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Today in Rock History – April 25

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1964, The Beatles have an incredible 14 singles on the American chart.

1965, During a North American tour, The Rolling Stones played at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto to over 16,000 fans.

1965, The Who performed at Trade Union Hall in Watford, Hertfordshire, England.

1967, Just days after the completion of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles embark upon their next project, recording the theme to Magical Mystery Tour at Abbey Road studios in London.

1967, Pink Floyd headlined at the Stage Club in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England. The opening act was The Vibratones.

1967, Jimi Hendrix played  at Colston Hall in Bristol, England.

1967, Janis Joplin and Big Brother appeared at The Matrix in San Francisco.

1968, Procol Harum, supported by The Halluciantions, played at Boston Tea Party in Boston, Massachusetts.

1969, Led Zeppelin performed at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco

1970, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Sullivan County Community College in Fallsburg, New York.

1970, The Jackson Five started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with “ABC.” It was the group’s second chart topper.

1970, Pink Floyd performed at the Eastown Theatre in Detroit, Michigan. On the bill were The Frost and The Up.

1971, The Grateful Dead and the New Riders of the Purple Sage played the Fillmore East in New York City.

1971, Yes appeared at the Chalk Farm Roundhouse, London.

1972, Pink Floyd performed at the Allen Theater, Cleveland, Ohio.

1973, Johnny Winter played at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto.

1974, Rolling Stone reports that concerts by Yes, Gregg Allman, and the Beach Boys have all been hit by streakers, no doubt inspired by Ray Stevens’ chart topping hit “The Streak.” Meanwhile, Allman himself performs the last date of a solo tour. To reassure the audience that the Allman Brothers Band are not splitting up, the entire band comes out and performs a 90-minute encore.

1974, Grand Funk Railroad played at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1974, Pamela Courson the long-term companion of the late Jim Morrison, died of a drug overdose. It was Courson who found the Doors singer dead on July 3, 1971 in the bathtub of their apartment in Paris, France.

1976, Fleetwood Mac appeared at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California.

1977, Elvis Presley made the last recordings of his life during a concert at the Saginaw, Michigan Civic Centre. Three songs from the show appeared on the posthumously released Presley album Moody Blue.

1979, The Police made their debut on BBC TV’s Top Of The Pops performing “Roxanne.”

1980, Cheap Trick played at Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan.

1980, Pete Townshend’s first totally solo album, Empty Glass, is released in the UK. The US release follows on the 21st. Reviews are rave, with Sounds magazine giving the album its highest rating and Paul Morley in New Musical Express saying the album shows Pete is still an important musician. The album peaks at number 11 in the UK, the highest chart position for a Pete solo record in that country. In the US, it goes all the way to number five.

1981, Wings break up after Denny Laine leaves the band. Paul McCartney says he will carry on as a solo artist.

1982, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Ebony And Ivory.” This was McCartney’s 24th number one hit single as a songwriter. The title was inspired by McCartney hearing Spike Milligan say “black notes, white notes, and you need to play the two to make harmony folks!” It was later named as the tenth worst song of all time by Blender magazine and in 2007 was named the worst duet in history by BBC 6 Music listeners.

1987, U2 started a five-week run at number one on the US album chart with their fifth studio album The Joshua Tree. Inspired by American tour experiences, literature, and politics, the album topped the charts in over 20 countries, and is one of the world’s all-time best-selling albums, with over 25 million copies sold. The album which won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year produced the hit singles “With or Without You,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” and “Where the Streets Have No Name.”

1987, Madonna went to number one on the UK singles chart with “La Isla Bonita.” It was the fifth and final single from her third studio album, True Blue, making her the only female artist to score four UK chart topping singles. The song had been offered to Michael Jackson for his Bad album.

1988, Bon Jovi’s manager Doc McGee was convicted on drug charges arising from the 1982 seizure of 40,000 pounds of marijuana smuggled into North Carolina from Colombia. McGee was sentenced to a five year suspended prison term and a $15,000 (£10,000) fine.

1990, The Fender Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix played at the Woodstock festival was auctioned off for a record $295,000 (£196,000). His two-hour set at the 1969 festival became the longest of his career.

1994, The Eagles played the first of two shows where they recorded their Hell Freezes Over album. Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Don Felder and Timothy B. Schmit first got back together the previous December for the making of a Travis Tritt video of their song, “Take It Easy.” The name of the album was taken from an earlier quote by Glen Frey, who responded to the question “When will the Eagles get back together?”

