
BIRTHDAYS
1950: Peter Gabriel
1950: Bob Daisley (Widowmaker / Rainbow / Ozzy Osbourne / Uriah Heep / Gary Moore / Living Loud)
1956: Peter Hook (Joy Division / New Order)
1961: Henry Rollins
1961: Les Warner (The Cult)
1974: Robbie Williams
1976: Leslie Feist
EVENTS
1961: Frank Sinatra launched his own recording label, Reprise Records.
1967: The Beatles released the double A-sided No.1 single “Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane”.
1970: Black Sabbath released their legendary debut album, entitled ‘Black Sabbath’ and opening with the track, “Black Sabbath”. Of course, it was issued on Friday the 13th!
1976: Genesis released their first LP without Peter Gabriel. Drummer, Phil Collins took over vocal duties for ‘A Trick of the Tail’.
1980: Thin Lizzy leader Phil Lynott married Caroline Crowther, daughter of TV personality, Leslie.
1998: I met Ozzy Osbourne at Centra Hotel, Auckland.
2002: Death of singer / songwriter, Waylon Jennings [aged 64].
2015: Death of bassist, Danny McCullough of The Animals [aged 69].
Peter Gabriel is one day younger than his former Genesis band-mate, Steve Hackett ~ Happy 75th Birthday, Pete! Once again, there are so many moments of genius in his repertoire to select from… “Mercy Street” is an emotional song, originally on his ‘So’ album, and is a tribute to poet, Anne Sexton.

BIRTHDAYS
1939: Ray Manzarek (The Doors)
1950: Steve Hackett (Genesis)
1956: Brian “Robbo” Robertson (Thin Lizzy / Wild Horses / Motorhead)
Happy Birthday to Brian Robertson, who was guitarist in Thin Lizzy. Brian also had a stint with Wild Horses and was a member of Motorhead, for ‘Another Perfect Day’ album and tour.
1958: Grant McLennan (The Go-Betweens)
1959: Omar Hakim (Weather Report / Miles Davis Band / David Bowie Band, Sting’s Band, etc.)
EVENTS
1981: Rush released their eighth album, ‘Moving Pictures’.
1994: Death of Jerry Wise, MD of Festival Records N.Z.
1995: Van Halen, scored a U.S. No.1 album with ‘Balance’.
1997: David Bowie received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1998: Ozzy Osbourne played a concert at Logan Campbell Centre, Auckland ~ I was there!
2000: Death of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins [aged 70].
2015: Death of guitarist, Sam Andrew of Big Brother And The Holding Company [aged 73].
2017: Death of jazz singer, Al Jarreau [aged 76].
2017: Death of drummer, Paul English [aged 87]. He played drums for Willie Nelson, since 1955.
Happy Birthday to Steve Hackett, who is 75 today! An amazing guitarist and a member of Genesis from 1970 to 1977, Steve quit the group five decades ago, but has continued to create a fine body of work. His performance at Auckland Town Hall in 2017 was outstanding! Let’s celebrate with a large helping of “Supper’s Ready”.

BIRTHDAYS
1935: Eugene Craddock a.k.a. Gene Vincent
1940: Bobby “Boris” Pickett
1947: Derek Shulman (Gentle Giant)
1962: Sheryl Crow
EVENTS
1963: In less than 10 hours, The Beatles recorded 10 new songs for their first album, plus 4 other tracks for release as singles.
1964: The Beatles made their live concert debut in the US at the Washington Coliseum.
2024: Death of bassist, Paul Martinez [aged 76]. Best known as part of Robert Plant’s band (1981 – 1985), Paul also played bass for The Honeydrippers, Paice, Ashton & Lord, Cat Stevens, Peter Gabriel, Dave Edmunds, Chicken Shack, George Harrison and many more. He was in the “Led Zeppelin” group (with Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Tony Thompson & Phil Collins), on stage at Live Aid in 1985.
Multi-instrumentalist / singer, Derek Shulman is 78 today. He’s a retired record executive these days, but back in the ’70s he brilliantly fronted colossal prog band, Gentle Giant (that’s Derek, the smaller of the two with beards).

