InternetFM.com

Hand Curated Radio

You are here: Home / Archives for Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd

Today in Rock History – October 4

by

The Byrds

1966, The Byrds played the first of a 13 night run at The Village Gate, New York City.

1967, A 10-date package tour of the UK kicked off at London’s Finsbury Park, featuring Traffic, The Young Rascals, Vanilla Fudge, Art and Keith West.

1968, On the first night of a UK club tour Led Zeppelin (billed as The Yardbirds featuring Jimmy Page), appeared at the Mayfair Ballroom, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, supported by Terry Reid’s Fantasia, tickets cost 10/6. The Mayfair was a regular venue for up and coming acts. Pink Floyd, Mott the Hoople, Def Leppard and AC/DC had all appeared at the club, which was demolished in 2000.

1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival started a four week run at number one on the US album chart with Green River, the group’s first US chart topper.

1969, The Beatles Abbey Road album went to number one on the UK album chart. The final studio recordings from the group featured two George Harrison songs “Something” and “Here Comes The Sun” plus “Come Together,” “Sun King” and “Golden Slumbers.” Fans reported found clues on the album cover, fanning the flames of the “Paul Is Dead” rumors.  Paul is barefoot, and the car number plate LMW 281F supposedly referred to the fact that McCartney would be 28 years old if he was still alive. “LMW” was said to stand for “Linda McCartney Weeps.” And the four Beatles, represent; the priest (John, dressed in white), the Undertaker (Ringo in a black suit), the Corpse (Paul, in a suit but barefoot), and the Gravedigger (George, in jeans and a denim work shirt).

1970, Singer Janis Joplin was found dead at the Landmark Hotel Hollywood after an accidental heroin overdose.

1971, Pink Floyd played the first of four nights at the Roman Ampitheater, Pompeii, Italy for their Live in Pompeii album.

1971, Ten Years After perform at Town Hall in Birmingham, West Midlands, England.

1973, The J. Geils Band perform at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1974, KISS played at the Music Hall, Houston, Texas.

1975, Pink Floyd went to number one on the UK album chart with Wish You Were Here. The album featured a tribute to ex band member Syd Barrett, “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.”

1976, AC/DC appear at Westfallenhalle, Dortmund, Germany.

1978, Country singer Tammy Wynette, was abducted, beaten and held in her car for two hours by a kidnapper wearing a ski mask. He held a gun on her and forced her to drive 90 miles from Nashville, Tennessee. She was later released and the kidnapper escaped.

1980, Queen started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with “Another One Bites The Dust.”

1982, The Smiths made their live debut at the Ritz in Manchester England, supporting Blue Rondo A La Turk.

2005, Mike Gibbins drummer with Badfinger died in his sleep at his Florida home aged 56. Badfinger had the 1970 UK number four and US number seven single “Come And Get It,”  written by Paul McCartney. He had also been a member of The Iveys during the ’60s.

2007, The Rolling Stones set a new record for the top grossing tour of all time with their A Bigger Bang tour. The tour which ran from late 2005 to August 2007, earned the band £247m, ($437m) with The Stones playing to over 3.5 million people at 113 shows. The previous high was set by U2’s Vertigo tour, which took place in 2005 and 2006, earning £220m, ($389m.)

2014, Paul Revere, organist and leader of Paul Revere And The Raiders died following a battle with cancer. Between 1961 and 1971, the band placed 15 songs on Billboard’s Top 40, including the US Top ten hits “Kicks,” “Hungry,” and “Good Thing.”

Born on this day: Jim Fielder, Blood Sweat & Tears (1947) and Chris Lowe, keyboards, Pet Shop Boys (1959)

Get more Today in Rock History

Today in Rock History – October 3

by

1967, American singer, songwriter Woody Guthrie died after suffering from Huntington’s Chorea disease. Guthrie was a major influence on Bob Dylan and American folk music. The ’70s film Bound For Glory is based on his life. His best-known song is “This Land Is Your Land,” which is regularly sung in American schools.

1967, James Brown played two shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London with his 18-piece American band.

1968,The Beatles recorded the first take of new George Harrison song “Savoy Truffle” at Trident Studios in London.  George was on lead guitar, Paul played bass, and Ringo on his trademark Ludwig drums. John was not present. The song was a jab at Eric Clapton’s love of chocolates, particularly Mackintosh’s Good News.

1969, Pink Floyd performed at the Birmingham University Debating Hall in Birmingham, England.

1970, The Chambers Brothers performed at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1970, Cosmos Factory by Creedence Clearwater Revival enters the seventh of it’s nine weeks atop the US album charts.

1970, Sly and The Family Stone perform at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario.

1971, Hawkwind appears at Northcote Arms, Southall, England.

1972, Yes plays at the Coliseum, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

1974, Rush performs at War Memorial Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee.

the-who-19751975, The Who begin their first UK tour in two years at New Bingley Hall in Stafford. Supporting them on this tour is The Steve Gibbons Band. For the first time in concert, Keith’s drums are placed on a riser but it causes him problems hearing the playback. The set consists of greatest hits plus a medley of Tommy songs revived due to the popularity of the movie. In addition, “Join Together” and the new song “Squeeze Box” have their stage debuts. Quadrophenia is represented by four songs played out of order.

