Jim Nelson

13/10/2025

ADVANCED MUSIC HISTORY // October 13

In 1962, Don Everly collapsed during rehearsals onstage at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London on the eve of a 22-date Everly Brothers UK tour. He was flown back to the US for treatment while the tour continued with Phil Everly performing solo.

In 1965, The Who recorded “My Generation” in London. Roger Daltrey would later say that he stuttered the lyrics to try to fit them to the music. The BBC initially refused to play the song because it did not want to offend people who stutter.

In 1970, Janis Joplin’s ashes were scattered at Stinson Beach in Marin County, California.

In 1973, The Rolling Stones started a four-week run at #1 on the US album chart with Goats Head Soup; it was their fourth #1 album to date.

In 1974, TV host Ed Sullivan died of cancer in New York City. Sullivan had introduced The Beatles to America via his Ed Sullivan TV show, which ran from 1948 to 1971 on CBS every Sunday night. The Beatles’ appearance on February 9th, 1964, which drew an estimated 73 million viewers, is considered a milestone in American pop culture and the beginning of the British Invasion in music.

In 1986, Joni Mitchell’s Ladies Of The Canyon album was certified Platinum by the RIAA.

In 1987, Sting released his second solo album, ...Nothing Like the Sun.

In 2002, Muse took legal action against Celine Dion after she announced her forthcoming Las Vegas show would be called Muse. Singer Matt Bellamy said, “We don’t want anyone to think we’re Celine Dion’s backing band.” A few days later Dion backed down.

In 2004, The Internal Revenue Service charged 63-year-old Ronald Isley of The Isley Brothers with tax evasion for failing to report income from royalties and performances by the band between 1997 and 2002. He was later found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison.

In 2008, In a video message on his website, Ringo Starr announced that he no longer has time to sign autographs and asked fans not to send him any mail at all. “No more fan mail and no objects to be signed. Nothing.”

In 2016, Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”

In 2018, Paul Simon appeared as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live for the ninth time — on his 77th birthday.

13/10/2025

THESE PEOPLE WERE BORN ON // October 13

GARY CALAMAR of The SoCal Sound
KELLY PRESTON
MARIE OSMOND
PAUL SIMON
ROBERT LAMM of Chicago
SAMMY HAGAR
SIMON NICOL of Fairport Convention

12/10/2025

ADVANCED MUSIC HISTORY // October 12

In 1955, The Chrysler Corporation launched high fidelity record players mounted under the instrument panel for their 1956 lineup of cars. They played 7-inch discs at 16 2/3 rpm, and they were discontinued in 1961.

In 1957, Following a concert in Sydney, Australia, Little Richard renounced rock & roll. When one of his musicians dared him to demonstrate his faith, Richard tossed his four diamond rings (valued at approximately $8,000) into a river.

In 1965, Working on what would become their Rubber Soul album at Abbey Road Studios in London, The Beatles recorded “Run For Your Life” in five takes (with John Lennon later admitting to lifting two lines from Elvis Presley’s 1955 hit “Baby Let’s Play House”). They also recorded another new Lennon song, “This Bird Has Flown” (later changed to “Norwegian Wood [This Bird Has Flown]”), which included George Harrison’s double-tracked sitar part, the first appearance of that Indian instrument on a pop record.

In 1968, Big Brother And The Holding Company went to #1 on the US album chart with Cheap Thrills. The cover, drawn by underground cartoonist Robert Crumb, replaced the band’s original idea, a picture of the group naked in bed together. Crumb had originally intended his art to be the LP’s back cover, but frontwoman Janis Joplin demanded that Columbia Records use it for the front cover. Initially the album title was to have been S*x, Dope And Cheap Thrills, but this didn’t go down too well at Columbia.

In 1969, The “Paul Is Dead” rumor furor reached its peak when an underground Detroit FM DJ, prompted by a mysterious phone call, played The Beatles’ “Revolution #9” backward on the air. Those listening heard what they thought sounded like, “Turn me on, dead man.”

In 1970, The composers of Jesus Christ Superstar, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice, conducted a presentation of their work at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in New York and attempted to explain their concept.

