Today in rock history 7th August

1952 – Free bassist Andy Fraser is born in London 1957 – The Quarry Men Skiffle Group, led by a young John Lennon, perform at Liverpool’s Cavern Club. 1958 – Vocalist Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden is born in Sheffield 1964 – The nation’s weeklies review the Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night. “Avoid this film at all costs!” declares Time. “Some Marx Brothers surrealism!” notes Life. “Amusing and engaging!” decides The Los Angeles Herald Examiner. 1965 – In England, the Byrds’ “Mr. Tambourine Man” is knocked out of the No. 1 spot by the Beatles’ “Help!” 1967 – Pink Floyd begin a tour of Denmark 1970 – Fleetwood Mac welcome new member Christine McVie, the wife of bass player John McVie and a former vocalist with Chicken Shack. 1971 – At Los Angeles’ Pauley Pavilion, Frank Zappa & the Mothers play the gig that becomes their album Just Another Band from L.A. 1974 – Vocalist Peter Wolf of the J. Geils Band marries actress Faye Dunaway. 1978 – Rolling Stones publicist Les Perrin dies 1982 – Sting sues Virgin Music Publishing. He alleges that he signed a deal with the company that gives it unfair control of his early material. 1985 – To Mick Jagger, a son. Mick and Jerry Hall are the proud parents of James Leroy Jagger. 1986 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Glory of Love,” Peter Cetera. 1989 – After his arrest on charges of marijuana possession, U2’s Adam Clayton stays silent during a 90-second hearing in Dublin. He’s set free on bail and will return to court on September 1st. 1995 – Alanis Morissette’s biting “You Oughta Know” soars to No. 1 on Chart Toppers’s Modern Rock chart and is the most requested tune on rock radio. 2006 - Gene Simmons Family Jewels premiered on the A&E Network. The program follows the life of Simmons, his longtime partner Shannon Tweed & their two children. 2008 – Elvis’ Peacock Jumpsuit sells for $300k 2008 - The Police performed what they said would be their final concert ever at Madison Square Garden, which was a benefit concert for public television.

Today in rock history 6th August

1964 – Rod Stewart makes his television debut on the British show “The Beat Room.” 1970 – An anti-war rock festival is held at Shea Stadium, New York, with Janis Joplin, Paul Simon, Steppenwolf, and Johnny Winter. 1981 – Motorhead bassist Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor is fined 40 pounds after being found guilty of cannabis possession. The judge throws another 15 pound fine on top of that because Philthy didn’t show up for his initial trial in April. 1988 - After 57 weeks on the Billboard 200 Album Chart, Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction finally reached number one where it spent the first of five non-consecutive weeks on top of the chart. 1996 – Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder videotapes the Ramones placing their hands in cement on the Hollywood Rock Walk prior to a Ramones show at The Palace. The Ramones claim this is their last show ever. 1996 – Vince Neil, former singer of ’80’s metal band Motley Crue, attempts to play a show at an Indiana club. The show, starting more than four hours late, ends after only three songs. Neil claims that he isn’t feeling well, and that the audience of “rednecks” don’t appreciate his talent. No refunds are offered 1998 – Ted Nugent, the singer/songwriter, guitarist, politician, self-proclaimed outdoorsman, and morning talk-show host embarks on a 15-city U.S. jaunt in Los Angeles. 1999 - Dick Latvala, the curator for the Grateful Dead’s bootlegs died of a heart attack at 56 years old. His collection of bootlegs was officially released as part of the Dick’s Picks series. 2007 – Marilyn Manson was being sued by a former band member who said he was owed $20m (£9.8m) in shared profits. Stephen Bier, who played keyboards under the stage name Madonna Wayne Gacy, claimed he was not paid properly over a period of almost two decades.

