THE
DEPUTIES RAISE THE ROOF
The Seghill Community
Centre "Raise The Roof" appeal, to save the
Centre from closing, is having a charity night
THIS SATURDAY - JULY 1. The roof is in a bad
state of repair and The Deputies
have kindly given their time to play at The
Blake Arms in Seghill, Cramlington on Saturday
1st July at 9pm.
Tickets are £3 and are on
sale at The Blake Arms and Seghill Community
Centre or, alternatively, can be bought on
entry on Saturday night.
BOOKING FEE? FUCK RIGHT OFF!!
 As
you may - or even may not - know, the idea of
charging a 'booking fee' when you pick up a
ticket is one of those things that really gets
on Riffs proverbial tits. Can you
imagine a supermarket putting a booking fee on
a carton of milk? 'Yeah, it may be a quid
on the label mate, but we have to charge a
booking fee to cover our costs, so that will
now be £2.50'. I can see that going down
a storm. As most of the gigs on our Listings
page are local and executed by fair-minded
people - venues and bands - we don't come up
against this very often. Thankfully!
But 'hey hey hey - another sloppy piece of
mud' [and if you can tell us which live
80s gig that came from you get free boxed ads
for 3 months] Guess what's just dropped into
Riffs inbox for us to publicise? An upcoming
gig at an Ashington venue near the end of
this month. And it is not only ticket but pay
on the door. 'So what,' you may say,
'nowt wrong with that'. Certainly isn't,
and isn't that just how it should be? BUT, the door
price also includes the booking fee!!!!
Yep, a booking fee
included on the pay on the door entry fee. The mind boggles. If the
promoter feels justified in holding the
punters to ransom then there's not much we can
do about that. But we ain't gonna mention the
gig, or the artist appearing, or the venue.
And that goes for anyone else out to make a
fast buck off decent people.
Can you imagine, in the not-too-distant future:
'Hiya, a fiver to pay on the door mate, but
then I have to include a £2 booking fee and,
oh look at the time, a pre-9 0'clock fee,
and look at those awful trainers - so that's
a £2 embarassing trainer fee,
and that fookin' shirt's a disgrace' .
. . .
And don't get us started on venues advertising
the gig earlier so as to sell more
drinks..........
 On 30th June
Pearlescence (Pearl Jam tribute) and Rage
Against A Machine will be performing a
one hour set each at The Cluny to raise
money for specialist outdoor equipment for
students who attend Sir Charles Parsons
School in Walker, Newcastle. The school
provides education for students aged 11-19
who have additional needs,
moderate learning difficulties and
profound and multiple learning difficulties,
and the money raised will go towards much
needed specialist outdoor sensory equipment
and residential trips for the students.
Doors open at 7pm with Rage Against A
Machine hitting the stage just after 8pm.
Entry is £5 on the door, tickets can also be
purchased form The Cluny website
and collected on the night. Both bands
can be found on Facebook and the school has
a website if you would like to find out a
bit more about them. So in a nutshell, two
great tribute bands, one great venue and a
great cause. All for £5!!! Hope to see as
many there as possible.
JUST
WHO ARE THOSE CATS?
 A big
event featuring a 1950s theme with raffles,
dance-offs and prizes for best dressed is
all set for Sunday June 25. The gig is in
support of Beach Access North East and
features Ruby and the Mystery Cats, Ryan
Page, and Sarah Holmes. It's
just £5 a ticket. Full info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/415643978806543/
The Allman
Brothers Band drummer and founding
member Butch Trucks died on
Tuesday. He was 69. The cause of his death
remains unclear.
 No
doubt many of you are gagging at the bit to
know if we solved our computer problems
(also many of you are now
thinking 'computer problems? Didn't even
know about it - and actually don't
care, as long my
listings are up or I can find out
who's on this weekend'). But we
console ourselves with the thought that many
are wondering how we sorted it . Well,
without going into detail, Dave Fulton,
who helps out at Houghton Cricket Club,
helpfully pointed us in the right direction,
listing the possible culprits and ignoring
those with alibis. A replacement graphics
card was all that was eventually needed and
our problems ceased. I am rather long in the
tooth and do not expect anyone to rush in to
fix things, but sometimes when you hit a
brick wall, it's good to have someone to
point you in the right direction and to
remind you that everything is fixable; you
just need to check things in the right
order. Dave did just that and his advice was
invaluable. Advice is no good to
yourself - so give it to
others!
MUSICALLY BEREFT!
Just to
mention that here at Riffs we are not musical.
We do not play an instrument; we cannot
analyse a tune; we can't tune a guitar or know
what makes a hit song - but what we do know
about is publicity. And we love giving it to
those deserving. We have mentioned it before
but we are doing it again - any band that
gives of their time, skills and effort to
support a charity is entitled to a massive
mensh on this, our News page. Along with some
outrageous pictures too. So there, no excuses
to not only be selfless and helpful to a
deserving cause but also to shout about this
cause too (and of course yourself!). So there,
musical be we not, but we will surely shout
about those who are.......
HOWDON PEEPS DO FRAZER PROUD
Always
great to get feedback on gigs, etc and Dave
has just let Riffs know that the Funds For
Frazer gig at High Howdon Social Club
on May 19 managed to raise a very impressive £1,550.
Janie, Frazer's mum, we have it on good
authority, was totally overcome. A massive
thank you to everyone who took part and gave
of their time, or money, or support, or all
three!
 The new album release
from SteelyMan is “Blues from Horden
Colliery”. A twelve
track blues story of growing up in an East
Durham mining village that still holds a
proud community despite being neglected and
forgotten by the powers that be since the
mine closed. Not a
deep political statement but a few comments
on my life as a miner’s son.
Love Horden – Love the Blues...
SteelyMan...
www.steelyman.co.uk
The
album can be found on; i-tunes, Spotify,
soundcloud etc.
 BAD
BAD BOYS TO OPEN
TRIPLE HEADER
Just got
some info regarding a rather interesting
rockin' night with an eclectic hint of dirty
blues. Although mentioning rock, and then
blues, may lead you into certain incorrect
assumptions. This intriguing triple header
features the weird and wonderful LaVendore  Rogue headlining; consisting of
three ex-Hokie Joint members;
multiple-British Blues Award nominees and
winners: JoJo Burgess on vocals, Joel Fisk on
guitar and Stephen “Cupsey” Cutmore on drums,
as well as Rob “Tank” Barry on bass and Warren
Lynn on keyboards. Ably supported by Kris
Barras who, with his band, promise
'foot-stomping riffs and catchy tunes' (nuthin
wrong with the ol' foot-stomping riffs).
However, the band with whom Riffs was
most impressed has the unenviable task of
opening the night's proceedings -
which probably reflects our take on music in
general! With influences
which include Nazareth, Gun and Schenker,
you can understand why these guys aren't
your cliched rockers. Bournemouth-based
Western Sand look (and sound) as if they could
hold their own at Knebworth (er, I mean in the
80s when it was worth a shit), Kerrang
Weekender or Monsters of Rock.
After a Youtoob visit I came away with the
feeling that if only  somone
could drop a megaton of Marshall gear on a pitch-sized
stage these guys would clean up. The fact that
all these three fascinating bands have been
brought together on one stage for one evening
is not only refreshing but shows that
promoters do not always just think 'kerching'
when dishing up bands for out delectation. A
big 'whoop' for Tommy Hartlepool here -
'WHOOP' - oh, just me then. Anyway, it's at
the Belle Vue Club in Hartlepool, tickets are
a realistic £12 (so sod all for the club,
let's hope you all drink loads!) and it's on Saturday
June 24 - yes, we know it's over two
months away, but Tommy's gigs have an enviable
habit of selling out surprisingly often
(notice the Wishbone
Ash gig?). Triple bills like
this are few and far between, and Riffs, for
one, have our money on The
Almighty-sounding
Western Sand - don't
let us down guys. Since we've been into
Rock/Metal we can count on the fingers of one
hand
how many opening acts have
blown the headliners off the stage - but boy,
don't it feel good!!
Check this out from Western
Sands - here
WALLSEND
PEEPS NEEDED
TO SUPPORT LITTLE FRAZER
 Just
hearing of a very special night being
organised by Dave of High Howdon Social
Club way up where the wall ends. Singer
and multi-instrumentalist Jon Alex is the artist for the
night (pic), and Jon and staff of the social
club hope to raise some funds for a little
Howdon boy - Frazer
- who has
severe epilepsy and is suffering from multiple
fits every day. You may think they are trying
to raise a fortune for special treatment
abroad; or a respite holiday for his mum whose
devotion takes up all her time; or even to
bring in paid help to look after little Frazer
to ease his pain? No, all his mum is
wanting is a special mattress, and an alert
watch so she is aware when he is having a fit.
Just these two items will help the family so
much. It's on Friday
May 19 and although you are asked to get
a ticket for entry, how much you pay is
entirely up to you.
This years Crookfest will
be held bank holiday sunday 30th April
featuring 21 cover and tribute bands across
three stages for only £15. New to the
fest for 2017 will be the Scooter Tent
with a mix of Mod 60s 70s rock and Ska plus a
blast of Northern Soul with JD and the
Woodsmen. The Main Marquee
will feature will more classic rock with bands
covering groups such as Bon Jovi, Slade,
Journey, Meat Loaf, Guns n Roses, Thin Lizzy;
while the Hut Bar goes a wee bit
deeper in the style of Ozzy, Zeppelin, AC/DC,
Pink Floyd, Rory Gallagher and thrown into
that mix will be the band Share the Darkness:
these guys cover Irish legends The Dubliners,
Chieftains and more, and alongside all this
there's bars and food outlets. For full
details go to www.crookfest.co.uk
The
Howard Baker Band are proud
to announce their April mini-tour which sees
them travelling to Wales and France for four
shows. The band has had line up changes since
their last outing over the Channel and are now
looking forward to heading out again with
fresh faces and material. Their upcoming gig
list is on the Riffs page and would invite
anyone who’s interested to come along and
catch a show before they go as they warm up
their new rock and pop material, including
some songs from Howard’s most recent album
‘The Paris Files’. The band welcome
enquiries from venues and reviews from
audience members. You can also check upcoming
gigs on their website at www.howardbakerband.co.uk
and keep up to date through their Facebook
page by searching for the Howard Baker Band.