1994, Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys was sentenced to 200 hours of community service for attacking a TV cameraman during the memorial services for actor River Phoenix the previous November.

1997, U2’s Pop Mart world tour kicked off at San Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas before 35,000 fans. The tour featured the largest video screen in the world and would visit 80 cities around the planet.

2002, TLC member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes was killed in a car accident in La Ceiba, Honduras, aged 30. Seven other people, including Lopes’ brother and sister, who were in the Mitsubishi Montero sports utility vehicle when the crash happened, were taken to a hospital. Lopes who was driving the car when it crashed had spent the past month in Honduras working on various projects including a clothing line, a new solo project and a book. She contributed background vocals and her self-written raps to many of TLC’s hit singles, including “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg,” “What About Your Friends,” “Hat 2 da Back,” “No Scrubs,” “Waterfalls,” “I’m Good at Being Bad,” and “Girl Talk.” She won four Grammy Awards for her work with TLC.

2005, Bruce Springsteen played the opening show on his Devils & Dust Tour North American Tour at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan.

2007, American singer Bobby “Boris” Pickett died of leukemia at the age of 69. He is know for the Halloween song “The Monster Mash” in 1962. The song had been banned by The BBC in the UK, deemed offensive and wasn’t a hit until 1973. It was a spoof on the dance crazes popular at the time, including the Twist and the Mashed Potato.

2009, Rascal Flatts went to number one on the US album charts with Unstoppable, the American country/rock crossover group’s sixth studio album.

Born on April 25: Ella Fitzgerald (1918); Albert King, blues guitarist (1923); Jerry Lieber, songwriter (1933); Tony Christie, UK singer (1943); Bjorn Ulvaeus,  Abba (1945);  Stu Cook, Creedence Clearwater Revival (1945); Michael Kogel, Los Bravos (1945); Ronnie Gilbert, The Blues Magoos (1946);  Michael Brown, Left Banke, The Stories (1949); Steve Ferrone, Average White Band, Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (1950); Derek Dick, aka Fish, Scottish singer-songwriter, actor, Marillion (1958); Andy Bell, Erasure (1964); Eric Avery, American bass player, songwriter, Jane’s Addiction, Deconstruction,  Polar Bear (1965)

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Today in Rock History – April 17

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Today in Rock History – December 14

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1967, Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones was rushed to St Georges hospital in London after collapsing. A doctor reported Jones was tired and suffering from over strain and was also recovering from having some teeth out.

1968, Deep Purple played at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1968, Marvin Gaye scored his first number one single when “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” started a five-week run at the top. It was Marvin’s 15th solo hit. The song was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966, the single was first recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, as well as Gladys Knight & the Pips.

1969, The Jackson Five made their first network television appearance when they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.

1970, Grand Funk Railroad performed at Park Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

1971, The Grateful Dead were in Ann Arbor, Michigan where they played at Hill Auditorium.

1972, Born To Boogie,  the Ringo Starr directed movie premiered in London. The film was based around a concert at Wembley Empire Pool, London, England starring Ringo Starr, Marc Bolan and T. Rex, and was released on The Beatles’ Apple Films label.

1972, Fleetwood Mac appeared at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1973, Bruce Springsteen appeared at the Pinecrest Country Club, Shelton, Connecticut. Only 200 tickets were sold for the show.

1973, Roger Daltrey of The Who performs the second of two nights as Tommy in the second all-star concert version of the orchestral Tommy at the Rainbow Theatre in London.

1974, Pink Floyd played the last show of the 1974 British Winter Tour at the Hippodrome in Bristol. These shows were notable for the concert debut of “You Gotta Be Crazy,” an early version of “Dogs” that would subsequently appear on the Animals album.

1975, The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1976, AC/DC played at the Civic Centre, Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia.

1978, Rush appeared at the International Amphitheater, Chicago.

1979, ZZ Top performed at Freedom Hall Civic Center, Johnson City, Tennessee.

1980, Yoko Ono called on fans to observe ten minutes of silence in memory of John Lennon. 30,000 gathered outside St George’s Hall in Liverpool, while nearly 100,000 attend a memorial in New York’s Central Park.

1981, During their Ghost In The Machine World Tour, The Police played the first of three sold out nights at Wembley Arena, London, England.

1985, Whitney Houston scored her first UK number one single with “Saving All My Love For You.” The song, which was written by Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin, had been a minor hit for Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. in 1978, and was also a US chart topper for Houston.

1991, Michael Jackson started a four-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with his eighth studio album Dangerous. The album has sold over 32 million copies worldwide making it one of the best selling albums of all time. Nine singles were released from the album spanning two years (1991–1993).

