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Today in Rock History – June 18

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1971, Fleetwood Mac appeared at Up The Junction in Crewe, England.

1974, Peter Hoorelbeke, drummer with Rare Earth, was arrested after a concert for throwing his drumsticks into the crowd.

1975, Elvis Presley had a face-lift at Mid South hospital, Memphis.

1976, Abba gave a special live performance in Stockholm for Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath on the eve of their wedding.

1977, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers supported by The Boomtown Rats appeared at Friars, Aylesbury, England.

1977, Fleetwood Mac went to No.1 on the singles chart with “Dreams,” the group’s first and only No.1

1977, Johnny Rotten and Paul Cook of The Sex Pistols were stabbed and beaten when they were attacked in a parking lot outside a London pub.

1977, The Beatles Live At The Hollywood Bowl went to number one on the album chart The album featured recordings from  August 23rd 1964 and  August 30th 1965.

1980, The Blues Brothers, starring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as the deadpan R&B team, premieres in New York.

1993, A&M Records chairman Jerry Moss and vice-chairman Herb Alpert announced they were leaving the company they founded more than 30 years earlier. They had sold A&M in 1990 to Polygram for $500 (£312.5) million. Moss and Alpert started the label in the garage of Alpert’s Los Angeles home in 1962. The label was the home to such acts as The Police, Bryan Adams, Joan Baez, Flying Burrito Brothers, The Carpenters, Joe Cocker, Supertramp and Herb Alpert’s own Tijuana Brass.

2002, U2 lost a bid to prevent the demolition of Hanover Quay studio in Dublin. More than 8,000 fans signed an online petition to preserve the studio, where the group recorded “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” and some of their Pop album.

2003, Pop Idol creator Simon Fuller became the first British music manager since The Beatles’ Brian Epstein to hold the top three positions in the US singles chart. Fuller, who steered the Spice Girls and S Club 7 to success, was in charge of bestselling artists Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard, together with the American Idol 2 Final 10. During 2003 Fuller sold more than ten million records around the world and has had 96 number one singles and 79 top-placed albums in both the US and UK during his career.

2007, American singer and record producer Hank Medress died of lung cancer at 68. He was the vocalist on The Tokens 1961 US No.1 hit “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” Medress was also in the vocal quartet The Linc-Tones with Neil Sedaka and produced the hit single “He’s So Fine”‘ by The Chiffons, as well as Tony Orlando’s “Knock Three Times.”

Born on June 18: Paul McCartney (1942); Carl Radle, bass, Derek and the Dominoes (1942);  Lincoln Thompson, Jamaican singer-songwriter, The Tartans (1949); Alison Moyet, Yazoo (1961); Oz Fox, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, Stryper, SinDizzy,  Bloodgood (1961); Dizzy Reed, American keyboard player, songwriter, actor, Guns N’ Roses and Johnny Crash (1963); Nathan Morris, American singer, Boyz II Men (1971);

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Today in Rock History – June 15

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The Who, 1964 - from THE MARK AND COLLEEN HAYWARD COLLECTION (http://rockmusicprints.com/)
The Who, 1964 – from THE MARK AND COLLEEN HAYWARD COLLECTION (http://rockmusicprints.com/)

1964, The Who played at the Glenlyn Ballroom in Forest Hill, London.

1965, The Rolling Stones kicked off an 8-date mini-European tour at The Odeon Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland, supported by The Hollies

1966, “Substitute” by The Who peaks at number 13 on the German charts.

1967, Guitarist Peter Green quit the John Mayall Band. He went on to be a founding member of Fleetwood Mac.

1968, The Soft Machine appeared at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1968, Today John and Yoko plant their acorns outside Coventry Cathedral in England to help promote peace.

1968, Pink Floyd performed two shows (7:30 and 11:30 pm) at Magic Village in Manchester, England. Also on the bill for this all night event were Purple Stone and the Alchemist, The Jack Lancaster – Bruce Mithcell Quartet, and the Inner Light Show.

1968, Quicksilver Messenger Service supported by The Hallucinations played at Boston Tea Party, Boston, Massachusetts.

1969, Led Zeppelin, along with Liverpool Scene and Bloodwyn Pig appeared at The Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England, during a five date UK tour.

1969, The Frost played at the Sports Arena in Toledo, Ohio.

1969, The Doors appeared at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1970, The Who performed at the Community Theater, Berkeley, California.

1971, Pink Floyd performed at Abbaye de Royaumont in Royaumont, France. The show that was filmed by French TV channel ORTF, and two songs were broadcast on Cinq Grand Sur La Deux in the early hours of July 12th.

1972, The Rolling Stones appeared at University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

1973, On television’s Midnight Special, host Jim Croce welcomes guests Wishbone Ash and Bobby Womack.

1973, David Bowie performed at the Odeon Theatre, Taunton, England.

1974, Abba’s debut album Waterloo entered the chart for the first time peaking at number 28.

1974, Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Billy Don’t Be A Hero,” The song was a UK chart topper for Paper Lace.

1974, Elvis Presley played the first night of an 18-date US tour by playing four shows at the Tarrant County Center, Forth Worth, Texas.

1975, ZZ Top played at the Spokane Coliseum, Spokane, Washington.

