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Today in Rock History – May 28

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1966, Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass went to number one on the album chart with What Now My Love, setting a new American record with four albums in the Top Ten. The other three were; South of the Border, Going Places and Whipped Cream and Other Delights.

1966, The Who appear at South Pier in Blackpool, Lancashire, England.

1966, Percy Sledge started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with “When A Man Loves A Woman.”

1966, Love appeared at the Whisky A Go-Go West Hollywood, California, supported by The Doors.

1966, Ike & Tina Turner release their epic “River Deep, Mountain High,” but it climbs only to number 88 on the American chart.

1966, All four Beatles spent the day with Bob Dylan in his room at the Mayfair hotel in London, England.

1967, The Who go to CBS Studios, London and record backing tracks for “I Can See For Miles,” “Armenia City In The Sky” and “Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand.” However, further recording is cancelled after Keith ruptures his stomach wall and has to be carted off by ambulance.

1969, Led Zeppelin performed at Boston Tea Party in Boston, Massachusetts.

1969, Rolling Stone Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull were arrested at their London home and charged with possession of cannabis, they were released on £50 ($85) bail.

1971, Pink Floyd completes four days of recording sessions for Meddle at EMI Studios in London.

1971, King Crimson performed at Greens Playhouse, Glasgow, Scotland.

1971, Studio engineer Glyn Johns gives The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” its final mix before mastering.

1972, Dave Mason, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Linda Ronstadt played at the YMCA downtown center lawn in Peoria, Illinois.

1973, Bassist and songwriter Ronnie Lane leaves the Faces.

1974, Ten Years After played at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1975, AC/DC appeared at the Sundowner, Geelong, Australia.

1976, Yes headlined at the Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia.

1976, Aerosmith performed at Colt Park, Hartford, Connecticut.

1976, The Allman Brothers Band break up in disgust for the first time after Gregg Allman testifies against a road manager accused of drug trafficking.

1977, Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers played together for the first time when they performed as part of Mike Howlett’s band, Strontium 90 in Paris France.

1977, Heart, Steve Miller, The Eagles and Foreigner all appeared at the Oakland-Alameda County Stadium in California.

1977, The Grateful Dead performed at the Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

1977, Bruce Springsteen is free to enter a studio again after settling out of court with his former manager, Mike Appel. Their legal entanglements had prevented Springsteen from recording.

1978, Rush played at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, Wisconsin.

1979, Rush appeared at Stadhalle, Offenbach, Germany.

1982, Frank Zappa performed at the Palais des Sports, St Etienne, France.

1982, Promoter Bill Graham staged a special Vietnam Veterans benefit concert at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco starring The Jefferson Starship, The Grateful Dead, and Country Joe.

1983, The four day US Festival ’83 took place in California, featuring The Clash, U2, David Bowie, The Pretenders, Van Halen, Stray Cats, Men At Work, Judas Priest, Stevie Nicks, Willie Nelson. INXS, Joe Walsh, Motley Crue and Ozzy Osbourne. Over 750,000 fans attended the festival.

1988, Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler married his second wife clothing designer Teresa Barrick. The couple announced they were separating due to personal problems in February 2005.

1995, Hootie & the Blowfish started a four-week run at number one on the US album charts with Cracked Rear View. The album went on to sell over 15 million copies.

1996, Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan was rushed to Cedars Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles after an apparent drug overdose. The singer was later arrested for possession of cocaine and heroin.

2000, Britney Spears was at number one on the US album chart with Oops!… I Did It Again. The singer’s second album also reached the top spot in thirteen other countries and has now sold over twenty million copies.

2007, The Police kicked off their 152-show Reunion Tour at General Motors Place in Vancouver, Canada in front of 22,000 fans.

Born on May 28:  T-Bone Walker, blues guitarist (1910); Papa John Creech, violinist, Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna (1917); Gladys Knight (1944); John Fogerty (1945); Ray Laidlan, Lindisfarne (1948); Wendy O. Williams, The Plasmatics (1949); Roland Gift, vocals, Fine Young Cannibals (1962); Kylie Minogue, Australian singer, actress (1968); Colbie Caillat, American singer-songwriter (1985)

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Today in Rock History – May 25

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1965, Blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, Sonny Boy Williamson died in his sleep. Van Morrison, Aerosmith, The Who, The Animals, Yardbirds, and Moody Blues all covered his songs. According to the Led Zeppelin biography Hammer of the Gods, touring the UK in the 60’s, Sonny Boy set his hotel room on fire while trying to cook a rabbit in a coffee percolator.

1965, The Rolling Stones perform “How Many More Years” with their hero Howlin’ Wolf on ABC’s Shindig!

1967, Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade Of Pale,” entered the UK charts for the first time, it went on to be a number one hit. The first video for the song was shot in the ruins of Witley Court in Worcestershire, England. Directed by Peter Clifton whose insertion of Vietnam War newsreel footage caused it to be banned from airplay on the Top Of The Pops TV show. The band subsequently made another video.

1967, Pink Floyd appeared at the Gwent Constabulary (‘A’ Division) Spring Holiday Barn Dance, held at The Barn, Grosmont Wood Farm in Cross Ash, near Abergavenny,Wales, England. Support acts were Volume IV with MC Eddie Tattersall.

1967, Janis Joplin performed at the Carousel Ballroom i San Francisco with the Clara Ward Singers and H. P. Lovecraft.

