1959 - Robert Zimmerman, later known as Bob Dylan, graduated from Hibbing High School in northern Minnesota. In the 1959 Hematite — the Hibbing High School yearbook — young Bob's photo is captioned, "Robert Zimmerman: to join Little Richard," and it notes that Bob was a member of the Latin and Social Studies clubs.

1968 - Senator Robert Kennedy is shot while exiting through a kitchen at a hotel where he delivered a speech after winning the Democratic nomination for president of the United States. This event prompts David Crosby to write "Long Time Gone" and The Rolling Stones to insert the lyrics, "Who killed the Kennedys?" (changed from who killed Kennedy) to their new song "Sympathy For The Devil."

1975 - 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.

1983 - During a 48-date North American tour, U2 played at Red Rocks Amphitheater. Despite it almost getting cancelled due to rain and inclement weather, the moody concert was recorded and released as U2 Live At Red Rocks: Under A Blood Red Sky. Originally released in 1984 on videocassette, the video gained the Irish rock band more global attention and a reputation as incredible live performers.

In 1980, U2 came through Denver on its first American tour, playing at the now-defunct Rainbow Music Hall. Promoter Chuck Morris knew the young Irish band was destined for greater things and wanted to show off Red Rocks to the members. They immediately fell in love with Colorado’s outdoor venue, and manager Paul McGuinness vowed that one day they would film a performance there.

Three years later, U2 carried out the commitment when Red Rocks was booked for June 5. A film crew was brought in ( lighting cost was $40,000 alone), Steve Lillywhite was there to properly record the show.

But on the day of the show, miserable weather moved in and threatened to ruin the entire scenario. Temperatures dropped to 40 degrees at showtime, and a day’s worth of drizzle evolved into a deluge. It was no place to be holding a concert, but with all the investment in one show, canceling or moving it was out of the question economically.

“If only eight people turned up, we were still going to play like our lives depended on it,” Bono said.

The 19-song show has gone down as one of U2’s defining moments. The event ceased being a concert after the second song. From that point on, it was more akin to a church service, a tangible exchange between a band fulfilling its promise as a premier musical outfit and its soaked, shivering fans. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

Birthdays:

Laurie Anderson is 76. After briefly entering the mainstream pop radar in 1981 with her lone hit "O Superman," musician, composer, performance artist, and technology buff Laurie Anderson has enjoyed a public visibility greater than virtually any other avant-garde figure of her era. Her infrequent forays into rock aside, Anderson nevertheless remained firmly grounded within the realm of performance art, her ambitious multimedia projects encompassing not only music but film, visual projections, dance, and -- most importantly -- spoken and written language, the cornerstone of all of her work. She married Lou Reed in a ceremony held in Boulder.

Richard Butler, lead singer of Psychedelic Furs, is 67.

On this Day In Music History are gathered from Allmusic, This Day In Music, Colomusic, Song Facts and Wikipedia.

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