On This Day
We take you back into classic rock’s history and legacy to note important events that happened on this date as well as celebrate the birthdays of major musical artists and mourn their passing.
Oct 19, 2017: ‘Free Fallin’ Inspires Tom Petty Fans on Ventura Blvd
On the eve of what would have been his 67th birthday, fans organized a Tom Petty Memorial Vampire Walk
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Oct 19, 2020: Spencer Davis, Leader of Britain’s “Gimme Some Lovin”’ Band, Dies
The band that bore his name was best known for a pair of 1967 top 10 hits, both sung by Steve Winwood, who wrote, “He was like a big brother to me”
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Oct 19, 2010: Elton John Slams Current Music
The musician took aim at what he felt was the sorry state of contemporary pop songwriting and how TV singing contests don’t yield lasting musical acts
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Happy Birthday, Chuck Berry!
One of the founding fathers of rock ‘n’ roll did a stint in prison in the early 1960s after an astonishing run of now-classic hit singles
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Oct. 17, 1969: The Kinks U.S. Tour Ban Ends
For reasons that are unclear and complicated, they were unable to play America from 1965 to ’69, with a first show back at the Fillmore East
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Oct 16, 2017: Tom Petty Laid to Rest at Private Service
Two weeks after the unexpected death of the rock icon, family and friends attended a private service in Pacific Palisades, CA
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Oct 16, 1966: Grace Slick Makes Airplane Debut
A heartthrob for men and role model for women within the 1960s counterculture, she sang the band’s two biggest hits: “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit”
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October 15, 1966: ‘I’m A Believer’ Recording Session
The song was written by a now-well known songwriter, who performed on the recording. Monkees-mania was in full swing as the single had orders of over 1 million copies
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October 15, 1988: UB40’s Unusual Path to #1
20 years after Neil Diamond’s single of “Red Red Wine” was issued and five years after UB40 first released it as a single, the song finally went #1
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The Story Behind the Drifters’ ‘Save the Last Dance For Me’
Doc Pomus wrote the lyrics from his wheelchair about watching his bride dance at their wedding. Dick Clark discovered the song’s huge potential
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