Today in rock history 5th August

1947 - Rick Derringer born 1955 - Eddie Ojeda,guitarist for Twisted Sister is born 1966 – In Britain, the Beatles release Revolver, frequently cited as the best album ever made. 1967 – Pink Floyd release their debut album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn, in England. 1972 – Clive Davis signs a young band called Aerosmith to CBS Records after seeing them play Max’s Kansas City in New York. They receive $125,000 for their services. 1974 – Svengali Kim Fowley brings together the four girls who will form the Runaways, including Joan Jett and Lita Ford. 1983 - David Crosby was sentenced to five years in prison in Texas for cocaine possession and carrying a gun into a bar. Crosby slept through most of the trial & would later be allowed to enter a drug rehabilitation program in lieu of serving jail time. 1992 – Drummer Jeff Porcaro dies of cardiac arrest at age 38. The co-founder of Toto was spraying insecticide in his yard and developed an allergic reaction that triggered the heart attack. 1994 – Billy Idol is admitted to Burbank, Calif.’s St. Joseph’s Medical Center after collapsing from a drug overdose in a Los Angeles nightclub. He’s released two days later. 1996 – Bruce Springsteen sues two London bootleggers who were distributing an album attributed to him titled Unearthed. 2001 – The Foo Fighters treat 300 lucky fans to a rare club show at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, Calif. Winners are chosen from a pool of E-mail entries submitted to the group’s official Web site. 2003 – Smash Mouth release their new album Get the Picture?. The band celebrate with a performance in a New York Toys ‘R’ Us. 2003 – The Rolling Stones are forced to postpone a gig in Benidorm, Spain after 60-year-old Mick Jagger contracts laryngitis. 2003 – Lynyrd Skynyrd cancel the remainder of their Party of a Lifetime tour after lead guitarist Gary Rossington’s doctor tells him to take it easy. Rossington underwent open-heart surgery in February. 2009 - Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler fell offstage during a concert in Sturgis, SD. Tyler was dancing on the catwalk after the band’s sound equipment suffered an outage during “Love in an Elevator”. Tyler suffered a broken shoulder along with head & neck injuries.

Today in rock history 4th August

1940 – Born on this day, Larry Knechtel, guitar, Keyboards, Bread 1963 – The Beatles appeared at the Queen’s Theatre in Blackpool. So many fans crowded around the theatre, blocking every entrance, that The Beatles had to go through a construction area, up and across some scaffolding to the roof of the theatre, from where they were lowered through a trap door. 1965 – Bob Dylan completes recording Highway 61 Revisited after laying down “Desolation Row” and “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues.” 1966 – Several American radio stations pull Beatles records from their playlists following John Lennon’s “more popular than Jesus” comment. 1968 – The two day Newport Pop Festival took place in California with Canned Heat, Sonny & Cher, Steppenwolf, The Byrds, The Grateful Dead, Tiny Tim, Iron Butterfly and Jefferson Airplane. Over 100,000 fans attended the festival. 1970 – After falling asleep on a woman’s porch in Los Angeles, Jim Morrison is arrested for public drunkenness. 1975 - Rainbow released their debut album Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow 1975 – Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant and his family are hospitalized after a car crash on the Greek island of Rhodes. 1979 – Led Zeppelin play to 120,000 people at Knebworth Park in England. It’s their first concert in the U.K. in four years. 1979 – Some 20,000 people attend a benefit in Inglewood, Calif., for the family of the late Lowell George. Among those paying tribute to the Little Feat frontman are Linda Ronstadt, Michael McDonald, and Jackson Browne. 1980 – Pink Floyd kick off five nights of the Wall tour at London’s Earls Court. During the ambitious show, a giant wall is built across the stage between the band and the audience. 1980 – John Lennon began recording what would become his final album ‘Double Fantasy’ at The Hit Factory, New York. 1984 – Genesis drummer and solo artist Phil Collins marries Jill Tavelman. At the reception, Collins “jams” with Eric Clapton and Robert Plant. 1990 - Billy Idol peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Cradle of Love” which was Idol’s last top forty single in the U.S. 2002 – Bruce Springsteen scored his fifth UK No.1 album with ‘The Rising’, also No.1 in the US. 2003 – Jack White posts graphic video footage of his hand operation on the White Stripes’ Web site. The guitarist had to have three screws implanted to set the bones in his hand after a July car accident. 2003 – Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic announces on the Eyes Adrift Web site that he’s quitting the music business, although he will continue to play music with his band. 2012 – Marshall Tucker Band guitarist Stuart Swanlund died in his sleep at home in Chicago.

