Stevie Ray Vaughn

Today in Rock History – May 4

May 4, 2020 by Mitch Michaels

1967, Pink Floyd performed at the Locarno Ballroom in Coventry, West Midlands, England.

1968, Steppenwolf make their first appearance on American Bandstand.

1968, The Yardbirds played at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1968, Mary Hopkin won her heat on the ITV talent show Opportunity Knocks. She later signed with The Beatles owned Apple Records, Paul McCartney produced her UK No.1 single “Those Were The Days,” which also made No. 2 in the US. Hopkin later married record producer Tony Visconti.

1968, The Who appear at Melody Fair in North Tonawanda, New York.

1969, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr all show up at the London wrap party for The Magic Christian. The film, based on Terry Southern’s novel, stars Peter Sellers and Ringo.

1969, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Central City Park in Macon, Georgia.

1970, Four Kent State Students killed, seven others wounded by Ohio National Guardsmen during demonstrations against Nixon’s invasion of Cambodia. Neil Young pens the song “Ohio” within a week and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young record and release it in early June.

1972, The Grateful Dead perform at the Olympia Theater in Paris during their fabled Europe ’72 tour.

1972, Pink Floyd played at the Music Hall in Boston on the last night of a North American tour. The show was moved from the Orpheum Theater, a smaller venue due to the high ticket demand.

1973, Led Zeppelin opened their 1973 North American tour, which was billed as the “biggest and most profitable rock & roll tour in the history of the United States.” The group would gross over $4 million from the dates, flying between gigs in “The Starship,” a Boeing 720 passenger jet, complete with bar, shower room, TV and video in a 30′ lounge and a white fur bedroom.

1973, Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention appeared at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

1974, Grand Funk Railroad started a two week run at No.1 on the singles chart with their version of the Little Eva hit “The Loco-Motion.” It was only the second time that a cover version had been a No.1 as well as the original.

1974, The film soundtrack to The Sting’by Marvin Hamlisch started a five-week run at number one on the album chart.

1975, Elvis Presley kicked off a 31- date North American Tour by playing two shows at the Civic Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

1976, David Bowie performed the first of four nights at the Empire Pool, Wembley, in London. Earlier in the day, he gave a rare interview to Jean Rook of the Daily Express.

1976, The Rolling Stones played at the AWD Dome, Bremen, Germany.

1977, The Patti Smith Group, David Johansen, Dead Boys, Blondie, Suicide and Richard Hell & The Voidoids all appeared at a Punk Benefit at CBGB’s in New York City.

1978, “Night Fever” by The Bee Gees was at number one on the UK singles chart. The group’s third chart topper and the theme from the film Saturday Night Fever. The song was a US number one for over two months.

1979, Rush appeared at the Hammersmith Odeon, London.

1980, ZZ Top performed at the Capitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jersey.

1984, King Crimson played at Kenmin Hall, Kanagawa, Japan.

1987, American blues vocalist, harmonica player Paul Butterfield, who fronted The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, died at his home in North Hollywood, California, of drug-related heart failure, he was 44. He achieved international recognition, as one of the early acts performing during the Summer of Love, at The Monterey festival and Woodstock festival.

1989, Stevie Ray Vaughan set out on what would be his last ever tour at the Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, British Columbia. The guitarist was killed in a helicopter crash on 27th Aug 1999 after a concert at Alpine Valley Music Theater in Wisconsin, after playing 107 of the 110 dates.

1996, Alanis Morissette started a six-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with Jagged Little Pill.

2004, Clement Seymour Dodd died aged 72. Producer and major force in the development of ska and reggae, made the first recordings of Bob Marley.

Born on this day – Dick Dale (1937); Nicholas Ashford, Ashford & Simpson (1942); George Wadenius, Blood Sweat & Tears (1945); Bruce Day, Santana, Pablo Cruise (1951); Randy Travis (1959); and Mike Dirnt, bass, Green Day (1972)

Get more rock history at Yeah Baby Tunes

Eleven of the Best Rock Concerts I Have Attended

April 6, 2020 by Steve Leventhal

I have been fortunate to go to a lot of rock concerts in my lifetime. Considering what tickets cost today, those old ducats from the seventies and eighties turned out to be pretty good deals. Most of those ticket prices were under twenty bucks. The late seventies concerts were all under ten dollars. Compared to today’s prices, those old shows were an absolute bargain. I’ve seen a lot of artists that are no longer with us, such as Jerry Garcia, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Gregg Allman, Lou Reed, Keith Emerson, Freddie Mercury, BB King, and Jaco Pastorius, the great bass player for Weather Report. Other than completing artists or bands on my bucket list, I’m not too keen anymore to shell out big bucks being charged today. In many cases I’d rather see up and coming artists in small venues, or good cover bands in clubs.

This is compilation of some of the most outstanding performances I’ve personally witnessed to date. The Fleetwood Mac concert in March 1977 would have been included, but I’ve written about that show already. That story is linked here, so it was omitted from this list.

