ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC

1969 - Atlantic City Pop Festival

The three day US Atlantic City Pop Festival took place at the Atlantic City race track with B.B. King, Janis Joplin, Santana, Three Dog Night, Dr John, Procol Harum, Arthur Brown, Iron Butterfly, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Little Richard, Tim Buckley, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, The Mothers Of Invention and Canned Heat. Joni Mitchell started to cry and ran off stage in the middle of her third song because the crowd was not paying attention to her performance.

because . . . . . 

1970 - The Rolling Stones

The film Performance featuring Mick Jagger in his acting debut, had its UK premiere in London. The British crime drama film directed by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg also featured James Fox. Fox it is alleged took such a role to his heart researching the low life aspect amongst the gangsters and criminal underworld so that he gave up acting for nearly ten years and devoted his time to Christian studies.

1971 - George Harrison

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

1981 - Shakin' Stevens

Welsh singer Shakin' Stevens had his second UK No.1 single with his version of 'Green Door', which had been a hit in the US for Jim Lowe in 1956 (squeezing out 'Love Me Tender' by Elvis Presley). Frankie Vaughan also scored a UK No.2 hit with the song in 1956.

 . . . . . bless

1987 - Los Lobos

Los Lobos were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their version of the Ritchie Valens song 'La Bamba', which was also a No.1 hit in the US. The song was the title track from the film based on Ritchie Valens who died in the same plane crash the killed Buddy Holly.

1987 - Dire Straits

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

1987 - Dave Stewart

Eurythmics Dave Stewart married Bananarama founding member Siobhan Fahey, (who later formed the BRIT Award and Ivor Novello award winning Shakespears Sister). The couple divorced in 1996.

2007 - John Lennon

John Lennon's "granny" sunglasses were snapped up by a British collector at auction. The sunglasses, from one of the last Beatles concerts, were expected to fetch around £1m, but auction bosses refused to say what the actual figure was. Lennon gave the gold-rimmed glasses to his Japanese interpreter in Tokyo in 1966, and the translator removed the lenses when Lennon died.

photo by Yoko Ono

2015 - Cilla Black

English singer, actress and entertainer Cilla Black died at her holiday home near Marbella, Spain, aged 72. Along with a successful recording career in the 1960s and early 1970s, Black hosted her own eponymous variety show, Cilla, for the BBC between 1968 and 1976 and later shows such as Blind Date (1985–2003) and Surprise Surprise (1984–2001).

BIRTHDAYS

1953 - Robert Cray

Robert Cray, singer, Blues guitarist, and five times Grammy Award winner. Cray played with Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, and Stevie Ray Vaughan at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin, performing 'Sweet Home Chicago'. This was Stevie Ray Vaughan's final performance before he died in a helicopter accident later that night. 

1958 - Robert Buck

Robert Buck, from American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs founded in 1981. They achieved their greatest success between 1987 and 1993 when they released four albums that charted in the top 50 in the US. Buck died on 19 December 2000.

1947 - Prakash John

Canadian rock bassist Prakash John who has worked with Lou Reed, Edgar Winter and Rick Derringer of (White Trash) as well as Bobby Whitlock (Derek & the Dominos). John was recruited in 1971 by George Clinton to work with Parliament/Funkadelic on the albums Chocolate City and America Eats Its Young while sharing bass playing duties with Bootsy Collins on tour.

1942 - Jerry Garcia

American singer-songwriter and guitarist Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead. He was ranked 13th in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" cover story. Garcia also founded a variety of side projects, including the Saunders–Garcia Band, the Jerry Garcia Band, Old and in the Way, the Garcia/Grisman acoustic duo, Legion of Mary, and the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Garcia died from a drugs-related heart attack on 9 August 1995.

with thank to On This Day In Music

thanks to On this Day In Music