And yet
another band hits our live venues (long
may this trend continue!) -
The Lone Sharks. Again, a
mature bunch of guys who have served their
time in several local bands such as TT
Blue, Old Codger and Nostalgic
Fools. They gigged at Steels Club
and
the Mallard
last weekend but you can get a taste of
their fayre here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXRmxotkBYk
Just a had a
brief mail from Broken
Spoke. We reproduce it
here: "
Just to say
that Marge has kindly given Broken Spoke
a booking for The Bell and Bucket on
Sunday 4th June. After losing The Maggie
Bank and Wooden Doll in the past year it
is great to have somewhere in North
Shields for bands to play."
The great Chuck
Berry has passed away. A mega
influence on the Stones, Beatles,
Springsteen and countless others....
COVERS BAND WANTED FOR
CHARITY GIG
We are holding a charity
show on the 13th May which is a Saturday and
are in need of some entertainment - covers
band, nothing too heavy, motown would be nice.
It is to raise funds to buy a Defibulator for
my sons Autistic school, Columbia Grange in
Washington. The night will be held in
Silksworth Catholic Church and we are willing
to pay expenses for the artist. Thank you. Miss
S Mcglinchey Tel
07857970000 or siobhan.mcglinchey@hotmail.co.uk
HEARTBREAKER
RINGING THE BELL TONIGHT
 Just
goes to show what a good reputation
does: Short notice but Marge has managed
to squeeze in new boys Heartbreaker
into her Rock gaff (The Bell and Bucket,
North Shields) TONIGHT 17th. 'So
what' I hear you moan. 'Never
'eard of 'em'. Ya think? These
'new boys' are anything but - look at
this for some pedigree: ex Witchkraft, Sheiks,
Sticky Fingers, The Paul Rodgers
Story. So, apart from
some frighteningly competent musicians,
expect loads of Free and Bad
Co.
MAGNESIA BANK UPDATE
Norman
from The Force has been kind enough
to share this statement with us (posted on
The Magnesia Bank Facebook page)
'Just a quick update on the
situation with The Magnesia Bank. It is now
under new business management all bands that
are booked need to get in touch and for
various reasons we need to start a new diary
as from April 1st under the new regime. Also
anyone that has bookings in for the Magnesia
Suite are honoured as from 1st April and we
need confirmation of bookings, deposits etc,
so you need to contact us at your earliest in
order that we can verify details, continue and
do our utmost to accommodate to the standards
that we strive to meet. Further announcements
regarding the bar will be made in due course.
Many thanks for your patience.
The Magnesia Bank LTD is the new company and
the General Manager to contact will be
announced within the next few days.'
 Nice
to hear from Mike from Classic Clapton,
THE Eric Clapton tribute, to say a
massive 'thank you' to everyone who supported
their February 21 gig at Durham Gala Theatre
which they gave in aid of St. Cuthbert's
Hospice, raising a very respectable £3,000.
Although as you read this Mike and the lads
will be preparing to fly to Colombo - we don't
hold any gig details but I'm sure we can get
hold of them if anyone is keen on making the
trip! But be assured they will be back in
blighty for their gig at Whitley Bay Playhouse
on April 21 and they have also squeezed in
another for Redcar Blues Club on the 29th -
details on our Listings page.
REGULAR OPEN MIC FOR THE
VICTORY;
BELL AND BUCKET JUST
WON'T STOP ROCKIN'
Two bits of
good news to brighten your weekend: 1 - The
Open Mic
session at The Victory
in South Gosforth was so
much of a roaring success that
the management have decided to
carry on with it on the last
Thursday of every month. 2 - North Shields' only Rock
emporium, The
Bell and Bucket
had such a crackin' night for
the Flying Vs
there last week that Rockchick
Marge has decreed that
every Friday and every
Sunday the Shields
folk will have
Rock!!! Any band
booked to play
there get in touch
with Riffs
with a great pic
of yourselves
and we'll give
you a mega mensh!
Heads up re. the Black Bush
in Washington, as we understand the new
management are not honouring any of
the previously booked bands. Not
very sporting.
GOOD
FOR PUNTERS - GOOD FOR BANDS
 Seems
not just North Shields suffering from lack of
Rock venues - Houghton le Spring is having its
share of troubles, with Houghton Comrades
ceasing bands. However, when one door opens .
. . as they say. Houghton Sports and Social
Club have stepped in to help fill the gap and
have already had great success with their
debut gig featuring North-East Rock stalwarts
- Rock Solid. With The Arrival appearing
in February, it looks  like the gamble paid off and a
regular crowd seems to be relied upon. Soul
Street are next up for March 25 followed
by the welcome return by Rock Solid on
April 14. And as a plus for punters there is
FREE entry, reasonable bar prices and free
parking - and as a plus for the bands there is
a flat load in so humping gear is kept to a
minimum. The venue is situated at Leyburn
Grove, Houghton le Spring DH4 5EQ. 0191 584
5190.
LOUD 'N' PROUD
Putting things into alarming
context, Jeff from the Flying Vs
points out that it seems only moments ago
North Shields lost the Garricks Head, and then
the Wooden Doll - and now The Maggie Bank has
closed its doors for the last time, leaving
what seems to be a barren wasteland for Rock
fans. But who should step in to save the day?
- Marge (no Rock band will go without a
gig so long as there's blood in my veins)
from the Bell & Bucket who not
only wave the Rock flag high, but neatly
slotted in The Flying Vs for this
Friday March 3 when their gig at the Maggie
Bank became suddenly non-existent. As Jeff
told Riffs: 'Come along and support the
last live Rock venue in North Shields. Keep
music live - and remember - use it or lose
it!'
ULI ROTH
ex-Scorpions coming to south
shields unionist club south shields
may 4th: Tokyo tapes revisited,
supported by The Force - tour ticket
prices soon - don't miss it.
 Local guys
Fizzyfish have always been renowned for
giving their all at their live shows -
which many agree are full of enthusiasm,
laughter and, well, a total devil-may-care
attitude. But they have vowed to make all
their previous live shows look like
foot-stairers' hell when they play their
fizzy little hearts out at Darlington's
Forum Music Centre on Saturday April 8
when they play a benefit gig for the Brain
Tumour Charity in honour of their
friend Tom Whitton. The band were unable
to play at his wake so this is their way
of doing their bit for this wonderful man.
As Alan told Riffs: 'With Tom's family
it was decided to play a gig as a
celebration and make some cash for
the charity as well. The Forum have
been very supportive and tickets are
now on sale for a very reasonable
£7, available from The Forum,
Darlington. Tom was a larger than
life figure with appalling dress
sense, he is much missed. We will be
playing our best song selection in
an effort to make this a
celebration.'
News just in . . . The Magnesia Bank is
shut. Whether temporary or not we know
not. But Ernie has left and the place is
in darkness...
MORE OF AN ASTERISK THAN A STAR
We
have had quite a few queries concerning
the gig listings for The Star in
Westgate Road, Newcastle and it is
becoming increasingly apparent that the
lists supplied to us - by The Star
themselves - are less than accurate (and
that's doing them a favour). Even when
contacted they are giving a different
band to that which they supplied us
with. So we suggest that any punter
wishing to see a band there checks not
only with the venue, but also with the
band in question. Hopefully they will
get themselves sorted sooner rather than
later. Riffs sincerely apologises to
anyone who has been affected or has a
wasted journey due to incorrect
information supplied to us but,
unfortunately, we can be only as
accurate as the information we are given
and, although we consider ourselves
rather strict on this, we still get
venues/bands who don't realise the
damage they cause by supplying incorrect
information.
THE ANNUAL FREE CONVENTION
 in aid of the Northern
Brainwave Appeal
Saturday 18th March 2017
Doors open 7pm
7.15pm Basing Street Band
(Free)
8.10pm Straight Shooter
(Free and Bad Co)
9.30pm Slesser/Buckton
(Back Street Crawler )
10.30pm Slesser/Buckton
2nd Set - (Free)
Riffs
has just been reliably informed of a
management change at the Star Inn,
Newcastle and that some 're-arranging'
of bands and dates may have taken place.
Coincidentally we have just received all
gigs for the Star Inn for February and March
so we recommend any band that may have a gig
there check our Listings
page for confirmation.
LOCK N
LOAD AIRBOURNE
 North
East Rockers Lock n Load are
playing at The Mallard in Seaham
on 18th March for a Cancer Research UK
fundraiser (singer boxed for cancer
research last year with the organizer of
this event). If you want a glimpse of
these guys runnin' wild at the Queen Vic
in Shields then check out this clip then
get yourself along to the gig in March
and support this much-needed charity.
This pic is of the new 2017 line
up. https://youtu.be/Xb8lW5LagOY
 I'm looking for a generous 80s
covers band, hopefully specialists in
Punk/Ska/Alternative with own PA etc for a
charity event in Billingham, Saturday 27th
of May. Nineteen basically novice bike
riders are attempting to cycle from
Whitehaven to Seaton Carew, in June, in aid
of "HOPE4NELL" A young Billingham girl with
Retts Syndrome. Please see attached images.
Mr. G. Wood 07900 682310
ATTACK OF THE KILLER BUGS!!
 Well,
nice bloody way to start the New Year with
Riffs offices invaded by some fluey buggy
killy germ type thing, laying to rest any
hope of keeping Riffs up to date for . . .
well - the first few days of 2017.
Evacuation, de-infesting, fumigating, you
name it, we've heard of it too. But we've
all been allowed back in and busy making
Riffs what it is - whatever that is! So if
you have experienced any hold up in your
email being actioned just feel for our
staff being ushered into the street,
stripped, probed, hosed down and then
profusely apologised to as they actually
wanted the building next door. But here we
are beavering away - I'd take a quick snap
of the little beavers but, really, they're
shy little things, all except Val over in
the corner there whose actually . . . oh,
well, she is on lunch and technically,
that isn't actually illegal. Is it?
The
Grange in Sunderland have been dropped in
it for New Year's Eve and so had Tumblin'
Dice, who suffered a late
cancellation. The two have now come
together and Tumblin' Dice now are proud
to play at the Grange and the Grange is
also proud to host Tumblin' Dice.
Ahh, that warm feeling at
Christmas............
Thank you to everyone who
contacted me regarding Future gigs at The
Station, Billingham. I'm busy trying to
arrange dates etc with those who have been
in touch. Please continue via email.. gwood.43@gmail.com And I
will endeavour to get back to you as soon
as possible.
Thanx again.
