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Today in Rock History – October 16

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1966, Grace Slick performs as a member of Jefferson Airplane for the first time at San Francisco’s Fillmore West after Signe Anderson bows out of the group’s lineup. Slick, who was with fellow San Francisco band Great Society, introduces the band to two new songs, her composition “White Rabbit,” and “Somebody to Love,” written by her then brother-in-law Darby Slick.

1967, Folk singer Joan Baez was arrested, along with 123 others, for blocking the entrance to an Armed Forces Induction Center in Oakland, California.

1968, Pink Floyd performed at Theatre du Huitieme in Lyon, France with a psychedelic light show by the London Arts Laboratory.

1969, Record company executive and founder of the Chess record label, Leonard Chess, died of a heart attack aged 52. Chicago based Chess was home to Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Jimmy Reed and Sonny Boy Williamson.

1969, Bobbie Gentry was atop on the UK singles chart with the Burt Bacharach and Hal David song “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again,” the singer’s only UK number one.

1970, Rod Stewart & The Faces appear at the Eastown Theater in Detroit, Michigan.

1971, Isaac Hayes releases the Theme From Shaft.” The theme music of the hit blaxsploitation film would go to number one.

1971, Neil Diamond performed at the Indiana State University Arena in Terre Haute, Indiana.

1972, Creedence Clearwater Revival split up following the failure of their most recent album, Mardi Gras. After limited success as a solo act and some legal hassles with Fantasy Records, John Fogarty would have two big hits in 1980, “Center Field” and “Rock and Roll Girl.” John’s brother Tom Fogarty died in September, 1990.

1974, The Grateful Dead played the first of five nights at the Winterland Arena, San Francisco, California.

1974, Hawkwind appear at Ellis Auditorium North Hall in Memphis, Tennessee.

1975, The Who played at the Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland.

1976, One hit wonder Rick Dees and his Cast Of Idiots went to number one on the singles chart with “Disco Duck.”

1976, Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key Of Life went to number one on the album charts, featuring the tracks “Sir Duke,” “I Wish,” and “Isn’t She Lovely.”

1977, Rush appeared at Taylor County Expo Center Coliseum, Abilene, Texas.

1978, Hawkwind played at Guild Hall, Portsmouth, England.

1979, AC/DC headlined at Towson University, Towson, Maryland.

1980, Jeff Beck appears at Cobo Arena, Detroit,Michigan.

1981, Eric Clapton played at Vejlby-Risskovhallen, Aarhus, Denmark.

1982, Culture Club appeared on UK TV’s Top Of The Pops performing “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me,” which they got thanks to Shakin’ Stevens being ill and not able to appear. The song became a major hit after their memorable performance on the music TV show.

1983, ZZ Top appeared at the Marquee Club, London.

1986, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Robert Cray joined other artists on stage in St Louis, for Chuck Berry’s 60th birthday concert, as featured in the film ‘Hail Hail! Rock & Roll’.

1992, Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary (of his recording debut) tribute concert took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Guest performers include Neil Young, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Ron Wood, and Dylan himself.

2006, CBGB, the legendary New York punk club credited with discovering Patti Smith and The Ramones, closed after a final gig by Smith herself. Blondie and Talking Heads also found fame after performing at the club, which helped launch US punk music. The venue first opened in December 1973, its full name CBGB OMFUG standing for “country, bluegrass, blues and other music for uplifting gormandizers”.

2010, Auburn University graduate student Justin Havird named a new species of fish, Lepidocephalichthys zeppelini, because the fish’s pectoral fin reminded him of the double-neck guitar used by Jimmy Page. “I’m a big Led Zeppelin fan, and I was listening to them while I was working on the fish,” Havird said. “The structure that makes this species unique just reminded me of the guitar that Jimmy Page played.”

Born on this day: Nico, The Velvet Underground (1938); Fred Turner, bass, vocals, Bachman Turner Overdrive (1943); Bob Weir, Grateful Dead (1947); Michael Balzary, (Flea), Red Hot Chili Peppers (1962); John Mayer (1977)

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Today in Rock History – October 12

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1965, The Beatles recorded “Run For Your Life” in its entirety, in five takes for their upcoming album Rubber Soul at Abbey Road Studio’s London. John Lennon later admits to lifting two lines from Elvis Presley’s 1955 hit “Baby Let’s Play House.” The group also works on another new Lennon song “This Bird Has Flown,” later known as “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown.”) The track included George Harrison’s double-tracked sitar part, the first appearance of an Indian instrument on a pop record.

1967, The Doors played at The Surf Club, Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts, supported by Ultimate Spinach.

1968, Big Brother And The Holding Company went to number one on the US album chart with Cheap Thrills. It spent a total of eight weeks in the top spot.

1968, Pink Floyd were at ORTF TV Studios in Paris where footage of the band “larking about on the London underground combined with shots of London landmarks” were used as a backdrop while the band played “Let There Be More Light.” It was broadcast on the arts program A L’Affiche Du Monde.

1968, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers appeared at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan.

1969, The English press announces that Led Zeppelin will receive “the highest fee ever paid to a British group for a one-nighter in this country,” when they appear at London’s Lyceum, though the actual amount is not revealed.

1969, A DJ on Detroit’s WKNR radio station received a phone call telling him that if you play The Beatles “Strawberry Fields Forever” backwards, you hear John Lennon say the words “I buried Paul.” This started a worldwide rumor that Paul McCartney was dead.

1971, Gene Vincent (Vincent Eugene Craddock), died from a perforated ulcer, aged 36. He had the 1956 US number seven and UK number 16 single “Be Bop A Lula.” Vincent appeared in the film, The Girl Can’t Help It with Jayne Mansfield. In 1960, while on tour in the UK, Vincent and songwriter Sharon Sheeley were seriously injured the car crash that killed Eddie Cochran.

