1965 - The Rolling Stones release December's Children (And Everybody's) in the US. The last Stones album in which cover material accounted for 50 percent of the content was thrown together from a variety of singles, British LP tracks, outtakes, and a cut from an early 1964 U.K. EP. Haphazard assembly aside, much of it's great, including the huge hit "Get Off of My Cloud" and the string-laden acoustic ballad "As Tears Go By".
1971 - The Montreux Casino in Switzerland burnt to the ground during a gig by Frank Zappa. Deep Purple are there to record their album Machine Head the following day, in the casino. The idea is to capture the live ambiance of the hall, which has great acoustics, but end up using the Grand Hotel. The incident is immortalized by Deep Purple's 'Smoke On The Water'. The song as a last-minute addition and the riff is considered one of the greatest in rock n' roll..
1980 - Two months after the death of drummer John Bonham Led Zeppelin made decision to break up. The surviving members decided that it was not right to tamper with their legacy by bringing someone else in to play drums. In a statement, the band explained their decision: "We wish it to be known, that the loss of our dear friend and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the deep sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were."
1990 -The Simpsons extend their pop culture dominance into music with the album The Simpsons Sing The Blues. Led by the Michael Jackson (uncredited)-assisted single "Do The Bartman," it sells over 2 million copies in America.
Birthdays:
Chris Hillman of The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers is 79. Along with frequent collaborator Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman was the key figure in the development of country-rock, virtually defining the genre through his seminal work with the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers.
n 1964, the Beefeaters, an L.A. folk trio comprised of guitarists Jim (later Roger) McGuinn, David Crosby, and Gene Clark, released a single, "Please Let Me Love You"; after its commercial failure, they decided to add a bassist and drummer to their lineup. Their producer, Jim Dickson, suggested Hillman for the bass position; although he had never picked up the instrument before, thanks to his bluegrass background he was able to quickly develop his own unique, melodic performance style. After the addition of drummer Michael Clarke, the quintet renamed itself the Byrds.
R.I.P.:
1993 - Musician, composer and nonconformist Frank Zappa passed away from prostate cancer. Zappa’s work is known for its experimentation with sound, musical virtuosity, free-form improvisation and satire of American culture. His disparate influences included doo wop music and avant-garde classical music; although he led groups that could be called rock & roll bands for much of his career, he used them to create a hybrid style that bordered on jazz and complicated, modern serious music, sometimes inducing orchestras to play along. A truly multi-talented artist, Zappa also had his hand in directing feature-length films, music videos and designing album covers.
Zappa was an iconoclastic defender of the freest possible expression of ideas and in the '80s, he was testifying before Congress in opposition to censorship.(Photo by JOEL ROBINE/AFP via Getty Images)
1976 - Guitarist Tommy Bolin died from a heroin overdose aged 25 the day after opening a show for Jeff Beck in Miami, Florida. One can only wonder what could've been if the exceptionally talented (and versatile) guitarist hadn't succumbed to a senseless drug overdose at the age of 25 -- just as his career appeared to be taking off, Bolin not only touched upon several styles (blues-rock, ballads, fusion, funk, reggae, and heavy metal), but showed that he could master each one.
Born in Sioux City, IA, Tommy relocated to Colorado in the 60s. Bolin was a member of Zephyr, The James Gang, and Deep Purple. He's in the Colorado Music Hall Of Fame.
On this Day In Music History was sourced from This Day in Music, Allmusic, Song Facts and Wikipedia.
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