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Today in Rock History – September 4

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1968, The Beatles recorded promotional videos for “Hey Jude” and “Revolution” at Twickenham Film Studios. The vocals are recorded live over the pre-recorded instrumental tracks to get round the current British Musicians Union ban on lip-sync performances. For “Hey Jude,” The Beatles were accompanied by a 36-piece orchestra and 300 fans and other assorted extras who join in singing the long refrain.

1968, Pink Floyd played at Middle Earth, The Club House, Richmond Athletic Club, Richmond, England.

1969, The film Easy Rider starring Jack Nicholson Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper opened at The Classic in London. The soundtrack included music from Jimi Hendrix, The Byrds, The Electric Prunes, Steppenwolf and others.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at The Scene, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1971, Taken from the album Ram, Paul and Linda McCartney went to No.1 on the singles chart with “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey.” The song was McCartney’s first solo No.1.

1971, During a North American tour Led Zeppelin appeared at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada.

1972, Concessionaire Francisco Caruso was killed during a Wishbone Ash concert in Texas after refusing to give a fan a free sandwich.

1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono appeared on Jerry Lewis’ Muscular Dystrophy Telethon Show on US television.

1973, The Rolling Stones performed at Sporthalle, Cologne, Germany.

1974, David Bowie performed at the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal City, California.

1975, Hawkwind played at Olympen, Lund, Sweden.

1976, Fleetwood Mac went to No.1 on the US album chart with their self-titled album after being on the charts for over a year. The album went on to sell over 5 million copies in the US and was the first of three No.1 albums for the group.

1976, The Bee Gees went to No.1 on the singles chart with “You Should Be Dancing,” the group’s third No.1.

1976, The Sex Pistols made their television debut when they appeared on the Manchester based Granada TV program So It Goes.

1978, AC/DC appeared at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, Colorado.

1979, The Grateful Dead played the first of three nights at Madison Square Garden in  New York.

1980, A new version of Yes, with Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn played the first of three sold out nights at Madison Square Garden.

1981, Van Halen played at the Mississippi Coliseum, Jackson, Mississippi.

1982, Survivor were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the theme from the film Rocky III, “Eye Of The Tiger,” their only chart topper. Survivor won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance for the song.

1982, The Steve Miller Band started a two week run at No.2 on the US singles chart with “Abracadabra,” the group’s third US No.1, and a No.2 hit in the UK. The song is said to have been inspired by Diana Ross with whom Miller had met while performing together on Hullabaloo in the 1960s.

1995, Blur, Oasis, Radiohead, Paul Weller, Manic St Preachers and The Stone Roses all recorded tracks for the War Child charity album, which was released five days later. All profits went to children caught up in the current war in former Yugoslavia.

1996, Oasis created outrage at the MTV awards held at New York’s Radio City Hall. During the band’s performance of “Champagne Supernova,” singer Liam Gallagher spat on stage and threw a beer into the crowd.

2006, Mike Gibbins drummer with Badfinger died in his sleep at his Florida home aged 56. Badfinger had the 1970 UK No.4 & US No.7 single “Come And Get It,” written by Paul McCartney. He had also been a member of The Iveys during the 60’s.

2008, The first guitar torched on stage by Jimi Hendrix sold for £280,000 ($448,000) at an auction of rock memorabilia. The Fender Stratocaster was burned at the end of a show at the Astoria in Finsbury Park, north London, in 1967. The sale held in London also included the Beatles’ first management contract, signed in 1962 by all four members of the group and manager Brian Epstein, sold for £240,000 ($384,000.)

2009, Friends and family of Michael Jackson paid their last respects to the singer at a funeral held at Glendale’s Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Los Angeles. Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Quincy Jones, Macaulay Culkin, Berry Gordy and Lisa Marie Presley were among the 200 invited guests. The singer’s family arrived in a motorcade of 31 vehicles, Jackson’s brothers – Randy, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon – acted as pallbearers carrying Jackson’s gold-plated coffin.

Born on September 4: Ronald Lepread, The Commodores (1946); Gary Duncan guitar, Quicksilver Messenger Service (1946); Martin Chambers, The Pretenders (1951); and Kim Thayil, Soundgarden (1960)

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Today in Rock History – September 3

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donovan-19661966, Donovan went to number one on the US singles chart with “Sunshine Superman,” a number two hit in the UK. The track featured then Yardbird and future Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.

1967, During a 10-date tour of Sweden, The Jimi Hendrix Experience appeared at the Liseburg in Gothenburg, Sweden.

1968, After a two week absence, Ringo Starr rejoined The Beatles. Upon Ringo’s return to the studio, he found his drum kit covered with flowers to welcome him back.

1969, King Crimson appear at Toby Jug pub in Tolwort, in Southwest London.

1970, Freddie King and Johnny Winter performed at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, California.

1970, Alan Wilson, guitar player with Canned Heat, was found dead at fellow band-member Bob Hite’s garden in Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles aged 27. Canned Heat had the 1970 UK number two and US number 26 single “Let’s Work Together.”

1970, Led Zeppelin performed at the Sports Arena in San Diego, California. A critic for the local newspaper, the Union-Tribune wrote, “The performance was old-time religion without a message and without a moral, although there was plenty that was physical for the congregation of young people. There was the hand clapping, the shouting, the parading in the aisles – and finally there was the self-induced frenzy that was once the trademark of some evangelical religious sects.”

