1945 Van Morrison (George Ivan) was born on this day in Belfast, Ireland to a shipyard electrician who was a fanatical record collector and a singer/dancer mother.  Formative years hearing Blues and, later, R&B legends instilled a great love of music in him at an early age.  The gift of a guitar from his father sealed the deal.  The future Van Morrison formed his first band at the age of 12.  He would go on to learn to play saxophone, harmonica, bass and drums in a series of bands before forming Them in 1964.  Their version of Gloria, the B side to Baby, Please Don't Go, got Van Morrison on the radar of fans and critics. Two years later, he launched one of the most prolific solo careers in Rock history, one that has produced more than 50 albums to date.

Other Noteworthy classic rock events on the last day in August in years past include...

1945 Fleetwood Mac's Bob Welch born.

1948 Scorpions Rudy Schenker born.

1957 Squeeze's Glen Tilbrook born.

1968 The first Isle of Wight festival features performances by the Jefferson AIrplane, T-Rex, the Move, the Pretty Things and the Crazy World of Arthur Brown.

1968 Danny Kirwan added to the Fleetwood Mac lineup.

1971 Rolling Stones sue manager Allen Klein for $29 million. 

1971 A Security guard is stabbed to death during Who concert at Flushing Meadows, NY.   

1973 Rolling Stones release Goat's Head Soup.   

1974 Traffic does its last concert set at the Redding Festival.

1974 John Lennon testifies in federal court that Richard Nixon targeted him for deportation due to his opposition the the Vietnam war,

1976 George Harrison loses plagiarism suit over He's So Fine riffs in his song My Sweet Lord.   

1988 Bob Seger and wife Annette Sinclair divorce. 

1989 Rolling Stones open Steel Wheels tour at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

1990 Stevie Ray Vaughan memorial draws 25,000 and includes performances by Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Wonder.    

1995 Doors open on the Rock Hall Of Fame in Cleveland.

2005 E Street Band's Little Steven stages concert and rally to save New York punk club CBGB.

One of the few festivals Led Zeppelin agreed to play opened on this day in 1969 near Dallas. The Texas International Pop Festival featured a lineup that also included Santana, Janis Joplin, Canned Heat, Johnny Winter, Sly and the Family Stone, Chicago, Grand Funk Railroad, B.B. King, Freddie King, Delaney & Bonnie, Spirit and more.  Other festivals Zeppelin played were the 1969 Atlanta International Pop Festival, the Bath Blues Festival in 1969 and '70, Days on the Green in Oakland in 1977 and the 1979 Knebworth Festival.  

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 30 include...

1965 Bob Dylan releases Highway 61 Revisited.

1969 The Who, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan, the Band, Moody Blues, Nice, Free, Richie Havens, Family, Pentangle and Tom Paxton play the second Isle of Wight festival. The Hendrix set would be the last by Jimi and the Experience in Britain.
1969 The band Earth changes its name to Black Sabbath.

1970 Rolling Stones open a European tour in Malmo, Sweden.

1972 John Lennon & Yoko Ono stage One To One benefit at Madison Square Garden. 

1973 Doors announce break-up two years after Jim Morrison's death.   

1978 Joe Jackson does first concert.   

1988 John Hiatt releases Slow Turning. 

1988 Julianne Phillips files for divorce from Bruce Springsteen. 

1989 Billy Joel fires manager and later sues him for $90 million in a dispute over mismanagement of funds.

1989 Izzy Stradlin of Guns N Roses arrested for smoking and disrupting airline flight. 
1995 Coroner's report says Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia died of heart failure.

2018 John Mellencamp is awarded the Woody Guthrie Prize.

On this night in 1966, the Beatles closed their last US tour with a concert on a damp, chilly and windy night at Candlestick Park, the baseball stadium south of San Francisco. The night was so uncomfortable that nearly half of the seats were empty on a night that started at 6pm with sets from The Remains, Bobby Hebb, The Cyrcle and the Ronettes. The Beatles didn't hit the stage until almost 9:30. The eleven song set the group played on the stage behind second base left the band feeling so miserable about the expreience that it ended up being the last full scale public concert they did together.

Ringo Starr later wrote, "There was a big talk at Candlestick Park that this had got to end.  At that San Francisco gig it seemed that this could possibly be the last time, but I never felt 100% certain till we got back to London.  John wanted to give up more than the others. He said that he'd had enough."

It was also one of the earliest concerts promoted with a poster that broke the mold of using the kind of block letters and photos typical in posters promoting boxing matches. A Bay Area poster art scene would flourish in the coming years. Original Wes Wilson posters for the concert are valued at $7,000. 

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 29 include...

1958 George Harrison becomes a member of the Quarrymen.

1976 Spirit reunites for a concert in Santa Monica, CA. 

1984 U2 launches Unforgettable Fire tour in New Zealand. 

1989 Axl Rose joins Tom Petty on Knockin' On Heaven's Door at Syracuse Fairgrounds concert. 

1990 Former Tubes keyboard player Vince Welnick joins the Grateful Dead.   

1992 U2 plays Yankee Stadium in New York City.

1994 Peter Gabriel releases Secret World Live. 

1995 Two killed in helicopter crash during Meat Loaf video shoot in California.

2006 Bob Dylan releases Modern Times…

Bob Dylan performs Desolation Row for the first time during his seven song solo acoustic set at on this day in 1965 the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens, NY. He gets loudly heckled and booed  by hostile audience members for going electric during his  second set, during which he was backed by Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Al Kooper and Harvey Brooks.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 28 include...

1942 Velvet Underground founding guitarist  Sterling Morrison born.

1948 Original Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine born.

1949 Fairport Convention drummer Martin Lamble born.

1951 Molly Hatchet guitarist Dave Hlubek born.

1964 Beatles meet Bob Dylan for first time. 

1965 The Rolling Stones add Allen Kline as co-manager with Andrew Loog Oldham on the same day they sign with Decca Records.

1966 The Beatles play Dodger Stadium in LA.

1967 The Grateful Dead and Big Brother and the Holding company perform at the funeral of a Hells Angles member killed in a motorcycle - car wreck.

