ANNIVERSARIES
1968-Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild" is released in the US, where it will reach #2. A line from the song which includes the words "heavy metal thunder" is often credited with popularizing a new term for loud, guitar dominated music.
1968-Black Sabbath played their first gig at a small backstreet Blues club in Birmingham, England. The group would develop into one of the biggest Heavy Metal bands of the 1970's with such albums as "Paranoid", "Masters of Reality" and "Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath".
1974-Eric Clapton's version of Bob Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff" is released in America where it will become his only US #1. Clapton would later say "I tried to ask him (Marley) what the song was all about, but couldn't understand much of his reply. I was just relieved that he liked what we had done."
1985-The first Live Aid concerts were held at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia and at Wembley Stadium in London. Producer Bob Geldof headed the effort by attracting big name artists such as The Who, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Queen, Bryan Adams, Tina Turner, The Cars, Hall And Oates, Phil Collins and Lionel Richie. The performances were shown live via satellite for 18 consecutive hours and helped raise millions of dollars for starving people in Ethiopia.
2004-Arthur Kane, best known as the bassist for the pioneering Glam Punk band The New York Dolls, died of leukemia at the age of 55.
2015-Clark County medical examiners issued a statement that said they had found no evidence to prove allegations by two of B.B. King's adult children that the Blues legend had been poisoned, hastening their father's death last May.
BORN TODAY
1942-Roger McGuinn
guitar, vocals, The Byrds
1942-Stephen Bladd
drummer with The J Geils Band