1968, The Yardbirds appeared at Fillmore West in San Francisco.

1968, Pink Floyd performed at Mayfair Suite, The Belfry Hotel, Wishaw, Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, England. Support acts were Young Blood and Pineapple Incident. Admission included dinner.

1968, Simon and Garfunkel scored their second US number one album with Bookends.

1968, The Doors performed at Patio Gardens in Farmington, Utah.

1969, Jimi Hendrix played at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose, California.

1969, A benefit concert was held for Fairport Convention at The Roundhouse, London to raise money for the families of the bands drummer Martin Lamble, Richard Thompson’s girlfriend, and clothes designer Jeannie Franklyn who were all killed in an accident driving back from a gig. Also on the bill, Family, Pretty Things, Soft Machine and John Peel.

1969, The Who and Led Zeppelin appeared at the Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland, USA. This was the only time the two group’s ever performed together, with Zeppelin opening the show. On the tickets Led Zeppelin was spelled Lead Zeppelin.

1971, King Crimson appeared at Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England.

1972, David Bowie played at Chelsea Village, Bournemouth, England.

1973, During a 21-date UK tour Wings played the first of three sold out nights at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Deep Purple

1973, Deep Purple’s single “Smoke On The Water” was released.

1974, Aerosmith performed at Cape Cod Coliseum, South Yarmouth, Massachusetts.

1974, Rick Wakeman became the first member of the group Yes to have a number one album when Journey To The Centre Of The Earth went to the top of the UK charts.

1975, Rush played at the Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington.

1976, The Who perform at the Palais Des Sports in Lyons, France.

1976, Bob Dylan appeared at the Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah.

1976, The Rolling Stones performed at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London.

1977, The Broadway tribute Beatlemania opens at the Winter Garden Theater.

1977, The Grateful Dead appeared at The Mosque, in Richmond, Virginia.

1978, After seeing The Hype (soon to become U2) appearing at the Project Arts Centre, in Dublin, Paul McGuinness became their manager.

1979, Yes appeared at the Long Beach Civic Arena, Long Beach, California.

1980, Black Sabbath played at the Odeon, Birmingham, England.

1983, Roxy Music performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

1984, David Gilmour appeared at the Orpheum Theater, Boston, Massachusetts.

1985, Dire Straits scored their second UK number one album with Brothers In Arms, also a chart topper in the US and 24 other countries. Brothers In Arms was one of the first albums to be directed at the CD market, and was a full digital recording (DDD) at a time when most popular music was recorded on analog equipment.

1990, Fleetwood Mac played the first of 42 North American dates on their Behind The Mask world tour at the PNE Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada. Squeeze were the opening act.

1997, A report showed that Elvis Presley was now the world’s bestselling posthumous entertainer with worldwide sales of over one billion, over 480 active fan clubs and an estimated 250,000 UK fans who still buy his records. Ironically he had died owing $3 million (£1.76 million).

1998, Coldplay released their first ever record, an EP called Safety, which featured 3 tracks, “Bigger Stronger,” “No More Keeping My Feet on the Ground,” and “Such a Rush.” The EP was intended as a demo for record companies and is now such a rarity that it is known to fetch in excess of £2000 ($3000) on eBay.

2003, Marilyn Manson were at number one on the US album chart with The Golden Age of Grotesque, a number four hit in the UK and the bands second US chart topper.

2005, The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office in California announced that it was officially closing the stabbing case of Meredith Hunter, the 18-year-old American who was killed at the 1969 Rolling Stones Altamont Free Concert. Investigators, concluding a renewed two-year investigation, dismissed the theory that a second Hell’s Angel took part in the stabbing.

2006, Jamaican reggae singer, songwriter Desmond Dekker died of a heart attack at his home in London, England. Had one of the first international Jamaican hits in 1968, with the song “Israelites.”

2013, American rock and roll bassist, Marshall Lytle, died aged 79. He was best known for his work with the groups Bill Haley & His Comets and The Jodimars in the 1950s. He played upright slap bass on the iconic “Crazy Man, Crazy,” “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” and “Rock Around the Clock.”

Born on this day: Hal David (1921); Tom T. Hall, country music singer-songwriter (1936); Brian Davison, The Nice (1942); John Palmer, English keyboard player, Family (1943); Mitchel Margo, The Tokens (1947); Klaus Meine, German singer-songwriter, guitarist, The Scorpions (1948); Robert Steinhardt, American violinist, singer, Kansas (1950);  Paul Weller, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, The Jam, Style Council (1958); Glen Drover, Canadian guitarist, songwriter, Megadeth, Eidolon, King Diamond (1969); Joe King, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, The Fray (1980)

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Today in Rock History – May 20

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1965, The Who performed at Town Hall in Kidderminster, West Midlands, England.

1966, Bob Dylan and The Band played at the ABC Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. Some members of the audience were unhappy with Dylan “going electric,” and attempted to overpower the band by playing their own harmonicas.

1966, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of the Who grew tired of waiting for John Entwistle and Keith Moon to arrive for their gig at the Ricky Tick Club in Windsor, England. Moon had taken Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys to a taping of Ready Steady Go! and had also been popping pills. Pete and Roger took to the stage with the rhythm section of the local band that opened the show. When Moon and Entwistle finally arrived in the middle of the set. During the finale of “My Generation,” as Keith kicked over his drum set, Pete already in a foul mood, swung his guitar into the amp stack and accidentally (or on purpose) hit Moon on the head with his guitar. A brawl ensued. Moon suffered a cut on his leg and possibly a broken ankle. Moon and Entwistle quit the band, only to rejoin a week later.

