BIRTHDAYS
1940: Astrud Gilberto (Getz / Gilberto)
1940: Ray Davis (Parliament / Funkadelic / The Temptations)
1943: Evangelos Papathanassiou a.k.a. Vangelis
1943: Eric Idle (Monty Python’s Flying Circus / The Rutles)
1945: John “Speedy” Keen (Thunderclap Newman)
1947: Bobby Kimball (Toto)
1949: Randy Brecker (The Brecker Brothers / Frank Zappa Band, sessionist)
1949: Dave Greenfield (The Stranglers)
1959: Perry Bernstein a.k.a. Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction)
1963?: Kirk Harding
1968: Lucille Ryan a.k.a. Lucy Lawless
EVENTS
1871: Queen Victoria opened the Royal Albert Hall.
1974: King Crimson released their sixth album, ‘Starless and Bible Black’.
1975: Led Zeppelin had all their six albums in the US Top 100 chart in the same week, with their latest album ‘Physical Graffiti’ at No.1.
1975: Jeff Beck released his ‘Blow By Blow’ LP. Produced by George Martin, the instrumental album remarkably reached No. 4 on the U.S. charts and has achieved Platinum in sales.
1978: David Bowie kicked off his ‘Low / Heroes’ 77-date World Tour at San Diego Sports Arena, California.
1979: Supertramp released their sixth LP, ‘Breakfast in America’. It went on to become one of the best selling albums in the world.
1980: Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’, spent its 303rd week on the US album chart, beating the record set by Carole King’s album ‘Tapestry’.
1993: Throwing Muses played a concert at The Powerstation, Auckland ~ I was there!
2005: Neil Young was successfully treated for a brain aneurysm at a hospital in New York.
2020: Death of singer / songwriter / guitarist / actor / model, Alan Merrill [aged 69]. Alan was a member of pop trio, The Arrows, but was best known for writing the smash hit “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”.
Happy 81st Birthday to Eric Idle! He will always be a kid at heart and forever known for his work with Monty Python (my favourite bunch of comedians). Eric was also one of the pre-fab four, The Rutles, but his most famous song is this gem, which he wrote for Python’s ‘Life of Brian’ movie…
BIRTHDAYS
1945: Chuck Portz (The Turtles)
1948: John Evan (Jethro Tull)
1948: Milan Williams (Commodores)
1955: Reba McEntire
1986: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta a.k.a. Lady Gaga
EVENTS
1958: Eddie Cochran recorded “Summertime Blues”.
1967: Van Morrison recorded “Brown Eyed Girl”.
1969: Joe Cocker played his first American concert.
1973: Led Zeppelin released their fifth album, ‘Houses of the Holy’.
1976: Genesis began its first North American tour since Peter Gabriel’s departure. Phil Collins was the new lead singer.
1979: Eric Clapton and Patti “Layla” Boyd were married. Patti was George Harrison’s ex-wife.
1994: Pink Floyd released the album ‘The Division Bell’.
2023: Death of composer / musician / producer / actor, Ryuichi Sakamoto [aged 71].
One of the greatest albums in rock history, Led Zeppelin‘s ‘Houses of the Holy’ LP was released on this day, 51 years ago! It captured the mighty Zeppelin in the studio at their peak. Major highlights include the amazing “No Quarter” (featuring atmospheric keyboard work from John Paul Jones), the brilliant “Over the Hills and Far Away”, the catchy super-crunch of “Dancing Days” and fun tracks such as “D’yer Mak’er” and “The Ocean”. Very powerful track, “The Song Remains the Same” is most impressive, with Jimmy Page in full flight on guitar and Robert Plant belting out the vocals, as if on helium! John Bonham’s drumming is nothing short of astounding. It segues beautifully into “The Rain Song”, as they often performed these songs so well in concert. No doubt about it ~ ‘Houses of the Holy’ is one of the most essential rock albums ever!!!
BIRTHDAYS
1934: Sarah Vaughan
1946: Andrew Brown (The Herd)
1950: Tony Banks (Genesis)
1957: Billy MacKenzie (The Associates)
1959: Andrew Farriss (INXS)
1975: Stacy Ann Ferguson a.k.a. Fergie
EVENTS
1973: After becoming a disciple of Sri Chinmoy, Carlos Santana added ‘Devadip’ to his name, which means “The Lamp of the Light of the Supreme”.
1979: Eric Clapton married Patti Harrison (ex-wife of George) at Temple Bethel, Tucson, Arizona.
1984: Metallica made their UK live debut at the Marquee, London.
2000: Death of singer / songwriter / actor, Ian Dury [aged 57].