1999, Sir Paul McCartney appeared at The Cavern Club Liverpool, where his last gig at the venue was in 1963. The show was filmed for TV and also went out live on the Internet.

2003, Ozzy & Kelly Osbourne went to number one on the UK singles chart with “Changes,” a remake of a track first sung by Ozzy on the Black Sabbath album Volume IV in 1972. It was the first father and daughter chart topper since Frank & Nancy Sinatra in 1967.

2004, The funeral took place in Arlington, Texas for Damageplan and Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, Eddie Van Halen, placed Darrell’s original black and yellow stripes guitar into the Kiss Kasket he was buried in. Several thousand fans and friends gathered at the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington, to mourn the guitarist’s death. Darrell was shot five times in the back of the head during a gig at the Alrosa Villa Club in Columbus on 8th Dec 04 by a mentally ill former US Marine. Damageplan’s drum technician, John Brooks, and tour manager, Chris Paluska, were both injured in the incident.

Born on this day:  Charlie Rich (1932); Frank Allen, The Searchers (1943); Jackie McAuley, Them (1946);  Mike Scott, singer, songwriter, The Waterboys (1958); Tim Skold, bass, Marilyn Manson (1966)

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Today in Rock History – October 17

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1964, Manfred Mann started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Do Wah Diddy Diddy.”  It was also a chart topper in the UK. The song was first released by the US group The Exciters.

1967, A 10-date package tour of the UK played the last night at the De Montfort Hall, Leicester featuring Traffic, The Young Rascals, Vanilla Fudge, Art and Keith West.

1969, Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane was busted for marijuana possession in Honolulu and was fined $350.

1969, The Kinks play their first concert in the US in four years, supporting Spirit at New York’s Fillmore East. The American Federation of Musicians banned the group from playing there after a disastrous 1965 tour during which the band spent as much time fighting onstage as playing music.

1969, Led Zeppelin kicked off their fourth North American tour at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

1970, The Jackson Five started a five-week run at number one on the US singles chart with “I’ll Be There.” The song was the group’s fourth chart topper of 1970, it made it to the fourth spot in the UK. Motown records claimed the group had sold over 10 million records during this year.

1970, Pink Floyd played the second of two nights at Pepperland Auditorium in San Rafael, California.

1971, Black Sabbath appeared at the Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona.

1972, Gentle Giant performed at the Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1973, The Rolling Stones performed two shows at Foret Nationale, Brussels, Belgium, as part of a tour of the UK and Europe. Opening for the tour’s shows were Billy Preston and American group Kracker, the first band to be signed to Rolling Stones Records. Bobby Keys didn’t show up for the concert, which resulted in him being banned by Mick Jagger from future Rolling Stones tours until 1989, with occasional exceptions. According to legend, Bobby missed the gig due to him filling a hotel bathtub with Dom Perignon champagne and drinking most of it.

1974, David Bowie appeared at Michigan Palace, Detroit.

1975, Roxy Music played at the Empire Pool, London.

1976, Rush performed at the Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The Grateful Dead at the Pyramids in Giza

1978, The Grateful Dead performed the first of five nights at Winterland Auditorium in San Francisco, after their triumphant return from shows at the pyramids in Egypt.

1978, Uriah Heep appeared at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1980, Van Halen played at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, Nebraska.

1981, Christopher Cross started a three week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Arthur’s Theme, (Best That You Can Do),” his second US chart topper, and a number seven hit in the UK.

1981, Blue Oyster Cult played at Rockford Metro Centre, Rockford, Illinois.

1982, The Who appeared at Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado.

1983, ZZ Top performed at the Grand Hotel, Stockholm, Sweden.

1991, American singer and television host Tennessee Ernie Ford died of liver failure. He had the 1955 US and UK number one hit with his version of the Merle Travis song “Sixteen Tons.” In the 1960’s he hosted a daytime talk show, The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show on the ABC television network.

1998, Canadian rock band, The Barenaked Ladies went to number one on the US singles chart with “One Week.”

1999, Thomas Durden died aged 79. Wrote the lyrics to “Heartbreak Hotel,” one of Elvis Presley’s early hits. Durden had read a newspaper account of a man who had committed suicide, the man had left a note saying, ”I walk a lonely street.” Durden used the phrase as the basis for the song.

2000, A flat in Montagu Square London, which was once owned during the ’60s by Ringo Starr went on the market for £575,000 ($920,000). The two bedroom, two-story property was also home for Jimi Hendrix, John & Yoko and Paul McCartney during the 1960’s.

