Today in Acoustic-Rock History

1963 – Playing a concert at the Odeon Theatre in Cheltenham, England, the Beatles start their second headlining tour of the country and find that since their first tour in May, the country has experienced Beatlemania. Everywhere the Fab Four goes, fans have lined up for two days, sometimes more, for tickets.

1967 – Rolling Stone Magazine is born. It’s the first national rock magazine in America.

1968 – George Harrison releases the LP “Wonderwall Music,” the first solo record by a Beatle. The film soundtrack LP is released on Apple Records.

1968 – Poco, a band formed by former Buffalo Springfield members Richie Furay and Jim Messina, makes its debut at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.

1969 – The Beatles release their final LP, “Abbey Road.” Coincidentally, the New York Times publishes a story on the “Paul is Dead” rumor.

1971 – The Allman Brothers play three songs at the funeral of band member Duane Allman.

1971 – Bonnie Raitt’s self-titled debut album is released, revealing a 21-year-old singer/guitarist with an uncanny grasp of old-time country blues.

1971 – “Cold Spring Harbor,” Billy Joel’s debut as a solo artist, is issued on the Family Productions label, a Paramount subsidiary. It doesn’t chart until being remixed and re-released by Columbia Records in 1984.

1973 – “The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle,” Bruce Springsteen’s second album in less than a year, is released. Though neither of those first two albums chart until 1975, Bruce Springsteen and his newly-christened E Street Band steadily win over fans on the road with their powerful live sets.

1973 – John Lennon’s album “Mind Games” is released. It peaks at #9, and the title track reaches #18.

1976 – James Taylor’s “Greatest Hits” album, featuring newly recorded versions of “Carolina in My Mind” and “Something in the Way She Moves,” is released. A steady seller that never rose higher than #23, it has been certified platinum 11 times over and remains Taylor’s best-selling album.

1977 – Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Waltz” chronicling The Band’s farewell concert premiers in New York City.

1978 – “52nd Street” tops the Billboard album chart–a first for Billy Joel.

1979 – Bob Dylan launches his “Slow Train Coming” tour at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco. Born-again Bob is booed.

1980 – “The River,” Bruce Springsteen’s sprawling double-album masterwork, enters the U.S. charts, which it tops for four consecutive weeks.

1994 – “Wildflowers,” Tom Petty’s second solo album is released.

BIRTHDAYS:

Rick Grech (Family, Blind Faith, Traffic) 1945

Dan Peek (America) 1950

Lyle Lovett 1957