1969 - T. Rex kicked off their tour of the U.K. at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester. Their opening act on this night was David Bowie performing a one-man mime act. At Bolan's insistence, Bowie performed his one-man mime routine depicting China's invasion of Tibet. Bowie was an experienced mime, having trained under choreographer (and Marcel Marceau protege) Lindsay Kemp." Concert goers were apparently not fans of the act, and Bowie was often met with boos and heckles. But Bowie would be fine, as Space Oddity was released that summer and the rest was history.
1977 - The Eagles released 'Hotel California' the title track from the Eagles' album of the same name. The genesis of the song came from a guitar piece the Don Felder recorded and that Don Henley referred to as "Mexican Reggae".
On November 25, 2007 Henley appeared on 60 Minutes, where he was told, "everyone wants to know what this song means." Henley replied: "I know, it's so boring. It's a song about the dark underbelly of the American Dream, and about excess in America which was something we knew about."
1978 - The Police appeared in a Wrigley's Chewing Gum commercial for US TV, the band dyed their hair blonde for the appearance, to look more punk rock. The commercial never aired (the campaign was scrapped) but the boys kept the blonde hair.
1989 - The very un-heavy Jethro Tull win the first Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, beating out Metallica. Presenters Lita Ford and Alice Cooper accept on their behalf, pointing out that the flute - often a lead instrument in their songs - is indeed made of heavy metal.
1987 - Andy Warhol, founder of the Pop Art movement, he painted the album cover of The Velvet Underground's debut album and designed the cover of The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers died after a gallbladder operation in New York City. He was 58 years old. (Photo credit should read AFP via Getty Images)
1993 - Lenny Kravitz releases "Are You Gonna Go My Way," a song about God. Said Lenny: 'Are you gonna go my way?' meaning 'my way of love.' I had no idea that that song would become what it became. No idea. There was nothing on the radio like that. And the recording is so raw, it's ridiculous."
1993 - Radiohead release their debut album, Pablo Honey. It's a promising collection that blends U2's anthemic rock with long, atmospheric instrumental passages and an enthralling triple-guitar attack that is alternately gentle and bracingly noisy. Included the self loathing anthem, "Creep".
2011 - Adele releases her second album, 21. She is still the bluesy pop diva with a singer/songwriter's soul and seemingly bottomless capacity for heartbreak, showcasing her titanic vocal ability. Former Colorado native and singer for One Republic, Ryan Tedder, co-write the hit "Rumour Has It".
Birthdays:
Bradley Nowell was born today in 1968. Formed Sublime in the late 80's. A couple of independent releases led to a strong following and a major label. But Nowell had developed a dangerous drug addiction. Sublime finished off their MCA debut, but before the recording could be released (and just seven days after getting married), Nowell was found dead on May 25, 1996, in a San Francisco hotel room from a heroin overdose, at the age of 28. The self titled album was released anyway and became a hit featuring "What I Got" and "Santeria".
On this Day In Music History was sourced from Norse Land Rock, Allmusic, This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.