With new Management at the
Station Hotel, Billingham. We are after
'Covers Bands', initially just arranging
for the last Saturdays in every month,
then possibly fortnightly when
established.
Contact Mr. G. Wood 07900
682310.
 Charity
Gig in Aid Of St Cuthbert’s Hospice
Featuring Two Great Local Bands –
The Fix & After
Midnight
Durham Gala Theatre,
Tuesday 21 February.
A Charity Gig will be held at Durham Gala
Theatre in February to raise funds for one
of the best-loved hospices in the Durham
area – St Cuthbert’s Hospice, Durham. Both
bands will be performing sets of 60s and 70s
classic pop & rock hits. Doors open 7pm,
First band (The Fix) on stage 7.30pm.
Tickets priced £10 are available from the
box office, Tel: 03000 266600 and on-line at
www.galadurham.co.uk Fans are advised
to book early to avoid disappointment.
The Fix are a 4-piece band
from Chester-le-Street which includes three
Knowles brothers – Tom, Robin (lead guitar)
& Peter (bass) plus drummer & “soul
brother” Terry Goulding. They originally
came together as Tom’s Thumbs in the
sixties. Front-man and lead vocalist Tom
Knowles also plays guitar and keyboards. In
the seventies he was in two very successful
recording bands Kestrel & Goldie.
Kestrel were one of the first progressive
rock bands who made a self-titled album
which achieved cult status and has recently
been re-released in Japan. Goldie had an
international hit record “Making Up Again”
and Tom appeared on Top of The Pops with the
band (as their drummer).
After Midnight are best
known for their Eric Clapton tribute
concerts under the name Classic Clapton. For
this special charity gig they will be
performing covers of music by The Beatles,
The Eagles, Free, Steely Dan, Dire Straits,
Eric Clapton and a number of 60s and 70s
classics. NB: this will NOT be an Eric
Clapton Tribute Gig.
St Cuthbert’s Hospice, Merryoaks, Durham
opened in 1988. Their mission is to make
every day count for those affected by
life-limiting illnesses at a time and a
place that is right for them.
https://www.galadurham.co.uk/galapost/biff-bang-pow/
After Midnight’s website:- www.after-midnight.org.uk
St Cuthbert’s Hospice:- www.stcuthbertshospice.com
Hi,
I read of Michael Overdrive's
experience at Flat Tops. Tony Donke's
old habits clearly persist. As we posted
on Ginger Gits at the time:
'Our gig (30/3/2012) at this venue
had been booked for a while, posters
had been sent and the gig advertised.
Posters were even up in the pub.
We turned up in good time, got a
friendly welcome, set up, sound
checked - the landlord (a bloke called
Tony Donke) seemed very happy.
Then 9pm arrived - there were
only a few punters but we were not due
on until 9:15. Then the landlord walks
over to us and says that there "would
be no money in the till to pay us",
then offers half the fee to start
later and "see how it goes".
We had a quick band meeting and
the drummer went to have a word with
the landlord. He got even more
runaround like "I was p*ssed when I
booked you" and with an offer of
little more than half the fee to play
the gig or we could "f%ck off".
We had another quick meeting and
we all agreed to leave. We packed up
the gear with more punters arriving
with every passing minute. Needless to
say the landlord was not happy because
he probably realised his mistake even
offering us all a drink which we all
declined.
So if you get a booking from this
pub ... BEWARE!'
Where does he get off
on this kind of behaviour?
Regards, Neil (TOO
TIRED)
"Putting
this out to any bands that are booked at
Flatops in Boldon. My band OVERDRIVE have
just been cancelled at the last minute
leaving us no chance of getting another
booking for tonight [Sat]. My main gripe
here is that Tony, the manager, actually
admitted to me that he had been sending
bands home because of poor turnout over
the last 2 months after setting up. Fair
enough, he also said he had paid expenses,
but why not tell me sooner instead of
waiting till the very last thing. I was
offered a gig on Monday gone for more
money and closer to home, but I turned it
down as I pride myself on the fact that I
have never cancelled or dropped anyone in
it. So, just thought I'd put that out
there. If you are booked at this venue and
can find yourself another gig instead,
Take it !!!"
Michael Overdrive
Livewire,
ACDC Show, Sat 11th Febuary 2017, at
Blackhall Community Centre, Heselden
Road Blackhall Colliery, £14 per
ticket, standing event, very limited
seating, doors 7.30pm, tel 07841033579.
|
This
week in . . .
he influential 1960s rhythm
& blues club in Windsor, Berkshire, was the host
to many impor - See more at:
http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.JEtfXQtW.dpuf
he influential 1960s
rhythm & blues club in Windsor, Berkshire, was
the host to many impor - See more at:
http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.JEtfXQtW.dpuf
1970, The newly formed
Queen featuring
Freddie Mercury (possibly still known as
Freddie Bulsara) on vocals, guitarist Brian May,
drummer Roger Taylor and Mike Grose on bass played
their first gig at Truro City Hall, Cornwall. They
were billed as Smile, Brian and Roger's
previous band, for whom the booking had been made
originally. Original material at this time included
an early version of 'Stone Cold Crazy'.
1980,
Led Zeppelin appeared at Messehalle,
Nuremberg, Germany during their last ever tour.
After the group had played just three songs, drummer
John Bonham collapsed on stage, causing the
remainder of the show to be cancelled.
1981, Motorhead scored their
only UK No.1 album with 'No Sleep Til Hammersmith'.
The live album was recorded at Leeds and Newcastle
shows during their Short, Sharp Pain In The Neck
tour in 1981. The name of the tour was a reference
to the injury sustained by Phil Taylor when he was
dropped on his head during some after-show
horseplay. Despite the title of the album, the
London venue the Hammersmith Odeon was not played on
the tour.
1997,
Radiohead, Cast, The Bluetones, Manson, The
Chemical Brothers, Ash, The Seahorses, Smashing
Pumpkins, The Prodigy, Beck, Sheryl Crow, Sting,
Dodgy, Travis, Ray Davies, Kula Shaker, Steve
Winwood all appeared at the 3-day Glastonbury
Festival.
1999, Brian O'Hara, singer and
guitarist with The Fourmost hung himself
aged 56. The Liverpool group who were managed by
Brian Epstein had the 1964 No.6 single 'A Little
Loving'.
2002, One day before the scheduled
first show of
The Who's 2002 US tour, bass player John
Entwistle died aged 57 in his hotel room at the Hard
Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Entwistle had
gone to bed that night with a stripper, who woke at
10am to find Entwistle cold and unresponsive. The
Las Vegas medical examiner determined that death was
due to a heart attack induced by an undetermined
amount of cocaine.
2008, Kings of Leon, The
Fratellis, Editors, The Gossip, The Feeling, KT
Tunstall, Kate Nash, Jay Z, Amy Winehouse,
The Raconteurs, James Blunt, Crowded House,
Seasick Steve, Martha Wainwright, The Verve,
Leonard Cohen, The Ting Tings, Goldfrapp,
Neil Diamond, Pete Doherty, Scouting for
Girls, Mark Ronson, Duffy, The Zutons, Groove
Armada and John Mayer all appeared at
this years 3 day UK Glastonbury Festival.
2015,
Chris Squire, the bass guitarist and
co-founder of 1970s progressive rock band Yes,
died at the age of 67 after battling leukemia. He
was the only member to appear on each of their 21
studio albums, released from 1969 to 2014.
1965, The Byrds went to No.1 on the US
singles chart with their version of Bob Dylan's
'Mr Tambourine Man'. Only Roger McGuinn from the
band played on the song, the drummer Hal Blaine who
played on the track also played on 'Bridge Over
Troubled Water'.
1972, During sessions at Olympic
Studios, London, England, David Bowie
recorded 'John, I'm Only Dancing', with Mick
Ronson on lead guitar and Lou Reed
on rhythm guitar. The track which was released and
became a hit single in the UK in September of this
year was not released in America, being judged too
risqué by RCA Records. The original video,
directed by Mick Rock featuring androgynous
dancers from Lindsay Kemp's mime troupe, was
banned by Top Of The Pops.
2008, Total Guitar magazine voted
Celine Dion’s rendition of the AC/DC track
‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ the world's worst
cover version ever. In the best cover versions
list, Jimi Hendrix was voted into first
place with his version of the Bob Dylan
song ‘All Along the Watchtower,’ The Beatles
rendition of ‘Twist and Shout’ (first recorded by
the Top Notes), was in second place,
followed by the Guns N' Roses version of
the Wings song ‘Live and Let Die’.
1957, Lonnie Donegan was at No.1 on the UK
singles chart with 'Gamblin' Man / Putting On The
Style', the singers second UK No.1. It was the last
UK No.1 to be released as a 78rpm as well as a 7'
vinyl record.
1957, Lonnie Donegan was at No.1
on the UK singles chart with 'Gamblin' Man /
Putting On The Style', the singers second UK No.1.
It was the last UK No.1 to be released as a 78rpm
as well as a 7' vinyl record.
1973, 10cc were
at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Rubber
Bullets', the first of three UK No.1's for the band,
(who also had a No.1 as Hotlegs).
1975, During his 'Welcome To My Nightmare' tour in
Vancouver, Canada, Alice Cooper
fell from the stage and broke six ribs.
2010,
62-year-old Gregg Allman underwent a
successful liver transplant operation at the Mayo
Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Allman had begun a
series of treatments for Hepatitis C, but chronic
damage of his liver led doctors to recommend a
transplant. In a statement to the press, Allman said
"I changed my ways years ago, but we can't turn
back time. Every day is a gift."
1981 – Mark
Chapman pleads guilty to the murder of John
Lennon and is sentenced to 20 years in jail.
1991 – Jimi Hendrix’s lyrics to “Room Full
of Mirrors” sell for $35,200 at a New York auction.
1993 – Ozzy Osbourne changes his mind yet
again about retirement and says he will reunite with
Black Sabbath for a tour.
1995 – R.E.M. perform “What’s the Frequency,
Kenneth?” with Dan Rather at a sound check in New
York.
1971, The second Glastonbury
Festival in England took place. Held over 5 days
to coincide with the summer solstice, (the weather
was, for a British 'summer' very good). Acts who
appeared included: Melanie, Quintessence,
David Bowie, The Edgar Broughton Band, Pink
Fairies, Terry Reid - with David Lyndley and Linda
Lewis, Gong, Hawkwind, Arthur Brown, Brinsley
Schwarz, Fairport Convention, Family and Traffic.
