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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 – October 5

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1966, Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding played together for the first time, The Jimi Hendrix Experience were formed.

1967, The Doors played the final night of a five night run at Steve Paul’s Scene in New York City.

1969, Donovan appeared at Ellis Auditorium North Hall in Memphis, Tennessee.

1970, The Rolling Stones performed at Festhalle in Frankfurt, Germany.

1970, Led Zeppelin released their third studio album, titled Led Zeppelin III. It was recorded between January and August 1970 and released on Atlantic Records. The material was composed largely at a remote cottage in Wales known as Bron-Yr-Aur. It was number one in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Italy. 1970,  The original cover and interior gatefold art consisted of a surreal collection of random images. Behind the front cover was a rotatable laminated card disc, covered with more images, including photos of the band members, which showed through holes in the cover. The distinctive cover was based on a suggestion of Jimmy Page’s that it should resemble an old-fashioned gardening seed chart. It was designed by Richard Drew, and the sleeve photographs were taken by fellow Leeds Polytechnic lecturer Martin Salisbury.

1970, Hawkwind appeared at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, London.

1971, The Moody Blues played at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee.

1972, Elton John appears at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario.

1973, King Crimson performed at Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas.

1974, Mike Oldfields Tubular Bell‘ went to number one for the first time on the album chart 15 months after being released. The album had a big boost when it was featured in the movie The Exorcist. It went on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide.

1974, Olivia Newton-John started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with “I Honestly Love You,” the singers first of five chart toppers.

1974, The Beach Boys went to number one on the album chart with Endless Summer, the group’s second number one. The album was a collection of hits from the band’s pre-Pet Sounds period. Endless Summer was compiled by their old label Capitol Records while the Beach Boys were contracted with Reprise Records.

1975, Stevie Wonder appeared at the Wonder Dream Concert in Kingston, Jamaica, a Jamaican Institute for the Blind benefit concert. Along with Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, the three original Wailers, performing together for the last time.

1976, AC/DC played at Stadthalle, Bern, Switzerland.

1977, Rush performed at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona.

1978, Aerosmith appeared at Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, Ohio.

1979, Jethro Tull played at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario.

1980, Yes performed at Selland Arena, Fresno, California.

1981, King Crimson headlined at Moles Club, Bath, England.

1982, The Who played at the Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois, just outside of Chicago.

1984, Queen played the first of nine concerts at the Sun City Super Bowl, Sun City, Republic of Bophuthatswana (integrated into South Africa’s North West Province in 1994). The 1984 The Works tours saw the reintroduction of older material to Queen’s live set, including songs from the first three albums.

1984, The Grateful Dead played at the Coliseum in Charlotte, NC.

1985, Midge Ure was at number one on the UK singles chart with “If I Was.” The former Ultravox and Slik singer’s only solo chart topper. The song features Mark King of Level 42 on bass guitar.

1987, Former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr began rehearsals with The Pretenders in preparation for the band supporting U2 on their North America tour.

1989, Motley Crue played a warm-up show for their upcoming Dr. Feelgood tour at the Whisky a Go Go, West Hollywood, California, under their pseudonym The Foreskins. The show was also used for the filming of their next video, “Kickstart My Heart.”

1991, Guns N’ Roses started a two week run at number one on the US album chart with Use Your Illusion II.

1992, American singer Eddie Kendricks of The Temptations died, aged 52, of lung cancer, one year after having one lung removed. His was the lead voice on “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” “Get Ready,” and “Just My Imagination.” As a solo artist, Kendricks recorded several hits of his own during the 1970s, including the US chart topping single “Keep On Truckin’.”

1996, “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” by American group Deep Blue Something was at number one on the UK singles chart. The song is a reference to the classic 1960 Audrey Hepburn film of the same name.

1999, Roger Daltrey announced that The Who were reforming, making their first performance in Las Vegas on Oct 29th. The show was also to be broadcast live on the Internet.

2000, Beatles’ fans across the world rushed out to buy copies of the Fab Four’s autobiography. Stores in Japan and Britain opened at midnight to satisfy demand for the book, the first written by the band members. Publishers said the 350,000-word volume, at a cost of £35 ($56,) had already attracted more than one and a half million orders worldwide.

Born on October 5: Carlo Mastrangelo, Dion and the Belmonts (1938); Richard Street, The Temptations (1942); Steve Miller (1943); Brian Johnson, singer, AC/DC,  Geordie (1947); Lucius “Tawl” Ross, Funkadelic (1948); Brian Connolly, Sweet (1949); Eddie Clarke, guitarist Motörhead, Fastway (1950); Bob Geldof  (1951); Lee Thompson, sax, vocals, Madness (1957); David Bryson, guitar, Counting Crows (1961); Colin Meloy,  singer-songwriter, guitarist The Decemberists (1971); James Valentine, guitarist, Maroon 5 (1978)

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Today in Rock History – September 12

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1968, During their first ever tour Led Zeppelin appeared at the Stora Scenen at the Gröna Lund Amusement Park, in Stockholm, Sweden.