2002: Death of actor / comedian / musician / composer, Dudley Moore [aged 66].
2020: Death of New Zealand musician, Deane Sutherland of Satellite Spies [aged 58].
Happy 74th Birthday to masterful keyboardist / composer, Tony Banks, of Genesis. Tony wrote or co-wrote a major share of the Genesis catalogue over the years… here is some rare footage of just a couple of their classics in one great medley:
BIRTHDAYS
1944: Diane Earle a.k.a. Diana Ross
1948: Steven Tallarico a.k.a. Steve Tyler (Aerosmith)
1948: Richard Tandy (Electric Light Orchestra)
1949: Fran Sheehan (Boston)
1968: James Iha (The Smashing Pumpkins / A Perfect Circle)
EVENTS
1827: Death of Ludwig Van Beethoven [aged 56].
1965: It was announced that Jeff Beck would replace Eric Clapton in the Yardbirds.
1975: The film ‘Tommy’ premiered in London. The movie was based on the rock opera by The Who.
1976: Thin Lizzy released their ‘Jailbreak’ LP.
1986: Roy Harper played a concert at His Majesty’s Theatre, Auckland Auckland ~ I was there!
1993: Metallica played a concert at Mt. Smart Stadium, Auckland ~ I was there!
1994: Soundgarden entered the US album chart at No.1 with ‘Superunknown’.
2000: Santana started a 2-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Supernatural’.
2002: Death of drummer, Randy Castillo of Ozzy Osbourne band [aged 51].
2005: Death of drummer, Paul Hester of Crowded House / Split Enz [aged 46].
2006: Death of guitarist, Pete Wells of Rose Tattoo [aged 58].
2015: Death of guitarist, John Renbourn of Pentangle [aged 70].
2019: Death of singer, “Ranking Roger” Charlery of The Beat [aged 56].
2022: Genesis performed their last concert, at O2 Arena, London. Peter Gabriel attended the farewell event, but did not join his former bandmates on stage.
Happy Birthday to Steve Tyler of Aerosmith ~ he’s 76 today!!! Steven is such a great singer, with a very distinctive voice and a true showman on stage. Here’s one of the best from the good ol’ days… originally on the ‘Get Your Wings‘ LP, this is “Seasons of Wither”.
BIRTHDAYS
1938: Hoyt Axton
1942: Aretha Franklin
1942: Richard Smith a.k.a. Richard O’Brien (Rocky Horror Picture Show)
1947: Reginald Dwight a.k.a. Elton John
1949: Nick Lowe (Rockpile)
1954: Nathan Watts (Motown / Miles Davis Group)
1966: Jeff Healey
1971: Michael McKeegan (Therapy)
1974: Finley Quaye
EVENTS
1964: The Beatles made their debut on UK TV show ‘Top of the Pops’.
1967: The Who made their U.S. concert debut at RKO 58th Street Theatre, New York City.
1969: John & Yoko started their week long “bed-in” at The Amsterdam Hilton hotel.
1970: Jimi Hendrix released the ‘Band of Gypsys’ album, featuring his new band with bassist, Billy Cox and drummer, Buddy Miles. The live LP was recorded on New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Day, 1970.
1975: Aerosmith began their 63-date North American ‘Toys in the Attic’ tour in Fort Wayne.
1986: Guns N’ Roses signed a world-wide deal with Geffen Records.
1995: Pearl Jam played a concert at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland ~ I was there! Earlier in the day, Eddie Vedder had been rescued by a lifeguard, while surfing at Piha beach. Tim and Neil Finn joined Pearl Jam on stage for the encore of two Split Enz songs, “History Never Repeats” & “I Got You”.
1997: Death of keyboardist / singer, Kenny Moore [aged 45]. Kenny was also musical director for Tina Turner, whom he performed with for many years.
2006: Death of country singer / guitarist, Alvis “Buck” Owens Jr. [aged 76].
2017: Don Henley & his 15-piece band (with Jewel as support act) played a concert at TSB Stadium, Wellington ~ I was there!
2018: Death of Mike Harrison, lead singer of Spooky Tooth [aged 72].
2019: Death of singer / songwriter / producer, Scott Walker [aged 76].
2022: Death of drummer / singer / songwriter, Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters [aged 50].
Happy 77th Birthday to Sir Elton Hercules John! Named at birth as Reginald Dwight, the singer / songwriter / pianist has released over 30 albums since 1969 and sold in excess of 300 million records worldwide! My two favourites are ‘Madman Across the Water‘ & ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road‘.