1975, ZZ Top appears at the Boston Garden, Boston.

1976, The Grateful Dead played at Cobo Arena in Detroit.

1978, The members of Aerosmith bailed thirty fans out of jail after they were arrested for smoking pot during an Aerosmith concert at Fort Wayne Coliseum.

1979, Van Halen appeared at Exhibition Hall, Phoenix, Arizona.

1980, An inauspicious start to the latest Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band tour in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Boss forgets the words to “Born to Run.” Bob Seger later joins him on “Thunder Road.”

1991, Texas governor Ann Richards proclaimed October 3rd to be “Stevie Ray Vaughan Day.” An annual motorcycle ride and concert in Central Texas benefits the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Scholarship Fund.

1992, Sinead O’Connor ripped up a photograph of Pope John Paul II, on the US TV show Saturday Night Live, as a protest over sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church. The incident happened as Sinead ended her live performance and out of nowhere, produced a photograph of Pope John Paul II, which she ripped into pieces. There was stunned silence in the studio and the station went to a commercial. NBC was fined $2.5 million dollars by the Federal Communications Commission.

1999, Tom Jones went to No.1 on the UK album chart with Reload, making the singer the oldest artist to score a UK chart topping album with new material. The album featured the collaboration with Mousse T, “Sexbomb”, which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart, and was later used in an episode of The Simpsons.

2000, The Cars singer and bass player Benjamin Orr died of cancer at home in Atlanta at the age of 53. He sang lead vocals on the bands hits “Just What I Needed”, “Let’s Go”, and “Drive.”

2013, The family of Michael Jackson lost a negligence case against concert promoters AEG Live over the death of the 50-year-old pop star. A jury concluded the doctor looking after Jackson ahead of his concert tour was not unfit for his job – and so AEG had not been negligent in hiring him. Jackson died in 2009 after taking an overdose of a surgical anesthetic.

Born on October 3: Eddie Cochran (1938); Chubby Checker (1941); Lindsey Buckingham (1947); Ronnie Laws, sax, Earth Wind and Fire (1950); Stevie Ray Vaughn (1954); Tommy Lee, Motley Crue (1962);  Gwen Stefani, No Doubt (1969)

Get more Today in Rock History

Today in Rock History – October 2

by

The McCoys - Hang on Sloopy1965, The McCoys were at number one on the US singles chart with “Hang On Sloopy.” It was number five in the UK when released on Andrew Oldham’s new Immediate label. The song was first released by The Vibrations and called “My Girl Sloopy.”

1967, All six members of The Grateful Dead were busted by California narcotics agents for possession of marijuana at the groups’ 710 Ashbury Street House in San Francisco, California.

1970, Pink Floyd played the first of two dates at the Moore Theater in Seattle, WA. Also, their new album Atom Heart Mother album was released in the UK.

1970, Chicago played at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

1971, Rod Stewart started a five week run at No.1 on the singles chart with “Maggie May / Reason To Believe”, his first solo No.1.  Stewart’s album Every Picture Tells A Story also started a four-week run on this day at No.1 on the albums chart.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Whisky A Go-Go in Los Angeles.

1971, John Lennon’s Imagine LP entered the album chart, where it eventually reached No.3.

1972, Led Zeppelin opened a six-date tour of Japan at the Budokan Hall in Tokyo.  The set list: 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, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (medley including: Let That Boy Boogie, My Baby Left Me, Lemon Song, I Can’t Quit You Baby), Heartbreaker, Immigrant Song, Communication Breakdown.

1973, The Rolling Stones performed at Ernst Merck Halle, Hamburg, Germany.

1974, Eric Clapton appeared at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario.

1975, ZZ Top played at the Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, Massachusetts.

1976, Frampton Comes Alive begins its next to last week at number one on the USA album charts.

1977,  The Grateful Dead played the second of two nights at the Paramount Theater in Portland, Oregon.

1977, The body of Elvis Presley and his mother Gladys were moved from the cemetery where they were buried to Graceland after an unsuccessful attempt was made to body snatch the coffin.

1978, AC/DC appeared at the Sports Arena, Toledo, Ohio.

1979, Van Halen performed at the Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona.

1980, Yes played at the San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, California.

1982, Dire Straits started a four-week run at No.1 on the album charts with Love Over Gold.

1982, Jethro Tull performed at The Centrum, Worcester, Massachusetts.

1982, John Cougar started a four week run at No.1 on the singles chart with “Jack and Diane,” his first No.1.

1982, Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett joined their former band mates in Genesis for a one-time benefit performance at The Milton Keynes Bowl in Buckinghamshire, England to help raise money for Gabriel’s WOMAD project (World of Music, Arts and Dance.)

1983, Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler was at No.1 on the US singles chart with the Jim Steinman written and produced track ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’. It made her the only Welsh artist to score a US No.1.

1995, Oasis released their second album (What’s The Story), Morning Glory, which entered the UK chart at No.1. The album has gone on to sell over 18 million copies worldwide, and it won the award for the best British Album of the last 30 Years at the 2010 Brit Awards.