2007, US singer Teresa Brewer died aged 76. She was one of the most popular American pop singers of the 1950’s scoring hits such as “Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now” and “Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall.” She also sang with Tony Bennett, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Wynton Marsalis.

2008, Four Tops singer Levi Stubbs died at his Detroit home, aged 72. Stubbs had been in poor health since being diagnosed with cancer in 1995,  A stroke and other health problems led him to stop touring in 2000. The group signed with Motown Records in 1963 and produced twenty Top 40 hits over the next 10 years, making music history with other acts in Berry Gordy’s Motown stable of artists.

Born on October 17:  Floyd Cramer, country piano player (1933); Jim Seals, Seals & Croft (1941); Garry Puckett, of the Union Gap, (1947); Michael McKean, (aka David St Hubbins) Spinal Tap (1947); Ziggy Marley (1968); Eminem (1972); Wyclef Jean, The Fugees (1972)

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Today in Rock History – September 11

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1967, Filming began for The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour. There was no script, nor a very clear idea of exactly what was to be accomplished, not even a clear direction about where the bus was supposed to go. The “Magical Mystery Tour” bus set off for the West Country in England stopping for the night in Teignmouth, Devon were hundreds of fans greeted The Beatles at their hotel.

1967, Pink Floyd performed the first of three nights at the Starclub in Copenhagen, Denmark. Also on the bill were The Beefeaters, Peter Belli & B. Brothers, Steppeulvene, The Clan, Hitmakers, and others.

1967, During a 10-date tour of Sweden, The Jimi Hendrix Experience played two shows at the Grona Lund in Stockholm.

1968, Bassist from Sly and the Family Stone, Larry Graham was busted for cannabis possession as the band arrived in London to start a UK tour.

1970, The Rolling Stones played at the Forum Copenhagen in Frederiksberg, Denmark.

1970, The Amboy Dukes appeared at Uptown Palladium 12 Theatre‎ in Birmingham, Michigan.

1971, Donny Osmond started a three week run at number one on the singles chart with “Go Away Little Girl.” The singer’s only solo chart topper. The song had also been a chart topper for Steve Lawrence in 1963.

1971, Who’s Next by The Who hits its peak on the Billboard charts at the number four position.

1971, The animated Jackson Five series premiered on ABC-TV.

1972, Hawkwind performed at Waldbühne, Berlin, Germany.

1973, The Rolling Stones appeared at Kings Hall (Belle Vue), Manchester, England.

1974, The Grateful Dead played at Alexandra Palace, London.

1975, The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Capital Centre, Landover.

1976, KC and the Sunshine Band went to the top of the singles charts with (“Shake Shake Shake), Shake Your Body,” the group’s third number one.

1977, David Bowie recorded a guest appearance on Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas TV show duetting with Crosby on “Peace On Earth – Little Drummer Boy.” The track became a UK No.3 hit five years later in 1982.

1978, Aerosmith played at Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California.

1979, Van Halen appeared at Furitsu Taiiku Kan, Osaka, Japan.

1981, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performed at the Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois.

1982, Chicago started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with “Hard To Say I’m Sorry,” the group’s second chart topper.

1982, John “Cougar” Mellencamp became the only male artist to have two singles in the Top Ten as well as the number one album. “Jack and Diane” was at number four, while “Hurts So Good” held the eighth spot. His album American Fool was at number one for the first of nine weeks.

1987, Founding member of The Wailers, Peter Tosh was shot dead at his home in Kingston Jamaica by armed robbers.

1987, Peter Gabriel cleaned up at the MTV Awards, winning best video, best male video, best concept video, best special effects, and five other awards for the track “Sledgehammer.”

1988, Michael Jackson appeared at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England on his Bad world tour. Over 3,000 fans were treated by the St. John Ambulance service for passing out, hysteria, and being crushed among the crowd of 125,000 fans, the largest concert of the 123-date world tour.

1988, Metallica kicked off their 222-date Damaged Justice world tour at the MTK Football Stadium in Budapest, Hungary.

1996, Noel Gallagher walked out on the rest of Oasis half way through an American tour after a fight with his brother Liam in a hotel in Charlotte North Carolina. Noel flew back to London the following day.

2001, Walking to work in New York, as an comic book illustrator, Gerard Way witnessed the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. The day’s events inspired him to start a band, which became My Chemical Romance, with Way becoming their lead singer.

