This Day in History: 2024-08-15

AUGUST 15th

Woodstock Music & Arts Fair: Three days of love, peace and understanding gets underway. Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Ten Years After, Crosby. Stills & Nash and Joe Cocker perform. 1969

Boston’s sophomore LP “Don’t Look Back” hits the charts. 1978

Led by the title track, the album sells over one million copies in ten days, on its way to moving over 7-million units.

Led Zeppelin present their eighth and final studio album “In Through The Out Door.”  Though hardly top-drawer Zeppelin, the last album released while drummer John Bonham is still alive, sells over 6-million copies in the U.S.  1979

The album is known for the tracks “All My Love” and “Fool In The Rain.”

Garbage’s eponymous debut is released.  1995

The multi-platinum set has the singles “Only Happy When It Rains” and “Stupid Girl” but takes nearly a year to crack the Top 20 on the U.S. Album Chart.

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

At Liverpool’s Cavern Club, Pete Best plays his last show with the Beatles. Of course, he unaware he’s about to be sacked in favor of Ringo Starr. 1962

The Beatles set the mark for the largest audience at a single-act Rock concert with their appearance at New York’s Shea Stadium. 56,000 show up. 1965

Peter Gabriel announces he’s leaving Genesis. He wants more time with his family but suggests the group is dragging him down creatively. 1975

“Precious Time,” Pat Benatar’s third album, is #1 on the Billboard 200.  1981

The Police’s most popular song, “Every Breath You Take,” is certified gold by the record industry. 1983

Ozzy Osbourne’s “Blizzard Of Ozz,” “No Rest For The Wicked” and “Tribute” are certified multi-platinum sellers. Leading the pack is Ozzy’s solo debut “Blizzard Of Ozz,” a quadruple platinum album (4-million in sales). 1997

“Heavier Than Heaven” is published. The result of over 400 interviews, the Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) biography was written by Charles R. Cross. 2001

System Of A Down team up with Amnesty International to call for the release of 30-year-old Christian evangelical church singer Helen Berhane. She is being detained in the African nation of Eritrea. “I’ve been a member of Amnesty for a long time and I appreciate what Amnesty does,” says SOAD vocalist Serj Tankian. 2005

Disappointed that 30 Seconds To Mars has failed or refused to deliver contracted albums, Virgin Records sues the band and frontman Jared Leto for $30 million. 2008

Former Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland plays his first show with Marilyn Manson in Seoul, Korea. 2008

The Silversun Pickups issue a cease-and-desist letter demanding that Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign immediately stop the use of the group’s song “Panic Switch.” No problem. Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul writes in an email that the song was inadvertently played during the setup for an event before Romney arrived. 2012

“Gene Simmons Family Jewels” is canceled by A&E after seven seasons. The show chronicled the life of the KISS bassist and his family. Simmons’ business commitments, including a KISS tour, are listed among the reasons for the cancellation. 2012

In a video on her Facebook page, Flyleaf frontwoman Kristen May announces that she has left the band. May replaced original singer Lacey Sturm in ’12.  2016

Ted Nugent thinks he should be in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame but says he isn’t because of his association with the NRA.   2017

Metallica: The $24.95 Book” is available.  It looks at Metallica’s “cultural significance, with chapters devoted to each member, each album, touring, fashion, books, film, influences, fandom, history, and more, exploring the band’s ideologies along the way.”  2021