This Date in Rock Music History: August 28

1961:  Elvis Presley moved from 61 to 26 on this date with "Little Sister".
1962:  Elvis Presley reported for pre-production work on the movie It Happened at the World's Fair in Culver City, California to record songs for the soundtrack album.  Presley would then travel to Seattle, Washington, site of the World's Fair, to film the movie on location.  (Note:  some websites report Elvis began filming the movie on August  27 or 28.  According to the book 'The Elvis Movies' by James L. Neibaur, filming began August 27.  But according to the official website for Graceland, Presley began work on the movie August 28.  Filming of the movie in Seattle did not begin until September 5 )
1963:  Peter, Paul & Mary performed "Blowin' In The Wind" and "If I Had A Hammer" for Civil Rights marchers gathered at the Washington Mall in Washington, D.C. to hear the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. speak.  Bob Dylan and Joan Baez also performed.








1964:  The Beatles were on the cover of Life Magazine.
1965:  Bob Dylan played his electric material for an audience at the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens, New York and was booed roundly.  Afterwards, we have Dylan to thank for introducing the Beatles, who met him backstage, to marijuana.
1965:  The Rolling Stones signed a five-year contract with Decca Records and also announced that Allen Klein, whom the group met four days previously at the London Hilton Hotel, would co-manage the group along with Andrew Long Oldham.











1965:  "Eve Of Destruction" from Barry McGuire moved from 58 to 27 on this date.
1966:  The Beatles performed before 45,000 fans in Dodger Stadium on their final tour of the United States.  Bobby Hebb, the Cyrkle and the Ronettes opened.  A plan to escape the cheering crowds backfired when a gate was locked.  The Fab Four had to spend two hours in the back of an armored truck before they could leave.








1967:  The Rascals released the single "How Can I Be Sure".

1967:  The Kinks and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown appeared at the Hastings Stadium Festival of Music in Hastings, England.
1968:  The Beatles began recording the track "Dear Prudence" at Trident Studios in London, one of three sessions devoted to the song.
1967:  The Jeff Beck Group headlined the list of performers on the final day of the Festival of the Flower Children at Woburn Abbey in England.  
1968:  The Beach Boys landed at #1 in the U.K. with "Do It Again".
1968:  Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel was the #1 album in the U.K.
1969:  Paul and Linda McCartney announced the birth of daughter Mary.


1970:  A new group was about to make some noise that would influence the Rock Era for decades.  On this date, the Jackson 5 released their first single "I'll Be There".
1970:  Derek and the Dominos began work on their only studio album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.
1970:  It was the second day of the famous Isle of Wight Festival, and Chicago, Procol Harum, Lighthouse, Tony Joe White, and Taste featuring Rory Gallagher performed.  The Festival drew an estimated crowd of 600,000 to 700,000 over four days. 

1971:  Elvis Presley was honored as the sixth honoree of the Bing Crosby Award, joining its namesake, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Irving Berlin.  The recipient is determined by vote of the National Board of Trustees of NARAS, the record academy.  The organization is best known for its Grammy Awards which are given annually for performing and technical achievements in current recordings. The description on the award is that it is given to recording artists who "during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic or scientific significance to the field of phonograph records."  (Note:  most sources incorrectly say that Elvis received the award on September 8, but he received the award in his dressing room at the International Hotel in Las Vegas between shows, according to the book 'Elvis Presley:  A Life In Music' by Ernst Jorgensen.)

1971:  "Beginnings" by Chicago was the top Easy Listening song.
1971:  Aretha Franklin's "Spanish Harlem" was the #1 R&B song.










                                                                           One of the classics....from Five Man Electrical Band...


1971:  The Bee Gees owned the top song for a fourth week with "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart".  John Denver moved up with "Take Me Home, Country Roads" while Canada's Five Man Electrical Band had a solid winner with "Signs".










                                               Rod Stewart's first big solo album...