1973, Pink Floyd perform at Munchener Olympiahalle at Olympia Park, in Munich, Germany. It was a typical 1973 show, which included Dark Side of the Moon as the second set of their shows. The support act was Fumble.

bay-city-rollers-saturday-night1974, The Bay City Rollers went to number one on the UK album chart with their debut album Rollin. The album included three British chart hits “Remember,” “Shang-a-Lang,” “Summerlove Sensation,” and the debut of “Saturday Night,” which was never a British hit, despite being a number one smash in America.

1974, If You Love Me, Let Me Know by Olivia Newton-John spent its only week at number one on the US album charts.

1974, The who album Odds and Sods is released in the US. Jim Miller in Rolling Stone calls it “flawed but interesting.”

1975, Rod Stewart and The Faces made their final live appearance when they played at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.

1975, The Allman Brothers Band appeared Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California. The Marshall Tucker Band was the opening act.

1977, Rod Stewart played at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto.

1977, The Grateful Dead performed at Manor Hall in Austin, Texas.

1978, Aerosmith appeared at the Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

1978, While living at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City, Sex Pistol Sid Vicious called the police to say that someone had stabbed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. He was arrested and charged with murder and placed in the detox unit of a New York prison.

1980, Yes performed at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1980, The Doobie Brothers played at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California.

1981, King Crimson appeared at the Music Centre, Utrecht, in the Netherlands.

1982, Van Halen performed at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1985, Ricky Wilson of the B-52’s died of complications from AIDS.

1991, Simply Red’s fourth album Stars went to number one on the UK chart for the first of five times, featuring the singles “Thrill Me,” “For Your Babies,” and the title track “Stars.” The album became the biggest seller of 1991 and 1992 in the UK spending 134 weeks on the chart.

1994, Pink Floyd played the first of a 15-night run at Earls Court, London, England. Less than a minute after the band had started playing “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” a scaffolding stand holding 1200 fans, collapsed, throwing hundreds of people 20 feet to the ground. It took over an hour to free everyone from the twisted wreckage, ninety-six people were injured, with 36 needing hospital treatment. Six were detained overnight with back, neck and rib injuries. Pink Floyd sent a free T-shirt and a note of apology to all the fans who had been seated in the stand that collapsed. The show was immediately cancelled and re-scheduled.

1997, John Denver was killed when the handmade, experimental airplane he was flying, ran out of gas and crashed off the coast of Monterrey Bay, California. The 53 year old star had scored 15 songs on Billboard’s Top 40 Pop chart, ten of which reached number one on either Billboard’s Adult Contemporary or Country chart.

2005, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee suffered minor burns at a concert in Casper, Wyoming during a pyrotechnics explosion. Lee was treated at a local hospital for the injuries to his arm and face, which occurred while he was suspended from a wire thirty feet above the stage.

2008, Oasis went to number one on the UK album chart with Dig Out Your Soul the band’s seventh and final studio album.

Born on October 12: Sam Moore, Sam & Dave (1935); Luciano Pavarotti (1935); Melvin Franklin, vocals, The Temptations (1942);  Rick Parfitt, vocals, guitar, Status Quo (1948); David Vanian, singer-songwriter, The Damned (1956); Bryn Merrick,  bass, The Damned (1958); Bob Mould, Husker Du (1960);  Martie Maguire, Dixie Chicks (1969); Jordan Pundik,  singer, guitarist New Found Glory (1979)

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Today in Rock History – October 11

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1962, The Beatles made their first appearance on the UK singles chart with “Love Me Do,” which peaked at number four.

1964, The Who performed at Wolsey Hall, Cheshunt, England.

1967, The Doors appeared at Danbury High School, Danbury, Connecticut. Before the group came on stage, an announcer told the audience not to leave their seats during the performance or they would be escorted out of the venue. There was also a beauty pageant just prior to The Doors coming on stage.

1967, The Who performed at the Civic Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

1968, Jimi Hendrix played at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.

1968, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers appeared at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1968, during a Beatles recording session at Abbey Road, six saxophonists recorded parts for “Savoy Truffle” for the forthcoming White Album. George Harrison distorted the saxophones to get the desired sound.

1969, Yes appeared at Newcastle University, Newcastle, England.

1969, One hit wonders Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Je t’aime… Moi non plus.” Banned by many radio stations for its sexual content and sounds, it is the only French language chart topper in the UK.

1970, The Who performed at the Odeon Theatre in Birmingham, West Midlands, England.  Pete Townshend introduces the audience to one of the co-authors of “Dogs, Part Two” and brings his dog Towser on stage.

1971, Pink Floyd played at the Birmingham Town Hall in Birmingham, England.

1971, Kraftwerk performed at Karlsbergsaal, St. Ingbert Saar, Germany.

1972, The Who and opening act Golden Earring appeared at Festhalle in Frankfurt, Germany for the  beginning of their European tour. It is the band’s first concert in seven months, their longest time off the stage to that date. The as-yet unreleased songs “Long Live Rock” and “Relay” are premiered.

1972, David Bowie appeared at Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri.

1972, Genesis played at St. Georges Hall, Bradford, England.

1973, The Rolling Stones performed at Grugahalle, Essen, Germany.

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

1975, Neil Sedaka started a three week run at number one on the singles chart with “Bad Blood,” his third number one. The song featured Elton John on backing vocals.

1976, Rush appeared at Memorial Centre, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

grateful-dead-771977, The Grateful Dead performed at Lloyd Noble Center on the campus of the University of Oklahoma.

