Today in Rock n' Roll History

[Koala]

1966 The Doors officially signed with Elektra Records in a deal for the band to produce seven albums. The band also reluctantly agreed to release ‘Break On Through’ as their first single. The lyric "She gets high/she gets high/she gets high" was changed to “She gets/she gets/she gets" in order to secure radio play.

1969 Janis Joplin was arrested during a gig in Tampa, Florida, after badmouthing a policeman and using vulgar and indecent language. Joplin became upset after police moved into the hall forcing fans to move back to their seats. As the singer left the stage she confronted a detective calling him 'a son of a bitch' and told him she would kick his face in. She was released on $504 bail.

1971 in this week's Disc and Music Echo's Progressive album chart: No.5, Cat Stevens, 'Teaser and the Firecat, No.4, Hawkwind, 'In Search Of Space', No.3, Santana 'III', No.2, Rod Stewart, 'Every Picture Tell's A Story' and No.1 John Lennon, 'Imagine.'

1980 Kenny Rogers started a six week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Lady', a song written and produced by Lionel Richie, (it peaked at No.12 in the UK).

1987 Dire Straits became the first artist to sell over three million copies of an album in the UK. It contained five, top 40 singles: ‘Money for Nothing,’ ‘So Far Away,’ ‘Walk of Life,’ ‘Brothers in Arms’ and ‘Your Latest Trick.’

2000 The man who nearly a year earlier broke into the home of and stabbed former Beatle George Harrison is found not guilty by reason of insanity in the U.K.’s Oxford Crown Court. Michael Abram is ordered confined to a mental hospital indefinitely for his attack on Harrison and his wife, which left the former with a punctured lung.

[Freypower]

1987 Dire Straits became the first artist to sell over three million copies of an album in the UK. It contained five, top 40 singles: ‘Money for Nothing,’ ‘So Far Away,’ ‘Walk of Life,’ ‘Brothers in Arms’ and ‘Your Latest Trick.’

And so it should, so it should. Bless it.

[Koala]

1968 Led Zeppelin played their first ever show in the north of England when they appeared at Manchester College of Science & Technology.

1974 John Lennon was at No.1 in the US singles chart with 'Whatever Gets You Through The Night.' Elton John played on the session and made a deal with Lennon that if the song reached No.1, Lennon would have to appear on stage live with Elton. Lennon kept his side of the deal and appeared live with Elton. They played three songs together: ‘I Saw Her Standing There,’ ‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’ and ‘Whatever Gets You Through the Night.’ Backstage after the concert, Lennon got back with Yoko Ono after a temporary split.

1985 U2 launched their own record label 'Mother Records.'

2004 U2 play a concert for 30 contest winners at their Dublin studio in advance of the release of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

2005 Pink Floyd, the Kinks and the Eurythmics are among the honorees inducted into the U.K. Music Hall of Fame. The second annual show, which takes place in a ceremony at London’s Alexandra Palace, features some momentous reunions, including the gathering of the original Kinks and a performance by the classic line-up of Black Sabbath, featuring Ozzy Osbourne.

2006 Queen’s ‘Greatest Hits’ album was declared the Best Selling UK album of all time by The Official UK Charts Company. The chart which was made up of sales figures from the last fifty years showed their Greatest Hits compilation had sold 5,407,587 copies. The Beatles occupied second place with ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band.’

[Koala]

1957 Harry Belafonte was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Mary's Boy Child,' the first single to sell over 1 million copies in the UK. It stayed at No.1 for seven weeks making it this years Christmas No.1. The first Christmas song to hit No.1 in two different versions - the other was Boney M's version in 1978.

1965 this week's UK singles chart: No.5, The Who, 'My Generation', No.4, Ken Dodd, 'Tears', No.3, Chris Andrews, 'Yesterday Man', No.2, The Seekers, 'Carnival Is Over', No.1, The Rolling Stones, 'Get Off Of My Cloud.'


1967 Pink Floyd released their third single 'Apples And Oranges', which failed to chart.

1973 The Who's double album ‘Quadrophenia’ entered the UK album chart peaking at No.2. One of two two full-scale rock operas from The Who (the other being the 1969 ‘Tommy’). The 1979 film based on the story stars Phil Daniels, Toyah Willcox, Ray Winstone, Michael Elphick and Sting.

1985 Wham! Were at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Make It Big' and No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go'.


2007 The Eagles were at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Long Road Out Of Eden’ the bands seventh studio album and first since 1979.

[Brooke]

2007 The Eagles were at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Long Road Out Of Eden’ the bands seventh studio album and first since 1979.

Wow! Three years already!

[sodascouts]

Actually, this is a little off - LROOE hit #1 on Glenn's birthday, the very week of its release.

[Koala]

1952 Bill Haley married his pregnant girlfriend just four days after he divorced his first wife.

1972 Cat Stevens started a three-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Catch Bull At Four'.

1975 Bruce Springsteen made his live debut in the UK at London's Hammersmith Odeon.

1978 This week's UK Top 5 singles: No.5, The Cars, 'My Best Friend's Girl', No.4, Rod Stewart, 'Do You Think I'm Sexy', No.3, Dan Hartman, 'Instant Replay', No.2, Olivia Newton- John, 'Hopelessly Devoted To You' and No.1, The Boomtown Rats, 'Rat Trap' giving the Irish band their first UK No.1 single and the first chart topper by a punk or new wave act.