1976, The Sex Pistols recorded their first demos in Clapham’s Majestic studios followed by a gig that night at The 100 club, London.

1976, AC/DC appeared at St. Georges Hall, Bradford, England.

1977, The Sex Pistols held a party on a boat as it sailed down The River Thames in London. The Pistols performed “Anarchy In The UK” outside The Houses Of Parliament, resulting in members from the party being arrested when the boat docked later that day.

1977, Pink Floyd performed at County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1978, During a European tour Bob Dylan played the first of six sold out nights at London’s Earl Court.

1979, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan.

1980, Nazareth played at the Hollywood Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, Florida.

1983, David Bowie performed at Ruhrland Stadion, Bochum, Germany.

1984, Yes appeared at the Scandinavium, Göteborg, Sweden.

1985, Dire Straits started a nine-week run at number one on the US album chart with, Brothers In Arms.

1986, U2 and Sting headlined a concert in New Jersey celebrating 25 years of Amnesty International.

1989 Nirvana’s debut album Bleach was released in the US. The title for the album came from a poster “Bleach Your Works” urging drug users to bleach their needles. Kurt Cobain claimed that most of the lyrics on the album were written the night before recording while he was feeling “pissed off,” and that he did not regard them highly.

1996, Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald died in Beverly Hills, California, aged 79. Already blinded by the effects of diabetes, Fitzgerald had both her legs amputated in 1993. She won 13 Grammy Awards, and the 1956 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook was the first of eight “Songbook” sets.

2002, A rare autographed copy of The Beatles’ album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band sold at auction for £34,000 ($57,800), more than five times the estimated price.

 2003, Radiohead scored their fourth UK number one with their sixth studio album Hail To The Thief, while Metallica were at number one on the US album chart with St Anger, the band’s fourth US chart topper, and a top three hit in the UK.

2005, Coldplay went straight to number one on US album chart with their third album X&Y, having already entered at number one in the UK. The last time a British artist had a simultaneous US and UK number one was in November 2000 with 1, a compilation of hits by The Beatles. The last studio album to reach number one on both sides of the Atlantic was Radiohead’s Kid A in October 2000.

Born on June 15: Nigel Pickering, Spanky And Our Gang (1929); Waylon Jennings (1937); Harry Nilsson (1941); Johnny Halliday, “the French Elvis” (1943); Muff Winwood, The Spencer Davis Group (1943); Russell Hitchcock, vocals, Air Supply (1949);  Steve Walsh, Kansas (1951); David Hinds, Steel Pulse (1956); rapper Ice Cube (1969)

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Today in Rock History – June 11

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1966, The Rolling Stones started a two week run at No.1 on the singles chart with “Paint It Black,” the group’s third No.1 single.

1966, European radio stations mistakenly report that The Who’s lead singer Roger Daltrey is dead. Actually, it was guitarist Pete Townshend who had been injured in a car accident a few days earlier.

1966, Elvis Presley begins shooting his 26th film, Double Trouble.

1967, Printed in this week’s music weekly Melody Maker’s ad’s pages, “Freaky lead guitarist, bass and drummer wanted for Marc Bolan’s new group. Also any other astral flyers like with car’s amplification and that which never grows in window boxes, phone Wimbledon 0697.” The band who formed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, went on to release four underground folk albums before becoming known as T Rex.

1968, Cream appeared at Paul Sauvé Arena in Montreal, Quebec.

1968, London’s Olympic Studio catches fire while the Rolling Stones are there recording Beggars Banquet.

1968, Working at Abbey Road studios in London on the White Album, John Lennon worked on “Revolution 9” in studio 3, while Paul McCartney recorded “Blackbird” in studio 2.

1969, The Beatles were at No.1 on the singles chart with “The Ballad Of John and Yoko,” the group’s 17th No.1. Only two Beatles played on the track, John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

1969, David Bowie releases his single “Space Oddity” in conjunction with the planned Apollo 11 lunar landing.

1970, Traffic jammed at the Fillmore East in New York.

1970, The Rascals, Poco, and Alee Keith played at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band appear at the Eastown Theater, Detroit, Michigan.

1972, Led Zeppelin performed at the Civic Center in Baltimore.  Tickets were priced from $5.50 – $7.50. The set list was: Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Black Dog, Since I’ve Been Loving You, Stairway to Heaven, Going to California, That’s the Way, Tangerine, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Dazed and Confused, What Is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love (medley incl. Let That Boy Boogie, I Need Your Love Tonight, Hello Mary Lou, Heartbreak Hotel, I’m Going Down, Going Down Slow), Rock and Roll, Communication Breakdown.

1972, The Rolling Stones play the Forum in Inglewood, California. The opening act is Stevie Wonder.

1973, Deep Purple performed at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1974, The Who headlined at Madison Square Garden in New York.

1975, The Rolling Stones appeared at the Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

1976, The Grateful Dead performed at the Great Boston Music Hall.

1976, AC/DC appeared at Glasgow City Hall, Scotland, on the first night of their Lock Up Your Daughters 19 date UK tour.

1977, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours retains the number one album in the US. Just one of the 31 weeks it would spend in that position in 1977 and 1978.