1978, Black Sabbath played at Stadhalle, Offenbach, Germany.

1980, The Police scored their second UK number one album with Zenyatta Mondatta.

1981, The Rolling Stones performed at the Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California, USA, as part of a 50-date North American tour. 95 fans were arrested after trouble broke out at the venue. The tour became the largest grossing of 1981, with $50 (£31.25) million in ticket sales.

1981, The Kinks performed at the Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, Florida.

1982, Van Halen played at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1984, KISS appeared at the Gaumont Theatre, Ipswich, England.

1985, Dire Straits performed at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York.

1986, Madonna was at number one on the UK singles chart with the title track from her album True Blue, her third UK chart topper. The title came from a favorite expression of her then husband Sean Penn and was a direct tribute to him

1990, Drummer Dave Grohl played his first gig with Nirvana when they appeared at the North Shore Surf Club in Olympia.

1991, Comedian, singer, and actor Redd Foxx suffered a heart attack during rehearsals for the television series The Royal Family.  He died later that evening at the hospital. Foxx was 68. It was an ironic end to man whose character on Sanford and Son often feigned having a heart attack.

1991, Apple Computers settled a lawsuit launched by The Beatles’ record company, Apple Corporation, over the name and logo rights. The computer company reportedly paid $29 million to settle the suit.

1997, The Verve started a four-week run at number one on the UK album chart with their third album Urban Hymns. The band’s best-selling release features “Bitter Sweet Symphony,” and “The Drugs Don’t Work.”

1999, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee was released on $5000 (£3,125) bail after facing charges relating to a riot at a gig in North Carolina in 1997. Lee allegedly incited the crowd to attack a guard and had also poured a drink over his head.

2005, Freddie Mercury’s 1974 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow was offered for auction on eBay by his sister, Kashmira Cooke, who had inherited the car from him. The luxury vehicle had not appeared in public since 2002, when it had been used to transport the Bulsara family to the premiere of the Queen stage musical We Will Rock You. It came with a box of Kleenex Mansize tissues left in the car by Freddie.

2009, Barbra Streisand went to number one on the US album charts with Love Is the Answer. Streisand’s ninth number one album, making her the only artist to achieve that feat in America in five different decades.

2012, The Rolling Stones’ new single “Doom And Gloom”, was released, the first new studio recordings since 2005’s A Bigger Bang. “Doom And Gloom” was the lead single from the band’s most recent greatest hits collection, GRRR!

Born on October 11: Gary Mallaber, drums, Steve Miller Band (1946); Daryl Hall (1949); Andrew Woolfolk, sax, Earth Wind and Fire (1950); and Blair Cunningham, drums, Haircut 100 (1957); Scott Johnson, Gin Blossoms (1962); Alexander Hacke,  singer, guitarist, Einstürzende Neubauten (1965); Petra Hayden, The Decembrists (1971); Mike Smith, guitarist, Limp Bizkit (1971)

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Today in Rock History – October 10

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beatles-1964-tour1964, During a UK tour The Beatles appeared at De Montfort Hall in Leicester. Ringo Starr drove himself to the venue after taking delivery of a brand new Facel Vega, apparently reaching speeds of 140 MPH on the M6 motorway.

1965, The Who arrive at Stockholm airport in Sweden to begin their two-day tour. Unfortunately, their equipment has been flown to Gothenburg for their second stop so the band is forced to borrow instruments from their opening acts The Moonjacks and The Mascots for their show at Johanneshovs Isstadion in Stockholm.

1966, The Who played at Bath Pavilion in Bath, Somerset, England.

1967, Jimi Hendrix performed at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.

1967, The Who go into De Lane Lea Studios, London to record for BBC Radio One’s show Top Gear. It is the first time the BBC allow any musical act to record for them outside the BBC’s own studios. Alternate versions of “Pictures Of Lily” (Pete on organ), “I Can See For Miles,” (with heavy bass part), “Relax,” “Our Love Was,” (with Hawaiian guitar), “Can’t Reach You,” “A Quick One While He’s Away,” and “Someone’s Coming” are recorded along with new tracks “Summertime Blues” and “My Way.” Also recorded are five jingles, two for Top Gear and three for Radio One using altered lyrics to “Happy Jack,” “Boris The Spider” and “My Generation.”

1969, Led Zeppelin play at the Olympia in Paris, France. The show was first broadcast on French radio, November 2, 1969 on Europe1 (Musicorama program). The tape was re-discovered in the radio station’s basement in 2007 and re-broadcast on December 7, 2007.

1969, Pink Floyd appeared at the University of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England.

1969, King Crimson release their debut album, In The Court Of The Crimson King. It peaked at number five in the British charts and hit number 28 in the US.

1970, The Carpenters were at number two on the singles chart with “We’ve Only Just Begun.” The song was originally written for a TV commercial advertising a bank.

1970, Cosmos Factory by Creedence Clearwater Revival enters the eighth of nine weeks at number one on the US album charts.

1970, Black Sabbath were at number one on the UK album chart with their second album Paranoid. The album is now regarded as one of the classic Heavy Metal albums.

1970, Neil Diamond went to number one on the US singles chart with “Cracklin’ Rose,” his first chart topper as an artist. Diamond was the author of the 1966 number one hit “I’m A Believer” for The Monkees.

1970, Pink Floyd’s Atom Heart Mother is released in the US. The UK release took place on October 2nd. It would only reach number 55 on the American charts, while topping the British charts.

1972, Yes appeared at Caird Hall, Dundee, Scotland.

1973, Rod Stewart & The Faces and Rory Gallagher appeared at San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego. California.

1975, The Allman Brothers Band performed at Diablo Stadium, Tempe, Arizona.

