BIRTHDAYS
1892: “Mississippi” John Hurt
1944: Keef Hartley (The Artwoods / John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers / Keef Hartley Band)
1946: Randy Meisner (Eagles)
1947: Carole Bayer Sager
1948: Mel Galley (Trapeze / Whitesnake)
1949: Dave Lambert (Strawbs)
1957: Clive Burr (Iron Maiden)
1958: Gary Numan (Tubeway Army)
1962: Steve Grantley (Stiff Little Fingers / The Alarm)
1976: Gareth “Gaz” Coombes (Supergrass)
EVENTS
1973: Death of singer / harmonica & keyboard player, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan of The Grateful Dead [aged 27].
1974: Queen released their second album, ‘Queen II‘.
1988: The Angels played a concert at Logan Campbell Centre, Auckland – I was there.
1993: Death of jazz singer / band leader, Billy Eckstine [aged 79].
2016: Death of legendary producer, George Martin [aged 90].
2024: Death of singer / songwriter / musician, Eric Carmen [aged 74].
Guitarist, Mel Galley would have been 76 today. Mel was such a great player, known mostly for his superb work with Trapeze, alongside bassist / singer, Glenn Hughes (who went on to join Deep Purple). In 1982, David Coverdale recruited Mel as guitar player in Whitesnake for a couple of years. Check out the very fine song “Seafull” from the Trapeze album, ‘Medusa’.
BIRTHDAYS
1875: Maurice Ravel
1943: Chris White (The Zombies / Argent)
1944: Townes Van Zandt
1945: Arthur Lee (Love)
1946: Peter Wolf (The J. Geils Band)
1946: Matthew Fisher (Procol Harum)
1952: Ernie Isley (The Isley Brothers)
EVENTS
1966: Tina Turner recorded her vocal on the Phil Spector produced “River Deep Mountain High”.
1975: David Bowie released his album, ‘Young Americans‘.
1987: The first five Beatles albums were released on Compact Disc.
2013: Death of guitarist, Peter Banks of The Syn, Yes and Flash [aged 65].
2019: Alice in Chains played a concert at Trusts Arena, Auckland ~ I was there! The show was much longer than the band usually play, with 5 or 6 extra songs added. Chad Smith & Josh Klinghoffer from Red Hot Chili Peppers guest performed on “Them Bones” & “Dam That River”.
Eleven years ago, we lost Peter Banks ~ original guitarist with Yes (and The Syn, with Chris Squire, prior to that), who went on to form Flash and pursue an interesting solo career. Peter can be heard on the first two LPs by Yes, pictured here in 1969 (L-R: Tony Kaye, Bill Bruford, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Peter Banks). He thought of the name “Yes” and created their first logo, as shown on his guitar. This heartfelt tribute video is accompanied by a track from Peter’s ‘Reduction’ album, a guitar instrumental entitled “Fade to Blue”.
BIRTHDAYS
1893: Walter “Furry” Lewis
1925: Wes Montgomery
1944: Kiri Te Kanawa
1944: Mary Wilson (The Supremes)
1946: Murray Head
1946: David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
EVENTS
1951: Death of composer / actor, David Ivor Davies a.k.a. Ivor Novello [aged 58].
1961: Death of singer / ukulele player, George Formby [aged 57].
1965: The second Rolling Stones album began a 6-week run at No.1 on the U.K. album charts.
2013: Death of guitarist, Alvin Lee of Ten Years After [aged 68].
2019: Death of tour / production manager, Gerry Stickells [aged 76]. Gerry was in charge of huge productions for Queen, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John and many more over the years.
2020: Death of jazz pianist, McCoy Tyner [aged 81].
Happy 78th Birthday to David Gilmour ~ such a wonderful, wonderful guitar player!! Solo, or with Pink Floyd… as soon as you hear that tone, you know it’s Gilmour…
BIRTHDAYS
1957: Mark E Smith (The Fall)
1970: John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers / The Mars Volta / Ataxia)
EVENTS
1963: Death of singer, Patsy Cline [aged 30].
1971: Led Zeppelin started a 12-date “thank you” tour for British fans, appearing at the clubs from their early days and charging the admission price from 1968.
1983: Ian Gillan joined Black Sabbath.
1982: Death of Blues Brother / actor, John Belushi [aged 33].
1995: Death of singer / songwriter, Viv Stanshall of Bonzo Dog Band [aged 51].
2002: The first episode of ‘The Osbournes’ TV show was aired on MTV in America.
2023: Death of guitarist, Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd [aged 71].
Happy 54th Birthday to John Frusciante ~ the best guitarist that Red Hot Chili Peppers ever had… and have back again!
BIRTHDAYS
1932: Miriam Makeba
1944: Bobby Womack
1947: Bob Lewis (Devo)
1947: Jan Garbarek
1948: Chris Squire (Yes)
1950: Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)
1951: Robbie Blunt (Bronco / Silverhead / Robert Plant Band)
1951: Chris Rea
1955: Boon Gould (Level 42)
1963: Jason Newsted (Metallica)
1967: Evan Dando (The Lemonheads)
EVENTS
1955: Charlie Parker performed in public for the last time, at Birdland.