1971:  Carole King from Stanley, Idaho made it 11 straight weeks at #1 withe the top album Tapestry.  Paul & Linda McCartney combined but couldn't topple her with Ram.  James Taylor's Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon remained at 3 while Rod Stewart was approaching that group with Every Picture Tells a Story.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Carpenters were at 5 with their self-titled album, Who's Next by the Who moved into the Top 10, Aqualung by Jethro Tull was #7, the Moody Blues rose from 30 to 8 in only their second week with Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, the Soundtrack to "Jesus Christ Superstar" was still at #9 after 41 weeks and B, S & T 4 from Blood, Sweat & Tears was the final entry.
1972:  Alice Cooper owned the #1 U.K. song with "School's Out".







 
1976:  "Shower The People" by James Taylor was the leading Easy Listening song.
1976:  K.C. and the Sunshine Band had the #1 R&B song with "(Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty".










 
                          Seals & Crofts with their great summer song...


1976:  Elton John & Kiki Dee had the #1 song for a fourth week with "Don't Go Breaking My Heart".  The Bee Gees were not giving up with "You Should Be Dancing".  Wings remained at 3 with "Let 'Em In", Lou Rawls had a solid #4 with "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" and England Dan & John Ford Coley's first hit--"I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" was still at 5.  The rest of the Top 10:  "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" from K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Wild Cherry with their only hit "Play That Funky Music", Walter Murphy's instrumental "A Fifth of Beethoven" moved from 12-7, Seals & Crofts were still at #9 after 20 weeks of release with "Get Closer" and George Benson moved in with "This Masquerade". 







1976:  The album Frampton Comes Alive! was so good that it was now in its third run at #1 (five weeks total).  The self-titled Fleetwood Mac was moving back up after 57 weeks, Spitfire by Jefferson Starship was third while Neil Diamond held on to 4 with Beautiful Noise.  The rest of the Top 10:  George Benson's excellent Breezin' at #5, Wings at the Speed of Sound coming in at #6, Boz Scaggs and the smooth Silk Degrees entering the Top 10, 15 Big Ones from the Beach Boys, the Average White Band did some Soul Searching and Chicago X came in at #10.
1977:  The Doobie Brothers, Hawkwind and the Motors helped close out the three-day Reading Festival in Reading, England.
1978:  Devo released the album Are We Not Men? in the United States.









1978:  Donna Summer released her remake of "MacArthur Park".  (Note:  some websites naively say the song was released September 24.  "MacArthur Park" debuted on the 'Billboard' Singles chart on September 9, according to 'Billboard' magazine itself.  It is physically impossible for a song to be included on the Singles chart if it has not been released as a single.)

1978:  Gino Vannelli released the 45 "I Just Wanna' Stop".

1981:  Guy Stevens, who produced the Clash, Free and Mott the Hoople, died at the age of 38 in London from an overdose of prescription drugs.

1982:  Queen appeared at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.  Billy Squier opened for the group.

1982:  Iron Maiden, Blackfoot, and Gary Moore performed on the second day at the annual Reading Rock Festival in Reading, England.

 

1982:  Chicago led the way on the AC chart with "Hard To Say I'm Sorry".

1984:  The Jacksons broke the existing record for concert ticket sales (1.1 million) in two months for their Victory Tour.  The tour would go on to gross $75 million with two million tickets sold.

1986:  Tina Turner earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1988:  The Kylie Minogue album Kylie became the top-selling ever in the U.K. by a female artist with sales of nearly two million.

1993:  Blur, Radiohead, and Siouxie and the Banshees performed on the second day of the Reading Rock Festival in Reading, England.

1993:  Culture Beat had the top U.K. song with "Mr. Vain".

1993:  The new Billy Joel album River of Dreams debuted at #1.

1993:  SWV had a big R&B hit with the #1 "Right Here/"Human Nature".

1994:  The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Soundgarden helped close out the three-day Reading Festival in Reading, England.

1999:  Cheap Trick celebrated their 25th anniversary together with a concert at Davis Park in Rockford, Illinois.  Slash of Guns N' Roses joined them onstage.

2000: The Foo Fighters, Primal Scream, Oasis, Limp Bizkit, the Bluetones, and Muse performed on the final day of the Reading Festival in Reading, England.

2003:  Missy Elliott captured Video of the Year honors for "Work It" at the MTV Video Music Awards.  Justin Timberlake won Best Male Video for "Cry Me a River" while Coldplay won both Best Group Video and Breakthrough Video for "The Scientist".