James Taylor – Carmichael Auditorium – Chapel Hill – March 3, 1982

This was JT’s triumphant return to his hometown. Taylor’s father was a professor at the UNC School of Medicine, ultimately becoming the school’s dean, Rumors had been circulating for years that Taylor had no desire to perform in the Chapel Hill. Supposedly, the author of “Carolina In Mind” had too many bad memories from his adolescence here, that fueled his depression and subsequent drug addiction. Thus, he avoiding performing in the area. However, he received a hero’s welcome, the audience went nuts, and Taylor fed off the vibe. Carmichael was not particularly known for its acoustics, but never sounded better. JT even improvised the lyrics to “You’ve Got a Friend” to include a reference to local Highway 15-501 that connects Durham and Chapel Hill.

Queen – Greensboro Coliseum – North Carolina – August 14, 1980

At the time, Queen was one of the hottest bands in the world. They were touring in support of their ninth studio album, “The Game” which would top the album charts in both the US and UK. If you’ve ever seen video from a Queen concert of that period, you see what an incredible performer Freddie Mercury was. He pranced. He danced, he played and sang. We had no idea that he would be gone eleven years later. But that night, he owned the place with an 27-song epic set.

Setlist: Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You, Let Me Entertain You, Need Your Loving Tonight, Play the Game, Mustapha, Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to…), Killer Queen, I’m in Love With My Car, Somebody to Love, Get Down Make Love, You’re My Best Friend, Save Me, Now I’m Here, Fat Bottomed Girls, Love of My Life, Keep Yourself Alive, Drum & Guitar Solos, Brighton Rock, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down; Encore: Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen

R.E.M. – NC Benefit for Africa – Meredith College – May 27, 1985

In the wake of Live Aid, a lot of Africa relief concerts took place. One was organized at a beautiful outdoor amphitheater at Meredith College in Raleigh. The show featured seven or eight popular bands local with R.E.M. as the headliner. They were gracious enough to allow the fledgling UNC Student Television to film their performance, which featured songs from the soon-to-be-released third album “Fables of the Reconstruction.” Don Dixon, whose band Arrogance also graced the stage that day, and was a producer on their first two albums, joined the band for “Don’t Go Back To Rockville” and a cover of “Wild Thing.”

Complete show:

https://youtu.be/y0VrM-qYnkw

Paul Simon – Civic Opera House – Chicago – March 13, 1987

Simon brought his Graceland tour to Chicago’s historic, art deco Opera House. Simon, and his band, along with Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo played songs from the Grammy award winning album. It was a perfect setting for the acapella music, rhythmic dancing, and solo music by the South African artists. The 3500-seat auditorium may not be small compared to the club scene, but it’s far more intimate than the ten thousand plus seat amphitheaters and concert halls favored by rock stars.

U2 – Rosemont Horizon – Rosemont, IL – April 29, 1987

This was my first U2 concert, having missed another epic show which took place at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill four years earlier. The Rosemont show more than made up for it. The band had graced the cover of Time magazine two days earlier with the headline, “Rock’s Hottest Ticket,” and the show has become synonymous with that epithet. It remains a very popular U2 fan bootleg, which is surprising since the arena is not known for its acoustics. But the band and the audience connected, and the rest is history.

Frank Zappa – Auditorium Theatre – Chicago – March 4, 1988

One of the most underrated musical geniuses of all time brought his satirical Broadway the Hard Way tour to Chicago’s palatial Auditorium Theatre. Zappa loved to skewer anything and everything musically. His target this time was the disgraced preacher Jimmy Swaggert. Using a medley of Beatles songs and his lyrics, Zappa proceeded to eviscerate the televangelist in song. In addition, he brought Sting onstage, and they played “Murder by Numbers,” a Police song. Even better, he tossed some Zeppelin and Allman Brothers into the mix that magical evening.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/frank-zappa/1988/auditorium-theatre-chicago-il-5bd0ef74.html

Neville Brothers – Skyline Stage, Navy Pier – Chicago – May 27, 1989

One of New Orleans’ best known musical families kicked off a series of “twilight concerts” at the recently renovated Skyline Ballroom in the summer of 1989. They were on tour to promote their fourth studio album “Yellow Moon.” Even though the show was broadcast live on radio station WXRT, it was still a hot ticket. Anyone who was there can attest as to what a great vibe there was in the room. The band dug it also and played beyond their allotted time as the crowd urged them on.

Stevie Ray Vaughn / Jeff Beck – UIC Pavilion – Chicago – October 28, 1989

This was the first of two times I was fortunate enough to see SRV in concert. The second show was his final performance, the night he perished in a tragic helicopter accident. The tour was dubbed “The Fire Meets The Fury.” Beck and Vaughn traded opening slots on a 29-date tour. For me this show is as noteworthy for what happened afterwards. On the chance that Vaughn might make a post concert appearance at one of the local blues clubs, something he was known for, my buddy Otis and I went to Kingston Mines. SRV did go to a blues club, but not the Mines. He was spotted at Buddy Guy’s southside establishment. However, we did meet Buddy Miles, and and we hung out all night with the former member of Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys and Carlos Santana collaborator.