1970, It was reported that the Bob Dylan bootleg album Great White Wonder had sold over 350,000 copies worldwide.

1970, Arthur Brown was arrested at the Palermo Pop ’70 Festival in Italy, after he set fire to his helmet during the performance of his hit “Fire,” and stripped naked on stage.

1971, Led Zeppelin play one night at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Top ticket price was $7.50 (£4.69).

1971, The Allman Brothers band appeared at the Place de Nations in Montreal, Quebec.

1972, David Bowie performed at the Hardrock Concert Theatre, Stretford, in Manchester, England.  The 3000-seat venue hosted some of the biggest names in England during its brief three year existence.

1973, The Rolling Stones appeared at Eisstadion, in Mannheim, Germany.

1974, David Bowie performed at the Gibson Amphitheatre, Universal City, California.

1975, An all-star jam session took place at a party in Los Angeles for actor Peter Sellers’ 50th Birthday. The line-up for the group who named themselves the Trading Faces, Bill Wyman on bass, Ronnie Wood, Jesse Ed Davis, and Danny Kortchmar on guitars, Keith Moon, organ and drums, Joe Cocker, vocals, Nigel Olsson, drums, and David Bowie and Bobby Keys on sax.

1976, Marshall Tucker Band played the Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia.

1977, The month after his death, Elvis Presley had 27 albums and 9 singles in the Top 100 charts in the UK. Moody Blue was the number one album while “Way Down” was on top of the singles chart, equaling The Beatles, with each amassing 17 number one hits.

1977, Studio engineer Keith Harwood was killed in a car crash shortly after he left a recording session with The Rolling Stones. Harwood was noted for his work at Olympic Studios with David Bowie, Diamond Dogs, and The Rolling Stones albums It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll and Black And Blue. He also engineered a number of Led Zeppelin albums, including Houses Of The Holy, Physical Graffiti and Presence. The Rolling Stones dedicated their album Love You Live to the memory of Harwood.

zappa-19781978, Frank Zappa, Scorpions, Brand X, John McLaughlin, Ten Years After, Joan Baez, and Genesis appear at  Ludwigsparkstadion in Saarbrücken, Germany.

1979, Van Halen appeared at Kaikan Hall, Kyoto, Japan.

1980, Blue Oyster Cult played at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona.

1981, The Allman Brothers Band performed at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, Colorado.

1982, The three day US Festival in San Bernardino, California took place featuring, Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, The Police, The Cars, Talking Heads, The Kinks, Ramones, B52’s, The English Beat, Gang Of Four, The Grateful Dead, Pat Benatar, Jackson Browne. Apple Computer co-founder Steven Wozniak bankrolled the festival.

 1983, The Eurythmics went to number one on the singles chart with “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This”).

 1988, UB40 had their first number one single with “Red Red Wine.” The song, taken from their album Labour of Love, was a cover of the 1968 Neil Diamond hit song.

1990, R.E.M. started recording sessions for their Out Of Time album at Bearsville Studios, Woodstock, New York.

1991, During a European tour, Nirvana recorded “Dumb,” “Drain You,” and “Endless Nameless” at Maida Vale studios in London for the BBC Radio 1 John Peel show.

2002, The Rolling Stones 40th anniversary Licks tour kicked off at the Fleet Centre Boston. Tickets for the best seats cost $224 (£140). The world tour would see the band playing to over two and a half million fans during over a hundred shows.

2004, Songwriter and producer Billy Davis died in New York after a long illness. He co-wrote Jackie Wilson’s, “Reet Petite” and the jingle “I’d Like To Buy The World A Coke.” Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and Gladys Knight all recorded his songs.

2010, Mike Edwards, a founding member of ELO, was killed in a freak accident when a giant bale of hay tumbled down a hill and crashed into his van. The 62 year-old cellist died after the 600 kg (1,323 lb) bale rolled down a steep field in Devon, southern England, smashed through a hedge and careered on to the road. Edwards played cello with ELO from their first live gig in 1972 until he left in January 1975. He quit the band in 1975 to become a Buddhist, changing his name to Deva Pramada and making his living by teaching the cello.

Born on this day: Freddie King (1934); Al Jardine, Beach Boys (1942); George Biondi,  Steppenwolf (1945); Eric Bell, Thin Lizzy (1947); Donald Brewer, drummer, Grand Funk Railroad (1948);  Steve Jones, Sex Pistols (1955); Stefan Kendal Gordy, aka DJ Redfoo, LMFAO (1975)

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Today in Rock History – August 21

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1965, The Rolling Stones started a three week run at No.1 on the album chart with Out Of Our Heads the group’s first No.1 album.

1965, During a 17 date UK tour, The Who played at the Palais in Bournemouth.

1966, On their last ever US tour The Beatles performed in two cities due to a cancellation due to rain the previous day. First they performed at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio. Then they flew to St. Louis, Missouri, for a concert at Busch Stadium, where they performed under a tarpaulin due to heavy rain. It was this gig that convinced Paul McCartney that The Beatles should stop performing live.

1967, The Doors started recording their second album Strange Days at Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood, California.

1968,Tommy James and The Shondells returned to the No.1 position for the second time with the single “Mony Mony.”