1969, King Crimson appeared at the Lyceum Ballroom, London

1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival scored their first chart topping album with Cosmo’s Factory. It enjoyed a nine-week run at number one and sold over three million copies.

1970, The Who begin a European tour at the Münsterland Halle in Muenster, West Germany. Also, Record Mirror reports that 1.3 million copies of Tommy have been sold in 8-track format.

1970, Pink Floyd performed at the Fete de L’Humanite, Bois de Vincennes, Paris. Over 500,000 people reportedly saw the show, making it their largest concert crowd ever.

1970, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles were at number one on the singles chart with “The Tears Of A Clown.”

1970, Bob Dylan joined Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie at the Woody Guthrie Memorial Concert held at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band plaued at the Hieges Field House, Shippensburg State College, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

1972, The Faces appeared at Madison Square Garden, New York City.

1972, Pink Floyd played at the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City.

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

1974, Rush appeared at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore.

1975, Pink Floyd released their ninth studio album, Wish You Were Here.  The album explored themes of absence, the music business, and former band-mate Syd Barrett’s mental decline. It went to number one in the US and the UK, and went on to spend a total of 84 weeks on the chart.

1975, Aerosmith performed at the Metropolitan Sports Center, Bloomington, Minnesota. The building was demolished in 1994, and an IKEA now sits on part of the property.

zztop-19761976, ZZ Top played at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1980, During a North American tour Queen appeared at Kemper Arena, Kansas City in Missouri.

1981, The Grateful Dead performed at the Greek Theatre on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley.

1986, Public Image Ltd guitarist John McGeoch needed 40 stitches in his face after a two-liter wine bottle was thrown at the stage during a gig in Vienna.

1986, Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues was hospitalized after collapsing from exhaustion in Los Angeles.

1987, The soundtrack album La Bamba featuring Los Lobos started a two-week run at number one on the US album chart.

1987, Michael Jackson kicked of his Bad World Tour by playing the first of three sold-out nights at Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. By the end of the 123-date tour, Jackson had played to over four million fans across fifteen countries.

1989, Aerosmith released Pump, their tenth studio album, which featured the hit singles “Love In An Elevator,” “The Other Side,” and “Janie’s Got a Gun.” Aerosmith found themselves in law school textbooks after a small rock band named Pump sued Aerosmith’s management company for service mark infringement. Aerosmith won the case.

1990, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie from Fleetwood Mac announced they were leaving the band at the end of their current tour.

1997, Founder of the Polar Music record label, songwriter, producer and Abba’s manager Stig Anderson died of a heart attack. Anderson co-wrote some of Abba’s biggest hits, such as “Waterloo,” “Mamma Mia,” “S.O.S,” “Fernando,” “Dancing Queen,” “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” and “The Name of the Game.” His funeral was broadcast live on Swedish television an honor otherwise only reserved for distinguished statesmen or royalty.

2003, Johnny Cash, US singer songwriter died of respiratory failure aged 71. One of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, known as “The Man in Black.” He traditionally started his concerts by saying, “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.” He had the 1969 number two single “A Boy Named Sue,” plus 11 other Top 40 singles. Cash also had his own program on US Television in late 60’s early 70’s.

2004, American drummer and arranger Kenny Buttrey died in Nashville, Tennessee, Worked with Neil Young, (Harvest, and After the Gold Rush), Bob Dylan (Blonde on Blonde, Nashville Skyline, and John Wesley Harding), as well as Bob Seger, Elvis Presley, Donovan, George Harrison, Joan Baez, Dan Fogelberg, Kris Kristofferson, Jimmy Buffett, and Chuck Berry.

2007, The surviving members of Led Zeppelin announced they would reform for a star-studded tribute concert in London. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones would play at a show to remember the late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. The place of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980, would be taken by his son Jason. The one-off concert, the trio’s first performance for 19 years, would take place at the O2 arena in London on  the 26th of November, with tickets costing £125 ($200). All profits from the show would go towards scholarships in Ertegun’s name in UK, the USA and Turkey, the country of his birth.

Born on this day: George Jones (1931); Maria Maldaur (1943); Barry White (1944); Gerry Beckley, America (1952);  Neal Pert, Rush (1952); Pat Dinizio, The Smithereens (1957); Ben Folds (1966); Jennifer Hudson (1981)

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Today in Rock History – August 30

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The-Who-1966-B1966, The Who begin two days of recording at IBC Studios and Pye No. 2 Studio in London. During the sessions the group records The Regent’s “Barbara Ann,” The Everly Brothers’ “Man with Money,” Martha and the Vandellas’ “Heatwave,” and the theme to the then smash hit TV show Batman. The tracks are intended for a new album tentatively titled Jigsaw Puzzle. Kit Lambert produces and Paul Clay engineers.

1968, Janis Joplin plays the first of two nights at The Palace of Fine Arts Festival in San Francisco.

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

1968, Yes played at the Civic Centre, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, England.