1998, America’s singing cowboy Gene Autry died aged 91. During his career he scored 25 successive Top 10 Country hits. In 1995 it was estimated he was worth $320 million.

2001, Actor Kevin Spacey hosted Come Together: A Night for John Lennon’s Words and Music at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Performers included Alanis Morissette, Moby, Stone Temple Pilots, and The Dave Mathews Band. The evening was closed with those present singing “Give Peace A Chance.”

2009, Mumford & Sons released their debut album Sigh No More in the UK. It peaked at No. 2 in February of 2011, in its 72nd week on the chart following its Album of the Year win at the 2011 BRIT Awards. In early 2011, the album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in the US. In the United States, it was the 3rd most digitally-downloaded album of 2011, selling 761,000 copies.

2012, British session guitarist Big Jim Sullivan (born James George Tomkins) died at the age of 71. Sullivan started his career in 1959 as a member of Marty Wilde’s band and when Wilde bought Sullivan a Gibson Les Paul guitar, it was allegedly the first in Britain. Sullivan taught future Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore to play guitar, as well as helping Yes and Asia guitarist Steve Howe on his road to success. He was featured on 55 No.1 hits, and worked with George Harrison, Frank Zappa, Thunderclap Newman, Love Affair, Long John Baldry, Marmalade, and The Tremeloes. During Jimmy Page’s session career, he was known as “Little Jim,” to differentiate him from Big Jim.

Born on this day: Ron Meagher, The Beau Brummels (1941); Don McLean (1945); Richard Hell, The Voidoids (1949);  Mike Rutherford, Genesis (1950); Sting (1951); Phil Oakey vocals, Human League (1955)

Get more Today in Rock History

Today in Rock History – October 1

by

bob-dylan-band-19651965, Bob Dylan appeared at Carnegie Hall in New York City and introduced his new touring band made up of guitarist Robbie Robertson, organist Garth Hudson, bassist Rick Danko, pianist Richard Manual and drummer Levon Helm. They will become known simply as The Band.

1965, The Rolling Stones played at The ABC Regal in Chester, Cheshire, England.

1966, Jimi Hendrix appeared live for the first time in the UK when he jammed with Cream at their gig at London Polytechnic.

1966, The Who performed at Imperial Ballroom in Nelson, Lancashire, England.

1967, thieves broke into Mick Jagger’s London flat and stole jewellery and furs belonging to his then girlfriend Marianne Faithfull.

1967, Pink Floyd, supported by Tomorrow, The Incredible String Band, and Tim Rose performed two shows for Sunday’s At the Saville, at the Saville Theatre on Shaftsbury Avenue in London.

1967, The Who, opening for Herman’s Hermits appear at the Mississippi State Coliseum in Jackson. In honor of their location, they do a one-time-only cover of Nancy Sinatra’s hit song “Jackson.” After the show, official band photographer Tom Wright takes Pete Townshend to a local doctor. He stitches up his finger that he had sliced to the bone doing his trademark windmills. The doctor says Pete won’t be able to play for a month. Pete replies that he’ll just glue his pick to the bandage.

1967, The first edition of UK BBC Radio 1’s Top Gear was aired. Presented by John Peel and Pete Drummond they featured The Move, Traffic, Pink Floyd, Tim Rose and Tomorrow, featuring Keith West.

jimi-hendrix-funeral1970, Jimi Hendrix was buried at The Greenwood Cemetery at the Dunlop Baptist Church, Seattle. Mourners and attendees included Jimi’s father Al and stepmother June, brother Leon, sister Janie, grandmother Nora, Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell, Eddie Kramer, Miles Davis, Johnny Winter and his manager Steve Paul, Michael Jeffreys (Jimi’s manager – who many believe was behind Jimi’s death). One notable absence was Jimi’s close friend Eric Burdon, who stated “Jimi hated Seattle” and felt it was inappropriate for him to be buried there.

1971, The Bee Gees played at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Community Concourse Convention Hall in San Diego, California.

1972, David Bowie performed at the Music Hall in Boston, Massachusetts.

1973, King Crimson played at the Ice Arena, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

1974, Roxy Music appeared at De Montfort Hall, Leicester, England.

1975, 39 year old Al Jackson, drummer for Booker T. And The MGs, was shot and killed by a burglar at his home. His wife was questioned about the killing because she was arrested in July for shooting her husband in the chest during a domestic dispute. He wasn’t badly hurt and the charges were dismissed when his wife claimed self-defense. Jackson had returned home to what police described as a botched robbery attempt. According to Jackson’s wife, an intruder made her answer the door and then threw her husband to the floor demanding money. Jackson was forced to lie face down and then was shot in the back five times. The identity of the culprit remains a mystery.

1976, The Grateful Dead played at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana.

1977, Elton John became the first musician to be honored in New York City’s Madison Square Hall Of Fame.

1977, The Grateful Dead appeared at the Paramount Theater in Portland, Oregon.

1978, Golden Earring released Grab It For A Second, their thirteenth studio album. They had been touring with Ted Nugent the previous year and wanted to make a hard rock album. Unfortunately, the label chose Jimmy Iovine, a pop producer.  It was the last Golden Earring album to feature Eelco Gelling on second guitar.