1967, The Beatles new album Sgt Pepper”s Lonely Hearts Club Band had a special preview on the Kenny Everett BBC Light program, Where It’s At. They played every track from the album, except “A Day In The Life,” which the BBC had banned saying it could promote drug taking.

1967, The Young Rascals started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with “Groovin.”

1967, Pink Floyd performed at Floral Hall in Southport, Lancashire, England. The support act was Big Sleep.

1967, Jimi Hendrix signs a US record deal with Reprise Records.

1967, Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” was the number one R&B single in America.  It had returned to the top of the charts after being dislodged by Martha & the Vandellas.

1968, Pete Townshend marries Karen Astley.

1968, The Beatles, armed with a bunch of new songs after their visit to India, met at George Harrison’s home in Esher, Surrey. They taped 23 new songs on George’s 4-track recorder, many of which would end up on The Beatles’ next two albums, the White Album and Abbey Road. The demos included “Cry Baby Cry,” “Revolution,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Blackbird,” and “Child of Nature,” a Lennon song that became “Jealous Guy.”

1969, Peter Cetera, from the band Chicago, was beaten up by four men at a Chicago Cubs-Dodgers baseball game at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium. The men objected to the length of Cetera’s hair. In the liner notes to a Chicago box set, he recalled, “four Marines didn’t like a long-haired rock ‘n’ roller in a baseball park,  and of course I was a Cub fan, and I was in Dodger Stadium, and that didn’t do so well. I got in a fight and got a broken jaw in three places, and I was in intensive care for a couple of days.”  Cetera underwent four hours of emergency surgery.

1969, Led Zeppelin started three days of recording and mixing sessions at A&R Studios in New York City, which included the recording of “Heartbreaker” and various other parts for new tracks for the group’s  second album.

1970, Mountain played at the Eastown Theater in Detroit, Michigan.

1970, The final feature film involving The Beatles Let It Be was premiered simultaneously in London and Liverpool a week after the film’s US release.

1972, Fleetwood Mac  and McKendree Spring appeared at Ellis Auditorium in Memphis, Tennessee.

1972, T Rex were at number one on the UK singles chart “Metal Guru,” the band’s fourth and final chart topper. They also had the UK number one album with Bolan Boogie.

1972, Uriah Heep played at Liverpool Stadium in Liverpool, Merseyside, England.

1973, King Crimson appeared at the Civic Theatre, Ottawa, Canada.

1973, The Grateful Dead performed at the Stadium on the campus of the University of California at Santa Barbara.

1974, KISS played at Foothills Arena, Calgary, Alberta.

1975, AC/DC headlined at Croxton Park Hotel, Thornbury, Australia.

1976, Aerosmith played at  Municipal Auditorium, Mobile, Alabama.

1977, Rush performed at the Aragon Ballroom, Chicago.

1978, The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack entered the 18th week of its amazing run of 24 weeks at number one on the US album charts.

1978, Paul McCartney went to number one on the US singles chart with “With A Little Luck,” his sixth solo US chart topper. It was taken from the London Town album.

1979, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at The Forum, Inglewood, California.

1980, Bob Dylan performed at the Franklin County Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Columbus, Ohio.

1983, David Bowie played at Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany.

1989, Ferry “Cross The Mersey” by Ferry Aid started a three week run at number one on the UK singles chart. The song was recorded to raise funds for the Hillsborough Football victims. Gerry Marsden, Paul McCartney, Holly Johnson and The Christians all featured on the recording

1997, U2 caused traffic chaos in Kansas City, Missouri after they paid for traffic control to close down five lanes so they could shoot the video for “Last Night On Earth.” Apart from major traffic jams, a passing Cadillac crashed into a plate glass window trying to avoid a cameraman.

1997, Foo Fighters released their second album The Colour And The Shape. The album was a Grammy nominee for Best Rock Album in 1998. Even though Foo Fighters are an American band, the word “Colour” in the album title is always spelled with the British spelling. This was a nod to producer Gil Norton, who is British. It reached the third spot on the UK charts, and was a top ten album in the US.

2001, R.E.M. started a two-week run at number one on the UK album chart with “Reveal.”

2007, Linkin Park went to number one on the UK album chart with Minutes To Midnight the bands fifth Top 20 UK album. Also a US chart topper.

2012, Robin Gibb, a member of the Bee Gees, and a singer-songwriter who helped to turn disco into a global phenomenon by providing the core of the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever, died from cancer aged 62.

2013, Ray Manzarek, keyboard player and founder member of the The Doors died aged 74. Manzarek, who had suffered from bile duct cancer for many years, died in a clinic in Rosenheim, Germany. He formed The Doors with lead singer Jim Morrison in 1965 after a chance meeting with his old film school classmate at Venice Beach, Los Angeles.

2014, Prince Rupert Loewenstein, the Bavarian banker credited with turning The Rolling Stones into the world’s richest rock band, died at the age of 80. It was on Loewenstein’s advice that the Stones became tax exiles, decamping to the south of France in the 1970s.