2004:  Lou Rawls was given an honorary doctorate degree from Wilberforce University in Kettering, Ohio in recognition of his work on behalf of the United Negro College Fund.

2004:  The White Stripes, Franz Ferdinand, and Morrissey performed on the second day of the Carling Weekend  Reading Festival in Leeds and Reading, England.

 

2005:  Green Day had quite a comeback with "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" as it won seven awards, including Video of the Year, at the MTV Video Music Awards.  Kanye West won Best Male Video for "Jesus Walks" while Kelly Clarkson took home Best Female Video for "Since U (sic) Been Gone".  What was ironic was that the channel quit showing music videos back when the suits took over from the DJ's. 

2005:  Oasis had the top U.K. song with "The Importance Of Being Idle", the group's eighth #1 song in their native country.

2005:  James Blunt led the way on the U.K. Album chart with Back to Bedlam.

2005:  Hillary Duff had the top album in the United States with Most Wanted.

2005:  Green Day won seven MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".

2008:  Iron Maiden and Incubus headlined the final day of the Reading Festival in Reading and Leeds, England.

2008:  Gilbert Moorer, lead singer of the Esquires ("Get On Up" from 1967), died of throat cancer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the age of 67.

2009:  Noel Gallagher of Oasis quit the group, saying he could no longer work with brother Liam.

2009:  The Los Angeles coroner confirmed that Michael Jackson's death was a homicide, caused chiefly by the anesthetic Propofol.  The drug triggered a cardiac arrest to Jackson at his home in Los Angeles on June 25 at the age of 50.  Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, was charged with and convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison.  (Note:  some websites claim the coroner made his announcement on August 29.  The stories made the newspapers the morning of August 29, which, as most informed people know, means that the news happened the day before, August 28.)

2010:  A memorial for Dan Fogelberg was unveiled in Riverfront Park in his hometown of Peoria, Illinois.

2016:  Rihanna received the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards.  Beyonce's "Formation" won eight awards, including Video of the Year, Best Pop Video and Best Female Video.

Born This Day:

1904:  Ernie Fields, who hit #4 in 1959 with his remake of "In The Mood", was born in Nacogdoches, Texas; died May 11, 1997 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Note:  the notorious 'Allmusic.com' and other websites claim Fields was born on August 26, 1905.  Far from it--according to the books 'Blues:  A Regional Experience' by Bob L. Eagle and Eric S. LeBlanc and 'Handbook of Texas Music' by Laurie E. Jasinski and the Texas State Historical Association, Ernie was born August 28, 1904.)

1925:  Billy Grammer ("Gotta' Travel On" from 1958) was born in Benton, Illinois; died of natural causes August 10, 2011 in Benton after suffering a heart attack that March.

1931:  John Perkins of the Crewcuts was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
1937:  Clem Cattini, drummer of the Tornados ("Telstar"), and prolific session musician featured on a record 44 #1 songs in the U.K., was born in Stoke Newington, London. 

1941:  Joseph Shabalala, founder of the group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, was born in Ladysmith, South Africa.

1942:  Sterling Morrison, guitarist of Velvet Underground, was born in East Meadow, New York; died from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Poughkeepsie, New York August 30, 1995.  (Note:  some websites report Morrison was born in Long Island, New York.  Long Island is not a city, and you will never see it on an official birth certificate.)

1943:  David Soul, actor and singer ("Don't Give Up On Us" from 1977) was born in Chicago, Illinois.

1943:  Honey Lantree, drummer of the Honeycombs ("Have I The Right"), was born in Hayes, Middlesex, England.  (Note:  some websites mistakenly say Lantree was born in London.  In 1943, when Honey was born, Hayes was located in the county of Middlesex--it wasn't until 1965 when Hayes became part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.)

1948:  Daniel Seraphine, drummer of Chicago, was born in Chicago, Illinois.

1949:  Martin Lamble, drummer of Fairport Convention, was born in St. John's Wood, London, England; died May 12, 1969 from a car crash on the M1 motorway.

1951:  Wayne Osmond of the Osmonds was born in Ogden, Utah.

1951:  Dave Hlubek, lead guitarist and a founding member of Molly Hatchet, was born in Jacksonville, Florida.