Here’s a video of Beck and Vaughn from the Chicago show

https://youtu.be/84_UvByGDkM

The Grateful Dead – Pine Knob Music Theatre – Clarkston, MI – June 20, 1991

I was lucky enough to see the Dead fifty times between 1985 and Jerry Garcia’s last show in July, 1995. As any Deadhead will tell you, no two Grateful Dead shows are alike. The venue, the tour, the year, the people, and the vibe made every performance a unique event. City arena shows were very different than outdoor amphitheaters in remote locations like Alpine Valley, or Pine Knob, forty miles outside of Detroit. What made this particular show memorable for me (and many others) was the song order of the second set, which seemed to go in reverse of a typical second set with “Throwing Stones” as the opening salvo. “All Along the Watchtower” and “Iko-Iko are presented outside of their normal settings, before the lengthy set closes with a reprise of “Throwing Stones” and Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away,” followed by an encore of the fan favorite “Brokedown Palace.”

Set 1: Touch of Grey, Greatest Story Ever Told, El Paso, Mexicali Blues > Maggie’s Farm, Bird Song

Set 2: Throwing Stones, Iko Iko, All Along The Watchtower, Standing On the Moon, He’s Gone > Drums > Space > The Wheel > I Need A Miracle > Walkin’ Blues > Throwing Stones > Not Fade Away, E: Brokedown Palace

Phish – Biddy Mulligan’s – Chicago – April 13, 1991

When the discussion turns to talk about the best band I saw in a small venue, this is my show to brag about. One of my Deadhead friends from New England kept raving about this band from Vermont, so I promised to see their next show in Chicago. Little did I know they’d be packing arenas and amphitheaters for years to come. Biddys was relatively small club on the far north side of town, almost at the Evanston border. From the early seventies until its demise in 2003, the club featured a lot of the local blues greats like Koko Taylor, Muddy Waters, and Buddy Guy, along with national talent like Wishbone Ash, Eric Burdon, and Blues Traveler. I remember seeing Leon Russell there. The posted capacity was 400, and I’m sure there were at least 500 folks that chilly April evening. The place was jam packed, and I was lucky to get a spot near the soundboard. The set was a mix of songs from 1990’s “Lawn Boy” and the yet to be released “A Picture of Nectar.” Most memorable for me was the inclusion of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” as the show closer. I haven’t attended a Phish concert since, because I’m not sure it could ever surpass that experience.

Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens – Oriental Theatre – Chicago – September 30, 2016

After a near death experience in 1976, this musical treasure of the late sixties and early seventies converted to Islam, and stopped performing for nearly thirty years. Songs like “Moonshadow,” “Peace Train,” and “Wild World” were soft rock and FM radio staples. When he finally returned to touring, I put him at the top of my concert bucket list. The time off has kept his remarkable voice nearly intact, and he not only played his hits, but told the stories behind the songs, and delved into his musical catalog for some deep gems. The whole show was his life story, complete with a stage set recreating the small room above his parents restaurant in the London of his youth.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/yusuf-islam/2016/oriental-theatre-chicago-il-3bfdcc5c.html

Honorable mentions:

David Byrne – Arie Crown Theatre – Chicago – September 1992
Tom Tom Club – Paradiso – Amsterdam – April 2001
Prince – Super Bowl Halftime Show – Miami – February 2007
Steve Miller Band – Ravinia Festival – July 2009
Brian Wilson – Ravinia Festival – July 2013
Allman Brothers Band – Chicago Theatre – August 2013

Today in Rock History – March 2

March 2, 2020 by Mitch Michaels

1967, The ninth annual Grammy Awards are held. Frank Sinatra’s Sinatra, A Man and His Music wins Album of the Year, while “Strangers in the Night” is named Record of the Year. John Lennon and Paul McCartney win the Song of the Year Grammy for “Michelle.”

1967, Engelbert Humperdinck was at number one on the singles chart with “Release Me.” The singer’s first of two number ones, the song spent six weeks at the top of the chart and a record fifty-six weeks on the chart.

1968, Blue Cheer give birth to heavy metal when their interpretation of “Summertime Blues” is released. The single goes to number 14.

1968, “Call Me Lighting” backed with “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” enters the US charts. It reaches number 40 in the Billboard charts and number 38 in Cash Box. That night The Who perform at New Edmonton Gardens in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. After the show they are thrown out of their hotel’s English-style pub for having long hair. In response John writes the song “What Are We Doing Here?”

1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono perform at a jazz festival in Cambridge, England, where they record “Let’s Go On Flying,” “Snow Is Falling All the Time,” “Don’t Worry Kyoko,” “Song for John,” and “Cambridge 1969.” It’s the first time a Beatle has performed solo.

1970, Genesis appears at the Mistrale Club, Beckenham, in the London Borough of Bromley, England.

