January 1 - Today In Rock Music History

Happy Birthday Country Joe McDonald!



Musicians Born On January 1

1942 Country Joe McDonald (and the Fish)
1950 Morgan Fisher (Mott The Hoople)
1958 Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler)

Deaths On January 1

1953 Hank Williams (country singer)
1967 Moon Mullican (country music star and influence on Jerry Lee Lewis)
1984 Alexis Korner (blues musician and broadcaster)

Number 1 In The Charts On January 1

1966 Simon and Garfunkel: Sounds of Silence US 45
1969 Marmalade: Ob-La-Di Ob-la-Da UK 45
1994 Diana Ross : One Woman - The Ultimate Collection : UK LP

Various Music Events On January 1

1957 The first edition of the UK television music show Cool For Cats hosted by Kent Walton, is broadcast on ITV.

1962 Beatles flunk their audition when Decca Records A&R man Dick Rowe isn't impressed with Fab Four version of Please Mr. Postman and several other songs. Rowe tells manager Brian Epstein that 'Guitar groups are on the way out'!|

1963 Beatles begin tour of Scotland.

1964 First UK broadcast of weekly television chart show Top Of The Pops, introduced by Jimmy Saville

1965 US Government denies visas to Nashville Teens and the Zombies (already in New York) forcing the groups to cancel their tours.

1966 Beach Boys hit US chart with Barbara Ann.

1967 'Freakout' show takes place at Roundhouse. Featured bands include Pink Floyd, The Who and Move.

1968 According to Billboard,Americans spent more than $1 billion on records last year.Album sales were 192 million and single sales 187 million.

1975 Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham join Fleetwood Mac.

1976 Fleetwood Mac release Go Your Own Way in US. Single goes on to become their first American Top 10 hit.

1977 Clash head the bill for the opening of the Roxy Punk Club in London.

1979 Bill Graham closes the San Francisco Winterland Theatre. Grateful Dead have played there 48 times.

1980 Cliff Richard awarded MBE.

1989 CBS in America broadcasts The Karen Carpenter Story - No. 1 TV show of the week.


Have a groovy vintage retro day!

- Retro Rebirth



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