Today in Rock n' Roll History

1962 The Beatles traveled to St. James' Church Hall, London, for a ten-minute audition with BBC Television. The audition came about when Beatles fan, David Smith of Preston, Lancashire wrote to the BBC asking for The Beatles to be featured on BBC television. Assuming that Smith was The Beatles' manager, the BBC wrote back to him, offering The Beatles an audition. Smith brought his letter to NEMS Enterprises, and Clive Epstein (Brian's brother) arranged for audition to take place. Four days later, Brian Epstein received a polite "thumbs-down" letter from the BBC.

1974 Elton John started an 11-week run at No.1 on the UK chart with his 'Greatest Hits', album. It also enjoyed a 10 week run as the US No.1

1975 Queen started a nine-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' The promotional video that accompanied the song is generally acknowledged as being the first pop video and only cost £5,000 to produce. When the band wanted to release the single various record executives suggested to them that, at 5 minutes and 55 seconds, it was too long and would never be a hit.

1976 Ten hours after his last arrest, Jerry Lee Lewis was nicked again after brandishing a Derringer pistol outside Elvis Presley's Graceland's home in Memphis, demanding to see the 'King'. When police arrived they found Lewis sat in his car with the loaded Derringer pistol resting on his knee.

1991 Genesis hit #4 in the US with 'We Can't Dance'.

1991 Michael Jackson had his fourth UK No.1 single with 'Black or White' which featured Slash on guitar. Also a No.1 hit in the US.

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Originally Posted by Koala

1975 Queen started a nine-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' The promotional video that accompanied the song is generally acknowledged as being the first pop video and only cost £5,000 to produce. When the band wanted to release the single various record executives suggested to them that, at 5 minutes and 55 seconds, it was too long and would never be a hit.

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This is one of those songs that sticks out in my childhood! Love it!!

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Originally Posted by Koala

1975 Queen started a nine-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' The promotional video that accompanied the song is generally acknowledged as being the first pop video and only cost £5,000 to produce. When the band wanted to release the single various record executives suggested to them that, at 5 minutes and 55 seconds, it was too long and would never be a hit.

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36 years later, this song is played at EVERY ONE of the dances at my kids' charter high school. Even the prom! Huge groups of kids gather in a circle at the first notes and act, sing, air-guitar and head-bang their way through it. The song ends in a circular group hug during the "nothing really matters" lines. It is truly something to see.

Every time I hear it I am amazed at how perfect it is. I never tire of it.

1964 The first commercial radio station in the UK, Radio Manx based on The Isle of Man started broadcasting.

1966 The Beatles got together for the first time since their return from the summer tour of the United States, ready to record a new album. The first song selected for recording was John's 'Strawberry Fields Forever', which would end up, not on the album, but on The Beatles' next single. This day's session was devoted entirely to ‘Strawberry Fields Forever.’

1973 Ringo Starr went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Photograph'. His first of two US chart toppers as a solo artist.

1976 Chicago started a three week run at No.1 on th
e UK singles chart with 'If You Leave Me Now', the American group's only UK No.1. It went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance.

1991 Eric Carr (Paul Charles Caravello) drummer with Kiss died aged 41, of complications from cancer in a New York hospital. Carr replaced Peter Criss in 1980 and remained a band member until he became ill in 1991. For his Kiss stage persona, Carr was known as “The Fox.”

1991Freddie Mercury died of complications from aids at his home in London's Holland park aged 45, just one day after he publicly admitted he was HIV positive. During his career with Queen he scored over 40 Top 40 UK singles including the worldwide No.1 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.

1999 During a Bonhams of London rock auction, Buddy Holly's first driving licence sold for £3,795; and a copy of The Beatles 'White Album' numbered 00000001, sold for £9,775.

2005 Bob Geldof called for fair trade at an awards event in Rome that recognised his antipoverty efforts. "Africa must be allowed to trade itself out of poverty," he said as he received the Man of Peace award from the former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

1965 Harrods department store in London closed to the public so The Beatles could do their Christmas shopping.

1969 John Lennon returned his MBE to The Queen on the grounds of the UK's involvement in the Nigeria Biafra war, America in Vietnam, and against his latest single 'Cold Turkey' slipping down the charts.

