Fifty years after its release, Young shared an updated version of the song with reflections on how it applies to current events.
“Here’s me as an old guy singin’ his 50 year old song that was written after countless years of racism in the USA… And look at us today! This has been going on for way too long. It’s not just Southern Man now… It’s everywhere across the USA. It’s time for real change… New laws… New rules for policing.”
The performance comes from a project Young is hosting on his site called “POLAR VORTEX.” The project is part film, part album – and features material Young performed at a series of shows in Wisconsin and Minnesota in January 2019 when the area was hit with a massive polar vortex. Despite temperatures reaching as low as −30 °F with windchills hitting −50 °F, Young forged on with the concerts.
NINETEEN YEARS AGO MARKED BONE BASH II. THE HEADLINER FOR THE EVENT WAS TED NUGENT, WITH TESLA AND GREAT WHITE ROUNDING OUT THE BILL. THE SHOW WAS A SOLD OUT EVENT AT THE REDWOOD AMPHITHEATER GREAT AMERICA.
HERE’S A TRIFECTA OF VIDEOS THAT WERE PART OF A GREAT NIGHT OF ROCK
HAPPY 81ST BIRTHDAY TO IAN HUNTER, A GREAT SINGER/ SONGWRITER WHO IS BEST KNOWN AS THE LEAD SINGER OF MOTT THE HOOPLE BEFORE EMBARKING ON A SOLO CAREER. ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE SONGS IS ‘ALL THE YOUNG DUDES’ WITH HUNTER WAILING AWAY AND MICK RONSON ON GUITAR. AFTER BEING DISILLUSIONED WITH SUCCESS AND EXPERIENCING ILL-HEALTH, HUNTER’S SOLO CAREER PRODUCED SOME GREAT SONGS. HIS MOST SUCCESSFUL SOLO ALBUM WAS ‘YOU’RE NEVER ALONE WITH A SCHIZOPHRENIC’. IT CONTAINS SOME GREAT TRACKS INCLUDING ‘CLEVELAND ROCKS’ JUST ANOTHER NIGHT’ AND ‘BASTARD’. HERE’S VINTAGE IAN HUNTER WITH MOTT THE HOOPLE
AND HERE’S SOLO IAN HUNTER
IN THE WTF FILE, ON THIS DATE IN 1983, JIM GORDON, THE DRUMMER FOR DEREK AND THE DOMINOS AND CO-WRITER OF ‘LAYLA’, WAS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON. JIM MURDERED HIS OWN MOTHER WITH A HAMMER AND KNIFE IN THEIR HOME. TOLD YOU…WTF !!! THE GRAMMY AWARD WINNING DRUMMER IS CURRENTLY SERVING HIS SENTENCE IN VACAVILLE. HE’S BEEN TURNED DOWN FOR PAROLE 10 TIMES, INCLUDING THE LAST DENIAL IN 2018 WHEN HIS FAMILY FOR THE 1ST TIME TESTIFIED AGAINST HIS RELEASE, FEARINGA RISK OF POSSIBLE VIOLENCE
BTW, THIS GUY WAS A WORLD CLASS STUDIO DRUMMER AND HE SAT IN ON SOME OF THE BIGGEST RECORDING SESSIONS AND AND DRUMMED ON SOME OF THE BIGGEST SONGS OF THE 70’S. HERE ARE JUST SOME OF THE HITS JIM PERFORMED ON
HERE’S A LIST OF SOME OF THE ARTISTS AND SONGS JIM GORDON WORKED WITH AND PERFORMED ON
Duane Allman: An Anthology (organ, piano, drums)
Hoyt Axton: My Griffin Is Gone
Joan Baez: From Every Stage; Diamonds & Rust; Gulf Winds
The Beach Boys: Good Vibrations; Spirit of America; Pet Sounds
Stephen Bishop: On and On: Hits of Stephen Bishop
Bread: Bread
Jackson Browne: Jackson Browne (organ); The Pretender
Jack Bruce: Out of the Storm (tracks 1, 7 & 8)
The Byrds: The Notorious Byrd Brothers
Glen Campbell: Wichita Lineman
The Carpenters: Horizon; A Kind of Hush; “Solitaire”
The Hues Corporation:Rock the Boat (drums)
Eric Clapton: Eric Clapton; Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs; In Concert; Live at the Fillmore
Gene Clark: Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers
Cilla Black: It Makes Me Feel Good
Joe Cocker: Mad Dogs & Englishmen
Judy Collins: Who Knows Where the Time Goes
Alice Cooper: Alice Cooper Goes to Hell; Lace and Whiskey
Crosby, Stills & Nash: Crosby, Stills & Nash
Burton Cummings: Burton Cummings
Delaney & Bonnie: On Tour with Eric Clapton; To Bonnie from Delaney; D&B Together
Donovan: Life Is a Merry-Go-Round; Yellow Star; Operating Manual for Spaceship
Neil Diamond: Beautiful Noise (conga, drums, harmony vocals)
Cass Elliot: Dream a Little Dream (drums)
