Are you ready to learn some stuff? It’s March 1st and here’s what happened Today in Rock History!
With February in the rearview and March directly in front of us, I think we start the month of March off strong. I mean, is there really any other way to start? As, on this day in 1973, the world received what many consider the greatest rock record of ALL TIME. That’s right, The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd.
We also got both Shinin’ On by Grand Funk Railroad and Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow from T. Rex in 1974 and Mellow Gold by Beck in 1994.
With birthdays we have Ryan Peake of Nickelback, founding editor of Rolling Stone magazine Ralph J Gleason, one of the original Creem magazine editors Dave Marsh, and The Who’s Roger Daltrey.
We lost Joel Brodsky in 2007. Brodsky was a photographer that specialized in musicians and album covers. He was credited with photographing over 400 album covers, including The Stooges by The Stooges, Kiss from KISS and The Doors, The Soft Parade and Strange Days by The Doors.
And speaking of The Doors, it was on this day in 1969 that Jim Morrison allegedly exposed himself on stage at a show in Miami. He was arrested shortly after. AND today in 1991 was also the theatrical release of The Doors biopic The Doors starring Val Kilmer.
In 1980, Patti Smith and MC5 guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith get married in Detroit. The couple stayed together until Fred’s death in 1994.
During a show at the Patinoire Auditorium in Switzerland in 1995, R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry suffered a brain aneurysm rupture on stage and collapsed. Berry would receive emergency surgery and would return to tour soon after but would quit the band two years later.
In 1973, Alice Cooper began his Billion Dollar Babies tour. This is significant because this tour was the beginning of Cooper being beheaded nightly via guillotine. The stunt has become a staple of Cooper’s live shows ever since.
And speaking of tours and live performances in 1994, Nirvana played their final show ever. The band started their 23-song show with a cover of The Cars’ My Best Friend’s Girl. The show was riddled with sound and power issues.
This has been Today in Rock History! Check back tomorrow for your next rock history lesson!