1978, Rory Gallagher released Photo-Finish, his seventh solo studio album.  The band was stripped back down to a power trio and featuring Ted McKenna, ex- Sensational Alex Harvey Band on drums. Stand out tracks were “Shin Kicker”, Shadow Play” and “Overnight Bag.” It been said this album was influenced by Rory attending a Sex Pistols gig in 1977, with Rory saying “That was the worst gig I ever saw and it was also the best I ever saw.”

1978, Yes performed at the Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas.

1980, Rush played at the Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine.

1981, The Pretenders were forced to cancel the last leg of a US tour after drummer Martin Chambers put his hand through a windowpane, cutting tendons and arteries.

1982, Sony launched its first compact disc player, the CDP-101, for 168,000 yen ($730, £456).

john-cougar-american-fool1982, John Cougar went to number one on both the album and singles chart with the album American Fool and the single “Jack And Diane.”

1983, A David Bowie world convention was held at The Cunard Hotel in London. The event had the largest collection of Bowie merchandise ever assembled.

1987, Def Leppard kicked off the North American leg of their Hysteria world tour at Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls, New York.

1988, Bon Jovi scored their first number one album with New Jersey, their fourth release. The follow-up to Slippery When Wet produced five Billboard Hot 100 top ten singles, the most top ten hits to date for a hard rock album. “Bad Medicine” and “I’ll Be There for You” both hit number one on Billboard Hot 100.

1990, Forbes Magazine listed New Kids On The Block as the fifth richest entertainers in the US with an income of $78 million.

2004, Canadian bassist Bruce Palmer died of a heart attack. He was a member of The Mynah Birds and The Buffalo Springfield. Also worked with Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young and Neil Young.

2007, Radiohead’s official website crashed after the band announced that their new album In Rainbows would only be available to order via radiohead.com. Fans could pre-order the download at any price they choose or pay £40 ($64) for a “discbox,” which included two CDs, two records, plus artwork and booklets.

Born on October 1:  Bonnie Owens, The Strangers (1929); Richard Harris, actor, singer (1930); Albert Collins, bluesman (1932); Julie Andrews (1935); Herb Fame, Peaches and Herb (1942); Jerry Martini, sax, Sly and The Family Stone (1943); Donny Hathaway, soul, blues vocalist (1945); Martin Tuner, bass, Wishbone Ash (1947); Mariska Veres, singer, Shocking Blue (1947); Cub Koda, guitarist, songwriter, Brownsville Station (1948); Brian Greenway, April Wine (1951); Martin Cooper, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (1958); and Youssou N’dour, Senegalese singer, percussionist (1959); Kevin Griffin, guitarist, Better Than Ezra (1968)

Link to Today in Rock History main page

Today in Rock History – September 30

by

Donovan and Bob Dylan

1965, Donovan made his US television debut on Shindig! along with The Hollies, The Turtles and the Dave Clark Five.

1965, The Rolling Stones performed at the Gaumont Theatre in Hanley, Staffordshire, UK. Also on the bill were The Moody Blues, The Spencer Davis Group, The End and The Habits.

1966, Pink Floyd, along with Soft Machine, held a concert for the London Free School at the All Saints Church in Powls Gardens, London.

1967, BBC Radio 1 was launched in the UK. Former Radio Caroline DJ Tony Blackburn was the first presenter on air. The Move’s “Flowers In The Rain” was the first record played.

1967, The Doors played at Family Dog in Denver, Colorado.

1967, Pink Floyd appeared at The Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, England. The Imperial was a regular venue in the North West of England during the 1960s that saw many acts appearing, including The Beatles, The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Cream.

1969, Christine Hinton the girlfriend of David Crosby was killed in a car crash near San Francisco.

1971, Rick Wakeman made his live debut with Yes at The De Montford Hall, Leicester at the start of a 23-date UK tour.

1971, The Allman Brothers performed at the Civic Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  The opening act failed to show up, so the band performed two sets.

1971, Pink Floyd taped a live show at the Paris Cinema in London for BBC Radio One in which the band played “Fat Old Sun,” “One of These Days,” “The Embryo,” and “Blues.” It was broadcast twelve days later on Sounds of the Seventies omitting only the song “Blues.”

1972, David Cassidy, star from the TV series The Partridge Family, was at number one on the singles chart with “How Can I Be Sure.” It was his first chart topper. The song was originally recorded by The Young Rascals in 1967.

1972, UK Music magazine Melody Maker hosted the Poll Awards Concert at The Oval, Kennington, South London. The headliner was Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Also on the bill, Wishbone Ash, Focus, and Genesis.

1972, The Grateful Dead performed an outdoor show at American University in Washington, DC.

1973, King Crimson appeared at Morris Auditorium, South Bend, Indiana.

1973, The Rolling Stones performed at Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany.

1974, Police were called to a Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blue Oyster Cult concert after a fight broke out between two sound engineers. The Skynyrd roadie claimed that the sound had been deliberately turned off during the band’s set.