Born on this day: Joe Cocker (1944); Cher (1946); Steve Currie, T Rex (1947); Jimmy Hendrson, Black Oak Arkansas (1954); Jane Wieldin,  The Go-Go”s (1958); Dan Wilson, Semisonic (1961);  Busta Rhymes (1972)

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Today in Rock History – April 28

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1966, The Kinks appeared at the Mecca Ballroom, Nottingham, England.

1966, The Young Rascals topped the Pop charts with  “Good Lovin’.” This is the first of three number one songs for group, which later records as just The Rascals.

1966, The Who perform at The Witchdoctor at the Savoy Room in Catford, England.

1967, Pink Floyd performed at the Tabernacle Club, Hillgate, Stockport, England.

1967, Johnny Cash appeared at the Burlington Auditorium in Burlington, Iowa.

1968, The Broadway musical Hair opened at the Baltimore Theatre in New York City. The musical’s profanity, its depiction of the use of illegal drugs, its treatment of sexuality, its irreverence for the American flag, and its nude scene caused much comment and controversy. The production ran for 1,729 performances, finally closing on July 1st, 1972.

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

1968, Cream performed at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis, Missouri.

1969, Yes appeared at the Marquee Club, London.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band performed at the State University of New York in Stony Brook.

1971, Hawkwind appeared St. Michels Mount, Penzance, England.

1972, Pink Floyd played at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago.

1973, King Crimson performed at the Academy of Music in New York.

Dark side1973, Pink Floyd’s album Dark Side Of The Moon went to number one on the chart, it went on to enjoy a record breaking 741 weeks, selling over 20 million copies world-wide.

1973, The Faces scored their first number one album with Ooh La La.

1974, Queen appeared at Exposition Hall, Portland, Maine.

1975,  John Lennon appears on The Tonight Show, and Ringo Starr shows up on The Smothers Brothers Show to sing his “No No Song.”

1976, The Rolling Stones played at Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany.

1977, Eric Clapton appeared at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

1978, Mike Oldfield played the first of two nights at London’s Wembley Arena, England.

1979,  When “Heart of Glass” by Blondie hits number one, Andy Warhol throws a party for the group at Studio 54 in New York.

1979, The Very Best Of Leo Sayer started a three-week run at number one on the UK album chart, giving Sayer his first and only chart topping LP.

1980, The Grateful Dead played at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama.

1980, Marshall Tucker Band bass player Tommy Caldwell died of injures from a jeep car crash in his hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The thirty year-old was an original member of the band, and composed several of their songs and played bass, percussion, guitar, and contributed backup vocals.

1981, Steve Currie, former member of T Rex, was killed in a car crash returning to his home near Vale de Parra, Algarve, Portugal, he was 33 years old. Currie joined T. Rex (recently renamed from Tyrannosaurus Rex) as bass guitarist in late 1970, and also worked as a session player, playing on “Motorbikin” by Chris Spedding.

1983, During the second leg of their War North American tour, U2 appeared at the Rochester Institute Of Technology Ice Rink, Rochester, New York.

1984, King Crimson appeared at Kani Hoken Hall, Tokyo.

1985, Eric Clapton performed at the Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island.

1988, Rush played at Wembley Arena in London.

1990, Guns N’ Roses leader Axl Rose married Erin Everly, daughter of The Everly Brothers Don at Cupid’s Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. They divorced in January 91 after a stormy nine months of marriage.

1990, Sinead O’Connor started a six-week run at number one on the US album chart with I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.

1999, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2002, Sugababes scored their first UK chart topping single with “Freak Like Me.” The song was originally sung by American Adina Howard in 1995, and was mixed with the synth line from Gary Numan’s 1979 hit “Are Friends Electric?”

2008, Scott Weiland, singer with The Stone Temple Pilots, was sentenced to 192 hours in county jail for his November 2007 drunk driving conviction. He was also fined $2000 (£1333,) and required to complete an 18-month alcohol program, as well as placed on probation for four years.

2015, Jack Ely died at the age of 71 after a long illness. The Kingman singer’s hit ‘Louie Louie’ reached the top of the charts in 1963 and sparked an FBI investigation into whether or not its lyrics were obscene

Born on April 28: John Wolters, drums, Dr. Hook (1945); Chuck Leavell, American singer-songwriter, keyboards, The Allman Brothers Band, Sea Level (1953); Kim Gordon, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, Sonic Youth, Ciccone Youth, Free Kitten (1953);  Eddie Jobson, English keyboardist,  violinist, Curved Air, Roxy Music, U.K., Jethro Tull (1955);  Phil King, English bass player, Lush, The Jesus and Mary Chain (1960) Scott Putesky, aka Daisy Berkowitz, American guitarist, Marilyn Manson, Jack Off Jill (1968); Howard Donald, English singer-songwriter, producer, Take That (1968); Violent J, American rapper, producer, wrestler, actor, Insane Clown Posse, Dark Lotus,  Psychopathic Rydas (1972)

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Today in Rock History – April 23

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1965, The Rolling Stones kicked off their third North American tour at the Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal, Canada.

1966, The Who played at the Odeon Theatre in Rochester, Kent, England.

1967, Jimi Hendrix appeared at the Gaumont Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England.

1969, The Beatles were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Get Back,” the group’s 16th British chart topper. Writing credits included “The Beatles with Billy Preston,” the only Beatles single that included another artist credit.

1969, The Ash Grove club in Los Angeles, where Canned Heat cut their teeth, burns down.

