Jim Nelson

11/01/2026

R.I.P. Bob Weir.

Bob Weir, who joined the Grateful Dead on guitar and vocals at the age of 16 and then spent the next 60 years...

10/01/2026

ADVANCED MUSIC HISTORY // January 10

In 1956, Elvis recorded “Heartbreak Hotel” in Nashville on his first day of recording for RCA Victor.

In 1964, The Rolling Stones recorded “Not Fade Away” at Olympic Studios in London. The song, which was first recorded by Buddy Holly And The Crickets, became The Stones’ first US single.

In 1964, The first US Beatles album, Introducing The Beatles, was released on Vee-Jay records. The album cover showed John, Paul, and George with their now famous “mop top” haircuts, but Ringo had yet to convert. Legal complications would cause Vee-Jay to stop selling the album by the end of the year, but by then over 1.3 million copies had been sold.

In 1968, “Chain Of Fools” gained Aretha Franklin her fourth Gold record. It would later win a Grammy for Best R&B Performance By A Female.

In 1969, George Harrison walked out on The Beatles for five days over tensions during recording and filming for the sessions that became the Let It Be album. This split is chronicled in The Beatles: Get Back, the 2021 three-part Peter Jackson documentary miniseries.

In 1971, Bob Dylan made a rare (at the time) public appearance, backing up banjo master Earl Scruggs on “East Virginia Blues” and “Nashville Skyline Rag” for a segment in a documentary film.

In 1975, Soul great Al Green picked up Gold record number 12 for his 1974 album Al Green Explores Your Mind.

In 1976, Blues legend Howlin’ Wolf (born Chester Burnett) died in Hines, Illinois, following kidney surgery. He was 66.

In 1976, CW McCall went to #1 on the US singles chart with “Convoy.” McCall was, in fact, an advertising agent whose real name was Bill Fries.

In 1977, Keith Richards was fined £1,500 after being found guilty of co***ne possession in England.

In 1981, A little over a month after John Lennon’s murder, his album with Yoko, Double Fantasy, went Platinum and stayed at #1 for eight weeks. Meanwhile, in England, Lennon’s song “Imagine” returned to #1 on the UK singles chart for four weeks — 10 years after it was released.

In 1981, Linda Ronstadt opened on Broadway in a production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s famed operetta The Pirates Of Penzance. The show completed a run of 772 performances. Ronstadt and onstage co-star Rex Smith later made a movie version.

In 1984, Cyndi Lauper became the first female recording artist since Bobbie Gentry in 1967 to be nominated for five Grammy Awards: Album Of The Year; Best New Artist; Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female); Record Of The Year; and Song Of The Year.

In 1997, James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2001, Bryan Gregory of The Cramps died in Anaheim, California, after suffering a heart attack at the age of 46.

In 2003, Bee Gee Maurice Gibb was fighting for his life after suffering a heart attack just before major surgery to unblock his intestine. The 53-year-old singer and multi-instrumentalist had been rushed to the hospital after collapsing at his Florida home.

In 2008, Rod Allen Bainbridge, lead singer of The Fortunes, died at 63 after battling liver cancer. The group’s biggest hit was “You’ve Got Your Troubles.”

In 2008, Radiohead topped the US album charts with the physical release of In Rainbows, which was originally sold online only on a “you choose the price” basis. It was Radiohead’s second US chart-topper, following 2000’s Kid A.

In 2016, Two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his album Blackstar, David Bowie (born David Jones) died from liver cancer in New York City.

In 2023, Guitarist Jeff Beck died from bacterial meningitis at the age of 78.

In 2025, Sam Moore, the ’60s soul singer best known as one half of Sam & Dave, passed away in Coral Gables, Florida, due to complications after surgery. He was 89.

In 2026, Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir passed away at the age of 78. Weir joined the Grateful Dead at the age of 16. He was diagnosed with cancer in July 2025, and though he successfully overcame it, he passed away from underlying lung issues.

10/01/2026

THESE PEOPLE WERE BORN ON // January 10

AYNSLEY DUNBAR of Journey/Jefferson Starship/David Bowie
BRAD ROBERTS of Crash Test Dummies
CURT KIRKWOOD of Meat Puppets
DONALD FAGEN of Steely Dan
JIM CROCE
MICHAEL SCHENKER of Scorpions/UFO
PAT BENATAR
ROD STEWART
RONNIE HAWKINS of Ronnie Hawkins And The Hawks
SHAWN COLVIN

09/01/2026

ADVANCED MUSIC HISTORY // January 9

In 1963, Charlie Watts left his gig in Blues Incorporated to join an up-and-coming band called The Rolling Stones.

