Rock History

On this day...

2008 – Singer, songwriter, guitarist, Delaney Bramlett died in Los Angeles — 2008 – Singer, songwriter, guitarist, Delaney Bramlett died in Los Angeles from complications after gall bladder surgery. Was a member of Delaney, Bonnie & Friends and worked with George Harrison, [...]

2008 – Thieves broke into a house belonging to Allman Brothers Band singer and keyboardist Gregg Allman — 2008 – Thieves broke into a house belonging to Allman Brothers Band singer and keyboardist Gregg Allman in Georgia and stole a coin collection, knives and unreleased concert recordings. Two [...]

2006 – R&B vocalist/songwriter Gene McFadden, one … — 2006 – R&B vocalist/songwriter Gene McFadden, one half of the Philly soul duo the Epsilons (with John Whitehead), dies in Philadelphia at the age of 56. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

2006 – Pierre Delanoe, French veteran lyricist, mu… — 2006 – Pierre Delanoe, French veteran lyricist, music-radio pioneer and a major influence at French collecting society SACEM, dies at the age of 88. One of the most prolific songwriters [...]

2004 – Masters of Reality’s Chris Goss is rushed to the hospital after — 2004 – Masters of Reality’s Chris Goss is rushed to the hospital after suffering an internal infection. The L.A. singer/guitarist/producer has also worked with Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, [...]

2004 – Hank Garland, a guitarist who played with Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison — 2004 – Hank Garland, a guitarist who played with Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and Patsy Cline among others, dies from a staph infection in Florida. He was 74. Garland enjoyed [...]

2004 – A man is killed and another wounded in a shooting outside a New — 2004 – A man is killed and another wounded in a shooting outside a New York nightclub hosting a party for rapper Ja Rule. The incident comes one week after [...]

2003 – Vestal Goodman, the “Queen of Gospel Music,… — 2003 – Vestal Goodman, the “Queen of Gospel Music,” dies in Celebration, Fla., of the flu. She is 74. Goodman rose to fame in the ’50s, performing with husband Howard [...]

2000 – Britain’s Daily Mirror reports that Madonna will star in her — 2000 – Britain’s Daily Mirror reports that Madonna will star in her new husband Guy Ritchie’s forthcoming movie The Mole. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1999 – Bush premiere the video for “Letting the Cables Sleep” on TRL. — 1999 – Bush premiere the video for “Letting the Cables Sleep” on TRL. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1999 – Diva Zappa, the late Frank Zappa’s 20-year-… — 1999 – Diva Zappa, the late Frank Zappa’s 20-year-old daughter, releases her first record to radio. The single, titled “When the Ball Drops,” is “basically… about my hunt for someone [...]

1998 – Busta Rhymes – a.k.a. Trevor Smith – is arr… — 1998 – Busta Rhymes – a.k.a. Trevor Smith – is arrested and charged with criminal possession after police find a loaded unregistered pistol in his car. Police originally pull Rhymes [...]

1997 – U.K. artist Mark Morrison is arrested outsi… — 1997 – U.K. artist Mark Morrison is arrested outside the Pink Coconut nightclub in central Derby. The singer is convicted of threatening an off-duty police officer with an electric stun [...]

1997 – Music industry veteran Ewart G. Abner dies … — 1997 – Music industry veteran Ewart G. Abner dies at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after a bout with respiratory illness. He is 74. Abner began his career in [...]

1992 – Grammy-winning singer and pianist Harry Con… — 1992 – Grammy-winning singer and pianist Harry Connick Jr. is arrested at New York’s Kennedy Airport after guards discover a 9mm pistol in his carry-on luggage. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1989 – a former chef at the Chuck Berry owned restaurant Southern Air started — 1989 – a former chef at the Chuck Berry owned restaurant Southern Air started court proceedings against Berry alleging that the singer had installed secret video cameras in the ladies [...]

1981 – Songwriter Hoagy Carmichael dies of a heart… — 1981 – Songwriter Hoagy Carmichael dies of a heart attack at the age of 82. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1980 – In the wake of John Lennon’s death, both the album Double — 1980 – In the wake of John Lennon’s death, both the album Double Fantasy and the single “(Just Like) Starting Over” sit atop the American charts. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1979 – The second London concert to benefit Kampuchea organized — 1979 – The second London concert to benefit Kampuchea organized by Paul McCartney has as its headliners Ian Dury and the Clash. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1978 – Rockabilly performer Bob Luman, who almost gave up music — 1978 – Rockabilly performer Bob Luman, who almost gave up music to become a Pittsburgh Pirate, dies of pneumonia aged 41. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1978 – hris Bell, the other end of Big Star’s creative axis opposite Alex — 1978 – hris Bell, the other end of Big Star’s creative axis opposite Alex Chilton, dies after his car hits a tree in Memphis. He was 27. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1975 – Queen started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK chart with ‘A — 1975 – Queen started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK chart with ‘A Night At The Opera’ the group’s first No.1 album. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1973 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Time in a Bo… — 1973 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Time in a Bottle,” Jim Croce. The song is released as a single after Croce dies in a plane crash. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1969 – The Rolling Stones’ Let It Bleed reaches No. 3 in the American album — 1969 – The Rolling Stones’ Let It Bleed reaches No. 3 in the American album charts. At No. 1 is the Beatles’ Abbey Road, followed by Led Zeppelin II. Be Sociable, [...]