1976, Hawkwind played at Queensway Hall, Dunstable, England. The hall which initially proved a popular venue for banquets and balls, but was less successful when it staged plays and concerts. The district council, faced with the need to pay for huge structural repairs, decided instead to accept an offer to pull down the building and replace it with a supermarket. The money from the sale of the hall went towards building the Grove Theatre, which opened in 2007.

1977, Eric Clapton performed at Shi Kokaido, Nagoya, Japan.

1977, Mary Ford died from cancer after being in a diabetic coma for 54 days. She was one-half of the husband-and-wife musical team of Les Paul and Mary Ford. Between 1950 and 1954, the couple had 16 top-ten hits. In 1951 alone, they sold six million records.

1977, Frank Zappa played at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1978, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John had their second chart topper from the film Grease with “Summer Nights.” It spent seven weeks at number one, becoming the second best selling single of 1978, beaten only by the Bee Gees’ “Night Fever.”

1987, L.A.’s Coconut Grove plays host to an all-star gathering as Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Waits, and Elvis Costello join Roy Orbison onstage to tape a TV special. The evening’s proceedings are eventually released as A Black and White Night.

1993, Kate Pierson from The B-52’s was charged with criminal mischief and trespassing during an anti-fur protest at Vogue’s New York City offices.

1995, Simply Red scored their first UK number one single when “Fairground” started a four-week run at the top of the charts. It was their fifteenth UK Top 40 hit.

2003, An auction of the contents of Sir Elton John’s London home raised more than £1.4 ($2.24) million. An oil painting, entitled Madison Square Park, sold for £67,200, and a 19th Century portrait of Lieutenant George Dyer, painted by James Northcote in 1817, fetched £55,200. Sir Elton sold off the items so he could redecorate his home in a more modern style.

2004, Mick Jagger held a press conference with Dave Stewart at Essex House in New York City, USA, to promote the soundtrack to the movie Alfie. The re-make of the 1966 film also featured Joss Stone, Sheryl Crow and Nadirah Nadz Seid. The track “Old Habits Die Hard” from the soundtack co-written by the two won the BFCA Award, Golden Globe, Sierra Award and the World Soundtrack Award.

2006, Justin Timberlake started a two week run at number one on the US album chart with his second solo album FutureSex/LoveSounds.

2007, Foo Fighters went to number one on the UK album chart with Echoes Silence Patience & Grace, the band’s sixth studio album and second UK chart topper. Reba McEntire was at number one on the US album chart with Reba: Duets.

Born on September 30: Johnny Mathis (1935);  Gus Dudgeon, producer (1942); Frankie Lymon (1942); Dewey Martin, The Dillards, Buffalo Springfield (1942); Marc Bolan, T-Rex (1947); Robby Takac, bass, Goo Goo Dolls (1964); Trey Anastasio, Phish (1964)

Get more Today in Rock History

Today in Rock History – September 28

by

1968, The Beatles started a nine week run at number one on the singles chart with “Hey Jude.” The Paul McCartney penned tune was about Lennon’s son Julian, and gave the Fab Four their sixteenth chart topper, and the biggest selling single of 1968.

1968, The Rascals went to number one on the album chart with Time Peace / The Rascals’ Greatest Hits.

1968, Bruce Springsteen and a local folk rock group The Founders appeared at the Off Broad Street Coffee House in Red Bank, New Jersey.

1969, Pink Floyd played at Theater 140, Brussels, Belgium.

1970, Yes appeared at the University Of South Wales, Aberystwyth, England.

1970, Pete Townshend writes out the scenario for The Who’s next project, the film Lifehouse. “OVERTURE: The farmers — Life — Beauty — Celebration, LIFEHOUSE: The City — Rock — Youth against finance — Individuals working for the whole, GLORIFICATION: They disappear — they triumph, leaving everyone behind.” He sends a copy to co-manager Chris Stamp along with details on how the members of The Who would fit into the movie and how filming might be handled. That project never came to fruition, and the songs became the basis for Who’s Next, released in 1971.

1971, Led Zeppelin played the first of two nights at the Festival Hall in Osaka, Japan.

1971, The Who open their fall U.K. tour at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England.

1972, Hawkwind performed at the Paris Theatre, London.

1973, The Rolling Stones appear at Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany.

1974, Bad Company went to No.1 on the album chart with their self-titled debut album. Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke had come out of Free, while Mick Ralphs had played guitar with Mott the Hoople, and Boz Burrell played bass for King Crimson before the group formed in 1973. They produced six albums together before disbanding in 1983.

1974, Canadian singer Andy Kim went to No.1 on the singles chart with “Rock Me Gently,” Kim was the co-writer of The Archies’ “Sugar Sugar.”

1976, The Grateful Dead performed at Onondaga County War Memorial in Syracuse, New York.

1976, A&M Records sued George Harrison for $6 million over non-delivery of a new album after he missed the deadline by two months.

1977, Aerosmith performed at Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky.

1978, AC/DC appeared at War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, New York.

1979, Van Halen played at Don Barnett Arena, Rapid City, South Dakota.

1980, The Police were at No.1 on the singles chart with “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” the group’s third No.1. It appeared on their album Zenyatta Mondatta and was the best selling single of 1980.