1969, Two weeks after the Woodstock festival, the second Isle of Wight festival took place. Over 150,000 turned up over the two days to see Bob Dylan make his first official public appearance since his 1966 motorcycle accident. Also on the bill were The Band, Blodwyn Pig, Blonde On Blonde, Bonzo Dog Dooh Dah Band, Edgar Broughton Band, Joe Cocker, Aynsley Dunbar, Family, Fat Mattress, Julie Felix, Free, Gypsy, Richie Havens, The Moody Blues, The Nice, Tom Paxton, Pentangle, The Pretty Things, Third Ear Band and The Who. Tickets 25 shillings, ($3.00). Celebrities who attended include Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, John & Yoko, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Jane Fonda, Liz Taylor and Richard Burton.

1969, One hit wonders Zager and Evans started a three week run at number one on the UK singles chart with “In The Year 2525.” The song was written by Rick Evens in 1964.

1969, The three day Texas Pop Festival took place featuring Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Sam & Dave, Santana, Johnny Winter, Grand Funk Railroad, Delaney & Bonnie, Nazz, Spirit, BB King, Canned Heat and Chicago. Over 120,000 fans attended the festival.

1970, The Rolling Stones kicked off a 20-date European tour in Malmo Sweden.

1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono played Madison Square Gardens to raise money for the One to One charity. Stevie Wonder, Sha Na Na and Roberta Flack also appeared at the event. Lennon personally bought $60,000 worth of tickets which were given to volunteer fund-raisers. Several of the performances were later included on Lennon’s, Live in New York City album.

1972, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia.

1972, David Bowie performed at the Rainbow Theatre in London.

1974, The Ramones made one of their many appearances at CBGB in New York City.

1975, KC and the Sunshine Band went to number one on the US singles chart with, “Get Down Tonight.”

1975, Eric Clapton played at the Scope, in Norfolk, Virginia.

1975, Rod Stewart had his fifth UK number one album when Atlantic Crossing started a five-week run at the top of the charts.

1976, Aerosmith played at the International Center Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii.

1978, Patti Smith appeared at The Odeon, Edinburgh, Scotland.

1978, The Grateful Dead appeared at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.

1982, During a North American tour, Queen appeared at McNichols Arena, Denver, Colorado.

1986, Steve Winwood went to number one on the US singles chart with “Higher Love,” a number 13 hit in the UK.

1992, Appering at this year’s Reading Festival, England, Suede, Ride, Pavement, Public Enemy, Manic Street Preachers, (bassist Nicky Wire smashed his guitar in two and hurled it into the crowd, hitting a security guard who needed 16 stitches). This was one of the most famous in the festival’s history. Nirvana played what was to become their last UK concert, and one of their most famous. Kurt Cobain took to the stage in a wheelchair pushed by music journalist Everett True, parodying speculations about his mental health.

1995, Sterling Morrison, a founding member of the Velvet Underground died of cancer at his home in New York City two days after his 53rd birthday. The guitarist left the group in August 1971 and re-joined in 1992 for a European tour.

1995, Carly Simon and James Taylor performed live together in front of 10,000 fans on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. It was the first time they appeared live on the same stage since 1979. The former couple played their own solo sets before combining their efforts in raising money for the local agricultural society.

2013, A signed copy of John Lennon’s whimsical 1964 book In His Own Write sold for more than $5,600 on eBay. The book featured short stories, poems and drawings.

2014, Kate Bush followed her stage comeback by becoming the first woman to have eight albums in the UK charts at the same time. Two of the singer’s albums were in the top 10, and eight overall in the top 40. It came after she returned for her first live concerts for 35 years.

Born on August 30: Johnny Mann, American singer-songwriter, conductor (1928); John Phillips, The Mamas & the Papas (1935); John Peel, BBC Radio (1939); John McNally, English guitarist, vocalist, The Searchers (1941); Charles Colbert, American Breed (1944); Micky Moody guitar, Juicy Lucy, Whitesnake (1950);

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Today in Rock History – August 22

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Supremes-where-did-our-love-go1964, The Supremes started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Where Did Our Love Go” the girl group’s first chart topper. Holland–Dozier–Holland had originally composed the song for The Marvelettes to record it who rejected the song, thinking it childish.

1965, The Beatles, on tour in North America, performed two shows at Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon. Between performances, The Beatles were visited in their dressing-room by Carl Wilson and Mike Love of the Beach Boys.

1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience appeared on the BBC TV Simon Dee show. Kiki Dee and Cat Stevens were also guests on the show

1968, The Who performed at Municipal Auditorium Music Hall, Kansas City, Missouri.

1968, Ringo Starr quit The Beatles during the White Album sessions when the constant bickering and tension became too much for him. The news of Ringo’s departure was kept secret, and he rejoined the sessions on September 3. After Ringo walked out, the remaining Beatles recorded “Back In the USSR,” with Paul on drums and John playing bass.

1968, The Grateful Dead appeared at the Fillmore West in San Francisco.

1969, During a North American tour Led Zeppelin played the first of two nights at Pirates World in Dania, Florida. Also on the bill were The Royal Ascots, Brimstone and The Echo.

1969, The Beatles met at John Lennon’s Tittenhurst Park home in England for their final ever photo session. Three shots from this session (by Ethan Russell) formed the front and back covers of the Capitol compilation album Hey Jude. Yoko Ono and a pregnant Linda McCartney (she was to give birth to daughter Mary six days later) appeared in some photographs with The Beatles.