1978 Television breaks-up. 

1986 Tina Turner awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame 

1999 Cheap Trick does a 25th anniversary concert in their hometown of Rockford, Illinois.

2005 Jonathan Caine of Journey has emergency appendectomy after Long Island concert. 

2010 Patti Smith is joined by Eddie Vedder, Johnny Depp, Dhani Harrison during Little Rock AK benefit concert for three men convicted in questionable murder case.

2014 Original Jethro Tull bassist Glenn Cornick dies of congestive heart failure at 67.

2016 John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman, is denied parole for the ninth time.

2020 The Allman Betts Band releases Bless Your Heart.

Just minutes into August 27th of 1990, Stevie Ray Vaughan boarded a helicopter with crew and tour members from Eric Clapton's band after a triumphant performance at Alpine Valley in East Troy Wisconsin.  Vaughn hadn't expected to make the flight back to Chicago, but a seat was available and he took it. 

Less than a mile from the takeoff point, the chopper crashed into a ski hill at the resort, claiming the lives of all onboard.  The tragic crash happened not long after Vaughan had fought his way back from serious drugs and alcohol problems and was playing better than ever.  Anyone lucky enough to have caught him in concert during his brief career knows it was a jaw dropping experience.

Other Noteworthy August 27 Classic Rock events on August 27 include...

1944 Tim Bogert of Vanilla Fudge, Cactus and Beck, Bogert and Appice born.

1953 Alex Lifeson of Rush born.   
1965 The Beatles meet Elvis Presley at Graceland.
1967 Beatles manager Brian Epstein dies in London home of sleeping pills overdose.

1976 Eric Clapton releases No Reason To Cry.
1991 Pearl Jam releases Ten.

1991 Bob Seger releases The Fire Inside.

1992 John Lennon’s hand written lyrics to A Day In The Life auction for $100,000. The sheet of paper sells again in 2010 for $1.2 million.   

1996 Pearl Jam releases No Code.
 

Fans attending the Isle of Wight festival on this day in 1970 witnessed the last UK live performance by Jimi  Hendrix.
Other Noteworthy August 26 Classic Rock events include...
1973 10cc makes live debut at the Isle of Man.   
1978 Triumph headlines Canada Jam.   

1979 Phil Collins joins Peter Gabriel for Lamb Lies Down On Broadway at Reading Festival.   

1980 Tom Petersson quits Cheap Trick.   

1993 Aerosmith honored with brass star at entrance to Tower Records in Boston.   

2000 Allman Brothers Band & G'ovt Mule's Allan Woody dies in hotel room. 

2003 Warren Zevon releases The Wind.   

2014 Dusty Hill injures his hip in a fall on ZZ Top tour bus.
2022 Marcus King releases Young Blood...

The album that established Bruce Springsteen as a household name dropped on this day in 1975.  Springsteen's third album took more than a year for him and the E Street Band to complete. The title track was released to select album rock radio stations well in advance of the album. David Sancious and Ernest Carter, the piano player and drummer on the song would get replaced by Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg by the time the album finally got its release, but strong airplay of the single stoked high expectations.  Born to Run rapidly eclipsed the combined sales of Springsteen's first two albums and lodged itself in the top 10 for much of the remainder of 1975.  With that success came the opportunity for the band to play more prestigious venues and develop a hard earned reputation for being one of the most dynamic live bands in history.

1947 King Crimson keyboard collaborator Keith Tippett born.

1949 Henry Paul of the Outlaws born.

1950 KISS bassist / singer born. 

1950 Willie DeVille born. 

1951 Judas Priest lead singer Rob Halford born.   

1952 Yes, Asia, Buggles keyboardist Geoff Downes born.

1954 Elvis Costello born. 

1962 Def Leppard and Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell born.

1970 Elton John makes US debut at the Troubadour in LA. 

1970 Electric Ladyland studios open in New York City. 

1970 Emerson, Lake and Palmer make live debut in Plymouth, England.

1973 Butch Trucks of the Allman Brothers Band breaks leg in a car wreck in Macon, GA.  

1982 Alice Cooper releases Zipper Catches Skin. 

1986 Paul Simon releases Graceland. 

1987 Motley Crue's Vince Neil severs nerves when he smashes a jar of mustard in Rochester, NY. 

1988 Metallica releases And Justice For All. 1990 Alice Cooper gets star on Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

1990 Bill Wyman does his last concert as a member of the Rolling Stones when the band plays Wembley Stadium.

1994 Jimmy Buffett ditches plane in Atlantic after taking off from Nantucket.   

1994 Jimmy Page & Robert Plant do MTV Unplugged session in London.   

1995 Billy Joel band bassist Doug Stegmeyer commits suicide.

1996 David Byrne takes legal action to block other Talking Heads members from touring as "The Heads".

2009 Cheap Trick releases Sgt. Pepper covers album. 

2010 Jimi Hendrix exhibit opens in the London building he lived in at the time of his death. 

2018 Neil Young marries actress Daryl Hannah in a small, private ceremony in southern California. Couple doesn't announce they married until weeks later.

Back when bands raked-in millions in royalties, touring revenue was supplemental and ticket prices were much more reasonable because tours were viewed primarily as an effective way to promote album sales. But with the productivity of the Jagger-Richards songwriting team beginning to wane as the 1980's arrived, the Rolling Stones had not worked enough new material to get an album of new material recorded in time for its release to coincide with the September start of their '81-'82 tour. The solution was to dive into material that hadn't made it onto the previous four or five studio releases and have the band flesh them out a bit more in the studio. Mick re-recorded his vocals on most of the songs and Sonny Rollins was brought in to lay down his great sax solo on Waiting on a Friend. Tattoo You got its release on this day in 1981 and got a generally stronger reception from fans than the previous year's effort, Emotional Rescue.

Other Noteworthy August 24 Classic Rock events include...

1938 Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane & Starship multi-instrumentalist and singer David Freiberg born.