Today in rock history 3rd August

1955 – Rock ‘n’ roll litigation as Bill Haley files suit against Essex Recordings. Now that he’s a big star, he accuses his old label of releasing his early recordings, which are “of inferior quality to said plaintiff’s current releases.” 1963 – Bob Dylan appears as a guest at a Joan Baez show in Camden, N.J. 1963 – Metallica’s James Hetfield is born this day 1963 - The Beatles appeared at The Cavern Club in Liverpool for the last time, almost two years to the day after they started playing there as a regular fixture. 1966 – The South African government bans the broadcast of Beatles songs after John Lennon makes his “more popular than Jesus” remark. 1966 – The Rolling Stones record “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow” in Los Angeles. 1968 – “Hello, I Love You” becomes the Doors’ second and last No. 1 single. 1968 – The Newport Pop Festival starts today, featuring performers like the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Steppenwolf. 1969 – Janis Joplin sings with Little Richard at the Atlantic City Pop Festival. 1971 – Paul McCartney announces he’s forming Wings. 1974 – Here’s a weird gig Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band opening for Canadian songbird Anne Murray in New York. 1974 – Guitarist Jeff (Skunk) Baxter quits Steely Dan and joins the Doobie Brothers. 1987 - Def Leppard released their fourth album Hysteria which went on to reach number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart the following year & sell 12 million copies in the U.S. alone. 1988 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Roll with It,” Steve Winwood. 1989 – The Rolling Stones film the video for “Mixed Emotions,” probably the last good song they ever recorded. 2004 – Legendary Southern Rock figure Lacy Van Zant dies at his home in Jacksonville, Fla., due to chronic pulmonary illness. He is 89. 2004 – Traffic cancel their reunion tour after drummer Jim Capaldi is diagnosed with a severe gastric ulcer. 2005 –Melissa Etheridge announces she is cancer free nine months after being diagnosed with the disease. 2006 – Arthur Lee, the singer and guitarist for psychedelic rock pioneers Love, dies at the Methodist University Hospital in his hometown of Memphis after battling leukemia. He is 61.

Today in rock history 2nd August

1937 – The Band’s Garth Hudson is born in London, Ontario. 1944 - Jim Capaldi,drummer for Traffic is born in Worcestershire. 1951 - Former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner is born today 1962- Robert Zimmerman legally changed his name to Bob Dylan. 1967 – Jimi Hendrix Experience started a 5 night gig at the Salvation club in NYC.The set list included: Foxy Lady, Hey Joe, The Wind Cries Mary, Purple Haze and Burning Of The Midnight Amp. 1969 - Bob Dylan & his wife showed up unannounced at Dylan’s ten year high school reunion in Hibbing, MN. They would leave early when a drunk tried to pick a fight with Dylan. 1971 - Creedence Clearwater Revival kicked off their final North American tour at the Assembly Center in Tulsa, 1981 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Jessie’s Girl,” Rick Springfield. The song wins Springfield a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. 2002 – A van driven by blues guitarist Popa Chubby (Ted Horowitz) overturns, injuring Horowitz and two band members, keyboard player Dave Keyes and drummer Rod Gross. 2003 - Aerosmith & Kiss kicked off their co-headlining tour dubbed the Rocksimus Maximus Tour in Hartford, CT. This was Kiss’ first tour with Tommy Thayer playing guitar & wearing Ace Frehley’s makeup & costume. The tour went on to gross $64 million. 2004 – Eric Clapton bought a 50% share in Cordings to save the historic gentleman’s outfitters from closure. The store, based in London since 1839 had run into financial difficulties. The guitarist said he had been fond of the shop since a window display caught his eye when he was 16.

Today in rock history 1st August

1942 – Jerry Garcia (Jerome John Garcia) of the Grateful Dead is born in San Francisco. 1946 - Boz Burrell-bassist for Bad Company & King Crimson is born 1951 - Tommy Bolin-guitarist for the James Gang & Deep Purple is born 1959 – Singer Joe Elliott of Def Leppard is born in Sheffield 1971: The Concert for Bangladesh, organized by George Harrison took place at Madison Square Garden. The concert featured Harrison, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, Ravi Shankar and members of Badfinger. 1974 - The Who’s Pete Townshend & Keith Moon joined Eric Clapton onstage during a concert at the Omni in Atlanta. Townshend jammed on “Layla” & Moon sang along on “Little Queenie”. Townshend later smashed a plastic ukulele over Clapton’s head. 1979 - During a concert at Madison Square Garden, Peter Frampton was awarded the Gold Ticket for performing to over 100,000 fans at the Garden. 1994 - The Rolling Stones kicked off their Voodoo Lounge Tour at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC. This tour would last over a year & go on to gross $320 million, becoming the highest grossing tour at the time. 1997 – Ireland’s Supreme Court gives the go-ahead for two U2 Popmart concerts scheduled for August 30 and 31 at Landsdowne Road stadium in Dublin. Earlier in the week, the country’s High Court had, under pressure from locals fearing excessive noise and general mayhem, overstepped its jurisdiction and banned the two gigs. 2004 – Red Hot Chili Peppers top the UK albums chart with Live at Hyde Park. 2006 – A man dies after being severely beaten by two unidentified assailants in the moshpit at Korn’s Atlanta concert. The band appeal for witnesses to the attack to help with the investigation. 2006 – Drummer Jon Theodore leaves egghead rockers The Mars Volta shortly before the release of their third album Amputechture. He is replaced by Blake Fleming. 2007 – John Lennon’s “granny” sunglasses sold at auction. 2009 – Daughtry hits No.1 on the US album charts.