1977, Joe Strummer and Topper Headon were detained overnight in prison in Newcastle upon Tyne having failed to appear at Morpeth Magistrates on May 21st. Both Clash members were to answer a charge relating to the theft of a Holiday Inn pillowcase. They were both fined £100 ($170).

1977, KC and the Sunshine Band became only the second group after The Jackson Five to achieve four US No.1’s when “I’m Your Boogie Man” went to the top of the charts.

1977, As Britain celebrated the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, The Sex Pistols reached No. 2 in the singles chart with “God Save The Queen.”

1978, Genesis appeared at Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany.

1980, Aerosmith played at Stage West, Hartford, Connecticut.

1981, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performed at the Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois.

1983, ZZ Top played at the Civic Auditorium Arena, Omaha, Nebraska.

1984, Yes performed at Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden.

1988, Nelson Mandellas 70th birthday tribute took place at Wembley Stadium, London, featuring Whitney Houston, Phil Collins, Dire Straits, Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman, George Michael, Eric Clapton, UB40, The Eurythmics and Simple Minds. The event was broadcast live on BBC 2 to 40 different countries with an estimated audience of 1 billion.

1991, The Grateful Dead played at the Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

2005, Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin founding member and guitarist, was awarded an OBE in the Queen of England’s Birthday Honours list and Queen guitarist and founding member Brian May was awarded a CBE.

2011, Pink Floyd’s 1973 album The Dark Side Of The Moon, re-entered the Billboard Album chart at No. 47, and reached the milestone of 1,000 weeks on Billboard’s charts.

Born on this day: John Lawton, Uriah Heep (19467);  Glenn Leonard, The Temptations (1947); Alan Skipper, drums, The Pretty Things (1948) and Frank Beard, ZZ Top (1949)

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Today in Rock History – June 4

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Procol Harum

1967, Procol Harum, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Denny Laine all appeared at The Saville Theatre London, England.

1967, The Monkees wins an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, beating out Andy Griffith, Bewitched, Get Smart, and Hogan’s Heroes.

1968, Having been arrested the month before on charges of marijuana possession, Rolling Stone Brian Jones elects for trial by jury. The rest of the Rolling Stones are in the studio working on tracks for Beggars Banquet and being filmed by Jean-Luc Godard for the movie One Plus One. However, the studio catches fire while the film crew shoots the band on the roof.

1969, Seven years after his first hit, Tommy Roe was at number one on the UK singles chart with “Dizzy,” his only chart topping hit.

1969, Hundreds of people in Glenrowan, Australia signed a petition protesting against the casting of Mick Jagger in the role of the Australian folk hero, Ned Kelly.

1970, Elvis Presley began five days of recording at RCA’s studio B in Nashville, starting each day at 6pm and working until dawn.

1971, Elton John appeared at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri.

1971, Alice Cooper performed at the Eastown Theater in Detroit, Michigan.

1971, Pink Floyd appeared at Philips Veranstal Tungshalle, Düsseldorf, Germany.

1972, Jethro Tull played at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

1973, Murry Wilson, father of Beach Boys Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, dies of a heart attack. His alleged physical abuse left songwriting genius Brian deaf in one ear. Murray also managed the group when it was first starting out.

1974, David Bowie kicked off his 73-date Diamond Dogs tour at the Montreal, Forum in Canada.

1974, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island.

1975, The Rolling Stones became the first rock band to receive royalties for sales of their records in Russia.

1976, Elton John appeared at The Capitol Theatre, Leeds, England.

1976, Live recordings were made at the new wave venue GBGB’s of performances from Blondie, Mink DeVille, Talking Heads, Laughing Dogs and Tuff Darts. The tracks featured on the album Live At CBGB’S New York.

1976, Yes performed at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1976, The Sex Pistols appeared at The Lesser Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England. The now legendary night is regarded as a catalyst to the punk rock movement. In the audience was, Morrissey, Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook (soon to form Joy Division) and Mark E Smith, (The Fall). Tickets cost £1 ($1.50.)

1977, Police cancel a planned Led Zeppelin performance in Tampa Bay, Fla., after fans rioted the night before, when the band’s set was interrupted by a vicious thunderstorm.

1977, Eric Clapton played at National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland.

1977, The Grateful Dead performed at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

1977, The Jam’s debut single “In The City” made it to number 40 on the UK singles chart. They went on to score 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1982, including four chart topping hits.

1978, Bob Dylan performed at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles.

1978, David Bowie’s European tour plays at the  Scandanavium in Gothenberg, Sweden.

1979, Rush and Dire Straits performed at the Pinkpop Festival in Geleen, The Netherlands.

1980, Roxy Music appeared at Foret National, Brussels, Belgium.

1981, Bruce Springsteen played at Wembley Arena in London.

1983, The Police started a four week run at number one in the UK with “Every Breath You Take,” the group’s fifth and final chart topping single. It was taken from the band’s album Synchronicity. Sting won Song of the Year and The Police won Best Pop Performance for the song at the 1984 Grammy Awards.

1984, Bruce Springsteen released the album, Born In The USA, which became the best-selling album of 1985 in the United States, and Springsteen’s most successful album ever. The album produced a record-tying string of seven Top 10 singles, tying him with Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814.

1985, Elton John sued publisher Dick James Music, seeking the rights to his early songs and recordings, plus damages estimated at more than £30 million ($51 million). The singer lost a six-month court battle to recover the copyright to 169 songs however, the court ordered Dick James to hand over millions in unpaid royalties.