1969, The Grateful Dead play the last of three shows at The Ark in Boston. The ill-fated club near Fenway Park didn’t last very long, and was subsequently taken over by the more famous venue the Boston Tea Party.

1970, Fairport Convention, Fotheringay and Matthews Southern Comfort all appeared at The Roundhouse, London,

1971, Emerson, Lake and Palmer performed at the Eastown Theater in Detroit, Michigan.

1971, The Rolling Stones released  Sticky Fingers in the UK. The album reached the top spot in the UK and the US.  It was the band’s first release on Atlantic Records. The cover design featured a pair of jeans with a working zipper that was designed by Andy Warhol, who was paid £15,000 for the art work.

1972, Pink Floyd’s North American tour stops at Cincinnati’s Music Hall for a performance of Dark Side of the Moon.

1972, Procol Harum played at Ford Auditorium in Detroit, Michigan.

1973, King Crimson played at Henry Levitt Arena, Wichita, Kansas.

1974, Yes performed Palazzo Di Palaeur Dello Sport, Rome, Italy.

1975, During a North American tour Pink Floyd played the first of five sold out nights at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California.

1976, The Ramones released their self-titled debut album. On the same day, The Sex Pistols played The Nashville Rooms in London supporting The 101’ers, who featured Clash vocalist Joe Strummer.

Marley in 1976 – photo by D. Burnett

1976, Bob Marley and The Wailers kicked off their Rastaman Vibration North American and European 42-date tour at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.

1976, Genesis appeared at the Opera House, St. Louis, Missouri.

1977, A Siouxsie & the Banshees performance at London’s Roxy Club inspires audience member Stuart Goddard to form the Ants. He later becomes international pop star Adam Ant.

1977, Thelma Houston went to number one on the US singles chart with “Don’t Leave Me This Way.” It was a number 13 hit in the UK.

1977, Joan Jett supported by Blondie appeared at the Whisky A Go-Go, Los Angeles.

1978, Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious filmed his version of “My Way” for the Sex Pistols film The Great Rock n Roll Swindle.

1979, David Bowie premiered his new single “Boy’s Keep Swinging” on the BBC’s TV’s Kenny Everett Video Show.

1980, The Who performed at McNichols Arena, Denver, Colorado.

1980, Rush played at Wings Stadium, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

1980, Bob Dylan appeared at Le Theatre Saint-Denis, Montreal, Quebec.

1982, Black Sabbath performed at Seattle Arena, Seattle, Washington.

u2-chapel-hill-19831983, U2 kicked off their 48-date War North American tour at The Carolina Concert For Children benefit at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Also on the bill were Grand Master Flash, The Producers, and Todd Rundgren, although by most accounts U2 was the highlight of the concert. At one point during the show, Bono began climbing up the vertical rigging tower, while carrying a large white flag. He made his way up on top of the scaffolding, at least 20-25 feet above the stage, in the rain, waving the flag, a scene for the ages.  There were only about 4000 in attendance, well short of the 20,000 capacity.

1987, Carole King sued record company owner Lou Adler for breach of contract. King claimed that she was owed over $400,000 in royalties. She also asked for all rights to her old recordings.

1988, Iron Maiden went to number one on the UK album chart with Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, their second chat topping LP.

1991, Founder member of The New York Dolls Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr., died of a drug overdose. He renamed himself Johnny Thunders, after a comic book of the same name. The influential New York Dolls formed in 1972 and made just two albums. A teenage Morrissey acted as president of the UK branch of the New York Dolls fan club. He formed The Heartbreakers with Dolls drummer Jerry Nolan, and Television bassist Richard Hell.

1994, Pink Floyd were at number one on the UK album chart with The Division Bell, their fourth chart topping album.

1995, Peter Hodgson from Liverpool found a tape in his attic containing 16 of The Beatles’ earliest recordings made in 1959. The tape included “Hello Little Girl,” a Lennon-McCartney composition that the Beatles never recorded, and Ray Charles’ “Hallelujah, I Love Her So.” The sessions had been made on a reel-to-reel recorder that Hodgson’s father had lent to Paul McCartney.

2008, Amy Winehouse went out on a drink and drug-fuelled spree and hit and head-butted two men. After drinking all day, Amy visited the Good Mixer pub in Camden, London with Babyshambles guitarist Mik Whitnall. Inside she allegedly punched Mustapha el Mounmi in the face after he refused to give way to her at the pool table. The singer then left to visit Bar Tok in the early hours and once at the bar shouted “I am a legend get these people out. I want to take drugs.” After leaving the bar a good Samaritan tried to get her a cab, but she reportedly thought he was trying to molest her and allegedly head-butted him in the face.

2012, Thomas “Tommy” Marth, the touring and studio saxophonist for the Killers, died after shooting himself in the head at his Las Vegas home. The 33-year-old musician joined the band in 2005 and played on the live tours with Brandon Flowers and the group between 2008 and 2010. Tommy also performed on the 2006 release Sam’s Town and 2008’s Day & Age.

Born on April 23: Roy Orbison (1936); Ray Peterson, singer (1937); John Miles, singer, songwriter, guitarist (1949); Ray Burns, (Captain Sensible), The Damned (1955); Steve Clark, Def Leppard (1960); Simon Matthews, drummer, Jesus Jones (1964)

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Check out more cool pictures of reggae artists from the ’70 including the one above.