Over 7,000 fans attended the event.
1971, The second
Glastonbury Festival in England took place. Held
over 5 days to coincide with the summer solstice,
(the weather was, for a British 'summer' very good).
Acts who appeared included: Melanie,
Quintessence, David Bowie, The Edgar Broughton
Band, Pink Fairies, Terry Reid - with David
Lyndley and Linda Lewis, Gong, Hawkwind, Arthur
Brown, Brinsley Schwarz, Fairport Convention,
Family and Traffic. Over 7,000 fans
attended the event.
1968, The
Jeff Beck group featuring Rod Stewart made
their US debut at the Fillmore East, New York. 2016, Led Zeppelin singer
Robert Plant told a court hearing the
'Stairway To Heaven' copyright dispute
that he had a dim memory of the time the song was
written. Plant also said he could not remember
meeting the band Spirit, who claimed the band stole
their guitar riff for Stairway to Heaven in the
1970s. "I don't have a recollection of almost anyone
I've hung out with," Plant said, causing roars of
laughter in the court. The case was brought on
behalf of Spirit's late guitarist, Randy Wolfe. His
estate claimed the opening riff of the 1968 song
Taurus is fundamentally the same as the iconic
opening bars of Stairway to Heaven.
1951 – Nils Lofgren is born in Chicago. He is
the leader of the group Grin from 1969-74 and
releases six solo albums from 1975-81.
1955 – Johnny Cash’s first single, “Cry Cry
Cry,” is released.
5 UK No.1 with their debut album
'Hot Fuss'. In 2010, Flowers released a solo
album, entitled Flamin - See more at:
http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.izamauHd.dpuf
ird RPM in
1988 – Pink Floyd perform at Versailles,
France, a concert that is later released as the
“Delicate Sound of Thunder” video.
1990 – It’s Little Richard Day (Wednesday)
in Los Angeles as the rock ‘n’ roll pianist is
awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
1993 – The U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear an
appeal from John Fogerty. He’s hoping
to recoup legal fees from a copyright battle with
the other members of Creedence.
2000 – 39 year-old Karen McNeil who claimed she was
the wife of Axl Rose and that she
communicated with him telepathically was jailed for
one year for stalking the singer.
2002 – New York radio station WPLJ-FM debuts the
title track from Bruce Springsteen’s
forthcoming album “The Rising” only to be
immediately served with a cease and desist order.
2005 – Drummer Mike Chiplin leaves UK metallers Lostprophets
to “pursue other musical opportunities”.
2005 – Billy Corgan takes out full-page
advertisements in two newspapers announcing that he
wants to reform the Smashing Pumpkins.
2008 – Disturbed were at No.1 on the US
album chart with ‘Indestructible’ the bands third
consecutive US No.1.
New York City, sparking a
music-industry standard so strong that the digital
age has yet to kill - See more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New York City, sparking
a music-industry standard so strong that the
digital age has yet to kill - See more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New York City,
sparking a music-industry standard so strong
that the digital age has yet to kill - See more
at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New York City,
sparking a music-industry standard so strong
that the digital age has yet to kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New York
City, sparking a music-industry standard so
strong that the digital age has yet to kill
- See more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New York
City, sparking a music-industry standard
so strong that the digital age has yet to
kill - See more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New York City, sparking a music-industry
standard so strong that the digital age
has yet to kill - See more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New York City, sparking a
music-industry standard so strong that
the digital age has yet to kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New York City, sparking a
music-industry standard so strong
that the digital age has yet to kill
- See more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New York City, sparking
a music-industry standard so
strong that the digital age has
yet to kill - See more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New York City,
sparking a music-industry
standard so strong that the
digital age has yet to kill -
See more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New York City, sparking a
music-industry standard so
strong that the digital age
has yet to kill - See more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New York City,
sparking a music-industry
standard so strong that the
digital age has yet to kill
- See more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New York City,
sparking a music-industry
standard so strong that
the digital age has yet to
kill - See more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City, sparking a
music-industry standard
so strong that the
digital age has yet to
kill - See more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New York
City, sparking a
music-industry
standard so strong
that the digital age
has yet to kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New York
City, sparking a
music-industry
standard so strong
that the digital age
has yet to kill -
See more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so strong
that the digital
age has yet to
kill - See more
at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that the
digital age has
yet to kill -
See more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
http://thisdayinmusic.com/#sthash.epJhrpUO.dpuf
New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
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New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
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New
York City,
sparking a
music-industry
standard so
strong that
the digital
age has yet to
kill - See
more at:
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New
York City,
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age has yet to
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1954, Guitarist Danny Cedrone died following a freak
accident; 10 days after he had recorded the lead
guitar break on 'Rock Around the Clock'
with Bill Haley and His Comets.
Session player Cedrone was paid $21 for his work on
the session, as at that time Haley chose not to hire
a full-time guitarist for his group. He died of a
broken neck after falling down a staircase.
1972, The Rolling Stones
album Exile On Main Street started a
four-week run at the top of the US charts. The
double album, now regarded as one of the band's
best, features Rocks Off, Rip This Joint, Happy
and Tumbling Dice.
1976, Ian Dury played his
last gig with Kilburn and the High Roads
before starting his solo career. The show at The
Assembly Hall, Walthamstow also had The
Sex Pistols and The Stranglers on
the bill.
1976, Blondie released
their debut single 'X Offender'. Written by Gary
Valentine and Debbie Harry, the title of the song
was originally 'Sex Offender', written about an
18-year-old boy being arrested for having sex with
his younger girlfriend. Debbie Harry changed the
lyrics so that the song was about a prostitute
being attracted to the police officer that had
arrested her. Private Stock, the band’s label,
insisted that the single be changed to 'X
Offender' because they were nervous about the
original title.
1977, After Jimmy Helms
pulled out of a gig at Shoreditch College, the
members of the social committee decided to call
upon famous local Elton John who lived
up the road and ask if he would perform. Elton did
the gig for two bottles of wine.
1987, Florida real estate agent
Vittoria Holman sued Motley Crue and
their concert promoter for hearing loss allegedly
incurred at a concert in December 1985. Holman and
her daughter had front row seats less than 10 feet
(3 metres) from the speakers. The case was settled
out of court with the band's insurance company
paying Holman over $30,000. (£18,200).
1997, Fans rioted at an Ozzfest
concert in Columbus Ohio, after Ozzy Osbourne
couldn't perform due to throat problems. Angry
fans broke windows, uprooted trees, and turned
over a parked car.
2011, A computer hacker who stole
songs from Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Leona
Lewis, Kesha and Mariah Carey during
2009 and 2010 was sentenced to 18 months detention
in Germany. A court heard how the teenager, who
called himself DJ Stolen, earned more than 15,000
euros (£13,260) by breaking copyright laws and
hacking personal information from a number of
singers. The 18-year-old used software to steal
unpublished songs and then offer them for sale on
the internet. Anti-piracy teams in the UK and
Germany noticed a growing number of pre-release
tracks being leaked much earlier than normal. The
teen was also ordered to have therapy for an
addiction to the internet.
1967, The three day Monterey Pop Festival
in California began. All the proceeds went to
charity when all the artists agreed to perform for
free. The 'Summer of Love' was born. The festival
saw the first major US appearances by The Who,
Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. Also on
the bill: The Byrds, Grateful Dead, Otis
Redding, Simon & Garfunkel, The Steve Miller
Band, Canned Heat, The Mamas And The Papas,
Jefferson Airplane, Buffalo Springfield and The
Electric Flag. John Phillips, of The Mamas
and The Papas wrote, 'San Francisco (Be Sure
To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)' to promote the
festival, which later became a hit for Scott
McKenzie.
1967, Pink Floyd released
their second single 'See Emily Play'
which was written by original frontman
Syd Barrett. The slide guitar work on the
song was done by Barrett using a plastic ruler.
1970, Mungo Jerry
were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'In The
Summertime'. It went on to become the best selling
UK single of 1970 spending seven weeks at No.1 and
was a hit in 26 other countries. The UK release
was a maxi-single playing at 33 rpm (whereas
singles generally played at 45 rpm).
1973, Suzi Quatro had her
first UK No.1 single with the Nicky Chinn &
Mike Chapman song 'Can The Can'. 10CC were
at No.2 with 'Rubber Bullets' and Fleetwood
Mac at No.3 with 'Albatross.'
1982, Pretenders guitarist
James Honeyman-Scott died following sustained
cocaine and heroin addiction.
1989, The first day of the UK three
day Glastonbury Festival took place featuring Van
Morrison, Elvis Costello, Throwing Muses,
Pixies, All About Eve, Hot House Flowers, The
Waterboys, Suzanne Vega and Fairground
Attraction. Tickets cost £28.
1994, Kristen Pfaff, bass player
with Hole was found dead in her bathtub
due to a heroin overdose. She was just 26.
1999, Screaming Lord Sutch
was found dead after hanging himself. The singer
turned politician was 58. He was the first
long-haired pop star-boasting hair over 18 inches
long and the self-styled lord (real name David
Sutch), was Britain's longest-serving political
leader, standing in nearly 40 elections.
2013, Black Sabbath
established a new UK chart record for the
longest gap between No.1 albums when their new
release, 13, debuted at the top of the charts,
42 years and 8 months after their second album
Paranoid reached No.1.
1975, Peter Frampton played the first of
two nights at the Winterland Ballroom, San
Francisco. Recordings from these two shows were
used as part of his No.1 double album 'Frampton
Comes Alive'. It became the best-selling album of
1976, selling over 6 million copies in the US and
Frampton Comes Alive! was voted "Album of the
year" in the 1976 Rolling Stone readers poll. It
stayed on the chart for 97 weeks.
1970, David Bowie released the single
'Memory of a Free Festival', which featured
guitarist Mick Ronson and drummer Mick
Woodmansey's studio debut with Bowie's band,
bringing together the line-up that would shortly
record The Man Who Sold the World. The track also
featured Marc Bolan on lead guitar and
backing vocals.
1976, The Who, The Sensational Alex
Harvey Band, Little Feat, Outlaws and Streetwalkers
all appeared at Swansea City Football Club, Swansea.
Tickets cost £4.
1999,
It was reported that Oasis had paid Gary
Glitter £200,000 as an out-of-court
settlement after being accused of using the Gary
Glitter lyric, 'Hello, hello, it's good to be
back' in the song 'Hello'.