1961:  Kim Appleby of Mel and Tim ("Respectable" from 1987), was born in Stoke Newington, London.  (Note:  some websites claim Appleby was born in Stockton-On-Tees, Durham, England. London, and some say she was born in Stoke Newington, London,  England.  Although there are no credible sources for her birthplace, our best research indicates she was born in Stoke Newington.)

 

1965:  Shania Twain was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

1982:  LeAnn Rimes was born in Jackson, Mississippi.

Discography: Moody Blues

One of the great groups of all-time, the Moodies' music was years ahead of their time.  The British supergroup put out some of the most complex and melodic music of the Rock Era.  Their name fits them perfectly, for they can sing and play as beautiful a song as you'll hear on one song and then rock out on the next.  They are one of a kind.  Here is the complete Discography:



1965:  The Magnificent Moodies



1967:  Days of Future Passed (#3, #27 U.K., #3 Canada, #10 Australia)
1968:  In Search of the Lost Chord (#23, #5 U.K., #37 Canada)



1969:  On the Threshold of a Dream (#20, #1 U.K., #26 Canada)
           To Our Children's Children's Children (#14, #2 U.K., #11 Canada)
1970:  A Question of Balance (#3, #1 U.K., #3 Canada, #2 Australia) 
1971:  Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (#2, #1 U.K., #2 Canada, #5 Australia)
1972:  Seventh Sojourn (#1, #5 U.K., #1 Canada, #2 Australia)



1978:  Octave (#13, #6 U.K., #9 Canada)
1981:  Long Distance Voyager (#1, #7 U.K., #1 Canada)
1983:  The Present (#26, #15 U.K., #11 Canada)
1986:  The Other Side of Life (#9, #24 U.K., #46 Canada)
1988:  Sur la Mer (#38, #21 U.K., #35 Canada)
1991:  Keys of the Kingdom (#94, #54 U.K., #29 Canada)
1999:  Strange Times (#93, #19 U.K.)
2003:  December

Live Albums:
1977:  Caught Live + 5
1993:  A Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra (#93)
2000:  Hall of Fame (#185)
2005:  Lovely to See You:  Live
2007:  Live at the BBC:  1967-1970
2008:  Live at the Isle of Wight Festival:  1970




Compilations:
1974:  This Is the Moody Blues (#11, #14 U.K., #2 Canada)
1978:  The Great Moody Blues
1979:  Out of This World (#15 U.K.)
1984:  Voices in the Sky:  The Best of the Moody Blues (#132, #92 Canada)
1987:  Prelude
1989:  Greatest Hits (#113, #71 U.K.)
1994:  Time Traveller (Boxed Set)--highly recommend
1996:  The Very Best of the Moody Blues (#13 U.K.)
1998:  Anthology
1999:  Classic Moody Blues:  The Universal Masters Collection
2000:  20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection:  Best of the Moody Blues
2003:  Say It with Love
           Ballads
2005:  Gold
2006:  An Introduction to the Moody Blues
2007:  Collected
2008:  Playlist Plus

Hits List: Andy Gibb

The younger brother of the Bee Gees, Andy Gibb was a teen idol, immensely successful in the later 70's.  Andy celebrated his 30th birthday working on a new album.  Afterwards, he went into the hospital complaining of chest pains and died five days later (March 10, 1988) of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle which was the result of a viral infection.  We are blessed for his short time here.  Here is the complete Hits List from Andy Gibb:




1976:  "Words and Music" (#29 New Zealand, #78 Australia)
1977:  "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" (#1, #8 Easy Listening, #26 U.K., #1 Australia, #2 New Zealand)
          "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" (#1, #18 EL, #13 Australia, #25 New Zealand)
1978:  "Shadow Dancing" (#1, #8 EL, #42 U.K., #11 Australia, #5 New Zealand)
           "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away" (#9, #2 EL, #32 U.K., #61 Australia, #27 New Zealand)
1980:  "Desire" (#4, #90 Australia, #38 New Zealand)
           "I Can't Help It" (with Olivia Newton-John) (#12, #8 Adult Contemporary, #62 Australia)
           "Time Is Time" (#15, #29 AC)
1981:  "Me (Without You)" (#40, #45 AC)
           "All I Have to Do Is Dream" (with Victoria Principal) (#51, #25 AC)