The Everly Brothers: Heartaches and Harmonies, Beat & Soul
Peter Foldy
Art Garfunkel: Angel Clare
David Gates: First
Lowell George: Thanks, I’ll Eat It Here
Hall & Oates: Bigger Than Both of Us
Merle Haggard: Same Train, a Different Time
Albert Hammond: It Never Rains in Southern California
George Harrison: All Things Must Pass; Living in the Material World; Extra Texture (Read All About It)
Jim Henson: The Muppet Movie
John Lee Hooker: Endless Boogie
Thelma Houston: I’ve Got the Music in Me
Incredible Bongo Band: “Apache”
Dr. John: The Sun, Moon & Herbs
B.B. King: B.B. King in London; The Best of B.B. King
Carole King:The City
John Lennon: Imagine (Track 4: “It’s So Hard”); Sometime in New York City
Gordon Lightfoot: Sundown; Gord’s Gold; Cold on the Shoulder; Summertime Dream
Country Joe McDonald: Classics
Dave Mason: Alone Together
The Monkees: Monkees; More of the Monkees; Instant Replay
Maria Muldaur: Maria Muldaur; Waitress in a Donut Shop
Randy Newman: Randy Newman; 12 Songs
Harry Nilsson: Nilsson Schmilsson; Aerial Ballet
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers; Playback
Redeye: Redeye
Minnie Riperton: Adventures in Paradise
Johnny Rivers: Last Boogie in Paris; Blue Suede Shoes; L.A. Reggae
Linda Ronstadt: Don’t Cry Now
Leon Russell: Leon Russell and the Shelter People; Will o’ the Wisp
Seals and Crofts: “Hummingbird”
Carly Simon: No Secrets
Nancy Sinatra: These Boots Are Made For Walkin’
Souther-Hillman-Furay Band
Phil Spector: Back to Mono (1958–1969)
Steely Dan: Pretzel Logic, Here At The Western World (single on 1978 Greatest Hits album that was originally recorded in 1976 during the Ajasessions)
John Stewart: The Phoenix Concerts
Barbra Streisand: Barbra Joan Streisand
Mel Tormé: Mel Tormé Collection
Traffic: Welcome to the Canteen; The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
John Travolta: Best of John Travolta
John Valenti: Anything You Want, 1976
Tom Waits: The Heart of Saturday Night
Mason Williams: “Classical Gas”; The Mason Williams Phonograph Record
Frank Zappa: Apostrophe (‘); Läther; ‘Grand Wazoo’ (tour) and ‘Petit Wazoo’ (tour); Imaginary Diseases; Wazoo, Little Dots
IT WAS 53 YEARS TODAY, SGT PEPPER TAUGHT THE BAND TO PLAY !! IT WAS JUNE 2 1967 AND THE BEATLES RELEASED THE EPIC ALBUM ‘SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND’ IN THE UNITED STATES. IT WAS AN EPIC ALBUM FOR THE BEATLES SPENDING 15 WEEKS AT # 1 IN AMERICA. CHAMPIONED BY CRITICS AND FANS ALIKE FOR IT’S INNOVATION IN PRODUCTION, SONGWRITING, AND EVEN GRAPHIC DESIGN, IT PICKED UP 4 GRAMMY AWARDS, INCLUDING THE ALBUM OF THE YEAR , WHICH MARKED THE FIRST ROCK ALBUM TO EVER WIN THE AWARD.
FORTY SEVEN YEARS AGO LED ZEPPELIN PLAYED KEZAR STADIUM. THE SHOW DREW 50 THOUSAND FANS. IT WAS 1973 AND I WAS BLOWN AWAY WATCHING SOME OF THESE VIDEOS VIDEO ON HOW THE STAGE LOOKED LIKE IT WAS CONSTRUCTED BY A HIGH SCHOOL SHOPS CLASS AS OPPOSED TO THE SOPHISTICATED SET-UPS YOU SEE NOWADAYS.
FROM LEDZEPPELIN.COM, HERE’S A NEWS REPORT OF THE DAYS EVENTS:
50,000 See Led Zeppelin in Bay City
The British rock group Led Zeppelin drew 50,000 rock fans who paid $320,000 at Kezar Stadium last weekend. Although the 2 ½ hour show Saturday was 6,000 short of capacity, listeners blanketed the football field and stands. Hundreds of others heard the music for free from rooftops in the surrounding neighborhood. A month ago, Led Zeppelin grossed $309,000 to shatter the Beatles’ mark in 1965. Organizers said the group netted better than $1,000 per minute during the show here. It was the second large rock concert in a week at Kezar. The only casualties reported were some bad drug trips, a broken leg and a security guard accidentally wounded with his own revolver. More than 250 cars were towed away from illegal parking areas around the stadium, police reported.
