Today in Rock n' Roll History

1941 Art Garfunkel is born.

1946 Gram Parsons is born.

1956 "The Nat King Cole Show" debuted on NBC-TV in America. The Cole program was the first of its kind hosted by an African-American.

1965 The Who released the single 'My Generation' in the UK. It peaked at No.2 on the UK chart.

1966 The Monkees were top of the Billboard singles chart with ‘Last Train To Clarksville’, the group’s first No. 1. It was later revealed that due to filming commitments on their TV series, none of the group had played on this or most of the group’s early recordings.

1967 Bee Gee Robin Gibb was a passenger on a train which crashed in South East London in England killing 49 people and injuring 78. Robin was treated for shock after the accident.

1983 Billy Joel was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Uptown Girl', his only UK No.1 stayed at the top of the chars for five weeks. A No.3 hit in the US, the song was written about his relationship with his girlfriend then-wife, supermodel Christie Brinkley.

1994 Sheryl Crow scored her first UK Top 10 single when 'All I Wanna Do' entered the charts at No.4. The US singer songwriter went on to become the first US female to score six UK hits off her debut album 'Tuesday Night Music Club'.

1948 Glenn Frey is born. http://www.smilies.4-user.de/include...ie_geb_001.gif

1968 Joe Cocker was at No.1 in the UK singles chart with his version of The Beatles song 'With A Little Help From My Friends'. The song was also a UK No.1 for Wet Wet Wet in 1988 and Pop Idol duo Sam and Mark in 2004.

1970 Aerosmith performed their first ever gig when they played at Nipmuc Regional High School in Mendon, Massachusetts.

1971 Cat Stevens hits #7 with "Peace Train."

1971 Michael Jackson's first solo single, "Got to Be There" (#4 pop, #4 R&B), is released. Already he's had eight Top Forty hits with the Jackson 5, including four consecutive chart-toppers.

1971 Sweet releases their debut album, 'Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be'.

1971 Cher started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves', the singers first US solo No.1, it made No.4 in the UK.

2001 A number of streets in the German city Frankfurt were temporarily renamed after pop stars to mark the MTV Europe Music Awards. Madonna, Robbie Williams and Janet Jackson all had avenues named after them.

1963 The Beatles went to Ireland to make their only two appearances ever in the country playing two shows at the Adelphi Cinema, Dublin. The group hooked up with screenwriter Alun Owen, who had been appointed to write the screenplay for The Beatles' first (as yet untitled) motion picture. Owen spent three days with The Beatles observing their hectic, lifestyle.

1967 Reg Dwight (Elton John) and his song writing partner Bernie Taupin signed to DJM publishing, their signatures had to be witnessed by their parents because they were both under 21 years of age. Taupin answered an advertisement for a lyric writer placed in the New Musical Express, the pair have since collaborated on over 30 albums.

1970 Led Zeppelin released their third album, which features a distinctive pinwheel revolving cover. It entered the UK chart at No. 1 and spends a total of 40 weeks in the Top 75.

1987 Bruce Springsteen went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Tunnel Of Love.'
　
1995 Queen's 'Made in Heaven,' the last album of original material featuring vocalist Freddie Mercury, is released four years after his death.

1971 Led Zeppelin released their fourth album. With no title printed on the album, and generally referred to as Four Symbols, The Fourth Album or Led Zeppelin IV, it has gone on to sell over 37 million copies worldwide. The 19th century rustic oil painting on the front of the album was purchased by Robert Plant from an antique shop in Reading, Berkshire, England. The 20th century urban tower block on the back of the full gatefold LP cover is Butterfield Court in Eves Hill, Dudley, England.

1986 The Police started a two week run at No.1 on the UK album with 'Every Breath You Take-The Singles'

1994 'Hell Freezes Over', the first album of new recordings by the Eagles since 1980, is released. It includes four new studio compositions, including the hit single "Get Over It."

2008 AC/DC started a two-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Black Ice’ the bands fifteenth studio album and the second-best selling album of 2008.

2009 Former Smiths frontman Morrissey stopped a concert halfway through his second song after being hit by a beer bottle. The 50-year-old singer who was hit in the eye by a plastic bottle of beer, said goodnight to the 8,000 strong crowd in Liverpool, England before walking off.

1941 Tom Fogerty was born.

1966 John Lennon met Yoko Ono for the first time when he visited her art exhibition 'Unfinished Paintings and Objects' at the Indica Gallery in London.

1967 The first issue of Rolling Stone Magazine was published in San Francisco. It featured a photo of John Lennon on the cover, dressed in army fatigues while acting in his recent film, How I Won the War and the first issue had a free roach clip to hold a marijuana joint. The name of the magazine was compiled from three significant sources: the Muddy Waters song, the first rock ’n’ roll record by Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones.

1968 Led Zeppelin played their first ever London show when they appeared at The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm on the same bill as John Lee Hooker, Deviants, John James and Tyres. Zeppelin singer Robert Plant married his girlfriend Maureen in London on this day and held the reception at the gig.


1991 Queen scored their 8th UK No.1 album with 'Greatest Hits II' .

2002 Viewers of the UK music channel VH1 voted 'I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston as the number 1 most romantic song ever. In second place Elvis Presley, 'You Were Always On My Mind' and third place went to 'My Heart Will Go On' by Celine Dion.

