Today in Rock n' Roll History

1963 The Beatles played their last ever performance at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. The Beatles, whose fee for their first performance at the Cavern had been £5, received a fee of £300 for this performance.
1963 The Beach Boys released ‘Surfer Girl’, the first song Brian Wilson ever wrote and the first one he produced.

1971 Paul McCartney announced the formation of his new group Wings with his wife Linda and former Moody Blues guitarist and singer Denny Laine.

1985 'Drive' by The Cars was re-released following it's dramatic use on TV during the Live Aid concert. All the royalties from the record went to the Band Aid trust.

1985 Madonna scored her first UK No.1 single with 'Into The Groove'. The track was taken from the movie 'Desperately Seeking Susan' which featured Madonna and Rosanna Arquette. 'Into The Groove' is Madonna's best selling single in the UK, having sold over 850,000 copies.

2007 Queen guitarist Brian May handed in his astronomy PhD thesis - 36 years after abandoning it to join the band. May had recently carried out observational work in Tenerife, where he studied the formation of "zodiacal dust clouds".

2008 Kid Rock was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'All Summer Long'. The song is based on Warren Zevon's 'Werewolves of London' and Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Sweet Home Alabama'.
　

I know you all knew I would HAVE TO do this.....My beloved Benjamin at his very, very best!!!!

Here's the Live Aid version.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IQHd--vfJk[/ame]

Here's the video that was made that the above is referring to.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZG3ZLQ4MO8[/ame]

And here's the official video for it when it was first released. Not enough Benjamin if you ask me, but looking very fine!!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFZmRVjUJnY[/ame]

Aw, lovely post, Willie.

1901 Louis Armstrong was born.

1967 A female Monkees fan stowed away on the bands plane between shows in Minneapolis and St Louis. The girl's father threatened to bring charges for transporting a minor across state lines.

1975 Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant and his wife were both badly injured when the hire car he was driving spun off the road and crashed on the Greek island of Rhodes. Plant smashed both his ankle and his elbow, and was not fully fit for the best part of two years. A forthcoming North American tour had to be cancelled.

1979 Led Zeppelin play to 120,000 people at Knebworth Park in England. It's their first concert in the U.K. in four years.

1980 John Lennon began recording what would become his final album 'Double Fantasy' at The Hit Factory, New York.

1980 Pink Floyd kick off five nights of the Wall tour at London's Earls Court. During the ambitious show, a giant wall is built across the stage between the band and the audience.


2002 Bruce Springsteen scored his fifth UK No.1 album with ‘The Rising’, also No.1 in the US.

Ah, Zeppelin at Knebworth; this is just awesome.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhrghRDkRTc[/ame]

1956 Doris Day was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Whatever Will Be Will Be', the singer actress' second UK No.1 single. The Oscar-winning song was featured in Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 film, The Man Who Knew Too Much, with Doris Day and James Stewart in the lead roles.

1967 Pink Floyd released their debut album The Piper At the Gates of Dawn on which most songs were penned by Syd Barrett. In subsequent years, the record has been recognised as one of the seminal psychedelic rock albums of the 1960s. When reviewed, by the two main UK music papers in the UK, Record Mirror and NME both gave the album four stars out of five. The album which was recorded at Abbey Road studios, London during the same time that The Beatles were recording Sgt Pepper peaked at #6 on the UK album chart and failed to chart in the US.


1984 Bruce Springsteen played the first of ten nights at the Meadowlands in New Jersey to mark the homecoming of the Born in the USA Tour.

1992 Jeff Porcaro drummer from Toto died age 38. His death has been the subject of controversy: some say the attack was caused by an allergic reaction to garden pesticide, while others say Porcaro's heart was weakened by smoking and cocaine use. Porcaro also worked with many other acts including Sonny and Cher, Roger Waters, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Steely Dan, Paul Simon and Boz Scaggs.

2005 Bob Dylan's song 'Like a Rolling Stone' topped a poll of rock and film stars to find the music, movies, TV shows and books that changed the world. The 1965 single beat Elvis Presley's ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ into second place in a survey for Uncut magazine. Sir Paul McCartney, Noel Gallagher, Robert Downey Jr, Rolling Stone Keith Richards and Lou Reed were among those who gave their opinions.

Julie---thanks for posting that! Not much better than starting my morning out with a sweaty Pagey!!! :thumbsup:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Koala

1992 Jeff Porcaro drummer from Toto died age 38. His death has been the subject of controversy: some say the attack was caused by an allergic reaction to garden pesticide, while others say Porcaro's heart was weakened by smoking and cocaine use. Porcaro also worked with many other acts including Sonny and Cher, Roger Waters, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Steely Dan, Paul Simon and Boz Scaggs.