1986, The first of a six date Conspiracy of Hope tour was held at Cow Palace, San Francisco, California. The benefit concerts on behalf of Amnesty International were held to increase awareness of Amnesty on the 25th anniversary of its work for human rights. The shows were headlined by U2 and Sting, and also featured Bryan Adams, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Joan Baez, and The Neville Brothers.

1990, American punk rock singer Stiv Bators of the Dead Boys and The Lords of the New Church died after being hit by a taxi in Paris, France. Bators had been out drinking when he was hit by a taxi while crossing the road. He was taken to a hospital, but left before seeing a doctor. He died in his sleep as the result of a concussion.

1994, Wet Wet Wet started a fifteen-week run at number one on the UK singles chart with “Love Is All Around,” from the film Four Weddings & A Funeral. The song was written by Reg Presley of The Troggs, and was a former top ten hit for his band in 1967

1997, Jeff Buckley’s body was discovered floating in the Mississippi River. Buckley had disappeared when swimming on May 29th in Wolf River Harbor, while wearing boots, all of his clothing, and singing the chorus of “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin. A roadie in Buckley’s band, had remained on shore. After moving a radio and guitar out of reach of the wake from a passing tugboat, he looked up to see that Buckley had vanished.

2012, Herb Reed, bass singer and founder member with American doo-wop group The Platters died aged 83. The Platters scored four number one singles in the late 50’s: “The Great Pretender,” “My Prayer,” “Twilight Time,” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.” Reed is credited with coming up with the group’s name, inspired by disc jockeys who referred to their records as “platters.”

Born on June 4: Freddie Fender (1937);  Michelle Phillips (1944); Gordon Waller, Peter & Gordon (1945); and Jimmy McCulloch, Thunderclap Newman, Wings (1952)

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Today in Rock History – May 31

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1966, Filming began on The Monkees first TV series.

1968, Jimi Hendrix appeared at Hallenstadion, Zürich, Switzerland.

1968, Working on what will become the White Album, The Beatles add overdubs of bass and vocals on “Revolution.” After numerous overdubs have been added, the final six minutes of the song evolved into chaotic, jamming, with Lennon repeatedly shouting “alright” and Yoko Ono speaking random phrases. The jam becomes the basis for “Revolution 9,” and this session is the first that Yoko attends.

1968, Love appeared at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan

1969, Jimi Hendrix was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, on sale for 35 cents.

1969, The Allman Brothers Band played at the Boston Tea Party in Boston, Massachusetts.

1969, During their Montreal bed-in, John Lennon and Yoko Ono record “Give Peace a Chance.”

1969, Led Zeppelin headlined at the Fillmore East in New York. Also on the bill were Woody Herman & his Orchestra as well as Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. Tickets were priced from $3 to $5.

1969, The Rolling Stones record “Honky Tonk Women.”

1969, Pink Floyd appeared at the “Eight Weeks Ball” held at the Main Marquee, Pembroke College, Oxford, England.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band played at the Piedmont Music Festival, Atlanta, Georgia.

1972, Roxy Music appeared at the Marquee Club, London.

1973, To celebrate John Bonham’s 25th birthday, Robert Plant leads an audience at the Felt Forum in Los Angeles in a rendition of “Happy Birthday.” Later that night Bonham celebrates with George Harrison, who ends up throwing his birthday cake at the drummer. Bonham tosses Harrison into the hotel pool.

1973, Deep Purple performed at the Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1974, Roxy Music appeared at Painter’s Mill Music Fair, Owings Mills, Maryland.

1975, During a press conference held at the 5th Avenue Hotel in New York City to announce The Rolling Stones forthcoming American tour, the Stones themselves came down the street playing live from the back of a flat-bed truck.

1976, Yes played at Freedom Hall Civic Center, Johnson City, Tennessee.

1976, The Who start a three-date tour of the UK at the Charlton Football Ground in London. Since all three dates are at football stadiums, the tour is known as the “Who Put the Boot In” tour. This show also puts The Who in the Guinness Book of World Records as “The World’s Loudest Pop Group” as their output registers 120 decibels at 50 meters. Supporting acts are The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Little Feat, The Outlaws and Streetwalkers.

1977, The Patti Smith group started a nine night residency at New York’s CBGB’s.

1977, The BBC announced a ban on the new Sex Pistols single “God Save The Queen” saying it’s, “in gross bad taste”. And the IBA issued a warning to all radio stations saying the playing the single would be in breach of Section 4:1:A of the Broadcasting act. The single reached number two on the UK chart.

1977, The Police appeared at The Railway Hotel, Putney, London.

1977,  Emerson, Lake & Palmer kick off an American tour accompanied by a 70-piece orchestra. It costs the band $200,000 a week to keep the circus on the road.

1978, David Bowie performed at the Falkoner Theater, Copenhagen, Denmark.

1979, Dire Straits played at Rhein-Neckar Halle, Heidelberg, Germany.

1980, Lipps Inc went to number one on the US singles chart with”Funkytown.” The disco hit was also a chart topper in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Australia and The Netherlands. It reached the second spot in the UK.

1981, ZZ Top appeared at Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee.

