Today's stories celebrate comebacks, bold moves, and hidden gems from the legends who defined rock… from Phil Collins returning to music to Neil Young's unprecedented gift, Beatles deep cuts, and tributes to icons like Eddie Van Halen and Bon Scott.
Have a Rockin Day,
Hippy Pete
TODAY IN CLASSIC ROCK
1956 — Elvis Presley released "Heartbreak Hotel," his first single for RCA Records after they purchased his contract from Sun Records for $35,000. The song sold 300,000 copies in its first week and became the best-selling single of 1956, earning Elvis his first Gold record.
1962 — Elvis Presley received his 29th Gold record for "Can't Help Falling In Love," just weeks after earning one for the Blue Hawaii soundtrack.
1962 — Joey Dee & The Starliters hit #1 in the US with "The Peppermint Twist," ending Chubby Checker's second run at #1 with "The Twist."
1962 — The Beatles played their final show at Aintree Institute in Aintree, Liverpool, England.
1967 — The Beatles renewed their recording contract with EMI Records for a nine-year term, though they would break up before its 1976 expiration.
1968 — The Bee Gees played their first show in the United States at the Anaheim Convention Center in California, collected their $50,000 fee, and immediately headed back to England.
1968 — Otis Redding's "Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay" was released six weeks after his death in a plane crash. It would become the first posthumous #1 single in Billboard chart history.
1970 — John Lennon wrote, recorded, and mixed "Instant Karma" in a single nine-hour session at EMI Studios on Abbey Road. Phil Spector produced, with George Harrison on guitar and Billy Preston on piano. The song was released just 10 days later, making it the fastest-released song at the time.
1971 — David Bowie set foot on US soil for the first time to promote his album The Man Who Sold The World.
1972 — Pink Floyd performed an early version of their Dark Side of the Moon album at City Hall in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. They had originally been scheduled to debut it in Brighton a week earlier but encountered technical difficulties.
1973 — Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, his second chart-topper after 1963's "Fingertips, Pt. 2." The track featured a drum beat created by Jeff Beck.
1977 — The Clash signed to CBS Records in the UK for £100,000, launching years of critical and commercial success.
1980 — AC/DC played their final show with singer Bon Scott at Gaumont Theater in Southampton. Scott would tragically die three weeks later on February 19, 1980.
1918 — Elmore James, blues guitarist known as the King of the Slide Guitar, was born. He wrote "Shake Your Money Maker" (later covered by Fleetwood Mac in 1968) and influenced Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, and Keith Richards.
1944 — Nick Mason of Pink Floyd was born. He remains the only band member to play on every Pink Floyd album and later formed Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets in 2018.
1951 — Brian Downey, drummer and founding member of Thin Lizzy, was born in Dublin, Ireland.​​​​​