1981, Van Halen performed at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona.

1985, Kate Bush scored her second UK No.1 album with Hounds Of Love. The singer’s second No.1 album featured the tracks “Running Up That Hill,” “‘Cloudbusting,” “Hounds of Love,” and “The Big Sky.”

1987, U2 played the first of two nights at Madison Square Garden in New York City during their Joshua Tree world tour.

1991, American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer Miles Davis died of a stroke and pneumonia. His 1959 album Kind of Blue, was a major influence on jazz music.

1991, Guns N’ Roses released two albums, Use Your Illusion I and ‘Use Your Illusion II, which debut at number 1 and number 2 on the UK album chart. Both albums reached No.1 & No.2 in the US.

1991, On the week of their album Nevermind being released, Nirvana made an appearance at the Tower Records store in New York City and then played a show at The Marquee Club in New York. Their single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” had also entered the US Top 20 this week.

2000, As part of their UK Under A Big Top tour, Radiohead played the first of two nights at Glasgow Green in Scotland.

2008, Kings of Leon started a two week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with Only by the Night, the band’s fourth studio album.

2009, Adam Goldstein, aka DJ AM., American club DJ and musician, died of an accidental drug overdose at home in New York City aged 36. Had worked with Blink 182, Crazy Town, Madonna. Goldstein had survived a plane crash along with Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker in September 2008.

Born on September 28: Ed Sullivan (1902); Ben E. King (1938); Nick Nicholas, Steppenwolf (1943); Paul Burgess, drums, 10cc (1950); and Melody Thornton, singer, The Pussycat Dolls (1984)

Get more Today in Rock History

Today in Rock History – September 27

by

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)

Link to Today in Rock History main page

Today in Rock History – September 26

by

Who-1965-live1965, The Who are scheduled to play an 8pm show at the Aarhus Hallen in Aarhus. The audience pelts the opening acts with bottles and trash and turns into a rioting mob by the time The Who take the stage. The band makes it through half of one song before fleeing for their lives, as the audience storms the stage and smashes the instruments. Pete later calls it “the best concert we ever played in Denmark.” Backstage Roger angrily blames the others for the group’s problems calling them “pillheads,” an appropriate description at the time. Roger grabs Keith’s supply of speed tablets and flushes them down the toilet. Keith goes for Roger’s throat. Security has to be called in break up the fisticuffs. Nevertheless, they all rush to Aalborg, taking the Fredrikstorv stage to play a 9:30pm show. Back in the UK, Pete, John and Keith demand that Roger be kicked out of the Who. The managers talk them into allowing Roger to continue for now while they look for another singer.

1965, During a UK tour, The Rolling Stones appeared at Colston Hall in Bristol.

1967, Pink Floyd played the first of three nights at the Fillmore in San Francisco, the band’s first ever live dates in the US.

1968, Rolling Stone Brian Jones was fined £50 ($80), after being found guilty of possession of cannabis.

1969, The Beatles released Abbey Road, the final studio recording from the group. It featured two George Harrison songs “Something” and “Here Comes The Sun.” In their interviews for The Beatles Anthology, the surviving band members stated that, although none of them ever made the distinction of calling it the “last album,” they all felt at the time this would very likely be the final Beatles effort, and therefore agreed to set aside their differences and “go out on a high note”.

1969, Fleetwood Mac, East Of Eden, Family, Edgar Broughton Band, Grisby Dyke and Glass Menagerie all appeared at an all night indoor festival at The Pavillion Gardens, Buxton, Derbyshire, England. John Peel hosted the night.

1970, Pink Floyd kicked off their third North American tour at The Electric Factory in Philadelphia.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band at Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, South Carolina

1970, The Who’s “See Me Feel Me” backed with “Overture From Tommy” hits the US charts. The 16-month old A-side is released to cash in on the popularity of the movie Woodstock and becomes one of The Who’s biggest US hits, reaching number 12 in Billboard and number 8 in Cash Box.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band performed at Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas.

1972, J. Geils Band released  Live – Full House, their first live album. They built their reputation as one of the best live bands on the tour circuit. This great hard rockin’ document proved it.  Featured “First I look At The Purse”, “Hard Drivin’ Man”, “Whammer Jammer”, “Lookin’ For A Love”, and more.

cheech-chong1972, Cheech & Chong appear at the Keith Albee Theater in Huntington, West Virginia.

1973, The Grateful Dead performed at War Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York.

1973, The Allman Brothers Band played at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. Marshall Tucker was the opening act.

1975, Black Oak Arkansas played at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1976, Hawkwind appeared at the Capitol Theatre in Cardiff, Wales.

1977, Eric Clapton performed at the Festival Hall, Osaka, Japan.

1978, Bob Dylan played at the Civic Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.

1980, U2 appeared at the Cedar Ballroom, Birmingham, England on their Boy tour.

1981,  It is officially announced that Samson’s Bruce Dickinson has replaced Paul Di’Anno as the singer for Iron Maiden. Dickinson would leave the band in 1993 and rejoin in 1999.

1981, Blue Oyster Cult played at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1982, Van Halen performed at the Events Center, Casper, Wyoming.

