The Yardbirds arrived in New York City tonight in 1966 for their first U.S. Tour with both Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page on dual-lead guitar. Studio musician Page, who been Eric Clapton's hand-picked replacement when he left over "musical differences" (he wanted to play straight blues, the rest wanted to go psychedelic), who in turn passed on the number of his friend Beck, finally joined as bass player when Paul Samwell-Smith quit, with the intention of moving rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja over to the four-string once he learned it, but managed to record only one song with the Beck/Page lineup, Happenings Ten Years Time Ago, with Page's future Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. Dreja was ready for this tour, but the band sacked Beck after just a few shows for his erratic behavior and foul temper. He went back to England and started The Jeff Beck Group with his pal Rod Stewart.
Cream were on their farewell tour at the Forum in Los Angeles tonight in 1968, and they recorded the show and included it on the Goodbye Cream album released the next year.
An 18 year old Peter Frampton met Small Faces frontman Steve Marriott at a show tonight in 1968 in London. They hit it off, and began planning a new band. Humble Pie would debut in the Spring.
David Bowie released his 7th studio album Pin Ups today in 1973. Featuring supermodel Twiggy on the cover, but unlike most David Bowie albums he didn't write any of the songs... it's a collection of covers of some of David's favorites of the era: Pink Floyd, The Pretty Things, The Who, The Yardbirds, and The Kinks.
AC/DC kicked of a 20-date tour of England tonight in 1980, their first without lead singer Bon Scott.
Alice Cooper lead guitarist Glen Buxton, who wrote many of their best songs including School's Out and Elected, died of pneumonia at age 49 today in 1997. He was posthumously inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame along with the rest of the original Alice Cooper in 2011.
Rock and Roll Birthdays
Reggae superstar Peter Tosh, one of Bob Marley's Wailers and later a solo artist would be 76. He was killed in a home-invasion robbery in Jamaica at age 42.
Procul Harum's lyricist Keith Reid is 73. He wrote the words to all of their original songs, and would have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with them in 2012, the only year they were nominated, but they didn't make it.