1975 - A policeman who stopped a Lincoln Continental for running a red light in Los Angeles was surprised to find Paul McCartney at the wheel, accompanied by his wife, Linda. The cop detected the smell of marijuana, and on searching the car, found eight ounces of the substance. Linda was arrested for possession of it.
1984 - "This Is Spinal Tap" was released in theaters, chronicling the hapless heavy metal band with exploding drummers and an amp that goes to 11.
Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Eddie Vedder, and Dee Snider are just a few of the musicians who have referenced similarities between their own lives and the movie’s plot. Ozzy Osborne originally thought it was a real documentary. Almost all of the dialogue was improvised.
Director Rob Reiner was originally going to be in the band, but he didn’t look good in spandex.
1999 - Dusty Springfield died. International polls have named Springfield among the best female rock artists of all time, and she is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Essential song (and she had many), "Son-Of-A Preacher Man".
Birthdays:
Lou Reed was born on this day in 1942. He often said that his goal was to apply the freedom and creative sensibility of literature to rock music. Reed was not as celebrated as a guitarist, but the energetic report of his rhythm playing and the noisy grace of his leads and solos made him a hero to musicians who valued passion and feel over chops.
With the Velvet Underground, embraced themes that flouted society's conventions, especially in terms of drugs and sex -- broke fresh ground that other artists would follow, and his willingness to confront his audience made him a vitally important precursor to the punk revolution of the mid- to late '70s. (Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Images)
Rory Gallagher was born on this day in 1948. Irish blues guitarist who was once considered to replace Mick Taylor in the Rolling Stones.
Karen Carpenter was born today in 1950. Half of the duo The Carpenters, she was particularly known for her contralto vocals, and her drumming abilities were also rated highly by other musicians and critics.
“I don't know how that slipped by a lot of people. I mean, I always say it when people ask me about who was my first influence was, or about other women who played drums: The first person I always think of is Karen Carpenter,” said legendary percussionist Sheila E.
Chris Martin of Coldplay is 46. A big fan of Jeff Buckley, formed Coldplay in 1998. The group was originally called Pectoralz, then Starfish, before finally settling on Coldplay in 1998. They are named after a British psychology book called Child's Reflections, Cold Play.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from This Day in Music, Eights Kids, Yahoo, Song Facts, Allmusic, and Wikipedia.