In 1970, The Fillmore East hosted an auction of rock memorabilia and artifacts. Among the items were a perfectly good guitar that Pete Townshend had smashed in concert, one of Ian Anderson’s flutes, a multi-colored bra that had been tossed to Jerry Garcia during a concert, and a spiral notebook that contained Joni Mitchell’s original handwritten lyrics for her first album, Songs To A Seagull.

In 1971, Gene Vincent died of a bleeding ulcer at age 36.

In 1974, Blondie appeared for the first time at CBGB in New York City using the name Blondie. The name is derived from comments made by truck drivers who would catcall “Hey, Blondie” to singer Debbie Harry.

In 1975, Rod Stewart ended his longtime association with Faces by playing one final gig with them at Nassau Coliseum in New York.

In 1978, Former S*x Pistol Sid Vicious’ girlfriend Nancy Spungen was discovered dead of knife wounds in their room at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City. Vicious, who was charged with her murder, died of a he**in overdose before the case ever came to trial.

In 1985, Ricky Wilson of The B-52’s died of complications from AIDS.

In 1994, MTV aired the reunion concert special of Led Zeppelin‘s Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, entitled Unledded.

In 1996, After sitting in the vault for 28 years, the documentary The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus was finally released. The 1968 event put together by The Stones comprised two concerts on a circus stage and included performances by The Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and Jethro Tull. John Lennon and Yoko Ono, along with Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell and Keith Richards, performed as part of a supergroup called The Dirty Mac. The film had supposedly been withheld because The Rolling Stones felt they had been out-rocked by The Who.

In 1994, Pink Floyd played the first of a 15-night run at Earls Court in London, England. Less than a minute into “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” a scaffolding stand holding 1,200 fans collapsed, dropping hundreds of people 20 feet to the ground. It took over an hour to free everyone from the twisted wreckage, ninety-six people were injured, with 36 needing hospital treatment. The show was immediately canceled and re-scheduled, and Pink Floyd sent a free T-shirt and a note of apology to all the fans in that section.

In 1997, John Denver, piloting an experimental two-seater plane, died at age 53 after crashing into California’s Monterey Bay.

In 2009, Blue Cheer singer/bassist Dickie Peterson died from liver cancer at the age of 63.

12/10/2025

THESE PEOPLE WERE BORN ON // October 12

BILL TUMBLIN
CHRIS BOTTI
CHRIS WALLACE
DAVID VANIAN (born Dave Lett) of The Damned
DICK GREGORY
HUGH JACKMAN
JANE SIBERRY
JOSH HUTCHERSON
LUCIANO PAVAROTTI
MARTIE MAGUIRE of The Chicks/Dixie Chicks/Courtyard Hounds
MELVIN FRANKLIN of The Temptations
PAT DINIZIO of The Smithereens
RICK PARFITT of Status Quo
SAM MOORE of Sam & Dave

11/10/2025

ADVANCED MUSIC HISTORY // October 11

In 1960, Aretha Franklin made her onstage debut at the Village Vanguard in New York.

In 1962, The Beatles made their first appearance on the UK singles chart with “Love Me Do.”

In 1968, During a Beatles recording session at Abbey Road, six saxophonists recorded parts for “Savoy Truffle” for the forthcoming White Album. George Harrison distorted the saxophones to get the desired sound.

In 1969, The great bluesman Muddy Waters was nearly killed in a car crash near Chicago. Three of his companions in the vehicle were not so lucky.

In 1971, John Lennon released “Imagine.”

In 1975, With comedian George Carlin as guest host, Saturday Night Live debuted on NBC with musical guests Janis Ian and Billy Preston. The following week the program featured a reunion of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.

In 1976, The S*x Pistols recorded their first single, “Anarchy In The U.K.” It would be a smash, despite being banned by the BBC.

In 1990, Drummer Dave Grohl played his first gig with Nirvana when they appeared at the North Shore Surf Club in Olympia, Washington.

In 1997, Elton John had his eighth #1 single in the US with a retooling of his earlier “Candle In The Wind.” While the original had been inspired by Marilyn Monroe, the revision was in memory of Princess Diana.

In 1999, Michael Jackson’s second wife, Deborah Rowe, filed for divorce after three years of marriage.

In 2003, Mojo magazine readers voted the studio session for Elvis Presley’s 1954 debut single, “That’s All Right,” the most pivotal moment in rock history. Bob Dylan’s switch from acoustic to electric guitars in 1965 came in second, and “White Riot,” the debut single by The Clash in 1977, was voted third.