1942 Chambers Brothers singer, songwriter, guitarist Joe Chambers born. born.

1943 Quicksilver Messenger Service lead guitarist John Cipollina born.

1945 Uriah Heep singer, songwriter Ken Hensley born.

1947 The James Gang founding drummer and namesake Jim Fox born.

1951 Molly Hatchet lead singer and songwriter Danny Joe Brown born.

1966 The Doors begin studio work on their debut album.

1967 Beatles meet Maharishi in London.

1969 The movie Alice's Restaurant opens.

1974 Traffic does its last concert, Reading, UK.

1978 Bruce Springsteen is on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine.

1979 Cars play for 500,000 in Central Park.

1979 Rock & Roll High School movie featuring the Ramones opens.

1981 Mark David Chapman sentenced to 20-Life for murder of John Lennon.

1983 Rainbow releases Bent Out Of Shape.

1992 Grateful Dead cancel European tour due to Jerry Garcia health issues.

1984 Neil Young plays the Grande Ole Opry.

1989 The Who do a Tommy 20th anniversary concert at the Universal Amphitheatre that includes appearances by Phil Collins, Elton John, Steve Winwood and Billy Idol.

1994 Bob Dylan threatens legal action against Apple Computer over plan to use his name in a program.

1994 Dave Abruzzese drummer parts with Pearl Jam.

2007 Rock pioneer Bo Diddley suffers a heart attack.

2018 Dickey Betts has a stroke and cancels an upcoming tour.

2008 Jimmy Page plays Whole Lotta Love from top of double-decker bus at Beijing Olympics closing to promote London 2012 Summer Games.

Keith Moon, the amazing drummer for the Who that paid the price for being an epic party animal, entered this world on this day in 1946 in northwest London.  The flamboyantly energetic drummer's first instrument was the bugle, but he set that aside in favor of drums.  His role models on the skins were jazz greats Gene Krupa and Hal Blaine and early Elvis Presley stick man DJ Fontana.  Moon joined the Who just before the band recorded its first single in 1964.

As frenetic and unbridled off stage as he was on.  A hard partier and heavy drinker, Moon trashed many a hotel room and capped off a massive food fight on his birthday in 1967 at a Holdiay Inn in Flint, Michigan by driving a Lincoln Continental into the hotel's swimming pool.

After a number of health scares, Moon set out to overcome his alcohol addiction.  He was prescribed a sedative to ease withdrawal symptoms.  He passed away in his flat on September 6th, 1978 after ingesting more than two dozen of the pills after watching a preview of The Buddy Holly Story as a guest of Paul and Linda McCartney.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 23 include...

1948 Faces, Who drummer Kenny Jones born.

1951 Target, Cobra, Survivor's lead singer Jimi Jamison born.

1961 Stone Temple Pilots guitarist Dean Deleo born. 

1962 John Lennon marries Cynthia Powell in Liverpool.

1963 Guitar instrumentalist Gary Hoey born. 

1966 Founding bassist Pete Quaife quits the Kinks.

1966 The Beatles play Shea Stadium.

1970 Jimi Hendrix performs in public for the final time when he guests during Eric Burdon's set at Ronnie Scotts in London. 

1970 Emerson Lake & Palmer debut in Portsmouth, UK. 

1977 T-Rex's Marc Bolan dies in a car accident.

1977 Linda Ronstadt releases Simple Dreams.

1980 The Talking Heads add Adrian Belew and Bernie Worrell.

1988 Bad Company releases Dangerous Age. 

1989 Ric Ocasek of the Cars marries Paulina Porizkova. 

1991 Dire Straits opens a reunion tour in Dublin.

1993 Grace Slick's home severely damaged after sparks from a welder ignite a fire.

1996 One millionth visitor to Rock Hall Of Fame in Cleveland is awarded 1965 Ford Mustang. 

1998 Mott the Hoople reunite to do a set at the Virgin Records store in London.

2005 Motley Crue's Vince Neil tears his calf muscle during a concert.

2007 Queen guitarist Brian May is awarded his doctorate in astrophysics from the London Imperial College.

2006 Georgia Music Hall of Fame inducts R.E.M.

2006 Guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd marries Mel Gibson's daughter, Hannah Gibson.

2013 Linda Ronstadt makes her Parkinson's disease status public in an AARP interview.

AC/DC headlines second Monsters Of Rock festival at Donnington Castle on this day in 1981. Whitesnake. Blue Oyster Cult, Slade, More and Blackfoot filled out the lineup.  AC/DC would become the first band to headline the event twice in 1984.

Other Noteworthy classic rock events on August 22 include...

1920 John Lee Hooker born.   

1947 Grateful Dead’s Donna Jean Godchaux born. 

1958 Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid born.

1967 Alice In Chains founding lead singer Layne Staley born.

1968 Ringo Starr parts with Beatles in midst of arguments over the White album. Returns September 3rd.

1968 Cynthia Lennon files for divorce from John after returning home to find him with Yoko Ono. 

1969 Beatles photographed together for the last official time for the cover and inside sleeve of Hey Jude compilation.

1978 Sid Vicious does final live set during a London club appearance.
1986 Paul McCartney releases Press To Play. 

1987 Bruce Springsteen joins Levon Helm on Up On Cripple Creek at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park.   

2006 The Knack drummer Bruce Gary dies. 

2010 Jimmy Buffett & Paul McCartney attend Bill Clinton’s 64^th birthday party on Long Island.

2018 Strawberry Alarm Clock guitarist and Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Ed King dies of cancer.

Future Clash co-founder, rhythm guitarist, songwriter and singer Joe Strummer was born John Graham Mellor on this day in 1952 in Ankara, Turkey.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 21 include...

1952 Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Black Country Communion bassist & singer Glenn Hughes born.   

1954 Journey drummer Steve Smith born. 

1967 Syd Barrett's disappearance causes Pink Floyd to call off the rest of their dates on a tour in Germany. 

1967 The Doors start recording Strange Days.

1972 Police mace Grace Slick at Jefferson Airplane concert in Akron, OH when she tries to prevent the arrest of bass player Jack Casady.   

1973 Allman Brothers Band awarded gold album for Brothers & Sisters.

1976 Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Todd Rundgren, Hot Tuna, 10cc play Knebworth Festival. 
1982 Bono marries Ali Hewson. 

