Today in Acoustic-Rock History

1969 – “Crosby, Stills & Nash” is released. It is popular on both AM and FM radio, and stays on the album chart for 107 weeks. It also yields two hit singles: “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” (#21) and “Marrakesh Express” (#28). Early on, the group decides to tour, but they need to find another guitarist. Atlantic Records president Ahmet Ertegun suggests Neil Young — and the rest is history.

1971 – The Rolling Stones have both the Number One LP (“Sticky Fingers”) and Number One single (“Brown Sugar”) in the U.S.

1972 – Paul McCartney releases his version of the nursery rhyme, “Mary Had A Little Lamb” as a tongue-in-cheek joke to get back at the BBC for banning his earlier single “Give Ireland Back To The Irish.” It reaches the U.S. Top-30.

1973 – Mike Oldfield releases his “Tubular Bells” LP. The title track later becomes the theme for “The Exorcist.”

1973 – Roger McGuinn makes his solo debut at New York’s Academy of Music just prior to the release of his first album. McGuinn also confirms rumors that the Byrds are history, unless he can convince the original members to reunite.

1976 – Paul Simon hits #40 with “Still Crazy After All These Years.”

1988 – Bob Dylan makes a guest appearance at a Levon Helm concert at New York’s Lone Star Cafe. The two perform “The Weight” and Chuck Berry’s “Nadine.”

1989 – Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist John Cipollina dies at age 55.

1997 – Jeff Buckley drowns in the Mississippi River near Memphis.

1999 – The Rolling Stones launch the European leg of their Bridges to Babylon tour, performing in front of 80,000 enthusiastic fans in an open-air concert in Stuttgart, Germany.

2007 – A piano used by John Lennon on the night he died was put up for sale for $375,000 (£189,000) on The Moments in Time memorabilia website. The upright grand piano was part of the Record Plant Recording Studios in New York where the former Beatle recorded his 1971 “Imagine” album. Lennon was said to be so fond of the instrument that he had it moved to whichever studio in which he was working.

BIRTHDAYS:

Gary Brooker (Procol Harum) 1945

Melissa Etheridge 1961