2003, Tommy Chong, one-half of the comedy team of Cheech and Chong, was sentenced to nine months in federal prison and fined $20,000 for selling drug paraphernalia over the Internet. The 65 year-old Chong pled guilty to the charges in May. He remained free until April, 2004, when he went to jail.

2004, American lyricist Fred Ebb died of a heart attack at his home in New York City. Co-wrote, “New York, New York” and “Chicago,” and worked with Liza Minnelli.

2014, American songwriter, singer, manager, and record producer Bob Crewe died aged 83. Crewe wrote a string of Top 10 singles for the Four Seasons, including “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” and “Rag Doll.” He also had hit recordings with Lesley Gore, Michael Jackson, Bobby Darin, Roberta Flack, Peabo Bryson, Patti LaBelle, Barry Manilow and others.

Born on September 11: Bernie Dwyer, Freddie and the Dreamers (1940); Mickey Hart, Grateful Dead (1943) Tommy Shaw, Styx (1953); Mick Talbot, keyboards, Style Council (1958); Moby, (Richard Hall), producer, vocalist (1965);  Harry Connick, Jr. (1967); Richard Ashcroft, guitar, vocals, The Verve (1971); and Chris Bridges, aka Ludacris (1977)

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Today in Rock History – August 16

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robert-johnson1938, American blues musician Robert Johnson died, likely poisoned by a jealous husband, at the age of 27 at a country crossroads near Greenwood, Mississippi. His recordings from 1936 -1937 have influenced generations of musicians including Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton.

1962, Twelve -year old “Little” Stevie Wonder released his first single, “I Call It Pretty Music, (But The Old People Call It The Blues.)” The single featured Marvin Gaye on drums.

1962, Brian Epstein told Pete Best that the other Beatles wanted him out of the group, and that he was being replaced. Epstein then asked Best to perform with The Beatles that night at the Riverpark Ballroom in Chester, Cheshire. Pete Best does not show up, drummer Johnny Hutchinson of The Big Three filled in the temporary vacancy.

1964, The Who played at the Opera House in Blackpool, Lancashire, England.

1965, David Jones’ official stage name became David Bowie.

1966, During a US tour, The Beatles appeared at the John F. Kennedy Stadium, Philadelphia playing their set during a huge electric storm.

1966, The Byrds played the first of two nights at the Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, California.

1967, Pink Floyd were in Studio 3 at EMI Studios on Abbey Road, St. John’s Wood, London recording material for Saucerful of Secrets.

1968, Jimi Hendrix appeared at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.

1968, The Jackson Five made their formal debut with Diana Ross and The Supremes at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California.

1968, Working at Abbey Road studios, The Beatles recorded 14 takes of the new George Harrison song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” taking the song from its early acoustic version into an electric version.

1968, Bruce Springsteen’s new band Earth made their live debut at the Off Broad Street Coffee House in Red Bank, New Jersey, admission was 75 cents (£0.47). The lineup of the group consisted of Springsteen on guitars and vocals, John Graham, bass, Michael Burke, drums and Flash Craig on the organ. The group lasted only six months.

1968, Pink Floyd play the first of two nights at Sound Factory in Sacramento, California. Also on the bill are Initial Shock and AB Skhy Blues Band.

1969, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young supported by Joni Mitchell appeared at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago, Illinois.

1969, The Grateful Dead perform the following set at Woodstock: Saint Stephen-> Mama Tried, Dark Star-> High Time, Turn On Your Love Light. There were electrical problems, as well as rain, and possibly the band performing while having taken a lot of acid.  The Dead were not pleased with the performance, and have not allowed it to be published.  Nor was it in the concert film.

1969, During a North American tour Led Zeppelin appeared at the Convention Hall in Asbury Park with Joe Cocker as support. Zeppelin had been asked to perform at Woodstock but due to this gig commitment were unable to attend.

1969, Bruce Springsteen’s band Child played the first of two shows over two days at the Student Prince, Ashbury Park. Springsteen was also unable to attend Woodstock due to these gigs.

1969, Hippie leader Abbie Hoffman was knocked offstage by Pete Townshend while attempting to make a political statement during the Who’s set at Woodstock. Later, Townshend said he didn’t know it was Hoffman at the time.

1969, Blind Faith appear at the Earl Warren Fairgrounds, Santa Barbara, California.

1970, The final day of the three day UK Yorkshire Folk, Blues & Jazz Festival at Krumlin, Yorkshire took place featuring The Kinks, Mungo Jerry, Yes, Ginger Bakers Air Force and Edgar Winter.

1971, The Who and Wishbone Ash perform at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, Illinois.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Civic Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1972, Hawkwind plays at Town Hall, Torquay, England.