1972, Yes appeared at the Onondaga County War Memorial, Syracuse, New York.

1973, David Bowie played at the Masonic Temple Auditorium, Detroit, Michigan.

1974, Stevie Wonder won four awards at the Grammys. Innervisions is named Album of the year, while Best R&B song and Best vocal go to “Superstition” and “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” wins for Pop vocal performance. Joel Dorn (producer) and Roberta Flack take home a statue for “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”

1974, Terry Jacks started a three week run at number one on the singles chart with “Seasons In The Sun.”

1975, A policeman who stopped a Lincoln Continental for running a red light in Los Angeles was surprised to find Paul McCartney at the wheel with his wife Linda. The cop detected a smell of marijuana and on searching the car found eight ounces of the drug. Linda was arrested for the offense.

1976, The Who appeared at the Pavillon de Paris, Paris.

1977, Black Sabbath performed at The Apollo, Glasgow, Scotland.

1977, The Jam played the first of a five-week Wednesday night run at The Red Cow, Hammersmith, London. The group had just signed a four-year recording contract with Polydor records.

1977, AC/DC appeared at The Top Rank in Swansea, England.

1977, David Bowie and Iggy Pop played at Newcastle City Hall, Newcastle, England.

1978, Eric Clapton performed at the Boutwell Auditorium, Birmingham, Alabama.

1979, Rush appeared at the Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, Texas.

1979, Stevie Ray Vaughn played at Soap Creek Saloon, Austin, Texas.

1980, ZZ Top performed Dane County Coliseum, Madison, Wisconsin.

1983, A new digital audio system, a five-inch compact disc containing up to 1 hour of music was launched by Sony, Philips and Polygram.

1985, Phil Collins started a five-week run at number one on the UK chart with his third solo LP No Jacket Required.

1985, The Smiths were at number one on the UK indie charts with “How Soon Is Now.”

1991, 21 years after it’s first release, “All Right Now” by Free made it to number two in the UK singles chart after being re-issued to coincide with its use in a Wrigley’s Chewing gum TV ad.

1991, French singer Serge Gainsbourg died of a heart attack. Famous for his 1969 UK chart topping duet with Jane Birkin on “Je t’aime… Moi non plus.” During his career, he wrote the soundtracks for more than 40 films.

1996, Oasis scored their second UK number one single when “Don’t Look Back In Anger” went to number one. From the band’s What’s The Story Morning Glory‘album. It was the first Oasis single to feature Noel on lead vocals instead of his brother, Liam Gallagher.

1999, Dusty Springfield died after a long battle against cancer, aged 59. The British singer had her first UK hit single in 1963 with “I Only Want To Be With You,” which reached number four, the 1966 UK number one and US number four single with “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me,” plus over 15 other UK Top 40 singles.

2003, Singer, songwriter Hank Ballard died from throat cancer. He wrote and recorded “The Twist” but it was only released on the B-side of a record. One year later, Chubby Checker debuted his own version of “The Twist” on Dick Clark’s Philadelphia television show. It topped the charts and launched a dance craze that prompted the creation of other Twist songs, including “Twist and Shout” by the Isley Brothers and “Twistin’ the Night Away” by Sam Cooke.

2008, Canadian guitarist, singer, Jeff Healey, died of cancer. Healey lost his sight to retinoblastoma, a rare cancer of the eyes when he was eight months old, resulting in his eyes being surgically removed. After living cancer-free for 38 years, he developed sarcoma in his legs. Despite surgery for this, the sarcoma spread to his lungs and ultimately was the cause of his death. Healey released over 12 albums, presented a long running radio show and worked with many artists including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, BB King, ZZ Top & Eric Clapton.

2013, A pencil doodle by Paul McCartney when he was a teenager sold for over $5,000. The sketches were drawn by McCartney during the late 1950’s while a student at the Liverpool Institute High School For Boys. The drawings showed multiple faces with different expressions on a single sheet of paper in pencil. The auction house said the drawing sold for £3,764 ($5,692)

Born on March 2: Kurt Weill (1900); Lawrence Payton, American singer-songwriter, producer, Four Tops (1938); Lou Reed (1942); Rory Gallagher (1949); Karen Carpenter (1950); Dale Bozzio, American singer, Missing Persons (1955); John Cowsill (1956); Mark Evans, bass, AC/DC (1956); John Bon Jovi (1962); Chris Martin, singer-songwriter, Coldplay (1977);

Get more Today in Rock History

Bob Dylan, Rock History – February 4

February 4, 2020 by Mitch Michaels

1966, Bob Dylan and The Band played at the Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky. This was the first date on a world tour which would become significant as the first outing in which Dylan used electric instruments, after he had gone “electric” at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.

1966, The Who play the Astoria Theatre in Finsbury Park, North London. The supporting acts are Screamin’ Lord Sutch & the Savages, the Merseys, the Fortunes and the Graham Bond Organization.

1967, The Rolling Stones’ Between the Buttons enters the UK chart at number three.