Today in Rock History – April 21

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beatles -sgtpeppers1967, Working at Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles completed the sessions for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The final recordings were a short section of gibberish and noise which would follow “A Day in the Life,” in the run-out groove. They recorded assorted noises and voices, which engineer Geoff Emerick then cut-up and randomly re-assembled, and edited backwards. At John Lennon’s suggestion, they also added a high-pitch 15 kilocycle whistle audible only by dogs. These were omitted from the American version of the album.

1967, The Who appeared at The Dome, Brighton, England.

1967, Jimi Hendrix performed at City Hall in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England.

1967, Pink Floyd played two shows, an early performance at the Starlite Ballroom, in Greenford, and the late show at UFO, held at The Blarney Club, Tottenham Court Road in London.

1969, Janis Joplin made her London debut,  appearing at The Royal Albert Hall,  The opening act was Yes. Her performance earned rave reviews in Disc, Melody Maker, and Telegraph, among others.

1970, Three Dog Night, along with Stone the Crows, played at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1970, Elton John performs his debut solo gig as a support act for T. Rex in London.  Also on the bill were Spooky Tooth, Jackie Lomax, and Heavy Jelly.

1972, The Allman Brothers Band played at New Haven Arena, New Haven, Connecticut.

1972, David Bowie performs at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England.

1972, Pink Floyd appeared at the Lyric Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland.

1972, The Grateful Dead performed an eighty minute set that was taped for the German TV show Beat Club, in Bremen, Germany.

1973, Alice Cooper went to number one on the album chart with Billion Dollar Babies.

1973, King Crimson played at the Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana.

1973, Tony Orlando & Dawn started a four week run at number one on the singles chart with “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree,” It became the biggest seller of 1973, with over 6 million copies sold. The song was based on a true story of a prisoner who wrote to his wife asking her to tie a yellow ribbon around an oak tree in the town square in White Oak, Georgia, if she still loved him.

1974, Genesis appeared at the Montreal University Sports Centre in Montreal, Quebec.  The show was broadcast by CHOM-FM radio, and is a popular bootleg among Genesis fans.

1975, Yes headlined at Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland.

1976, Elvis Presley performed at Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri.

1977, Songwriter Jesse Winchester performs in the U.S. for the first time in ten years. He escaped to Canada a decade ago in order to avoid the draft.

1977, ZZ Top appeared at the Rochester Community War Memorial, Rochester, New York.

1978, The Grateful Dead played at Rupp Arena on the campus of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

Sandy Denny (courtesy Rokpool.com)

1978, UK folk singer Sandy Denny died aged 31. While on vacation with her parents in Cornwall, England, Denny was injured in a fall down a staircase. A month after the fall she collapsed at a friend’s home. Four days later she died at the hospital, her death was ruled to be the result of a traumatic mid-brain hemorrhage. She was a member of Fairport Convention and a solo artist. Her 1967 song “Who Knows Where the Time Goes,” was covered by Judy Collins. Denny sang on the Led Zeppelin track “Battle Of Evermore” on the band’s fourth album, the only guest vocalist on a Led Zeppelin album.

1979, Roxy Music played at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California.

1981, U2 performed at The Decade, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This small club in the Oakland section of town hosted a number of up and coming acts like The Ramones and the Police, as well as impromptu shows from Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi during its heyday.

1982, Clash front man Joe Strummer disappeared for three weeks, which resulted in the group cancelling a tour. The singer was found living rough in Paris, France.

1984, Van Halen appeared at the Colisée de Québec, Quebec City.

1984, Phil Collins started a three week run at number one in the US singles chart with the theme from Against All Odds. It was Phil’s first US chart topper, a number two in the UK.

1990, Paul McCartney played in front of 184,000 fans at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, creating a new world record for the largest crowd attending a rock concert.

1990, Sinead O’Connor started a four week run at number one on the US singles chart with her version of the Prince song “Nothing Compares 2 U.” The track was also a chart topper in 18 other countries. The video was shot in Paris, and consists almost solely of a close-up on O’Connor’s face as she sings the lyrics. Towards the end of the video, two tears roll down her face. The clip won Best Video at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, the first video by a female artist to win in this category.

2000, Neal Matthews of The Jordanaires died of a heart attack. He sang on Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Hound Dog.” He also worked with Ricky Nelson, Patsy Cline, Red Foley, Johnny Horton, Jim Reeves, George Jones, Marie Osmond, Tom Jones and Merle Haggard.

2002, Oasis went to number one on the UK singles chart with “Hindu Times,” the band’s sixth UK number one and the first single to be released from their fifth album Heathen Chemistry.

2006, The Soul2Soul II Tour,  a co-headlining tour featuring husband and wife country music singers Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, kicked off at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus ending after 73 shows on September 3, 2006 in Las Vegas. The tour became the highest grossing country music tour ever with a sales of $90 million.

2008, American soul singer and songwriter Al Wilson died of kidney failure at the age of 68. Wilson had a number of US hits, including “The Snake” in 1968 and “Show and Tell” in 1974.

2016, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and music legend Prince, born Prince Rogers Nelson, was found dead in his residence and recording studio complex, Paisley Park, in suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota. Prince was renowned as an innovator, and was widely known for his eclectic work, flamboyant stage presence, and wide vocal range. He was widely regarded as the pioneer of Minneapolis sound. His music integrated a wide variety of styles, including funk, rock, R&B, soul, psychedelia, and pop.