Week
commencing
June 5 . . .
1960, Drummer Tommy Moore made the fateful decision
to quit The Beatles and return to his job
of driving a forklift at Garston bottle works. He
was briefly replaced by Norman Chapman, who was
called into National Service after just three gigs.
After going drummerless and mostly jobless for a few
weeks, the band hired Pete Best on August 12th, only
one day before they were to go to Hamburg to play a
string of club dates.
1962, The Beatles recorded
a BBC radio program, "Here We Go", at the
Playhouse Theatre in Manchester, in front of a
studio audience composed largely of loyal Cavern
fans. This was the last recording on which Pete
Best played drums.
1966, European radio stations
mistakenly reported that The Who's lead
singer Roger Daltrey was dead. Actually, it was
guitarist Pete Townshend who had been injured in a
car accident a few days earlier.
1967, Printed in this week's music
weekly Melody Maker's ad's pages, 'Freaky lead
guitarist, bass and drummer wanted for
Marc Bolan's new group. Also any
other astral flyers like with car's
amplification and that which never grows in
window boxes, phone Wimbledon 0697.' The
band who formed was Tyrannosaurus Rex, and
went on to release four underground folk albums
before becoming known as T Rex.
1977, Joe Strummer and Topper Headon
were detained overnight in prison in Newcastle
upon Tyne having failed to appear at Morpeth
Magistrates on May 21st. Both The Clash
members were to answer a charge relating to the
theft of a Holiday Inn pillowcase. They were both
fined £100.
2015, The Kinks' front
man and principle song writer Ray Davies was
awarded with a London Legend Award at a ceremony
held at the Camden Roundhouse. Davies said: “I
accept this on behalf of all the young writers
coming through, all the young people embarking
on careers and as a symbol of the future.”
1969, British supergroup Blind Faith,
featuring Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Rick
Grech and Steve Winwood made their live debut at a
free concert in London's Hyde Park. Their only album
release provoked controversy because the cover
featured a topless pubescent girl, holding a silver
space ship which some perceived as a phallic symbol.
The US record company issued it with an alternative
cover which showed a photograph of the band on the
front. Rumours about the girl's relationship to the
band fuelled the controversy; among them were that
she was a groupie kept as a slave by the band
members.
2010, Former Stereophonics
drummer and BBC Radio Wales presenter Stuart Cable
was found dead at him home near Aberdare in Wales
aged 40. His new band Killing for Company
had been due to appear at the Download rock
festival at Donington Park in a few days. Cable
had also been presenting a Rock show on BBC Radio
Wales.
2012, Bob Welch, an early
member of Fleetwood Mac who
enjoyed a successful solo career with hits such as
'Ebony Eyes,' was found dead after an apparent
suicide at home in Nashville. He was 66. Police
said Welch's body was found by his wife Wendy with
a single gunshot wound to the chest, and he had
left a suicide note. Welch was part of Fleetwood
Mac in their early years from 1971 to 1974 and
worked on such albums as Future Games and Bare
Trees.
2015, Sir Elton John lost
his cool during a performance at Gloucester's
Kingsholm Stadium in England after he likened a
steward to Hitler as she tried to stop crowds from
surging forward during a gig. In an
expletive-laden rant, John went on to say it was "not
China" and he picked out a female steward,
telling her: "You put a uniform on and you
think you're Hitler - well you're not."
1977, Led Zeppelin played
the first of six sold out nights at Madison Square
Garden in New York City during their 11th and
final North American tour. Playing a 3 hour set,
tickets cost $8.50 - $10.50.
1964, 'Liza Jane' became the first recording to be
released as a single by David Bowie (but
under the name Davie Jones with the King Bees).
Despite promoting the single on the television shows
Juke Box Jury, Ready Steady Go! and The Beat Room,
and receiving good radio coverage, the single sold
poorly and the band was subsequently dropped from
the label Vocalion Pop.
1968, The Jimi Hendrix
Experience appeared on the Dusty
Springfield TV show 'It Music Be Dusty', filmed on
ATV, in London. Hendrix performed 'Stone Free' and
'Voodoo Chile' and then played a version of
'Mockingbird' with Dusty Springfield.
1971, American blues rock band Grand
Funk Railroad smashed the record held
by The Beatles when they sold out New
York's Shea Stadium in 72 hours.
1990, American drummer Jim
Hodder drowned in his swimming pool aged 42.
He was the original drummer with Steely Dan
and also worked with Sammy Hagar and David
Soul.
1997, Ex Small Faces, The
Faces and leader of Slim Chance,
Ronnie Lane died aged 51 after a 20-year
battle with multiple sclerosis. Slim Chance had
the 1974 UK No.5 single 'How Come'.
2002, Dee Dee Ramone
(Douglas Glenn Colvin), bass guitarist with the
Ramones died at his Hollywood, California
apartment of a heroin overdose aged 49. He was the
group's primary songwriter, penning songs such as
'Rockaway Beach', '53rd & 3rd', and 'Poison
Heart'.
2003, A Grandfather who set up his
own pirate radio station in Wakefield, Yorkshire
was under investigation by local broadcasting
authorities. The man known as Ricky Rock had
erected a 32ft transmitter in his garden and had
been playing hits by The Beach Boys, Beatles
and Elvis Presley. Ricky said he set
the station up because 'talent-less boy bands
and dance music' featured on local stations
did not cater to the tastes of his generation.
2010, Led Zeppelin were
officially voted the nation’s favourite band by
the BBCs ‘I’m In A Rock ‘N` Roll Band’, coming
ahead of both The Beatles and Queen
in a phone-in vote. The show also featured Best
Singer, Guitarist, and Drummer live phone-in votes
which saw Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Bonham
all nominated in their categories. John Bonham was
crowned top drummer ahead of Dave Grohl and Keith
Moon, whilst Jimmy and Robert were runners
up to Jimi Hendrix and Freddie
Mercury respectively.
Week
commencing May
31 . . .
1967,
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Procol
Harum, Denny Laine and The Chiffons all
appeared at The Saville Theatre, London. Both Paul
McCartney and George Harrison
were in the audience to see Hendrix perform the
title track from Sgt. Pepper which had
been released just 3 days earlier.
1997,
Jeff Buckley's body was discovered
floating in the Mississippi River. Buckley had
disappeared when swimming on May 29th in Wolf River
Harbor while wearing boots, all of his clothing, and
singing the chorus of 'Whole Lotta Love'
by Led Zeppelin. A roadie in Buckley's band
had remained on shore, but after moving a radio and
guitar out of reach of the wake from a passing
tugboat he looked up to see that Buckley had
vanished.
1976, The Sex Pistols
appeared at The Lesser Free Trade Hall,
Manchester. The now legendary night is regarded as
a catalyst to the punk rock movement. In the
audience was, Morrissey, Bernard Sumner, Peter
Hook (soon to form Joy Division)
and Mark E Smith (The Fall). Tickets cost
£1.
1977, The Jam's debut
single 'In The City' made No.40 on the UK singles
chart. They went on to score 18 consecutive Top 40
singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in
1977 to their break-up in December 1982, including
four No.1 hits.
1990, American punk rock singer
Stiv Bators of the Dead Boys and
The Lords of the New Church died after being
hit by a taxi in Paris, France. Bators had been
out drinking when he was hit by a taxi while
crossing the road; he was taken to hospital but
left before seeing a doctor. He died in his sleep
as the result of a concussion.
1992, Iron Maiden played a
gig at the Oval pub, Norwich before 400 fans as The
Nodding Donkeys, as a thank you to the pub's
landlord Chris Hiles.
1967, David Bowie released his self titled
debut studio album. Two singles were released from
the album, 'Rubber Band' and 'The Laughing Gnome'.
The album's failure cost Bowie his record contract
with Deram Records who dropped him in April 1968.
1967, The Beatles released
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,
in the UK. Recorded over a 129-day period
beginning in December 1966, the album is widely
regarded as one of the greatest of all time and
was the first Beatles album where the track
listings were exactly the same for the UK and US
versions. As of 2011, it has sold more than 32
million copies worldwide, making it one of the
best-selling albums in history.
1973, Former Soft Machine
drummer Robert Wyatt broke his spine after
attempting to leave a party by climbing down a
drainpipe and falling three stories. It left Wyatt
permanently crippled and confined to a wheelchair.
1981, The first issue of the Heavy
Metal magazine Kerrang! was published as a special
pull-out by UK weekly music paper Sounds.
AC/DC had the front cover plus features on Motorhead,
Girlschool and Saxon.
1991, American soul singer David
Ruffin died of a drug overdose. After taking
a large amount of cocaine Ruffin passed out; a
friend drove him to a hospital in Philadelphia
where he later died. With The Temptations,
had the 1971 US No.1 & UK No. 8 single 'Just
My Imagination' and 'My Girl' (which Ruffin sang
lead vocals). Solo (1975 US No.9 & UK No.10
single 'Walk Away From Love').
1967, The Move, Cream, The Jimi Hendrix
Experience, Pink Floyd, Zoot Money, Geno
Washington and The Ram Jam Band all
appeared at the Tulip Bulb Auction Hall in Spalding,
Lincoln. Pink Floyd were only a support band
and played in a corner of the shed with a white
sheet behind them with coloured oil shining onto it.
Tickets cost £1. The poster advertising the show
promised a 'Knockout Atmosphere'.
1969, Crosby, Stills & Nash
released their self-titled debut on Atlantic
Records label. It spawned two Top 40 hits:
'Marrakesh Express' and 'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes'.
1971, The Rolling Stones
started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles
chart with 'Brown Sugar', from Sticky
Fingers. The first single released on
Rolling Stones Records, it was the band's sixth US
No.1, and a No.2 hit in the UK. The songs lyrics,
which are essentially a pastiche of a number of
taboo subjects, include: interracial sex,
cunnilingus, slave rape and, less distinctly,
sadomasochism, lost virginity and heroin.
1997, Singer songwriter Jeff
Buckley disappeared after taking a
swim in the Mississippi River, his body was found
on 4th June 1997 after being spotted by a
passenger on a tourist riverboat.
1999, Skeletal remains were found
by photographers looking for old car wrecks to
shoot at the bottom of Decker Canyon near Malibu,
California. Based on forensic evidence the remains
were Philip Kramer former bassist with rock group
Iron Butterfly, who had disappeared on his
way home from work on February 12, 1995. His death
was ruled as a probable suicide.
