BORN THIS WEEK IN ROCK HISTORY:
Albert Collins: October 1, 1932 (blues guitarist and vocalist)
Earl Slick: October 1, 1952 (guitar, David Bowie and John Lennon)
Brian Greenway: October 1, 1951 (guitar/harmonica, April Wine)
Don McLean: October 2, 1945 (singer-songwriter)
Mike Rutherford: October 2, 1950 (bass, Genesis)
Sting: October 2, 1951 (bass/vocals, Sting)
Chubby Checker: October 3, 1941 (singer and dancer)
Lindsey Buckingham: October 3, 1949 (guitar and vocals, Fleetwood Mac)
John Curulewski: October 3, 1950 (guitar, Styx)
Keb Mo: October 3, 1951 (blues guitarist)
Stevie Ray Vaughan: October 3, 1954 (vocals and guitar, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble)
Tommy Lee: October 3, 1962 (drums, Motley Crue)
Josh Klinghoffer: October 3, 1979 (guitar, Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Duke Robillard: October 4, 1948 (guitar, Roomful of Blues and the Fabulous Thunderbirds)
Christopher Lowe: October 4, 1959 (Pet Shop Boys)
Steve Miller: October 5, 1943 (vocals & guitar, The Steve Miller Band)
Brian Johnson: October 5, 1947 (vocals, AC/DC)
Kevin Cronin: October 6, 1951 (Vocals, REO Speedwagon)
David Hidalgo: October 6, 1954 (vocals, Los Lobos)
Kevin Godley: October 7, 1945 (drums, 10cc)
Dave Hope: October 7, 1949 (bass, Kansas)
John Mellencamp: October 7, 1951
Thom Yorke: October 7, 1968 (singer, Radio Head)
DIED THIS WEEK IN ROCK HISTORY:
Al Jackson: October 1, 1975 (drums, Booker T. and the MG’s)
Bruce Palmer: October 1, 2004 (bass, Buffalo Springfield)
Tom Petty: October 2, 2017
Woody Guthrie: October 3, 1967 (folk singer-songwriter)
Benjamin Orr: October 3, 2000 (singer/bassist, the Cars)
Janis Joplin: October 4, 1970
Danny Gatton: October 4, 1994 (blues/rockabilly guitarist)
Nick Curran: October 6, 2012 (blues/rock singer)
MUSIC RELEASES AND TOP OF THE CHARTS…
John Lennon’s LP Imagine is certified gold: October 1, 1971
Pink Floyd releases Atom Heart Mother in the U.K.: October 2, 1970
Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May” hits #1: October 2, 1971
Oasis release “What’s the Story Morning Glory?: October 2, 1995
The Animals by The Animals is released: October 3, 1964
CCR’s Green River LP hits #1: October 4, 1969
Pink Floyd’s LP Wish You Were Here hits #1: October 4, 1975
“Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen goes #1 in the US: October 4, 1980
Ray Charles’ “Hit the Road Jack,” hits #1 on the Billboard charts: October 5, 1961
The Who’s LP soundtrack The Kids Are Alright is certified platinum: October 5, 1979
Led Zeppelin’s In Through the Out Door hits #1: October 6, 1979
Bob Dylan’s “Gotta Serve Somebody” enters the charts: October 6, 1979
The Beatles release the “Come Together” / “Something” double A-side single: October 6, 1969
Bruce Springsteen is sued for… not buying a horse?: October 6, 2007
THIS WEEK IN ROCK HISTORY:
The Beatles sign their first management contract with Brian Epstein, often called “The Fifth Beatle”: October 1, 1962
Bob Dylan introduces his new band, The Hawks, at a show at Carnegie Hall. They would later change their name to simply The Band: October 1, 1966
Jimi Hendrix debuts on a UK stage, by jumping on stage and jamming with the band during a Cream show at London Polytechnic: October 1, 1966
The band Traffic makes their concert debut at the Saville Theatre in London: October 1, 1967
The band Pink Floyd come to New York for their first US tour: October 1, 1967
Jimi Hendrix is buried in Seattle Washington: October 1, 1970
David Bowie moves to West Berlin for three years and takes a hiatus from music: October 1, 1976
The Madison Square Garden Hall of Fame inducts its first musician, rock singer-songwriter Elton John: October 1, 1977
Everyone in the Grateful Dead is arrested for marijuana possession in San Francisco: October 2, 1967
Joe Cocker jams with Joe Cocker #2, played by John Belushi, on Saturday Night Live: October, 2 1976
Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett reunite with Genesis for a one-show benefit at the Milton Keynes Bowl in England. The show is to help raise money for Gabriel’s WOMAD (World of Music, Arts, and Dance) project: October 2, 1982
Texas Governor Ann Richard proclaims October 3rd to be “Stevie Ray Vaughan Day”. The holiday is celebrated with an annual motorcycle ride and benefit concert that raises money for the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Scholarship Fund: October 3, 1991
The Rolling Stones’ “A Bigger Bang” tour sets a new world record after the two-year tour brings in over $558 million: October 3, 2007
Bob Dylan makes his Carnegie Hall debut. 53 lucky fans attend: October 4, 1961
Eric Clapton, replacing guitarist Anthony “Top” Tophan, joins The Yardbirds for the first time at a show at the Crawdaddy Club: October 4, 1963
Parlaphone Records releases the The Beatles’ first single, “Love Me Do”. Radio Luxembourg becomes the first station to ever play the band on the radio that night. Beatles’ producer George Martin calls this “the day the world changed”: October 5, 1962
The Jimi Hendrix Experience forms in London, becoming one of the most important rock bands of all-time. Hendrix changes guitar playing forever: October 5, 1966
Original members of the Wailer Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer play their last gig together. The show is the Wonder Dream Concert in Kingston, Jamaica. The show was a benefit concert arranged by Stevie Wonder: October 5, 1975
After a hiatus beginning in 1983, The Who begins again by having Roger Daltrey announce that they will play a gig in Las Vegas: October 5, 1999
Stevie Wonder and Jimi Hendrix jam together BBC Radio’s show Top Gear: October 6, 1967
Rolling Stone Magazine names “We Built This City” by Starship “the worst song of the ’80s” after taking a poll. Why, Grace Slick, why??: October 6, 2011