1967, this was the last week of a thirteen weeks atop the US album charts for The Monkees self-titled debut album. It would be knocked off on February 11 by the followup, More of the Monkees.

1968, Billed as ‘Tour 60 cities in 66 Days’ The Jimi Hendrix Experience appeared at the Winterland in San Francisco.

1968, Working at Abbey Road studios, London, The Beatles recorded “Across The Universe.” John and Paul decided the song needed some falsetto harmonies so they invited two girl fans into the studio to sing on the song. The two were Lizzie Bravo, a 16-year-old Brazilian living near Abbey Road, and 17-year-old Londoner Gayleen Pease.

1970, John Lennon and Yoko Ono donated their hair for an auction in aid of the Black Power movement.

1972, Genesis appeared at the Hippodrome in Bristol, England.

1973, Pink Floyd played at the Palais des Sports de la Porte de Versailles, Paris.

1972, In a memo to Attorney General John Mitchell, South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond suggests that John Lennon be deported.

1974, Pink Floyd release “Time” backed with “Us and Them” as a 7-inch single in the US.

1975, Led Zeppelin performs at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.

1975, American jazz, blues, songwriter and saxophonist Louis Jordon died aged 66. Known as “The King of the Jukebox,” between 1942-1950 he scored eighteen number one singles and fifty-four Top Ten hits on the US R&B chart.

1976, David Bowie appeared at Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon.

1977, This was the 25th anniversary show of TV’s American Bandstand, which began as a local program on WFIL-TV, Channel 6 in Philadelphia on October 7, 1952.

1977, Aerosmith played at the Kyoden-Taiiku-Kan, Fukuoka, Japan.

1977, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours is released. The album shoots to the top of US album charts, staying there for 31 weeks. More than 17 million copies have been sold in the U.S.

1978, The Bee Gees started a four week run at number one on the singles chart with “Staying Alive.” It came from the film soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever, it gave the Gibb brothers their fifth number one.

1979, The Grateful Dead appeared at the Dane County Coliseum in Madison, Wisconsin.

1981, The Who performed at the Rainbow Theatre in London.

1982, Scottish singer Alex Harvey died of a heart attack while waiting to take a ferry back to shore after performing a concert with his new band, the Electric Cowboys. In an ambulance on the way to the hospital, he suffered a second heart attack, this one fatal. It occurred on the day before his 47th birthday, in Zeebrugen, Belgium. Formed Alex Harvey Big Soul Band in 1959 and then mid 1960’s band Tear Gas. He had the 1975 UK number seven single with Sensational Alex Harvey Band “Delilah” and 1975 album Next.

1983, Karen Carpenter died aged 32 of a cardiac arrest at her parent’s house in Downey, California. The coroner’s report gave the cause of death of imbalances associated with anorexia nervosa. The Carpenters’ 1970 album Close to You, featured two hit singles, (“They Long to Be) Close to You” and “We’ve Only Just Begun.” They peaked at number one and two respectively on the singles chart. In Playboy‘s annual opinion poll for 1975, its readers voted Karen Carpenter the Best Rock Drummer of the year.

1984, Culture Club started a three-week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Karma Chameleon” the group’s 5th US Top 10 hit, also a chart topper in the UK.

1984, The Eurythmics scored their first UK number one album with their second release Touch, featuring the singles “Here Comes The Rain Again,” “Who’s That Girl,” and “Right By Your Side.”

1984, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble kicked off their 114-date Couldn’t Stand the Weather tour at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.

1985, Prince performed at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1992, Pearl Jam appeared at The Borderline in London, England, tickets cost £5 ($8.50.)

1999, Rykodisc becomes the first music label to give its stamp of approval to the MP3 music format.

2001, Jimmy Buffett is thrown out of a New York Knicks – Miami Heat basketball game after verbally abusing a referee.

2009, Erick Lee Purkhiser, aka Lux Interior, singer and founding member of The Cramps died aged 62. He met his wife, better known as Poison Ivy, born Ivy Rorschach, in Sacramento in 1972, when he and a friend picked her up when she was hitchhiking. The couple later founded The Cramps.

Born on February 4: John Steel, The Animals (1942); Florence Larue, The 5th Dimension (1944); Margie and Mary Ann Ganser, vocalists, The Shangri-Las (1947); Vincent Furnier, aka Alice Cooper (1948); Phil Ehart, Kansas (1950); Jerry Shirley, Humble Pie (1951); Clint Black, country singer (1962)

Today in Rock History home page

Today in Rock History – November 24

November 24, 2019 by Mitch Michaels

1966, The Beatles got together for the first time since their return from the summer tour of the United States, ready to record a new album. The first song selected for recording was John’s “Strawberry Fields Forever,” which would end up, not on the album, but on The Beatles’ next single. This day’s session was devoted entirely to “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

1966, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, Bryan Hyland, and Distant Cousins appeared at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

1967, The Who play The Swinging Gate in Fort Wayne, Indiana. After the show The Who go to local booking agent Linda Wren’s home for Thanksgiving dinner.