1976, The Who appeared at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California.

Aerosmith-19781978, Joe Perry and Steve Tyler from Aerosmith were injured after a cherry bomb was thrown on stage during a gig in Philadelphia. The group performed behind a safety fence for the rest of the tour.

1978, The second Stiff Records UK tour kicked off featuring Wreckless Eric, Jona Lewie, Rachel Sweet, Lene Lovich and Micky Jupp. The UK tour was undertaken by train, and then continued on to the USA, without Jupp, who was afraid of flying.

1979, Fleetwood Mac were awarded a star on Hollywood’s Walk Of Fame.

1979, The Rose, starring Bette Midler as a self-destructive 1960s Rock star, loosely  based on Janis Joplin, premiered in Los Angeles. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Frederic Forrest), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Bette Midler, in her screen debut), Best Film Editing and Best Sound.

1980, The funeral took place of Led Zeppelin’s drummer John Bonham. Bonzo was found dead at  Jimmy Page’s house of what was described as asphyxiation, after inhaling his own vomit during an evening excessive vodka consumption, 40 shots in 4 hours. He was only 32.

1980, Blue Oyster Cult appeared at Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky

1981, The Police went to number one on the album chart with Ghost In The Machine, the band’s third number one LP.

1981, Eric Clapton performed at Scandinavium, Göteborg, Sweden.

1982, The Grateful Dead appeared at Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California.

1986, The Moody Blues played at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1988, U2 released Rattle and Hum, comprised of new studio tracks, live performances, and cover songs. It includes recordings at Sun Studios in Memphis and collaborations with Bob Dylan, BB King, and Harlem’s New Voices of Freedom gospel choir.

1987, Whitesnake went to number one on the US singles chart with “Here I Go Again,” a number nine hit in the UK.

1992, R.E.M. scored their second UK  number one album with Automatic For The People, featuring the singles “Drive,” “Everybody Hurts,” “Man On The Moon,” and “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight.” It reached number two on the US charts.

2009, Pearl Jam went to number one on the US album chart with Backspacer, the group’s ninth studio album.

Born on October 10: Alan Cartwright, Procol Harum (1945); Jerry Lacroix, Blood Sweat & Tears (1945); John Prine, singer, songwriter (1946); Midge Ure, Ultravox , Tanya Tucker,  country singer (1955); and David Lee Roth (1955); Martin Kemp, bass, Spandau Ballet (1961); Mike Malinin, guitar, vocals, Goo Goo Dolls (1967)

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Today in Rock History – October 9

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Beatles-Yesterday1965, The Beatles started a four week run at number one on the US singles chart with the Paul McCartney ballad “Yesterday,” giving the group their tenth chart topper. It was never released as a single in the UK until 1976.

1967, Jimi Hendrix performed at The Olympia Theatre in Paris.

1969, Yes appeared at Grugahalle, Essen, Germany.

1969, For the first time in the history of the show, the BBC’s Top Of The Pops producers refused to air the number one song, “Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus,” the erotic French language love song by Serge Gainsbourg and actress Jane Birkin. The song, an instrumental with the voices of Gainsbourg and Birkin apparently recorded in the act of love and superimposed over the top, caused such a stir in Britain that the original label, Fontana, dropped the record despite it being number two on the charts. A small record company, Major Minor, bought the rights and saw the song climb to the top, the first French language song to ever do so.

1970, Pink Floyd appeared at the Sales Pavilion Annex, Edmonton, Alberta.

1970,Track records releases The Who’s “See Me Feel Me” backed with “Overture From Tommy” in Britain. Derek Johnson in New Musical Express says, “I’ve tipped it for a hit because it deserves to be one, but so many fans now own the LP, that this extract must be expected to miss out on a lot of sales.“ The single fails to chart in the U.K. In the US, however,  Billboard reports that Decca Records’ “Who Month” promotion has been a huge success with retail sales of Who records “far above $4 million (£2.5 m). Decca’s vice president of marketing and creative services Tony Martell calls it “unparalleled in Decca’s history.”

1971, Rod Stewart was at number one for the second of five weeks on the US singles chart with “Maggie May.” It was first released as a B-side to “Reason To Believe.”  It was the first of six chart toppers for Stewart.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco

1971, The Who played a small, low-key show at the University of Surrey, Guildford, with guest John Sebastian joining in on harmonica on “Magic Bus,” making him the only outside musician to jam with The Who on stage. Backstage, the group celebrated John Entwistle’s 27th birthday.

1972, Led Zeppelin played at Festival Hall, Osaka, Japan.

1973, Elton John played at the Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

elvis-priscilla1973, Elvis Presley and Priscilla divorced after six years of marriage. Priscilla was awarded property, $725,000 (£453,100) cash and $4,200 (£2,625) a month support.

1974, Rush appeared on the TV show Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.

1975, Sean Taro Ono Lennon was born, the only child of John Lennon by Yoko Ono. John Lennon retired from music for five years to become a house-husband. Sean went on to become a singer, songwriter, musician and actor.

1976, The Sex Pistols signed to EMI records for £40,000 ($68,000). The contract was terminated three months later with the label stopping production of the “Anarchy In The UK” single and deleting it from its catalogue. EMI later issued a statement saying it felt unable to promote The Sex Pistols records in view of the adverse publicity generated over the last few months.

1976, One hit wonders Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band went to number one on the US singles chart with “A Fifth Of Beethoven.”

1977, Aerosmith appeared at The Spectrum, Philadelphia,Pennsylvania.

1977, Eric Clapton performed at the Honolulu International Center, Honolulu, Hawaii.