In 1965, The Beatles went to #1 on the US album charts with Beatles ’65 and stayed there for nine weeks.

In 1970, Led Zeppelin appeared at The Royal Albert Hall in London on the night of Jimmy Page’s 26th birthday, with John Lennon, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck in attendance. The set was recorded and filmed, but shelved for several decades; it eventually came out on DVD in 2003.

In 1971, The American Jaycees named Elvis Presley one of the “10 outstanding young men of America.”

In 1973, The Rolling Stones’ plan to tour Asia came to a halt when Mick Jagger was denied a Japanese visa as a result of a 1969 drug bust. Jagger responded to the press, “I don’t take drugs. I don’t approve of drugs and I don’t approve of people taking drugs, unless they’re very careful.”

In 1973, Lou Reed married a cocktail waitress named Betty in New York City.

In 1977, Emmylou Harris wed record producer Brian Ahern.

In 1979, A Gift Of Song, a benefit concert for UNICEF, was held at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Among those performing were Rod Stewart, Rita Coolidge, Kris Kristofferson, John Denver, and Earth, Wind & Fire. The show, taped for later broadcast on NBC, raised about $500,000 for the world hunger organization.

In 1988, Whitney Houston scored her sixth consecutive #1 in the US with “So Emotional.”

In 1997, David Bowie performed his 50th Birthday Bash concert (the day after his birthday) at Madison Square Garden in New York City with guests Frank Black, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, The Foo Fighters, Lou Reed, Billy Corgan, and Placebo. Proceeds from the concert went to the Save The Children organization.

In 2014, Rolling Stone magazine published their Readers Poll on the Greatest Double Albums of All Time. The top 5 were
5) Led Zeppelin — Physical Graffiti
4) Bruce Springsteen — The River
3) The Rolling Stones — Exile On Main St.
2) Pink Floyd — The Wall
1) The Beatles — The Beatles (White Album)

09/01/2026

THESE PEOPLE WERE BORN ON // January 9

BILLY COWSILL of The Cowsills
CARL BELL of Fuel
CRYSTAL GAYLE
DAVE MATTHEWS
DAVID JOHANSEN (aka Buster Poindexter) of New York Dolls
DICK ENBERG
ERIC ERLANDSON of Hole
J.K. SIMMONS
JIMMY PAGE of Led Zeppelin, The Yardbirds, The Firm, Coverdale/Page
JOAN BAEZ
PAOLO NUTINI
SCOTT ENGEL of The Walker Brothers
STEVE HARWELL of Smash Mouth

08/01/2026

It’s Thursday, so I’ll be on from 5-7pm PST this evening with the Thursday Free-For-All on www.KRVM.org.

It’s live radio without a net, made up on the spot, and I would love to have you join me. 😊

08/01/2026

ADVANCED MUSIC HISTORY // January 8

In 1957, On his 22nd birthday, Elvis Presley was inducted into the US Army in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 1966, The Beatles started a three-week run at #1 on the US singles chart with “We Can Work It Out,” their 11th US #1 single.

In 1966, The final episode of Shindig!, featuring The Kinks and The Who, was broadcast on ABC-TV.

In 1968, Stax Records released Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” and Sam & Dave’s “I Thank You.” Redding had died in a plane crash about a month earlier.

In 1973, Yoko Ono released Approximately Infinite Universe as a double-album. She told the press, “I figured if George Harrison can put out a triple-album, then I can put out a double-album.”

In 1979, Rush was named Canada’s official Ambassadors Of Music by the Canadian government.

In 1991, Steve Clark, guitarist with Def Leppard, was found dead at his Chelsea flat by his girlfriend after a night of heavy alcohol consumption combined with prescription drugs. The autopsy revealed he had died from an overdose of codeine, and he had Va**um, morphine, and a blood-alcohol level of .30, three times the British legal driving limit. In 2007 Clark was ranked #11 on Classic Rock Magazine’s “100 Wildest Guitar Heroes.”

