Today in Rock History – 5th MAY:

BIRTHDAYS
1941: Roy Phillips (The Peddlars)
1942: Jim King (Family)
1948: Bill Ward (Black Sabbath)
1954: Pete Erskine (Weather Report)
1959: Steven Schneider a.k.a. Steve Stevens (Billy Idol / Atomic Playboys)

1959: Ian McCulloch (Echo & The Bunnymen)
1963: James LaBrie (Dream Theater)
1988: Adele Adkins (Adele)

EVENTS
1956: Elvis Presley scored his first US No.1 single & album when “Heartbreak Hotel” and his debut LP both went to the top of the charts.
1962: The soundtrack to ‘West Side Story’ went to No.1 on the US album chart.
1968: Buffalo Springfield split up.
1973: David Bowie scored his first UK No.1 album when ‘Aladdin Sane’ started a 5-week run at the top.
1973: Elvis Presley went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite’.
1988: Miles Davis played a concert at St. James Theatre, Auckland ~ I was there! Price was $66.10 ~ very expensive back then. But of course, worth every cent ~ it was mind-blowing!

1991: Mick Tucker performed his last gig with Sweet, in Austria.
2015: Death of bassist, Craig Gruber, of Elf & Rainbow.
2020: Death of singer / songwriter, Millie Small [aged 73]. She was best known for the song “My Boy Lollipop”.
2024: Death of singer / songwriter /guitarist, Willie Hona of Herbs.

Happy Birthday Bill Ward! He’s 77 today ~ quite amazing that he has made it this far, after all he went through in the 1970s! This is classic Black Sabbath, back in the days when Bill (pictured centre, above Ozzy) was on drums in the band…