BIRTHDAYS
1914: Larry Adler
1937: Roberta Flack
1937: Don Wilson (The Ventures)
1949: Nigel Olsson (Elton John Band)
1962: Cliff Burton (Metallica)
EVENTS
1989: I interviewed Ozzy Osbourne.
2008: The Flight of the Conchords won a Grammy Award.
Drummer, Nigel Olsson is 76 today! Most of his musical career has been behind the kit for Elton John, but way back in 1970, Nigel recorded two tracks with Uriah Heep. Taken from their legendary debut album, ‘Very ‘eavy, Very ‘umble‘, this is “Lucy Blues”….

BIRTHDAYS
1940: Brian Bennett (The Shadows)
1942: Carole King
1947: Joe Ely
1950: Ted Turner (Wishbone Ash)
1955: Jimmy Pursey (Sham 69)
1966: James Southworth a.k.a. Rachel Bolan (Skid Row)
EVENTS
1981: Death of rock ‘n’ roll singer, Bill Haley [aged 55].
1982: George Harrison presented UNICEF with a cheque for 5.3 million pounds.
1992: Nirvana played a concert at Logan Campbell Centre, Auckland ~ I was there and met the band after the show!
1996: Jeff Buckley played a concert at St. James Theatre, Auckland ~ I was there and met him and his band after the show!
Setlist: Mojo Pin / Dream Brother / So Real / Lilac Wine / Grace / Last Goodbye / What Will You Say / Eternal Life / Kick Out the Jams / Lover, You Should’ve Come Over / I Woke Up in a Strange Place / Vancouver / Kanga Roo / Hallelujah
1997: Death of singer, Brian McManus a.k.a. Brian Connolly of Sweet [aged 52].
2007: Death of soul singer, Tyrone Davis [aged 67].
2018: Death of bassist, Craig McGregor, of Foghat [aged 68].
2021: Death of keyboardist / composer, Chick Corea, of Miles Davis Band, Return To Forever & many other solo and group projects [aged 79].
2022: Death of soul / funk singer / songwriter / model, Betty Davis [aged 76]. The second wife of Miles Davis, Betty appeared on the cover of his 1968 LP, ‘Filles de Kilimanjaro’. She also introduced him to Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone.
2022: Death of multi-instrumentalist / composer, founding member of King Crimson and Foreigner, Ian McDonald [aged 75]. Ian’s superb flute, clarinet and saxophone playing can be heard on one of the greatest debut albums of all time…. ‘In the Court of the Crimson King’. He and Peter Giles quit the band after their 1969 tour, to form McDonald and Giles. Ian recorded with King Crimson again in 1974, adding his wonderful playing to the brilliant ‘Red’ LP. When the group dissolved shortly after, he founded Foreigner with Mick Jones, of Spooky Tooth.
2024: Death of singer / musician, Damo Suzuki, of krautrock group, Can [aged 74].
33 years ago today, Nirvana played their one and only concert in New Zealand! I can’t remember the finer details of the gig in 1992, but they played most of ‘Nevermind’ and ‘Bleach’ very LOUD! It was a wild, brief concert (only 60-70 minutes) but what a fantastic experience! The clearest memory I have was meeting them outside after the gig. Kurt drifted right on past, like a zombie… he had a glazed look in his eyes, and said nothing at all to anyone! Dave and Krist were very friendly, stopping to chat for a few minutes. Wish I had taken a camera!
Note: The reason my ticket and the poster have venue as Auckland Town Hall is because the band had suddenly got massive worldwide and demand for tickets far exceeded the capacity, so the concert was moved to the larger LCC building. List of songs shown is Dave Grohl’s actual handwritten set list for the Auckland show!