2009,
Phil Spector was jailed for at least 19
years for murdering an actress in 2003. The
producer, 69, famed for his Wall of Sound
recording technique, was last month found guilty
of shooting Lana Clarkson at his California home.
Spector had pleaded not guilty to the
second-degree murder during the five-month retrial
in Los Angeles. His lawyers said he would appeal.
Spector was given a sentence of 15 years to life
for second-degree murder and an additional four
years for personal use of a gun.
Week
commencing May
24 . . .
1966,
Percy Sledge started a two week run at No.1
on the US singles chart with 'When A Man Loves A
Woman'. A No.4 hit on the UK chart and No.2 when
re-issued in 1987. Before the recording session, the
song had no title or lyrics. The session proceeded
with the expectation that Sledge would produce them
for the vocal takes. When it came time to record the
vocals, Sledge improvised the lyrics with minimal
pre-planning, using the melody as a guide for rhythm
and phrasing. The performance was so convincing that
others working on the session assumed Sledge had the
lyrics written down.
1973, Pink Floyd’s The
Dark Side of The Moon was on both the UK
and US album charts. It remained in the US charts
for 741 discontinuous weeks from 1973 to 1988,
longer than any other album in history. (After
moving to the Billboard Top Pop Catalog Chart, the
album notched up a further 759 weeks, and had
reached a total of over 1,500 weeks on the
combined charts by May 2006).
1976, The Allman Brothers Band
temporarily disbanded after Greg Allman testified
against Scooter Herring, his personal road
manager, who was charged with drug trafficking.
Herring was subsequently sentenced to 75 years in
prison. An album of previously unreleased live
material was issued later in the year under the
title 'Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar
Gas'.
1977, Sting, Stewart Copeland and
Andy Summers played together for the first time
when they performed as part of Mike Howlett's
band, Strontium 90 in Paris, France.
1983, The four day US Festival '83
took place in California, featuring The
Clash, U2, David Bowie, The
Pretenders, Van Halen, Stray Cats, Men At Work,
Judas Priest, Stevie Nicks, Willie Nelson,
INXS, Joe Walsh, Motley Crue
and Ozzy Osbourne. Over 750,000 fans
attended the festival.
1949, Born on this day (Sunday), Wendy
O. Williams singer with The
Plasmatics, a New York punk band who had the
1980 UK No. 55 single ‘Butcher Baby’. She died
from self-inflicted gunshot wounds on April 6th
1998.
1955, Born on this day (Sunday), John
McGeoch, guitar, member of Magazine
(1978 UK No.41 single 'Shot By Both Sides'). Also
worked with Siouxsie And The Banshees, Armoury
Show, Public Image Ltd. Died in his sleep
5th March 2004 aged 49.
1967, Procol Harum's 'A Whiter
Shade Of Pale' entered the UK chart for the first
time, where it went on to become a No.1 hit. 'A
Whiter Shade Of Pale' became the most played song
in the last 75 years in public places in the UK
(as of 2009). The first video for the song was
shot in the ruins of Witley Court in
Worcestershire. Directed by Peter Clifton whose
insertion of Vietnam War newsreel footage caused
it to be banned from airplay on Top Of The Pops.
The band subsequently made another video.
1963, US blues guitarist and singer Elmore James
died of a heart attack aged 45. James wrote 'Shake
Your Money Maker', which was covered by Fleetwood
Mac in 1968. Known as "The King of the Slide
Guitar", James influenced Jimi Hendrix, B.B.
King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and
Keith Richards.
1970, Peter Green played his
last gig with Fleetwood Mac when they
appeared at the Bath Festival, Somerset.
1991, Founder member of The
Byrds, Gene Clark, died of a heart
attack aged 49. Wrote The Byrds hits 'I'll Feel a
Whole Lot Better', and 'Eight Miles High', member
of McGuinn, Clark and Hillman and solo.
2010, Paul Gray, the bassist with
US metal band Slipknot, was found dead in a
hotel in Des Moines, Iowa. The body of the
38-year-old musician was found by an employee at
the hotel in a suburb of the city. Police said
foul play was not suspected but an autopsy would
be carried out. The nine members of Slipknot wore
masks in public and referred to other bandmates by
numbers; Gray was number two.
1971, The Rolling Stones album 'Sticky
Fingers' started a four-week run at No.1 on the US
charts, the group's second US No.1 album. The
artwork for Sticky Fingers which, on the
original vinyl release, featured a working zipper
that opened to reveal cotton briefs, was conceived
by American pop artist Andy Warhol. The cover, a
photo of Joe Dallesandro's crotch clad in tight blue
jeans, was assumed by many fans to be an image of
Mick Jagger. The album also features the first usage
of the "Tongue and Lip Design" designed by John
Pasche.
1958, Jerry Lee Lewis arrived
at London's Heathrow Airport to begin his first
British tour, along with his new bride, 14 year
old third cousin, Myra. Although advised not to
mention it, Lewis answered all questions about his
private life. The public's shock over Lewis'
marriage marks the start of a controversy leading
to his British tour being cancelled after just 3
of the scheduled 37 performances.
1968, Gary Puckett and the Union
Gap were at No.1 on the UK singles chart
with 'Young Girl.' The song which was about
under-age sex, was the acts only UK No.1.
2011, Four dead dogs in 'sealed
containers' were found in the Tennessee home of
former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent
during an investigation that led to his arrest on
charges of assaulting his wife. Vincent, a member
of Kiss from 1982 to 1984, was released after
posting $10,000 bond after his arrest by the
Rutherford County Sheriff's Department.
1970, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
released the protest single Ohio, written and
composed by Neil Young in reaction to the
Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970, when unarmed
college students were shot by the Ohio National
Guard. The guardsmen fired 67 rounds over a period
of 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding
nine others, one of whom suffered permanent
paralysis.
1972, The Doors, Pink
Floyd, The Faces, Family,
Curved Air, Atomic Rooster, The Kinks,
Rory Gallagher, Uriah Heep, Country
Joe McDonald, Buddy Miles, Status Quo, Brinsley
Schwarz, Spencer Davis, The Strawbs and Humble
Pie all appeared at the 2nd British Rock
Meeting, Insel Grun, Germersheim, West Germany.
The festival was due to take place in Mannheim,
West Germany, but after protests from the locals,
the concert actually took place in nearby
Germersheim.
1974, Two would-be concert promoters
were arrested by police in America on fraud
charges in connection with selling mail order
tickets for a forthcoming Elten John
show. (Elten with an E and not an O). Police took
away over $12,000 in cheques.
1980, Joe Strummer of The Clash
was arrested at a much-troubled gig in Hamburg,
Germany, after smashing his guitar over the head
of a member of the audience; he was released after
an alcohol test proved negative.
2008, Lou Pearlman, the
music mogul who created the Backstreet Boys and 'N
Sync, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison
over a decades-long scam that swindled thousands
of investors out of their life savings. Many
victims were Pearlman's relatives, friends and
retirees in their 70s or 80s who lost everything.
2013, Trevor Bolder, the
bassist in David Bowie's legendary 1970s
backing band Spiders From Mars, died from cancer
at the age of 62. Bolder appeared on the studio
albums Hunky Dory (1971), The Rise and
Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
(1972), Aladdin Sane (1973), and Pin Ups (1973).
He joined Uriah Heep in 1976, replacing
John Wetton.
Week
commencing May
17 . . .
1964,
Rudy Lewis of The Drifters died aged 28
under mysterious circumstances the night before the
group was set to record 'Under the Boardwalk'.
Former Drifters backup singer Johnny Moore was
brought back to perform lead vocals for the
recording session.
1966, Pete Townshend and
Roger Daltrey of The Who grew tired
of waiting for John Entwistle and Keith
Moon to arrive for their gig at the Ricky
Tick Club in Windsor, so they took to the stage
with the bass player and drummer of the local band
that opened the show. When Moon and Entwistle
finally arrived in the middle of the set, a fight
broke out, with Townshend hitting Moon on the head
with his guitar. Moon and Entwistle quit the band
(and rejoined a week later).
1967, The Beatles new album
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band had
a special preview on the Kenny Everett BBC Light
program, 'Where It's At', playing every track from
the album (except 'A Day In The Life' which the
BBC had banned saying it could promote drug
taking).
1969, While watching a baseball game
in Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, Peter Cetera of Chicago
was set upon by four Marines (because they didn't
like the length of his hair). They broke his jaw,
resulting in the singer spending two days in
intensive care.
1998, Black Sabbath
drummer Bill Ward was taken to hospital in
London after suffering a heart attack during a
band rehearsal.
2014,
Prince Rupert Loewenstein, the Bavarian banker
credited with turning The Rolling Stones
into the world's richest rock band, died at the
age of 80. It was on Loewenstein's advice that the
Stones became tax exiles, decamping to the South
of France in the 1970s. He famously wrote he was "never
a fan of the Stones' music".
1966, During his 1966 world tour, Bob Dylan
and Robbie Robertson from The Band
were filmed singing several songs in a hotel room in
Glasgow, the footage turning up in the film Eat The
Document. The film was originally commissioned for
the ABC television series Stage '66, but after Dylan
edited the film himself ABC rejected it as
'incomprehensible for a mainstream audience'.
1980,
Joy Division singer and guitarist Ian
Curtis hanged himself in the kitchen of his
house in Macclesfield, at the age of 23. Curtis
had the Iggy Pop album 'The Idiot',
playing on his stereo and left a note that said,
'At this very moment, I wish I were dead. I just
can't cope anymore.' Joy Division released
the critically acclaimed debut album Unknown
Pleasures in 1979, and recorded their follow-up
'Closer' in 1980.
1969, Pete Townshend spent the night in a US jail
for assaulting a man during a Who gig at The
Fillmore East. What Townshend didn't know was the
man who jumped onto the stage was a plainclothes
policeman trying to warn the audience that a fire
had broken out. The Who guitarist was later
fined $30 for the offence.
1966, The Beach Boys released the
album Pet Sounds in the US. The album is now
regarded as the masterpiece of composer-producer
Brian Wilson. To confirm this, Pet Sounds has been
widely ranked as one of the most influential
records ever released and has been ranked at No.1
in several music magazines lists of greatest
albums of all time, including New Musical Express,
The Times and Mojo Magazine. In 2003 it was ranked
No.2 in Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All
Time list, (Sgt. Pepper's came first).
