HC's Rock Rewind: May 8 - 21

HC's Rock Rewind

A look back at the past two weeks in Rock History

by Team HC

MAY 8th -14th

This week in rock music history was marked by abundance of significant events. “The World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band” recorded their very first single, England’s most influential punk band signed a record contract, and a beloved ‘60s pop band kicked off their final reunion tour. A trove of classic albums was released as well, including landmark records by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Heart and Frank Zappa. Read on for a look back at other noteworthy moments that shaped rock and roll during this historically eventful week.

Events

1963 – The Rolling Stones record their first single, a cover version of Chuck Berry’s “Come On.”

1965 – The Byrds appear on American television for the first time, performing their cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” on NBC’s “Hullabaloo.”

1967 – Pink Floyd stages the first rock concert to feature quadraphonic sound, employing the technology for a show at Queen Elizabeth Hall in England.

1972 – Billy Preston headlines New York’s Radio City Music Hall, becoming the first rock and roll artist to do so.

1974 – Led Zeppelin launch their own record label, Swan Song Records. Bad Company and Dave Edmonds are among the label’s highest-profile artists. The label shuts down in 1983.

1975 – Apple Records officially comes to an end as a corporation.

1977 – The Sex Pistols ink a record deal with Virgin Records. The group had previously been signed—and dropped—by the labels EMI and A&M. Their deal with Virgin yields the punk classic, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols.

1985 – The Go-Go’s announce they are breaking up. Five years later the classic lineup reunites for several shows.

1993 – Aerosmith enter the U.S. album charts at the Number One spot, with Get a Grip. The album goes on to sell more than 20 million copies and earns the band two Grammys.

2006 – The Rolling Stones cancel an upcoming European tour when Keith Richards undergoes emergency brain surgery. The Stones guitarist had suffered a mild concussion after falling out of a tree while on vacation in Fiji.

2011 – The Monkees, sans Michael Nesmith, kick off a 45th Anniversary tour in Liverpool, England. The trek becomes their final reunion tour, as singer Davy Jones passes away the following year.

Releases

1966 – Small Faces: Small Faces

1967 – The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced

1969 – Muddy Waters: After the Rain

1969 – Neil Young & Crazy Horse: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

1970 -- The Jackson 5: ABC

1970 – The Beatles:  Let It Be

1970 – Various: Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More

1971 -- Pink Floyd: Relics

1972 – The Rolling Stones: Exile on Main Street

1973 – Wishbone Ash: Wishbone Four

1974 – New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon

1974 – Bill Wyman:  Monkey Grip

1974 – The Kinks: Preservation Act 2

1975 – Hawkwind: Warrior on the Edge of Time

1977 – Roger Daltrey: One of the Boys

1977 – Heart: Little Queen

1980 – Elton John: 21 at 33

1980 – Devo: Freedom of Choice

1981 – Frank Zappa: Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar

1982 – Duran: Rio

1982 – The Clash: Combat Rock

1984 – Twisted Sister: Stay Hungry

1984 – Chicago: Chicago 17

1985 – New Order: Low-Life

1985 – Dire Straits: Brothers in Arms

1988 – Prince: Lovesexy

1989 – John Mellencamp: Big Daddy

1990 – The Bangles: Greatest Hits

1991 – Elvis Costello: Mighty Like a Rose

1992 – Iron Maiden: Fear of the Dark

1992 – The Black Crowes: The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion

1993 – Blur: Modern Life is Rubbish

1994 – Sonic Youth: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star

1994 – Weezer: Weezer (aka “The Blue Album”)

