Today in Acoustic-Rock History

1965 – The Grateful Dead perform the first of many concerts at San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium. The show is produced by Bill Graham.

1967 – Otis Redding dies in a plane crash in Wisconsin.

1967 – The Steve Miller Blues Band, an unrecorded San Francisco group via Texas and Chicago, signs with Capitol Records for an unheard of sum of $750,000. In so doing, the group drops the “Blues” from its name.

1975 – “The Who by Numbers” earns The Who another gold record.

1976 – A three-record set of live performances from the U.S. Wings tour, “Wings over America,” is released. The compilation, which summarizes Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles career with its 30-song selection, includes “Live and Let Die,” and “Maybe I’m Amazed.” The album reaches Number One.

1977 – David Bowie hits #35 in the U.S. with “Heroes,” a collaboration with Brian Eno.

1998 – Bruce Springsteen wins a 2 1/2-year legal battle over two British companies seeking to release previously unreleased songs from his early career. Masquerade Music had sought to release a CD titled “Before the Fame,” while another music publisher, Flute International, hoped to release an album of 19 previously unreleased songs.

1999 – Rick Danko, bass player for The Band, dies in his sleep in Woodstock, New York just one day after celebrating his 56th birthday.