1970 - Stephen Stills releases his first (self-titled) solo album. Recorded during the break up of CSN&Y, it's mix of folk, blues (acoustic and electric), hard rock, and gospel is seamless, and the musicianship and the singing are top stellar.
"Love the One You're With," which started life as a phrase that Stills borrowed from Billy Preston at a party, is the song from this album that everybody knows, but other highlights include the ballad "Do for the Others", the gospel of "Church (Part of Someone)" , and the guest appearances from Jimi Hendrix (the album is dedicated to James Marshall, Hendrix, who died two months before the album arrived in stores) and Eric Clapton.
The album cover was shot at Stills' cabin near Gold Hill, when he called Colorado home. The pink giraffe on the cover is thought to be a secret message to one of his girlfriends, specifically Rita Coolidge who had just left him for Graham Nash.
Stephen Stills is in the Colorado Music hall Of Fame as a member of Manassas.(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
1973 - David Bowie was the host of a special edition of the ABC show "Midnight Special". His show was called "1980 Floor Show". It lived up to its title with elaborate dance numbers, major costume changes, and several guest performers: The Troggs, Amanda Lear, Carmen, and — most importantly — Marianne Faithfull. Bowie and Faithfull sang a duet of "I Got You Babe" with Marianne wearing a nun's habit with an open back.
1974 - John Lennon was at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Whatever Gets You Through The Night." Elton John played on the session and made a deal with Lennon that if the song reached No. 1, Lennon would have to appear on stage live with Elton. Lennon kept his side of the deal, and on Thanksgiving Day 1974, the two played three songs together during a show at New York's Madison Square Garden: "I Saw Her Standing There," "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "Whatever Gets You Through the Night." The public had no idea Lennon was going to appear during the show.
2010 - The Beatles back catalogue was made available on iTunes, after years of negotiations. Apple chief executive and Beatles fan Steve Jobs said it had "been a long and winding road to get here. We love the Beatles and are honored and thrilled to welcome them to iTunes."
The hold up for years could be pointed to the fact that the band had always been protective of their catalogue and a knot of legal wrangling (Apple Computer spent decades battling the Beatles' Apple Corps record label over the rights to sell music using the Apple name), ego and financial demands.
“I am particularly glad to no longer be asked when the Beatles are coming to iTunes,” Ringo Starr said in the announcement.
2014 - U2's Bono was involved in what doctors called a "high energy bicycle accident."
Bono broke his arm in six places and fractured his eye socket, hand and shoulder blade. He now had a titanium elbow.
Bono said he "blanked out on impact and have no memory of how I ended up in New York Presbyterian with my humerus bone sticking through my leather jacket. Very punk rock as injuries go".
The singer was rushed to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center's emergency department and underwent five hours of surgery. The injury forced the group to postpone a planned weeklong residency on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.
Birthdays:
Songwriter Teenie Hodges, who wrote many hits for Al Green, including "Take Me to the River", "Love and Happiness", "L-O-V-E (Love)", and "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)", was born today in 1945.
On This Day In Music History was from This Day in Music, Song Facts, New York Times, Hollywood Reporter, Allmusic, Musictoeat, BBC news, and Wikipedia.
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