Discography: ABBA

It's tough to find an act either as popular or as successful as this Swedish group, which took the entire world by storm in the 1970's and 1980's.  Notice how the popularity spread from their region in the beginning all over the globe.  Here is the complete Discography from ABBA:




1973:  Ring Ring (#2 Sweden, #10 Australia, #10 Norway
1974:  Waterloo (#145, #28 U.K., #1 Sweden, #18 Australia, #1 Norway, #6 Germany)
1975:  ABBA (#174, #13 U.K., #55 Canada, #1 Sweden, #1 Australia, #1 Norway, #3 New Zealand)



1976:  Arrival (#20, #1 U.K., #4 Canada, #15 France, #1 Germany, #3 Japan, #1 Sweden, #1 Australia, #1 New Zealand, #1 Norway)
1977:  The Album (#14, #1 U.K., #8 Canada, #13 France, #2 Germany, #9 Japan, #1 Sweden, #4 Australia, #1 New Zealand, #1 Norway)



1979:  Voulez-Vous (#19, #1 U.K., #6 Canada, #6 France, #1 Germany, #1 Japan, #1 Sweden, #5 Australia, #2 New Zealand, #1 Norway)
1980:  Super Trouper (#17, #1 U.K., #7 Canada, #8 France, #1 Germany, #1 Japan, #1 Sweden, #5 Australia, #5 New Zealand, #1 Norway)
1981:  The Visitors (#29, #1 U.K., #18 Canada, #12 France, #1 Germany, #12 Japan, #1 Sweden, #22 Australia,#19 New Zealand, #1 Norway)

Live Albums:
1986:  ABBA Live (#49 Sweden)

Compilations:
1975:  Greatest Hits (#48, #1 U.K., #2 Canada, #9 France, #4 Japan, #1 Sweden,#1 Norway)
           The Best of ABBA (#1 Germany, #1 Australia, #1 New Zealand, #13 Norway)
1979:  Greatest Hits Volume 2 (#46, #1 U.K., #8 Canada, #5 France, #6 Germany, #2 Japan, #20 Sweden, #20 Australia, #3 New Zealand, #25 Norway)
1982:  The Singles:  The First Ten Years (#62, #1 U.K., #24 Canada, #6 France, #5 Germany, #29 Sweden, #18 Australia, #5 New Zealand, #33 Norway)
1992:  ABBA Gold:  Greatest Hits (#63, #1 U.K., #4 Canada, #1 France, #1 Germany, #13 Japan, #1 Sweden, #1 Australia, #3 New Zealand, #1 Norway)
1993:  More ABBA Gold:  More ABBA Hits (#13 U.K., #10 France, #9 Germany, #3 Sweden, #38 Australia, #16 Norway)
194:  Thank You for the Music (#17 Sweden, #76 Australia)--I can think of no reason not to buy this compilation which is a boxed set.
2001:  The Definitive Collection (#186, #17 U.K., #12 France, #14 Germany, #26 Sweden, #10 Australia, #9 New Zealand, #8 Norway)
2005:  18 Hits (#15 U.K., #15 France, #62 Germany, #32 Australia)
           The Complete Studio Recordings (Boxed Set of every track on every album)
2006:  Number Ones (#15 U.K., #24 Germany, #20 Sweden, #36 Australia, #1 New Zealand, #25 Norway)
2008:  The Albums (Boxed Set) (#89 U.K., #57 France, #61 Germany, #4 Sweden, #5 Norway)

Hits List: Laura Branigan

This talent from Brewster, New York was taken from us at the early age of 47.  Here is the complete Hits List of Laura Branigan:




1980:  "Fool's Affair"
1981:  "Looking Out for Number One"
           "Tell Him"
1982:  "All Night With Me"
           "Gloria" (#2, #5 Adult Contemporary, #1 Australia, #1 Canada, #6 U.K.)
1983:  "Solitaire" (#7, #16 AC,#5 Australia, #8 Canada)
           "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" (#12, #1 AC, #46 Australia)
1984:  "Self Control" (#4, #5 AC, #3 Australia, #1 Canada, #5 U.K.)
           "The Lucky One" (#20, #13 AC, #48 Australia, #53 Canada, #56 U.K.)
           "Ti Amo" (#55, #22 AC, #2 Australia, #5 Canada, #100 U.K.)
           "Satisfaction"



