Today in Rock n' Roll History

[Koala]

1949 Robin & Maurice Gibb are born.

1967The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Who, Keith West and Tomorrow, Eric Burdon & The Animals, 1984 (featuring future Queen guitarist Brian May) and Soft Machine all appeared at The Olympia, London at an all night festival 'Christmas On Earth Continued'. The DJ was John Peel plus the venue featured a paddling pool, light shows and a movie theatre, tickets £1.

1973 Elton John started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road', it also had a eight week run at No.1 on the US chart.


1975 Ike & Tina Turner are robbed of $86,000 in concert receipts.

1981 At a rock & roll memorabilia auction in London, a stage suit worn by John Lennon sold for £2,300, a letter from Paul McCartney to a fan sold for £2,200 and a Perspex sculpture of John & Yoko was bought by singer Kate Bush for £4,200.

1991 James Brown launched an unsuccessful lawsuit against the producers of the movie The Commitments, claiming one of the characters too closely resembled him.

2003 the annual list of all-time music greats by the Guinness book of hit singles was again topped by Elvis Presley. The list based on the number of weeks spent on the UK singles chart looked like this; 1. Elvis Presley (1193), 2. Cliff Richard (1152), 3. The Shadows (771), 4. Elton John (623), 5. Madonna (606), 6. Diana Ross (560), 7. Michael Jackson (509), 8. Rod Stewart (477), 9. Beatles (456) and 10. David Bowie (452).

[Koala]

1966 Pink Floyd perform for the first time at London's UFO Club, home the the burgeoning "London Underground" scene.

1969 Elton John and Bernie Taupin begin writing songs together.

1977 Cat Stevens converts to Islam, changing his name to Yusef Islam.

1987 After Roger Waters threatens to get an injunction preventing Dave Gilmour from trading under the Pink Floyd name, the two sign an agreement that allows Gilmour to continue under the name Pink Floyd. In return, Waters receives a royalty whenever an image from his time with the band is used.

1989 Phil Collins started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Another Day In Paradise', his 7th US solo No.1, a No.2 hit in the UK.

1999 George Harrison's home in Maui was broken into by Cristin Keleher, who cooked a frozen pizza, drank beer from the fridge, started some laundry and phoned her mother in New Jersey. Keleher was arrested and charged with burglary and theft.

2007 The Police were named as the highest earning touring group for the past year, bringing in nearly £66.5m, ($132m). The band's 54 date North American tour had generated almost double the total of the second-placed act, Country star Kenny Chesney.

[Prettymaid]

1977 Cat Stevens converts to Islam, changing his name to Yusef Islam.

I'm happy that Cat Stevens found what he was looking for spiritually. That's the most important thing. But we sure did miss out on some good music during those years... But Roadsinger (2009) is a good album, and I'm still hoping I get to see him perform some day.

[Freypower]

I'm happy that Cat Stevens found what he was looking for spiritually. That's the most important thing. But we sure did miss out on some good music during those years... But Roadsinger (2009) is a good album, and I'm still hoping I get to see him perform some day.

I hope you do too, because it was worth the wait.

[Koala]

1967 Hello Goodbye ( The Beatles) was a hit.

1967 The Bee Gees performed their Christmas special 'live' from Liverpool Cathedral, England which was broadcast on UK TV.


1977 "How Deep Is Your Love," the Bee Gees' first single from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, hits #1 for the first of three weeks. Remaining in the Top Ten for 17 consecutive weeks, it sets a 'Billboard' chart record for longevity.

1977 The Sex Pistols played their last ever UK gig, (until 1996), before splitting, at Ivanhoes in Huddersfield. It was a charity performance before an audience of mainly children.

1994 Bon Jovi hits #4 with "Always".

2000 Nick Massi of the Four Seasons dies.

[Koala]

1966 I'm a Believer (The Monkees) was a hit.

1954 Bing Crosby's ‘White Christmas’ entered the Billboard Pop chart for the eleventh time. Bing's rendition has sold over 100 million copies around the world, with at least 50 million sales as singles. It was the largest selling single in music history until it was surpassed by Elton John's ‘Candle in the Wind 1997’.

1964 Beatles fans attacked George Harrison's girlfriend Patti Boyd as they arrived at London's Hammersmith Odeon for tonight's Beatles concert.

1976 'Hotel California' enters the album charts for the first of 107 weeks.

1981 Michael Jackson phoned Paul McCartney and suggested they write and record together, the first result being ‘The Girl Is Mine’. The song was a US No.2 & UK No.8 in 1982.

[Koala]

1964The Beatles started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I Feel Fine'. It was the group's 6th No.1 of the year in which they had 30 entries on the chart, giving them a total of 18 weeks at the top of the charts.

1965 The Sounds of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel) was a hit.

1965 while spending Christmas at his father's home in Cheshire, Paul McCartney crashed from the moped he was riding and suffered a five-inch cut to his mouth.


1968 Led Zeppelin started their first North American tour supporting Vanilla Fudge and Spirit at Denver Auditorium, Colorado, tickets for this Sunday night gig cost $5.

1970 George Harrison started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'My Sweet Lord', making him the first Beatle to score a No.1 US hit. The song was originally intended for Billy Preston.

1981 AC/DC hits #1 with "For Those About to Rock We Salute You".

1989 U2 started a five-night run at Dublin's Point Depot in Ireland.

[Koala]

1960 The Beatles appeared at Litherland Town Hall Ballroom in Liverpool. Added to the bill at the last minute, The Beatles were not advertised to appear, so banners had been pasted onto advertising posters, saying "Direct From Hamburg, The Beatles!" Since The Beatles were playing in an area they'd only played in once before, most of the audience assumes they were a German group.

1969 Led Zeppelin II was at No.1 on the US album charts, it went on to sell over six million copies in the US. ; it will reach #1 in the U.K. in February 1970.

1975 Queen's 'A Night at the Opera,' featuring the seven-minute rock operetta "Bohemian Rhapsody," tops the U.K. album charts. The album reaches #4 in the U.S. while an edited "Bohemian Rhapsody" climbs to #9.

1980 John and Yoko's 'Double Fantasy' album started an eight-week run at No.1 on the US chart. 'Just Like Starting Over' started a five-week stay at No.1 on the singles chart.


1983 The Police played the first of four sold-out nights at Wembley Arena in London, England, on their Synchronicity world tour.

2008 Singer, songwriter, guitarist, Delaney Bramlett died in Los Angeles from complications after gall bladder surgery. Was a member of Delaney, Bonnie & Friends and worked with George Harrison, The Everly Brothers, John Lennon, Janis Joplin, J.J. Cale, and Eric Clapton.

[tequila girl]

1960 The Beatles appeared at Litherland Town Hall Ballroom in Liverpool. Added to the bill at the last minute, The Beatles were not advertised to appear, so banners had been pasted onto advertising posters, saying "Direct From Hamburg, The Beatles!" Since The Beatles were playing in an area they'd only played in once before, most of the audience assumes they were a German group.

I was born & brought up in Litherland.......but didn't get to see them as I was only 4 years old!

[Prettymaid]

Too bad TG. What I wouldn't give to have seen The Beatles!