The follow-up band to the Jimi Hendrix Experience made its debut at a New year's Eve concert at the Fillmore East in New York on this night in 1969. The Band of Gypsys double live album that got released in March of '70 got recorded the following night's concert at the same venue and expanded reissues includee material from both. Bassist Billy Cox from the Experience made the transition into the new group, but drummer Mitch Mitchell was replaced with Buddy Miles. The new band took a more funk infused jam approach than the Experience had on what would prove to be the last full album Hendrix recorded before his death in September of 1970.
Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on the final day of the year include...
1942 Police’s Andy Summers born.
1943 Kink’s Pete Quaife born.
1947 Guess Who’s Burton Cummings born.
1951 Aerosmith’s Tom Hamilton born.
1960 Replacement’s Paul Wasterberg born.
1961 Janis Joplin performs in public for the first time in Beaumont, Texas.
1961 Beach Boys concert debut, Long Beach, CA.
1963 The Kinks do their debut live performance in London.
1970 Paul McCartney files suit to dissolve Beatles partnership.
1971 David Clayton Thomas does his last concert before quitting Blood, Sweat & Tears (later rejoins).
1971 Stevie Ray Vaughan quit high school to move to Austin with his band.
1973 Journey does its first concert in San Francisco.
1973 AC/DC concert debut at Sydney, Australia club.
1974 Lindsay Buckingham & Stevie Nicks join Fleetwood Mac.
1976 The Cars do first concert in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
1978 Grateful Dead, New Riders & Blues Brothers close down Winterland in San Francisco.
1980 Steve Winwood releases Arc Of A Diver.
1982 Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band marries Maureen Santora.
1982 Max's Kansas City club in New York shuts down.
1984 Drummer Rick Allen of Def Leppard loses arm in crash of his Corvette.
1985 Rick Nelson killed in plane crash.
1991 Ted Nugent donates 200lbs. of venison to be distributed to the homeless in Detroit.
1992 Pearl Jam opens for Keith Richards in New York City.
1996 Paul McCartney added to the Queen's Honours list, entitling him to be "Sir" Paul McCartney.
1997 Elton John knighted in London.
1999 John Fogerty sues his lawyer alledging incompetence in his handling of his 1985 copyright infringement lawsuit.
2000 Black Crowes front man Chris Robinson marries actress Kate Hudson.
2003 Eric Clapton and Ray Davies knighted at Buckingham Palace.
2003 Alex Lifeson of Rush arrested with his son after a fracas with other patrons at the Ritz Carlton in Naples, Florida. Charged on four counts, including drunkenness and assault.
2004 The Queen awards Roger Daltrey a CBE at Buckingham Palace.
2015 Motley Crue ends farewell tour in LA with Tommy Lee stranded upside down in a roller coaster.
2019 Rod Stewart and his son arrested on battery charge after an altercation with a security guard who refused to let children in the company of the pair into a private party for children at the Breakers Resort in Palm, Beach, Florida. The pair would plead guilty to lesser charges in December, 2021 to avoid going on trial.