1968, Jefferson Airplane played at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan.

1968, Diana Ross and The Supremes were at number one on the US singles chart with “Love Child,” their eleventh chart topper in the US. The song is also notable for knocking off and keeping The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” off the top spot in the US.

1969, The Rolling Stones played at the Detroit Olympia, Detroit, Michigan.

1971, Led Zeppelin appeared at Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England.

1972, King Crimson performed at Essex University, Colchester, England.

1973, Ringo Starr went to number one on the US singles chart with “Photograph.” This was his first of two US chart toppers as a solo artist. Written by Starr and George Harrison, the promotional film shot for the single showed Starr walking around his new house at the time, Tittenhurst Park, which had been previously the home of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and where the Imagine promo film was shot.

1974, Genesis appeared at the Masonic Temple, Indianapolis, Indiana.

1974, Roxy Music played at the Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.

1975, The Who performed at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia.

1976, Chicago started a three-week run at number one on the UK singles chart with “If You Leave Me Now,” the American group’s only UK chart topper. It went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance.

1976, Rush played at Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California.

1977, Yes appeared at Ahoy-Hallen Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

1978, David Bowie played the first of two sold-out nights at the RAS Show Grounds, in Sydney, Australia, during his 8-date Low/Heroes tour of Australia and New Zealand.

1978, The Grateful Dead appeared at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey.

1979, Stevie Ray Vaughn performed at Lupo, in Providence, Rhode Island.

1980, Bruce Springsteen played at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1980, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia.

1981, Alice Cooper headlined at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto.

1984, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee married his girlfriend, nude model Candice, aka Elaine Margaret Starchuk. The marriage lasted one month. Lee has also been married to actress Heather Locklear, and the former Playboy Playmate, and Baywatch star, Pamela Anderson.

1991, Eric Carr (Paul Charles Caravello,) drummer with Kiss died aged 41, of complications from cancer in a New York hospital. Carr replaced Peter Criss in 1980 and remained a band member until he became ill in 1991. For his Kiss stage persona, Carr was known as “The Fox.”

1991, Freddie Mercury died of complications from AIDS at his home in London’s Holland park aged 45, just one day after he publicly admitted he was HIV positive. Mercury was openly bisexual and enjoyed a colorful rock star lifestyle. During his career with Queen he scored over forty UK Top 40 singles, including the worldwide number one “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

1992, Bill Wyman’s divorce was finalized with the high court awarding his ex wife Mandy Smith £580,000 ($928,000.) The Rolling Stones bassist had started to date Smith when she was 13, the marriage lasted for two years.

1993, American blues guitarist and singer Albert Collins died of lung cancer aged 61. He was known as ‘The master of the telecaster.” He shared a Grammy for the 1985 album Showdown! which he recorded with Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland.

2002, Robbie Williams started a five week run at number one on the UK album chart with his fifth studio album Escapology. The album became the best selling album of 2002 in the United Kingdom, selling 1.2 million copies.

2002, Jay-Z was at the top of the US album charts with The Blueprint 2, the rapper’s first US number one album.

2006, Winners at the American Music Awards included, Kelly Clarkson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shakira, Jamie Foxx, Nickelback, Sean Paul, Black Eyed Peas, Eminem, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw and Mary J. Blige. Nelly Furtado, John Mayer, and Fall Out Boy.

2008, English drummer Michael Lee died from a seizure at age 39. Lee had worked with Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Little Angels, The Cult, Ian Gillan, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Quireboys, and Thin Lizzy.

Born on November 24: Donald “Duck” Dunn (1941); Pete Best (1941) Bev Bevan, ELO (1944); Lee Micheals (1945); Clem Burke, drummer, Blondie (1955); Chris Hayes, Huey Lewis and the News (1957); John Squire, guitar, The Stone Roses (1962); Chad Taylor, guitarist, Live (1970)

Link to Today in Rock History archives.

Today in Rock History – November 22

November 22, 2019 by Mitch Michaels

1963, The Beatles released their second album With The Beatles, which spent 51 weeks on the UK charts.

1963, President John F. Kennedy is shot in Dallas, Texas as his motorcade passes through downtown. He is pronounced dead at Parkland Medical Center.

1964, The Who appeared at the Goldhawk Social Club in London.

1965, Bob Dylan married Sara Lowndes in New York. Sara filed for divorce on March 1, 1977.

1965, Wilson Pickett appeared at The Flamingo Club, London, England.

1965, The Who tape their Saturday Club appearance at Aeolian Hall, Studio One of the BBC. Songs recorded live in studio, and released 35 years later on BBC Sessions, are “My Generation,” “The Good’s Gone,” and “La La La Lies.”

1967, Pink Floyd performed shows at 6:30 and 8:50 pm at the Guildhall in Portsmouth, England.

