Rock History May 3
1965, The Who play the Majestic Ballroom in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England.
1967, Pink Floyd performed at Moulin Rouge in Ainsdale, Lancashire, England.
1967, The Who’s manager Kit Lambert sends a telegram to the Monterey Pop Festival organizers telling them The Who have agreed to perform there in exchange for six 1st-class plane tickets. The Who, along with Jimi Hendrix, had been recommended for the festival by Paul McCartney during a U.S. visit the month before.
1968, The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded “Voodoo Chile.” It was featured on the Electric Ladyland double album and became an UK chart topping single on 21st November 1970 two months after the guitarist’s death.
1969, Canadian police bust Jimi Hendrix for narcotics possession at Toronto International Airport. He’s later released after posting $10,000 bail.
1971, Grand Funk Railroad hold their first press conference at New York’s Gotham Hotel. Only six reporters show up, despite Grand Funk’s multi-platinum success.
1971, At a Denmark gig, Led Zeppelin play “Four Sticks” live for the only time in their career.
Rock History May 3
1972, Pink Floyd played at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.
1975, Chicago started a two week run at number one on the US album chart with Chicago VIII, the group’s third number one.
1975, Dawn started a three week run at number one on the singles chart with “He Don’t Love You, (Like I Love You).” It was the group’s third number one.
1976, David Bowie played the first of six sold out nights at Wembley, his first UK gig in three years.
1976, A Paul Simon-organized benefit for the New York Public Library raises $30,000. Participants include Jimmy Cliff and Phoebe Snow.
1976, Paul McCartney made his first concert appearance in America in almost ten years when Wings kicked off their 31-date Wings Over America tour at the Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas.
1978, The first date of a 12-date UK tour by The Climax Blues Band supported by Dire Straits.
1978, The film FM opens in Los Angeles. The film profiles the antics of a commercial radio in the late 1970s., and features a title track by Steely Dan.
1980, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band started a six week run at number one on the US album chart with Against The Wind.
1986, Robert Palmer went to number one on the US singles chart with “Addicted To Love”. The song reached number five in the UK. Palmer originally recorded the song as a duet with Chaka Khan but due to contractual problems her voice was removed.
1986, The Art Of Excellence by Tony Bennett became the first album in the US to be initially released on CD instead of vinyl format.
1997, Notorious B.I.G. started a three week run at number one on the US singles chart with his posthumous hit “Hypnotize”, a top ten hit in the UK. The rapper was shot and killed on March 9th, 1997.
2009, Bob Dylan went to number one on the UK album chart with Together Through Life, his seventh UK chart topping album. It was the singer, songwriter’s 33rd studio album. His last UK number one was New Morning in 1970.
2014, American musician Bobby Gregg died aged 78. Gregg is best is known for his work as a drummer on several seminal 1960s songs, including Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” and “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel. He was also briefly a member of The Hawks, which later became known as The Band.
2023, English singer, songwriter and musician Linda Lewis died age 72. She is best known for the 1973 single “Rock-a-Doodle-Doo” and her version of Betty Everett’s “The Shoop Shoop Song” (1975). Lewis also provided backing vocals for other artists, including David Bowie, Al Kooper, Cat Stevens, Rick Wakeman, Rod Stewart, Joan Armatrading and Jamiroquai.
Born on this day: Pete Seeger (1919); James Brown (1933); Frankie Vali (1937); Pete Staples, The Troggs (1944); Mary Hopkin (1950); and Christopher Cross (1951)
Link to Today in Rock History main page.
Bob Seger, David Bowie, Dawn, Chicago, Climax Blues Band, Grand Funk, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Notorios B.I.G., Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Pink Floyd.