1969, Blind Faith performed at Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah during their one and only tour of North America. It was not until a 2008 that Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood would share the stage again.

1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival started a nine-week run at number one on the US album charts with their fifth studio album Cosmo’s Factory. The name of the album comes from the warehouse in Berkeley where the band rehearsed. Bandleader John Fogerty was so insistent on practicing (nearly every day) that drummer Doug “Cosmo” Clifford began referring to the place as “the factory.”

1970, Bread went to number one on the US singles chart with “Make It With You,” the group’s only char topping hit, which was a number five in the UK. Many artists have covered the song including The Supremes, Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind & Fire, Dusty Springfield, Andy Williams, and Marc Cohn.

1970, The Moody Blues started a three-week run at UK on the album chart with A Question Of Balance. It charted as high as number three in the US.

1970, Derek and the Dominos appeared at the Van Dike in Plymouth, England.

1971, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Peter, Paul & Mary all appeared at the Odeon Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland.

1972, Genesis appeared at the Teatro Alcione, Genoa, Italy.

1973, Hawkwind performed at Assembly Hall in Worthing, West Sussex, England.

1974,  During the recording sessions for David Bowie’s Young Americans, the fans had keeping a vigil outside Philadelphia’s Sigma Sound Studios, and were invited into the studio at 5 am to hear a playback of the album so Bowie could see their reactions to the music.

1975, Black Sabbath appeared at the International Amphitheater, Chicago, Illinois.

1975, America performed at the Canadian National Exhibition Stadium in Toronto.

1976, Yes played at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

1977, Donovan performed at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1978, Sex Pistol Sid Vicious made his last live stage appearance when he appeared with Rat Scabies from The Damned, former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock and Nancy Spungen at London’s Electric Ballroom. In the audience were Elvis Costello, Blondie, Joan Jett, The Slits and Captain Sensible.

1979, Led Zeppelin released In Through the Out Door, their last album of original material. “Fool in the Rain” was released as a single in the US.

1980, During a North American tour Queen appeared at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1982, Blue Oyster Cult played at the Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia.

1984, Aerosmith appeared at Golden Hall, San Diego, California.

1992, Sting and Trudie Styler held their wedding reception, (the couple married on August 20, 1992.) After The Troggs had played a set, all three members of The Police got on stage and played a couple of numbers.

2004, Al Dvorin the announcer who popularized the phrase “Elvis has left the building” died in a car crash, on his way home from an Elvis convention in California. Dvorin aged 81, was in a car driven by Elvis photographer Ed Bonja. Dvorin was never paid for recordings of his words, and was bitter towards the multi-million dollar Elvis Presley Enterprises. In the early 1970s, Colonel Parker asked Dvorin to inform fans at a gig that Presley would not be appearing for an encore. He took the stage and announced: “Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building. Thank you and goodnight.”

2009, Soul singer Johnny Carter, who was a member of do-wop groups The Dells and The Flamingos, died aged 75. Carter, who was famed for his falsetto vocals, was one of the few artists to be inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with two acts.

2011, Nicholas Ashford, one half of Ashford and Simpson, died of complications from throat cancer in New York. With his wife Valerie Simpson, they had the 1979 US number 36 single “Found A Cure,” and 1985 UK number three single “Solid.” The pair wrote hits such as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “You’re All I Need To Get By,” “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” and “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand.)”

2011, Songwriter and producer Jerry Leiber died at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 78 from cardio-pulmonary failure. Along with Mike Stoller, he wrote many hits including “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “King Creole,” “There Goes My Baby,” “Searchin,” “Yakety Yak,” “Stand By Me,” “Poison Ivy,” and “Kansas City.”

Born on this August 22: John Lee Hooker (1920); Fred Milano, Dion and the Belmonts (1939); Donna Godchaux, Grateful Dead (1947); Ian Mitchell, Bay City Rollers (1958);  Vernon Reid, Living Colour (1958); Roland Orzabal, singer, songwriter, guitarist, Tears For Fears (1961); Layne Staley, Alice In Chains (1967);

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Today in Rock History – August 14

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1965, The Beatles taped an appearance for CBS-TV’s The Ed Sullivan Show at Studio 50, New York City. They performed “I Feel Fine,” “I’m Down,” “Act Naturally,” “Ticket to Ride,” “Yesterday,” and “Help!” Also, The Beatles fifth album Help! started a nine-week run at number one on the charts.

1965, Sonny & Cher started a three week run at number one on the US singles chart with “I Got You Babe.” Sonny Bono is said to have been inspired to write the song to capitalize on the popularity of the term “babe,” as heard in Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe.”

1966, Little Anthony & The Imperials, (Steve Van Zandt’s band,) The Shadows and The Castiles (with Bruce Springsteen on vocals) all appeared at the Surf ‘n’ See Club in Seabright New Jersey. 

1966, The Beatles performed at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio.

1967, All UK offshore pirate radio stations were closed down when the marine broadcasting act came into force. Radio Caroline continued to broadcast until March 1968.

1968, “Fire” by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown was at number one on the UK singles chart. As part of his act Brown would perform the song on stage with his hat set alight!

