Today in rock history 31st May

1944 - Mick Ralphs from Mott The Hoople is born 1948 – John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) is born this day 1961 – Chuck Berry opened an amusement called “Berry Park” near St Louis 1962 – The Beatles performed at the Star-Club in Hamburg, West Germany 1969 – Jimi Hendrix appears on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine 1973 - Steely Dan received their first Gold record for their debut album Can’t Buy a Thrill which went on to be certified Platinum 20 years later. 1976 - The Who entered the Guinness Book of World Records for performing the loudest concert in history at the time during their concert at England’s Charlton Athletic Grounds with 76,000 watts at 120 decibels. This record would stand for nearly a decade. 1989 - Keith Richards is given the Living Legend Award at New York’s International Rock Awards. Later an all-star jam takes places featuring Richards, Eric Clapton & Tina Turner. 1993 – Rocker Jon Bon Jovi and wife Dorothea Hurley have their first child in Red Bank, N.J. They name their daughter Stephanie Rose. 1995 – Bob Dole blasts Hollywood, singling out Time Warner for “the marketing of evil” in movies and music. He later admits he hasn’t seen or heard much of what he’s criticized. 1999 – “Behind the Music,” VH1’s highest-rated original series, begins airing at 9 p.m. nightly. The broadcasts kick off with the premiere of “The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Behind the Music.” 2005 – The Salvation Army close Strawberry Fields, a Liverpool children’s home which inspired the Beatles’ song, “Strawberry Fields Forever.” 2006 – A few hundred lucky fans pack into New York’s Avalon to witness Pearl Jam tape an episode of the VH1 series “Storytellers,” which premieres a month later on the music channel.

Today in rock history 30th May

1955 – Clash drummer Nicky “Topper” Headon is born in Bromley 1964 – The Beatles are No. 1 in the U.S. with “Love Me Do.” 1964 – Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) is born this day 1965 – The Rolling Stones played the final night of a US tour at the New York Academy of Music. During the afternoon the band recorded six songs for the Clay Pole TV show. 1966 – The Jefferson Airplane perform at a benefit for the Haight-Ashbury Legal Organization in San Francisco. 1968 – The Beatles kick off recording The Beatles double album by laying down 18 takes of “Revolution 1.” Sessions will gradually deteriorate until all four members are recording independently of one another. 1971 – At San Francisco’s Winterland Auditorium, 36 Deadheads have to be treated for hallucinations after ingesting apple drink at the venue. Not surprisingly, the drink was spiked with LSD. 1972 – The immortal Roxy Music play their first major date at Lincolnshire, England’s Great Western Express Festival. 1972 – Slade with Status Quo as support appeared at The Free Trade Hall, Manchester. Tickets priced at 65p. 1978 – Led Zeppelin begin pre production recording In Through The Out Door. 1980 – Carl Radle, who played bass in Derek & the Dominos, dies from a kidney ailment at age 37. 1987 – Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz is arrested for allegedly hitting a female fan during a concert in Liverpool 1987 – David Bowie kicked off his 87-date Glass Spider world tour at the Feynoord Stadium, Rotterdam, Holland. 1992 – The Black Crowes went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion’. 1996 – Bassist John Kahn, a bassist who played with Jerry Garcia, dies at the age of 48. 1997 – West Arkeen, who played guitar on Guns N’ Roses’ Use Your Illusion albums, dies. 1997 – Neil Young cancels his European tour after cutting his finger open while slicing a ham sandwich. 2003 – Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington is hospitalized in L.A. for “severe back and abdominal pains,” according to a statement from the band. Due to his condition, 12 European tour dates are postponed. 2007 – A leaked copy of the new White Stripes album ‘Icky Thump’ was played completely on Chicago’s radio station Q101-WKQX. Jack White personally called the US radio station from Spain, where he was touring, to voice his displeasure. 2009 – Ozzy Osbourne sued Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi for lack of royalty payments.Tony was falsely claiming the right to sole ownership of the band’s name which cost Ozzy royalties from merchandise sold with the band’s name.

