Throwback Thursday: The Final Performance of The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Throwback Thursday: The Final Performance of The Jimi Hendrix Experience

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On this day in 1969, The Jimi Hendrix Experience played their final public performance at the Denver Pop Festival in Colorado. The rock band, which formed in London in 1966, consisted of Jimi Hendrix as lead vocals, songwriter, and guitarist; Noel Redding as backing vocals and bassist; and Mitch Mitchell on drums. From 1966 through 1969, The Jimi Hendrix Experience released three successful studio albums, several hit singles (“Purple Haze,” “Hey Joe,” and their cover of Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”) and popularized psychedelic rock, channeling the style and energy of the 1960’s counterculture. They became notorious in the US after their performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in June of 1967, where Hendrix ended the set by lighting his Fender Stratocaster on fire. However, relations between Hendrix and bassist Redding soon began to deteriorate, and after their appearance at the Denver Pop Festival in June of 1969, Redding left the trio. After Redding’s departure, Hendrix and Mitchell expanded the band, sometimes still referred to as The Jimi Hendrix Experience (and sometimes as Gypsy Sun and Rainbows), performing at Woodstock in August of that same year. However, more arguments and bandmate shuffling plagued the group, until Hendrix himself died of a drug overdose in September of 1970. In 1992 the Jimi Hendrix Experience was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Throwback Thursday: Little Stevie Wonder

Throwback Thursday: Little Stevie Wonder

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On this day in 1963, a 13-year old Stevie Wonder (then known as Little Stevie Wonder) made his US singles chart debut with “Fingertips Parts One and Two.” Born blind, Wonder was a musical prodigy, mastering the harmonica, the drums, and piano by the age of eight. A Detroit native, Wonder was signed to Motown Records in 1961 at the age of eleven. “Fingertips Parts One and Two” was recorded during a live Motor Town Revue performance and features a young Marvin Gaye on drums. It was the first live, non-studio recording to reach Number 1 on the singles chart in the US since 1952.

Throwback Thursday: Nirvana releases their first album, “Bleach”

Throwback Thursday: Nirvana releases their first album, “Bleach”

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On this day in 1989, the Godfathers of Grunge, Nirvana, released their debut studio album, “Bleach.” Kurt Cobain claimed that most of the album’s lyrics were written the night before it was to be recorded in Seattle, and that he was feeling “pissed off” while writing. The title for the album was inspired by public health posters urging drug users to bleach their needles (“Bleach Your Works.”) At the time, the band was still defining their signature sound, borrowing heavily from influences in dirge-rock, punk rock, and heavy metal. “Bleach” was well received by critics, but it wasn’t a commercial success. Interest in the band’s debut album peaked after the release of “Nevermind” in 1991.

 

Throwback Thursday: “Da Doo Ron Ron”

Throwback Thursday: “Da Doo Ron Ron”

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On this day in 1963, the classic pop single written and produced by infamous record producer, Phil Spector, “Da Doo Ron Ron,” peaked at number 3 on the US singles chart. The song, released in March, was performed by The Crystals, a prominent act in the “Girl Group Era” of the early 1960’s. The Crystals were well known before the single, but “Da Doo Ron Ron,” as well as “Then He Kissed Me,” also written and produced by Spector and released in July of that same year, made the group a household name. For the composition of “Da Doo Ron Ron,” Spector used his signature production technique. By using a multi-track recording system, Spector was able to build the song in layers, ultimately achieving a result he called a “Wall of Sound.” This “Wall of Sound,” created by a large ensemble of musicians, resulted in fuller, more dense harmonies, and therefore, ensured more engaging music for AM radio play and jukeboxes.

Throwback Thursday: The Rolling Stones Begin Their First US Tour

Throwback Thursday: The Rolling Stones Begin Their First US Tour

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On this day in 1964, The Rolling Stones landed in New York City to embark on their first U.S. Tour, which would run from June 5th-20th. The tour was in support of their first album, “The Rolling Stones,” which featured early hits such as “Route 66” and “Can I Get a Witness.” The album remained #1 on U.K. charts for 12 weeks. Along with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones were at the forefront of the “British Invasion” of English rock bands to take the U.S. by storm, identifying with the emerging counterculture that began to develop in the early 1960’s. However, this first tour was not a success: at the time, the band had yet to have their big break in the U.S., and television personalities mocked their appearance and performances. It wouldn’t be until the following year, with the success of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” that the band would become a household name.