1970, Stephen Stills was arrested on suspected drugs charges while staying at a San Diego Hotel after being found crawling along a corridor in an incoherent state. Still’s was later freed on bail.

1970, The first day of the three day UK Yorkshire Folk, Blues & Jazz Festival at Krumlin, Yorkshire took place featuring Atomic Rooster, Pink Floyd, (who didn’t appear after being fog bound at Paris Airport), The Kinks, Elton John, Mungo Jerry, Yes, Alan Price, Georgie Fame, Juicy Lucy, Pretty Things and The Groundhogs. Tickets cost £3 ($5.)

1971, Who’s Next enters the U.S. charts. John Mendelsohn in Rolling Stone calls it “intelligently-conceived, superbly-performed, brilliantly-produced, and sometimes even exciting rock and roll.” Dave Marsh in Creem also likes the album despite what he calls weak points in some songs. Lydia Argyle and Ed Kelleher in Circus feel it should be put in a time capsule for future generations to marvel at. Who’s Next climbs only to number four in the US charts. In the UK, it does better when it is released on the 25th going to number one. It is the only Who album to top the charts in any country.

1971, Ten Years After, and Edgar Winter’s White Trash appeared at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1971, The Moody Blues went to number one on the album chart with their sixth album Every Good Boy Deserves  Favour.

1971, During a UK tour, Queen played at the NCOs’ Mess at RAF Culdrose in Culdrose England.

1974, Rush performed at the Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1975, Eric Clapton appeared at LA Forum, Los Angeles.

1976, Funded by a £400 loan “So It Goes” by Nick Lowe became the first record released on Stiff Records. Lowe played all the instruments. The single cost £45 to record.

1977, Yes played at the Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine.

1981, The Grateful Dead appeared at the Seattle Center Coliseum in Seattle, Washington.

1985, Michael Jackson won a bid over Yoko Ono and Paul McCartney to secure the ATV Music Publishing catalogue. At $47.5 million he gained the rights to more than 250 songs written by Lennon and McCartney. McCartney had been negotiating with Yoko Ono, who had decided to withdraw her side of the deal because of “astrological” reasons.

1988, Robert Calvert, lead singer, poet, and frontman of Hawkwind  died of a heart attack. He was a member of the group from 1972-1979 during which time he co-wrote their hit single “Silver Machine” and directed their Space Ritual tour.

1992, Tony Williams lead singer with The Platters died in his sleep of emphysema aged 64. He sang most of the group’s hits up until 1961 when he was replaced by Sonny Turner. Had the 1959 UK & US chart topping single “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.”

1995, Foo Fighters made their network television debut on The Late Show with David Letterman when they performed their new single “This Is A Call.”

2002, Dave Williams lead singer of  heavy rock band Drowning Pool was found dead on the band’s tour bus during Ozzy Osbourne’s Ozzfest tour in Manassas, Virginia. The autopsy concluded that he suffered from a form of heart disease. The band’s debut album, Sinner, had sold over one million copies in the US since its release in June 2001.

2006, Boy George was seen sweeping streets in New York as part of a five-day community service sentence. The former Culture Club frontman was moved into a fenced-off area after only 30 minutes after he was mobbed by the media. The 45-year-old singer was found guilty of wasting police time earlier this year and was threatened with jail if he failed to complete the court-imposed sentence.

Born on August 14: David Crosby (1941); Larry Graham, bass guitar, Sly and The Family Stone (1946); George Newsome, Climax Blues Band; and Maddy Prior, singer, Steeleye Span (1947); Slim Dunlap, The Replacements (1951); Sarah Brightman, singer, actress (1961); Mark Collins guitar, The Charlatans (1965); Tanya Donelly singer, guitarist, Throwing Muses, Breeders (1966); and Kevin Cadogan, Third Eye Blind (1970)

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Today in Rock History – July 17

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1967, American jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane died from liver cancer at Huntington Hospital in Long Island, New York, aged 40. Worked with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie. Released the 1964 album ‘A Love Supreme’.

1967, The Who performed at the Agrodome, Vancouver, Canada.

1967, The Beatles single “All You Need Is Love” / “Baby You’re A Rich Man, ” originally called “One Of The Beautiful People,” was released in the US. It became The Beatles 14th No.1.

1968, The animated film Yellow Submarine premiered at The London Pavilion. The Beatles made a cameo appearance in the film but didn’t supply their own voices for the characters.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band played at the  Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia.

1972, In Montreal, a bomb destroys several speaker cones inside an equipment truck belonging to the touring Rolling Stones. The musical terrorist responsible remains at large.

1974, The Moody Blues opened what they claimed was the first Quadraphonic recording studio in the world.

1974, The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service orders John Lennon to leave the country within 60 days.

1975, Bob Marley and the Wailers played the first of two nights at The Lyceum, London, and both nights were recorded for the November released ‘live’ album, featuring the single ‘No Woman No Cry.’

1976, The Grateful Dead played the fifth of six shows that week at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco, California.

1978, Simple Minds made their live debut at The Satellite Club, Glasgow.