1978, Belgian singer songwriter Jacques Brel died of cancer aged 49. Artists who recorded his songs include, Ray Charles, Scott Walker, Alex Harvey, Frank Sinatra, Dusty Springfield, David Bowie, Nina Simone and Terry Jacks.

1978, Bob Dylan appeared at Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York.

1980, Black Sabbath played at the Mecca Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1980, Bruce Springsteen performed at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1981, During a North American tour The Rolling Stones played the first of two nights at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The support act was Prince, who dressed in his controversial bikini briefs and trench coat ran off stage after 15 minutes due to the crowd booing and throwing beer cans at him.

1982, Rush played at Mecca Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1983, ZZ Top performed at The Summit, Houston, Texas.

1984, The Grateful Dead performed at the Centrum Arena in Worcester, Massachusetts.  The encore was “Revolution” in honor of John Lennon’s birthday.

john-lennon-walrus1985, Marking what would have been John Lennon’s 45th birthday, Yoko Ono formally opened the three and a half acre garden at the Strawberry Fields site in New York’s Central Park. The area was planted with trees, shrubs and flowers gathered from across the world and with a $1million (£625,000) donation from Yoko.

1993, Nirvana entered the US album chart at number one with In Utero, their third and final studio album. Kurt Cobain had originally wanted to name the album “I Hate Myself and I Want to Die.”

1999, The Eurythmics, George Michael, David Bowie, Robbie Williams and Bono all appeared at Netaid an event to raise money for global poverty. The concerts in London, New York and Geneva were all broadcast live on the Internet.

2007, The Imagine Peace Tower was officially unveiled in Kollafjorour Bay near Reykjavik, Iceland. The memorial to John Lennon from his widow, Yoko Ono, consists of a tall tower of light, projected from a white stone monument that has the words “Imagine Peace” carved into it in 24 languages.

2008, Paul McCartney, a vegetarian for 30 years, was said to be furious when he heard that a Liverpool branch of McDonald’s restaurant displayed his picture, accusing them of using it to attract customers. Sir Paul was quoted as saying “What sort of morons do McDonald’s think Beatles fans are?”

Born on October 9: John Lennon (1940); John Entwistle, The Who (1944); Nona Hendryx (1944); Jackson Browne (1948); Dennis Stratton,  singer, guitarist, Iron Maiden (1952); James Fearnley, accordion, The Pogues (1954); Al Jourgensen,  singer, Ministry, Revolting Cocks (1958); Thomas Wydler, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds (1959); and Terry Balsamo, guitarist, Limp Bizkit, Evanescence (1973)

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Today in Rock History – October 7

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1966, The Rolling Stones made their last appearance on UK TV Pop show Ready Steady Go!

1966, Johnny Kidd was killed in a car crash while on UK tour in Radcliffe, Manchester. He was 27. Kidd had the 1960 UK number one single “Shakin’ All Over.”  The Guess Who covered it in 1965, and the following year it became a number one hit in Canada, and a number twenty-two hit in the US.

1966, Smiley Lewis, New Orleans R&B singer, died of stomach cancer. He wrote “One Night” covered by Elvis Presley and “I Hear You Knocking,” a 1955 US number two for Gale Storm, plus a UK number one and a US number two for Dave Edmunds.

1967, Cass Elliot from The Mamas And The Papas spent the night in a London jail after being accused of stealing from a hotel. A TV and concert appearance had to be cancelled.

1967, The Beatles rejected an offer of $1 million (£625,000) from promoter Sid Bernstein to make a second appearance at New York’s Shea Stadium. Bernstein had originally brought the group to Shea in August 1965.

1967, Pink Floyd performed at the Victoria Rooms in Bristol, England.

1968, Jose Feliciano performed a controversial version of The Star Spangled Banner before the fifth game of the World Series between the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals. As a result of his slow, Bluesy delivery, many radio stations refused to play his songs, and his career suffered.

1970, The Rolling Stones performed at Grugahalle, Essen, Germany.

1970, The Who appeared at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band headlines at Santa Fe Downs in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Cowboy, along with Cheech and Chong were support.

1971, Fairport Convention played at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.

1971, The Moody Blues performed at the St. Louis Arena in St. Louis, Missouri.

1972, David Bowie played at the Auditorium Theatre, Chicago.

1973, The Allman Brothers Band appear at the State Fairgrounds, Hamilton, New Jersey.

1974, Rick Wakeman plays the Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto.

1975, Gary Wright performed at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto

1976, John Lennon was awarded his “Green Card,” permanent residency status, at a hearing in New York which overturned previous efforts by the US Government to deport him. The three judge panel of the US Court of Appeals ruled that his 1968 arrest in Britain for possession of marijuana was “contrary to US ideas of due process, and was invalid as a means of banishing the former Beatle from America.”

1976, The Who perform at the Sports Arena in San Diego. Mothers Finest is the opening act.

1977, The Grateful Dead plays the University Arena, also known as “The Pit” at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

1977, Aerosmith performed at the Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

1978, US Music magazine Billboard reported that Marvin Gaye had twice filed bankruptcy papers earlier in the year, with debts of $7 million.

1978, The film soundtrack to Grease, featuring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John started a 13 week run at number one on the UK chart.

boston-don't-look-back1978,  Boston’s Don’t Look Back reclaimed the number one spot on the US album charts after knocking off the Grease soundtrack.

1979, Van Halen performed at The Forum, Inglewood , California.

1980, Blue Oyster Cult appeared at Wings Stadium, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

1981, The Rolling Stones played at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California.

1982, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page was given a 12-month conditional discharge after being found guilty of possessing cocaine.

1983, ZZ Top appeared at The Summit, Houston, Texas.

1984, Rod Stewart performed at the Hollywood Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, Florida.