1973 Elton John started a eight week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road', the singers third US No.1.

1975 David Bowie was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Space Oddity, the track was first released in 1969 to tie in with the Apollo 11 moon landing. Rick Wakeman (former keyboard player with Yes) provided synthesizer backing. Bowie would later revisit his Major Tom character in the songs 'Ashes to Ashes' and 'Hallo Spaceboy'.

1979 Fleetwood Mac scored their second UK No.1 album with 'Tusk'.

1979 The Eagles went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Heartache Tonight', the group's 5th and final US No.1. It made No.40 in the UK.

1997 American session guitarist Tommy Tedesco died of lung cancer aged 67. Described by "Guitar Player" magazine as the most recorded guitarist in history recording with The Beach Boys, Everly Brothers, The Supremes, The Monkees, The Association, Barbra Streisand, Elvis Presley, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Zappa, Sam Cooke, Cher, and Nancy and Frank Sinatra. And played on many TV themes including Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, M*A*S*H and Batman.

1971 BBC TV's Top Of The Pops celebrated its 400th show. The UK chart show was presented by Tony Blackburn with guests; Tom Jones, Dana, John Kongos, Cher, Slade, Cilla Black, The Piglets, Clodagh Rodgers and The Newbeats.

1973 Thirty US radio stations broadcasted a 'live' Mott The Hoople concert. In reality it was the band recorded in the studio with the applause dubbed in.

1978 The Cars released the first picture-disc single commercially available, 'My Best Friend's Girl' which made No.3 in the UK charts.

1986 Pink Floyd issued a press statement stating that they intend to continue using the name without Roger Waters and were recording their next album.

1989 Chris Rea started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'The Road To Hell.'

1999 The Recording Association of America names the Eagles to its list of Artists of the Century, putting them in the elite company of the Beatles, Garth Brooks, Elton John, Elvis Presley and Barbra Streisand. It is also announced that 'Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975' has sold 26 million copies, making it the top-selling album of the 20th century.


2004 Robbie Williams, The Rolling Stones and Queen were inducted into the UK's first music Hall of Fame at a ceremony in London. One act had been chosen by TV viewers of a Channel 4 program to represent each decade since the 1950s. Williams represented the 1990s, Michael Jackson the 1980s, Queen the 1970s, the Rolling Stones the 1960s, and Cliff Richard the 1950s.

　
　
　
　

1965 Velvet Underground made their live debut when the played at Summit High School, New Jersey, the band were paid $75 for the gig.

1966 Pink Floyd appeared at the Corn Exchange, Bedford, England. The set list for these early Floyd shows included: 'Let's Roll Another One', 'Gimme A Break', 'Interstellar Overdrive', 'Astronomy Domine' and 'Stoned Alone'. 'Stoned Alone' was also known as 'I Get Stoned', and was possibly the first song Syd Barrett wrote for Pink Floyd.

1971 Led Zeppelin appeared at The Locarno, Sunderland, England, with tickets at 75p. The set included: 'Immigrant Song', 'Heartbreaker', 'Black Dog', 'Since I’ve Been Loving You', 'Rock And Roll', 'Stairway To Heaven', 'That’s The Way', 'Going To California', 'Tangerine', 'Dazed And Confused', 'What Is And What Should Never Be', 'Celebration Day', 'Whole Lotta Love' and 'Communication Breakdown'.

1983 Lionel Richie started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'All Night Long', becoming Motown's biggest seller to date, it made No.2 in the UK.

2002 Die-hard Beatles fans were enraged after Paul McCartney altered the song writing credits on his 'Back In The US 2002' album, changing them to McCartney and Lennon from Lennon and McCartney.

1968 Hugo Montenegro was at No.1 in the UK singles chart with 'The Good The Bad And The Ugly', the soundtrack from a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western film. The first instrumental No.1 since 1963.

1971 Santana scored their second US No.1 album with 'Santana III'.
1973 Jerry Lee Lewis Jr was killed in a car accident near Hernando, Mississippi. Lewis had been working as the drummer in his father's band.

1976 Led Zeppelin scored their seventh UK No.1 album with the film soundtrack to 'The Song Remains The Same', it peaked at No.2 on the US chart.

1976 Rod Stewart started an 8 week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Tonight's The Night'. It was Rod's second US No.1; it made No.5 in the UK after being banned by many radio stations due to song being about the seduction of a virgin.

1982 Men At Work started a 15-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with their debut album 'Business As Usual', which went on to sell over five million copies in the US.

1949 James Young, Styx, is born.

1960 Ray Charles went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Georgia On My Mind', a No.24 hit in the UK. His cover of Hoagy Carmichael's 1930 standard, became the first of three No.1 hits for the singer.

1969 'Sugar Sugar' by The Archies was at No.1 on the UK singles chart. The single became the longest running one hit wonder in the UK with eight week's at the top of the charts. It was the first No.1 performed by cartoon characters.

1981 Queen started a four-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with their 'Greatest Hits' album.

1991 Over 1,000 New Kids On The Block fans were given medical treatment after a minor riot during a concert in Berlin, Germany.

1991 Michael Jackson's controversial 11-minute "Black or White" video debuts on television. It is a teaser for 'Dangerous,' his third #1 album in a row and the source of seven more hit singles.