1983 R.E.M. made their first appearance outside the US when they appeared on Channel 4 UK TV show 'The Tube'. The following night they made their live UK debut when the played at Dingwalls, London.

1992 Black Sabbath were honoured with a star at the Rock Walk in Hollywood.

1997 'Led Zeppelin: BBC Sessions,' a double CD of archival live performances on British radio from 1969-71, is released.

1997 – John Denver’s last recording, “The Unplugged Collection,” is released in the U.S. The album features versions of such well-known Denver compositions as “Annie’s Song,” Rocky Mountain High, and “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

2003 Let It Be … Naked, a version of the Beatles final album with Phil Spector’s overdubs removed and an altered track-listing lands in stores. Many fans are shocked to discover this Paul McCartney-approved version of the record is even worse than the original.

2003 John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics to the Beatles’ “Nowhere Man” sell for over $300,000 at a New York auction.

2007 22-year-old X Factor winner Leona Lewis set a British record for the fastest-selling debut album with Spirit. The singer sold more than 375,000 copies in seven days, 12,000 more than the Arctic Monkeys' 2006 release Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. Oasis still had the overall record for the fastest selling British album, selling 813,000 copies in 1997.

[Koala]

1955 Carl Perkins recorded 'Blue Suede Shoes' at Sun Studios in Memphis. The rock 'n' roll classic became a US No.2 & UK No.10 hit for Perkins in 1956, and has been covered by many acts including Elvis Presley and John Lennon.

1962 The Beatles, played gigs at three different venues. First they performed a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club, Liverpool, followed by an 85-mile drive to the Midlands, where they performed at Smethwick Baths Ballroom and then at the Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich in Staffordshire.

1976 UK music weekly Sounds made The Sex Pistols debut 45, 'Anarchy In The UK' its single of the week.

1983 Tom Evans from Badfinger committed suicide by hanging himself in his back garden from a willow tree. Family members said the singer, songwriter was never able to get over his former bandmate's Pete Ham's suicide. Evans co-wrote 'Without You' a hit for Harry Nilson and Mariah Carey.

1983 Tina Turner made her first chart appearance in over ten years with her version of the Al Green hit 'Let's Stay Together'.

1994 Crosby Stills & Nash member David Crosby had a successful liver transplant operation at Dumont-UCLA in Los Angeles. Crosby's liver was deteriorated from extensive alcohol and drug abuse, as well as hepatitis-C.

1995 "Free as a Bird," the first new Beatles single in 25 years, is premiered on the televised Beatles Anthology. The song, a 1977 demo by John Lennon completed in 1995 by the three surviving Beatles, reaches #6 on the singles chart in early 1996.

2000 The Beatles started an eleven-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'The Beatles 1'.

2006 A guitar played by George Harrison was set to fetch more than £100,000 at a London auction. The Maton MS500 guitar was used on The Beatles first album.

[Koala]

1947 Joe Walsh is born.

1961 Bob Dylan started recording his debut album over two days at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City.

1974 drummer with The Who, Keith Moon collapsed during a concert after his drink was spiked with horse tranquilliser. 19 year-old Scott Halpin who was in the audience, volunteered to replace him on drums for the remaining three numbers.

1976 Paul Simon hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live where he performed live with George Harrison on ‘Here Comes The Sun’ and ‘Homeward Bound’. Paul McCartney and John Lennon were both in New York City watching the show on TV.

1984 a large crowd of fans watched the unveiling of a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star for Michael Jackson in front of Mann's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. Jackson became star number 1,793 on the famed walk.

1993 Phil Collins went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Both Sides.'

2004 The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces it will induct Prince, George Harrison, Traffic, Bob Seger, Jackson Browne, ZZ Top

[Koala]

1954 American singer and actress Rosemary Clooney was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'This Ole House.' This song was also a No.1 for Shakin' Stevens in 1981. Her nephew, George Clooney was a pallbearer at her funeral in 2002.

1960 The Beatles played at the Kaiserkeller Club in Hamburg, Germany without George Harrison. Harrison had been deported on this day for being underage (he was 17) and not legally allowed to remain in a nightclub after midnight.

1970 Two months after his death Jimi Hendrix was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Voodoo Chile' the guitarist's only UK No.1 single.

1975 at the start of Elton John week in Los Angeles, the singer received a Star on Hollywood's Walk Of Fame.

1981 Queen and David Bowie were at No.1 in the UK with 'Under Pressure. They recorded the song together when both acts were working in a German recording studio. It was David Bowie's first released collaboration with another recording artist.

1988 Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page set out on his first ever-solo tour at The Hummingbird, Birmingham, appearing with John Miles and the son of Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, Jason Bonham.

2003 An acoustic guitar on which the late Beatle George Harrison learned to play fetched £276,000 at a London auction. His father originally bought the Egmond guitar for Harrison for £3.50. Another item auctioned was a signed invitation to the post-premiere celebrations for The Beatles Hard Days Night film, which went for £17,250.