1974, The Ramones make their CBGB debut on this date. They would go on to play seventy more shows that year as a regular attraction at the famous club in New York.

1975,  Peter Gabriel announced that he was leaving Genesis. Gabriel had informed the band back in late November 1974 of his decision, but agreed to stay through the conclusion of the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour. The group auditioned more than 400 singers during the next 18 months before deciding that Phil Collins, who had been the drummer for Genesis since 1970, could front the band.

1975, Eric Clapton performed at the Sports Arena, San Diego, California.

1976, AC/DC appeared at the Marquee Club, London.

1976, Yes plays at the Mecca Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1977, Elvis Presley was found dead lying on the floor in his bathroom by his girlfriend Ginger Alden. He had been seated on the toilet reading “The Scientific Search For Jesus.” He died of heart failure at the age of 42.  He starred in 31 films. Elvis holds the record for the most entries on the US Hot 100 chart with 154. Elvis became the first rock ‘n’ roll artist to be honored by the US Postal Service with a stamp.

1977, Manchester punk band The Buzzcocks signed to EMI’s United Artists label.

1979, The biggest single of the summer in the US, The Knack’s “My Sharona” was awarded a Gold record for selling one million copies. The Knack’s Doug Fieger wrote the song for his girlfriend, Sharona Alperin, whose picture appeared on the single’s cover.

1980, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.

1981, Foreigner played at Zeppelinfeld, Nuremberg, Germany.

1982, Blue Oyster Cult performed at the Blossom Music Center, Akron, Ohio.

1983, After dating for six years, Paul Simon married actress Carrie Fisher. The marriage would last less than two years, but the two continued to date off and on after they split. The title track to Simon’s Heart and Bones album references their romance.

1986, Madonna started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Papa Don’t Preach.” It was the singer’s fourth US chart topper and was also number one in the UK. Also on this day Madonna went to the top of the US album chart with True Blue.

1988, Kiss played at the Marquee Club in London, England on their current 129-date Crazy Nights world tour.

1997, Blur, Prodigy, Beck, Kula Shaker, Dodgy, Foo Fighters, Placebo, James, Ash, Dodgy and Gene all appeared at the two day V97 UK festival in Chelmsford and Leeds, weekend tickets, £50 ($80.)

2000, Alan Caddy guitarist with The Tornadoes died. He had the 1962 UK and US number one single “Telstar” which became the first major hit from a UK act on the American chart. Caddy also played on sessions and worked on arrangements for Spencer Davis Group, Kiki Dee, Pretty Things and Dusty Springfield.

2005, P Diddy appeared on the US TV Today Show and announced that he was altering his stage name again, dropping the “P” and referring to himself simply as “Diddy.” The name change to Diddy upset Richard “Diddy” Dearlove, a London based DJ who took out court proceedings against P Diddy over the use of the name. He won when an out of court settlement of £110,000 was agreed and as a result, Combs is no longer be able to use the name Diddy in the UK.

Born on August 16: Kevin Ayers, Soft Machine (1945); Gary Loizzo, American guitarist, singer, The American Breed (1945); Gordon Fleet, The Easybeats, (1946); Barry Hay, Golden Earring (1948); Bill Spooner, American guitarist, songwriter, The Tubes (1949); – James “JT” Taylor, American R&B singer-songwriter, Kool & the Gang (1953); Tim Farriss, guitar, INXS (1957); Madonna Ciccone, aka Madonna (1958); American  bassist,  Melvins, Mudhoney (1964); Emily Robison, American singer-songwriter, banjo player, Dixie Chicks, Court Yard Hounds (1972); Bob Hardy, Scottish bassist, Franz Ferdinand (1980)

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Today in Rock History – August 11

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1966, At a press conference held at The Astor Towers Hotel in Chicago, John Lennon apologized for his remarks that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus.” Lennon told reporters “Look, I wasn’t saying The Beatles are better than God or Jesus, I said “Beatles” because it’s easy for me to talk about The Beatles. I could have said “TV” or “Cinema,” “Motorcars,” or anything popular and would have got away with it…”

1967, The Small Faces, The Move, Marmalade, Paul Jones, Pink Floyd, Amen Corner, Donovan, Zoot Money, Cream, Jeff Beck, John Mayall, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac and The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown all appeared at the UK Reading Festival. An advance 3-day ticket cost £2 ($3.00.) Arthur Brown’s trademark flaming helmet burned out of control and organizer Harold Pendleton’s father-in-law had to douse the flames with a pint of beer.