Today in rock history Monday 29th May

1945 – Gary Brooker, leader of Procul Harum, is born in Essex 1955 - Mike Porcaro-bassist for Toto is born today 1961 – Singer, songwriter and guitarist Melissa Etheridge is born in Leavenworth, Kan. 1972 – Paul McCartney releases his bizarre interpretation of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” as Wings. 1973 – Record executive Clive Davis is fired from Columbia for misappropriating $100,000. He later founded Arista Records and engineered Santana’s comeback with Supernatural. 1973 – Mike Oldfield releases his ambient masterpiece Tubular Bells 1973 – Roger McGuinn performs his first solo gig at New York’s Academy of Music and confirms rumors that his band The Byrds is finished. 1984 – Bob Dylan holds a press conference in Sirmione, Italy, and hands out the set list for his current European tour 1988 – Bob Dylan makes a guest appearance at a Levon Helm concert at New York’s Lone Star Cafe. The two perform “The Weight” and Chuck Berry’s “Nadine.” 1989 - John Cipollina, guitarist of Quicksilver Messenger Service died of chronic emphysema. He was 45 years old. 1991 – In Ohio a truck sideswipes Steve Winwood’s tour bus. Stevie is unhurt. 1995 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman,” Bryan Adams. 1997 – Jeff Buckley drowns while swimming with a friend off Mud Island in Memphis. 1999 – The Rolling Stones launch the European leg of their Bridges to Babylon tour, performing in front of 80,000 enthusiastic fans in an open-air concert in Stuttgart, Germany. 1999 – The body of Philip “Taylor” Kramer is discovered in a valley in Malibu, Calif. The Iron Butterfly bass player had been missing since 1995. 2002 - David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar kicked off their co-headlining tour at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, OH outside of Cleveland. 2003 – Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson’s new band Hookah Brown call it quits a mere six months after their first show. Sighs Robinson, “Sometimes life gets in the way of people being able to make music together.” 2004 – Canadian rock act Sum 41 is forced to evacuate the African nation of Congo while filming a documentary, “From the Front Lines” for aid agency War Child Canada. 2005 – Bob Geldof and Elton John announce five July concerts that will make up Live 8 – a new initiative to raise awareness of poverty. Among the headliners are Coldplay, Dave Matthews Band, Lauryn Hill and Duran Duran. 2007 – A piano used by John Lennon on the night he died was put up for sale for $375,000 (£189,000) on The Moments in Time memorabilia website.

Today in rock history 28th May

1910 – Born on this day, T- Bone Walker, US blues guitarist, influenced Albert Collins, BB King, Buddy Guy, Freddy King. 1917 – Born on this day, Papa John Creech – violinist with Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna 1945 – John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival is born in Berkeley, Calif. 1949 – Born on this day, Wendy O. Williams – singer with The Plasmatics 1963 – During a UK tour supporting Roy Orbison, The Beatles played at the Gaumont Cinema in Worcester. 1964 – The BBC received over 8,000 postal applications for tickets for The Rolling Stones appearance on Juke Box Jury. 1969 – Rolling Stone Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull were arrested at their London home and charged with possession of cannabis, They were released on £50 ($85) bail. 1973 - The Faces’ bassist Ronnie Lane departed from the group & formed a new group Slim Chance. 1976 - The Allman Brothers Band broke up for the first time after Gregg Allman testified against a road manager accused of drug trafficking. 1977 – Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers played together for the first time when they performed as part of Mike Howletts band, Strontium 90 at the Circus Hippodroms, Paris. 1977 - Bruce Springsteen reached a settlement with former manager Mike Appel, which freed him to enter the recording studio. Their legal entanglements prevented him from recording. 1982 – Promoter Bill Graham staged a special Vietnam Veterans benefit concert in San Francisco starring The Jefferson Starship, The Grateful Dead and Country Joe. 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 and Ozzy Osbourne. Over 750,000 fans attended the festival. 1988 – Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler married second wife Teresa Barrick in her hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. 1990 – Mitch Mitchell former drummer with Jimi Hendrix took out a High Court action against Private Eye magazine over an allegedly defamatory item. 1995 – Hootie & the Blowfish started a four-week run at No.1 on the US album charts with ‘Cracked Rear View’. The album went on to sell over 15m copies. 1996 – Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan was rushed to Cedars Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles after an apparent drug overdose. 2003 – Paul McCartney announces that he and his wife Heather Mills are expecting their first child later in the year. 2004 – Guitarist from 80’s glam band Enuff Z’ Nuff Derek Frigo died of a drug overdose aged 36 2007 – The Police kicked off their 152 show Reunion Tour at General Motors Place in Vancouver, Canada in front of 22,000 fans. 2012 – “Yellow Submarine” the animated Beatles movie was restored and re-released.

