Every day on Radio Nova, just before 11am, we play a couple of songs key to “today in music history” Have a listen! But for now – here’s some light reading and watching. August 31st in Music History looks like this.
1968, Decca Records released what has been called The Rolling Stones most political song, ‘Street Fighting Man’ written after Mick Jagger attended a March 1968 anti-war rally at London’s US embassy.
1976 George Harrison was found guilty of ‘subconscious plagiarism’ of the Ronnie Mack song ‘He’s So Fine’ when writing ‘My Sweet Lord’. Earnings from the song were awarded to Mack’s estate; The Chiffons then recorded their own version of ‘My Sweet Lord’
1984 ‘Purple Rain’ the movie-starring Prince opened at cinemas. The film grossed more than US $80 million at the box office and became a cult classic.
1986 Bob Geldof and Paula Yates said “I Do” in Las Vegas with Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon as the best man.
1990, at Stevie Ray Vaughn’s memorial, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Wonder sang ‘Amazing Grace’. Stevie had been killed in a helicopter crash 4 days earlier.
2007, Hilly Kristal, founder of the New York punk club CBGB died with lung cancer at 75. Kristal was credited with discovering Patti Smith and the Ramones as his club became a breeding ground for punk rock in the 70’s.
Van Morrison has a birthday day today, as does Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze.
Check out the weekly Podcast. Marty Miller’s This Week in Music History.
