Today in Rock and Roll History

2008 - Bo Diddley
American guitarist and singer Bo Diddley, (Ellas Otha Bates) died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Florida aged 79. The legendary singer and performer, was known for his homemade square guitar and his 'shave and a haircut, two bits' rhythm, which influenced artists from Buddy Holly to Bruce Springsteen The Rolling Stones and U2.

1970 - Ray Davies
The Kinks Ray Davies was forced to make a 6,000 mile round trip from New York to London to record one word in a song. Davies had to change the word 'Coca- Cola' to 'Cherry Cola' on the bands forthcoming single 'Lola' due to an advertising ban at BBC Radio.

1977 - Bob Marley & the Wailers
Bob Marley & the Wailers released Exodus. The album featured the hits, 'Jamming', 'Waiting In Vain', 'Three Little Birds' and 'One Love'. In 1999, Time magazine named Exodus the best album of the 20th century.

1979 USC Marching Band, "Tusk" On June 4, 1979, the band recorded the legendary video for "Tusk" at an empty Dodger Stadium with more than a hundred members of the USC Marching Band. First vid looks like prep for the real event, don't know if there was more to it than right at the end.

1969 - Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash released At San Quentin, his 31st overall album and a recording of a live concert given by Cash to the inmates of San Quentin State Prison. The album was a follow-up to Cash's previous live album, the critically acclaimed and commercially successful At Folsom Prison.

1984 - Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen released the album, 'Born In The USA', which became the best-selling album of 1985 in the United States (and also Springsteen's most successful album ever). The album produced a record-tying string of seven Top 10 singles (tied with Michael Jackson's Thriller and Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814).

1975 - Pink Floyd
During recording sessions for Wish You Were Here at Abbey Road Studios, London, England, Syd Barrett turned up out of the blue as Pink Floyd were listening to playbacks of Shine On You Crazy Diamond — a song that happened to be about Barrett. By that time, the 29-year-old Barrett had shaved off all of his hair (including his eyebrows), become overweight, and his ex-bandmates did not at first recognise him. Barrett eventually left without saying goodbye, and none of the band members ever saw him again.

1977 - Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper's boa constrictor, a co-star of his live act suffered a fatal bite from a rat it was being fed for breakfast. Cooper held auditions for a replacement and a snake named 'Angel' got the gig.

1966 - Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison's first wife, Claudette, was killed when a truck pulled out of a side road and collided with the motorbike that she and her husband were riding on in Gallatin, Texas, she was 25.

1969 - Steve Winwood
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.

1974 - Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman became the first Rolling Stone to release a solo album with Monkey Grip, (it peaked at No.39 in the UK and No.99 in the US). The album featured guest appearances by, Dr John, Leon Russell and Lowell George.

1974 - Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton was at No.1 on the US country chart with 'I Will Always Love You'. Elvis Presley indicated that he wanted to cover the song. Parton was interested until Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, told her that it was standard procedure for the songwriter to sign over half of the publishing rights to any song Elvis recorded. Parton refused. 'I Will Always Love You' later became a worldwide No.1 hit for Whitney Houston in 1992 when featured in The Bodyguard.

I did not know that about Elvis. It's crazy so many agreed to it. Hats off to Dolly for standing her ground.

1964 - Bob Dylan
During an evening session Bob Dylan recorded 'Mr. Tambourine Man' at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City. This was the first session for the Another Side Of Bob Dylan, which saw Dylan recording fourteen original compositions that night. The Byrds later recorded a version of Mr. Tambourine Man that was released as their first single and reached No.1 on both the US & UK Chart. The Byrds' recording of the song was influential in initiating the musical subgenre of folk-rock, leading many contemporary bands to mimic its fusion of jangly guitars and intellectual lyrics in the wake of the single's success.

1978 - The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones released Some Girls, their first studio album recorded with Ronnie Wood as a full member. The album cover was designed by Peter Corriston and featured The Stones in garish drag alongside select female celebrities and lingerie ads. The cover immediately ran into trouble when Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett, Liza Minnelli (representing her mother Judy Garland), Raquel Welch, and the estate of Marilyn Monroe threatened legal action.

They did not mention the poster of the album cover. Which I hung in the game room at the house by the pond. Lots of good stuff on this LP, so I'm not going to choose for you. Here is the whole thing. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Lord.

2017 - Glen Campbell
Adios the 64th and final studio album by American singer-songwriter Glen Campbell was released. After being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Campbell embarked on a 2011–2012 Farewell Tour. After finishing the tour, he entered the studio in Nashville to record a final album. Longtime collaborator Carl Jackson stated that he had to stand with Campbell in the recording booth to record the vocals "line by line" as Campbell could not remember the lyrics.

June 10, 2007, In the last scene of the HBO series The Sopranos, "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey plays on the jukebox while Tony Soprano sits at a diner. It cuts to black on the line, "Don't Stop."

The series, which runs for six seasons, is very violent, chronicling the adventures of a mob boss (Tony) and his family. Steve Perry, the lead vocalist and co-writer of the song, feared it would be part of a gruesome scene ending with bloody retribution, and insisted on knowing the top-secret ending before granting permission. He was sworn to secrecy.

The song, released in 1981, has been growing in popularity since 2003 when it was used in the film Monster; at karaoke bars, it is inescapable. The Sopranos scene takes it to a new tier, which in the era of iTunes means the song can be instantly downloaded for 99 cents. In 2008, Apple announces that it is the first pre-digital-era song to be downloaded over 2 million times. In 2009, it is used in a very different TV series: Glee, where it is sung by the cast. This version is released as a single and reaches #4 in the US, five spots higher than the original charted.

1964 - The Rolling Stones
The first edition of the official The Rolling Stones book was issued, priced at one and six, (the publication ran for 30 issues). Also on this day, at producers Phil Spector’s suggestion, The Stones recorded 'It's All Over Now', 'I Can’t Be Satisfied' and 'Time Is On My Side' at Chess studios in Chicago. During the day, the Stones got to meet, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy and Chuck Berry.

2005 - Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd announced they would reunite with former bassist Roger Waters, who left the band in 1985, on July 2 for the Live 8 London concert. This would be the first time the band had played together as a quartet since The Wall tour in 1981.

1975 - Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton played the first of two nights at the Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, California. 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.

1977 - Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin played the last of six sold out nights at Madison Square Garden, in New York City during their 11th and final North American tour. The 3-hour set included: The Song Remains The Same, Since I’ve Been Loving You, No Quarter, Ten Years Gone, 'Stairway To Heaven', Whole Lotta Love, Rock And Roll and When the Levee Breaks.

I thought this show was pretty flat. Lots of copies of it on You Tube, but I figured you guys were not in for the long haul.