1966, Bob Dylan's
iconic Blonde On Blonde album was released,
reaching No.9 in the US charts and No.3 in the UK.
Rock's first double album, and Dylan's seventh
studio effort, it was recorded with Al Kooper,
Robbie Robertson and Nashville country music
session players, and had what Dylan later called
‘that wild mercury sound’.
1977, The London Evening Standard
reported that Led Zeppelin singer Robert
Plant had been arrested at Atlanta Airport for
being drunk and pulling a knife. Since Plant was
at his home in Wales at the time of the incident,
the person arrested was a man impersonating Plant
and the British paper ran an apology the following
night.
2010, Ronnie James Dio,
singer with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath
and his own band Dio, died after a
six-month battle with stomach cancer. He was 67
years old. Dio’s career began in 1957 with The
Vegas Kings, which later changed to Ronnie
and the Rumblers, then Ronnie and the
Redcaps, then in 1961, Ronnie Dio and
the Prophets. In 1967, Dio and Prophets
guitarist Nick Pantas formed the Electric
Elves, which shortened its name to Elf.
The band’s success eventually landed them an
opening slot for Deep Purple which
exposed Dio’s voice to Deep Purple’s guitarist,
Ritchie Blackmore, who later recruited Dio and
other members of Elf for his new band Rainbow.
Week
commencing May
8 . . .
1958,
The Everly Brothers started a four-week run
at No.1 in the US with 'All I Have To Do Is Dream'.
Written by the husband and wife songwriting team
Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, the track was recorded
in just two takes.
1963, Bob Dylan walked out
of rehearsals for the US TV Ed Sullivan show after
being told he couldn't perform his song Talking
John Birch Paranoid Blues due to it mocking the US
military and segregation. CBS officials asked
Dylan to substitute it for another song, but the
singer reportedly said: 'No, this is what I
want to do. If I can't play my song, I'd rather
not appear on the show'.
1968, Brian Jones made
his final live appearance with The Rolling
Stones when they appeared at the New Musical
Express Poll Winners Concert at the Empire Pool,
Wembley. Jones drowned while under the influence
of drugs and alcohol after taking a midnight swim
in his pool, on 3rd July 1969 aged 27.
1981, Meat Loaf filed for
bankruptcy with debts of over $1 million.
1996, 17-year-old Bernadette
O'Brien died the day after being injured
'body surfing' at a Smashing Pumpkins gig
at The Point, Dublin.
2000, Thieves stole the gates to
Strawberry Fields the Merseyside landmark
immortalised by The Beatles song. The 10'
high iron gates were later found at local scrap
metal dealers in Liverpool.
1970, The triple soundtrack album Woodstock
was released in the US, going gold within two weeks.
The album featured tracks by; Canned Heat, Richie
Havens, Country Joe McDonald, Crosby, Stills &
Nash, The Who, Jefferson
Airplane, Joe Cocker, Santana and others. The
couple on the album cover are Bobbi Kelly and Nick
Ercoline.
1974, Led Zeppelin attended
an Elvis Presley show at the Los
Angeles Forum in California. After a shaky start
to the show, Elvis stopped the band and jokingly
said: ‘Wait a minute, if we can start together
fellas, because we’ve got Led Zeppelin out
there, lets try to look like we know what we're
doing.’ All four members of Zeppelin met
with Elvis after the show, spending over 2 hours
backstage. Elvis asked for all the group’s
autographs for his daughter Lisa Marie.
1985, UK producer and keyboard
player Paul Hardcastle was at No.1 on the
UK singles chart with '19'. The title referred to
the average age of American soldiers in the
Vietnam War and features dialogue by television
narrator Peter Thomas, and a strong anti-war
message.
2003, Jimi Hendrix
Experience bassist Noel Redding
died at his home in Ireland aged 57. Redding
played on the classic Hendrix albums 'Are You
Experienced', 'Axis: Bold as Love' and 'Electric
Ladyland,' Right up until his death, Redding had
been taking legal action against the Hendrix
estate for payment estimated at £3.26 million for
his part in recordings and for ongoing royalties.
Had also been a member of Fat Mattress and formed
The Noel Redding Band.
2011, One of the rarest rock
t-shirts in the world sold for $10,000 (£6096.00),
the largest sum ever paid for a vintage t-shirt.
The record-setting sale of a 1979 Led
Zeppelin t-shirt on eBay was sold by Kyle
Ermatinger of Stormcrow Vintage. The recent
completion of the transaction placed the purchase
as the world's rarest and most expensive vintage
t-shirt.
1947, Born on this day (Thursday),
American drummer Butch Trucks, The
Allman Brothers Band (1973 US No.12 single
'Ramblin Man'). Trucks died of a self-inflicted
gunshot wound to the head on January 24, 2017, in
West Palm Beach, Florida, at the age of 69.
1966, Born on this day (Thursday),
Christoph "Doom" Schneider, drummer, Rammstein.
1967, Sandie Shaw was at No.1 on the UK
singles chart with 'Puppet On A String'. This week's
two highest new entries were Jimi Hendrix
with 'The Wind Cries Mary' and The Kinks
'Waterloo Sunset'.
1970, Guess Who started a
three-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart
with 'American Woman', it was the group's sixth
Top 30 hit and only chart topper. The song was
born by accident when guitarist Randy Bachman was
playing a heavy riff on stage after he had broken
a string, the other members joined in on the jam.
A fan in the audience who had recorded the gig on
tape presented it to the group after the show and
they developed it into a full song.
1980, 'I Don't Like Mondays' by
The Boomtown Rats won the best pop song and
outstanding British lyric categories at the 25th
Ivor Novello Awards. And Supertramp's 'The
Logical Song' won Best Song Musically and
Lyrically. Boomtown Rats lead singer Bob Geldoff
was inspired to write the song after reading about
the tragic shooting spree when 16-year-old Brenda
Spencer killed two people and wounded nine others
when she fired from her house across the street
onto the entrance of San Diego's Grover Cleveland
Elementary School. Asked why she did it she said
'I Don't like Mondays'.
2013, David Bowie's
latest video which starred Gary Oldman and Marion
Cotillard, was temporarily pulled from YouTube
over its graphic content. "The Next Day" featured
heavy religious imagery, including Cotillard
bleeding from stigmata marks. The video sees Bowie
performing in a basement bar, surrounded by
religious figures, while Oldman, dressed as a
priest, punches a beggar before dancing with a
prostitute, played by Oscar-winner Cotillard.
YouTube admitted making the "wrong call" in
removing the video, and reinstated it with an
adult content warning.
1965, The filming of the promotional film for Bob
Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues
took place at the side of the Savoy Hotel in London.
Actors in the background were Allen Ginsberg and Bob
Neuwirth. The original clip was actually the opening
segment of D. A. Pennebaker's film, Don't Look Back,
a documentary on Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of England.
In the film, Dylan, who came up with the idea, holds
up cue cards for the camera with selected words and
phrases from the lyrics. The cue cards were written
by Donovan, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Neuwirth and
Dylan himself. While staring at the camera, he
flipped the cards as the song played.
1974, UK keyboard player Graham
Bond committed suicide after throwing
himself under a London tube train at Finsbury Park
station, aged 36. It took police two days to
identify his body which was crushed beyond all
recognition. Briefly a member of Blues
Incorporated, a group led by Alexis
Korner, before forming the Graham Bond
Quartet, with a lineup of Bond on vocals and
organ, Ginger Baker on drums and Jack Bruce on
bass.
1976, BBC Radio 1 DJ
Johnny Walker announced he was quitting the
station after being told he must pretend to like The
Bay City Rollers.
1984, Roger Waters
released his first solo album The Pros And Cons Of
Hitch Hiking. The concept album, as originally
envisioned by Waters in 1977, rotated around a
man's thoughts during a midlife crisis, and
featured guest musicians Eric Clapton on
guitar, David Sanborn on saxophone and Michael
Kamen on piano.
Week
commencing May
1 . . .
1966,
The Mamas and the Papas started a three week
run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Monday
Monday', it made No.3 in the UK. The group was
reported as saying they all hated the song except
for its writer John Phillips. The Mamas and the
Papas won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by
a Duo or Group with Vocal for this song.
1967, Pearls Before Swine
begin recording an album called 'One Nation
Underground'. The LP included a song called 'Miss
Morse', which would be banned in New York when it
was discovered that lead singer Tom Rapp was
singing F-U-C-K in Morse code. After disc jockey
Murray The K played the record on the air, local
Boy Scouts correctly interpreted the chorus and
phoned in a complaint.
1971, 'Moonage Daydream' was
released as a single by Arnold Corns, a band
formed by David Bowie the name of which
was inspired by the Pink Floyd song
'Arnold Layne'. This was one of Bowie’s side
projects and something of a dry run for Ziggy
Stardust. The song later reappeared on Ziggy
Stardust in a new version with updated lyrics.
1972, The Rolling Stones
released the second album on their own label,
Exile On Main Street, featuring two hit singles,
'Tumbling Dice' and 'Happy'. In 2003, the album
was ranked No. 7 on Rolling Stone magazine's list
of the 500 greatest albums of all time, the
highest of any Stones album on the list.
1992, Nigel Preston drummer with The
Cult died in London, England aged 32. Was a
founding member of The Death Cult, he also
played and recorded with Sex Gang Children,
Theatre of Hate and The Gun Club.
1961, Born on this day (Sunday), Phil
Campbell, lead guitar, Persian Risk,
Motorhead, who had the 1980 UK No.15 single
'Ace Of Spades'.
1968, The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded
'Voodoo Chile.' It was featured on the 'Electric
Ladyland' double album and became a UK No.1 single
on 21st November 1970 two months after the
guitarist's death. Hendrix's solo on the track was
named the 11th greatest solo of all-time in Guitar
World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.
1972, Les Harvey guitarist
with Stone The Crows died after being
electrocuted on stage during a gig at Swansea
University, Wales. He was the brother of Scottish
singer Alex Harvey and a member of the Alex
Harvey Soul Band.
2004, The US Supreme Court rejected
an appeal by two musicians who claimed they were
owed royalties from Ozzy Osbourne.
Bassist Robert Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake
had fought a long-running battle since 1997 with
the Osbourne family claiming they were entitled to
money from the albums ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ and ‘Diary
of a Madman.’ Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy's wife and
manager, said that the pair had "harassed" her
family and had had their contributions removed
from the albums because of their "abusive and
unjust behaviour".