ACCORDING TO LEDZEPPELIN.COM, THIS WAS THE SETLIST:
Rock and Roll, Celebration Day, (Bring It On Home intro) Black Dog, Over the Hills and Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I’ve Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains the Same, Rain Song, Dazed and Confused (incl. San Francisco), Stairway to Heaven, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love (incl. Let That Boy Boogie), Communication Breakdown, The Ocean.
AND FROM THE NEWS ARCHIVE AT THE SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY, THIS IS FILM FOOTAGE (CLICK ON LINK TO BRING YOU TO ARCHIVE FOOTAGE)
HERE’S FOOTAGE OF LED ZEPPELIN PERFORMING AT KEZAR FROM THE OFFICIAL LED ZEPPELIN VIDEO CHANNEL. 2 GREAT VIDEOS
NEWSPAPERS REPORTED THAT ZEPPELIN ‘COULD BE HEARD UP TO HALF A MILE AWAY’.
TODAY ROLLING STONES DRUMMER CHARLIE WATTS IS 79 ! WATTS JOINED THE STONES IN 1963. AT THE TIME, HE WAS WORKING IN VARIOUS PROJECTS PART-TIME AND WAS WORKING AT AN ADVERTISING AGENCY AS A GRAPHIC ARTIST. AS A MATTER OF FACT, WHEN HE JOINED THE GROUP HE DOUBLED AT THE PERSON IN CHARGE OF DESIGNING THE BAND’S RECORD SLEEVES AND TOUR STAGES. A GREAT CHARLIE WATTS STORY HAS TO DO WITH AN INCIDENT WITH MICK JAGGER IN THE 80’S. AN INTOXICATED JAGGER CALLED WATTS’ HOTEL ROOM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT ASKING “WHERE’S MY DRUMMER?”. ACCORDING TO LEGEND, WATTS GOT UP, SHAVED, DRESSED IN A SUIT, PUT ON A TIE AND FRESHLY SHINED SHOES. HE LOOKED IMPECCABLE. HE THEN WENT DOWNSTAIRS, PUNCHED JAGGER IN THE FACE, AND SAID: “Don’t ever call me your drummer again. You’re my fucking singer!”
HERE’S THE GREATEST VIDEO OF THE STONES PLAYING JUMPING JACK FLASH…THE CAMERA MAN ONLY SHOWS CHARLIE !!
IN 1986 THE LOS ANGELES TIMES DID A READERS POLL AND THE DOOBIE BROTHERS WERE THE BAND THE READERS WANTED TO SEE REUNITED, BEHIND LED ZEPPELIN. ON THIS DATE IN 1991 THE DOOBIE BROTHERS PLAYED THE SHORELINE AMPHITHEATER TO A SRO CROWD. HERE’S TE SETLIST FROM THAT MAGICAL NIGHT AT THE SHORELINE: Dangerous, Showdown, Rockin’ Down the Highway,Jesus Is Just Alright, The Doctor, Need a Little Taste of Love, Rollin’ On, Is Love Enough, Divided Highway, South of the Border, Excited, Neal’s Fandango, South City Midnight Lady, Black Water, Something You Said, Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While), Long Train Runnin’, China Grove, Without You, Listen to the Music
HERE ARE THE DOOBIES WITH A LIVE VERSION OF CHINA GROVE
IN EARLY 1973 PAUL MCCARTNEY WAS ASKED BY THE PRODUCERS OF THE JAMES BOND MOVIE FRANCHISE TO WRITE A SONG FOR THE UPCOMING JAMES BOND MOVIE AND HAVE SOMEONE ELSE PERFORM IT. HE AGREED TO WRITE IT, ONLY IF HE AND HIS BAND THE WINGS COULD PERFORM THE SONG. HE WROTE THE SONG ‘LIVE AND LET DIE’. IT WAS ACTUALLY A PLAY ON THE PHRASE “LIVE AND LET LIVE”. IT WAS THE FIRST BOND MOVIE TO STAR ROGER MOORE IN THE LEAD ROLE. WINGS CO-FOUNDER AND ORIGINAL DRUMMER DENNY SEIWELL SAID THIS OF THE SONG:
“Everybody thought it was cool that we were doing something for James Bond. I remember what Paul told us – he said a couple weeks before we did the actual recording, he said they wanted him to write the theme to the next James Bond movie, and they sent him the book to read. And we were up at the house one day and he had just read the book the night before, and he sat down at the piano and said, ‘James Bond… James Bond… da-da-dum!’, and he started screwing around at the piano. Within 10 minutes, he had that song written. It was awesome, really. Just to watch him get in there and write the song was really something I’ll remember the rest of my life.”
THE SONG WAS A HUGE COMMERCIAL SUCCESS FOR MCCARTNEY AND THE WINGS, INSTANTLY SELLING OVER A MILLION COPIES IN 1973. IT WAS ALSO NOMINATED FOR A GRAMMY AWARD. IN 2012, MCCARTNEY WAS AWARDED THE MILLION-AIR AWARD FROM BMI ( BROADCAST MUSIC,INC. AN INDUSTRY ORGANIZATION) FOR MORE THAN 4 MILLION PERFORMANCES OF THE SONG IN THE USA. HERE’S A VIDEO THAT AIRED IN 1973 THAT DEBUTED THE SONG IN AMERICA JUST BEFORE THE PREMIERE OF THE MOVIE
THIRTY SEVEN YEARS AGO THE TALKING HEADS RELEASED THEIR 5TH STUDIO ALBUM ‘SPEAKING IN TONGUES.’ THE RECORD BECAME THE GROUP’S COMMERCIAL BREAKTHROUGH, AND PRODUCED THE TALKING HEADS FIRST (AND ONLY) TOP TEN HIT, ‘ BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE’. ONE THING ABOUT THE TALKING HEADS, THE BAND ALWAYS HAD GREAT VIDEOS. THIS SONG WAS ALL OVER MTV IN 1983 AND WAS NOMINATED FOR A “MOONMAN” AWARD AT THE 1984 MTV MUSIC AWARDS. HERE’S ‘BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE’
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ROLLING STONE RON WOOD -TODAY HE’S 73 ! WOOD BEST KNOWN FOR BEING A GUITARIST IN THE ROLLING STONES. HE JOINED THE BAND IN 1975. PRIOR TO JOINING THE STONES HE HAD WORKED WITH THE BYRDS, THE FACES AND THE JEFF BECK GROUP. HE HAD ALSO DONE WORK WITH KEITH RICHARDS ON RICHARDS’ SOLO PROJECTS AND HAD A SUCH A GREAT RAPPORT WITH KEITH THAT RICHARDS INVITED HIM TO WORK WITH THE STONES AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF GUITARIST MICK TAYLOR. WOOD HAS BEEN A MEMBER EVER SINCE.
HERE’S RON WOOD JAMMING WITH ROD STEWART PRIOR TO JOINING THE STONES, PERFORMING ‘STAY WITH ME’ WITH THE FACES ON THE BBC CIRCA 1971.
SIX YEARS AGO TODAY HEART PLAYED THE FIRST BOTTLEROCK MUSIC FESTIVAL. HEART FOR ME WAS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2014 LINE-UP. HOW’S THIS FOR LONGEVITY? HEART HAS HAD TOP TEN ALBUMS ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS IN THE 1970’S,1980’S,1990’S AND 2010’S. ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THEIR STAYING POWER…PURE TALENT ! HEART WAS RANKED NUMBER 57 ON VH1’S “100 GREATEST ARTISTS OF HARD ROCK” AND WERE INDUCTED INTO THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME IN 2013. THEY HAVE SOLD OVER 35 MILLION RECORDS WORLDWIDE. HERE’S HEART AT BOTTLEROCK (CELL PHONE VIDEO)
THIS MAY BE THE GREATEST PERFORMANCE I’VE EVER SEEN. IT HAD ME TEARING UP
HERE’S HEART ON THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL IN 1977.
THIRTY FIVE YEARS AGO BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN RELEASED THE SONG ‘GLORY DAYS’. ACCORDING TO SPRINGSTEEN: “The first verse actually happened, the second verse mostly happened, the third verse, of course, is happening now.” IN THE SONG, SPRINGSTEEN SINGS ABOUT A CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH AN OLD FRIEND WHO WAS A STAR BASEBALL PLAYER IN HIGH SCHOOL. THE OLD FRIEND IS JOE DEPUGH, AND THE ENCOUNTER REALLY HAPPENED. SPRINGSTEEN AND DEPUGH WENT TO SCHOOL AND PLAYED BASEBALL TOGETHER WHEN THEY WERE 13-15 YEARS OF AGE. THEY DRIFTED APART WHEN THEY WERE OLDER, AS SPRINGSTEEN PURSUED MUSIC AND SEPUGH TOOK A SHOT AT BASEBALL.IN THE SUMMER OF 1973, DEPUGH AND SPRINGSTEEN HAD A CHANCE MEETING AT A BAR WHERE THEY BOTH REMINISCED ON THEIR FRIENDSHIP AND THE “GLORY DAYS”. ( THIS STORY WAS CONFIRMED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES) . THIS SONG IS ONE OF SPRINGSTEEN’S FAVORITES AND HE ALMOST ALWAYS PLAYS IT AT IMPROMPTU BAR JAMS. IN CONCERT SPRINGSTEEN OFTEN EXTENDS THIS SONG TO OVER TEN MINUTES. ACCORDING TO BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, THIS SONG ORIGINALLY INCLUDED AT A FOURTH VERSE WHICH MENTIONED SPRINGSTEEN’S FATHER WORKING ON THE FORD ASSEMBLY LINE. HERE’S THE OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR GLORY DAYS FROM BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE GREAT JOHN BONHAM WOULD HAVE BEEN 72 YEARS OLD TODAY. BONHAM IS REGARDED BY MANY AS THE GREATEST DRUMMER IN ROCK AND ROLL HISTORY. HE UNFORTUNATELY DIED AT THE AGE OF 32 AFTER A HEAVY DRINKING SESSION ( THE MORNING IN QUESTION HE STARTED THE DAY OFF WITH 4 DOUBLE SCREWDRIVERS WITH HIS BREAKFAST, AND THEN DRANK ALL DAY). THE CORONER’S INQUEST SHOWED HE WITHIN A 24 HOUR PERIOD, HE CONSUMED 1-1.4 LITRES OF VODKA, AFTER OF WHICH HE VOMITED AND CHOKED IN HIS SLEEP. THE BAND WAS REHEARSING FOR A TOUR AND HAD STAYED AT JIMMY PAGE’S HOME. “BONZO” WAS FOUND DEAD THE NEXT AFTERNOON BY LED ZEPPELIN’S ROAD MANAGER AND JOHN PAUL JONES WHEN THEY TRIED TO WAKE HIM. BONHAM WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD SEPTEMBER 25TH, 1980 AT THE AGE OF 32. HE WAS A CHARACTER. BEFORE JOINING LED ZEPPELIN, HE WAS BANNED FROM BRITISH MUSIC VENUES FOR PLAYING TOO LOUD ! HE ONCE FLEW LED ZEPPELIN’S BOEING 720 PASSENGER JET “THE STARSHIP” ALL THE WAY FROM NEW YORK TO LOS ANGELES ( HE DIDN’T HAVE A PILOT’S LICENSE). BONZO USED TO RIDE MOTORCYCLES DOWN HOTEL HALLWAYS FOR SOMETHING TO DO. HERE’S BONHAM PROVING WHY HE WAS THE BEST, ZEPPELIN WITH A LIVE VERSION OF ‘IN THE EVENING’
AS WE ARE CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH A CONCERT DRY SPELL BECAUSE OF THE CORONA VIRUS, I’M SITTING HERE LONGING FOR THE DAYS OF EPIC DAYS ON THE GREEN. BILL GRAHAM’S DAYS ON THE GREEN WERE THE FIRST PROTOTYPES OF “FESTIVAL” SHOWS. THEY WERE TYPICALLY THE SHOWS WERE HELD ON THE LAWN OF THE OAKLAND COLISEUM. THE DAY ON THE GREEN CONCERTS WERE A SUMMER SERIES THAT GRAHAM STARTED IN 1973 AND CONTINUED UNTIL SHORTLY AFTER HIS DEATH IN 1991. FORTY TWO YEARS AGO IT WAS THE SECOND OF TWO NIGHTS FOR THE EAGLES DAY ON THE GREEN AT THE OAKLAND COLISEUM ( MAY 28 & 30TH). THE LINE UP FEATURED THE EAGLES, FOREIGNER, HEART, THE ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION, AND STEVE MILLER.
HERE’S A FULL CONCERT FROM THE EAGLES CIRCA 1977
HERE’S SOME LIVE HEART 1977
LIVE STEVE MILLER 1977
FOREIGNER LIVE 1977
ON THIS DATE 17 YEARS AGO METALLICA PERFORMED AT SAN QUENTIN FOR THE PRISONERS AND SHOT THE FINISHING SCENES FOR THE VIDEO ST.ANGER. THIS ALSO MARKED THE DEBUT OF ROBERT TRUJILLO IN METALLICA. ST. ANGER WON A GRAMMY FOR “BEST METAL PERFORMANCE” AND WAS NOMINATED FOR “BEST ROCK VIDEO” AT THE 2003 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS.
IT WAS ON THIS DATE IN 1999 LENNY KRAVITZ WALKED OFFSTAGE AT A SHOW IN NEW JERSEY AFTER PERFORMING 40 MINUTES, AND COLLAPSED FROM HEAT EXHAUSTION. THE SHOW TOOK PLACE AT THE PNC BANK ARTS CENTER IN HOLMDEL, NEW JERSEY. HIS BAND CONTINUED TO PLAY FOR ANOTHER 15 MINUTES WITHOUT HIM BEFORE THE SHOW WAS STOPPED. KRAVITZ WAS TREATED BY A DOCTOR ON SITE AT THE ARENA AND LEFT ON HIS OWN. KRAVITZ WAS PERFORMING IN BELL BOTTOM JEANS AND A FUR COAT ON STAGE BEFORE HE SUFFERED FROM THE HEAT EXHAUSTION. NEW RULE FOR ROCKERS, WHEN ITS 90 DEGREES, DON’T PERFORM IN A FUR COAT !! THIS IS VINTAGE LENNY KRAVITZ
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MELISSA ETHERIDGE. TODAY MELISSA TURNS 59 YEARS YOUNG. ETHERIDGE IS ONE OF ROCK’S GREAT FEMALE ICONS. SHE BURST ON THE SCENE WITH HER DEBUT ALBUM FOR WHICH SHE WON HER FIRST GRAMMY AWARD. IN THE PAST 30 YEARS MELISSA ETHERIDGE IS TIED WITH CELINE DION FOR THE 5TH MOST TOP 40 ALBUMS AMONG WOMEN. SHE’S SOLD OVER 16 MILLION RECORDS. SHE’S RECEIVED 15 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS OVER THE YEARS, WINNING TWO GRAMMY AWARDS, AN OSCAR FOR “BEST ORIGINAL SONG IN 2007, AND APPEARED ON BROADWAY IN GREEN DAY’S ROCK OPERA “AMERICAN IDIOT”. IN 2016 SHE RELEASED THE SONG ‘PULSE’. SHE WROTE THE SONG IN REACTION TO THE MASS SHOOTINGS THAT TOOK PLACE IN ORLANDO JUNE 12, 2016. SHE TOLD ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE: “We want to try to make sense. We want to try to heal. We want to bring some meaning, some purpose. We also want to put it down forever in history. That’s how I’m coping.” ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE SONG ‘PULSE’ BENEFIT EQUALITY FLORIDA, THE STATE’S LARGEST LGBT CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATION. IN 2004 ETHERIDGE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER, AND SHE UNDERWENT SURGERY AND CHEMOTHERAPY. SHE RETURNED TO THE STAGE IN 2005 AT THE GRAMMY AWARDS, AND DESPITE BEING BALD FROM THE CHEMO, SHE PERFORMED AN INCREDIBLE TRIBUTE TO JANIS JOPLIN. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MELISSA ETHERIDGE. HER TALENT IS SECOND TO NONE AND I LOVE EVERYTHING SHE STANDS FOR. HERE’S HER GUTSY AND AWESOME TRIBUTE TO JANIS JOPLIN.
THIRTY YEARS AGO, DAVID BOWIE ROCKED THE SHORELINE AMPHITHEATRE. THE DATE WAS MAY 29TH 1990. IT WAS PART OF BOWIE’S “SOUND AND VISION TOUR”. IT WAS A GREATEST HITS TOUR INTENDED TO RETIRE HIS BACK CATALOGUE OF HITS FROM LIVE PERFORMANCES. THE TOUR WAS 7 MONTHS LONG, SPANNED 27 COUNTRIES AND BOWIE PERFORMED 108 SHOWS. THE TOUR GROSSED 20 MILLION DOLLARS. HERE’S WHAT WAS PLAYED AT SHORELINE, COURTESY OF SETLIST.COM: Space Oddity, Changes, TVC15, Rebel Rebel, Ashes to Ashes, Fashion, Life on Mars?, Blue Jean, Let’s Dance, Pretty Pink Rose, Stay, Sound and Vision, Ziggy Stardust, China Girl, Station to Station, Young Americans, Suffragette City, Fame, “Heroes” Encore: Panic in Detroit, The Jean Genie
HERE’S BOWIE LIVE IN 1990 WITH SUFFRAGETTE CITY
FORTY SEVEN YEARS AGO ALICE COOPER RELEASED AN ANTHEM, THE SINGLE SCHOOL’S OUT. IT WAS THE FIRST SINGLE ISSUED FROM THE ALBUM OF THE SAME NAME. COOPER SAID HE WAS INSPIRED TO WRITE THE SONG WHEN ANSWERING THE QUESTION: “What’s the greatest three minutes of your life?”. Cooper said: “There’s two times during the year. One is Christmas morning, when you’re just getting ready to open the presents. The greed factor is right there. The next one is the last three minutes of the last day of school when you’re sitting there and it’s like a slow fuse burning. I said, ‘If we can catch that three minutes in a song, it’s going to be so big.'” IT WAS BIG. IT WENT TO NUMBER 7 ON THE BILLBOARD SINGLES CHARTS AND IS EVERY KID’S THEME SONG WITH THE END OF SCHOOL YEAR. ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE RANKED THE SONG ON THEIR LIST OF “THE 500 GREATEST SONGS OF ALL-TIME”, AND VH1 NAMED IT #35 ON THEIR LIST OF “THE BEST HARD ROCK SONGS OF ALL-TIME.” HERE’S ALICE FROM A TV APPEARANCE IN 1972
HERE’S A LIVE VERSION OF ALICE COOPER FROM ALICE COOPER: TRASHES THE WORLD
YOU CAN’T STOP ROCK N’ ROLL. THE FOO FIGHTERS ALWAYS PUT ON A GREAT SHOW, AND WHEN THEY PLAYED AT THE BOTTLEROCK MUSIC FESTIVAL 3 YEARS AGO THE HAD A SET THAT WENT A FEW MINUTES LONGER THAN SCHEDULED. HOWEVER SOMETHING INCREDIBLE HAPPENED. THE FOO FIGHTERS HAD THE POWER TURNED OFF DURING THEIR LAST SONG @ 2017 BOTTLEROCK. NOW WHAT DOUCHEBAG MAKES THAT CALL TO TURN THE POWER OFF WHEN THE GROUP IS IN THE LAST SONG OF THE SET ? THEN SOMETHING MAGICAL HAPPENED. THEY JUST KEPT ON PLAYING !! WITHOUT THE POWER, AND THE CROWD SANG ALONG. ONE OF THE MANY REASONS TO LOVE THE FOO FIGHTERS…HERE’S VIDEO.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BAY AREA NATIVE JOHN FOGERTY. TODAY JOHN TURNS 75 YEARS OF AGE. FOGERTY WAS BORN IN BERKELEY AND GREW UP IN EL CERRITO AND CONSIDERS THE BAY AREA HOME. FOGERTY HIT IT BIG WITH HIS BAND CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL AND WAS ONE OF THE MOST PROLIFIC HIT MACHINES IN THE HISTORY OF MUSIC WITH 22 SONGS AT OR NEAR THE TOP OF THE CHARTS IN 5 YEARS ! THE GROUP BROKE UP IN 1971 AND HE RELEASED A SOLO ALBUM IN 1975, BUT WAS FORCED INTO A LONG HIATUS BECAUSE HIS RECORD COMPANY (FANTASY RECORDS, WHICH HE DESPISED) OWNED THE RIGHTS TO ANY MUSIC HE MADE. IT WASN’T UNTIL 1985 HE SETTLED HIS DISPUTE WITH THE RECORD COMPANY AND WAS ABLE TO RELEASE THE SOLO ALBUM ‘CENTERFIELD’. THINK OF IT, THESE RECORD COMPANY WEASELS BASICALLY PREVENTED HIM FROM RELEASING MUSIC FOR 10 YEARS. THE ONLY BRIGHTSIDE ACCORDING TO FOGERTY, WAS IT ENABLED HIM TO AVOID THE WHOLE DISCO ERA (FOGERTY’S STANCE IS “DISCO SUCKS” !!) HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODAY TO JOHN FOGERTY. HERE’S THE BIRTHDAY BOY WITH CCR PERFORMING AT WOODSTOCK 1969 (THE QUALITY OF THE VIDEO HAS BEEN ENHANCED AND IT IS SPECTACULAR)
AND FINALLY IT WAS 1983 AND A HUGE 3 DAY MUSIC FESTIVAL TOOK PLACE JUST OUTSIDE OF SAN BERNARDINO. THE US FESTIVAL 1983. THE LINEUP WAS INCREDIBLE, AND INCLUDED VAN HALEN, THE PRETENDERS, U2, THE CLASH, INXS, STEVIE NICKS, DAVID BOWIE, JOE WALSH, MOTLEY CRUE, THE SCORPIONS, OZZY OSBOURNE, TRIUMPH, JOHN COUGAR AND JUDAS PRIEST. WHAT’S INCREDIBLE TO ME IS TICKETS WERE ONLY 20 BUCKS A DAY TO GET IN !! TOTAL ATTENDANCE WAS 570,000 PAYING CUSTOMERS. THE FESTIVAL LOST 12 MILLION DOLLARS !! RUH ROH !! MAYBE THEY SHOULD HAVE CHARGED A FEW MORE BUCKS. PLUS THERE WERE 2 REPORTED DEATHS. HERE’S THE ENTIRE SET FROM VAN HALEN
IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT 3 YEARS AGO TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS ROCKED NAPA @ THE 2017 BOTTLEROCK MUSIC FESTIVAL. WHO KNEW THAT CATCHING THAT SHOW WOULD BE ONE OF OUR LAST OPPORTUNITIES TO WATCH PETTY IN CONCERT, WITH PETTY PASSING AWAY ONLY 128 DAYS LATER ON OCTOBER 2ND OF AN ACCIDENTAL DRUG OVERDOSE. HERE’S SOME GREAT CELL PHONE FOOTAGE OF PETTY AT BOTTLEROCK IN NAPA.
44 YEARS AGO AEROSMITH RELEASED THE SINGLE ‘LAST CHILD’ FROM THE ALBUM ‘ROCKS’. IN THE AEROSMITH BIOGRAPHY “WALK THIS WAY” BRAD WHITFORD EXPLAINED HOW THIS SONG CAME TOGETHER: “After rehearsal one day, I played this riff and Steven yells, ‘I love it!’ and started playing drums; he plays very different from Joey (Kramer) with a more jazzy approach, fun to work with. Joe (Perry) threw in a couple of chord changes, a D chord to an A, and then spiced up the chord a little.” THE LYRICS WERE BASED ON THE LIFE WITH THE BAND AT THAT TIME, AND ALL THE TIME THEY SPENT ON THE ROAD. PART OF THE SONG DEALS WITH THE TIME ON TOUR JUST BEFORE THE BAND WOULD COME HOME(“HOME SWEET HOOOMMMME”). SOME MEMBERS OF THE BAND AND CREW HAD WIVES AND GIRLFRIENDS, SO WHEN A TOUR WAS COMING TO A CLOSE, THEY WOULD REFRAIN FROM SEX WITH GROUPIES (EXCEPT ORAL) AS A COURTESY- THEY DIDN’T WANT TO BRING A SOCIAL DISEASE HOME WITH THEM. HERE’S AN EPIC RENDITION OF THE SONG FROM AEROSMITH
FORTY TWO YEARS AGO BOB SEGER RELEASED THE ALBUM ‘STRANGER IN TOWN’ AND IT WAS AN INSTANT SUCCESS IN NORTH AMERICA. WITHIN 4 WEEKS OF IT’S RELEASE THE ALBUM WAS CERTIFIED PLATINUM. IT CAME ON THE HEELS OF THE MEGA SUCCESSFUL ALBUM ‘NIGHT MOVES’, AND LIKE IT’S PREDECESSOR SOLD OVER 6 MILLION COPIES. THE RECORD BOASTED 4 HIT SINGLES ‘STILL THE SAME’ ‘HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS’ ‘WE’VE GOT TONIGHT’ AND ‘OLD TIME ROCK AND ROLL’ AND SOLIDIFIED SEGER AS ONE OF THE GREAT ROCK SONGWRITERS AND PERFORMERS OF THE 70’S AND 80’S.HERE’S A LIVE VERSION OF ‘STILL THE SAME’ FROM A CONCERT CIRCA 1978
THIRTY THREE YEARS AGO U2 RELEASED THE SINGLE ‘I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR’ FROM THE ALBUM ‘THE JOSHUA TREE.’ IT WAS THE SECOND SINGLE RELEASED FROM THE EPIC ALBUM (THE FIRST SINGLE WAS ‘WITH OR WITHOUT YOU’). IT BECAME THE GROUP’S SECOND CONSECUTIVE NUMBER ONE SINGLE. THE TRACK WAS INFLUENCED BY GOSPEL MUSIC. BONO WANTED THE JOSHUA TREE TO EXPLORE VARIOUS FORMS OF AMERICAN MUSIC THE GROUP EXPERIENCED WHEN IT WAS ON TOUR. I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR RECEIVED TWO NOMINATIONS FOR GRAMMY AWARDS IN 1988, FOR BOTH “RECORD OF THE YEAR” AND “SONG OF THE YEAR”. ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE ALSO RANKS IT AT # 93 ON IT’S LIST OF “THE 500 GREATEST SONGS OF ALL TIME.”
STEVIE NICKS TURNS 72 TODAY. THIS WOMAN HAS DONE IT ALL. SHE’S BEEN REFERRED TO AS THE “QUEEN OF ROCK”. SHE’S A MEMBER OF FLEETWOOD MAC AND HAS A THRIVING SOLO CAREER. COLLECTIVELY SHE’S SOLD OVER 140 MILLION ALBUMS. ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE HAS LISTED HER ON THEIR LISTS OF “THE 100 GREATEST SONGWRITERS OF ALL-TIME” AND “100 GREATEST SINGERS OF ALL-TIME”. SHE’S WON A GRAMMY AND HAS 5 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS AS A MEMBER OF FLEETWOOD MAC, AND HAS 8 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS AND 2 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS AS A SOLO ARTIST. SHE’S THE ONLY WOMAN TO HAVE BEEN INDUCTED INTO THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME TWICE, ONCE AS A MEMBER OF FLEETWOOD MAC IN 1998,AND THEN AS A SOLO ARTIST IN THE CLASS OF 2019. NOT BAD FOR SOMEONE WHO ATTENDED SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY AND LEFT A SEMESTER BEFORE GRADUATING TO PURSUE A CAREER IN MUSIC. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE GREAT STEVIE NICKS. LET’S CELEBRATE WITH ONE OF STEVIE’S GREATEST SOLO HITS.
HERE’S MY FAV STEVIE NICKS SONG. JAMMIN’ WITH TOM PETTY
AND HERE’S REASON NUMBER 5 MILLION TO LOVE THE FOO FIGHTERS. THREE YEARS AGO THE FOO FIGHTERS WERE GETTING READY FOR THEIR GIG AT BOTTLEROCK, AND PLAYED THE BLUE NOTE IN NAPA TO A CAPACITY CROWD OF 150 PEOPLE ! HERE’S CELL PHONE VIDEO FROM THAT SHOW
IN 1986 THE LOS ANGELES TIMES DID A READERS POLL AND THE DOOBIE BROTHERS WERE THE BAND THE READERS WANTED TO SEE REUNITED, BEHIND LED ZEPPELIN. ON THIS DATE IN 1991 THE DOOBIE BROTHERS PLAYED THE SHORELINE AMPHITHEATER TO A SRO CROWD. HERE’S TE SETLIST FROM THAT MAGICAL NIGHT AT THE SHORELINE: Dangerous, Showdown, Rockin’ Down the Highway,Jesus Is Just Alright, The Doctor, Need a Little Taste of Love, Rollin’ On, Is Love Enough, Divided Highway, South of the Border, Excited, Neal’s Fandango, South City Midnight Lady, Black Water, Something You Said, Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While), Long Train Runnin’, China Grove, Without You, Listen to the Music