In 2012, The Rolling Stones’ released “Doom And Gloom,” their first studio recording since 2005.

In 2016, Sir Rod Stewart said he was “on cloud nine” after being knighted by the Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace in recognition of his services to music and charity.

11/10/2025

THESE PEOPLE WERE BORN ON // October 11

ANDREW WOOLFOLK of Earth, Wind & Fire
BLAIR CUNNINGHAM of The Pretenders/Haircut 100
DARYL HALL of Hall & Oates
GARY MALLABER of Steve Miller Band
JANE KRAKOWSKI
JOAN CUSACK
KEVIN BRONSON of The SoCal Sound
MATT BLAKE
SCOTT JOHNSON of Gin Blossoms

10/10/2025

R.I.P. John Lodge.

Moody Blues legend John Lodge died 'suddenly and unexpectedly' at age 82 in October 2025

10/10/2025

R.I.P. Thommy Price.

Ex-Joan Jett and the Blackhearts drummer Thommy Price has died at age 68; the veteran rocker also played with Scandal, Billy Idol, and many more famous artists.

10/10/2025

ADVANCED MUSIC HISTORY // October 10

In 1902, The Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Company was formed. Thirty-four years later, Gibson produced its first electric guitar, the ES-150.

In 1939, The real Eleanor Rigby died in her sleep of unknown causes at the age of 44. The 1966 Beatles’ song that featured her name wasn’t written about her, as Paul McCartney’s first draft of the song named the character Miss Daisy Hawkins. Eleanor Rigby’s tombstone was noticed in the 1980s in the graveyard of St. Peter’s Parish Church in Woolton, Liverpool, a few feet from where McCartney and Lennon had met for the first time in 1957.

In 1959, The Quarrymen played at the Casbah Coffee Club in Liverpool. Guitarist Ken Brown, suffering from a heavy cold, was unable to perform; after the show, an argument started when Paul McCartney said that Brown should not get a share of the performance fee since he had not performed. Lennon and Harrison sided with McCartney, and Brown quit The Quarrymen.

In 1962, The BBC determined that “Monster Mash,” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett, was offensive and banned it from their airwaves.

In 1965, The Supremes made their first of many appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.

In 1966, The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” was released. In addition to the lush and gorgeous harmonies, the song utilized an electronic instrument called a Theremin which had previously been reserved for horror movie soundtracks. The costliest single ever recorded at the time, “Good Vibrations” is widely acclaimed as one of the finest and most important works of the rock era. The title came from Brian Wilson’s fascination with cosmic vibrations, as his mother would tell him as a child that dogs sometimes bark at people in response to their “bad vibrations.”

In 1970, FCC Commissioner Johnson responded to Vice President Spiro Agnew’s assertion that rock music drove youngsters to drugs, suggesting that Agnew would be well-advised to listen to it himself in order to better understand what was happening in his country.

In 1978, After three albums didn’t help them break beyond the Bay Area, Journey hired Steve Perry as their lead singer to pursue a more commercial, melodic direction; the gamble worked, because Infinity, their first album with Perry, went Platinum on this day.

In 1979, The Rose, a film loosely based on the life of Janis Joplin, with Bette Midler portraying the Janis-like title character, was screened for the first time in LA.

In 1979, It was officially proclaimed “Fleetwood Mac Day” in the city of Los Angeles. The band got a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame right in front of Frederick’s Of Hollywood.

In 2007, Sting topped a Blender magazine list of the worst lyricists ever, for such alleged sins as name-dropping Russian novelist Vladimir Nabokov in the Police tune “Don’t Stand So Close To Me”; quoting a Volvo bumper sticker (“If You Love Someone Set Them Free”); and co-opting the works of Chaucer, St. Augustine, and Shakespeare. The survey placed Rush drummer Neil Peart at #2, Creed frontman Scott Stapp at #3, and Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher at #4, saying Gallagher “seemed incapable of following a metaphor through a single line, let alone a whole verse.”

In 2013, Paul McCartney and his band surprised New Yorkers by performing songs from his then-new album, New, in a short impromptu free concert to roughly 3,000 people on a long truck parked in the middle of Times Square.

In 2025, Thommy Price, the longtime drummer in Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and a session drummer who also played with Scandal, Billy Idol, and Blue Öyster Cult, passed away at the age of 68. No cause of death was given.