2009,
Bob Dylan went to No.1 on the UK album
chart with ‘Together Through Life’ his seventh
UK No.1 album. It was the singer, songwriter’s
33rd studio album, he last topped the UK chart
with ‘New Morning’ in 1970. His first No.1 in
1964, was ‘The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'. Dylan
now held the record (previously held by Tom
Jones), for the longest gap between solo number
one albums.
1966, The Beatles played live for the last
time in the UK when they appeared at the NME Poll
Winners concert at Wembley Empire Pool. The Beatles
set included; 'I Feel Fine', 'Nowhere Man', 'Day
Tripper', 'If I Needed Someone' and 'I'm Down'. Also
on the bill: The Spencer Davis Group, The
Fortunes, Herman's Hermits, Roy Orbison,
The Rolling Stones, The Seekers, The
Small Faces, Dusty Springfield, The Walker
Brothers, The Who and The Yardbirds.
1977, The 'White Riot Tour' kicked
of at the Roxy in London with The Clash,
The Jam and The Buzzcocks.
1984, Fleetwood Mac drummer
Mick Fleetwood filed for bankruptcy. It was
reported that the drummer had spent thousands of
dollars a month on cocaine, and had refused to
listen to financial advisers, buying up several
homes, a $400,000 spread in Hawaii and a $1.8
million farm outside Sydney, Australia.
1997, Status Quo guitarist
Rick Parfitt had a quadruple heart by-pass
operation after visiting his Harley Street doctor
and complaining of chest pains.
Week
commencing
April 24 . . .
1970, Twiggs Lyndon, the road manager for The
Allman Brothers Band was arrested for murder
after he stabbed a club manager during an argument
over a contract. At the ensuing trial, Lyndon's
lawyers argued that he had been temporarily insane
at the time of the incident and that touring with
the Allman Brothers would drive anyone insane.
Lyndon was acquitted.
1976, The Who's drummer, Keith
Moon, paid nine cab drivers to block-off
both ends of a New York street so he could throw
the contents of his hotel room out of the window.
1977, Led Zeppelin broke a
new world attendance record at a concert when they
played to 76,229 people at a gig at the Pontiac
Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan. The Who
held the previous record at the same venue with
75,962 people.
1983, American Blues legend Muddy
Waters (McKinley Morganfield) died in
his sleep at his home in Westmont, Illinois, aged
68. Major influence of many acts: Cream,
Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin. The
Rolling Stones named themselves after
Waters' 1950 song 'Rollin' Stone.' Best known
songs include 'I Just Want To Make Love To You',
'I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man', 'Got My Mojo
Working.'
1999, Nazareth drummer
Darrell Sweet died aged 52, after suffering a
fatal heart attack before a show in New Albany,
Indiana. Nazareth had the 1973 UK No.9 single
'Broken Down Angel' 1976 US No. 8 single 'Love
Hurts'.
2014, Guitarist Wilko Johnson
had a major operation in an attempt to treat his
pancreatic cancer. Johnson was diagnosed at the
end of 2012 and was given 10 months to live after
rejecting chemotherapy. Johnson told Q magazine
that a cancer doctor had become curious as to why
he wasn't dead. And why he wasn't even sick -
which resulted in more tests.
1969, Pink Floyd appeared at Mothers Club in
Erdington, Birmingham. Iconic dj John Peel
reviewed the gig as '...sounding like dying
galaxies lost in sheer corridors of time and
space'. Recordings from this show were
included in the group’s 1969 album Ummagumma.
2009, Pearl Jam
bassist Jeff Ament was the victim of a robbery
outside Southern Tracks Recording studios in
Atlanta, where the band were recording. Ament and
a band employee had arrived at the rear of the
studio when three assailants brandishing knives
emerged from the woods wearing black masks and
smashed the windows of a rented Jeep. The robbers
grabbed a BlackBerry and Ament's passport and
stole $3,000 in cash and $4,320 worth of goods.
2009, Aerosmith were to
hold a free concert in Hawaii to placate angry
fans who brought a legal case against them. Fans
filed a class action case, which claimed the band
had cancelled a sold-out show in Maui two years
ago, leaving hundreds of fans out of pocket in
favour of a bigger gig in Chicago. Lawyers for the
would-be concert-goers said Aerosmith had now
agreed to put on a new show, and would pay all
expenses. Everyone who bought a ticket to the
original concert would receive a free ticket.
2013, A blue plaque was unveiled
at Swansea railway station, Wales, honouring Peter
Ham who co-wrote 'Without You', a hit for
both Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey. Ham was a
member of Badfinger who were signed to
The Beatles Apple Records label (and enjoyed
their biggest hit in 1970 with a Paul
McCartney penned, 'Come And Get It'. Ham took his
own life in 1975 at the age of 27 - reportedly due
to ongoing copyright issues with Harry Nilsson.
Peter Ham was born on this day (Thursday) in 1947.
1969, During the band's second North American tour
Led Zeppelin played the second of two nights
at The Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco in
California. It was during this show that 'Whole
Lotta Love' was played live for the first
time.
1982, Out on a day's shopping, Rod
Stewart was robbed by a gunman of his
$50,000 Porsche on Hollywood Boulevard in Los
Angeles.
1988, Mick Jagger appeared
in White Plains, New York, Federal Court in the
copyright infringement case brought by reggae
singer Patrick Alley, who claimed the Mick Jagger
solo track Just Another Night was a plagiarism of
his own song of the same name. Alley was claiming
$7m in profits from the track. During the case Sly
Dunbar played drums to the court to show how the
beats were different in each song and Mick sang
and played demos of his song to show the court the
development of the track. At the end of the
week-long trial, Jagger won the case.
1997, Ernest Stewart,
keyboard player with KC and the Sunshine Band,
died of an asthma attack (1975 US No.1 single
'That's The Way, I Like It', 1983 UK No.1 single
'Give It Up').
2016, A list of tracks by a death
metal band was accidentally printed on the back of
a new album by UK comedian Bernie Clifton. The
80-year-old (who is famous for riding a yellow
ostrich), said he was "fuming and furious" about
the error, which saw songs by the group Abhorrent
Decimation printed on his new CD.
1965, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders went
to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Game Of Love',
a No.2 hit in the UK. Wayne took his name from DJ
Fontana the Elvis Presley drummer. Eric
Stewart, guitarist in the Mindbenders, went on
join Hotlegs and 10CC.
1975, Peter Ham, British
singer, songwriter with Badfinger
committed suicide by hanging himself in the garage
of his Surrey home, aged 27. Ham co-wrote 'Without
You', with band mate Tom Evans (who also later
committed suicide). The song won an Ivor Novello
award for Song Of The Year in 1973, and was a hit
for Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey.
It is believed that copyright issues concerning
Harry Nilsson over the song was the major cause of
both suicides. Ham was a founder member of The
Iveys, who became Badfinger, and were
signed to the Beatles' Apple label. Their first
hit 'Come And Get It' was written by Paul
McCartney.
1968, Deep Purple made their live debut
at a gig in Tastrup, Denmark. Formerly known as Roundabout,
guitarist Ritchie Blackmore suggested a new name:
Deep Purple, named after his grandmother's favourite
song (which had been a hit for Peter De Rose), after
his grandmother had repeatedly asked if they would
be performing the song.
1968, Apple Music ran advertisements
soliciting tapes from unknown artists, offering
financial grants as part of a deal to release
records on the Apple label. Artists such as
Badfinger, James Taylor, Mary Hopkin,
Jackie Lomax, David Peel and Elephant's
Memory were signed up.
 1979, Lighting director Billy Duffy was
killed in an accident during a Kate Bush
concert in Southampton. 21-year old Duffy fell
twenty feet through an open trap door on the
stage. Kate Bush held a benefit concert for his family on
12th May with Peter Gabriel and Steve
Harley at London's Hammersmith Odeon.
1991, Steve Marriott leader
of Small Faces and Humble Pie,
died in a fire at his home in Essex. His work
became a major influence for many 90s bands. Small
Faces had the 1967 UK No.3 & US No.16 single
'Itchycoo Park', plus 1968 No.1 UK album 'Ogden's
Nut Gone Flake', Humble Pie, 1969 UK No.4 single
'Natural Born Bugie'. As a child actor he played
parts in Dixon of Dock Green and The Artful Dodger
in Oliver.
1992, 'A Concert For Life' took
place at Wembley Stadium as a tribute to Queen
singer Freddie Mercury and for aids
awareness. Acts appearing included; Elton
John, Roger Daltrey, Tony Iommi (Black
Sabbath), David Bowie, Mick
Ronson, James Hetfield, George Michael,
Seal, Paul Young, Annie Lennox, Lisa
Stansfield, Robert Plant, Joe Elliott and Phil
Collen, Axl Rose and Slash.
2001, A memorial concert for
former Small Faces and Humble Pie
frontman Steve Marriott took place at the
London Astoria with Peter Frampton, Midge Ure,
Chris Farlowe and Humble Pie.
1968, John Lennon, George Harrison
and their wives left the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's
ashram in Rishikesh, India two weeks before their
study was complete. Ringo and Paul had already left.
1969, Smile (later to be
known as Queen) appeared at the
Revolution Club in London.
1980, 32 year old English singer
Brian Johnson joined Australian group AC/DC,
replacing Bon Scott who had died after
a drinks binge in February 1980. Johnson's first
band was the Gobi Desert Canoe Club. He
was also in a band called Fresh. From
1970, Johnson played with cabaret/club band The
Jasper Hart Band, performing songs from the
musical Hair. He and other members of the band
went on to form Geordie.
2010, A week after Catholic Church
officials published an article in the Vatican's
L'Osservatore Romano newspaper that said they
forgive John Lennon's remarks about The Beatles
being "bigger than Jesus", Ringo Starr
rejected their forgiveness. The newspaper's
editors had written "The Beatles said they
were bigger than Jesus and put out mysterious
messages, that were possibly even Satanic...
(but) what would Pop music be like without the
Beatles?" Ringo was unimpressed and replied
"Didn't the Vatican say we were Satanic or
possibly Satanic? And they've still forgiven us?
I think the Vatican, they've got more to talk
about than the Beatles."
1956, Born on this day
(Wednesday), English singer Tony Martin,
best known for his time fronting Black Sabbath,
initially from 1987 to 1991 and again from 1993 to
1997. Martin was the band's second longest serving
vocalist after Ozzy Osbourne.
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