Today in 1962, the Beatles replaced drummer Pete Best with Ringo Starr. Despite those who claim Starr is the worst Beatle musically, the change worked out reasonably well for the group.

Today in 1970 was the second day of Woodstock:

The Who’s set was interrupted by Abbie Hoffman, who while on LSD thought that was a good place for a political rant. Guitarist Pete Townshend disagreed, smacking Hoffman on the side of the head with his guitar, and then passed on a message:

Now, back to the concert:

Today in 1975, Peter Gabriel announced he was leaving Genesis. Despite those who claim Genesis was better with Gabriel in the group, the post-Gabriel Genesis outsold the Gabriel Genesis by an order of magnitude:

Today on her birthday in 1986, Madonna had the number one album, “True Blue,” and the number one single:

To begin our birthday selections, one asks: Who is Edithe Gormezano? She was the wife of Sidney Liebowitz; they were better known as (in backward order) Eydie Gormé and Steve Lawrence.

Gary Loizzo, the lead of the American Breed …

… was born one year before Gordon Fleet of the Easybeats. who was born on Thursday, not Monday or Friday:

Barry Hay of Golden Earring:

Tim Spooner of The Tubes:

It’s James Taylor’s birthday, but not that James Taylor — the member of Kool and the Gang:

Tim Farriss played guitar for INXS:

Robert Johnson did not perform rock music. But he influenced countless rock musicians after his death at, yes, 27:

But the most famous rock music death today came in 1977, when, while sitting on the “throne” reading The Scientific Search for Jesus, Elvis Presley got to meet, we assume, Jesus personally:

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