1982, R.E.M. signed a five-album deal with IRS Records, an independent label based in California.

1984, Bob Dylan performed at St. Pauli Stadion, Hamburg, Germany.

1986, Peter Gabriel notched his second solo UK number one album with So, featuring the singles “Sledgehammer” and a duet with Kate Bush “Don’t Give Up.”

1989, David Bowie’s Tin Machine made their live debut at the International Music Awards, New York.

1992, The Grateful Dead played at the Sam Boyd Silver Bowl in Las Vegas.

2000, US soul singer Johnnie Taylor died of a heart attack in a Texas hospital shortly after his 62nd birthday. Taylor had been a member of The Highway QCs and The Five Echoes and in 1957 Taylor replaced Sam Cooke in The Soul Stirrers. He scored the 1976 US number one”Disco Lady.”

2004, American guitarist Robert Quine was found dead of a heroin overdose in his New York City home. Worked with Richard Hell And The Voidoids, Lou Reed, Brian Eno, Lloyd Cole, Marianne Faithfull, Tom Waits, and They Might Be Giants

2008, Death Cab For Cutie were at number one on the US album chart with their sixth release Narrow Stairs.

Born on May 31:  Peter Yarrow, Peter Paul and Mary (1938); John Bonham (1948); and Karl Bartos, Kraftwerk (1952)

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Today in Rock History – May 27

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bob-dylan-freewheelin1963, The album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan was released by Columbia in the USA. Establishing Dylan as a leader in the singer-songwriter genre and a supposed spokesman for the youth-orientated protest movement, it reached number 22 on the US charts and number one on the UK charts. The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan showcased Dylan’s songwriting talent for the first time and propelled him to national and international fame.

1964, Pirate radio station Sutch was started by Screaming Lord Sutch, broadcasting from former army fort Shivering Sands in The Thames Estuary.

1966, The Velvet Underground go west, as Andy Warhol brings his Exploding Plastic Inevitable, featuring the Velvets and the Mothers, to San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium.

1967,  The Who play one of their weirdest dates, the Oxford Pembroke College May Ball, in Oxfordshire, England.. They are expected to play dance music but most of the prom goers spend the evening with their hands over their ears as first Cream and then The Who perform their standard repertoire. Pete’s guitar is stolen after the show.

1967, To celebrate Cilla Black’s birthday, her manager Brian Epstein organized illuminated greetings at London’s Piccadilly Circus and sites in Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham.

1967, Pink Floyd appeared at the “Bank Holiday Beano” held at the Civic Hall, Nantwich, England. The supporting act was The SOS.

1968, Pink Floyd were at EMI Studios, Abbey Road, St. Johns Wood in London recording tracks for A Saucerful of Secrets.

1969, Led Zeppelin appeared at the Boston Tea Party in Boston, Massachusetts.

1971, “First Take” by Roberta Flack began the last of its five-weeks atop the US album charts.

1972, The Chi-lites went to number one on the singles chart with “Oh Girl.”

1972, Spirit and The J Geils Band played at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago.

1972, David Bowie appeared at Ebbisham Hall, Epsom, England on his Ziggy Stardust tour.

1973, The Allman Brothers Band played at the  Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, California.

1974, Aerosmith appeared at the JFK Coliseum, Manchester, New Hampshire.

1975, Wishbone Ash performed at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1976, Keith Moon arrives at Brecknock School in North London school to inspect the boys of the 51st Company of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. For the occasion, Keith dons full evening attire. Keith had spent £500 ($750) on brand new bugles and drums. “Blimey,” he tells the press, “I know just how they felt playing with rotten instruments. I was in the sea cadets as a boy.” That night he and John attend the Rolling Stones’ concert at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London.

1977, Declan McManus made his “live” debut at the Nashville in London as Elvis Costello.

1977, The Sex Pistols single “God Save The Queen” was released in the UK. Banned by TV and radio, High Street shops and pressing plant workers refused to handle the record. It sold 200,000 copies in one week and peaked at number two on the UK charts.

1978, Bruce Springsteen performed at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1979, Yes appeared at the Sports Arena, San Diego, California.

1980, Journey played at the Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.

1981, Van Halen headlined at the Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio

1983, The Smiths were at number one on the UK independent chart with their debut single “Hand In Glove.” The Smiths recorded the track after their manager Joe Moss paid £250 ($375) for a one-day recording session at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England.

1984, Bob Dylan performed at the Arena di Verona, Verona, Italy.

1988, Def Leppard kicked off the third leg of their North American Hysteria world tour at George M. Sullivan Arena, Anchorage, Alaska.

1989, The Grateful Dead performed at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum in Oakland, California.

1990, The Stone Roses played at Spike Island, Widnes, Cheshire, England to a capacity crowd of 30,000. The event, considered a failure at the time due to sound problems and bad organization, has become legendary over the years as a “Woodstock for the baggy generation.”