1966: John Lennon controversially stated that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus Christ”.
1977: The Rolling Stones played at El Mocambo club in Toronto. The recordings later surfaced as part of their ‘Love You Live’ album.
1968: Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention released ‘We’re Only In It For The Money’.
1977: The debut album by The Clash was released in U.K.
1986: Death of Richard Manuel, keyboard player in The Band [aged 42].
2004: Death of guitarist, John McGeoch of Magazine / The Banshees / Public Image [aged 58].
2016: Death of singer, Joey Feek of husband / wife duo, Joey & Rory [aged 40].
2019: Death of singer, Keith Flint of Prodigy [aged 49].
2021: Death of bassist, Alan Cartwright of Procol Harum [aged 75].
2023: Death of bassist, Michael Rhodes [aged 69]. Rhodes played sessions and / or live concerts with many artists, including Joe Bonamassa, Elton John, Mark Knopfler, Stevie Nicks, John Fogerty, Joan Baez, Michael McDonald, Dolly Parton, JJ Cale & more.
The greatest bassist / singer / songwriter that ever lived was born 76 years ago… Chris Squire ~ Yes, of course! Miss him very much ~ “The Fish” passed away on 27 June, 2015. ☹ The heavens will be resounding forever to the distinctive dynamics and melodies of Chris’ Rickenbecker!
The photo is me with Chris in 2012, after the first concert Yes ever played in New Zealand. Here is a jaw-dropping classic from the band live in 1991 on the ‘Union’ tour, featuring typically awesome Squire bass playing…
BIRTHDAYS
1947: Jennifer Warnes
1947: Derek “Blue” Weaver (Amen Corner / The Strawbs)
1948: Terence “Snowy” White (Pink Floyd / Thin Lizzy / Roger Waters Band)
1953: Robyn Hitchcock
EVENTS
1966: Neil Young, Stephen Stills & Richie Furay formed Buffalo Springfield in Los Angeles.
1969: Led Zeppelin recorded their first BBC Radio 1 session at Playhouse Theatre in London.
1986: Metallica released their highly influential third album, ‘Master of Puppets’.
1993: Death of Spanish flamenco guitarist, Carlos Montoya [aged 89].
2008: Death of British singer / songwriter / producer, Norman “Hurricane” Smith [aged 85].
2012: Death of guitarist, Ronnie Montrose [aged 64].
2016: Death of guitarist, John Thomas of Budgie [aged 63].
2017: Death of singer, Valerie Carter [aged 64].
2017: Death of bassist, Lyle Ritz, who played with The Wrecking Crew, The Beach Boys, Herb Alpert & Others. [aged 87].
2023: Death of guitarist / multi-instrumentalist / songwriter / singer, David Lindley [aged 78]. Apart from over 20 of his own albums, David appeared on a multitude of other records by Jackson Browne, Ry Cooder, Crosby & Nash, Terry Reid, Linda Ronstadt, Rod Stewart, Warren Zevon, Leonard Cohen, Youngbloods, America, Dolly Parton, Karla Bonoff, Joe Walsh, Jimmy Barnes, Tanita Tikaram, Bob Dylan, Ben Harper, Bruce Springsteen, Rickie Lee Jones & More!
2024: Death of drummer, Brit Turner, of Blackberry Smoke [aged 57].
12 years ago, hot shot guitarist, Ronnie Montrose ended his life. He certainly deserved a lot more recognition than he got, being a major inspiration for Van Halen and others. In fact, Eddie even recruited Ronnie’s original singer, Sammy Hagar ~ as seen in this ripping 1974 live version of “Bad Motor Scooter”!
BIRTHDAYS
1942: Lewis “Lou” Reed
1948: Larry Carlton
1948: Rory Gallagher
1950: Karen Carpenter
1954: Hunt Sales (Iggy Pop Band / Tin Machine)
1955: Dale Bozzio (Frank Zappa Band / Missing Persons)
1956: Mark Evans (AC/DC)
1962: John Bonjiovi a.k.a. Jon Bon Jovi
1977: Chris Martin (Coldplay)
EVENTS
1942: Death of jazz guitarist / singer, Charlie Christian [aged 24].
1964: The Beatles began filming ‘A Hard Days Night’ movie, at Marylebone train station in London.
1973: Jon Anderson is given a copy of ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ by Jamie Muir at Bill Bruford’s wedding. Later that month, Jon becomes fascinated by a footnote on page 83 and begins writing ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’. Nine months later, Yes release the epic double album.
1983: Sony, Philips & Polygram launched the compact disc player.
1991: Death of French singer, Serge Gainsbourgh [aged 62].
1999: Death of singer, Dusty Springfield [aged 59].
2008: Death of blind guitarist, Jeff Healey [aged 41].
2021: Death of singer / songwriter / percussionist, Bunny Wailer of Bob Marley & The Wailers [aged 73].
2023: Death of bassist / producer, Steve Mackey of Pulp [aged 56].
