1967 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded "Purple Haze" at Olympic Studios in London. According to drummer Mitch Mitchell, he and bassist Noel Redding learned the song in the studio after Hendrix hummed the melody to them
Hendrix explained later that the idea for the words to "Purple Haze" came to him in a dream after he had read a science fiction novel. Fans and critics have spent years trying to decipher the song's meaning. Hendrix himself pointed to the one line at the end of the second verse: "Never happy or in misery / Whatever it is, that girl
put a spell on me."
1971 - Pearl, the second and final solo album by Janis Joplin, is released - three months after her death. Thanks to a more consistent set of songs, the results are magnificent -- given room to breathe, Joplin's trademark rasp conveys an aching, desperate passion on funked-up, bluesy rockers, ballads both dramatic and tender, and her signature song, the posthumous number one hit "Me and Bobby McGee." Few artists could ask for a better final statement.
1992 - Nirvana's Nevermind album hits #1 in America, unseating Michael Jackson's Dangerous.
They also make their first appearance on Saturday Night Live. They leave a mark: after performing their hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit," they play "Territorial Pissings" for their second song, then trash their instruments and anything else they can find on stage.
Birthdays:
Slim Harpo, blues musician ("Baby Scratch My Back" and ‘I'm a King Bee’ ), was born today in 1924. The Stones covered his song "Hip Shake" on Exile On Main Street.
Clarence Clemons, saxophonist for the E Street Band, was born today in 1942. The Big Man. A member of Bruce Springsteen's backup group, the E Street Band, from 1973 to 2011. Clemons' soulful R&B stylings became a key element of the band's sound, notably on Springsteen's breakthrough hit "Born to Run". Springsteen delivered the eulogy at Clemons' funeral telling attendees, "He loved the saxophone, loved our fans, and gave everything he had every night he stepped on-stage." (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Lee Ritenour, jazz guitarist. is 71. When he was 16 he played on his first recording session with the Mamas & the Papas. In 1979, he "was brought in to beef up" one of Pink Floyd's The Wall's heaviest rock numbers, 'Run Like Hell'.
On This Day In Music History was sourced from This Day in Music, Song Facts, NPR, Classic Bands, and Wikipedia.