1995, Alanis Morissette went to number one on the US album chart with Jagged Little Pill. The album went on to become the biggest selling album ever by a female artist with sales over 30 million units.

2002, Mick Jagger donated £100,000 ($150,000) to his old grammar school in Dartford to help pay for a music director and buy musical instruments. The new center was also named after Mick Jagger.

2007, Bruce Springsteen went to number one on the UK album chart with Magic, the singer-songwriter’s 15th studio album and 7th UK chart topper. It was also number one on the US charts.

2009, Barbra Streisand surprised many music industry watchers when she topped the Billboard Hot 200 for the ninth time with her latest release, “Love Is the Answer.” The CD extended Streisand’s lead as the female act with the most chart toppers in the history of the Billboard Hot 200.

Born on October 7: Al Marino, singer (1927); Colin Cooper, Climax Blues Band (1939); Kevin Godley 10cc, Godley & Creme (1945); David Hope, Kansas (1949);  John Cougar Mellencamp (1951); Tico Torres, drums, Bon Jovi (1953); Yo-Yo Ma, cellist (1955); David Taylor, Edison Lighthouse (1959); Simon Cowell (1959); Toni Braxton (1967) Thom Yorke, Radiohead (1968); Taylor Hicks (1976)

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Today in Rock History – September 16th

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are you experienced1967, Jimi Hendrix’s debut LP, Are You Experienced? entered the Billboard Hot 200 album chart, where it stayed for 106 weeks, including 77 weeks in the Top 40. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number 15 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and two years later it was selected for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress in the United States.

1967, Working at Abbey Road studios in London The Beatles recorded 11 takes of “Your Mother Should Know,” giving the song a stronger beat, but this version of the song was discarded in favor of the original recording.

1969, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Mercer University, Macon, Georgia.

1970, Led Zeppelin won “Best Group” in the Melody Maker readers Poll. This was the first time in eight years that The Beatles hadn’t won in that category.

1970, Jimi Hendrix joined Eric Burdon & War onstage to jam with them at Ronnie Scott’s Club in London which would be Hendrix’s final public appearance.

1971, During a North American tour Led Zeppelin played the first of two nights at Honolulu Civic Auditorium. Tickets cost $5.00. The Honolulu Star Bulletin wrote, “The real irony of Led Zeppelin’s two hour performance last night was that they played their own review in their last number, “Communication Breakdown.” The show itself was marred by a generally sloppy performance on the part of the group, rather noisy behavior on the part of some of the 4,000 people in attendance, and a hot and sweaty atmosphere on the part of the good old poorly ventilated Civic Auditorium. The music was limp and uneven during all but a small part of the evening.”

1972, Rod Stewart had his second UK No.1 album with Never A Dull Moment.

1972, The Grateful Dead performed at the Music Hall in Boston, Massachusetts.

1972, Three Dog Night scored their third No.1 single with “Black and White.”

1972, Wishbone Ash, Family, Steppenwolf, John Kay Band, Slade, Uriah Heep, Roy Wood and Wizzard, Wild Angels, Glencoe, Sunshine and Cold Comfort Farm all appeared at the Buxton Festival in Derbyshire, England.

1973, Genesis performed at Colston Hall, Bristol, England.

1974, Blue Oyster Cult played at the Paramount Theatre in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Supporting acts were KISS and Rush.

1976, AC/DC appeared at Rhein-Ruhr-Halle, Duisburg, Germany.

Marc Bolan of T. Rex

1977, 29-year-old former T Rex singer Marc Bolan was killed instantly when the car driven by his girlfriend, Gloria Jones, left the road and hit a tree in Barnes, London. Miss Jones broke her jaw in the accident. The couple were on the way to Bolan’s home in Richmond after a night out at a Mayfair restaurant. A local man who witnessed the crash said, “When I arrived a girl was lying on the hood and a man with long dark curly hair was stretched out in the road. There was a hell of a mess.”

1978, Boston went to No.1 on the album chart with Don’t Look Back.

1978, During a UK tour Blondie played two shows at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, with guests The Boyfriends.

1979, The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” was released. While it was not the first single to feature rapping, it is generally considered to be the song that first popularized hip hop in the United States and around the world. The song’s opening lyric “I said a hip, hop, the hippie, the hippie to the hip hip hop,” is world-renowned.

1979, The Who played at Madison Square Garden in New York.

1980, Van Halen appeared at McKale Memorial Center, Tucson, Arizona.

1981, The Kinks performed at Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan.

1989, U2 jammed with B.B. King on a boat rented for the blues legends 64th birthday in Sydney Harbour, Sydney, Australia.

1996, Pearl Jam played the first night on their No Code tour at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. Because of the band’s refusal to play in Ticketmaster’s venue areas, they were forced to use alternate ticketing companies for the shows, which fans complained were to be out-of-the-way and hard to get to.

1998, At a Sotheby’s auction a notebook belonging to former Beatles roadie Mal Evans containing the lyrics to “Hey Jude” sold for £111,500 $178,400,) a two-tone denim jacket belonging to John Lennon went for £9,200 ($14720,) and the Union Jack dress worn by Spice Girl Ginger Spice sold for £41,320 ($66,110.)

2006, Bob Dylan was at No.1 on the US album chart with Modern Times. Entering the U.S. charts at No.1, making it Dylan’s first album to reach that position since 1976’s Desire, 30 years prior. At 65, Dylan became the oldest living musician to top the Billboard albums chart. (85 year-old Tony Bennett broke this record in 2011 with his Duets album). The record also reached number one in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland.

2008, Norman Whitfield died in Los Angeles, California from diabetes and other illnesses. The Motown songwriter and producer collaborated with Barrett Strong on such hits as “I Heard It through the Grapevine,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “(I Know) I’m Losing You,” “Cloud Nine,” “War,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” and “Car Wash.”