1976 The Band made their final performance; 'The Last Waltz' the show also featured Joni Mitchell, Dr John, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton and others. Martin Scorsese filmed the event.

1984 The cream of the British pop world gathered at S.A.R.M. Studios, London to record the historic ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ The single, which was written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, featured Paul Young, Bono, Boy George, Sting and George Michael. It went on to sell over three million copies in the UK, becoming the bestselling record ever, and raised over £8 million ($13.6 million) worldwide.

2010 A restaurant fell victim to a prankster who had them make 178 pizzas by claiming they were for singer Bob Dylan and his crew. An imposter wearing a fake pass for a Dylan concert called in an Antonio's restaurant and placed the huge order worth more than $3,900. He told the owner the pizzas were for Dylan and his crew who had appeared in concert in Amherst, Massachusetts. Staff at Antonios worked until 5.30am to make the pizzas - but were left stunned when no one returned to collect the order.

That last entry is just so sad Koala! That anyone could be able to take advantage of that.

I remember Band Aid well. It was rereleased in 1985 as well.

1939 Tina Turner was born.

1945 John McVie was born.

1958 Johnny Cash, made his debut on the US country chart when ’Cry! Cry! Cry!’ made it to number 14. His next seven singles would all make the country top 10, with ‘I Walk the Line’ and ‘There You Go’ both hitting number 1.

1967 The promotional film of The Beatles 'Hello, Goodbye' was aired on The Ed Sullivan show in the US. It was never shown at the time in the UK due to a musician's union ban on miming.

1968 Cream played their farewell concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Also on the bill were Yes and Taste.

1988 Russian cosmonauts aboard Soyuz 7 took a cassette copy of the latest Pink Floyd album ‘Delicate Sound Of Thunder’ into space and played it in orbit, making Pink Floyd the first rock band to be played in space.

1994 No Quarter,' by Led Zeppelin mainstays Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, enters the album chart at #4.

1994 The Eagles started a two-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Hell Freezes Over.'

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Originally Posted by Koala

1945 John McVie was born.

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Happy Birthday John! :yay:

1942 Jimi Hendrix was born.

1970 George Harrison released All Things Must Pass. The triple album included a number of songs that were left over from Beatle sessions, the set would go on to be certified 6x Platinum by the RIAA, making it the best selling album by a solo Beatle.

1976 '20 Golden Greats' by Glen Campbell started a six-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart.

1981 the British Phonographic industry placed advertisements in the press claiming that 'home taping was wiping out music'. The Boomtown Rats, 10cc, Elton John and Cliff Richard all backed the campaign.

1982 Lionel Richie was No.1 in the US with 'Truly'. Richie achieved a No.1 each year from 78-86 as a writer, 'Three Times A Lady', 'Still', 'Lady (Kenny Rodgers), 'Endless Love', (Diana Ross), 'All Night Long', 'Hello' 'Say 'You Say Me and as co-writer of 'We Are The World'.

1997 A disturbed rock fan brought the funeral of Michael Hutchence to a standstill when he tried to launch himself from a 20 ft high balcony with a cord around his neck. He was removed by police and taken away to a psychiatric unit.

2005, Multimillionaire defence contractor David H. Brooks booked New York’s Rainbow Rooms and his daughter Elizabeth’s favourite acts for her ‘bat mitzvah’ coming-of-age celebration. The stars who appeared included 50 Cent, Tom Petty, Aerosmith, Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Stevie Nicks. 50 Cent who was paid $500,000 to appear performed only four songs but he did manage to work in the lyric, "Go shorty, it's your bat miztvah, we gonna party like it's your bat mitzvah". The party cost an estimated $10 million, including the price of corporate jets to ferry the performers to and from the venue.

2006 Sir Cliff Richard lost a battle to extend the number of years that musicians could receive royalties for their records. Richard wanted copyright to last 95 years, rather than the present 50 years, but an independent review recommend the terms would not change. Sir Cliff's earliest big hit ‘Move It’, recorded in 1958 would start to come out of copyright in 2008.