1987, Michael Jackson started a six-week run at number one on the US album chart with Bad. Released nearly five years after Jackson’s previous studio album, Thriller, Bad, went on to become the world’s best-selling album, having sold between 30 to 45 million copies worldwide. The album produced five US number one hits, the first album to do so.

1989, Paul McCartney started his world tour at The Drammenshallen, in Drammen, Norway. It was McCartney’s first major tour outing in ten years, since Wings UK Tour 1979, and would mark his first appearances in North America in thirteen years.

1995, AC/DC released Ballbreaker, their 12th international studio album. The album which was produced by Rick Rubin, featured the return of former drummer Phil Rudd, who had been fired from the band in 1983 as a result of drinking and drug problems and a fight with founding rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young.

2003, English singer, songwriter Robert Palmer died of a heart attack aged 54 in Paris France. He was a member of Vinegar Joe and Power Station (with Duran Duran members Andy Taylor and John Taylor, as well as drummer and former Chic member Tony Thompson.) As a solo artist had the 1986 US number one and UK number five single “Addicted To Love” and the 1988 hit “Simply Irresistible.”

2004, Green Day scored their first UK number one album with American Idiot the band’s seventh release.

Born on September 26: Marty Robbins, country singer (1925); Joe Bauer, drummer, The Youngbloods (1941); Bryan Ferry, singer, Roxy Music (1945);  and Olivia Newton-John (1948)

Link to Today in Rock History main page.

Today in Rock History – September 25

by

beatles-cartoon-series1965, The Beatles cartoon series premiered on ABC TV in the US. The first story was titled I Want To Hold Your Hand and had the group exploring the ocean floor in a diving bell where they met a lovesick octopus.

1965, The Who arrive in Denmark to begin their first Danish tour with a 9 pm show at the Folkets Hus in Elsinore, then rush 20 miles to Copenhagen to play the KB Hallen at Midnight, this set with loaner equipment from the Swedish band The Lee Kings. According to a member of The Namelosers, a Swedish pop band, Roger bursts into the dressing room after the second show and headbutts Keith in the nose because Keith had been playing too loud.

1967, The Beatles began recording the new Paul McCartney song “The Fool on the Hill” at Abbey Road, London. John and George played harmonicas, Paul played a recorder and recorded his lead vocal and Ringo played drums.

1967, Pink Floyd performed at the Playhouse Theatre in London.

1968, Welsh singer Mary Hopkin was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with “Those Were The Days.” Hopkins had signed to The Beatles Apple label after appearing on UK TV talent show Opportunity Knocks.

1969, John Lennon recorded the track “Cold Turkey” with Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voorman and Yoko Ono.

1970, The first episode of The Partridge Family was shown on US TV, featuring Shirley Jones, David Cassidy, Susan Dey and Danny Bonaduce.

1971, David Bowie and America both appeared at Friars in Aylesbury, England.

1971, The production master for The Who’s next album, Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy, is compiled at Apple Studios. Also, in Melody Maker, Pete calls for the audience to become more involved with the performers. He also believes that although the equipment may change, rock will stay pretty much the same. In the same issue a fan attacks The Who for their high ticket prices calling them capitalists hiding behind a banner of anti-materialism. The letter is sparked by the outrageous ticket prices for The Who’s upcoming tour, some as high as £3.50 ($5.25.)

deep-purple-fireball1971, Deep Purple went to No.1 on the chart with their sixth album Fireball.

1972, Black Sabbath released their fourth studio album, Black Sabbath Vol. 4. The album, which features a monochrome photograph of Ozzy Osbourne with hands raised, taken during a Black Sabbath concert, was originally to be titled Snowblind, after one of several songs referring to the band’s cocaine use.

1973, The Allman Brothers Band played at Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium, Oakland, California.

1975, Jackie Wilson had a heart attack while performing live on stage at the Latin Casino, New Jersey. Wilson collapsed into a coma suffering severe brain damage. Ironically, he was in the middle of singing one of his biggest hits, “Lonely Teardrops” and was two words into the line, “….my heart is crying” when he collapsed to the stage, striking his head heavily. Wilson died on 21st January 1984. Van Morrison wrote the song “Jackie Wilson Said,” covered by Dexy’s Midnight Runners.

1975, Aerosmith appeared at the Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1976, Wings played a charity concert in St Marks Square, Venice to raise funds for the historic city. The night was a success but the weight of the equipment used by the group caused more damage to the square.

1977, Yes performed at the Sports Arena, San Diego, California.

1980, John Bonham, drummer with Led Zeppelin, died aged 32 after a heavy drinking session. “Bonzo” was found dead at guitarists Jimmy Page’s house of what was described as asphyxiation, from inhaling his own vomit after excessive vodka consumption, (40 shots in 4 hours). During live sets his drum solo, “Moby Dick,” would often last for half an hour and regularly featured his use of his bare hands. In 2007, Ludwig issued a limited edition drum kit in Bonham’s memory.

1980, The Grateful Dead played the first of fifteen nights at the Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, California.

1981, The Rolling Stones kicked off a 50-date North American tour at the JFK Stadium, Philadelphia.