1989 Jethro Tull releases Rock Island.  

1990 Alice In Chains releases Facelift. 
1995 REM sues Hershey for doing unauthorized Kit Kat REM Concert Sweepstakes.

1996 David Byrne files suit to prevent other Talking Heads members from using the name The Heads.

1997 Aerosmith releases Permanent Vacation.

1998 Steve Augeri does his first concert fronting Journey in Kentucky.

2005 Rolling Stones open Bigger Bang tour at Fenway Park in Boston.

2011 Johnny Ramone undergoes brain surgery after getting beaten up in New York City.

2020 Nils Lofgren releases Weathered.

Robert Anthony Plant was born on this day in Staffordshire, England. Musically, Elvis Presley got his attention as a youngster, but his interest quickly shifted to American Blues greats like Willie Dixson, Howlin' Wolf, Sleepy John Estes, and others.  He was the reported runner-up to Jimmy Page's first choice as a lead singer in the Yardbirds when Terry Reid turned him down, but Page was so impressed with Plant's audition covering the Jefferson Airplane's Somebody to Love, that he became convinced they should work together at some point in the future. That future would etch the pair's formidable roles in Classic Rock history.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 20 include...

1951 Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott born. 

1952 John Hiatt born.

1967 Dolby Noise Reduction system introduced.

1969 Beatles in studio for the last time together during mixing session for Abbey Road album.

1969 Frank Zappa disbands the Mothers Of Invention. 

1969 Mick Jagger undergoes multiple hours of hand surgery after he a gunfire injury injures him the day before on the set of the movie Ned Kelly.

1977 Bob Seger, Yes & Donovan play Superfest at Rich Stadium in Buffalo.   

1979 Bob Dylan releases Slow Train Coming.

1981 Bruce Springsteen plays Vietnam Veterans benefit at the Los Angeles Forum. 

1983 Heart releases Passionworks.   

1987 Lindsey Buckingham quits Fleetwood Mac.

1990 Queensryche releases Empire.   

1993 Bob Dylan and Santana open a tour in Portland, Oregon.

1996 Carlos Santana awarded star on Hollywood Walk Of Fame. 

1996 Sting marries Trudy Styler in London.

1999 Blues Traveler's Bobby Sheehan found dead of an overdose in is New Orleans home.

2000 Bon Jovi does the last concert at the original Wembley Stadium in London.

Less than $5 would have gotten you a ticket for the first concert of Led Zeppelin's 1971 North American tour that opened on this night in Vancouver, BC.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 19 include...

1939 Cream and Blind Faith drummer Ginger Baker born.
1945 Deep Purple lead singer Ian Gillan born.

1977 Doobie Brothers release Livin' on the Fault Line.    

1980 Fans in Toronto riot when Alice Cooper cancels show due to illness. 

1989 Lou Reed breaks his ankle while doing a soundcheck and cancels his tour. 

1997 Fleetwood Mac releases The Dance. 
1999 John Mellencamp releases Rough Harvest.   

2003 Neil Young releases Greendale. 

2003 Sting is honored with Billboard's Century Award.

2005 Statue of Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott unveiled in Dublin. 

2008 .38 Special records a CMT Crossroads segment.

2008 LeRoi Moore of the Dave Matthews Band dies in Hollywood hospital from complications related to a June ATV crash near his home in Virginia.

2010 Paul McCartney calls Bill Clinton and sings When I'm 64 on Clinton's birthday.

Bon Jovi's third studio album dropped on this day in 1986, Slippery When Wet lodged itself in the top slot in the Billboard album charts for a two month stretch and ended the following year as the top selling album of 1987.  Even though Livin' on a Prayer was co-written by Jon and Desmond Child, Richie Sambora insisted it be added to ones he and Jon had written for the release. That song and another Child collaboration, You Give Love a Bad Name, ended up being the album's biggest songs out of the gate, but Wanted Dead or Alive, the metaphoric outlaw meets rocker song Jon and Richie wrote together that was inspired by Bob Seger's Turn The Page, became the group's anthem.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 18 include...

1944 The Move lead singer Carl Wayne born. 
1962 Ringo Starr does first concert as drummer for the Beatles in Birkenhead, England.

1969 Mick Jagger shot in the hand on Ned Kelly movie set.

1977 Police do first concert as a trio in Birmingham, UK.

1977 Elvis Presley buried at Graceland.

1979 Nick Lowe and Carlene Carter marry.

1980 Yes releases Drama.   

1982 Liverpool renames 4 streets in honor of a Beatles member.

1986 Bon Jovi releases Slippery When Wet.

1988 John Mellencamp's wife Victoria files for divorce. 

1990 Jimmy Page plays with Aerosmith during Monsters Of Rock tour stop at Castle Donnington.

1997 Rolling Stones announce Bridges To Babylon tour under Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. 

2000 Badfinger's Joey Molland breaks a leg in a fall from the stage but still finishes his concert. 

The Woodstock Festival was originally scheduled to close on this day in 1969 but weather delays had already derailed the schedule, so the day that dawned with Jefferson Airplane's 'breakfast in bed' set also included performances by  Joe Cocker, Country Joe and the Fish, Ten Years After and the Band, pushing Blood, Sweat & Tears, Johnny Winter, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Sha-Na-Na, and Jimi Hendrix into the following day..

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 17 include...

1949 Boston drummer Sib Hashin born.  

1950 Foreigner drummer Dennis Elliott born

1954 Guitar great Eric Johnson born. 

1962 Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist Gilby Clarke born. 

1964 Kinks release You Really Got Me.   

1965 Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman born.

1970 The Band releases Stage Freight. 

1970 Christine McVie joins Fleetwood Mac.

1971 Duane Allman plays at funeral for King Curtis.   

1974 Patrick Moraz joins Yes, replacing Rick Wakeman.   

1986 Bon Jovi releases Slippery When Wet.

1989 Pete Townshend treated at Tacoma, WA hospital after injuring his arm windmilling during Tacoma Dome Who concert.
1998 Carlos Santana gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of fame.

2008 Jackson Browne sues the John McCain presidential campaign for unauthorized playing of Running on Empty at campaign rallies.

Day two of Woodstock was underway on this day in 1969. Hitting the stage that Saturday for the marathon that weather delays would push into the morning hours of day three were Quill, Country Joe McDonald, John Sebastian, Santana, the Keef Hartley Band, the Incredible String Band, Canned Heat, Mountain, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin and her Kozmic Blues band, Sly & the Family Stone,  and the Who. The 'night' was still going at 8am on Sunday morning when Grace Slick grabbed a microphone and proclaimed, "Alright friends, you have seen the heavy groups, now you will see morning maniac music, believe me, yeah, It's the new dawn”, to open Jefferson Airplane's set.

Other Noteworthy August 16 events in Classic Rock include...