1994, The Eagles played their first show in fourteen years when they played a show at Irvine Meadows in Irvine California. The two-and-a-half-hour show ended with three encores. The set list: Hotel California, Victim of Love, New Kid in Town, Wasted Time,  Pretty Maids All in a Row,  The Girl From Yesterday,  I Can’t Tell You Why,  Ordinary Average Guy, Lyin’ Eyes, One of These Nights, Silent Spring, Tequila Sunrise,  Help Me Through the Night, The Heart of the Matter,  Love Will Keep Us Alive, You Belong to the City,  The Boys of Summer, Funk #49, Dirty Laundry, Life’s Been Good,  All She Wants to Do Is Dance, Heartache Tonight, Life in the Fast Lane.  Encore: Get Over It, Rocky Mountain Way.  Encore 2:  Already Gone, Desperado.  Encore 3: Take It Easy.

2006, Red Hot Chili Peppers started a two-week run at number one on the US album chart with Stadium Arcadium the bands ninth studio album, also a UK chart topper.

2008, Sir Paul McCartney was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Yale’s president, Richard Levin, said MacCartney had “awakened a generation, giving a fresh sound to rock and roll and to rhythm and blues.”

Born on May 27: Ruby Lewis, The Drifters and Ramsey Lewis (1935); Celia Black (1943); Peter Knight, violin, Steeleye Span (1947); Neil Finn, Split Enz,  Crowded House (1956); and Siouxsie Sioux, Siouxsie And The Banshees and Eddie Harsch, keyboards, The Black Crowes (1957); and Dr. Dre (1975)

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Today in Rock History – May 12

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1965, The Rolling Stones recorded “(I Can’t Get No), Satisfaction” at RCA Hollywood studios. Keith Richards had come up with the guitar riff in the middle of the night a week earlier. It gave the band their first number one single in the US.

1967, Pink Floyd play London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, one of their first concerts to experiment with quadraphonic sound. The band composes a song for the Games for May event, which later becomes “See Emily Play.”

1967, Are You Experienced, the debut album by Jimi Hendrix was released in the UK. Hendrix also played a gig at the Bluesville Club, Manor House in London on this day.

1968, Jimi Hendrix was arrested by police on his way to Toronto for possession of hashish and heroin. Hendrix claimed the drugs had been planted on him.

1968, Brian Jones made his final live appearance with The Rolling Stones when they appeared at the New Musical Express Poll Winners Concert at the Empire Pool, Wembley, England.

1969, Pink Floyd appear at the Paris Cinema, Lower Regent Street in London.

1970, The Grateful Dead release Workingman’s Dead.

1971, Rolling Stone Mick Jagger married Bianca Macias at St. Tropez Town Hall. The guest list included the other members of the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Stephen Stills. The couple separated in 1977.

1972, David Bowie played at Polytechnic of Central London, London

1973, The Mothers of Invention performed at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1973, Led Zeppelin started a three week run at number one on the album chart with Houses Of The Holy, the group’s third chart topper.

1974, The Kinks appeared at the University of California in Santa Barbara.

1975, Genesis appeared at Rhein am Main Halle, Wiesbaden, Germany.

1975, Jefferson Starship gave a free concert in New York’s Central Park in front of 60,000 fans. The band and concert sponsor, WNEW-FM, were forced to pay $14,000 for cleaning up and damage done to the park after the event.

1976, The Rolling Stones performed at the Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland.

1977, After being dropped by both EMI and A&M records in less than 6 months, Virgin Records announced they had signed The Sex Pistols.

1979, The Who played at Arenes de Frejus, Cannes, France.

1980, The Who are on the cover of People magazine.

1981, Van Halen kicked off their 82 date North American Fair Warning Tour at the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

1983, ZZ Top played at the Mississippi Coliseum, Jackson, Mississippi.

1985, Phil Collins kicked off the North American leg on his ‘No Jacket Required’ World Tour at the Centrum, Worcester, Massachusetts.

2001, American singer and TV show host Perry Como died aged 88. He scored fourteen US number one singles, from 150 US chart hits and over 25 UK chart hits, including the single “Magic Moments” and “Catch A Falling Star.” Como was once the highest-paid performer in the history of television.

Born on this day: Burt Bachrach (1928); Ian Drury (1942); Billy Swan (1944); Ian McLagan, keyboards, Small Faces (1946); Steve Winwood (1948); and Billy Squier (1950)

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Today in Rock History – April 10

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1967, Marvin Gaye recorded his version of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine.” The song was first recorded by The Miracles and had also been a million seller in 1967 for Gladys Knight and the Pips.

1967, Paul McCartney visits a Beach Boys recording session and is said to have loaned his production assistant to the track “Vegetables” for the Smile album.

1968, The Mothers of Invention appeared at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan.

1968, Drummer Mickey Hart accepts an invitation from Bill Kreuztmann to join the Grateful Dead.

1968, Janis Joplin performed at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.

1970, Doors singer Jim Morrison was dragged off stage by keyboardist Ray Manzarek during a concert in Boston, after Morrison asked the audience, “Would you like to see my genitals?” Theater management quickly switched off the power. Morrison had been arrested in Miami a year earlier for “lewd and lascivious behavior” during a performance.

1970, 27 year-old Paul McCartney issued a press statement, announcing that The Beatles had split, one week before the release of his solo album. McCartney said, “I have no future plans to record or appear with The Beatles again, or to write any music with John”. John Lennon, who had kept his much-earlier decision to leave The Beatles quiet for the sake of the others, was furious. When a reporter called Lennon to comment upon McCartney’s resignation, Lennon said, “Paul hasn’t left. I sacked him.”