Lynyrd Skynyrd

1969, During a North American tour Led Zeppelin appeared at the Carousel Theatre in Framingham, Massachusetts.

1969, Yes played at the Star Club, Hamburg, Germany.

1970, Led Zeppelin performed at Assembly Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma

1971, The Band performed at Borough of York Stadium in Toronto, Ontario.

1971, Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come, Hawkwind, Duster Bennett, Brewers Droop, Indian Summer, Graphite, Queen all appeared at the Tregye Festival Truro, Cornwall, England.

1972, Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane was arrested after a fight broke out on stage during a concert when the police had been called “pigs.” Grace Slick was maced and another group member injured at the show in Akron.

1974, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young appear at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1976, The Rolling Stones, 10CC, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Todd Rundgren’s Utopia and Hot Tuna all appeared at The Knebworth Festival, Hertfordshire, England.

1977, Yes appeared at War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, New York.

1978, AC/DC  performed at the Paradise Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts.

1979, Van Halen played at the MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1980, Blue Oyster Cult appeared at McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado.

1981, The Allman Brothers Band performed at Cape Cod Coliseum, South Yarmouth, Massachusetts.

1982, U2 singer Bono married Alison Stewart, his girlfriend from 1975 at All Saints Church, Raheny in Ireland. U2 bassist Adam Clayton acted as Bono’s best man.

1983, The Grateful Dead performed at Frost Amphitheater on the campus of Stanford University, Palo Alto, California.

1983, Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone had a four-hour brain surgery operation, after being found unconscious in a New York Street where he had been involved in a fight.

1997, Oasis’ third album Be Here Now, became one of the fastest selling albums ever, shifting over 350,000 units on the first day of release. The cover image for Be Here Now was shot at Stocks House in Hertfordshire, the former home of Victor Lownes, the head of the Playboy Clubs in the UK.

2005, Robert Moog, inventor of the synthesizer died aged 71, four months after being diagnosed with brain cancer. Dr Moog built his first electronic instrument, a theremin – aged 14 and made the MiniMoog, “the first compact, easy-to-use synthesizer” in 1970. He won the Polar prize, Sweden’s, music equivalent to the Nobel prize, in 2001. Wendy Carlos’ 1968 Grammy award-winning album, Switched-On Bach, brought Dr Moog to prominence.

2008, Drummer Buddy Harman died of congestive heart failure at age 79. He worked with Elvis Presley (“Little Sister,”) Patsy Cline (“Crazy,”) Roy Orbison (“Pretty Woman,”) Johnny Cash (“Ring Of Fire’,”)  and Tammy Wynette (“Stand By Your Man.”) Harman was the first house drummer for The Grand Ole Opry and can be heard on over 18,000 recordings.

Born on August 21: Count Basie (1904); Kenny Rogers (1937); Tom Costello, Santana (1941); Jackie DeShannon singer (1944);  Joe Strummer (1952); Budgie, Siouxsie & the Banshees and Kim Sledge, Sister Sledge (1957)

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Today in Rock History – August 18

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beatles-1964-heathrow1964, Over 9,000 frenzied fans met The Beatles as they arrived in San Francisco, to begin an American tour. The Beatles were driven into a protective fence enclosure so that photographers could take pictures. As the 9,000 fans pressed against the fencing, it gave way, with The Beatles managing to get out split-seconds before it came crashing down.

 1965, During a US tour The Beatles appeared at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia to a sold out crowd of 35,000. Tickets cost $5.50

1966, Paul Jones left Manfred Mann just as “Pretty Flamingo” was climbing the US charts. He was replaced by singer Mike D’Abo, who would take over lead vocals on the bands next hit, “The Mighty Quinn,” a song written by Bob Dylan.

1967, The Who were supposed to play a headlining show at The Big Moose Showcase in Lorain, Ohio. It is canceled by Dick Clark, who didn’t want The Who appearing near Cleveland so close to the Herman’s Hermits date on the 31st.

1968, The Who perform at Kelker Junction Night Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

1969, Mick Jagger was accidentally shot in the hand during filming of Ned Kelly in Australia.

1969, King Crimson performed at Cooks Ferry Inn, London.

1969, During a North American tour Led Zeppelin played two shows at the Rock Pile in Toronto.

1970, Yes plays at the Marquee Club, London.

1970, The Grateful Dead performed at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, California.

1971, The Who played at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.

1972, It’s a Beautiful Day and Brownsville Station appear at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1973, Diana Ross scored her second number one single with “Touch Me In The Morning.” The song marked a turning point in her career, coming immediately after her Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in her acting debut, Lady Sings the Blues.

1973, Jethro Tull scored their second number one album with A Passion Play.

1974, Aerosmith appeared at the Westboro Speedway, Westboro, Massachusetts.

1976, Variety reported that Marvin Gaye faced two consecutive five day prison terms in Los Angeles county jail for contempt of court after failing to pay alimony and child support.

police-19801977, The Police made their live debut as a three-piece band when they played at Rebecca’s Birmingham, England.

1977, Foreigner appeared at the Circle Theatre, Indianapolis, Indiana.

1978, AC/DC played at Concert Hall, Calderone, New York.

1979, Nick Lowe married Johnny Cash’s stepdaughter Carlene Carter in Los Angeles. The couple are now divorced.

