Hoople, supported by Genesis, appeared at The Northcote Arms, Middlesex, England.

1970, The Ed Sullivan Show, airs clips of the Beatles performing “Let It Be” and “Two of Us.” It’s the last time the band appear on the show that introduced them to American fans.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi.

1972, John Lennon is granted an extension on his American work visa. Lennon begins recording Sometime in New York City.

1973, The New York Joffrey Ballet premieres the Deuce Coupe Ballet. The work is based completely around the music of the Beach Boys.

1973, The Allman Brothers Band performed at the New Haven Arena in New Haven, Connecticut. The set list: Wasted Words, Done Somebody Wrong, Statesboro Blues, One Way Out, Stormy Monday,  Midnight Rider Jessica,   Ramblin’ Man, Trouble No More,  In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, You Don’t Love Me,  Les Brers In A Minor, Whipping Post.

1974, Chris Difford placed an ad in a shop window “lyricist seeks musician for co-writing.” Glen Tillbrook answered the ad. The pair went on to form Squeeze.

Queen in 1974

1974, Queen began their first headlining UK tour at The Winter Garden’s Blackpool.

1975, The Eagles went to number one on the singles chart with “Best Of My Love.” It was the first of five chart toppers for the band.

1975, Winners at the 17th annual Grammy Awards included Paul McCartney for Best pop vocal on “Band On The Run,” Olivia Newton-John won Record Of The Year for “I Honestly Love You,” and Stevie Wonder won Album of the year for Fulfillingness First Finale.

1976, David Bowie performed at the Detroit Olympia, Detroit, Michigan.

1977,  Iggy Pop and David Bowie, plus The Vibrators appeared at Friars, Aylesbury, England.

1979, Joy Division appeared at The Hope & Anchor, Islington, London, England. Admission was 75p ($1.28).

1980, Blondie were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Atomic” the group’s third UK number one single from their album Eat To The Beat.

1982, Rod Stewart performed at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1990, Janet Jackson played the first night on her 120-date Rhythm Nation 1814 world tour at the Miami Arena in Florida. As part of the show Jackson’s had a live panther on-stage, but after concerns were raised over safety of the crowds, and several incidents of the panther urinating on the stage, Jackson had the feline removed from the show in the summer leg of the tour.

1994, Nirvana played their final ever concert when they appeared at The Terminal Einz in Munich, Germany. The 3,000 capacity venue was a small Airport Hanger. The power went off during the show so they played an impromptu acoustic set including a version of The Cars’ “My Best Friend’s Girl.”

1995, Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia” won three Grammys for Song of the Year, Best Male Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song. Sheryl Crow was named Best New Artist, while producer Bill Bottrell won Record of the Year for her song “All I Wanna Do.”

1995, drummer Bill Berry collapsed on stage during an R.E.M. show at the Patinoire Auditorium in Lausanne, Switzerland, from a ruptured brain aneurysm. He recovered and rejoined the band, but left for good in October 1997.

1997, Bowie Bonds were issued on the US Stock Exchange. Linked to David Bowie’s back catalogue albums with money earned on the bonds via interest from royalties, investors could expect to make an 8% profit in about 10 years.

2005, Nelly featuring Tim McGraw were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Over And Over,” the 3rd number one for Nelly, and the first for Grammy Award-winning Country music singer Tim McGraw.

2009, Kelly Clarkson went to number one on the UK singles chart with “My Life Would Suck Without You.” The US singer won American Idol in 2000 and became the only contestant to have topped the UK charts.

2016, 76-year-old Ginger Baker posted on his blog that he had cancelled all of his scheduled shows for the year and was going into immediate retirement. The former drummer for Cream and Blind Faith explained that he had been diagnosed with serious heart problems.

Born on March 1: Glenn Miller (1904); Harry Belafonte (1927); Jerry Fisher, Blood Sweat & Tears (1942) ; Mike D’Abo, singer, songwriter, Manfred Mann (1944); Roger Daltrey, The Who (1944); Tony Ashton, vocals, keyboards, Ashton Gardner & Dyke (1946); Bill Leen, The Gin Blossoms (1962); Rob Affuso, American drummer, Skid Row (1963); Mary Lou Lord, American singer-songwriter,  guitarist, Helium (1965); Justin Bieber (1994)

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Today in Rock History – February 6

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beatles-quarrymen1958, George Harrison joined Liverpool group The Quarrymen. The group, who were named after Lennon’s school, featured John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Len Garry, Eric Griffiths and John Lowe.