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

1968, Canned Heat played at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1969, 350 special guests were invited to see Motown Records new signings The Jackson Five play at The Daisy Club in Beverly Hills.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Cumberland County Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

1972, Genesis appeared at the opening day of the Reading Festival, along with Curved Air, Jackson Heights, Mungo Jerry, Nazareth, and Steamhammer  The event took place at Little John’s Farm in Reading, England.

1972, The mayor of San Antonio declares Cheech & Chong Day.

1975, ZZ Top played at Ellis Auditorium, Memphis, Tennessee.

1976, Aerosmith appeared at the Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut.

1976, A Who show scheduled for the Miami Baseball Stadium has to be cancelled after Keith Moon goes on a drinking and drug binge. It ended with his arrest for destroying his room at the Fontainebleau Hotel and being found in an incoherent state. Who manager Bill Curbishley bails him out. He has Keith immediately put into Hollywood Memorial Hospital in Hollywood, Florida for “psychiatric evaluation.” With the extra time, the other members of The Who remain in Miami enjoying the sun and some deep-sea fishing before heading back to London.

1978, AC/DC performed at Symphony Hall, Atlanta, Georgia.

1979, The Knack started a five-week run at number one on the album chart with Get The Knack.

1979, Led Zeppelin played their last ever UK show (until the London’s 02 Arena shows in November 26, 2007) when they appeared at Knebworth Park, England. Also on the bill, The New Barbarians, Todd Rundgren, Southside Johnny and the Ashbury Dukes, Chas and Dave, and Fairport Convention.  Zeppelin’s  set list included: The Song Remains The Same, Celebration Day, Black Dog, Nobody’s Fault But Mine, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I’ve Been Loving You, No Quarter, Hot Dog, The Rain Song, White Summer/Black Mountainside, Kashmir, Trampled Under Foot, Sick Again, Achilles’ Last Stand, In The Evening, Stairway To Heaven, Rock And Roll, Whole Lotta Love and Communication Breakdown

1979, Van Halen appears at Convention Hall, Asbury Park, New Jersey.

1980, Van Halen played at the Lee County Civic Center, North Fort Myers, Florida.

1981, Blue Oyster Cult performed at the Paramount Theatre, Portland, Oregon.

1982, The Police appeared at the McGill Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada on their Ghost In The Machine Tour.

1984, Ray Parker, Jr. started a three week run at number one on the singles chart with the theme from the film Ghostbusters. Parker had been a session guitarist for Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. He was accused of plagiarizing the melody from Huey Lewis and the News song “I Want a New Drug.”  As a result, Lewis sued Parker. The parties settled the case out of court in 1985.

1987, The Grateful Dead perform at beautiful, rustic, Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, just outside of Denver.

1999, KISS received a star on The Walk Of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard.  The band had released over 30 albums and sold over 80 million records world-wide.

2001, Black Sabbath, Linkin Park, Slipknot and Marilyn Manson all appeared at Ozzfest at PNC Bank Arts Centre, New Jersey.

2002, Bruce Springsteen started a two week run at number one on the US album chart with The Rising, the singer’s fifth US chart topper. It was also number in the UK and Canada.

Born on August 11: Mike Hugg, drummer, keyboards, Manfred Mann (1942); Denis Payton, sax, Dave Clark Five (1943); Jim Kale, bass, Guess Who (1943); Eric Carmen (1949); Erik Brann, guitar, Iron Butterfly (1950); Bob Mothersbaugh, guitar, Devo (1952); Joe Jackson (1954); Richie Ramone, drums, Ramones (1957); Jah Wobble, bass, Public Image Ltd, The Damage Manual (1958); Ben Gibbard, singer, Death Cab for Cutie (1976)

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Today in Rock History – July 26

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1968, The Jackson Five signed a one-year contract with Motown Records.

1968, Decca pulls the Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet from its release schedule, citing problems with the sleeve. The design features a graffiti-covered toilet. It’s one of the first disagreements between the band and the label, with Mick Jagger angrily pointing out that Decca released Tom Jones’ A-tom-ic Jones with a nuclear explosion printed on its jacket sleeve.

1968, The Jeff Beck Group, Pink Floyd, and headliner Blue Cheer play the first of two night at the Shrine Exposition Hall in Los Angeles, California.

1968, Howlin’ Wolf plays the first of three nights at San Francisco’s Avalon Ballroom, supported by Quicksilver Messenger Service.

1968, The Steve Miller Band appears at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1969, Brian Jones was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, on sale for 35 Cents.

