June 14th

June 14th

1968 “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” arrives. 

The Iron Butterfly’s sophomore album contains the extended title track (over seventeen minutes) with organ, guitar and drum solos.  It’s a psychedelic classic. 

“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” is not Latin or anything else.  It is organist/composer Doug Ingle’s drunken slurring of “In The Garden Of Eden.”

1970 Truckin’. The Grateful Dead’s landmark effort, “Workingman’s Dead” is released.

Robert Hunter contributes lyrics to the band’s fourth album beginning a long-term association with the band.

1980 Billy Joel’s “Glass Houses” begins a six-week run at the top of the U.S. album chart.

The Phil Ramone produced set features “It’s Still Rock N’ Roll To Me” (Joel’s first #1 on the pop chart) and “Don’t Ask Me Why.”

2005 The Foo Fighters release the double album “In Your Honor.”

Containing “Best Of You,” the set goes to #2 in the U.K. and U.S.

The album sits behind Coldplay’s “X&Y” on the Billboard 200.

2025 The Funeral Portrait’s “Holy Water” is #1.

The track features Five Finger Death Punch vocalist Ivan Moody.

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1945 Keyboardist Rod Argent (born Rodney Terence Argent) starts his life in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England. He is a founding member of the Zombies, and later, Argent.

1956 King Diamond (aka Kim Bendix Petersen) is born in Copenhagen, Denmark.

1963 Chris DeGarmo, Queensryche founding member (with Michael Wilton and Geoff Tate) and rhythm guitarist (from ’82 -’97), is born in Wenatchee, Washington.

1964 Ringo Starr rejoins The Beatles in Australia. He had been sidelined for nearly two weeks due to tonsillitis, then recovering from a tonsillectomy. His temporary replacement, Jimmy Nicol, returns to a life of anonymity.

1966 The original ‘butcher block’ cover for The Beatles “Yesterday And Today” album is officially recalled by Capitol Records due to “extreme negative feedback,” just prior to its release. The cover, with the group placed among cuts of meat and decapitated dolls, soon becomes a collector’s item. A standard group photo is used instead.

1968 Cream release “Wheels Of Fire.” The double set has both studio (“White Room”) and live (“Crossroads”) tracks.  The album tops the Billboard Album Chart. 

1970 In a notable case of self-aggrandizement, Grand Funk Railroad spends $100,000 on a block long Times Square billboard to promote their “Closer To Home” album. Of course, the billboard features a huge picture of the band.

1970 Derek & The Dominoes (fronted by Eric Clapton) play their first-ever show when they perform at London’s Lyceum. 

1997 Puff Daddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You” debuts at #1 on the U.S. singles chart. The track heavily samples The Police’s mega-hit, “Every Breath You Take.”

2003 The Led Zeppelin live album, “How The West Was Won” tops the Billboard 200. Yes, there’s a rendition of “Stairway To Heaven.”  

2006 Bruce Springsteen plays Milwaukee’s non-union Bradley Center in support of his “We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions” album. This upsets local union officials with a representative calling the Boss’ decision to play the venue “bafflingly ironic and somewhat infuriating,” seeing that he was performing the music of pro-union folk singer Pete Seeger.

2008 Paul McCartney performs a free concert in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. More than 350,000 people turn out for two-and-a-half-hour show (reportedly the biggest concert in the country’s history). Organizers ask citizens and businesses to donate to Ukraine’s National Cancer Institute’s children’s department; approximately $600,000 is pledged.

2010 Ozzy Osbourne’s genetic code will be analyzed and mapped by U.K. scientists for Knome, a Cambridge, MA, based company.  Ozzy has survived years of drug and alcohol abuse, a near fatal ATV accident and reality television. Now researchers will attempt to discover how and why.

2011 “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” opens on Broadway at Foxwoods Theater. The songs for the musical are by U2’s Bono and The Edge, first-time Broadway composers. Also, the album, “Music From Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark,” recorded by the Broadway cast, is released. This follows accidents, injuries (actors falling while swinging about in ‘Spider Man’ fashion), bad reviews, cost overruns, rewrites (of a wayward plot), firings (including director and co-writer Julie Taymor) and a record 183 previews.

2013 “We are sad to say that Kim Deal has decided to leave the Pixies,” reads a Facebook statement from the band. Deal, a founding member, traversed the group’s ’93 hiatus and ’04 reformation. “We are very proud to have worked with her on and off over the last 25 years.”

2017 Two days after vocalist Ivan Moody’s onstage substance abuse related meltdown in Tilburg, Netherlands, Five Finger Death Punch say they will finish the remaining European dates with Bad Wolves’ Tommy Vext. 

2018 Metallica receives the prestigious Polar Music Prize, Sweden’s highest music award.  They donate 50% of the $130,000 prize to their All Within My Hands foundation, 25% to the Stockholm City Mission, which supports the homeless, with the remainder going to the World Childhood Foundation and the Afghanistan National Institute of Music. Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo attend the ceremony.

2024 Edu Cominato is named the temporary replacement for Mr. Big drummer Nick D’Virgilio on the final European leg of the band’s “The BIG Finish” tour. D’Virgilio’s absence is due to commitments with his band Big Big Train. 

2024 The Black Keys reportedly sign a deal with Red Light Management. The move comes after the band parted ways with Full Stop Management after the cancellation of the Black Keys arena tour amid reports of low-ticket sales. 

2025 Heart guitarist/songwriter Nancy Wilson slams the Trump administration for the unauthorized use of “Barracuda” during a military parade in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. “On a day meant to honor that service, it’s important that music used in such settings reflects not only the tone of the event but also the wishes of the artists who created it.” writes Wilsom on social media. The parade coincides with Trump’s 79th birthday. Over 2,000 counter events are staged across the country protesting Trump’s policies.