In 2014, It was reported that vinyl record sales had increased by 32% in 2013, while CD sales declined by 14.5% in the last year.

In 2016, David Bowie released his 25th and final studio album, Blackstar, on his 69th birthday and two days before his death. It became his first and only album to reach #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

08/01/2026

THESE PEOPLE WERE BORN ON // January 8

BOB EUBANKS
CHARLES OSGOOD
DAVID BOWIE (born David Jones)
ELLEN GERDES-NAUMANN
ELVIS PRESLEY
JEFF ABERCROMBIE of Fuel
JENNY LEWIS of Rilo Kiley/Nice As F*%k/The Postal Service
JEROME ANTHONY GOURDINE of Little Anthony And The Imperials
JOHN PETERSEN of The Beau Brummels
JUANITA COWART of The Marvelettes
LARRY STORCH
PAUL HESTER of Crowded House
PAUL KING of Mungo Jerry
ROBBY KRIEGER of The Doors
SHIRLEY BASSEY
TERRY SYLVESTER of Swinging Blue Jeans/The Hollies
TIFT MERRITT

07/01/2026

ADVANCED MUSIC HISTORY // January 7

In 1964, Harmonica player Cyril Davies, 32, died of leukemia. Co-forming Blues Incorporated with Alexis Korner, Davies had been a driving force in the early ’60s blues movement.

In 1964, The Beatles recorded a seven-song appearance for the BBC Radio program Saturday Club. They played “All My Loving,” “Money (That’s What I Want),” “The Hippy Hippy Shake,” “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Johnny B. Goode,” and “I Wanna Be Your Man.” The show was broadcast on the BBC a few weeks later, on February 15, while the Beatles were in the US.

In 1968, One of the country’s pioneering “underground” free-form radio stations, San Francisco’s KMPX-FM, held a “grass ballot” vote among its listeners. Of those “elected,” Bob Dylan became president, Paul Butterfield vice president, George Harrison was named U.N. Ambassador, Jefferson Airplane, naturally, assumed the mantle of Secretary of Transportation and the Grateful Dead were victorious, elected in a landslide, collectively, as Attorney General.

In 1970, The genial and generous Max Yasgur, owner of the New York farm where the Woodstock Festival of August 1969 was held, was sued by neighboring farmers for $35,000 in property damages.

In 1971, Black Sabbath released their second studio album, Paranoid, in the US; it features the title track, “Iron Man,” and “War Pigs.” The record company allegedly changed the album title from War Pigs to Paranoid, fearing backlash from supporters of the ongoing Vietnam War.

In 1974, Carly Simon and James Taylor had their second child, a daughter they named Sarah. Like her brother Ben, she has followed in her parents’ musical footsteps.

In 1980, In Through The Out Door, the final Led Zeppelin album released before the death of drummer John Bonham, went Platinum. It was also the final album of all original material by the legendary group.

In 1980, Hugh Cornwall of The Stranglers was found guilty of possession of he**in, co***ne, and cannabis. He was fined $510 and sentenced to three months in prison.

In 1981, Eagles Live, a two-record set, went Platinum. It turned out to be their last album until the 1994 reunion disc, Hell Freezes Over.

In 1993, R.E.M. performed a Green Peace benefit concert at a small club in Athens, Georgia. Appropriately, the show was recorded on a solar-power mobile recording studio.

In 1994, Oasis started recording their debut album, Definitely Maybe, at Monnow Valley Studio in South Wales. In August of that year it became the fastest-selling debut album of all time in the UK (eventually surpassed in 2006 by Arctic Monkeys’ debut). Definitely Maybe went on to sell over 12 million copies worldwide.

In 1999, It was announced that Rod Stewart was separating from his wife, Rachel Hunter, after eight years of marriage.

In 2020, Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart died of brain cancer at the age of 67.

In 2025, Folk singer Peter Yarrow, best known as a member of Peter, Paul and Mary, passed away at the age of 86, surrounded by his family at his home in New York City, after a four-year battle with bladder cancer.

