Today in Rock n' Roll History

[Koala]

1945 Rick Wright of Pink Floyd is born.

1964 On their second visit to Sweden, The Beatles played two shows at an ice hockey arena, the Johanneshovs Isstadion, Stockholm. During the first show, both Paul McCartney and John Lennon received mild electrical shocks from ungrounded microphones. Supporting acts included The Kays, The Moonlighters, and The Streaplers.

1973 The Band, the Grateful Dead, and the Allman Brothers Band perform for a crowd of 600,000 (larger by half than Woodstock!) in upstate New York at the Watkins Glen "Summer Jam." Many historians claimed the event was the largest gathering of people in the history of the United States. 150,000 tickets were sold for $10 each, but for all the other people it was a free concert. The crowd was so huge that a large part of the audience was not able to see the stage.

1979 'I Don't Like Mondays' gave The Boomtown Rats their second UK No.1 single. Bob Geldof wrote the song after reading a report on the shooting spree of 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer, who fired at children playing in a school playground across the street from her home in San Diego, California. She killed two adults and injured eight children and one police officer. Spencer showed no remorse for her crime, and her full explanation for her actions was "I don't like Mondays, this livens up the day."

[Brooke]

1973 The Band, the Grateful Dead, and the Allman Brothers Band perform for a crowd of 600,000 (larger by half than Woodstock!) in upstate New York at the Watkins Glen "Summer Jam." Many historians claimed the event was the largest gathering of people in the history of the United States. 150,000 tickets were sold for $10 each, but for all the other people it was a free concert. The crowd was so huge that a large part of the audience was not able to see the stage.

I never heard of this before. Bigger than Woodstock? Crazy!

[Koala]

1966 Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker made their live debut as Cream at The Twisted Wheel, Manchester, England.

1966 Bob Dylan suffered a broken neck vertebra when he crashed his Triumph 55 motorbike near his home in Woodstock, New York.

1966 Datebook published Maureen Cleave’s interview with John Lennon in which he said ‘We’re bigger than Jesus now.” American Christian’s reacted with outrage, organising ‘Beatle bonfires’ burning the group's records.

1966 The Grateful Dead played their first ever show outside the US when they appeared in Vancouver.

1967 The Doors started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Light My Fire'. The group's first US No.1, it only reached No.49 on the UK chart. Re- issued in 1991 when it made No.7 in the UK.

1968 Gram Parsons left The Byrds on the eve of a tour of South Africa, refusing to play to segregated audiences.

1973 Led Zeppelin lost $203,000 in cash when a thief made off with their safe deposit box from two Madison Square Garden concerts in New York City. The theft took place at The Drake Hotel in New York where the group were staying. Tour manager Richard Cole who discovered the theft was arrested as a suspect and questioned by police but was later released.

[Koala]

1949 Andy Scott is born.

1960 The Elvis Presley album 'Elvis is Back' was at No.1 on the UK chart.

1966 The Beatles started a five week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Yesterday...And Today', the group's 8th No.1 album.


1974 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played The Troubadour in Los Angeles, California on a double bill with Roger McGuinn from The Byrds.

1977 The Bee Gees younger brother Andy Gibb started a four-week run at
No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I Just Wanna Be Your Everything', his first of three US No.1's, it peaked at No.26 in the UK.

1988 Steve Winwood started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Roll With It', a No.53 hit in the UK.

2003 The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Rush, The Guess Who, Justin Timberlake, The Flaming Lips, Sass Jordan and The Isley Brothers played a benefit concert in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to prove that the city is safe from SARS. With 450,000 spectators, it was the largest concert in Canadian history.

2005 A new book published to mark the 35th anniversary of the death of Jimi Hendrix claimed the guitarist pretended to be gay so he would be discharged from the army. “Room Full of Mirrors” by Charles Cross said army records showed Hendrix was discharged from the 101st Airborne Division aged 19 in 1962 for "homosexual tendencies."