Born on April 21: Alan Wagner, The Foundations (1947); American singer-songwriter, musician and actor James Osterberg, aka Iggy Pop (1947); Mike Barson, keyboards, Madness (1958); Robert Smith, The Cure (1959); Johnny McElhone, Altered Images (1963)

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Today in Rock History- April 18

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1968, During a European tour, Pink Floyd played two shows at the Piper Club, in Rome, Italy.

1969, Lulu married Bee Gee Maurice Gibb, Brother Barry was the best man. The couple split in 1973.

1969, Jimi Hendrix performed at Ellis Auditorium in Memphis, Tennessee.

1970, Santana, Taj Mahal and It”s A Beautiful Day all appeared at London”s Royal Albert Hall.

1970, Steel Mill, (featuring Bruce Springsteen) played in the Main Gym at Ocean County College in New Jersey. Tickets cost $2.00.

1970, Iron Butterfly perfoms at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

1970, Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant collapses of exhaustion onstage in Phoenix. The band cancels its subsequent show in Las Vegas.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band played at the Harrisburg Area Community College, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

1972, Pink Floyd appeared at Symphony Hall, Memorial Arts Center, Atlanta, Georgia.

1973, David Bowie performed at Shibuya Public Hall, Tokyo, Japan.

1974, Queen headlined at Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri.

1975, four Bay City Rollers fans were taken to hospital and 35 others required on site treatment after they attempted to swim across a lake to meet their heroes. The group were making an appearance at a BBC Radio 1 fun day at Mallory Park.

1975, John Lennon releases “Stand by Me.”

1975, Alice Cooper appears in the TV special Welcome to My Nightmare: The Making online casino of a Record Album.

1976, Bob Dylan performs at the Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, Florida.

1978, The Grateful Dead played at the Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1981, Yes rhythm section Alan White and Chris Squire begin rehearsals with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. Although their planned supergroup never records anything, it spells the temporary end of Yes.

1984, Michael Jackson underwent surgery in a Los Angeles hospital to repair damage done after his hair caught fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial.

1987, On the first leg of their Joshua Tree tour, U2 played the second of five nights at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in California.

1996, Bernard Edwards bass guitarist and producer from Chic, died of pneumonia in a Tokyo Hotel room while touring Japan. Also worked with ABC, Power Station, Sister Sledge, Sheila and B. Devotion, Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, Debbie Harry, Air Supply, and Rod Stewart.

2012, An original and extremely rare 1963 mono copy of the Beatles‘ Please Please Me album, signed by the Fab Four, sold on an eBay auction for nearly $25,000 (£16.667.) Paul McCartney and John Lennon both signed their names with “love” in royal blue ink whereas George Harrison and Ringo Starr signed their names in midnight blue ink. The autographs were signed in May of 1963.

storm-thorgerson-pink-floyd2013, Storm Thorgerson, whose album cover artwork includes Pink Floyd”s The Dark Side of the Moon, died aged 69. A childhood friend of the founding members of the band, he became their designer-in-chief. His credits also include albums by Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel and Muse. In 2003, Thorgerson suffered a stroke, from which he recovered. He was later diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer, which he battled for several years.

Born on April 18: Paul Rothchild, producer (1935); Glen D.Hardin, The Crickets (1939); Skip Spence, Moby Grape, Jefferson Airplane (1944);  Les Pattinson, Echo And The Bunnymen (1958); and Mark Tremonti, Creed (1974)

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Eleven of the Best Rock Concerts I Have Attended

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

Complete show:

https://youtu.be/y0VrM-qYnkw

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

https://youtu.be/84_UvByGDkM

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

Honorable mentions:

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

Today in Rock History – April 3

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1964, Bob Dylan made his first entry on the UK charts with “The Times They Are A-Changin.”

1965, Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs release their garage classic “Wooly Bully.”

1966, Peter Tork opened a solo stint in Hollywood at The Troubadour. Tork had already auditioned for The Monkees, who he will join later in the year.

1967, Working on The Beatles Sgt Pepper album at Abbey Road studios in London, George Harrison recorded his lead vocal on his song “Within You Without You.” as well as a sitar part, and some acoustic guitar parts.

1969, The Doors’ Jim Morrison turned himself in to the FBI in Los Angeles. He was charged on six charges of lewd behavior and public exposure at a concert in Miami on March 2nd, 1969. He was later released on $2000 bail.

1971, The Temptations scored their second number one with “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me.”)

1971, Tom Waits appeared at the Heritage Coffee House, San Diego, California.

1972, Puerto Rico’s Mar y Sol Festival ends, having run out of its already meager supply of food. Hundreds of Americans who flew to Puerto Rico to see Emerson, Lake & Palmer are stranded at the San Juan airport.

1975, Steve Miller was charged with setting fire to the clothes of a friend, Benita Diorio. When police arrived at Miller’s house, Diorio was putting out the flames, Miller then got into a fight with some of the policemen and was charged with resisting arrest.

1978, B.B. King and lawyer F. Lee Bailey, chairmen of the Foundation for the Advancement of Inmate Rehabilitation and Recreation, visit Boston’s Norfolk Prison. King performs for the cons.

1983, after completing a 29-date UK tour, U2 appeared on BBC TV Top Of The Pops performing their latest single “Two Hearts Beat As One.”