1957 INXS lead guitarist Tim Farriss born. 

1965 David Jones changes his last name to Bowie.

1968 The Beatles record George Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
1974 The Ramones debut live at CBGB in New York City.

1975 Peter Gabriel announces he is leaving Genesis.   

1977 Elvis Presley dies at 42.   

1980 Bill Ward leaves Black Sabbath.   

1980 Cozy Powell quits Rainbow. 

1983 Paul Simon marries actress Carrie Fisher. 

1986 Drummer Rick Allen does his first concert since losing an arm in a car crash when Def Leppard takes the stage at the Monsters of Rock Festival.

1990 Bruce Hornsby joins Grateful Dead to fill in after Brent Mydland's death (7/25).   

1994 Neil Young releases Sleeps With Angels.

1996 130,000 attend Phish concert at Plattsburgh, NY airbase.

2002 The  Rolling Stones play a Toronto club in advance of their Licks tour.

2018 Aretha Franklin dies at (76).

On this afternoon in 1969, the Woodstock festival opened in Bethel, New York. Dubbed the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair, the musical lineup for the three day event included several high profile bands as well as emerging groups like Santana, which hadn't released its debut album yet. Some major acts declined invitations. The Doors passed on playing Woodstock after festival organizers were forced to move from the original site close to the Hudson Valley village along the New York State Thruway it got named for to a far more remote location. Ray Manzarek later said that the band looked at a map and concluded that the new site was so remotely situated that it wouldn't draw much of a crowd. Joni Mitchell wanted to attend, but her agent was concerned she would be unable to get back to New York City in time for a scheduled TV appearance, so she spent the weekend in a Manhattan hotel and wrote the song Woodstock that she and Crosby, Stills,Nash & Young later recorded.

Ticketing for the event broke down the day the festival opened, as did the flimsy fencing near the point of entry, so no official count exists, but estimates put the attendance at about 400,000. Despite food shortages, and some dangerous weather with gusting winds and heavy rain that turned much of the meadow into a massive mud pit, the festival lived up to being the "three days of peace, love and music" it was promoted it would be, and Woodstock became a cultural milestone for a generation.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 15 include... 

1946 Jimmy Webb born. 

1950 Drummer Tommy Aldridge (Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers, Gary Moore, Ozzy Osbourne) born. 

1962 Beatles invite Ringo Starr to join on the same day Pete Best does his last set drumming with them.

1965 Beatles play Shea Stadium.   

1966 Jefferson Airplane release Jefferson Airplane Takes Off.   

1975 Rod Stewart releases Atlantic Crossing.  

1979 Led Zeppelin releases In Through The Out Door. 

1980 George Harrison publishes I, Me, Mine.
1980 The Cars release Panorama.

1983 AC/DC releases Flick Of The Switch.

1983 Joey Ramone undergoes brain surgery after being injured in a fight.

1991 Paul Simon plays Central Park for a crowd of more than 500,000. 

1987 Keith Richards starts recording Talk is Cheap solo album.

1998 Don Henley, Lou Reed, Joni Mitchell play Woodstock festival site on 29th anniversary (none appeared at original).

2004 Charlie Watts starts treatment for throat cancer.
 

A 3:30 single version of Won't Get Fooled Again released in June of 1971 gave fans a hint of what a great album the Who was working on during that and the two previous months.  When the group's fifth album dropped on this day of that year it became an instant sensation.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock Events on August 14 include...

1941 David Crosby born.   

1945 Steve Martin born.

1962 The Beatles fire Pete Best and Brian Epstein invites Ringo Starr to join.   

1970 Stephen Stills arrested on cocaine charge in La Jolla, California motel.

1976 So It Goes by Nick Lowe becomes the first single released by Stiff Records.

1978 CSN, CSN&Y and Hollies veteran Graham Nash becomes an American citizen.

1988 Roy Buchanan hangs himself in a Fairfax, Virginia jail cell he was being held in followin an arrest on public drunkeness.

1989 Bon Jovi's New Jersey album becomes the first US rock album sold legally in Russia.
2000 Rioting fans dispersed by police firing rubber bullets at a Rage Against the Machine concert in Los Angeles.

2004 Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts announces he is undergoing treatment for throat cancer.

2004 Little Steven stages his first Underground Garage Festival in New York with Iggy & the Stooges, the New York Dolls, Big Star, the Strokes and others.

2010 Aerosmith and the J. Geils Band play Fenway Park in Boston.

2013 Blue Oyster Cult keyboard and rhythm guitarist Alan Lanier dies of heart disease.

Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington and Allen Collins were together in bands a decade before the release of Pronounced "leh-nerd skinerd", the album that introduced them to the world on August 13th in 1973. The band that sold 30 million albums, and who knows how many Bic Lighters that fans held aloft during performances of the epic nine minute closing track on this album, became legendary.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 13 include...

1951 Dan Fogelberg born. 

1952 Outlaws and Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist and singer Hughie Thomasson born.

1965 Beatles release Help! in US.   

1965 Jefferson Airplane debuts at Matrix in San Francisco.     

1971 King Curtis stabbed to death in New York City. 

1971 John Lennon leaves London to take-up residence in the US. 

1975 Bruce Springsteen opens 5 night stand at Bottom Line in New York City.     

1976 Clash debut in London.   

1977 Bachman-Turner Overdrive breaks-up.     

1978 Be Bop Deluxe breaks-up.     

1980 Todd Rundgren is robbed in his home.
1985 Sting opens his first solo tour in San Diego, CA.
1989 Ozzy Osbourne & Scorpions play for 100,000 in Moscow.     

1990 Don Henley, Bonnie Raitt & Sting buy land at Walden Pond for preservation.   

1999 Woodstock '99 opens at former airbase in Rome, NY.

1999 Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall's marriage is declared 'null and void'
1999 Slash is arrested in Los Angeles when police investigate an altercation with his girlfriend.

2007 Ozzy Osbourne does set in Times Square to promote Madden NFL 2008 video game with his music in it.

2011 Billy Joel and Jon Bon Jovi sing at 60th birthday party for Jimmy Buffett's wife, Jane...
2011 Farm Aid staged in Kansas City with a lineup that includes John Mellencamp, Neil Young Dave Matthews, Willie Nelson, Jakob Dylan, Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real.