[Koala]

1959 Cliff Richard was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Living Doll.' The singers first of 14 UK No.1's. The song was one of three from the film, Serious Charge.
　
1969 Elvis Presley performs his first live concert since March 25, 1961, opening a four-week engagement at the 1,500-capacity Showroom at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. The remaining eight years of Presley's life will largely be devoted to live performances, either on the road or at the International Hotel.

1971 James Taylor hits #1 with "You've Got a Friend".

1980, Eagles play last show until Hell Freezes Over in Long Beach, CA!

1992 Michael Jackson made an unscheduled appearance on his hotel balcony in London after a man had threatened to jump from an apartment building across the street. 28 year-old Eric Herminie told police he would leap to his death if he didn't see Jackson, who was in Britain for a series of concerts. Jackson spent a couple of minutes waving to Herminie, who then climbed back into the building.

1994 Aaliyah and R. Kelly secretly married at the Sheraton Gateway Suites, Rosemont, IL. Aaliyah never admitted being married, though Vibe published a copy of the marriage certificate. Unfortunately, she was only 15 at the time, so thus the marriage was later annulled.

[Koala]

1942 Jerry Garcia, Grateful Dead, is born in San Francisco.

1971 The Concert For Bangla Desh, organised by George Harrison to aid victims of famine and war in Bangla Desh took place at New York's Madison Sq Garden. Featuring Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, Ravi Shankar and members from Badfinger. Harrison had to shell out his own money to maintain the fund after legal problems froze all proceeds. The triple album release (the second in a row by Harrison), hit number 1 in the UK and No.2 in the US and received the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

　
1981 MTV launches in the United States at 12:01am. The first broadcasted video is "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson and Martha Quinn become MTV's first VJs.

1987 Longtime fans the Pet Shop Boys enlist Dusty Springfield to duet on "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" It reaches #2 in both the U.S. and U.K.

1987 MTV Europe was launched, the first video played being 'Money For Nothing' by Dire Straits which contained the appropriate line 'I Want My MTV'.

1993 'River of Dreams', Billy Joel's 12th studio album, is released. Featuring a cover painted by then-wife Christie Brinkley, it yields hits in "All About Soul" and the title track.

[Koala]

　
1981 MTV launches in the United States at 12:01am. The first broadcasted video is "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson and Martha Quinn become MTV's first VJs.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiJ9AnNz47Y[/ame]

1987 MTV Europe was launched, the first video played being 'Money For Nothing' by Dire Straits which contained the appropriate line 'I Want My MTV'.

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

[TimothyBFan]

　
1981 MTV launches in the United States at 12:01am. The first broadcasted video is "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson and Martha Quinn become MTV's first VJs.

The absolute only reason I ordered cable. I could not live without MTV---would stay up all night watching it. Was hooked!!

[Freypower]

Don't forget that when Money For Nothing won Best Video at the MTV Video Awards in 1986 Don presented the award (having won Best Video himself the previous year). Sadly it was via a link to Knopfler in London. I am not aware that the two men have ever met (although Don covered I'm The Fool).

[Koala]

1937 Garth Hudson, The Band is born.

1970 Elvis Presley was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with his version of 'The Wonder Of You' his sixteenth No.1. Ray Peterson recorded the original version in 1959 which gave him a Top 30 hit.

1975 The Eagles went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'One Of These Nights', the group's second US No.1 single and the first to chart in the UK where it peaked at No.23.

1986 Chris de burgh was at No.1 in the UK with 'The Lady In Red', it was his first No.1 after twenty-four single releases, staying at the top of the charts for three weeks.

1997 Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (U2) was a hit.


1998 Mojo Magazine published the results from a nation-wide survey asking 'Who is your favourite recording artist of all time: 5th place was Elton John 4th, Queen, 3rd, Frank Sinatra, 2nd, Elvis Presley and in 1st place, The Beatles.


2004 Eric Clapton bought a 50% share in Cordings to save the historic gentleman's outfitters from closure. The store, based in London since 1839 had run into financial difficulties. The guitarist said he had been fond of the shop since a window display caught his eye when he was 16, and had become a regular shopper their. Cordings was the originator of the Covert coat and the Tattersall shirt and made riding boots for the Queen Mother, the Duke of Windsor and Mrs Simpson.