1971, The Grateful Dead played at East Hall, Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

1971,  John Denver makes his first appearance on the pop charts with “Take Me Home Country Roads.”

1975, Pink Floyd performed at the Seattle Center Coliseum, the first US date of their North American tour.

1976, Peter Frampton went to number one on the album chart with Frampton Comes Alive, the biggest selling live album in rock history.

1976, UK music weekly The Melody Maker reviewed a Sex Pistols gig with the words, “I hope we shall hear no more of them.”

1982, Iron Maiden scored their first UK number one album with The Number Of The Beast.

1985, Madonna kicked off her very first North American tour by playing the first of three nights at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington. The Beastie Boys opened for Madonna on this 40-date Virgin Tour.

1993, Depeche Mode entered the US album chart at number one with Songs Of Faith And Devotion.

1994, Over 5,000 fans attended a US public memorial service for Kurt Cobain at Seattle Flag Pavilion.

2003, American singer Little Eva died in Kinston, North Carolina, aged 59. She had the 1962 US number one and UK number two single “The Loco-Motion.” Eva was working as a babysitter for songwriters Carole King and Gerry Goffin who asked her to record the song they’d just written. “The Loco-Motion” was also a UK number one hit for Grand Funk Railroad in 1974, and for Kylie Minogue in 1988.

2013, Kate Bush received her CBE for services to music from the Queen at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, England. The singer-songwriter, who was catapulted to fame in 1978 when Wuthering Heights topped the charts, said she was “incredibly thrilled”.

Born on April 10: Nate Nelson, The Flamingos (1932); Bunny Livingston, The Wailers (1947); Fred Smith, bass, Television (1948); Dave Pevertt, Savoy Brown, Forghat (1950); Brian Setzer (1959); Katrina Leskanich, Katrina And The Waves (1959); Mark Everett, eels (1963);  Andrew Dost, Fun (1983).

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Today in Rock History – April 4

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beatles-cant_buy_me_love1964, The Beatles held the top five places on the US singles chart, with the fifth place – “Please Please Me,” at number four, “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” while at third was “Roll Over Beethoven.” In the second position, “Love Me Do,” and at the top spot, “Can’t Buy Me Love.” They also had another nine singles on the chart, bringing their total to fourteen singles on the Hot 100.

1966, The Who performed at Top Rank Suite in Reading, Berkshire, England.

1967, Jimi Hendrix was the special guest on the first edition of the UK BBC-TV’s Dee Time, along with Kiki Dee and Cat Stevens.

1968, The Temptations played at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

1968, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Joni Mitchell, Al Kooper and Ted Nugent met up for an all night blues, folk and rock session at The New Generation Club in New York after hearing the news of Martin Luther King’s assassination.

1969, Jethro Tull  appeared at The 13th Hour in Evansville, Indiana.

1970, Crosby Stills Nash & Young went to number one on the UK album chart with Deja Vu. They would be number one in America on May 16th.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band performed at Ludlow Garage, a venue which began life as an automobile shop, and later became a music club located in the Clifton neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio.

1970, Janis Joplin plays a reunion concert in San Francisco with her old outfit Big Brother & the Holding Company.

1970, Pink Floyd were at EMI Studios in London holding recording sessions for Atom Heart Mother.

1970, Led Zeppelin played at the Coliseum in Indianapolis, Indiana. Ticket prices ranged from $4 to $6 (£2.67 – £4.)

1971, The Grateful Dead perform at the Manhattan Center in New York.

1971, Black Sabbath appeared at the Alexandria Roller Rink, Alexandria, Virginia.

1972, Don McLean’s American Pie enters its seventh and final week atop the US album charts.

1973, The Supremes appeared at the Granada, Tooting, the last date on a 20-date UK tour. The group played two shows at every venue.

1973, In a press release, Atlantic Records announced that shipments of Led Zeppelin’s album Houses of the Holy, released on March 28, were large enough to qualify for gold status. The label also revealed plans for a thirty city tour commencing May 4th.

1974, KISS played at the Nordic Arena, Hartland, Michigan.

1975, Genesis appeared at the Circus Kröne, Munich, Germany during Peter Gabriel’s last tour with the band.

1976, The Sex Pistols played the first night of a residency at the El Paradiso club in Soho, London, England.

1978,  David Bowie performed at The Forum, Inglewood, California.

1980, ZZ Top appeared at the New Haven Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut.

1981, Styx went to number one on the album chart with Paradise Theatre.

1982, “Layla” was on the UK singles chart. The re-released track originally featured on the Derek and the Dominos, album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs  was released in November 1970. Inspired by Clapton’s then unrequited love for Pattie Boyd, the wife of his friend George Harrison, “Layla” is considered one of rock music’s definitive love songs, and features an unmistakable guitar figure played by Eric Clapton and Duane Allman.

1987, U2 entered the US album chart at number seven with The Joshua Tree, making it the highest chart new entry in America for seven years.

1999, The Corrs album Talk On Corners went to number one on the UK album chart for the 10th time. They also had the second position with Forgiven, Not Forgotten. Both albums had spent over a year on the chart. Talk on Corners was the UK’s biggest selling album of 1998 and the ninth best selling album of 1999.