2009, Mary Travers from Folk trio Peter, Paul And Mary, passed away after suffering from leukemia for several years. She was 72.

2013, A souvenir booklet from the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival signed by Jimi Hendrix fetched $6,500 (£4060) on eBay. The artifact also included autographs from three members of the Mamas and Papas.

Born on this day: B.B. King (1925); Joe Butler, The Lovin Spoonful (1941);  Kenny Jones, Small Faces,  The Who (1941); Bernie Calvert, bass, The Hollies (1942); David Bellamy, Bellamy Brothers (1950); Ron Blair, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1952); Richard Marx, singer, songwriter (1963); and Tramar Lacel Dillard, aka Flo Rida (1979)

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Today in Rock History – September 6

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1966, The Who begin the week  at The Palais in Ilford, Essex, England. Earlier in the day they record performances of “I’m A Boy” and “Heatwave” for British television’s Ready, Steady, GO!

1968, Working at Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles recoded overdubs onto the new George Harrison song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Eric Clapton added the guitar solo and became the first outside musician to play on a Beatles recording and George recorded his lead vocal.

1969, James Brown announced he would retire from live performances in July the following year saying “I’m tired man.”

1969, The Allman Brothers Band played at Electric Zoo in St. Petersburg, Florida.

1970, Jimi Hendrix made his final live appearance when he appeared at the Isle Of Fehmarn in Germany. The guitarist died on Sept 18, 1970 after choking on his own vomit.

1970, The Rolling Stones performed at at Liseberg Amusement Park in Gothenburg, Sweden.

1972, David Bowie appeared at Top Rank Suite, Sheffield, England.

1973, Jethro Tull played at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1974, The 101 All Stars, featuring Joe Strummer, made their debut at The Telegraph, Brixton Hill, London.

1975, Glen Campbell started a two week run at number one the US singles chart with “Rhinestone Cowboy,” his first chart topper after thirteen Top 40 hits.

1975, Jefferson Starship went to number one on the album chart with Red Octopus.

1975, Rod Stewart was at number one on the UK singles chart with his version of the Sutherland Brothers song “Sailing.” The song had been featured in the BBC TV series about HMS Ark Royal.

1977, Rush appeared at Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Superior.

1978, Record producer Tom Wilson died. He worked with various acts including Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changin’, Another Side of Bob Dylan, and Bringing It All Back Home, Frank Zappa, Freak Out!, Simon and Garfunkel Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. and The Velvet Underground, White Light/White Heat.

1980, U2 kicked off the first leg of their 29 date UK Boy tour at the General Woolfe in Coventry, England.

1980, The Grateful Dead played at the State Fairgrounds, in Lewiston, Maine.

1980, The Jam were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Start!,” the group’s second UK chart topper and taken from the band’s fifth album Sound Affects.

1985, Desperately Seeking Susan went on general release in the UK. The movie featured Madonna and Rosanna Arquette. The filmmakers had initially wanted Diane Keaton and Goldie Hawn to play the roles of Roberta and Susan. However, director Susan Seidelman decided to cast relative newcomers Rosanna Arquette, in her sixth film role, and Madonna, in her third film appearance, but first starring role.

1986, All girl group Bananarama went to number one on the US singles chart with “Venus.” The song had also been a chart topper for Dutch group Shocking Blue in 1970.

1990, Tom Fogerty, guitarist with Creedence Clearwater Revival, died aged 49, due to complications from AIDS acquired during a blood transfusion. During 1969, CCR scored three US Top Ten albums and four Top 5 singles.

1994, English keyboard player Nicky Hopkins died aged 50, in Nashville, Tennessee, of complications from intestinal surgery. Hopkins was a highly respected session musician, worked with The Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck, The Beatles, The Who, The Kinks, Small Faces, Led Zeppelin, John Lennon, George Harrison, and the Jerry Garcia Band. The Kinks song “Session Man” from Face to Face is dedicated to, and features Hopkins.

1997, Elton John recorded a new version of “Candle In The Wind” after performing the song live at Diana, Princess of Wales’ funeral. An estimated 2.5 billion people around the world watched Elton play the special tribute to Diana. The track went on to become the biggest selling single of all-time.

2008, US rock band Great White whose pyrotechnics sparked a fire that killed 100 people, agreed to pay $1 million (£564,000) to survivors and victims’ relatives. The blaze began at The Station nightclub in the Rhode Island in 2003, when the band’s tour manager shot off pyrotechnics at the start of the concert. More than 200 people were also injured in the blaze. One band member, guitarist Ty Longley, was killed in the fire. Tour manager Daniel Biechele pleaded guilty in 2006 to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter and was given parole in March after serving less than half of his four-year prison sentence.

2011, A California judge ruled that Madonna does not hold a trademark over the phrase “Material Girl” for her line of clothing just because she wrote a song by that name in 1985. A Los Angeles retailer called LA Triumph has been using the name “Material Girl” clothing and has registered it as a trademark.

Born on September 6: Jimmy Reed (1925); Dave Bargerdon, Blood Sweat & Tears (1942); Roger Waters (1943);  Claydes Smith, Kool & The Gang (1948); Pal Waaktaam, guitar, A-ha (1961); Scott Travis, drummer Judas Priest, Racer X (1961); Macy Gray (1969);

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Today in Rock History – September 2

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1965, The Doors recorded their first demo’s at World Pacific Jazz Studios in Los Angeles, California, where they cut six Jim Morrison songs.

1966, The Who played at Locarno Ballroom in Basildon, Essex, England.