1969, Blind Faith, Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, Shag, Taste, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, MC5, and SRC appeared at the Midwest Rock Festival, held at State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin.

1969, The Turtles performed at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah.

1969, Led Zeppelin and Vanilla Fudge played at the PNE Agrodome, Vancouver, British Columbia. Tickets were $3 – $5 Canadian.

1970, Jimi Hendrix played in his home town of Seattle for the last time when he appeared at Sicks Stadium. Cactus and Cat Mother and the All Night Newboys were the support acts.

1972, Roxy Music played at St. George’s Hall in Liverpool, England.

1973, ZZ Top releases Tres Hombres, their breakthrough album. It featured the hit “La Grange,” plus “Waiting for the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago.”

1974, Summerfest was held at Rich Stadium in Buffalo, New York, featuring Emerson, Lake And Palmer, The James Gang, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

1974, The first Beatles Convention is held in Boston.

1974, Graffiti artists were hired to spray paint sites in London to promote the UK release of The Rolling Stones new single “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

1974, The Allman Brothers appeared at Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts with The Eagles as the support band

1975, The Eagles started a five-week run at number one on the US album chart with One Of These Nights.

1975, Van McCoy and the Soul City went to number one on the singles chart with “The Hustle,” his only chart hit.

1977, Elvis Costello was arrested as he performed outside a CBS Records sales conference at The London Hilton Hotel and was fined £5 ($7.50.)

1977, Led Zeppelin cut short their 11th North American tour after Robert Plant’s five-year-old-son Karac died unexpectedly of a virus at their home in England.

1978, Kansas performed at Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan.

1979, Thin Lizzy appeared at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1980, The Rolling Stones started a seven week run at number one on the US album chart with Emotional Rescue, the group’s eighth US chart topper. Emotional Rescue was the first Rolling Stones album recorded following Keith Richards’ exoneration from a Toronto drug charge that could have landed him in jail for years.

1981, Van Halen played at the Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine.

1983, Asia releases Alpha, their second studio album. This one paled in comparison to the brilliant 1982 debut. It went platinum, but to mixed reviews. It featured the singles “Don’t Cry” and (the prophetic) “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes.” Egos in the ranks started to come into play. It’s been said Steve Howe and John Wetton were “oil and water” personality wise and Howe was locked out of writing for this one with Wetton / Downes “taking over.” Plus the record label, Geffen was grooming them for a more pop/commercial direction. Following the release, Wetton either quit  or was forced out and the scheduled tour was cancelled. Greg Lake filled in briefly, but Wetton returned and Howe quit. The band never regained their momentum.

1986, Peter Gabriel went to number one on the US singles chart with “Sledgehammer,” a top four hit in the UK. The song’s music video has won a number of awards, including a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards, and Best British Video at the 1987 Brit Awards. Gabriel was also nominated for three Grammy Awards.

1987, The Grateful Dead played at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California.

1990, Brent Mydland from The Grateful Dead was found dead on the floor of his home aged 38 from an apparent drug overdose.

1992,  Mary Wells, referred to as The First Lady of Motown and who had a 1964 US number one and UK number five single “My Guy” died, aged 49 of laryngeal cancer. Wells was forced to give up her career and with no health insurance, was forced to sell her home, Wells’ old Motown friends including Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, The Temptations, and Martha Reeves, along with Dionne Warwick, Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin and Bonnie Raitt, personally pledged donations in support.

2000, The celebrity management company Cassandra left dozens of acts out of pocket when it was rocked by fraud charges, filing for bankruptcy at the Manhattan Bankruptcy Court. Clients included Alanis Morissette, Phish and Afghan Whigs.

2006, The guitar on which Sir Paul McCartney learned his first chords sold for £330,000 ($520,000) at an auction at London’s Abbey Road Studios. The Rex acoustic guitar helped McCartney persuade John Lennon to let him join his band, The Quarrymen, in 1957.

2013, singer-songwriter JJ Cale died of a heart attack at the age of 74. He became famous in 1970, when Eric Clapton covered his song “After Midnight.” In 1977 Clapton also brought Cale’s song “Cocaine” into the spotlight. The two worked together on an album, which won a Grammy award in 2008.

Born on July 26: Joe Jackson, patriarch of The Jacksons (1929);Dobie Gray (1942); Mick Jagger (1943);  Roger Taylor, Queen (1949); Andy Connell,  keyboards, Swing Out Sister (1961); Scott Francis Crago, session drummer (1963); Joan Wasser,  singer-songwriter, violinist The Dambuilders (1970)

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