The Rolling Stones’ “Let It Bleed” holds the top spot on the U.K. album chart. 1969
The album is known for the title track, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” “Midnight Rambler: and “Gimme Shelter.”
AC/DC’s “Back In Black” peaks at #4 on the U.S. album chart. 1980
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KISS drummer Peter Criss (born George Peter John Criscuola) has a birthday. One of the group’s co-founders, Criss develops the “Cat” character for his KISS persona. 1945
Alan Parsons (Alan Parsons Project) has a birthday. 1949
Elvis Presley gets his draft notice. He starts his tour of duty the following year. 1957
A native of Marietta, GA, Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson lets out his first wail. 1966
Though it spends several weeks in the Top 5, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s two-sided hit “Down On The Corner” bw ”Fortunate Son” can only get to #3. “Leaving On A Jet Plane” (Peter, Paul & Mary) and “Someday We’ll Be Together” (Diana Ross & The Supremes) are #1 and #2, respectively. 1969
The Bangles take a goofy novelty song, “Walk Like An Egyptian” to #1 in the U.S. 1986
The FBI release documents related to their investigation of John Lennon in the early ‘70s. The Nixon administration thought Lennon, an anti-war (Vietnam) advocate, was aiding left wing causes and therefore an undesirable alien. Unsuccessful deportation efforts ensued. While Lennon had contact with representatives from radical organizations the FBI could find no evidence that he was a member or financially supported these groups. 2006
The divorce of Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli is finalized. The Van Halen guitarist and the actress agree that neither “shall take unfair advantage of the other.” They married in ’81 and separated in ’01. Bertinelli filed for divorce in December ‘05. 2007
Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing In the Name,” is the #1 selling single in the U.K. at Christmas. A Facebook campaign was started by part-time DJ, Jon Morter, to beat out X-Factor winner Joe McElderry and his song, “The Climb.” As a result, U.K. based bookmakers Coral and Ladbrokes report losses of nearly £1 million ($1.6 million U.S.) after offering 150/1 odds against RATM. “Quite a day! Thanks again for making Rage part of this historic campaign,” tweets Rage guitarist Tom Morello. “Changing the charts or the world: together we can’t be stopped.” 2009
Big Brother & The Holding Company guitarist, James Gurley, dies of a heart attack at home in Palm Desert, CA, just two days before his 70th birthday. Gurley joined the band in ’65. The late Janis Joplin fronted Big Brother until she went solo. 2009
Oklahoma Republican Senator Tom Coburn places the federally funded project to archive the songs and artwork of the Grateful Dead at #4 on his list of the Top 5 Biggest Wastes of Money. “The number one thing is that it is not a federal responsibility to archive the materials of a Rock band,” says John Hart, Coburn’s director of communications. The Dead project costs $615,000. Guess Coburn is not a Dead Head. 2010
Pearl Jam, Journey, Yes and Electric Light Orchestra are selected as ‘17 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2016
The site of the ‘69 Woodstock Festival is nominated for the state and national Register of Historic Places. Max Yasgur’s dairy farm hosted 32 bands and 400,000 fans over three days. 2016
Guitarist Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction) leads an all-star band for the third “Above Ground” benefit concert in Hollywood. Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction) and Corey Taylor (Slipknot) also perform with surprise appearances by Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Dexter Holland (The Offspring). The event was founded by Navarro and Billy Idol guitarist Billy Morrison (Idol bailed on the event due to illness). Proceeds benefit MusiCares. 2021
Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” surpasses 2 billion streams on Spotify. The band’s signature six-minute opus originally appeared on their 1975 album “A Night At The Opera.” Not only was “Bohemian Rhapsody” a major hit when it was initially released it was also featured in the films “Wayne’s World” and Queen’s bio-pic of the same name. 2022
The Rolling Stones’ “Let It Bleed” holds the top spot on the U.K. album chart. 1969
AC/DC’s “Back In Black” peaks at #4 on the U.S. album chart. 1980