2008, Beyonce Knowles married Jay-Z at his New York apartment. Coldplay’s Chris Martin and his then wife, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, along with Beyonce’s former bandmates in Destiny’s Child, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, all attended the private ceremony.

2008, Procol Harum singer Gary Brooker won back full royalty rights to the band’s worldwide hit, “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” at London’s Court of Appeal. The decision overturned a 2006 ruling that organist Matthew Fisher was entitled to a 40% portion of royalties on the 1967 hit after he argued he had written the song’s organ melody. The court ruled there was an “excessive delay” in the claim being made, nearly 40 years after the song was recorded.

Born on April 4: Muddy Waters (1913); Clive Davis, producer, founder Arista Records (1932); Hugh Masekela (1939); Berry Oakley, Allman Brothers (1948); Pick Withers, English drummer, Dire Straits, Magna Carta (1948); Dave Hill, Slade; Gary Moore, Skid Row, Thin Lizzy (1952); Graeme Kelling, Scottish guitarist, Deacon Blue (1957); Craig Adams, English bass player, songwriter, The Sisters of Mercy, The Mission, The Alarm (1962); Mike Starr, American bass player, Alice in Chains, Sun Red Sun, and Days of the New (1966)

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Today in Rock History – March 10

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1965, Davie Jones (David Bowie) and the Manish Boys appeared at the Bromel Club, Bromley Hill, England.

1965, The Beatles’ “Eight Days a Week” goes to number one. It’s the first single by a British act to top the American charts but not make the charts in Britain, where it was unreleased.

1966, The Who played at the Ram Jam Club in Brixton, England.

1967, Jimi Hendrix appeared at Club A Go Go in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England.

1967, The Monkees held the number one position on the album chart with More Of The Monkees.

1968, The Who play the Opera House in Aurora, Illinois. The show is filmed by a BBC camera crew for a Tony Palmer documentary, They also film that night’s performance at the Exposition Gardens in Peoria, Illinois.

1968, Jimi Hendrix performed at the International Ballroom in Washington, D.C.

1970, Genesis played at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, London.

1971, Beatles manager Allen Klein is barred from involvement in the band’s affairs as the Fab Four’s career together winds down. According to legend, it is also on this night that John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr go to Paul McCartney’s London townhouse and throw a brick through one of the windows.

1972, America awarded gold disc for “Horse with No Name.”

1972, Black Sabbath and Yes appeared at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.

1972, The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona.

1973, the Pink Floyd album Dark Side Of The Moon was released in America, it spent over 740 weeks on the chart over a 14-year period.

1973, This week’s UK Top 5 singles: number 5, Focus, “Sylvia,” number 4, Detroit Emeralds, “Feel The Need In Me,” number 3, The Strawbs, “Part Of The Union,” number 2, The Faces, “Cindy Incidentally,” number one, Slade, “Cum On Feel The Noize.”
1973, The Who played at the Sporthal de Vliegermolen, Voorburg, The Netherlands.

1974, David Bowie performs the Philadelphia concert that is later released as the album David Live.

1975, John Lennon releases his cover of Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me” as a single in the U.S.

1975, Led Zeppelin played at the Sports Arena, San Diego, California.

1977, at 7am in the morning on a trestle table set up out-side Buckingham Palace, London, The Sex Pistols signed to A&M Records. The contract lasted for six days.

1977, AC/DC appeared at St. Andrews Hall, Norwich, England.

1978, The Bee Gees’ “Night Fever” is the number one single in America. In a great turn of pop events, the record actually knocked the band’s own “Stayin’ Alive” out of the top spot.

1979, Rush appeared at the Hollywood Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, Florida.

1981, The Who performed at Wembley Arena in London.

1982, King Crimson played at Dora Cohen Hall, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxford, England.

1985, The Grateful Dead performed at the Community Theater in Berkeley, California.

1988, Younger brother of The Bee Gees, Andy Gibb, died in hospital. His death from myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) followed a long battle with cocaine addiction, which had weakened his heart.

1997, LaVern Baker, a rhythm and blues singer died from complications of coronary artery disease at age 57. She had several hits on the pop charts including “Tweedlee Dee” (1955), “Jim Dandy” (1956), and “I Cried a Tear” (1958).

2002, Alanis Morissette went to number one on the US album chart and number two on the UK chart with Under Rug Swept.

2003, During a concert in London, England, Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines said that the band was “ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas” (referring to Maines’ hometown of Lubbock and President Bush hailing from the same state). This was during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, the comment sparked intense controversy and outrage among Americans, including a large share of country music fans.

2009, Tickets for a one-off gig by Sir Paul McCartney in Las Vegas sold out seven seconds after going on sale. The former Beatle was booked to perform at the opening of the New Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on April 19th to an audience of 4,000 fans. Tickets cost $750 (£468.75) each.

2010, Pink Floyd won a court battle with EMI that prevented the record company from selling single downloads and ringtones on the Internet from the group’s albums. Pink Floyd’s back catalog was second only in sales to the Beatles.

Born on this day: Dean Torrence, Jan & Dean (1940); Tom Scholz, Boston (1947); Jeff Ament, Pearl Jam (1963); Robin Thicke (1977); and Carrie Underwood (1983)

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