Happy birthday to one of the most distinctive guitarists in Rock. Dire Straits co-founding brother Mark Knopfler was  born on this day in 1949 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 12 include...

1964 Beatles A Hard Days Night opens in US.
1966 Beatles open last US tour, Chicago. 
1967 Fleetwood Mac does first concert set during Windsor Jazz & Blues Fest in Windsor, UK.

1968 Led Zeppelin members play together for first time.

1969 Blind Faith makes US concert debut at Madison Square Garden.   

1970 Janis Joplin does her last concert at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, MA. 

Neil Young, the Eagles and Joni Mitchell appear on the same night at the Corral Club in Topanga Canyon, California. 

1985 Neil Young releases Old Ways.   

1989 Ozzy Osbourne, Bon Jovi, Scorpions, Skid Row and Motley Crue play Moscow Peace Festival. 

1991 Metallica releases Metallica (The Black Album).

1994 Woodstock '94 opens in Saugerties, NY.

1995 Golden Gaate Park hosts a public wake for Jerry Garcia.

1996 Alex Van Halen's wife, Kelly, files for divorce after 12 years of marriage.

2000 Wind gusts topple ten tons of equipment on stage during .38 Special's Mancos, California concert. The band escapes uninjured.

2009 Guitar legend Les Paul dies of pneumonia in White Plains, New York.   

2010 Little Feat drummer Richie Hayward dies of liver disease. 

2011 John and Elaine Irwin granted divorce ending 18 year marriage.

2015 Billy Joel becomes a father again at 66...

 

Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 11 include....

1955 Joe Jackson born.   

1968 Beatles release Hey Jude.   

1968 Charlie Sexton born. 

1976 Keith Moon taken to a Miami hospital after collapsing from exhaustion.

1979 Led Zeppelin does its final UK concert at Knebworth.

1989 Bruce Springsteen does 4 songs with Ringo Starr's All Starr Band at Garden State Arts Center concert in NJ.  

1994 Black Crowes appear as The Corkscrews at Atlanta club.   

1995 Peter Criss of KISS arrested with handgun in carry-on luggage at Kennedy Airport in New York City.   

1995 Michael Stipe of R.E.M. has emergency hernia surgery in Czechoslovakia.

1996 Bruce Springsteen plays with Whitefish, Montana bar band while in town for a friend's wedding.   

2009 Ron Wood joins Pearl Jam on All Along The Watchtower during band's set at Empire Music Hall concert in London.

2019 Bob Weir joins Paul Simon on stage for the first time during Simon's set at Outlands Music festival in Golden Gate Park.

Jethro Tull's founding front man Ian Anderson was born on this day in 1947 in Fife, Scotland.  His interest in music was sparked by his father's record collection that consisted mostly of jazz and big band records.  The family moved to Blackpool, England when Ian was 12. Expelled from grammar school for defiant behavior, Anderson recruited school friends to form a blues and soul based band called The Blades that featured Ian on guitar, harmonica and vocals. Not confident that his guitar playing would improve to his satisfaction, Anderson decided to trade his guitar for a flute which he quickly developed both the skill and a unique style for.  He would go on to become proficient on keyboards, saxophone and mandolin.
Anderson and Blades members Jeffrey Hammond and John Evan would form the nucleus of what would become Jethro Tull in 1967, but the trio initially played under a series of names to improve their chances of getting more frequent gigs at clubs that didn't offer repeat bookings.  A booking agent that was also a history buff suggested the group play under the name of the 1600's agriculturist inventor of the seed drill, Jethro Tull.  The night the band used that name the club bookings manager was impressed enough with their set that he offered them a second date, so the name stuck.  The group's groundbreaking debut album was released in 1968.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 10 include...

1907 Fender guitar founder Leo Fender born.

1943 Ronnie Spector born.

1961 INXS Jon Farriss born.

1964 Mick Jagger fined for speeding and driving without a license.  

1967 Grateful Dead play rooftop of Chelsea Hotel in New York City.

1968 The Who release Magic Bus as a single.
1970 Jim Morrison's trial on indecent exposure opens in Miami.
1972 Devon Allman born.

1972 Paul & Linda McCartney arrested on pot charges in Sweden.

1976 Elton John opens a 7 night, sold-out stand at Madison Square Garden that breaks an attendance record the Rolling Stones set.
1979 Chuck Berry starts serving 100 day sentence on tax evasion charge conviction.

1982 Bruce Springsteen plays wedding reception for Southside Johnny Lyon in Asbury Park, NJ.

1985 Michael Jackson buys 252 Beatles song rights for $ 47.5 million.

1992 Def Leppard opens Seven Day Weekend North American tour.

1993 Billy Joel releases River Of Dreams.   

1995 Jimmy Buffett MC's Bill Clinton's birthday party at the White House.

2005 Rolling Stones do a warm-up date for tour for fans in a small Toronto theater.

2008 Issac Hayes dies.

2009 Them Crooked Vultures debut at the Metro in Chicago.

2022 Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson reunite for a rendition of Closer to the Heart during the South Park anniversary concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.

Queen's last concert set with Freddie Mercury out front took place on this day in 1986 at Knebworth Park for a crowd of 120,000.  Their 17 song set was followed by double encores that included Radio Ga Ga, We Will Rock You, Friends Will Be Friends, We Are The Champions, followed by their frequent concert closer God Save The Queen and guitarist  Brian May doing the British Anthem.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 9 include...

1955 Cars Ben Orr (Orzechowski) born.

1973 Henry McCullough and Denny Seiwell quit Wings

1978 Muddy Waters plays for Jimmy Carter at the White House. 

1994 Dave Abruzzese leaves Pearl Jam.

1994 Lynyrd Skynyrd releases Endangered Species.  

1995 Jerry Garcia dies in rehab of heart failure at 53.

2006 Joe Walsh & James Gang open first tour in 35 years.

August 8th is always a lively day for a live look at the Abbey Road crosswalk in London. Today is the anniversary of the day in 1969 the album cover photo was taken. Given the daily close calls with cars and trucks fans retracing the steps the Beatles took on this day in 49 years ago, it's amazing none have been mowed down. Get a live look here.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 8 include...