BIRTHDAYS
1935: Carol Kaye (Legendary, prolific session bassist with “The Wrecking Crew”)
1946: Klaus Dinger (Kraftwerk / Neu!)
1951: Dougie Thomson (Supertramp)
1960: Gabriele Susanne Kerner a.k.a. Nena
1970: Sharon Corr (The Corrs)
EVENTS
1965: At rehearsals for a Rolling Stones gig in Denmark, Bill Wyman was knocked unconscious by an electrical shock from a microphone stand.
1973: During a concert in Buffalo, New York, a fan jumped on stage and bit Lou Reed on his bum.
1973: Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ LP was released in U.K. The album stayed on the chart for over 292 weeks (over 740 weeks in America)!
1979: Motorhead released their second album, ‘Overkill’. It was the first Motorhead LP to feature the classic line-up of Lemmy Kilmister, Fast Eddie Clarke & Philthy Animal Taylor.
1986: Van Halen released their album, ‘5150‘. It was the first VH LP to feature new singer, Sammy Hagar, who had replaced David Lee Roth. ‘5150’ proved to be the right move, giving Van Halen their first number 1 album.
1987: Freddie Mercury met Montserrat Cabelle for the first time. Their friendship resulted in the operatic album, ‘Barcelona’.
1997: Death of soul singer, Harold Melvin [aged 57].
2008: Death of Beatles associate / chief executive of Apple Corps., Neil Aspinall [aged 66].
2020: Death of jazz / afrofunk saxophonist, Manu Dibango [aged 86].
2020: Death of drummer, Bill Rieflin of King Crimson, Ministry, R.E.M. [aged 59].
2021: Death of drummer, Don Heffington of Lone Justice, Emmylou Harris Hot Band, Watkins Family Hour & Bob Dylan [aged 70].
German multi-instrumentalist / singer / songwriter / producer, Klaus Dinger of Neu! (and founding member of Kraftwerk) was born on this day 78 years ago! He originally played drums / percussion for the Krautrock group, but when he left they started using electronic drum machines and went on to have huge success with ‘Autobahn‘. Klaus happily followed his own path and created some of the most inventive and interesting music to come out of Europe, with his band, Neu! He passed away three days before his 62nd birthday, on 21 March, 2008.
BIRTHDAYS
1944: Ric Ocasek (The Cars)
1946: Michael Nyman
1950: Phil Lanzon (Grand Prix / Sweet / Uriah Heep)
1953: Yvette Marie Stevens a.k.a. Chaka Khan
1967: John Stohm (The Lemonheads)
1968: Damon Albarn (Blur)
EVENTS
1961: Elvis Presley set a new UK chart record with three consecutive No. 1 singles: “It’s Now or Never”, “Are You Lonesome Tonight” & “Wooden Heart”.
1973: Roxy Music released their second album, ‘For Your Pleasure’.
1973: King Crimson released their fifth album, ‘Larks’ Tongues In Aspic’.
1976: Judas Priest released their second album, ‘On The Sad Wings Of Destiny’.
1985: Former Creedence Clearwater Revival front man John Fogerty went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Centerfield’.
1997: Death of keyboard player, Craig Scott of Elastica & The Dylans.
2006: Death of singer / percussionist, Pio Leyva of Buena Vista Social Club [aged 88].
2008: The ROCK2WGTN concert, featuring Whitesnake & Ozzy Osbourne was held in Wellington ~ I was there!
2023: Death of lyricist / songwriter, Keith Reid [aged 76]. Most of the songs Keith wrote lyrics for were with Procol Harum, including “A Whiter Shade of Pale”.
2024: Death of guitarist, Steven Mironovich aka Steven Irons [aged 60]. Based in Staten Island, Steven played in many bands, including Cities, Dark Black Past & Circle of Thorns.
Rest in Peace, Ric Ocasek. The singer / guitarist and principle songwriter for The Cars would have been 80 today. He passed away on 15 September, 2019. Here’s one of the great songs from their debut LP, which was a big hit, back in 1978!
BIRTHDAYS
1943: George Benson
1943: Keith Relf (The Yardbirds)
1944: Chris Stainton (Joe Cocker Band, Eric Clapton, The Who, Leon Russell, Roger Waters, David Gilmour & many more)
1944: Tony McPhee (The Groundhogs)
1947: Johannes Hendrikus Jacob van den Berg a.k.a. Harry Vanda (The Easybeats / Producer for AC/DC with George Young)
1948: Andrew Lloyd Webber
1948: Randy Hobbs (Johnny Winter Group / The McCoys)
EVENTS
1974: Ten Years After played their last concert, at the Rainbow Theatre, London.