1968, The Beatles double White Album was released in the UK. Featuring “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” “Dear Prudence,” “Helter Skelter,” “Blackbird,” “Back In The USSR,” and George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Most of the songs on the album were written during March and April 1968 at a Transcendental Meditation course in Rishikesh, India. The group returned to EMI Studios in May with recording lasting until October. During these sessions, arguments broke out among the Beatles, and witnesses in the studio saw band members quarrel over creative differences.

1968, Iron Butterfly, Canned Heat and The Youngbloods played the first of two nights at New York’s Fillmore East, tickets cost $3 – $5 (£1.79 – £3.13.)

1968, Pink Floyd appeared at Crawdaddy, held at The Club House, Richmond Athletic Club, Richmond, England, supported by Arcadium.

1968, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, along with Cat Mother and the All Night Newsboys, played at Memorial Coliseum in Jacksonville, Florida.

1969, Iron Butterfly supported by Steel Mill, featuring Bruce Springsteen, appeared at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. The gig was held in the school’s 3,500- seat Crenshaw Gymnasium

1970, Black Sabbath performed at the Fillmore West, San Francisco.

1970, Deep Purple appeared at Fairfield Hall, Croydon, England.

1971, Yes appeared at Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia.

1972, Roxy Music played at University of York, Hesslington, York, England.

1972, The Grateful Dead performed at Municipal Auditorium in Austin, Texas. The set list: Promised Land, Sugaree, Mexicali Blues, Loser, Black Throated Wind, China Cat Sunflower-> I Know You Rider, Beat It On Down The Line, Candyman, El Paso, Bird Song, Playin’ In The Band, Casey Jones Greatest Story Ever Told, He’s Gone-> Truckin’-> Drums-> The Other One-> Stella Blue, Big River, Ramble On Rose, Sugar Magnolia, Brokedown Palace, Around & Around, One More Saturday Night, Encore: Uncle John’s Band

1973, Genesis played at the Felt Forum in New York.

1974, Elton John appeared at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1975, KC and the Sunshine Band started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with “That’s The Way (I Like It,)” the group’s second US chart topper of the year.

1975, A single from The Who By Numbers, “Squeeze Box” backed with “Success Story” is released in the US. It reaches number ten in the Billboard charts and number eleven in Cash Box. It also spends sixteen weeks in the Billboard Top One Hundred, the longest charting of any Who single in America.

1976, Neil Young and Crazy Horse performed at the Music Hall, Boston.

1976, Tangerine Dream played at Palais du Sport Paris, Paris.

1977, Rush appeared at the Stanley Theater, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1978, Hawkwind performed at Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, England.

1979, Stevie Ray Vaughn played at the Cascade Room at the Knickerbocker Cafe, Westerly, Rhode Island.

1980, Abba scored their sixth UK number one album when Super Trouper started a nine week run at the top of the charts. The album which features the chart topping singles “The Winner Takes It All” and “Super Trouper,” became the biggest-selling title of 1980 in the UK.

1981, At Chicago’s Checker Board Lounge, blues giant Muddy Waters is joined by fans Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood for a jam onstage.

1983, ZZ Top appeared at the Apollo Theatre, Manchester, England.

1986, The Human League went to number one on the US singles chart with “Human,” making them the 8th UK act to score a US number one single in 1986.

1994, Pearl Jam released their third studio album Vitalogy, which was first released on vinyl, and became the first vinyl album to appear on the US chart, since the domination of the compact disc format. They followed the release in other formats two weeks later, whereupon it became the second-fastest-selling CD in history, behind only the band’s previous release Vs.

1997, INXS singer Michael Hutchence was found dead in his hotel suite in Sydney. He was 37. Hutchence’s body was found at 11:50 am, naked behind the door to his room. He had apparently hanged himself with his own belt and the buckle broke away and his body was found kneeling on the floor and facing the door. It had been suggested that his death resulted from an act of auto eroticism, although no forensic or other evidence to substantiate that suggestion was found.

2002, The surviving members of The Doors, Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger, announced they would record and tour again with a new line up including ex- Cult singer Ian Astbury and former Police drummer Stewart Copeland. Original drummer John Densmore was not able to take part because he was suffering from severe tinnitus.

2005, Poems written by Bob Dylan in his college days sold for $78,000 (£45,000) at a New York City auction. The sixteen pages of poems were the first known time Robert Zimmerman used the Dylan name and came from his studies at the University of Minnesota during 1959-60.

2010, After just one week of availability on the iTunes store, The Beatles’ music sold more than 450,000 albums and 2 million individual songs. The Fab Four’s debut on iTunes was accompanied by an extensive world-wide marketing campaign.

Born on November 22: Jesse Colin Young, The Youngbloods (1941); Floyd Sneed, drums, Three Dog Night (1943); Steven Van Zandt, South Side Johnny, E Street Band, Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul (1949); Tina Weymouth, bass, Talking Heads (1950); Karen O, singer, Yeah Yeah Yeahs (1978)

Link to Today in Rock History archive.

