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Noteworthy Then

9/8/1945 Ron 'Pig Pen' McKernan born

 

Ronald Charles 'Pig Pen' McKernan, the co-founding organ, harmonica and occasional percussionist of the Grateful Dead was born on this day in 1945. Mckernan was credited for convincing Jerry Garcia to switch from the acoustic jug band music the pair had been playing at San Francsico Bay Area clubs, to playing electric Rock. A subsequent shift from Blues based material with McKernan handling most vocals to the emerging psychedelic sound got other group members to add Tom Constanten, a keys player they considered a better fit for the band's new musical direction. McKernan stayed on in a diminished role, taking lead vocals on only a few songs during concerts that Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia sang the majority of songs in.

His heavy drinking caused a downward spiral in McKernan's health and ability to perform. He took a physician advised break from the band for much of 1971 and was sidelined permanently in June of the following year. A gastrointestinal hemorrhage killed him at age 27 on March 8, 1973.

 

Other Noteworthy classic rock events on September 8 include...

 

1945 Electric Light Orchestra bass player Kelly Groucutt born.

1946 Atlanta Rhythm Section's Dean Daughert born.

1947 Cars bassist Benjamin Orr born

1976 Peter Frampton invited to White House by Gerald Ford's son Stephen. The two reportedly mostly watch TV.

1977 Jimmy McCulloch splits with Wings to reunite Small Faces, Joe English shifts to Sea Level.

1978 Yes releases Tornado.

1987 Rush releases Hold Your Fire.

1982 Peter Gabriel releases Security.

2003 David Bowie stages a live, interactive concert beamed to 21 theaters in Europe. Fans get to ask him questions.

2005 A court orders Rod Stewart to pay the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas $2 million for missing a New Years Eve concert five years earlier.

2005 David Bowie appears at Fashion Rocks event in New York City.

2014 Robert Plant releases Lullaby And The Ceaseless Roar

2017 Southern Blood, Gregg Allman's last album, is released.

2022 Aerosmith sets a new attendance record at Fenway Park in Boston when 38,700 fans fill the venerable ballpark for the hometown band's concert delayed two years by the Covid pandemic.