2023: Death of saxophonist, Wayne Shorter of Jazz Messengers, Miles Davis Group, Weather Report & Mega Nova [aged 89]. Shorter played on many albums, including well known releases by Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Santana, Herbie Hancock & Don Henley.
2024: Death of keyboard player, Jim Beard [aged 63]. Jim played for Steely Dan, John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Mike Stern, Wayne Shorter and many others.
Birthday thoughts today for Rory Gallagher, who would have been 76 today! When Jimi Hendrix was asked how it felt to be the greatest guitarist in the world, his reply was “Go ask Rory Gallagher!” I witnessed him live in Dunedin in 1980 and I still have the giant tour poster too. It was a brilliant concert, with Rory giving his heart and soul for the blues, acoustic and electric. Super energised rhythm section Gerry McAvoy and Ted McKenna ripped it up on the harder rock numbers, such as this… Miss ya, Rory!
BIRTHDAYS
1942: Michael Giles (Giles, Giles & Fripp / King Crimson / McDonald & Giles / 21st Century Schizoid Band)
1944: Roger Daltrey (The Who)
1944: Mike D’Abo (Manfred Mann Band)
1946: Tony Ashton
1963: Rob Affuso (Skid Row)
1973: Ryan Peake (Nickelback)
1989: Julian Angel Vai (Son of Steve Vai)
1992: Fire Vai (Son of Steve Vai)
EVENTS
1974: Queen began their first U.K. tour, in Blackpool.
1973: Pink Floyd released their eighth album, ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’. The LP went on to sell more than 45 million units worldwide and spent 937 weeks on the Billboard charts.
1975: Bob Dylan started a two-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Blood on the Tracks’
1980: Wedding of Patti Smith and Fred “Sonic” Smith.
1994: Nirvana played their final concert, at The Terminal Einz in Munich, Germany.
1996: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant performed a concert at Flinders Park, Melbourne. I was there and met them before the show!
2021: Death of Australian music mogul, Michael Gudinski, co-founder of Mushroom Records.
28 years ago today, I met rock royalty! Cathy and I got to hang out with Robert Plant & Jimmy Page backstage, before their final gig of the ‘No Quarter’ tour. Melbourne, 1st March, 1996. It was an incredible concert of Led Zeppelin classics, with Melbourne & Egyptian orchestras backing the rock musicians on stage. “Kashmir” was out of this world!
If you are in the photo above, feel free to contact me. (I’m second from left, top row). Planty was paying particular attention to the young woman in the centre, so she got to sit between them for the shot, taken for Universal Music, Australia.
BIRTHDAYS
1960: Khaled Hadj Ibrahim a.k.a. Khaled
1972: Saul Williams
1972: David Williams (Drowning Pool)
1980: Chris Conley (Saves The Day)
EVENTS
1972: John Lennon’s U.S. immigration visa expired. It was the beginning of a 3 ½ year legal battle for Lennon to stay in the U.S.
1996: Death of singer / songwriter, Wes Farrell [aged 56].
2000: The city of Autlan de Navarro, Mexico announced plans to build a public monument, as a tribute Carlos Santana.
2000: Death of guitarist, Dennis Danell of Social Distortion [aged 38].
2012: Death of guitarist, Roland Bautista of Earth, Wind & Fire [aged 61].
2012: Death of singer, Davy Jones of The Monkees [aged 66].
Twenty four years ago a great guitarist was honoured by his hometown… Carlos Santana deserves a statue for this performance alone!
BIRTHDAYS
1942: Lewis Brian Hopkin-Jones a.k.a. Brian Jones (The Rolling Stones)
1942: Joe South
1948: Geoff Nicholls (Black Sabbath / Quartz)
1957: Phil Gould (Level 42)
1966: Ian Brown (The Stone Roses)
1972: Danny McCormack (The Wildhearts)
EVENTS
1970: Led Zeppelin played a gig in Copenhagen as The Nobs after Eva Von Zeppelin, a relative of the airship designer, threatened to sue if the family name was used in Denmark.
1972: George & Patti Harrison were injured in a car crash; Patti was unconscious for several days.
1982: Thin Lizzy guitarist, Scott Gorham collapsed on tour in Europe, suffering from heroin withdrawal.
1985: Death of singer, David Byron of Uriah Heep [aged 38].
1996: Jeff Buckley played a concert at Palais Theatre, Melbourne. I was there! So were Jimmy Page and Robert Plant!! (Songs from the gig later appeared on the live album, ‘Mystery White Boy’). Setlist: Dream Brother / Moodswing Whiskey / Mojo Pin / So Real / I Woke Up in a Strange Place / What Will You Say / Last Goodbye / Lilac Wine / Eternal Life / Kick Out the Jams / Lover, You Should’ve Come Over / Grace / Hallelujah / Last Month of the Year / Vancouver Kanga Roo
82 years ago, an exceptional musician was born on this day ~ the man who got The Stones rolling… Brian Jones! Apart from being an excellent guitarist (particularly slide guitar), Brian could play a wide variety of instruments, including organ, recorder, Appalachian dulcimer, autoharp & harmonica. “Paint It Black” was recorded in March 1966, and was one of the first instances of a sitar being used in rock music.