Today in Rock History – November 18

November 18, 2019 by Mitch Michaels

1963, The Beatles received silver LP discs for Please Please Me and With the Beatles at a ceremony held at EMI House in London. They also received a silver EP for Twist and Shout, and a silver single for “She Loves You.” The band then attend a cocktail party and a formal lunch in the EMI boardroom with company executives and invited guests.

1964, On the TV show Shindig! the Supremes sing “Baby Love” and “Come See About Me.” The Righteous Brothers also perform their non-hit “Little Latin Lupe Lu.”

1965, Manfred Mann, The Yardbirds and Paul and Barry Ryan all appeared at the ABC Cinema, Stockton, Cleveland, North East England.

1966, The Who played at City Hall in Perth, Australia.

1967, Pink Floyd performed two shows at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, as part of a UK tour with The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Move, and other lesser acts.

1967, The Who play the Festival of Music at the Cow Palace in San Francisco with The Association, the Everly Brothers, Eric Burdon and the New Animals, Sopwith Camel, and the Sunshine Company. The Who are the curtain closers for the first half of the show.

1971, Memphis blues singer and musician Herman “Junior” Parker died during surgery for a brain tumor. He was 39 years old. Parker was discovered in 1952 by Ike Turner, who signed him to Modern Records. Parker then signed to Sun Records in 1953. There, they produced three successful songs including “Feelin’ Good,” a number five on the Billboard R&B charts.

1971, Led Zeppelin played at Sheffield University in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.

1972, Cat Stevens started a three-week run at number one on the US album chart with Catch Bull At Four.

1972, Danny Whitten died of a drug overdose aged 29. He was a member of Neil Young’s Crazy Horse and writer of “I Don’t Wanna Talk About It,” covered by Rod Stewart, Rita Coolidge and Everything But The Girl. The Neil Young song “The Needle and the Damage Done” was written about Whitten’s heroin use, before he died of an overdose.

1973, Roxy Music appeared at Leicester University, Leicester, England.

1974, Genesis released the double concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, their sixth studio album, and the last album by the group to include lead singer Peter Gabriel.

1975, Bruce Springsteen made his live debut in the UK at London’s Hammersmith Odeon. His set list was comprised of Thunder Road, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, Spirit in the Night, Lost in the Flood, She’s the One, Born to Run, The E Street Shuffle / Havin’ a Party, It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City, Backstreets, Kitty’s Back, Jungleland, Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) Encores: 4th of July Asbury Park (Sandy), Detroit Medley, For You, and a cover of Gary US Bonds’ Quarter To Three.

1976, Richard Hell and the Voidoids made their debut at CBGB’s New York. Hell was an innovator of punk music and fashion and was one of the first to spike his hair and wear torn, cut and drawn-on shirts, often held together with safety pins. Malcolm McLaren, manager of the Sex Pistols, has credited Hell as a source of inspiration for the Sex Pistols’ look and attitude.

1977, Aerosmith performed at Henry Levitt Arena, Wichita, Kansas.

1978, Billy Joel went to number one on the US album charts for seven weeks with his sixth studio album, 52nd Street. His first US chart topping album was also the first commercial album to be released on compact disc, by Sony Music Entertainment. Joel the 1979 Grammy for Album of the Year.

1978, Rush played at Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, California.

1980, KISS appeared at the Adeleaide Fairgrounds, Adelaide, Australia.

1981, The Allman Brothers Band performed at Bell Auditorium, Augusta, Georgia.

1983, Black Sabbath played at the UIC Pavilion, Chicago.

1983, R.E.M. made their first appearance outside the US when they appeared on Channel 4 UK TV show The Tube. The following night they made their live UK debut when the played at Dingwalls in London.

1984, Guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan wins Entertainer of the Year and Blues Instrumentalist of the Year at the W.C. Handy National Blues Awards.

1987, Performing a second night in Los Angeles, U2 decide to support themselves as a fictional country group called the Dalton Brothers.

1993, Nirvana recorded their MTV Unplugged special at Sony Studios, New York. Nirvana played a setlist composed of mainly lesser-known material and cover versions of songs by The Vaselines, David Bowie, Meat Puppets and Lead Belly. The album won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album in 1996.

2003, American composer and orchestral arranger Michael Kamen died of a heart attack in London aged 55. He worked with Pink Floyd, Queen, Eric Clapton, Roger Daltrey, Aerosmith, Tom Petty, David Bowie, Eurythmics, Queensryche, Rush, Metallica, Herbie Hancock, The Cranberries, Bryan Adams, Jim Croce, Sting, and Kate Bush. Kamen co-wrote the Bryan Adams’ ballad “(Everything I Do), I Do It for You.”

Born on November 18: Don Cherry, jazz musician (1936); Hank Ballard, US singer, songwriter (1936); Herman Rarebell, The Scorpions (1949); Gram Parker (1950); Rudy Sarzo, bass, Whitesnake (1950); Laura Lynch, songwriter,bass, founding member, Dixie Chicks (1958); Kim Wilde, singer (1960); Kirk Hammett, guitar, Metallica (1962); Duncan Sheik, singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor (1969);