1967 – Bob Dylan releases his long-awaited follow-up to Blonde on Blonde — 1967 – Bob Dylan releases his long-awaited follow-up to Blonde on Blonde, John Wesley Harding. Rolling Stone declares, “Without a doubt this is another major musical step for Bob Dylan. [...]

1967 – The Doors appeared on the Jonathon Winters Show CBS TV show from — The Doors 1967 – The Doors appeared on the Jonathon Winters Show CBS TV show from Los Angeles, California. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1964 – The Supremes make their first appearance on… — 1964 – The Supremes make their first appearance on TV’s “Ed Sullivan Show.” Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1964 – The Who appeared at the Ealing Club, Ealing Broadway, London, England. — 1964 – The Who appeared at the Ealing Club, Ealing Broadway, London, England. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1963 – In the British pop paper NME, Richard Green reports on rising combo — 1963 – In the British pop paper NME, Richard Green reports on rising combo the Rolling Stones. “The Rolling Stones create a sound so exciting and gripping that few other [...]

1963 – The London Times declares that Lennon and McCartney are “The — 1963 – The London Times declares that Lennon and McCartney are “The Outstanding Composers of 1963,” with music critic Richard Buckle raving that they are “the greatest composers since Beethoven.” [...]

1963 – The Animals perform on their first radio br… — 1963 – The Animals perform on their first radio broadcast, the BBC show “Saturday Club.” Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1962 – The Beatles first single “Love Me Do” reaches its peak of No. 17 in the chart. — 1962 – The Beatles first single “Love Me Do” reaches its peak of No. 17 in the chart. Cynics suggest that manager Brian Epstein personally bought 10,000 copies to boost [...]

1960 – The Beatles play a “welcome home” gig in Liverpool after their recent — 1960 – The Beatles play a “welcome home” gig in Liverpool after their recent residency in Hamburg, Germany. Stuart Sutcliffe does not appear with them, as he decided to spend [...]

1952 – Dire Straits guitarist David Knopfler, brother of Mark — 1952 – Dire Straits guitarist David Knopfler, brother of Mark, is born. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1951 – Singer Karla Bonoff, who hit No. 19 in 1982 with “Personally — 1951 – Singer Karla Bonoff, who hit No. 19 in 1982 with “Personally,” is born in Los Angeles. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1948 – Guitarist Larry Byrom, who has performed with Steppenwolf — 1948 – Guitarist Larry Byrom, who has performed with Steppenwolf and Kenny Rogers, is born. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1947 – Mother Earth singer Tracy Nelson is born in Madison, Wis. — 1947 – Mother Earth singer Tracy Nelson is born in Madison, Wis. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1947 – Drummer Peter Criss (Peter Crisscoula) of K… — 1947 – Drummer Peter Criss (Peter Crisscoula) of Kiss is born in Brooklyn, N.Y. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1944 – Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones – not to be confused with th — 1944 – Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones – not to be confused with the guy from the Clash – is born in London. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1944 – Mick Jones of Foreigner is born in London. … — 1944 – Mick Jones of Foreigner is born in London. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1942 – Moody Blues keyboardist and singer Mike Pinder — 1942 – Moody Blues keyboardist and singer Mike Pinder is born in Birmingham. The Moody Blues – Something new from Pinder Michael Thomas “Mike” Pinder (born 27 December 1941) is an English [...]

1941 – Gerry & the Pacemakers bassist Les Maguire is born in — 1941 – Gerry & the Pacemakers bassist Les Maguire is born in Wallasey, England. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1931 – Scotty Moore, who played guitar with Elvis Presley on the — 1931 – Scotty Moore, who played guitar with Elvis Presley on the early sessions that helped define the rock ‘n’ roll formula, is born in Gadsden, Tenn. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1914 – Concert promoter Ivan Sutton is born. … — 1914 – Concert promoter Ivan Sutton is born. Be Sociable, Share! [...]