1985:  "Spanish Eddie" (#40, #29 AC, #24 Australia, #34 Canada, #87 U.K.)
           "Hold Me" (#82)
           "Maybe Tonight"
1986:  "I Found Someone" (#90, #25 AC)
1987:  "Shattered Glass" (#48, #27 AC, #60 Australia, #78 U.K.)
           "Power of Love" (#26, #19 AC)
           "Spirit of Love"
1988:  "Cry Wolf" (#20 AC, #98 Australia)
1990:  "Moonlight on Water" (#59, #83 Canada)
1991:  "Never in a Million Years" (#22 AC)
1993:  "Didn't We Almost Win It All"
           "It's Been Hard Enough Getting Over You"



1995:  "Dim All the Lights"
2004:  "Self Control 2004"
           "Gloria 2004"

This Date in Rock Music History: August 27

1962:  "He's A Rebel" was released on this date.  The song was credited to the Crystals, even though Phil Spector had the Blossoms record the song because the Crystals were on tour.
1964:  The Beatles performed before 14,000 fans at the Cincinnati Gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1964:  The Honeycombs topped the U.K. chart with "Have I The Right".
1965:  The Beatles visited Elvis Presley at his home at 565 Perugia Way in Bel-Air, California. 
1966:  Petula Clark moved to #1 on the Easy Listening Chart with "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love".
1966:  Everyone was singing it, because its message was the message of a generation--Stevie Wonder's version of "Blowin' In The Wind" hit #1 on the R&B chart.

    

                                                An appropriate song as we get through the last of "the dog days of summer"...

1966:  The perfect way to close out a great summer in music--"Summer In The City" by Lovin' Spoonful at #1 for a third week.  Bobby Hebb had to settle for a #2 with "Sunny" while "See You In September" by the Happenings was #3.  Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs came in fourth with "Lil' Red Riding Hood" and Donovan moved from 10 to 5 with "Sunshine Superman".  The rest of the Top 10:  The Troggs with "Wild Thing" just ahead of two big movers--"You Can't Hurry Love" by the Supremes (up from 28 to 7) and the Beatles (climbing from 52 to 8) with "Yellow Submarine", Petula Clark remained at 9 with "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love" and Billy Stewart's "Summertime".
1967:  Eric Burdon (appearing with but advertised without the Animals) headlined the second day of the Festival of the Flower Children at Woburn Abbey in Woburn, England.

1967:  Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, was found dead at his home in London after he had combined alcohol with an overdose of Carbitral (a drug taken to assist sleep).
1969:  Led Zeppelin played at the Casino Ballroom on Hampton Beach in New Haven, Connecticut.  There were to be two shows, but the 10 p.m. event was canceled.
1970:  Supertramp, which had released their debut album a month previously, performed at the famous 1970 Isle of Wight Festival at East Afton Farm.
1970:  Jimi Hendrix recorded the song "Slow Blues" at his New York recording studio he had premiered the night before.  At one minute at 45 seconds, it was never finished.  It was the last song Hendrix recorded; he died 22 days later.
1971:  Pink Floyd finished work on the album Meddle.
1975:  The Eagles were flying high on the One of These Nights tour, performing at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
1977:  Jackson Browne recorded "Stay" and "Running On Empty" live at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.
1977:  The Floaters were on top as their song "Float On" led the way in the U.K.
1977:  Jimmy Buffett married Jane Slagsvol, whom Jimmy had met in Key West in 1972.

1977:  Bank Holiday in the U.K., and concert goers flocked to the annual Reading Festival to see Aerosmith, Little River Band, Thin Lizzy, Graham Parker and the Rumour, John Miles and Ultravox.  (Note:  some websites incorrectly report the date as July 12.  The performance was August 27, as you can see from the above photo.)


















             
                                                                                    The Commodores with their first big hit...