1975: Led Zeppelin started a 6-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Physical Graffiti’.
1992: Buddy Guy played a concert at Auckland Town Hall ~ I was there!
1994: Death of multi-instrumentalist / singer / songwriter / producer, Dan Hartman of Edgar Winter Group [aged 43].
2008: Stark Raving played a special gig in Dunedin, with ex-Rose Bayonet members, Geoff Dunn & Jerry Pearse-Smith as guests. It was the first time they had performed together in over 24 years!
2017: Death of drummer, Sib Hashian of Boston [aged 67].
2020: Death of drummer, Peter Stapleton of New Zealand bands The Pin Group, The Victor Dimisich Band, The Terminals, Scorched Earth Policy, Sleep & Eye [aged 65].
2020: Death of banjo player, Eric Weissberg [aged 80]. He famously played “Dueling Banjos” on the soundtrack to the ‘Deliverance’ movie.
2023: Death of guitarist / singer / songwriter, Tom Leadon, of Mudcrutch [aged 70].
Singer / songwriter / harmonica player, Keith Relf of The Yardbirds would have been 81 today. Sadly, Keith died in 1976, after being electrocuted while playing his guitar at home. He certainly left his mark in music history though, having fronted the band from beginning in 1963 to their end in 1968. The group paved the way for all the hard rock / blues groups that were to follow. Of course, from the ashes of Yardbirds, Jimmy Page went on to form Led Zeppelin. Here’s one of the songs Keith Relf co-wrote…
BIRTHDAYS
1940: Solomon Burke
1943: Viv Stanshell (Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band)
1945: Rosemary Stone (Sly & The Family Stone)
1949: Edward Mahoney a.k.a. Eddie Money
1950: Roger Hodgson (Supertramp)
1951: Conrad Lozano (Los Lobos)
1967: Keith “Keeti” Palmer a.k.a. Maxi (The Prodigy)
EVENTS
1977: AC/DC released their fourth album, ‘Let There Be Rock’.
1987: U2 scored their 3rd UK No.1 album with ‘The Joshua Tree’. It stayed on the charts for 156 weeks.
1991: Death of Clarence Leonidas “Leo” Fender, designer / founder of Fender guitars [aged 81].
1994: Yes released their album, ‘Talk’.
1994: Bruce Springsteen won an Oscar for the song “Streets of Philadelphia”.
1996: John Squire quit The Stone Roses.
2002: Death of drummer / singer, John “Speedy” Keen of Thunderclap Newman [aged 57].
2009: The Who played a concert at North Harbour Stadium, Auckland ~ I was there!
2013: Neil Young & Crazy Horse played a concert at Vector Arena, Auckland ~ I was there!
Happy 74th Birthday to Roger Hodgson, a wonderful musician ~ songwriter, singer, guitarist, keyboard player, bassist… I saw him live at Taupo in 2019 and nine years earlier in Auckland ~ both were magical performances. I got to meet Roger that night in 2010 too and I can confirm that the Supertramp guy is a super nice guy! A founding member of Supertramp, Roger was with the band from 1969 to 1983 and was responsible for most of their best known songs. This brilliant piece is one of my favourites…
BIRTHDAYS
1917: Vera Lynn
1937: Jerry Reed
1949: Jimmie Vaughan (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
1950: Carl Palmer (Atomic Rooster / Emerson, Lake & Palmer / Asia)
1953: Kristy Wallace a.k.a. Poison Ivy (The Cramps)
1961: James McDonnell a.k.a. Slim Jim Phantom (The Stray Cats)
EVENTS
1969: John Lennon married Yoko Ono in Gibraltar. They spent their honeymoon in Amsterdam, campaigning for an international “Bed-In” for peace.
1970: David and Angela Bowie were married in London. They divorced in 1980.
1976: Vincent Furnier a.k.a. Alice Cooper married 19-year-old Sheryl Goddard. They are still married.
1977: T Rex played their final ever gig at The Locarno in Portsmouth, England.
2015: Death of drummer, A.J. Pero of Twisted Sister (aged 55).
2018: Death of bassist, Peter “Mars” Cowling of Pat Travers Band (aged 72).
2020: Death of singer / songwriter / bassist / photographer, Kenny Rogers (aged 81).
Happy Birthday to Carl Palmer ~ he’s 74 today, still as fit as a fiddle and a phenomenal drummer! This is also a tribute to Carl’s former bandmates in ELP, both of whom sadly passed away in 2016 ~ the maestros Keith Emerson, (11th March) and Greg Lake (7th December). You will see above, that 20th March is also a popular day for rock weddings…