1967, Pink Floyd, The Move, Soft Machine, Fairport Convention, The Nack, and Denny Lane performed at the UFO Festival held at the Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London.

1970, The Rolling Stones played at Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland.

1971, Grateful Dead’s former manager was arrested after disappearing with over $70,000 of the band’s money.

1972, Rod Stewart was at number one on the UK singles chart with “You Wear It Well,” the singers second chart topper. It was taken from his album Never A Dull Moment. In America, Gilbert O’Sullivan claimed the top spot with “Alone Againn (Naturally).

1972, The Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival was held over three days on Bull Island, near Griffin, Indiana. The Promoters expected over 50,000 music fans. More than 200,000 attended the festival. Many bands pulled out as the festival drifted steadily into anarchy. Bands that did appear included Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids, Black Oak Arkansas, Cheech and Chong, Foghat, Albert King, Brownsville Station, Canned heat, Flash, Ravi Shankar, Rory Gallagher, Lee Michaels and Frosty, The Eagles, The Amboy Dukes, and Gentle Giant. Three concert goers drowned in the Wabash River and as the festival ended, and the remnants of the crowd burned down the music stand.

1974, David Bowie played the first of seven sold-out nights on his Diamond Dogs Tour at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles, California.

1978, George Harrison married Olivia Arias at Henley-on-Thames register office.

1978, Teddy Pendergrass, the former lead singer of Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes, set out to promote his latest album Life Is A Song Worth Singing by performing a concert for women only.

1979, The Grateful Dead played at the  Civic Center in Augusta, Maine.

1984, U2 played the second of two nights at the Logan Cambell Centre, Auckland, New Zealand during their Unforgettable Fire world tour.

1988, The Human Rights Now! world tour kicked off at Wembley Stadium London with Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman and Youssu n’Dour. Taking in five continents and claiming to be the most ambitious rock tour in history.

1995, Michael Jackson went to No.1 on the US singles chart with a song written by R. Kelly “You Are Not Alone.” It holds a Guinness World Record as the first song in the 37 year history of the Billboard Hot 100 to debut at No.1.

2001, American saxophonist Jay Migliori died of cancer aged 70. As a session musician he recorded with The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra and Frank Zappa and was the founding member of Supersax, a tribute band to Charlie Parker.

2006, Lead singer of the Isley Brothers, Ronald Isley was sentenced to three years in a US prison for multiple counts of tax fraud. The 64-year-old, was also ordered to pay more than $3.1m (£1.62m) to the Internal Revenue Service for “pathological” evasion. The court heard he cashed royalty checks belonging to his brother O’Kelly, who died in 1996, and also spent millions of dollars made from undeclared performances on a yacht and two homes.

Born on September 2: Hugo Montenegro, composer (1925); Rosalind Ashford, The Vandellas, Ashford and Simpson (1943); Billy Preston (1946) and Steve Porcaro, Toto (1957)

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Today in Rock History – August 31

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1965, During a North American tour The Beatles played two shows at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California to a total of 28,700 fans.

1968, The Move, The Pretty Things, The Crazy World Of Aurthur Brown, Orange Bicycle, Jefferson Airplane, Fairport Convention and Tyrannosaurus Rex all appeared at the first Isle Of Wight Festival held over two days. Tickets, 25 shillings, ($3.00).

1968, Howlin’ Wolf performed at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan.

1969, During a North American tour Led Zeppelin appeared at the Texas International Pop Festival in Lewisville. Also on the bill, BB King, The Incredible String Band, Sam & Dave and Janis Joplin.

1970, Led Zeppelin played before 6,000 fans at the Milwaukee Arena, in a concert rescheduled from August 27th. One reviewer wrote, “The groups started slow, finished big, and the crowd unwound with them. By the end of the show the area in front of the stage was filled with hundreds of people who finally won out over the security guards.”

1971, The Rolling Stones, plus the father of Brian Jones, filed a high court writ against former managers Andrew Loog Oldham and Eric Easton. They claimed the duo made a secret deal with Decca Records in 1963 to deprive the group of royalties.

1972, David Bowie appeared at Starkers Royal Ballrooms, Boscombe, Australia.

1974, Rolling Stone Keith Richards was quoted as saying, “I gave up drugs when the doctor told me I had six months to live.”

1975, Rod Stewart and the Faces, Loggins & Messina, Fleetwood Mac and Lynyrd Skynyrd all appeared at Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California.

1976, George Harrison was found guilty of “subconscious plagiarism” of the Ronnie Mack song “He’s So Fine” when writing “My Sweet Lord.” Earnings from the song were awarded to Mack’s estate. The Chiffons then recorded their own version of “My Sweet Lord.”

1977, Yes played at Dane County Memorial Coliseum, Madison, Wisconsin.

1981, The Grateful Dead performed at the Aladdin Hotel Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada.

1984, Purple Rain, the movie-starring Prince opened at cinemas across the UK with special late night previews.

1985, Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits started a nine-week run at number one on the US album charts. The album also topped the charts in 25 other countries and went on to sell over 20 million worldwide.

1997, Oasis went to number one on the UK album chart with their third album Be Here Now. The album had sold over a million copies on the first day of release.

2007, Hilly Kristal, founder of the New York punk club CBGB died from complications arising from lung cancer at the age of 75. Kristal was credited with discovering Patti Smith and The Ramones and his club became a breeding ground for punk rock. The New York City venue, whose full title CBGB OMFUG stood for “country, bluegrass, blues and other music for uplifting gourmandisers,” was originally launched to showcase country music.

Born on August 31: Roger Dean (1944) Van Morrison and Bob Welch (1945); Rudolf Schenker, The Scorpions (1948); and Glenn Tilbrook, guitar, vocals, Squeeze (1957)

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