1996 – Def Leppard: Slang

1996 – Peter Wolf: Long Line

1998 – Widespread Panic: Light Fuse, Get Away

2000 – The Jayhawks: Smile

2001 – The Black Crowes: Lions

2001 – R.E.M.: Reveal

2002 – Rush: Vapor Trails

2003 – Fall Out Boy: Take This to Your Grave

2003 – Marilyn Manson: The Golden Age of Grotesque

2005 – Dave Matthews Band:  Stand Up

2006 – Red Hot Chili Peppers: Stadium Arcadium

2006 – The Raconteurs: Broken Boy Soldiers

2006 – Neil Young: Living with War

2010 – The Dead Weather: Sea of Cowards

2014 – The Black Keys: Turn Blue

Deaths

Martin Lamble (Fairport Convention) – May 12, 1969

Graham Bond – May 8, 1974

Bob Wills – May 13, 1975

Keith Relf (The Yardbirds) – May 14, 1976

Lester Flatt – May 11, 1979

Bob Marley – May 11, 1981

Chet Baker – May 13, 1988

Frank Sinatra – May 14, 1998

Noel Redding – May 11, 2003

Jack Richardson (producer) – May 13, 2011

Donald Dunn (Booker T and the MG's) – May 13, 2012

Ed Gagliardi (Foreigner) – May 11, 2014

B.B. King – May 14, 2015

Births

Robert Johnson – May 8, 1911

Burt Bacharach – May 12, 1928

Bobby Darin – May 14, 1936

Sonny Curtis (The Crickets) – May 9, 1937

Ricky Nelson – May 8, 1940

Eric Burdon – May 11, 1941

Richie Valens – May 13, 1941

Ian Dury – May 12, 1942

Danny Whitten (Crazy Horse) – May 8, 1943

Paul Samwell-Smith (The Yardbirds) – May 8, 1943

Jack Bruce – May 14, 1943

Bill Legend (T.Rex) – May 8, 1944

Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield) – May 9, 1944

Donavan Leitch – May 10, 1946

Graham Gouldman (10cc) – May 10, 1946

Dave Mason (Traffic) – May 10, 1947

Butch Trucks – May 11, 1947

Pete “Overend” Watts – May 13, 1947

Steve Winwood – May 12, 1948

Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick) – May 9, 1950

Billy Squier – May 12, 1950

Stevie Wonder – May 13, 1950

Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind & Fire) – May 8, 1951

Chris Frantz (Talking Heads) – May 8, 1951

Paul Thompson (Roxy Music) – May 13, 1951

Sly Dunbar – May 10, 1952

David Byrne – May 14, 1952

Alex Van Halen – May 8, 1953

John Edwards (Status Quo) – May 9, 1953

Dave Mason – May 10, 1956

Sid Vicious – May 10, 1957

Eric Singer (Kiss) – May 12, 1958

Billy Dufy (The Cult) – May 12, 1959

Paul Hewson (aka Bono) – May 10, 1960

Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode) – May 9, 1962

C.C. Deville – May 14, 1962

Ian Astbury (The Cult) – May 14, 1962

Darius Rucker – May 13, 1966

Joe Bonamassa – May 8, 1977

Dan Auerbach – May 14, 1979

May 15th - 21st

This week in rock history brims with memorable events, both positive and negative, from the births of Trent Reznor and Krist Novoselic to the passing of Ronnie James Dio. Read on for some major events, historic record releases and births and deaths happening May 15 through May 21.

Events

1963 - The debut Monterey Folk Festival takes place, featuring Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul and Mary and Joan Baez.

1964 - The Animals start recording "House of the Rising Sun."

1975 - Fleetwood Mac performs for the first time with new members Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks in El Paso, Texas.

1980 - Drummer Peter Criss exits Kiss but returns to the fold, with Ace Frehley, in 1996.

1991 - Paul McCartney issues Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) in the U.K., marking the first album released from an MTV Unplugged performance.

1993 - Depeche Mode kick off their Devotional tour in Lille, France.

2000 - The Artist Formerly Known As Prince publicly states he will start using his name again.

2010 - Inspiring vocalist Ronnie James Dio passes away from stomach cancer. He was 67 years old.

Releases

Bill Haley and His Comets, “Rock Around the Clock” (single), 1954

The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds, 1966

Bob Dylan, Blonde On Blonde, 1966

The Who, Live at Leeds, 1970

Paul and Linda McCartney, Ram, 1971

Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On, 1971

Uriah Heep, Demons and Wizards, 1972

Elton John, Honky Château, 1972

Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, 1973

The Kinks, Soap Opera, 1975

Elton John, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, 1975

Rainbow, Rising, 1976

David Bowie, Lodger, 1979

Run-DMC, Raising Hell, 1986

Foo Fighters, The Colour and The Shape, 1997

John Fogerty, Blue Moon Swamp, 1997

Pearl Jam, Binaural, 2000

Motörhead, We Are Motörhead, 2000

The Go-Go's, God Bless the Go-Go's, 2001

Weezer, Weezer (aka The Green Album), 2001

Lynyrd Skynyrd, Vicious Cycle, 2003

Lenny Kravitz, Baptism, 2004

Green Day, 21st Century Breakdown, 2009

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