1961 U2's Dave (The Edge) Evans born.

1964 Another Side of Bob Dylan released

1970 Janis Joplin buys a head stone for Bessie Smith's grave site. 

1975 The Rolling Stones close their US tour with concert at Rich Stadium in Buffalo, NY.

1981 The Pretenders open their second tour of the US in Fort Pierce, Florida.
1983 Billy Joel releases Innocent Man.   

1986 David Crosby released from jail after serving time on drugs and weapons charges.  1986 Bob Dylan releases Knocked Out Loaded.   

1991 Eric Clapton stopped for going 103 in his Ferrari.   

1992 James Hetfield suffers burns when pyro effect malfunctions during Metallica Montreal concert. Police squash riot when band announces they won't finish the set. 

1998 Rolling Stones do a concert Russia for the first time.

2020 An early Jimi Hendrix Japanese electric guitar he used backing Wilson Pickett, Sam Cooke and others and owned during his time touring with the Isley Brothers is auctioned for $216,000, more than four times its pre-auction estimated value.

Having a band member that can drive a tour bus is great, but Iron Maiden's got one with an off-stage skill that beats that by 37,000 feet; a member that can fly the tour jet.  

In addition to his role as singer, musician and songwriter in one of Rock's  preeminent Metal bands, Bruce Dickinson is a licensed commercial pilot with qualifications to fly the band's 747 jumbo jet.  He also developed a pilot and aircraft servicing training company, a craft beer branding partnership with a brewery and hosted his own BBC Radio program. Bruce was born on this day in 1958 in Nottinghamshire, UK.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 7 include...

1952 Free & John Mayall's Bluesbreakers Andy Fraser born.   

1970 Fleetwood Mac adds Christine McVie.

1970 Moody Blues release A Question Of Balance.

1970 200,000 attend the Goose Lake Music Festival in Lenoi, Michigan. Bob Seger, Jethro Tull, Chicago, Ten Years After, Mountain, the James Gang, Rod Stewart, the Stooges, Brownsville Station, the Flying Burrito Brothers and more perform.

1974 Peter Wolf of the J. Geils Band marries actress Faye Dunaway.

1982 Sting sues Virgin Music, claiming undervalued sale of early material.

1986 Suit filed against Ozzy Osbourne claiming his song Suicide Solution inspired a young fan to take his own life is dismissed.

2007 Evolution Of the Groove featuring Carlos Santana guitar solos added to Miles Davis songs released.   

2008 Genesis wraps up reunion tour.

2020 Deep Purple releases Whoosh!

1965 The Beatles release Help! in UK (8/13 in US).  

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 6 include...

1946 Soft Machine's Alan Holdsworth born.

1970 Janis Joplin, Steppenwolf, Paul Simon, Poco Johnny Winter play Concert For Peace, Shea Stadium, New York.   

1982  Pink Floyd's The Wall movie premiers.   

1989 Adam Clayton of U2 arrested on marijuana charges near his home.   

1996 Tom Petty releases She's The One movie soundtrack.   

1996 Ramones get Hollywood Walk Of Fame honor. 

1996 A near riot results when Vince Neil arrives foour hours late for a solo club concert and plays only three songs.

2003 John Mellencamp records a CMT Crossroads set.

2004 Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson play Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, NY.

2013 Brian May of Queen has knee replacement surgery.

2021 Expanded edition of George Harrison's All Things Must Pass gets release...

The Beatles released Revolver in the UK on this day in 1966. The album built on the musically quantum leap forward that started when the band released Rubber Soul late the previous year. Three of the 14 songs on the UK release of Revolver were dropped from the North American version of the album because they were on Yesterday and Today, which was released in the US in June.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 5 include...

1947 Rick Derringer (Zehringer) born.   

1959 Foo Fighters Pat Smear born.   

1967 Van Morrison releases Brown Eyed Girl. 

1972 Aerosmith inks Columbia Records deal for $125,000.

1972 Roy Woods Wizzard makes live debut in London.

1979 Def Leppard signs with Polygram Records.

1980 Pat Benatar releases Crimes Of Passion.   

1982 Led Zeppelin releases Coda.

1983 Elvis Costello releases Punch The Clock.  

1983 David Crosby draws a 5 sentence years on drugs and weapons charges, serves 5 months in Texas.  

1992 Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro dies of a heart attack at 38.

1994 Billy Idol hospitalized in LA after suspected overdose.   

1996 Wilson Pickett enters rehab after cocaine conviction in Sullivan County, NY. 

2009 Paul McCartney plays first of 2 nights at Fenway Park in Boston.

2003 Lynyrd Skynyrd cancels remaining tour dates due to Gary Rossington's heart condition.

2009 Steven Tyler breaks his shoulder and injures head and neck when he falls off the stage during Aerosmith concert at the Stugis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota.

2016 Gregg Allman cancels tour dates to undergo treatment at the Mayo Clinic.

Pink Floyd's debut album was released on this day in 1967 in the UK.  The album would not get its US release until October in a version that nixed three of the tracks on the English release and added See Emily Play.  All but two of the songs on the original release were written by Syd Barrett.  At the time, the lineup of the band included Barrett, Richard Wright and Nick Mason.  The album was recorded between February and April at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 4 include...

1968 Day two of the Newport Pop Festival in Costa Mesa, California.

1975 Robert Plant, wife and children injured in car crash on Isle of Rhodes. 

1979 A tribute concert to Lowell George is staged by Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and Emmylou Harris.

1979 Led Zeppelin plays Knebworth in the group's first UK concert in four years.

1984 Phil Collins marries Jill Tavelman.  Eric Clapton and Robert Plant perform during the reception.

1987 John Mellencamp releases The Lonesome Jubilee.  

2010 Jim Morrison's handwritten lyrics for LA Woman sell for $20,680 at UK auction.

2015 Paul Simon makes an unannounced appearance with Billy Joel during the last concert at the Nassau Coliseum.

2020 Neil Young files a copyright infringment lawsuit against the Trump campaign for continued use of Rockin' in the Free World at rallies.

Quite a lineup was assembled for the Newport, California Pop Festival at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa on the weekend of August 3 & 4, 1968. The lineup included the Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, the Byrds, Eric Burden and the Animals, Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, Canned Heat, the Chambers Brothers, Blue Cheer, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Quicksilver Messenger Service. It became the first festival to draw more than 100,000.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 3 include...