1979, Guitarist Gary Moore leaves Thin Lizzy, to be replaced by future Ultravox member and “Do They Know It’s Christmas” songwriter Midge Ure.

1996, Chas Chandler died aged 57 at Newcastle General Hospital, England, where he was undergoing tests related to an aortic aneurysm. He had been the bass player with The Animals and manager of Slade, Nick Drake and Jimi Hendrix.

Born on this day: Spencer Davis (1939); Wolfgang Flur, Kraftwerk (1947); Geezer Butler, bass, Black Sabbath (1949) Phoebe Snow and Chet McCracKen,  The Doobie Brothers (1952)

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Today in Rock History – July 10

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rolling-stones-satisfaction1965, The Rolling Stones started a four week run at number one on the US singles chart with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” the group’s first chart-topper there. In the UK, the song was initially played only on pirate radio stations because its lyrics were considered too sexually suggestive.

1966, Johnny Tilotson, The Jive Five, The Tymes, The Shangra-Las and local band The Castiles (with Bruce Springsteen on vocals) all appeared at the Surf ‘n See Club in Seabright New Jersey.

1968, Eric Clapton announced that Cream would be splitting up following a farewell tour later in the year.

1968, The Nice were banned from appearing at London’s Royal Albert Hall after burning an American flag on stage. Two years later, Keith Emerson, leader of the Nice, joined Greg Lake and Carl Palmer in Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

1968, Diana Ross & the Supremes and Stevie Wonder appeared at San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, California.

1969, Bob Dylan, Iron Butterfly, and Blues Image all appeared at the Mississippi River Festival at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, Illinois.

1969, The funeral of Rolling Stone Brian Jones took place in his home town at Hatherley Road Parish Church, Cheltenham. Canon Hugh Evan Hopkins read Jones’ own epitaph, “Please don’t judge me too harshly.” Bill Wyman, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts from The Stones attended the funeral.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band played at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York.

1970, The Who single “Summertime Blues” backed with “Heaven and Hell” is released. The A-side comes from the album Live at Leeds while the B-side is a quickly recorded mono studio version of the Entwistle song done for the BBC, with a new vocal slapped on. It reaches number 38 in Britain and in the US, it makes number 27 in the Billboard charts.

1971, The Who performed during their “unpublicized” tour of the UK at Civic Hall, Dunstable, England.

1972, Harry Nilsson released Son of Schmilsson. His eighth album featured friends Ringo Starr and George Harrison, plus Klaus Voorman, Nicky Hopkins, Peter Frampton, Chris Spedding, Bobby Keys and Lowell George. It included the hit “Spaceman, ” and the satirical classics “You’re Breaking My Heart” and “Joy.”

1972, Pink Floyd release “Free Four”/”Stay” as a 7″ single in the US.

1973, Led Zeppelin performed for two hours and forty minutes to 11,000 fans at the Milwaukee Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1974, David Bowie played the first of five dates at The Tower Theatre in Philadelphia the recordings of which made up the David Live album released later that year.

1975, The Rolling Stones played at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

1976, One hit wonders Starland Vocal Band started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with “Afternoon Delight.”

1976, Aerosmith performed at Comiskey Park in Chicago, home of the White Sox baseball team. The stadium was demolished in 1991, when a new stadium was opened next door.  The Beatles performed at Comiskey in 1965.

1977, Cher gave birth to a baby boy Elijah Blue.  Gregg Allman was the father.

1978, Rolling Stone Bill Wyman was knocked unconscious after falling from the stage during a Stones concert at the Coliseum in St Paul, Minnesota.

1979, Chuck Berry was sentenced to five months in jail after being found guilty of tax evasion.

Bob Marley, courtesy Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (rockhall.com)

1980, Bob Marley and the Wailers began what would be Marley’s last ever UK tour when they appeared in Dublin, Ireland.

1980, During their 23 date 11 O’Clock Tick Tock tour, U2 appeared at The Clarendon Hotel in London.

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

1981, The Grateful Dead played at the Civic Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

1984, King Crimson appeared at Le Spectrum in Montreal, Quebec.

1987, Producer and record company executive John Hammond died. He brought Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen to Columbia Records. Hammond also worked as a producer with Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman and Count Basie.

2002, David Bowie, Suede, Divine Comedy, Green Day, No Doubt, Paul Weller, Ian Brown, Joe Strummer, New Order, Doves and Shed 7 all appeared at the four day Move festival, Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester, England.

2008, The drum skin used on the cover of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper album sold for £541,250 ($1 million) at Christie’s Memorabilia auction in London. Other items sold included John Lennon’s lyrics for “Give Peace a Chance” which sold for £421,250 ($832,257.) A pair of tinted prescription sunglasses belonging to Lennon, which he wore for the cover of the single “Mind Games,” sold for £39,650 ($79,000.) A rare 1/4 inch reel to-reel master tape recording of the Jimi Hendrix Experience performing at the Woburn Music Festival in 1968 went for £48,050 ($95,00), a Marshall amplifier used by Hendrix in concert fetched £25,000 ($50,000).