1979, AC/DC, Nils Lofgren, The Stranglers and The Who all appeared at Wembley Stadium, London, England.

1980, Black Sabbath played at the International Amphitheater, Chicago.

1981, Van Halen performed at the Hollywood Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, Florida.

1982, The City of Liverpool named four Streets after the fab four: John Lennon Drive, Paul McCartney Way, George Harrison Close and Ringo Starr Drive.

1983, The Police plus Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and R.E.M. (their biggest gig to date) all appeared at Shea Stadium, New York City.

1986, Bon Jovi released their third studio album, Slippery When Wet, which peaked at No.1 on the charts, going on to sell over 28 million copies worldwide. The set featured two US chart toppers, “You Give Love A Bad Name” and “Livin’ On A Prayer.”

1991, Rick Griffin, died after being forced off the road by a van he was attempting to pass on his Harley Heritage Softail motorbike. One of his best known album covers was for the Grateful Dead’s ‘Aoxomoa’ LP, and the legendary “Flying Eyeball” poster he designed for a series of concerts in San Francisco featuring the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Albert King and John Mayall.

2008, Soul singer Pervis Jackson died of cancer. Was a member of The Spinners (Also known as The Motown Spinners and The Detroit Spinners). He had the 1980 UK number one and US number two single “Working My Way Back To You.”

Born on August 18: Carl Wayne, singer, The Move (1944); Nona Hendryx, Labelle (1945); Nigel Griggs bass, Split Enz (1949); Dennis Elliott, drums, Foreigner (1950); Patrick Swayze, actor, singer (1952); and Dan Peters, drums, Mudhoney (1967)

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Today in Rock History – August 15

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1965, The Beatles set a new world record for the largest attendance at a pop concert when they played in front of 55,600 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City. Also on the bill were Brenda Holloway, The King Curtis Band, The Young Rascals and Sounds Incorporated. The Beatles were paid $160,000 for the show. The set list: Twist and Shout, She’s a Woman, I Feel Fine, Dizzy Miss Lizzie, Ticket to Ride, Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby, Can’t Buy Me Love, Baby’s In Black, Act Naturally, I Wanna Be Your Man, A Hard Day’s Night, Help!, and I’m Down. Two members of the Rolling Stones were among the audience, Mick Jagger and Keith Richard. Later that evening, Bob Dylan visited The Beatles at their hotel.

1966, During a US tour The Beatles appeared at the D.C. Stadium in Washington DC to over 32,000 fans. Tickets cost $3. Five members of the Ku Klux Klan, led by the Imperial Wizard of Maryland, picketed the concert.

1967, Jimi Hendrix performed at Fifth Dimension in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

1967, Fleetwood Mac appeared at the Marquee Club London, England.

1968, The Who headlined at the Fillmore West in San Francisco.

1968, Herman’s Hermits played at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

1969, During a North American tour, Led Zeppelin appeared at the Hemisfair Arena in San Antonio. Jethro Tull and Sweet Smoke were also on the bill. During the show Zeppelin received abuse from locals due to the length of their hair.

1969, Woodstock Festival was held on Max Yasgur’s 600 acre farm in Bethel, New York, 109 miles north west of New York City. Attended by over 400,000 people, the event featured, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Santana, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Canned Heat, Joan Baez, Melanie, Ten Years After, Sly and the Family Stone, Johnny Winter, Jefferson Airplane, Ravi Shanker, Country Joe and the Fish, Blood Sweat and Tears, Arlo Guthrie, and Joe Cocker. During the three days there were three deaths, two births and four miscarriages. Joni Mitchell was booked to appear but had to pull out due to being booked for a TV show, and wrote the song “Woodstock.”

1970, Derek and the Dominoes appeared at Tofts Club, Folkestone, England.

1970, Melody Maker says “Make way for the Townshend brothers!” in an article about Pete Townshend recording his brothers Simon and Paul. Around this time, Pete buys a large American van he dubs “Maxine” which he drives everywhere. The van’s size, comfort and air-conditioning inspire Pete to imagine a heavily-polluted world where people travel and live in sealed vans. The idea sparks the song “Going Mobile” and becomes one of the ideas behind the Lifehouse project

1970, The New Haven Jaycees produced four summer “pop” concerts at the Yale Bowl in New Haven Connecticut. Led Zeppelin performs one of those shows on this date. Tickets were $5 and $6.50.

1971, The Who US tour stops at the Metropolitan Sports Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1971, Pink Floyd played at the Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the Academy of Music, New York.

1971, The Grateful Dead played at the Community Theatre in Berkeley, California.

1972, Deep Purple appeared at the Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan, Osaka, Japan.

1974, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young performed at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.

1975, David Bowie’s  single “Fame” is released and becomes his first US number one.

1975, Eric Clapton appeared at Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, California.

1976, Kansas played at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland.

1977, Yes performed at the Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island.

1979, The futuristic satire film Americathon premiered in Los Angeles featuring Meat Loaf. The soundtrack included songs by The Beach Boys, Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello.

1980, Van Halen played at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

1981, Diana Ross and Lionel Richie started a nine week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Endless Love,” a number seven in the UK. The song was the title from a film starring Brooke Shields.

1981, Billy Ryan, Jimmy Hall, Leon Russell, the Allman Brothers Band, Charlie Daniels Band, and Cheap Trick performed at Alabama Jam 2, held at Ladd Memorial Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

1982, Roxy Music played at the Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland.