1977:  Once again, the Emotions were leading the way with "Best Of My Love" but Andy Gibb's former #1 "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" was still at #2.  Rita Coolidge remained in third with "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher And Higher", the Commodores' great song "Easy" was at #4 and James Taylor moved from 12 to 5 with his remake of "Handy Man".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Whatcha' Gonna' Do" by Pablo Cruise, Crosby, Stills & Nash with "Just A Song Before I Go", the Floaters and "Float On" at #8, Fleetwood Mac had another Top 10 from Rumours with "Don't Stop" and one of the great songs of the summer--"Strawberry Letter 23" by the Brothers Johnson jumped up from 23 to 10.










                                                            Steve Miller's album was against tough competition...


1977:  Fleetwood Mac's Rumours was making its third run as the #1 album, now in its 16th week at that position.  CSN by Crosby, Stills & Nash was #2 followed by Streisand Superman by Barbra Streisand and the Soundtrack to "Star Wars".  JT by James Taylor was fifth.  The rest of the Top 10:  I'm in You by Peter Frampton, Book of Dreams from the Steve Miller Band, the Emotions with Rejoice at 8, the Commodores with their self-titled release and Love Gun from Kiss.

1978:  Foreigner, Patti Smith, Squeeze, and After the Fire performed on the final day of the annual Reading Festival in Reading, England.

1979:  Pat Benatar released her debut album, In the Heat of the Night, on Chrysalis Records.
1983:  Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Black Sabbath, Suzi Quatro and Marillon performed on the second day of the Reading Rock Festival in Reading, England.










1983:  Rita Coolidge held on to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for the fourth week with "All Time High".
1982:  Queen played at the Myriad Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
1983:  Barry Manilow was in concert at Blenheim Palace in Oxford, England.





































                           Loverboy had another Top 10 album...


1983:  The Police album Synchronicity had been out nine weeks with six of those at #1.  For now, it held off Michael Jackson's Thriller, which would eventually return to #1.  The Soundtrack to "Flashdance" came in third and Def Leppard completed a pretty powerful top four with Pyromania.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Wild Heart from Ms. Stevie Nicks, the "Staying Alive" Soundtrack by the Bee Gees, David Bowie's Let's Dance dropped to 7, Loverboy had another hit album with Keep It Up, Donna Summer entered the Top 10 with She Works Hard for the Money and the Fixx completed the list with Reach the Beach.










































1988:  Will never forget when this song was played at Baltimore's Camden Yards as Cal Ripken took a victory lap around the stadium after officially breaking baseball's all-time record for consecutive games played.  On this date, Whitney Houston released the single "One Moment In Time".
1988:  Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine reached the top of the Adult Contemporary chart with "1-2-3".



























                                                              Tracy Chapman from her stunning debut album...

1988:  George Michael set an all-time record with his fourth consecutive #1 song from the same album--Faith.  "Monkey" was the one that did it on this date and that gave him eight #1 songs in the decade, beaten only by Michael Jackson.  Elton John's "I Don't Wanna' Go On With You Like That" moved up to challenge while Chicago was up to #3 with "I Don't Wanna' Live Without Your Love".  Guns N' Roses had an all-out smash with "Sweet Child O' Mine" which was up to #4 and Robert Palmer's "Simply Irresistible" moved from 12 to 5.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Fast Car" from Tracy Chapman, Steve Winwood tumbled from #1 with "Roll With It", Huey Lewis & the News hit the Top 10 with "Perfect World", Whitney Houston" moved to 9 with "Love Will Save the Day" and Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine had #10--"1-2-3".






1988:  Tracy Chapman pulled off the rare feat of getting a #1 album with her debut.  After 54 weeks since its release, Hysteria by Def Leppard was still hanging in there at #2.  Steve Winwood dropped with his album Roll With It and Guns N' Roses fell with Appetite for Destruction.  The rest of the Top 10:  He's the D.J., I'm the Rapper from D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, George Michael's Faith was #6, OU812 by Van Halen came in seventh, the great "Dirty Dancing" Soundtrack was #8, and the self-titled Richard Marx came in at #9, passing Poison's Open Up and Say...Ahh!
1989:  Izzy Stradlin of Guns 'N Roses was arrested at the airport in Phoenix, Arizona after creating a disturbance on an airline flight.  (Note:  several websites, including those for some newspapers, incorrectly say this occurred on August 30.  The correct date is August 27, according to the Associated Press and the book 'Watch You Bleed:  The Saga of Guns N' Roses' by Stephen Davis.)
1990:  Garth Brooks released the incredible album No Fences.  (Note:  some websites incorrectly say the album was released September 4.  According to the book 'The Garth Factor:  The Career Behind Country's Big Boom' by Patsi Bale Cox, the album was released August 27.)