Born on July 10: Jerry Miller, Moby Grape (1943); Arlo Guthrie (1947); Ronnie James Dio (1949); and Greg Kihn (1950)

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Today in Rock History – June 17

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beatles-help1965, Working at Abbey Road studios in London The Beatles completed work on the new Paul McCartney song “Yesterday” with the overdubbing of an additional vocal track by McCartney and a string quartet. They also recorded “Act Naturally” for Ringo’s vocal contribution on the Help! album and the song “Wait” in four takes. “Wait” will not be included on ‘Help!’, it was included on the following LP, Rubber Soul.

1965, The Kinks and the Moody Blues made their US concert debut at the Academy of Music in New York City.

1966, The Who performed at City Hall in Perth, Western Australia, Australia.

1966, Guitarist Peter Green joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.

1966, Paul McCartney buys himself a farm in Kintyre, Scotland. He would later write the song “Mull of Kintyre.”

1967, Pink Floyd played at the Ballroom, Dreamland Amusement Park in Margate, Kent, England, supported by the Tony Merrick Set.

1969, Neil Young & Crazy Horse appeared at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, California.

1971, Carole King went to number one on the album chart with Tapestry for the first of 15 consecutive weeks. The album contained “It’s Too Late,” “I Feel the Earth Move,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” and “You’ve Got a Friend.”

1971, Black Sabbath and Ted Nugent played at the West Palm Beach Auditorium in West Palm Beach, Florida.

1972, The Allman Brothers Band performed at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

1972, Don McLean had a number one UK single with “Vincent.” The song was written about the 19th century artist Vincent Van Gogh. The song is played daily at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

1972, David Bowie performed at Town Hall in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England.

1972, Organist Ron “Pigpen” McKernan plays with the Grateful Dead for the last time at the Hollywood Bowl.

1972, Pink Floyd release their soundtrack Obscured by Clouds in the US.

1972, The Rolling Stones album Exile On Main Street started a four-week run at the top of the charts.

1973, Dolly Parton recorded “I Will Always Love You” in RCA’s Studio “B” in Nashville. Written for her one-time partner and mentor, Porter Wagoner (the two were splitting professionally at the time). The song was later a world-wide hit for Whitney Houston.

1974, KISS played at the Sunshine Inn, Asbury Park, New Jersey.

1975, Aerosmith appeared at McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado.

1976, The Grateful Dead begin the first of  three nights at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey.

1976, Ian Dury played his last gig with Kilburn and the High Roads before starting his solo career. The show at The Assembly Hall, Walthamstow also had The Sex Pistols, and The Stranglers on the bill.

1976, Neil Diamond performed at Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan.

1977, Steve Winwood releases his first self-titled solo album, three years after leaving Traffic.

1977, Eric Clapton played at Rhein-Neckar-Halle, Heidelberg, Germany.

1978, Andy Gibb became the first solo artist in the history of the US charts to have his first three releases reach number one. “Shadow Dancing” hit the top of the charts, spending seven weeks at the top, and becoming the best selling single in the US that year.

1978, Bob Dylan performed at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London.

1978, “You’re The One That I Want” by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John started a nine week run at number one on the UK singles chart. The song was from the film Grease.

1978, As Jefferson Airplane prepare to play Germany’s Lorley Festival, Grace Slick is discovered too inebriated to perform. The band cancels.

1979, Yes played at New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut.

1980, Led Zeppelin performed at Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany.

1981, Pink Floyd performed The Wall at Earl’s Court Exhibition Hall, Earl’s Court, London.

1983, David Bowie appeared at Freilichttheater, Bad Segeberg, Germany.

1983, James Brown, UB40, Fun Boy Three, The Beat, Curtis Mayfield, Jimmy Cliff, Marillion and Melanie all appeared at this years Glastonbury CND Festival, Shepton Mallet, England.

1984, Van Halen played at the Kansas Coliseum, Valley Center, Kansas.

1987, Florida real estate agent Vittoria Holman sued Motley Crue and their concert promoter for hearing loss allegedly incurred at a concert in December 1985. Holman and her daughter had front row seats less than 10 feet (3 meters) from the speakers. The case was settled out of court with the band’s insurance company paying Holman over $30,000. (£18,200.)

1997, Fans rioted at an Ozzfest concert in Columbus Ohio, after Ozzy Osbourne couldn’t perform due to throat problems. Angry fans broke windows, uprooted trees, and turned over a parked car.

2007, The Traveling Wilburys went to number one on the UK album chart with Collection. The lineup of the Wilburys was: George Harrison, (Nelson Wilbury,) Jeff Lynne, (Otis Wilbury,) Roy Orbison, (Lefty Wilbury,) Tom Petty, (Charlie T. Wilbury Jr.,) and Bob Dylan, (Lucky Wilbury.)

2012, Bruce Springsteen played his longest show when he turned in a three-hour-and-48-minute, 32-song, set at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid. This surpassed the previously longest show, Dec. 31, 1980 at the Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, New York, which clocked in at 3:43.