1982, Queen made a guest appearance on US TV’s Saturday Night Live, where they performed “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Under Pressure.”

1990, Drummer Dave Grohl auditioned for Nirvana and was instantly given the job. Grohl’s last band Scream had recently split-up.

1993, Nirvana went to No.1 on the UK album chart with In Utero the bands first UK No.1 album.

1999, Stephen Canaday of The Ozark Mountain Daredevils was killed when the vintage WW II plane he was flying in, rolled, inverted and crashed into a tree. The pilot failed to maintain speed which resulted in a stall.

2000, Ozzy Osbourne formally requested that Black Sabbath be removed from the nomination list for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Calling the inclusion “meaningless”, Osbourne went on to say “Let’s face it. Black Sabbath have never been media darlings. We’re a people’s band and that suits us just fine.”

Born on September 25:  Gary Alexander guitar, vocals, The Association and John Locke, Spirit (1943); Onnie Mcintyre, Average White Band (1945); Bryan MacLean, guitar, vocals, Love (1946); and Will Smith, actor, rapper (1968)

Link to Today in Rock History page.

 

Today in Rock History – September 24

by

bob-dylan19651965, Bob Dylan played the first night on a 36 date North American tour at Austin Municipal Auditorium in Austin, Texas.

1966, Jimi Hendrix arrived in London with manager Chas Chandler on a flight from New York City. With only the clothes he was wearing, Hendrix had sold his other belongings to pay a hotel bill in New York.

1966, The Association started a three week run at number one on the singles chart with “Cherish.” The New Christy Minstrels almost recorded the track but Association member and songwriter, Terry Kirkman, held onto “Cherish” instead of selling it for $1000. The finished recording played for 3 minutes and 25 seconds, but the single’s label listed the time as 3:00 so that disc jockeys wouldn’t be discouraged from playing a “long song.”

1967, Traffic made their live debut when they appeared at Saville Theatre in London, featuring Steve Winwood.

1967, Filming continued for The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour at West Malling Air Station, Maidstone, Kent with the shooting of the “Your Mother Should Know” ballroom finale. The Beatles were all dressed in white suits and shoes, gliding down a glittery staircase as 160 members of Peggy Spencer’s dance team swirled round about.

1969, Pink Floyd performed at Stadsgehoorzaal, Leiden, The Netherlands.

1970, The Rolling Stones played at Palais des Sport, Paris

1971, Yes appeared at Queen’s Hall,  Barnstable, Devon, England.

1972, During his Ziggy Stardust tour and on his first North American visit, David Bowie appeared at the New Fisher Theatre, Detroit, Michigan.

Roxy Music
Roxy Music

1974, Roxy Music played at Colston Hall, Bristol, England.

1976, The Grateful Dead performed at College Hall on the campus of William & Mary College, in Williamsburg, Virginia.

1977, Rush appeared at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.

1978, Bob Dylan performed at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, Binghamton, New York.

1980, The mixing of the forthcoming John and Yoko album Double Fantasy moved from the Hit Factory in New York City to the Record Plant East. During this session, John Lennon gave one of last ever interviews to Lisa Robinson from 97-FM in Buffalo.

1980, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Congress Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.

1983, UB40 scored their first No.1 album with Labour Of Love.

1984, Culture Club had their second number one single with “Karma Chameleon,” which stayed at the top of the charts for six weeks and became the best-selling single of 1983.

1988, Bobby McFerrin started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” the first a-Capella record to be a chart topper. It made it to number two in the UK. The song was also included in the movie, Cocktail. It would go on to win Grammy Awards for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

1988, The Hollies were at number one on the UK singles chart with “He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother” after the song was used on a UK television beer commercial  The song was originally a hit in 1969 and featured a young Elton John on piano.

1990, AC/DC released The Razors Edge, their 11th internationally released studio album. The only studio album to feature drummer Chris Slade, reached number two on the chart.

1991, Nirvana’s album Nevermind was released in America, entering the chart at number 144 on its first week. The album which peaked at number one in January 1992, has now sold over 30 million copies worldwide. The idea for the iconic front cover shot of the baby swimming came after Kurt Cobain and drummer Dave Grohl saw a TV documentary on water babies.

2003, The Dave Matthews Band played at Central Park in New York City, in front of almost 100,000, the band’s largest audience to date. The Central Park Concert was later released as an album.

2004, The Strat Pack: Live in Concert was held at Wembley Arena in London marking the 50th Anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar. The concert featured Ronnie Wood, Joe Walsh, Gary Moore, Brian May, David Gilmour, Albert Lee, Andy Fairweather-Low, Hank Marvin and many more.

2012, Mumford & Sons released their second studio album Babel which debuted at number one on both the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. It became the fastest selling album of 2012 in the UK and was nominated in the category of Album of the Year for both a Brit Award and Grammy Award, winning the latter.

Born on September 24: Mel Taylor, drums, The Ventures (1934); Linda McCartney (1942); Gerry Marsden, Gerry and the Pacemakers (1942); Carson Osten, Nazz, Utopia (1946); Jerry Donahue, Fotheringay, Fairport Convention (1946); and Peter Salisbury, drums, The Verve (1971)

Link to Today in Rock History main page