---

I remember this so vividly. Very, very sad!!

1960 Chubby Checker appeared on US TV show American Bandstand and performed ‘The Twist.’ The song went to No.1 on the US chart and again 18 months later in 1962. It is the only song to go to the top of the charts on two separate occasions.

1964 Rod Stewart made his TV debut on 'The Beat Room' as a member of The Hoochie Coochie Men.

1970Steppenwolf, 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.

1977 This week's UK Top 5 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' Donna Summer.


1986 'Graceland,' the signature album of Paul Simon's career, is released. Much of it was recorded in South Africa with native musicians.

1988 'Appetite For Destruction' Guns N' Roses debut album went to No.1 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 10 hits. Worldwide sales now stand in excess of 28 million and 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.

2009 Steven Tyler was airlifted to hospital after falling off stage during a gig at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. The 61-year-old Aerosmith singer fell from a catwalk onto a couple of fans, he suffered neck and shoulder injuries. About 30 minutes after the accident, guitarist Joe Perry came out to tell the crowd that the remainder of the show had been cancelled.
　

1954 Elvis Presley appeared at the Eagles Nest in Memphis Tennessee, (the first of 12 shows at the venue in this year). The advertisement in the local paper read; “See and hear Elvis singing That’s All Right and The Blue Moon of Kentucky.”

1957 The Quarry Men played at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, (without Paul McCartney who was away at Boy Scout summer camp). The Cavern was still a jazz club, but skiffle was tolerated, but when John Lennon dared to play ‘Hound Dog’ and ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, the club owner sent a note to the stage saying, "Cut out the bloody rock!"

1963 This weeks UK Top 5 albums: No.5, Elvis Presley, 'It Happened At The World Fair', No.4, 'West Side Story', Soundtrack, No.3, Cliff Richard, 'Cliff's Hit Album', No.2, The Shadows, 'Greatest Hits', No.1, The Beatles, 'Please Please Me.'

1970 The Goose Lake International Music Festival was held in Leoni, Michigan. Over 200,000 fans attended the three day festival. Acts who appeared included, Jethro Tull, 10 Years After, Mountain, Chicago, Bob Seger, John Sebastian, James Gang, Stooges with Iggy Pop, Brownsville Station, MC5, Rod Stewart and Flying Burrito Brothers.

1971 The Bee Gees started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'How Can You Mend A Broken Heart'. It was the group's tenth US hit and first No.1.

1976 Elton John and Kiki Dee were at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart', giving Elton his sixth US No.1. It was written by Elton John without Bernie Taupin under the pseudonym "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche."

1982 Fleetwood Mac started a five-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Mirage'. The bands third US No.1.

2008 Elvis Presley's peacock jumpsuit, was sold at auction for $300,000, making it the most expensive piece of Elvis memorabilia ever sold at an auction. The white outfit with a plunging V-neck and high collar featured a blue-and-gold peacock design, hand-embroidered on the front and back and along the pant legs.

1961 The Edge (Dave Evans), guitar, U2, is born.

1981 MTV broadcasts REO Speedwagon in concert, the first televised concert in stereo and the first in MTV's weekly series of Saturday night concerts.

1987 U2 scored their second US No.1 single from their 'Joshua Tree' album with 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'.

1988 Glenn Frey's "Soul Searchin'" is released.

1992 Snap! Started a six-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Rhythm Is A Dancer' the dance group's second and last No.1 was also a Top 5 US hit.

1992 A riot broke out during a Guns N' Roses and Metallica gig at Montreal stadium when Metallica's show was cut short after singer James Hetfield was injured by pyrotechnics. Guns N' Roses took the stage but frontman Axl Rose claimed that his throat hurt, causing the band to leave the stage early. The cancellation led to a riot by the audience who overturned cars, smashed windows, looted local stores and set fires.

1996 Kiss appeared at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio on their 192 date Alive World Tour. During this show a fan threw his fake leg on stage, which all the members signed and handed back to him.

2002 The UK's biggest undertakers Co-Op funeral services reported that bereaved families preferred pop songs to hymns at funerals. Top of the list was 'Wind Beneath My Wings' by Bette Midler. Other songs included 'Angels' by Robbie Williams and 'My Heart Will Go On' by Celine Dion. They also reported some unusual choices including 'Another One Bites The Dust' by Queen and 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go' by Wham!