1969 - Led Zeppelin release their debut album, titled Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin had a fully formed, distinctive sound from the outset, which is why it only took 36 hours of studio time to record it, basically "live" with a few overdubs.
Taking the heavy, distorted electric blues of Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and Cream to an extreme, Zeppelin created a majestic, powerful brand of guitar rock constructed around simple, memorable riffs and lumbering rhythms. Although the album isn't as varied as some of their later efforts, it nevertheless marked a significant turning point in the evolution of hard rock and heavy metal.
1974 - The Steve Miller Band reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart for the first time with "The Joker".
What exactly is the "pompatus of love?" The word "Pompatus" does exist in the Oxford English Dictionary, and it means "to act with pomp and splendor."
1995 - The Allman Brothers Band, Al Green, the late Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Neil Young, The Orioles and the late Frank Zappa were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
1993 - Van Morrison failed to turn up at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction dinner, making him, at the time, the first living inductee not to attend. Counting Crows appeared in place of the absent Morrison and performed the song "Caravan" which helped bring the band to public notice.
2010 - Vampire Weekend released their second studio album, Contra. The band still flaunts the collegiate sense of discovery that made their debut charming -- but with more maturity and creativity. The album’s artwork, which pairs a blonde princess in a popped-collar polo shirt with the term given to Nicaraguan rebels, hints at the flair with which Vampire Weekend play mix-and-match on Contra. The album bustles with so many sounds and ideas that it challenges listeners to decide where to put their ears first, Auto-Tune and real live guitars, Mexican drinks, Jamaican riffs and Upper West Side strings, all woven together with an exciting disregard of boundaries.
Birthdays:
1906 - Country bluesman Mississippi Fred McDowell is born in Rossville, Tennessee. As a stylist and purveyor of the original Delta blues, he was superb, equal parts Charley Patton and Son House coming to the fore through his roughed-up vocals and slashing bottleneck style of guitar playing. He mentored a young Bonnie Raitt, helping to develop her slide guitar techniques and The Rolling Stones covered his "You Gotta Move" on their 1971 album, Sticky Fingers.
Long John Baldry was born today in 1941. While relatively unknown outside of England, as a historical figure, he has undeniable importance. Sang in the band of British blues godfather Alexis Korner, Blues Incorporated, which also served as a starting point for future rock stars Mick Jagger, Jack Bruce, and others. Formed Long John Baldry and His Hoochie Coochie Men featuring Rod Stewart as a second vocalist. He also fronted Bluesology, the band that gave Elton John his first prestigious gig.
His 1971 album, It Ain't Easy (the title cut was covered by David Bowie on Ziggy Stardust) one side produced by Rod Stewart, the other by Elton John. The album contained a tiny American chart item, "Don't Try to Lay No Boogie-Woogie on the King of Rock'n'Roll." He was also the voice of Doctor Robotnik in Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog.
George Duke was born today in 1946. George Duke was an accomplished keyboardist, producer, arranger, bandleader, and composer. He was successful in both popular music and jazz, and straddled both sides of that aisle for most of his career. He was a member of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention.
Chris Bell of Big Star was born today in 1951. The guitarist is truly one of the unsung heroes of American pop music and his work with Big Star was belatedly acknowledged as some of the best and most influential pop music of the '70s.
By the end of 1972, Bell left Big Star, reportedly chafing over Alex Chilton's more visible role in the band. While Bell would briefly rejoin Big Star and contributed to some of the songs on their second album, 1974's Radio City, his work on the album was uncredited and he soon began working on solo material. In 1978, while driving home from band practice, Bell lost control of his car and was killed when the vehicle struck a telephone pole. He was only 27 years old.
Big Star's catalog was out of print and all but forgotten when Bell died, but in the '80s, a number of alternative rock bands began citing the group as a major influence. As members of R.E.M., the Replacements, and Teenage Fanclub were singing their praises, #1 Record and Radio City were reissued, allowing a new generation of fans to discover their music
R.I.P.:
2022 - Ronnie Spector died at the age of 78. One of the lasting icons of the girl group era, with an instantly recognizable voice that added grit to yearning relationship songs, Ronnie Spector was a key influence on generations of female rockers as leader of the Ronettes. After teaming up with producer Phil Spector, who called Ronnie "the voice I've been looking for" at the group's audition, the Ronettes broke through in 1963 with their signature song "Be My Baby," Ronnie proved an inspiration to contemporaries from the Rolling Stones (the Ronettes opened their 1964 U.K. tour) and the Beatles (opening their 1966 U.S. tour) to, perhaps most conspicuously, soon-to-be punk pioneers the Ramones. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
On This Day In Music History was sourced, copied, pasted, edited, and occasionally woven together with my own crude prose, from This Day in Music, Song Facts. Allmusic and Wikipedia.
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