Today in rock history 27th May

1948 – Born on this day, Pete Sears, Jefferson Starship 1957 – The Buddy Holly & the Crickets hit “That’ll Be the Day” is released. 1957 – Born on this day, Eddie Harsch, keyboards, The Black Crowes 1964 – Eleven boys are suspended at a Coventry school for having hairstyles like Mick Jagger. 1966 – Born on this day, Sean Kinney, Alice In Chains 1971 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Brown Sugar,” The Rolling Stones. 1977 – The Sex Pistols single ‘God Save The Queen’ was released in the UK. Banned by TV and radio, high street shops and pressing plant workers refused to handle the record. It sold 200,000 copies in one week and peaked at No.2 on the UK charts. 1988 – Def Leppard kicked off the third leg of their North American Hysteria world tour at George M. Sullivan Arena, Anchorage, Alaska. 1988 - The first U.S. Monsters of Rock tour kicked off at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, WI. Van Halen were the headliners & the bill also included the Scorpions, Metallica and Dokken. 1994 - The Eagles kicked off their “Hell Freezes Over” reunion tour with a five night stand at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA. The tour lasted for over two years. 1997 – During a UK tour Marilyn Manson appeared at Rock City, Nottingham, 1997 – Oasis singer Liam Gallagher was left with cuts and bruises after a scuffle with a youth at the Tower Thistle Hotel in east London. Members of the band had been drinking at the bar when the fight broke out. 1999 – Winners at the Ivor Novello song writing awards included Rod Stewart who won a Lifetime Achievement Award, 1999 – B.B. King, Susan Tedeschi, and Keb’Mo’ capture multiple W.C. Handy Awards at the Blues Foundation’s ceremony at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis. 1999 - Rush became the first rock band to receive a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame in Toronto. 2000 – Paula Yates was awarded £400,000 ($680,000) in an out-of-court settlement from her boyfriend Michael Hutchence fortune. 2006 – For the first time in their 22-year career, Red Hot Chili Peppers score a No. 1 album on The Chart Toppers 200. for “Stadium Arcadium” 2008 – Sir Paul McCartney was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale University in the United States. Yale’s president, Richard Levin, said; The former Beatle had awakened a generation, giving a fresh sound to rock and roll and to rhythm and blues.

Today in rock history 26th May

1940 – The Band’s Levon Helm is born in Marvell, Ark. 1944 - Verden Allen-keyboardist for Mott the Hoople is born 1948 – Stephanie Lynn “Stevie” Nicks is born in Phoenix, Arizona. 1969 - John Lennon & Yoko Ono begin an eight day bed-in in room 1742 of The Hotel La Reine in Montreal to promote world peace. 1972 - Mott the Hoople, on the verge of splitting up were offered two new songs by David Bowie, “Suffragette City” & “All the Young Dudes”. They would record “All the Young Dudes”, which would be their commercial breakthrough. 1973 - Deep Purple released “Smoke on the Water” which went on to peak at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. 1976 - On a transatlantic British Airways flight, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page & Robert Plant got drunk and verbally harassed other first class passengers, including actors Dudley Moore and Telly Savalas. 1993 - Singapore lifted a ban on music by The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Chicago and Credence Clearwater Revival. 1994 – Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley secretly wed in the Dominican Republic. 1999 – The British punk revivalist band Manic Street Preachers refuse to play a concert to mark the opening of Wales’ parliament because Queen Elizabeth II is present. 2000 – Drummer Tommy Lee was jailed for five days for drinking alcohol. Lee appeared in front of a LA court charged with violating his probation by consuming alcohol, an act that directly contravenes the terms of his parole. 2001 – Appearing at Ozzfest, Milton Keynes Bowl, England were Black Sabbath, Slipknot, Tool and Papa Roach. Tickets cost £32.50 ($55.25). 2002 – The first episode of ‘At Home With The Osbournes’ was shown on MTV in the UK. 2010 – Sum 41 had this bad news for fans: It’s unfortunate to say but we are forced to postpone some upcoming European Tour dates. Stevo was in a minor accident yesterday and is unable to get on a airplane to fly to Europe to perform. Anyone who knows our band, knows that touring is our life and is the primary reason we play music. We are completely and utterly bummed out and we all wish Stevo a speedy recovery. 2010 – The good news for Stone Temple Pilots is that the band’s first studio album in nine years will be the highest debut on the Billboard chart.

Rock Talk - Steve Hackett & Rick Springfield

Part 1 1. Genesis - I know what I like in your wardrobe 2. Genesis - The carpet crawlers 3. Genesis - Firth of fifth Part 2 1. Rick Springfield - Jessie's girl 2. Rick Springfield - Don't talk to strangers 3. Rick Springfield - Rock of life 4. Rick Springfield - Human touch 5. Soundgarden - Black hole sun 6. Chris Cornell - You know my name