BIRTHDAYS
1931: James Dean
1961: Vincent Wharton a.k.a. Vince Neal (Motley Crue)
1968: Tjinder Singh (Cornershop)
1986: Brandon Paak Anderson a.k.a. Anderson Paak
1996: Madeline Bradley
EVENTS
1956: Buddy Holly signed a recording contract with Decca Records.
1973: Death of Max Yasgur, owner of the Woodstock farm where the 1969 festival was held [aged 53].
1975: Bob Dylan went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Blood on the Tracks‘.
1980: David Bowie divorced his wife, Angie and won custody of their son Zowie, (now known as film director, Duncan Jones).
1988: The Who performed at the British Phonographic Industry awards ceremony, after receiving an award for their “Outstanding Contribution to British Music”. It was the last time drummer, Kenney Jones played with the band.
1990: Death of singer / songwriter, Del Shannon [aged 55].
1994: Robben Ford played a concert at The Powerstation, Auckland ~ I was there!
2019: IRIS released her debut single, “Bold”.
2020: IRIS released her most popular single (so far), “Lay With You”.
2021: Death of singer, Mary Wilson of The Supremes [aged 76].
2023: Death of composer / songwriter / producer / pianist, Burt Bacharach [aged 94].
50 years ago, Bob Dylan was at the top of the charts with his brilliant album, ‘Blood On The Tracks‘. Bob bared his soul across great songs, such as “Tangled Up In Blue”, “Simple Twist Of Fate”, “Idiot Wind”, “Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts”, “Shelter From The Storm” & “Buckets Of Rain”. Poignant and highly influential, ‘Blood On The Tracks‘ ranks amongst the finest of Dylan’s LPs… if not, the Best!
OK, so James Dean was not a musician ~ but he inspired a great song by Eagles! The rocker was written by Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Jackson Browne & J. D. Souther, recorded for their third album, ‘On the Border’, in 1974. Rest in Peace, Glenn ~ and James. “Too fast to live, too young to die…”

BIRTHDAYS
1949: Alan Lancaster (Status Quo)
1974: Danny Goffey (Supergrass)
1980: Richie Castellano (Blue Oyster Cult / Jon Anderson Band Geeks)
EVENTS
1970: Led Zeppelin scored their first UK No.1 album with ‘Led Zeppelin II’.
1976: Bob Dylan started a 5-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Desire’.
2000: Death of singer / songwriter / guitarist, Dave Peverett of Savoy Brown & Foghat [aged 56].
2015: Death of bassist, Joe E. Mauldin of Buddy Holly & The Crickets [aged 74].
2018: Death of drummer / actor, Mickey Jones of The First Edition & Bob Dylan Band [aged 76].
2018: Death of drummer, Pat Torpey of Mr. Big [aged 64].
2020: Death of singer / guitarist, Steve Weber of The Holy Modal Rounders & The Fugs [aged 76].
“Lonesome” Dave Peverett passed away 25 years ago. You have probably heard Foghat, but ever listened to Savoy Brown? They were a top notch blues rock band from UK in late 60s / early 70s. They did primo albums, such as ‘Looking In’, and ‘Blue Matter’ while Dave was in the band. Hard to find, but well worth checking out! In fact, I can’t find a Savoy Brown clip with Dave in it on YouTube, so we’ll go with this barnstorming chestnut from classic era Foghat!

BIRTHDAYS
1945: Bob Marley
1950: Edwin “Punky” Meadows (Angel)
1957: Simon Phillips (801 / Judas Priest / Jeff Beck / Toto, etc.)
1962: William Bailey a.k.a. W. Axl Rose (Guns N’ Roses)
EVENTS
1958: Paul McCartney introduced George Harrison to John Lennon after a Quarrymen gig in Garston.
1970: John Lennon released his single, “Instant Karma”.
1981: Death of composer Hugo Montenegro [aged 55].
1984: Talking Heads played their last concert together, in Christchurch New Zealand. David Byrne had left the stage halfway through the performance and was eventually persuaded to finish the show. Talking Heads created three more studio albums in the following years, but finally disbanded in 1991, when Byrne had announced his departure.
1998: Death of guitarist / singer, Carl Wilson from The Beach Boys [aged 51].
1998: Death of Austrian singer, Johann Holzel a.k.a. Falco [aged 40].
2001: Guitarist, Don Felder was fired from The Eagles.
2007: Death of singer / songwriter, Francesco LoVecchio a.k.a. Frankie Laine [aged 93].
2011: Death of guitarist / singer / songwriter, Gary Moore [aged 58].
2023: Death of bassist / singer / songwriter, Phil Spalding of GTR, Torme, Toyah & Mike Oldfield’s band [aged 65]. Phil also played on hundreds of sessions, including The Who, Right Said Fred, Seal, Mick Jagger, OMD, Elton John (including ‘The Lion King’ soundtrack), Ray Charles, Roger Taylor, Randy Crawford & more.
Bill Bailey is 63 today! No, not the brilliant UK comedian ~ we’re talkin’ ’bout the unpredictable, moody, powerful singer in Guns N’ Roses, who goes by the name of Axl Rose… Happy Birthday Axl!