1990, American jazz singer Sarah Vaughan died of lung cancer. She had the 1954 US number six single “Make Yourself Comfortable,” and released over 50 albums. March 27, is “Sarah Lois Vaughan Day” in both San Francisco and Berkeley, California in honor of the singer.

1993, Depeche Mode went to number one on the UK album chart with Songs Of Faith And Devotion, their first UK chart topper and their tenth album release.

2003, Stax records songwriter Homer Banks died aged 61. He penned “I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down,” recorded by Sam & Dave and a UK hit for Elvis Costello. Rod Stewart, The Emotions, Isaac Hayes, Millie Jackson and Johnny Taylor all covered his songs.

2015, Bob Burns, the American drummer who was in the original line-up of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd died in a car crash in Georgia when his car struck a mailbox and a tree with the front of the vehicle. Burns was the only occupant of the car and was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash

Born on April 3: Jan Barry, Jan & Dean (1941); Richard Manuel, The Band (1943); Tony Orlando (1944); Richard Thompson, Fairport Convention (1949)

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Today in Rock History – March 30

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1967, The cover for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is photographed at a studio on London’s Flood Street, using cardboard cutouts and wax figures to represent the Beatles’ heroes. The effigies featured include Edgar Allan Poe, Lenny Bruce, Vidal Sassoon, Laurel and Hardy, Bob Dylan, and Huntz Hall.  After the shoot, The Beatles resumed work at Abbey Road studios on “With a Little Help From My Friends” adding guitars, bass, tambourine, and backing vocals. The session began at 11:00 pm and ends at 7:30 am.

1967, During an appearance by Jimi Hendrix on Top Of The Pops, a technician put on the backing track of Alan Price’s “Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear,” to which Hendrix responded “I don’t know the words to this one man.”

1968, The Who performed at the Westbury Music Fair in Westbury, New York.

1968, Sly & the Family Stone appeared at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan.

1968, Buffalo Springfield played at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Salt Lake City, Utah.

1968, Jimi Hendrix appeared at the University of Toledo Fieldhouse in Toledo, Ohio.

1969, Led Zeppelin played at the Farx Club in the Northcote Arms, in Southall, Middlesex, England. The support acts were Smokey Rice and Great Circle. The band’s fee was to be £75 ($112.50) or 60% of the gate, whichever was greater.

1970, Led Zeppelin played at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Prior to the show, the band’s manager trashed twenty four bottles of champagne because they weren’t Dom Perignon per the group’s rider. The promoter was unable to get the famous brand and his $100 per bottle substitute was deemed “garbage” by Zep’s manager.

1971, Yes appeared at the Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, England.

1972, The Allman Brothers Band played at Ladd Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama.

1973, King Crimson headlined at Niedersachsen Halle, Hanover, Germany.

1974, The Ramones play their first-ever gig at New York’s Performance Studio.

1974, John Denver went to number one on the singles chart with “Sunshine On My Shoulders,” the singer’s first of four chart toppers. Denver was killed when his experimental plane crashed on October 12, 1997.

1975, Genesis played at Saarlandhalle, Saarbrucken, Germany.

1976, The Sex Pistols played their first show at The 100 club, London, they begin a weekly residency in June.

1977, Pink Floyd performed the third of four nights at New Bingley Hall, Staffordshire County Showground, Stafford, England.  Tickets cost £3.50.

david-bowie-78-live
David Bowie – 1978 courtesy: BowieGoldenYears.com

1978, David Bowie appeared at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona.

1979, Van Halen played at Caldwell Stadium, Caldwell, Idaho.

1980, ZZ Top performed at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1982, U2 played the second of two nights at the San Francisco Civic Centre, California.

1983, Rush appeared at Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, Ohio.

1984, David Gilmour appeared on the Tyne Tees TV show The Tube, broadcast live from Newcastle upon-Tyne, England.

1985, Phil Collins started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “One More Night.”It was his second US chart topper, and it made it to the fourth spot in the UK.

1992, R.E.M. started recording sessions for their Automatic For The People album at Bearsville Studios, Woodstock, New York.

2003, Linkin Park went to number one on the UK album chart with their third album Meteora. It was also a US chart topper.

2013, music producer and pioneer of digital recording, Phil Ramone, died aged 79. Ramone was regarded as one of the most successful producers in history, winning 14 Grammy awards and working with stars such as Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Elton John and Paul McCartney. He produced the first major commercial release on CD, Billy Joel’s 1982 album 52nd Street. Ramone had been hospitalized for several weeks, where he was being treated for an aortic aneurysm.

Born on March 30: Graeme Edge, Moody Blues (1942); Ken Forssi, American bass player, The Surfaris, Love (1943); Eric Clapton (1945); Jim “Dandy” Mangrum, singer, Black Oak Arkansas (1948); Dave Ball, English guitarist, Procul Harum (1950); Robbie Coltrane, Scottish actor, singer (1950); Re Styles, guitar, vocals, The Tubes (1950); Lena Lovich (1954);  Stanley Kirk Burrell, aka MC Hammer (1962); Tracy Chapman (1964); Joey Castillo, American drummer, songwriter Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Danzig (1966); Celine Dion (1968);  Adam Goldstein, American keyboard player, DJ, producer (1973); Mark McClelland, Irish bass player, Snow Patrol, Little Doses,  The Reindeer Section (1976); Norah Jones (1979)

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