1990:  Elite guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughn, the pilot, and three members of Eric Clapton's band were killed in a helicopter crash in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.













1991:  Pearl Jam released an album (Ten) that would alter the grunge rock landscape.

1992:  Lyrics to "A Day In The Life" that were handwritten by John Lennon sold at a Sotheby's auction for $87,000.

1993:  Rage Against the Machine, the Stone Temple Pilots, Tool and Chumbawamba were the top performers on the opening day of the three-day Reading Festival in the U.K.  Radiohead was to appear, but had to cancel because lead singer Thom Yorke had a sore throat.
1994:  Primal Scream, Radiohead, Ice Cube and the Manic Street Preachers were among the performers on the second day of the Reading Festival in Reading, England.
1994:  Boyz II Men had the #1 R&B song for a second week with "I'll Make Love To You".
1995:  Neil Young, Soundgarden, White Zombie and Blind Melon performed on the final day of the Reading Festival in Reading, England.
1996:  OutKast released their album ATliens on LaFace Records.
1996:  Pearl Jam released the album No Code on Epic Records.

2000:  It was the best Reading Festival in years--Rage Against the Machine, Blink-182, Slipknot, Placebo, and the Stereophonics performed on opening night in Reading, England.
2000:  Richard Jaeger, percussionist who played for Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Pointer Sisters, Jimi Hendrix, and the Grateful Dead, died at the age of 52.
2001:  Five had the #1 U.K. song with "Let's Dance".

















2003:  The Rolling Stones took to the London club Astoria to perform.
2003:  A Georgia judge ordered Bobby Brown to serve nine days in jail for violating parole.
2004:  The Darkness, the Offspring, and Modest Mouse performed on the opening day of the Carling Weekend Festival in Reading and Leeds, England.
2005:  The Foo Fighters and the Kings of Leon headlined day two of the Reading Festival in the U.K.
2006:  Pearl Jam, Chemical Romance, Placebo, and Slayer performed on the final day of the Carling Weekend Reading Festival in Leeds and Reading, England.
2006:  Beyonce and Jay-Z held the #1 spot in the U.K. with "Deja Vu".
2009:  John Paul Young was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame.
2010:  Marvin Hamlisch was named as the principal conductor of the Pasadena Pops Orchestra in California.

Born This Day:
1937:  Tommy Sands ("Teen-Age Crush" from 1957) was born in Chicago, Illinois. 

1942:  Daryl Dragon of the Captain & Tennille was born in Los Angeles.
1949:  Tim Bogert, bassist for Vanilla Fudge, was born in New York City. (Note:  some sources incorrectly say Bogert was born in Richfield, New Jersey.  According to Tim's official website, he was born in New York City.)
1949:  Jeff Cook, founding member, vocalist, lead guitarist, keyboardist and fiddle player of Alabama, was born in Ft. Payne, Alabama.


















1953:  Alex Lifeson (real name Alex Zivojinovich), guitarist of Rush, was born in Fernie, British Columbia, Canada.  (Note: Some websites claim Alex was born in Surnie, British Columbia, Canada.  There is no such city in British Columbia; the correct name of the city is Fernie.)1956:  Glen Matlock, bass guitarist for the Sex Pistols, was born in London, England.





























1961:  Yolanda Adams was born in Houston, Texas.
1970:  Tony Kanal, bassist of No Doubt, was born in Kingsbury, London, England.
1978:  Mase (real name Mason Betha) was born in Jacksonville, Florida (Note:  sources are all over the map on his year of birth, citing 1974, 1975 and 1977.  His booking agency, Richard De La Font, lists his birth year as 1978.)
1979:  Jon Siebels, guitarist for Eve 6











1986:  Mario was born in Baltimore, Maryland.