Today in 1968, “Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical,” opened on Broadway.
“Hair” closed in 1972 after 1,729 performances.
The number one album today in 1973 would be on the charts for 741 weeks:
The number one single today in 1979:
Today in 1982, the California State Assembly consumer protection committee heard testimony that if you play Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” backwards, you hear “I sing because I live with Satan. The Lord turns me off, there’s no escaping it. Here’s to my sweet Satan, whose power is Satan. He will give you 666. I live for Satan.”
Can anyone with auditory dyslexia confirm this?
Birthdays begin with John Wolters, drummer for Dr. Hook:
Eddie Jobson played keyboards and violin for Roxy Music:
Two deaths of note from car crashes today: Tommy Caldwell, bass player for the Marshall Tucker Band, in 1980 …
Today in 1968, Keith Moon tried to leave a birthday party that was raucous enough to attract the police. Moon found a Lincoln Continental limousine out front and tried to leave, but succeeded only in releasing the parking brake.
Gravity and momentum drove the limo into the house’s swimming pool.
The number one British single today in 1968 was the oldest singer to get a British number one:
The number one album today in 1976 was “Wings at the Speed of Sound”:
Today in 1990, the road crew for former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters was building a set for Waters’ “The Wall” concert in Potsdamer Platz, Germany, when it discovered an unexploded World War II bomb. Which led to obvious advice:
Proving that singers are often better off singing than speaking, today in 2007 Sheryl Crow suggested helping the environment by restricting use of toilet paper to “only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where two to three could be required.”
Crow made her pronouncement online during a biodiesel-powered bus tour to raise awareness of climate change.
Birthdays begin with Barbra Streisand:
Drummer Doug Clifford of Creedence Clearwater Revival:
Glen Cornick of Jethro Tull (lest I be accused of …):
Today in 1964, the president of Britain’s National Federation of Hairdressers offered free haircuts to members of the next number one act in the British charts, adding, “The Rolling Stones are the worst; one of them looks as if he’s got a feather duster on his head.”
One assumes he was referring to Keith Richards, who is still working (and, to some surprise, still alive) 48 years later.
The number one British single today in 1965:
The number one British album today in 1972 was Deep Purple’s “Machine Head”:
Birthdays start with ex-Beach Boy Glen Campbell:
Peter Frampton recorded the biggest live album of all time:
Paul Carrack of Ace, Squeeze and Mike + the Mechanics:
Bon Jovi bassist Craig Logan:
Two deaths of note today: Songwriter (and Milwaukee native) Matilda Genevieve “Felice” Bryant in 2003 …
… and Paul Davis a day after his birthday in 2008:
Steve Prestegard.com: The Presteblog 