1946 Byrds bassist John York born.

1961 Stray Cats bassist Lee Rocker born (Leon Drucker)

1963 Collective Soul's Ed Roland born.

1963 Metallica's James Hetfield born.

1963 The Beatles final Cavern Club performance takes place.

1966 The Rolling Stones record Let's Spend the Night Together.

1969 Creedence Clearwater Revival releases Green River. 

1969 Alice Cooper releases Pretties For You. 

1971 Paul McCartney forms Wings.

1974 Jeff Baxter leaves Steely Dan to join Doobie Brothers.

1974 Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band appear as the middle act at a Wolman Skating Rink Central Park concert headlined by Anne Murray and opened by Brewer and Shipley.

1979 Talking Heads release Fear of Music.

1987 Def Leppard releases Hysteria.

1991 Animal rights activists confront Ted Nugent in New Hampshire.

1997 Bob Dylan resumes performing for the first time since developing a heart problem.

2000 Pearl Jam opens a US tour in Virginia Beach. VA.

2002 Bob Dylan returns to the Newport Folk Festival for the first time in 37 years.

2006 Traffic's reunion tour is scrapped when Jim Capaldi develops a severe ulser problem.

2006 Love's Arthur Lee dies of Leukemia.

2009 Grateful Dead's Bill Kreutzmann plays drums with Phish during Red Rocks, Colorado concert.

After their self-titled debut album set all kinds of sales records and established Boston as one of the biggest bands in Rock, expectations were sky high for the second release that dropped on this day in 1978. Within a month, more than 4 million copies had sold.  Don't Look back went on to sell more than 15 million more copies in the US alone, and another 25 million world wide. 

Conflicts with the record label and within the band and the pressure to match or beat the enormous success of the first two albums resulted in a nearly decade long wait for the group's third release.  By the time it came out in 1986, only Sholz and Brad Delp were still in the group.  Although Third Stage sold well initially and went on to be certified 4x platinum, it was was not nearly as highly regarded as either of the previous albums.  Subsequent albums Walk On (1994), Corporate America (2002) and Love and Hope (2013) also failed to measure up to the

quality of the ground breaking albums of 1976 and '78.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 2 include...

1937 The Band's Garth Hudson born. 

1944 Traffic drummer Jim Capaldi born.

1948 Andy Fairweather Low (Roger Waters, Eric Clapton, Who) born.

1951 Rainbow's Joe Lynn Turner born.

1952 Les Dudek (Allman Brothers Band, Steve Miller Band, Boz Scaggs, Stevie Nicks) born.

1951 Andrew Gold born.   

1961 The Beatles do their first live set at the Cavern Club in Liverpool.

1962 Robert Zimmerman gets the legal name change to Bob Dylan.

1969 Bob Dylan attends his 10th high school reunion, Hibbing MN.

1978 Neil Young marries Pegi Morton.

1982 Steve Winwood releases Talking Back To The Night. 

1987 Billy Joel plays Lenningrad, live CD recorded.   

1996 Aerosmith fires manager Tim Collins. 

2005 Bob Seger joins Three Doors Down on Landing In London during Clarkston, Michigan concert.   

2007 Pearl Jam plays private concert for Ten Club members at Vic Theater in Chicago.

Jerome John Garcia was born on this day in 1942 to musical parents in San Francisco who named their son in tribute to American composer Jerome Kern.  Jerry's father had played piano professionally and co-owned a bar with his brother that his mother, who was also a pianist, operated after her husband drowned on a fishing trip when Jerry was just five.  Due to the long hours she put in at the bar, Jerry and his brother spent the following 5 years in the care of her parents.  His grandmother introduced him to country and bluegrass music and his brother turned him on to R&B and Rock.  On his 15th birthday, Garcia's mother gave him an accordion, which he got her to exchange for a guitar and a small amp.

He joined his first band in  in 1959 after his mother had relocated her family to a small town about 100 miles north of San Francisco.  The Chords won a talent contest at his high school and got to record a song as their prize, choosing the instrumental Raunchy that Bill Justice had released two years earlier.

After a brief stint in the Army, Garcia began hanging out with musicians in Palo Alto. A high speed car accident that killed the driver, seriously injured another friend and sent Garcia through the windshield, breaking his collarbone, got Jerry to reassess his priorities.  Reflecting on that wreck, Garcia said, That's where my life began.  Before then I was always living at less than capacity. I was idling. That was the slingshot for the rest of my life. It was like a second chance. Then I got serious."  Being a better musician became a priority.

He met musician and lyrasist Robert Hunter in 1961.  The two played as a duo and were together in a couple of bands.  The following year, Jerry met future band mate Phil Lesh during a party in Palo Alto and Garcia was introduced to fellow guitarist Bob Weir on New Year's Eve in 1963.  In 1965, Garcia and Weir teamed with Ron "Pig Pen" McKernan to form Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions.  Lesh joined them in 1965, and with drummer Bill Kreutzmann, the group transitioned into the Warlocks and shortly thereafter became the Grateful Dead.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 1 include...

1943 Wings Geoff Britton born.

1946 King Crimson & Bad Company's Boz Burrell born.

1947 Tubes Rick Anderson born.

1951 Deep Purple's Tommy Bolin born.

1951 Bachman, Turner Overdrive guitarist/vocalist Tim Bachman born

1953 Robert Cray born.

1959 Def Leppard lead singer Joe Elliot born.

1969 Jethro Tull releases Stand Up. 

1970 Performance with Mick Jagger has its screen premiere in London.

1970 Derek & Dominos make live debut in London.  

1970 Jimi Hendrix does his last U.S. concert in Hawaii.

1971 George Harrison stages Concert For Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden with Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Leon Russell, Billy Preston and Ravi Shankar. 

1974 Eric Clapton breaks a ukulele over Pete Townshend's head during Atlanta concert. 1980 John Lennon & Yoko Ono start recording Double Fantasy album.   

1980 Def Leppard makes US live debut in New York City.

1981 MTV premieres

1983 Neil Young releases Everybody's Rockin'.

1986 Jerry Garcia discharged from hospital after recovering from a diabetic coma.

1994 Rolling Stones open VooDoo Lounge tour in Washington, DC.

2000 AC/DC's Stiff Upper lip tour opens in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

2007 Police play reunion concert at Madison Square Garden.

2019 Pioneering rock concert and documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennybacker dies at 94.