1965, The Righteous Brothers started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with the Phil Spector produced “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.” The song was also number one in the UK.

1965, Rolling Stones II supplanted Beatles for Sale out of the top spot on the UK Record Retailer chart.

1966, The Who played at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, Merseyside, England.

1967, Pink Floyd were photographed for the weekly British girls magazine Jackie. The magazine was the best-selling teen magazine in Britain for ten years. The best-ever selling issue was the 1972 special edition to coincide with the UK tour of American singer David Cassidy.

1969, The Grateful Dead and Iron Butterfly performed at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri.

1969, Doors singer Jim Morrison was arrested for drunk driving and driving with no license in Los Angeles, California.

1970, Eric Clapton played the first of two nights at The Fillmore East in New York City.

1970, Jack Bruce,  Zephyr, and White Clover appeared at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1970, Apple Records releases the John Lennon solo single “Instant Karma” in the U.K.

1972, The Skriven av: MarkusAtt plocka russinen ur kakan ar en metod som Vinnarum casino upphojt till skon konst. Allman Brothers Band performed at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina.

1973, Traffic played at Cobo Arena, Detroit.

1975, Led Zeppelin appeared at the Montreal Forum, Montreal. Outside the arena, a police riot squad stood by ready to avoid a repeat performance of a riot which marked the visit of the Rolling Stones in the summer of 1972. However, there were no incidents. Tickets cost $7.50 (Canadian)

1976, T Rex appeared at St Albans City Hall during a 15 date UK tour.

1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd played at the Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England.

1979, Tommy opens as a musical in London’s West End. The script is based on the screenplay to the film written by Pete Townshend and Ken Russell. Chris Welch in Melody Maker gives it a positive review although he finds much of the story pretentious. Variety pans the production. It closes after 118 performances.

1979, Heart performed at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi.

1981, Composer Hugo Montenegro died in California. Had the 1968 number one single “The Good The Bad And The Ugly” from the soundtrack to the Clint Eastwood spaghetti western film. He worked for RCA records, producing a series of albums and soundtracks and television themes, including two volumes of Music From The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

1981, According to the New York Post, the surviving Beatles will record a new album as a tribute to John Lennon. But it’s another false alarm brought on by Ringo Starr working with Paul McCartney on the latter’s Tug of War sessions

1982, Kraftwerk were at number one on the UK singles chart with “The Model / Computer Love,” the first German act to score a UK number one single. The single spent 21 weeks on the UK chart.

1982, The J Geils Band started a six week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Centerfold,” the band’s only US number chart topper, and a number three hit in the UK. The band’s album Freeze – Frame started a four-week run at number one on the US album chart on the same day.

1994, Nirvana embarks on their final tour of Europe

1998, American singer and guitarist Carl Wilson from The Beach Boys died aged 51 after a long battle with lung cancer. Wilson was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer in early 1997. He sang lead vocal on “God Only Knows,” “Good Vibrations,” and “I Can Hear Music.” Wilson sang backing vocals on Elton John’s “Don”t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.”

2005, Paul McCartney performs a 12-minute set of Beatles classics, as well as his own “Live and Let Die,” during the halftime show at the Super Bowl.

2011, Irish guitarist and singer Gary Moore died in his sleep of a heart attack in his hotel room while on vacation in Estepona, Spain. Moore had been a member of Skid Row, Thin Lizzy, and Colosseum II, before going solo, scoring the 1979 UK number eight single “Parisienne Walkways.”

Born on February 6: John London, session bass player (1942); Bob Marley (1945); Richie Hayward, Little Feat (1946); Natalie Cole (1950);  Huw Lloyd-Langton, guitarist Hawkwind (1951); Simon Phillips, drummer, Toto, Michael Shenker Band (1957); Axl Rose (1962)

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