07/01/2026

THESE PEOPLE WERE BORN ON // January 7

DAVE COUSINS of The Strawbs
DAVID CARUSO
JANN WENNER
JOHN ONDRASIK of Five For Fighting
JOHN RICH of Big & Rich
KATHY VALENTINE of The Go-Go’s/The Textones
KATIE COURIC
KENNY LOGGINS
MIKE McGEAR
NICOLAS CAGE
PAUL REVERE of Paul Revere & The Raiders

06/01/2026

ADVANCED MUSIC HISTORY // January 6

In 1957, More than 20 minutes were devoted to Elvis Presley on his final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. The King performed seven songs: “Hound Dog,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Love Me Tender,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Peace In The Valley,” “Too Much,” and “When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again.”

In 1958, Gibson Guitars patented their famed “Flying V” electric guitar design, a favorite of many rockers including Albert Collins, Jimi Hendrix, Marc Bolan of T. Rex, and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.

In 1966, Two days before it began a three-week run at #1, “We Can Work It Out” by The Beatles was awarded a Gold record.

In 1968, Magical Mystery Tour became The Beatles” 11th US album chart-topper when it started an eight-week reign at #1.

In 1971, Neil Young returned to his native Canada for his first concert since becoming a star.

In 1973, Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” (with Mick Jagger on backing vocals) started a three-week run at #1 on the US singles chart. In 2015, after keeping quiet for more than 40 years, Carly Simon admitted that “You’re So Vain” was about Warren Beatty, but only one verse of it. Simon said the other verses were about two other men.

In 1975, Pink Floyd started sessions at Abbey Road Studios in London for their Wish You Were Here album. The album featured “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” a tribute to Syd Barrett whose mental breakdown had forced him to leave the group seven years earlier.

In 1975, About 1,000 Led Zeppelin fans wrought havoc and rioted inside the lobby of the Boston Garden while waiting overnight to purchase tickets for an upcoming appearance by the band. Thirty thousand dollars’ worth of damage was inflicted and the mayor immediately canceled the concert.

In 1977, Only three months after signing S*x Pistols to a recording contract, EMI terminated the deal as a result of, reportedly, the group’s “disgraceful, aggressive behavior.” The record company more or less paid them approximately $70,000 just to go away.

In 1980, Georgeanna Tillman Gordon, singer with The Marvelettes, died at age 35 from lupus and sickle cell anemia.

In 1987, Elton John had throat surgery in Australia to remove a benign lesion on his vocal cords, forcing him to cancel his upcoming US tour.

In 1987, Eric Clapton inaugurated what became an annual event with a six-day gig at the Royal Albert Hall.

In 1990, Phil Collins started a three-week run at #1 on the US album chart with ...But Seriously.

In 1993, David Bowie reportedly lost nearly $5 million in royalties due to an Italian Mafia-linked bootleg fraud.

In 1997, Two bronze busts of monks worth some $100,000 were chopped off their pillars and purloined from George Harrison’s estate in Oxfordshire.

In 2001, Guitarist David Gilmour of Pink Floyd won the right to his own dot com name after another man had been using davidgilmour.com to sell Pink Floyd merchandise.

In 2006, Lou Rawls passed away at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The 72-year-old Grammy-winning artist had been battling lung cancer.

In 2007, “Sneaky” Pete Kleinow died at 72 from Alzheimer’s disease; he was one of the original members of The Flying Burrito Brothers.

In 2009, Stooges guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter Ron Asheton died of an apparent heart attack in his Ann Arbor, Michigan, home. Asheton, who’s regularly ranked by Rolling Stone magazine in the top 60 rock guitarists of all time, was 60.

In 2023, Peter Gabriel released “Panopticom,” his first full song from the long-teased album I/O, which would be his first new studio album since 2002’s Up.

06/01/2026

THESE PEOPLE WERE BORN ON // January 6

ALEX TURNER of Arctic Monkeys/The Last Shadow Puppets
ARON EISENBERG
EARL SCRUGGS of The Foggy Mountain Boys/The Earl Scruggs R***e
EDDIE REDMAYNE
JOHN SINGLETON
JULIE CHEN
KATE McKINNON
KATHY SLEDGE of Sister Sledge
KIM WILSON of The Fabulous Thunderbirds
MALCOLM YOUNG of AC/DC
MARK O’TOOLE of Frankie Goes To Hollywood
MUZZ SKILLINGS of Living Colour
NORMAN REEDUS
ROWAN ATKINSON
SANDY DENNY of Fairport Convention
SYD BARRETT of Pink Floyd
WILBERT HARRISON