1985,  Live Aid, held at both Wembley Stadium, London (attendance ~72,000) and  JFK Stadium, Philadelphia (attendance ~100,000). The world’s biggest rock stars took part in the worldwide event, raising over £40million. It is estimated over 1.5bn people (about 40% of the world’s population at the time!) in 160 countries tuned in, making it the biggest live broadcast ever known. Artists who appeared included Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, The Who, U2, David Bowie and Mick Jagger, Queen, Tina Turner, The Cars, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Bryan Adams, Hall and Oates, Lionel Richie and Led Zeppelin.  Of note, Phil Collins performed in both London and Philly, after catching a Concorde flight to the US after the end of the London show.  Sadly, not Bruce Springsteen, who watched it from his NJ home.  He has been quoted as saying that he regrets not “tossing his guitar in the car and driving on down.”

For more info, check out this History Channel link

(Note: poster above doesn’t include many artists who showed up to play – Bob Dylan, Madonna, etc.

Sources: This Day in Music.com; Wikipedia; History Channel

1996, Over 2,000 guitar players, including Chet Atkins and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, set a new world record for the largest jam session ever when they played ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ for 75 minutes at Nashville’s Riverfront Park. (From This Day in Music.com)  Reminds me of the massive jam session that an Italian town did in 2015 to Foo Fighers Learn To Fly to beg them to play their town- and of course it worked!  Since I can’t find any video of the 1996 Heartbreak Hotel jam session, this will have to do (plus its one of the coolest things ever – it still gives me goosebumps and brings a tear to my eye its so awesome)

1962, The Rolling Stones made their live debut at the Marquee Jazz Club, London, with Dick Taylor on bass (later of The Pretty Things) and Mick Avory on drums, (later of The Kinks). Billed as The Rollin’ Stones, they were paid £20 for the gig From This Day in Music.com

According to the Rolling Stone fansite, Its Only Rock and Roll, here’s the set list:

1. “Kansas City”
2. “Baby What’s Wrong”
3. “Confessin’ the Blues”
4. “Bright Lights, Big City”
5. “Dust My Broom”
6. “Down the Road Apiece”
7. “I’m a Love You”
8. “Bad Boy”
9. “I Ain’t Got You”
10. “Hush-Hush”
11. “Ride ‘Em on Down”
12. “Back in the U.S.A.”
13. “Kind of Lonesome”
14. “Blues Before Sunrise”
15. “Big Boss Man”
16. “Don’t Stay Out All Night”
17. “Tell Me You Love Me”
18. “Happy Home

For a short summary of the gig, see the article on Rolling Stone.com

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1969, Zager and Evans started a six week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘In The Year 2525, (Exordium And Terminus)’. The song was also No.1 in the UK, making them the only one hit wonders ever in both the US and UK singles charts. From This Day in Music.com

1969, David Bowie releases ‘Space Oddity” in the UK.  This is the original video from 1969.

1971, The Bruce Springsteen Band opened for Humble Pie at the Sunshine Inn, Asbury Park in New Jersey. After the show an impressed Peter Frampton from Humble Pie, tells Springsteen and the band he’d like to have them open for them on a national basis. Frampton also said he would be happy to get the band an audition with his record label, A & M Records. For no logical reason Springsteen’s manager Tinker West declined both offers on the spot. From This Day in Music.com

1964, The Beatles release ‘A Hard Day’s Night.

1965, The Rolling Stones ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction starts a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart.

1966, the Surf’n Sea Club in Seabright, NJ features Johnny Tilotson, The Jive Five, The Tymes, The Shangra-Las and local band The Castiles.  The Castiles features a young Bruce Springsteen on vocals.

1987, John Hammond dies.  Over his long career, he discovered or worked with Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, among others.

1975, Born on this day, Jack White, (John Gillis), guitar, vocals, The White Stripes, (2003 UK No.1 album ‘Elephant’ spent 46 weeks on the UK chart). Also a member of The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather. (From This Day in Music.com)

1946, Born on this day in Forfar, Scotland, Bon Scott (Ronald Belford Scott), singer with Australian rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980. He was brought up in Kirriemuir before moving to Melbourne, Australia, with his family in 1952 at the age of six. Having arrived from ‘Bonnie Scotland’, he was dubbed ‘Bon’, and the nickname stuck. From This Day in Music.com

1971, David Bowie started recording sessions at Trident Studios in London, for what would become the concept album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. The character of Ziggy was initially inspired by British rock ‘n’ roll singer Vince Taylor, whom Bowie met after Taylor had had a breakdown and believed himself to be a cross between a god and an alien. From This Day in Music.com

1962, Bob Dylan recorded ‘Blowin’ In the Wind’ at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City during an afternoon session. Dylan originally wrote and performed a two-verse version of the song, as in its first public performance, at Gerde’s Folk City on April 16th, 1962. Shortly after this, he added the middle verse. From This Day in Music.com.

1956 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “(We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock,” Bill Haley & His Comets. The song is the opening theme for the film “The Blackboard Jungle,” starring Glenn Ford.  From This Day in Rock.com

And just because:

1976 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Afternoon Delight,” Starland Vocal Band. The song’s title is taken from a menu at a Washington, D.C., restaurant. From This Day in Rock.com (extra points if you can make it through the whole video)

1984, Bruce Springsteen went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Born In The USA’. The album went on to spend a total of 139 weeks on the US chart. Its also one of three albums (Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814) to produce seven Top-ten US singles.  From This Day in Music.com

Bonus points if you can name all seven top 10 singles.  I’ll give you one:

HT This Day in Music.com1957, John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time at The Woolton Church Parish Fete where The Quarry Men were appearing. As The Quarry Men were setting up for their evening performance, McCartney eager to impress Lennon picked up a guitar and played ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ (Eddie Cochran) and ‘Be-Bop-A-Lula’ (Gene Vincent). Lennon was impressed, and even more so when McCartney showed Lennon and Eric Griffiths how to tune their guitars, something they’d been paying someone else to do for them.