1970 - Led Zeppelin played a gig in Copenhagen as The Nobs after Eva Von Zeppelin - a relative of the airship designer - threatened to sue if the family name was used in Denmark.
"We invited her backstage to meet us, to see how we were nice young lads," Jimmy Page later recalled. "We calmed her down but on leaving the studio, she saw our LP cover of an airship in flames and she exploded! I had to run and hide. She just blew her top."
1970 - Simon and Garfunkel started a six week run at the top of the US singles chart with 'Bridge Over Troubled Water.' It became one of the most performed songs of the twentieth century, with over 50 artists, among them Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, covering the song.
Art Garfunkel sang this alone, although he thought Simon should have sung it. Said Simon, "Many times I'm sorry I didn't do it."
Simon often sang it at his solo shows; at the last concert of his 2018 farewell tour, he introduced it by saying, "I'm going to reclaim my lost child."
1983 -U2 released their third studio album War. The album has come to be regarded as U2's first overtly political album, in part because of songs like 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' and 'New Year's Day.' War bristles with anger, despair, and above all, passion. U2 always aimed at greatness, but War was the first time they achieved it.
1986 - The movie Pretty In Pink, based on the Psychedelic Furs song but with a very distorted interpretation of the lyric, is released in theaters. The song is about a girl who sleeps around. In the movie, she's poor, but feisty, and wears a homemade pink prom dress. Despite being trouble by the interpretation, the band is grateful for the exposure it gave them.
1996 - 22-year-old Alanis Morissette becomes the youngest artist to win the Grammy for Album of the Year when Jagged Little Pill takes the prize. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Birthdays:
Rolling Stone Brian Jones was born today in 1942. Jones placed an advertisement in Jazz News of 2 May 1962 inviting musicians to audition for a new R&B group. Jones came up with the name the Rollin' Stones while on the phone with a venue owner, who asked 'What are you called?' Jones saw a copy of The Best Of Muddy Waters lying on the floor - and track one was Rollin' Stone Blues. When Jones developed alcohol and drug problems, and he became increasingly unreliable, the Stones dismissed him in June 1969. Jones died on 3 July 1969, after drowning in his swimming pool.
Cindy Wilson of the B-52s is 65.
Jake Bugg is 28.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from Allmusic, Ultimate Classic Rock, This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.