BIRTHDAYS
1935: Alex Harvey
1941: Rick Laird (Mahavishnu Orchestra)
1944: Al Kooper
1956: Vinnie Colaiuta (Frank Zappa / Joni Mitchell / Herbie Hancock / Chick Corea / Jeff Beck)
1964: Michael “Duff” McKagan (Guns N Roses / Velvet Revolver)
EVENTS
1962: Ringo Starr played live with The Beatles for the first time, at The Cavern club in Liverpool.
1970: Guitarist, Mick Ronson played his first show with David Bowie and his band, which took place at the BBC Studios in London for a John Peel session.
1991: Megadeth played a concert at Logan Campbell Centre, Auckland ~ I was there!
1994: The first Big Day Out concert was held at Mt. Smart Stadium, Auckland. Bands included The Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, The Breeders, & Urge Overkill ~ I was there!
2000: Hawkwind played a concert at The Powerstation, Auckland ~ I was there!
2017: James Taylor played a concert at Church Road Winery, Napier ~ I was there!
2020: Queen + Adam Lambert played a concert at Sky Stadium, Wellington ~ I was there!
Was it really 31 years ago?! The first (and probably, best) Big Day Out was headlined by The Smashing Pumpkins. They were an amazing band, when they had that original line-up. Got to meet them backstage ~ the photo is me with James Iha, who went on to form A Perfect Circle. James, Jimmy Chamberlain and Billy Corgan reunited as Smashing Pumpkins in 2018.

BIRTHDAYS
1948: Vincent Furnier a.k.a. Alice Cooper
1950: Mick “Woody” Woodmansey (David Bowie / The Spiders From Mars)
1951: Phil Ehart (Kansas)
1952: Jerry Shirley (Humble Pie / Fastway)
1968: Steve Queralt (Ride)
1975: Natalie Imbruglia
EVENTS
1975: Death of singer / songwriter / multi-instrumentalist, Louis Jordan [aged 66].
1977: Fleetwood Mac released their eleventh album, ‘Rumours’. It was the second Mac LP to feature Lindsey Buckingham & Stevie Nicks incorporated into the group and went on to sell over 45 million copies!
1982: Death of singer / songwriter / guitarist, Alex Harvey [aged 46].
1983: Death of singer / songwriter, Karen Carpenter [aged 32].
1987: Death of pianist, Wladziu Liberace [aged 67].
1989: Death of singer / songwriter, Trevor Lucas of Fairport Convention [aged 45].
1994: Soundgarden played a concert at The Powerstation, Auckland ~ I was there and met them after the show!
2009: Death of singer, Erick Purkhiser a.k.a. Lux Interior of The Cramps [aged 62].
2016: Death of singer, Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire [aged 74].
2017: Death of bassist, Steve Lang of April Wine [aged 67].
2017: Black Sabbath played their final concert, in Birmingham.
2020: Death of guitarist / songwriter / singer, Andrew Brough of Straitjacket Fits, The Blue Meanies & The Orange [aged 56].
2023: I attended a concert by ZZ Top, Pat Benatar, Stone Temple Pilots & The Angels, at Taupo Amphitheater.
Happy Birthday to Alice Cooper! Can you believe it, the minister’s son, Vincent Furnier is 77 today!?!?!? The Coop will always be a rock ‘n’ roll kid at heart, so let’s blast “School’s Out”!!