Born on June 17: Norman Kuhlke, The Swinging Blue Jeans (1942); Chris Spedding, session guitarist for Donovan, David Essex, Brian Eno, Bryan Ferry (1944); Barry Manilow (1946); Greg Rolie, Santana (1947); and Jello Biafra, Dead Kennedys (1958)

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Today in Rock History – May 10

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1966, A year after returning to her home state of Texas from San Francisco, Janis Joplin heads west again. She was summoned by Chet Helms, a friend who is now managing Big Brother & the Holding Company. He dispatches Travis Rivers, an old acquaintance of Janis’ from her Port Arthur, Texas days to convince the singer to join Big Brother. Joplin had even considered becoming a member of 13th Floor Elevators.

1967, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards appeared at Chichester Crown Court, Sussex, charged with being in possession of drugs, they elect to go to trial pleading not guilty and were both granted £100 bail.

1968, Jimi Hendrix performed at the Fillmore East in New York.

1968, Jim Morrison incites a riot at a Doors gig in Chicago.

1969, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, The Move, Status Quo, Tremeloes, Marmalade, Love Sculpture, Van Der Graaf Generator all appeared at Nottingham’s Pop & Blues Festival, held at the Notts County Football Ground, Nottingham, England. Presented by John Peel, tickets 22/6 at the gate. Floyd closed the day’s events, playing in the pouring rain.

1969, The Who played at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1969, The Moody Blues started a two-week run at number one on the album chart with On The Threshold Of A Dream. It was their first number one album.

1969, The Turtles gave a special performance at the White House as guests of Trica Nixon. Stories circulate concerning members of the group allegedly snorted cocaine on Abraham Lincoln’s desk.

1969, Frank Sinatra’s version of “My Way” made the British Top ten for the first time. Over the next three years it re-entered the Top 50 singles chart on eight different occasions. Paul Anka re-wrote the original French song for Sinatra, after he told Anka he was quitting the music business. Anka changed the melodic structure and lyrics to the song with Sinatra in mind.

1969, Led Zeppelin made their first appearance on the album chart when the bands debut album charted at number six, going on to spend 71 weeks on the UK album chart. It entered the US chart the following week at number ten. Now considered one of the most important debuts in rock, creating an entirely new interpretation of the rock and roll genre because of the groundbreaking music and recording techniques. The album was recorded in thirty-six hours.

1969, The Who played the first of three nights at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan on their North American Tommy tour.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Sports Arena, Atlanta, Georgia.

1970, David Bowie was awarded an Ivor Novello Award for Best Original Song “Space Oddity,” which he performed that night accompanied by the Les Reed Orchestra. The event was transmitted live via satellite to venues in America, France, Spain, Australia, Holland and Venezuela. Bowie would later revisit his Major Tom character in the songs “Ashes to Ashes” and “Hallo Spaceboy.”

1971, Yes appeared at Teatro Lirico, Milan, Italy.

1972, Hawkwind played at City Hall, Newcastle, England.

1974, The Who sold out Madison Square Gardens in New York City for four nights selling 80,000 tickets.

1974, Queen appeared at the Uris Theater, New York.

1974, Eric Clapton records “I Shot the Sheriff.”

1974, A party to celebrate the launch of Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song label at Los Angeles’ Bel Air Hotel ends with the guests tossing food and chinaware at one another.

1975, Stevie Wonder played in front of 125,000 fans at a free concert near the Washington Monument to celebrate Human Kindness Day.

1976, Aerosmith played at Madison Square Garden, New York.

1976, The Rolling Stones kicked off a 12-date UK tour at the Apollo Theatre, Glasgow.

1977, Rush appeared at the Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1979, Roxy Music played at City Hall, Newcastle, England.

1980, Pete Townshend’s solo album Empty Glass is released in the U.S. John Rockwell in The New York Times says, “it a success that sounds like The Who of a decade before,” while Jon Parales in Mademoiselle says it shows “Pete has risen to the challenge set forth by punk rock.”

1980, Bob Dylan performed at City Hall, Portland, Maine.

1984, David Gilmour played at the Forum in Montreal.

1986, Falco was at number one on the UK singles chart with “Rock Me Amadeus.” Falco became the first-ever Austrian act to score a UK and US number one hit single and the first German speaking artist to achieve a US chart topper. Falco died of severe injuries received on  February 6, 1998, when his sports car collided with a bus in the Dominican Republic. It was later determined that the bus driver was speeding, for which the driver served three years in prison.

1997, The Hillsborough Benefit gig took place at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium with The Beautiful South, Manic Street Preachers, Dodgy, Space, Stereophonics and The Lightning Seeds.

1999, American singer, songwriter poet, cartoonist, screenwriter, and author of children’s books Shel Silverstein died of a heart attack aged 57. He penned “A Boy Named Sue” for Johnny Cash, which earned Silverstein won a Grammy for in 197o. He also authored many songs for Dr Hook including “Sylvia’s Mother” and “The Cover of the Rolling Stone.”

2010, New York City’s Apollo Theatre began installing bronze plaques on the sidewalk outside the building of legends who had close ties to the theater. Among the first to be honored were James Brown, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and Ella Fitzgerald.

Born on this day –  Dave Mason, Donovan, and Graham Gouldman, 10cc (1946); Jay Ferguson, Spirit (1947); Sid Vicious (1957); and Bono (1960)

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