1984, Simple Minds appeared at the Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan.

1986, ZZ Top performed at The Forum, Inglewood, California.

1987, Michael Jackson had his third UK No.1 with the single ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’, a duet with Siedah Garrett. It was originally intended to be a duet between Jackson and either Barbra Streisand or Whitney Houston. Session singer Siedah Garrett also worked with Madonna.

1991, Paul Simon played a free concert in New York’s Central Park before an audience of 750,000.

1992, Jamaican singer-song writer Jackie Edwards died. Edwards worked as a singer, songwriter for Island Records. He wrote both “Keep On Running”and “Somebody Help Me,” that became chart topping singles for The Spencer Davis Group as well as releasing his own albums.

1992, INXS went to number one on the UK album chart with Welcome To Whoever You Are, their first British chart topping album.

2002, A memorial to John Lennon was unveiled in the remote Scottish village of Durness, where Lennon had spent his holidays from age seven to fifteen. The lyrics from “In My Life” had been inscribed on three stones.

2007, Sixteen solo John Lennon albums were made available to download on iTunes for the first time. A deal was approved by the Yoko Ono following a lengthy legal battle between the band’s label Apple Corps and Apple.

2008, US record producer Jerry Wexler, who influenced the careers of singers including Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Bob Dylan, died at his home in Sarasota, Florida aged 91. Wexler produced the Aretha Franklin hit “Respect,” the Wilson Pickett song, “In the Midnight Hour,” and helped Bob Dylan win his first Grammy award by producing the 1979 album, Slow Train Coming. He also coined the term “rhythm and blues” while writing for Billboard magazine in the late 1940s.

Born on August 15: Bill Pinkney, The Drifters (1933);  Bobby Helms, singer, guitar (1933); Pete York, Spencer David Group (1942); Tommy Aldridge, drums, Whitesnake (1950); Matt Johnson, singer, songwriter, The The (1961); David Welsh, guitarist, The Fray (1984); Ted Dwane, bass, Mumford & Sons (1984)

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Today in Rock History – August 11

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Today in Rock History – August 10

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1968, The lineup for day two of the National Jazz & Blues Festival was Alan Haven, Deep Purple, Ginger Baker, Jeff Beck Group, Joe Cocker, Mike Westbrook, Ronnie Scott, T. Rex, Ten Years After, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, The Don Rendell & Ian Carr Quintet, and The Nice. The festival was held at Kempton Park Racecourse, Sunbury On Thames, England.

1968, Jimi Hendrix played at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.

1968, Tom Jones went to number one on the album chart with Delilah.

1969, During a North American tour, Led Zeppelin appeared at the San Diego Sports Arena. Jethro Tull and The Surprise Package, a Seattle band, were the supporting acts.

1970, Elvis Presley played the first night of a four-week engagement, playing two shows most nights, at The International Hotel in Las Vegas.

1970, Simon and Garfunkel’s album Bridge Over Troubled Water was at number one on the album chart, The Beatles were second with Let It Be and Bob Dylan was at number three with Self Portrait.

1971, The Who play at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1972, Paul and Linda McCartney were arrested and fined £800 ($1200)for possession of cannabis in a drug bust after a concert in Gothenburg, Sweden.

1972, Emerson, Lake & Palmer play the Hollywood Sportatorium in Hollywood, Florida.

1973, KISS perform at the Hotel Diplomat, New York.

1973, a promotional film for Roger Daltrey’s performance of “I’m Free” with the London Symphony Orchestra airs on Top Of The Pops. It was shot at Roger’s farm.

1974, Roberta Flack went to number one on the US singles chart with “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” the singer’s third US chart topper.

1974, The Allman Brothers Band performed at August Jam at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, Charlotte, North Carolina. Also on the bill were Emerson Lake & Palmer, Foghat, Black Oak Arkansas, and the Marshall Tucker Band.

1974, John Denver went to number one on the US album chart with Back Home Again.

1976, Elton John played the first of ten nights sold out nights at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The $1.25 million (£833,000) generated from the shows broke the record set by The Rolling Stones in 1975.

1976, Eric Clapton appeared at The Apollo, Glasgow, Scotland.

1976, Neil Diamond performed at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1977, Yes played the Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, Massachusetts.

1978, Thin Lizzy appeared at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1978, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, and Keith Moon arrive separately at Universal Studios, Hollywood for the press launch of their new album Who Are You. The party takes place on the set of the TV show Battlestar Galactica.

1979, Van Halen played at the Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine.

1980, Black Sabbath appeared at the Civic Center, Hartford,Connecticut.

1981, Kansas performed at  Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, Michigan.

1982, During a North American, tour Queen appeared at the Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut.

1982, The Grateful Dead’s only performance on this date took place at the University of Iowa Fieldhouse in Iowa City.

1984, Aerosmith appeared at the Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine.

1985,”Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits peaked at number four on the UK singles chart. Notable for its groundbreaking music video and a cameo appearance by Sting, who also co-wrote the song with Mark Knopfler, and sings the song’s falsetto introduction and backing chorus, “I want my MTV,”  The video was also the first to be aired on MTV Europe when the network started on August 1st, 1987.

1985, Simon Le Bon from Duran Duran was air lifted to safety when his boat Drum overturned while racing off the English coast. Le Bon was trapped under the hull with five other crew members for twenty minutes, until being rescued by the Royal Navy.

1992, Def Leppard kicked off the North American leg on their 248-date Seven Day Weekend world Tour at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

1993, The Dave Matthews Band played at The Flood Zone in Richmond, Virginia, the gig was recorded with some of songs ending up on the band’s first album Remember Two Things.

2002, Lisa Marie Presley married actor Nicolas Cage at a resort in Hawaii. The marriage was Presley’s third. She was married previously to musician Danny Keough and pop star Michael Jackson. Cage filed for divorce four months later.

2002, Michael Houser, a founding member and lead guitarist of the band Widespread Panic, died at age 40 from complications due to pancreatic cancer, diagnosed earlier in the year.

2007, Anthony Wilson, the UK music mogul behind some of Manchester’s most successful bands, died at age 57, after suffering from kidney cancer. The TV presenter and entrepreneur founded Factory records, the label behind New Order and the Happy Mondays. He was also known for setting up the Hacienda nightclub in Manchester, England.

2008, Singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes died at his home in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 65. Police were called to his home after his wife found him unconscious. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Hayes won an Oscar for the 1971 hit “Theme From Shaft” and was also known as the voice of Chef from the hit cartoon show, South Park. He was married four times and had 12 children.

Born on August 10: Clarence Leonidas “Leo” Fender, inventor of the Fender Telecaster (1909); Jimmy Dean (1928); Eddie Fisher (1929); Bobby Hatfield, singer, The Righteous Brothers (1940); Jimmy Griffin, singer, guitarist Bread, The Remingtons (1943); Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull (1947); Ronnie Spector, The Ronettes (1947); Mark Price, English drummer, All About Eve, Del Amitri (1959); Jon Farriss drummer, INXS (1961)

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Today in Rock History August 6

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1965, The Beatles released their fifth album in the UK, the soundtrack to Help!, their second film. The US release took place on August 13. The album was produced by George Martin. It contains fourteen songs in its original British form. Seven of these, including the singles “Help!” and “Ticket to Ride”, appeared in the film and took up the first side of the vinyl album. The second side contained seven other releases including “Yesterday.”

1965, Decca records released The Small Faces debut single “Whatcha Gonna Do About It.” It peaked at number 14 on the UK chart, number 28 and Canada, and did not chart in the US.

1966, Paul Revere & the Raiders appeared at the Sports Arena in Toledo, Ohio.

1967, The Who spend two days at  Talentmasters Studio in New York. Al Kooper joins the band on organ to record two versions of “Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand.” One is released in the U.S. on the B-side of  “I Can See For Miles,” while the other remains in the vaults until the 1995 edition of The Who Sell Out. Also recorded is a studio version of “Summertime Blues,” an organ overdub on “Relax,” performed by Pete, and new vocals to replace the guide vocals on “I Can See For Miles.”

1968, The Who perform at the Music Hall in Boston, Massachusetts.

1969, During a North American tour Led Zeppelin made their one and only appearance in Sacramento, California, playing at Memorial Auditorium.

1970, The 10th National Jazz, Blues and Pop four day Festival was held at Plumpton Racecourse in Sussex, England. Featuring, Family, Groundhogs, Cat Stevens, Deep Purple, Fat Mattress, Yes, Caravan, The Strawbs, Black Sabbath, Wild Angles, Wishbone Ash and Daddy Longlegs.

1970, Steppenwolf, Janis Joplin, Paul Simon, Poco and Johnny Winter all appeared at the Concert For Peace at New York’s Shea Stadium. The concert date coincided with the 25th anniversary of dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

1971, Pink Floyd made their first ever visit to Japan, playing three dates there. The first show was at Seikei Gakuen Jofundai, near Lake Ashi, in Hakone for the Hakone Aphrodite ’71 along with Buffy Sainte Marie, The 1910 Fruit Gum Company, Mops, Strawberry Path, Happenings Four, and several other Japanese acts.

1972, The Allman Brothers Band played at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California.

1973, Stevie Wonder was seriously injured when the car he was riding in crashed into a truck on Interstate 85 near Winston-Salem, North Carolina, leaving him in a coma for four days. The accident also left him without any sense of smell.

1974, Abba scored their first US top ten hit when “Waterloo” went to number six. It was a chart topper in the UK, Norway, The Netherlands, Germany, and Ireland. The Swedish group were also on their first American tour.

1974, CSNY played at the Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts.

1975, The Rolling Stones appeared at the Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia.

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

1977, The Police appeared at The Red Cow, Hammersmith Road in London, admission was 60p ($1.10.)

1977, This week’s UK Top Five singles: No.5 “Fanfare For The Common Man,” ELP. No.4, “Pretty Vacant,” The Sex Pistols. No.3, “Angelo,” Brotherhood Of Man. No.2, “Ma Baker,” Boney M and No.1, “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer.

1978, Aerosmith performed at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.

1979, Van Halen played at Barton Coliseum, Little Rock, Arkansas.

1980, Fleetwood Mac appeared at the Hollywood Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, Florida.

1981, Stevie Nicks released her first solo album Bella Donna which contained four top 40 US hits.  They were “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” a duet with Tom Petty, “Leather and Lace,” with Don Henley, “Edge of Seventeen,” and “After the Glitter Fades.”

1982, Pink Floyd’s The Wall starring Bob Geldof as “Pink”opened in movie theaters in New York. The film was conceived alongside the double album by Roger Waters.

1988, Appetite For Destruction, Guns N’ Roses debut album went to number one in the US, after spending 57 weeks on the chart and selling over 5 million copies. Singles from the album, “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “Welcome to the Jungle,” and “Paradise City” were all US top ten hits. The album is the best-selling debut album of all-time in the US, beating Boston’s debut album Boston, which has gone 17x platinum.

1999, Dick Latvala died aged 56 after being in a coma caused by a heart attack. Latvala worked with The Grateful Dead since the early 80’s looking after their archives of live performances which became a series of Dick’s Picks albums.

2004, Rick James was found dead at his Los Angeles home. Known as “The King of Punk-Funk” James scored the 1981 US number three album Street Songs, and 1981 US number 16 single “Super Freak part 1.” In the late 60’s James worked as a songwriter and producer for Motown, working with Smokey Robinson and The Miracles.

2009, Willy DeVille died at the age of 58 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. The band he formed, Mink Deville, appeared at the legendary CBGB club in New York in the 1970s and scored the 1977 hit “Spanish Stroll.” Doctors discovered he had cancer earlier that year as he was preparing to undergo treatment for Hepatitis C.

Born on August 6: Andy Warhol, (1928); Judy Craig, singer, The Chiffons (1946); Allan Holdsworth, Soft Machine (1948); Pat McDonald, Timbuk 3 (1952); and Randy Debarge, Debarge (1958); Geri Halliwell, Spice Girls (1972)

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Today in Rock History – July 31

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1965, In England, the Yardbirds with Jeff Beck perform at the Cleethorpes Jazz Festival.

1965, Beatles VI enters the fourth of its six weeks atop the US album charts. Beatles VI includes two tracks recorded specifically for the North American market, “Bad Boy” and “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” both covers of Larry Williams songs.

1966, Cream play their first gig in Windsor, England.

1966, The Who perform at Brittania Pier in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England.

1967, Mick Jagger was given a conditional discharge, and Keith Richard’s conviction for permitting his house to be used for the purpose of smoking cannabis resin was quashed by appeal court.

1968, Tommy James and The Shondells were at number one on the singles chart with “Mony Mony.” The song was also a hit for Billy Idol in 1987.

1968, Working at Trident studios in London, England, (with its 8-track equipment, EMI was still using 4-track recorders), The Beatles recorded four takes of “Hey Jude.”

1969, Ten Years After played at the Boston Tea Party in Boston. Magic Terry & The Universe were the support act.

1969, Elvis Presley kicked off a four week run at the Las Vegas International Hotel, his first live show since 1961. He reportedly netted $1.5 million (£937,500) for the shows. On the menu was an Elvis special, polk salad with corn muffins and honey.

1970, After Decca Records demands a final single from the Rolling Stones to make them fulfill their contract, Richards and Jagger deliver the unreleasable “Cocksucker Blues.” The single becomes the title of a Stones documentary that the band decides is also unreleasable.

1970, The Powder Ridge Festival was supposed to take place from July 31st through August 2nd in Middlefield, Connecticut.  None of the advertised acts performed due to a last minute court injunction initiated by the local township. Only Melanie performed on a small stage. In addition to the Allman Brothers Band, Janis Joplin, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Jethro Tull, Joe Cocker, Little Richard and others were on the intended lineup.

1971, Pink Floyd leave England to set out on their first tour of the Far East.

1971, The documentary Gimme Shelter premieres at London’s Rialto cinema. The film includes footage from the infamous concert at Altamont.

1971, James Taylor went to number one on the singles chart with the Carole King song “You Got A Friend.” The song would go on to win the 1971 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male.

1971, A security guard was stabbed to death during a concert by The Who at New York’s Forest Hill Stadium.

1972, Yes appeared at Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston, Texas.

1974, The Grateful Dead performed at Dillon Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut.

1975, Aerosmith played at Market Hall, Dallas, Texas.

1975, The Rolling Stones appeared at the Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina.

1976, George Benson started a two-week run at number one on the album chart with Breezin.

1977, Yes played at the Civic Center, Wheeling, West Virginia.

1979, AC/DC appeared at The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana on their If You Want Blood Tour.

1979, James Taylor plays New York’s Central Park for free to show his support for a campaign to restore the park’s Sheep Meadow.

1980, During An Eagles concert at Long Beach, California, tempers boiled over between Glen Frey and Don Felder, who spent the entire show describing to each other the beating each planned to administer backstage. “Only three more songs until I kick your ass, pal,” Frey told Felder. The group’s next album was mixed by Frey and Felder on opposite coasts after the two decided they couldn’t bear to be in the same state, let alone the same studio.

1980, Van Halen performed at the Checkerdome, St. Louis, Missouri.

1982, King Crimson appeared at The Convention Hall, Asbury Park, New Jersey.

1983, David Bowie played at Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1985, The Eurythmics had the number one position on the UK singles chart with “There Must Be An Angel, (Playing With My Heart.”) The song which was the Eurythmics’ first and only chart topping single features a harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder.

