Rock history June 23
1965, Motown releases Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ “The Tracks of My Tears.” It was a number two hit on the Billboard R&B chart, and reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was not released in the UK until 1969, when it became a Top Ten hit that summer, reaching number nine.
1966, The Beatles fly to Germany, where they will begin their last world tour. The Rolling Stones depart London the same day to begin a tour of America.
1966, The Who performed at the Refectory at the University at Leeds as part of a University Rag Ball along with The Alan Price Set, The Swingin’ Blue Jeans, and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, without recently departed guitarist Eric Clapton, who left to form the new group Cream.
1966, The Beatles had their tenth consecutive number one single with “Paperback Writer” / “Rain.” The track is marked by the boosted bass guitar sound throughout, partly in response to John Lennon demanding to know why the bass on a certain Wilson Pickett record far exceeded the bass on any Beatles records. It was also cut louder than any other Beatles record, due to a new piece of equipment used in the mastering process.
1967, Pink Floyd played two shows. An early gig took place at the Locarno Ballroom in Derby, England, where Floyd, Paperback Edition and Thorndyke Mordikai’s Imagination played at the Rolls Royce Apprectices Ball. Later that night, Pink Floyd, Soft Machine, Tomorrow, The Children, Cock-A-Hoop, and The Roll Movement appeared at The 8-Hour Psycho-Chromatic Fantasy, held at Great & Small Halls, Bradford University, Bradford England.
1970, Cubby Checker was arrested in Niagara Falls after police discovered marijuana and other drugs in his car.
1972, Smokey Robinson performs his last show with the Miracles.
1973, George Harrison started a five-week run at number one on the album chart with Living In The Material World, his second solo chart topper.
1974, The Grateful Dead performed at the Jai-Alai Fronton in Miami, Florida.
1975, During his Welcome To My Nightmare tour in Vancouver, Canada, Alice Cooper fell from the stage and broke six ribs.
1975, Jefferson Starship release Red Octopus. Rolling Stone celebrates Marty Balin’s return to the fold by saying, “If it weren’t for Balin, Red Octopus would be completely unlistenable.”
1975, Bob Marley and The Wailers played the first of 14 shows over 7 nights at Paul’s Mall in Boston, Massachusetts, as part of their Natty Dread Tour.
1976, Paul McCartney and Wings played the last date on their Wings Over America tour at the Forum in Los Angeles.
1977, A very inebriated Keith Moon joins Led Zeppelin onstage in Los Angeles. He “belts seven shades of shit” out of a tympani on “Moby Dick” and “Rock and Roll,” then proceeds to call John Bonham the best living rock drummer in the world today.
1984, Duran Duran started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “The Reflex,” the group’s first US chart topper, from their third album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger.
1990, Buddy Holly’s Gibson acoustic guitar sold for £139,658 in a Sotheby’s auction. The guitar was in a tooled leather case made by Holly himself.
2008, Coldplay appeared at Madison Square Garden in New York City on the first night of the North American leg of their 161-date Viva la Vida world Tour.
Born on June 23: June Carter Cash (1923); Stu Sutcliffe (1940); Steve Shelley, drums, Sonic Youth (1962); KT Tunstall, UK singer, songwriter (1975) Jason Mraz (1977)
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Alice Cooper, Bob Marley, Chubby Checker, George Harrison, Jefferson Starship, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Beatles
