Today’s issue rewinds to when John Lennon first invited Paul McCartney into the Beatles and steps inside David Bowie’s soon‑to‑be‑restored childhood home. Plus Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, and more…
Have a Rockin Day,
Hippy Pete
TODAY IN CLASSIC ROCK
1961 – Orchestra leader Bert Kaempfert hits No. 1 in the US with “Wonderland by Night”, knocking Elvis Presley off the top. Later that year he hires Beatles to back Tony Sheridan on their first commercial recording, “My Bonnie.”
1963 – At age 21, drummer Charlie Watts leaves Blues Incorporated to join Rolling Stones, replacing Tony Chapman. He remains with the band until his death in 2021.
1965 – Beatles start a nine‑week run at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with Beatles ’65, their fourth US No. 1 LP. It rockets from No. 98 the previous week, the biggest chart jump to that point.
1967 – Monkees release their second album, More of the Monkees. It knocks their debut off the top of the Billboard 200, spends 18 weeks at No. 1, also tops the UK chart, and is later certified 5x Platinum.
1969 – Beatles’ self‑titled “White Album” goes to No. 1, overtaking Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet on the charts, underscoring the rivalry between the two bands.
1969 – Glen Campbell records “Galveston” with members of the Wrecking Crew (including Hal Blaine and Leon Russell). The single later tops the Easy Listening chart and reaches No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
1970 – Led Zeppelin play a now‑legendary concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall on guitarist Jimmy Page’s 26th birthday, a performance later widely celebrated by fans and historians.
1975 – After years of legal wrangling, the Beatles & Company partnership is formally dissolved in a private hearing at London’s High Court, with the breakup taking effect on April 9.
1976 – Queen begin a nine‑week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Bohemian Rhapsody”, their nearly six‑minute epic that becomes one of the country’s all‑time best‑selling singles.
1979 – A star‑studded Music for UNICEF concert is held at the UN General Assembly in New York, featuring Bee Gees, ABBA, Rod Stewart, Earth, Wind & Fire, John Denver, and others, raising about half a million dollars for world hunger.
1980 – At The Fast Lane in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen joins teenage singer John Bongiovi (later Jon Bon Jovi) and his band Atlantic City Expressway onstage to perform “The Promised Land,” a formative moment in Bon Jovi lore.