1992, Michael Jackson made an unscheduled appearance on his hotel balcony in London after a man had threatened to jump from an apartment building across the street. 28 year-old Eric Herminie told police he would leap to his death if he didn’t see Jackson, who was in Britain for a series of concerts. Jackson spent a couple of minutes waving to Herminie, who then climbed back into the building.

2001, BBC producer John Walters died at age 63. Walters produced and worked with Radio 1 DJ John Peel. Peel teamed up with Walters to broadcast some of the most groundbreaking music of an era. He joined the BBC in 1967, and became producer on John Peel’s Top Gear show two years later. Walters played the trumpet with the Alan Price Set in the 1960’s.

2012, Bruce Springsteen played his longest show ever – 4 hours and 6 minutes, at the Helsinki Olympiastadionin Finland, at the end of a European tour.

Born on July 31:  Amhet Ertegun (1923)  Bob Welch (1943)  Gary Lewis (1946); Hugh McDowell, cello, Electric Light Orchestra (1953); Bill Berry, R.E.M. ( 1958); Jim Corr, guitar, keyboards, vocals, The Corrs (1964); John Lowery, guitar, Marilyn Manson (1971); Will Champion, drummer, Coldplay (1978)

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Today in Rock History – July 28

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1965,  The Who pre-tape an appearance on Radio Luxembourg’s Ready Steady Radio! at The Marquee followed by a gig at the Pontiac Club in southwest London’s Putney, where the band’s PA blows up after the first set. The Who’s first live performance of “My Generation” may have taken place at this explosive set.

1965, Rolling Stone Charlie Watts buys a 16th century wooden mansion in Sussex, England. His father tells the press, “We can’t understand why he prefers an old place like this to something modern.”

1966, James Brown appeared at The Apollo Theatre in New York City.

1968, Pink Floyd plays a Friday night gig at UFO, The Blarney Club, on Tottenham Court Road in London.  On the bill were Fairport Convention and Shiva’s Children. From Melody Maker, “In a cacophony of sound played to a background of multi-coloured projected lights the Pink Floyd proved they are Britain’s top psychedelic group. In two powerful sets they drew nearly every conceivable note from their instruments, but ignored their two hit singles…..Bass player Roger Waters gave the group a powerful depth and the lights played on to them to set an impressive scene.” This was the last show at the “intimate” Blarney Club. The landlord kicked producer Joe Boyd out of the space, and they relocated to the much larger Roundhouse venue.

1969, Yes play at the Old Granary in Bristol, England.

1969, Police in Moscow reported that thousands of public phone booths had been vandalized after thieves were stealing parts of the phones to convert their acoustic guitars to electric. A feature in a Russian youth magazine had shown details on how to do this.

1970, “Ned Kelly,” starring Mick Jagger as the behelmeted highwayman, opens in Australia. Reception is unkind. Halliwell’s Film Guide fumes, “Obstinately unlikable action picture with some kind of message which never becomes clear amid all the cleverness.”

1973, Chicago went to number one on the album chart with Chicago IV. It was the group’s second chart topper.

1973, The Watkins Glen outdoor summer jam was held outside of Watkins Glen, New York with The Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead and The Band. Over 600,000 rock fans attended. Many historians claimed the event was the largest gathering of people in the history of the United States. 150,000 tickets were sold for $10 each, but for all the other people it was a free concert. The crowd was so huge that a large part of the audience was not able to see the stage.

1974, Peter Frampton appears at the Garden, in Boston, Massachusetts.

1975, Bob Dylan plays his first session for the Desire album. On “Romance in Durango,” he’s joined by Eric Clapton on dobro, while Emmylou Harris plays steel guitar on “Abandoned Love.” The album features the song “Hurricane.” It protests the conviction of former middleweight boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter for triple murder in 1966, arguing for his innocence.

1975, The Rolling Stones perform at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Tickets were $9.50.

1978, The lineup for Buffalo’s Summerfest at Rich Stadium was Bob Welch, Pablo Cruise, Foreigner, and the headliner was Welch’s former mates, Fleetwood Mac.

1979, Van Halen plays the Fieldhouse in Dayton, Ohio.

1979, “I Don’t Like Mondays” gave The Boomtown Rats their second UK number one single. Bob Geldof wrote the song after reading a report on the shooting spree of 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer, who fired at children playing in a school playground across the street from her home in San Diego, California. She killed two adults and injured eight children and one police officer. Spencer showed no remorse for her crime, and her full explanation for her actions was “I don’t like Mondays, this livens up the day.”

1980, The Police, U2 and Squeeze all appeared at the Dalymount Festival in Dublin, Ireland.

1996, Marge Ganser from The Shangri-Las died of breast cancer. The group scored over ten hits during the 60’s including the 1964 US number one “Leader Of The Pack.”

2008, Amy Winehouse was rushed to hospital after she started to have fits at her home in Camden North London. A spokesman said it appeared the singer had suffered a reaction to medication she was taking to help her off hard drugs.

Born on July 28: George Cummings, steel guitar, Dr Hook (1938); Michael Bloomfield (1944); Rick Wright, Pink Floyd (1945); Jonathan Edwards (1946); Garald Casale, Devo (1948); Simon Kirke, drums, Free (1949); Steve Morse, Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple, Kansas (1954); Dan Warton, drums, Neds Atomic Dustbin (1972)

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