In 2025, John Lodge, the Moody Blues’ bass guitarist, co-lead vocalist (“I’m Just a Singer [In a Rock and Roll Band],” “Ride My See-Saw,” “Isn’t Life Strange”) and songwriter, passed over at the age of 82. His death was reported as “sudden and unexpected,” and he was surrounded by loved ones at the time.

10/10/2025

THESE PEOPLE WERE BORN ON // October 10

ALAN CARTWRIGHT of Procol Harum
BEN VEREEN
CYRIL NEVILLE of The Neville Brothers
DAVID LEE ROTH
DEAN ROLAND of Collective Soul
JIM GLENNIE of James
JOHN PRINE
JULIA SWEENEY
KIRSTY MacCOLL
MARTIN KEMP of Spandau Ballet
MIDGE URE of Ultravox/Thin Lizzy, Band Aid, and Live Aid
MIKE MALININ of Goo Goo Dolls
PETER COYOTE
TANYA TUCKER
THELONIOUS MONK

09/10/2025

ADVANCED MUSIC HISTORY // October 9

In 1961, Ray Charles started a two-week run at #1 on the US singles chart with “Hit The Road Jack.” Also, Roy Orbison’s “Crying” peaked at #2 on the chart.

In 1964, The Beach Boys recorded “Dance Dance Dance” with Glen Campbell playing the lead guitar intro.

In 1964, Because of an anti-apartheid embargo by the British Musicians’ Union, The Rolling Stones canceled a South African tour.

In 1965, The Beatles started a four-week run at #1 on the US singles chart with “Yesterday,” giving them their 10th US #1. The track was not released as a single in the UK until 1976.

In 1966, The Rolling Stones released Got Live If You Want It!, the first of their many live albums. The band was practically drowned out on the album by the uproar created by the audience.

In 1967, Famed NYC DJ Murray The K (once anointed “The Fifth Beatle”) was dismissed from WOR for “inability to take direction.”

In 1971, “Wild Night,” from Van Morrison’s Tupelo Honey, was released.

In 1973, Following six years of marriage, Elvis and Priscilla divorced. The judge awarded her $725,000 in cash and $4,200 a month for child support.

In 1975, John Lennon and Yoko Ono celebrated John’s 35th birthday with the birth of a son, Sean Ono Lennon.

In 1976, The Who and the Grateful Dead shared the bill at the Oakland/Alameda County Stadium.

In 1976, S*x Pistols signed to EMI Records for $68,000. The contract was terminated just three months later with the label stopping production of the “Anarchy In The UK” single and deleting it from its catalog. EMI later issued a statement saying it felt unable to promote the S*x Pistols records in view of the adverse publicity generated over the last few months.

In 1981, The Rolling Stones played the first of two nights at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The opener was Prince, who dressed in his controversial bikini briefs and trench coat; Prince ran off stage after 15 minutes of being booed and having beer cans thrown at him.

In 1985, Marking what would have been John Lennon’s 45th birthday, Yoko Ono formally opened the three-and-a-half-acre garden at the Strawberry Fields site in New York’s Central Park. The area was planted with trees, shrubs and flowers gathered from across the world and with a $1 million donation from Yoko.

In 1987, Bruce Springsteen’s Tunnel Of Love album was released.

In 2003, A New York man was charged with three counts of stalking and harassing Sheryl Crow. He was arrested after being accused of sneaking into New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom then trying to get into Crow’s limousine when she left the venue. The man’s brother said he was harmless but “infatuated” with the singer.

In 2007, The Imagine Peace Tower was officially unveiled on an island in Kollafjörður Bay near Reykjavik, Iceland. The memorial to John Lennon from his widow, Yoko Ono, consists of a tall “tower of light,” projected from a white stone monument that has the words “Imagine Peace” carved into it in 24 languages.

09/10/2025

THESE PEOPLE WERE BORN ON // October 9

JACKSON BROWNE
JAMES FEARNLEY of The Pogues
JOHN ENTWISTLE of The Who
JOHN LENNON
KURT NEUMANN of BoDeans
P.J. HARVEY
PAT BURKE of The Foundations
ROBERT WUHL
SCOTT BAKULA
SEAN LENNON
SHARON OSBOURNE
THOMAS WYDLER of Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds