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’