Rock 'n' Roll History for
June 17
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1933
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June 17
21-year-old Gladys Love Smith marries 17-year-old Vernon Elvis Presley. On January 8th, 1935, she would give birth to Elvis Aaron Presley and a stillborn identical twin named Jesse Garon Presley.
1955
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June 17
After a month of booking gigs in larger venues in Dallas and Houston, Colonel Tom Parker arranges a meeting with Elvis Presley's manager, Bob Neal, which results in an agreement that will see the Colonel handle Presley's show dates and career strategy from now on.
1957
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June 17
Billboard magazine discontinues the Most Played in Jukeboxes chart, as the popularity of jukeboxes was on the decline and radio stations were incorporating more and more Rock 'n' Roll into their play lists.
1963
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June 17
The Rolling Stones released their first UK single, a cover of Chuck Berry's "Come On", which would peak at #21.
1964
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June 17
Jay And The Americans record the Tex-Mex hit, "Come A Little Bit Closer". It would climb to #3 in the US by the following November, becoming the biggest of the band's ten Billboard Top 40 hits.
1965
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June 17
The Kinks and
The Moody Blues make their US concert debut at the Academy of Music in New York.
1967
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June 17
The LP "Sounds Like...." by Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass hit #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It was produced by Alpert and Jerry Moss, and was the group's 8th studio album. The best-known song from this collection may be the Burt Bacharach composition that was used as the title theme for the 1967 James Bond spoof Casino Royale.
June 17
Three weeks after being issued in the UK, The Hollies' "Carrie Ann" is released in America, where it will reach #9. A shy tribute to Marianne Faithfull, the song features a steelpan solo, likely the first use of the instrument on a Pop record.
1968
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June 17
The Ohio Express are awarded a Gold record for their Bubble Gum hit, "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy". It had reached #4 in the US and #5 in the UK.
1969
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June 17
RCA Records releases Elvis Presley's "Clean Up Your Own Back Yard", which was featured in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film The Trouble with Girls (and How to Get into It). Written by Mac Davis and Billy Strange, the single would climb to #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #21 on the UK Singles Chart.
1972
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June 17
Keyboardist Ron (Pigpen) McKernan played his final gig with the
Grateful Dead at the Hollywood Bowl. He would die the following March of alcohol-induced liver failure and internal bleeding.
June 17
The Rolling Stones' album "Exile On Main Street" hits the top of the Billboard 200 chart for the first of a four week stay. In 2003, Mick Jagger was quoted as saying, "Exile is not one of my favorite albums, although I think the record does have a particular feeling. I'm not too sure how great the songs are, but put together it's a nice piece."
1973
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June 17
Joe Saylers, business manager for Three Dog Night and Steppenwolf, is shot in the arm after a confrontation with two strangers in his West Hollywood apartment.
1977
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June 17
Three years after the break-up of his former band, Traffic, Steve Winwood releases his self-titled debut album. The effort, which contained only six songs, would reach #12 on the UK's Official Charts and #22 on the Billboard 200. It included no hit singles.
1978
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June 17
Personal problems prevented Grace Slick from going on stage with
Jefferson Starship at a concert in St. Goarhausen, West Germany. Fans rioted, causing more than $1 million in damage. Two days later, Slick quit the Starship and Marty Balin took over as lead vocalist.
June 17
Andy Gibb became the first solo artist in the history of Billboard's Hot 100 to have his first three releases reach number one when "Shadow Dancing" hit the top of the chart. Since then, Michael Jackson had four number ones in a row and Mariah Carey had five. "Shadow Dancing" would be the best selling single in the US in 1978, but was only a #42 hit in the UK.
1980
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June 17
Led Zeppelin begins three week's worth of shows in Europe. It will prove to be the group's last tour.
1987
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June 17
A St. Petersburg, Florida real estate agent named Vittoria Holman sued Motley Crue and a concert promoter for hearing loss allegedly incurred at a concert in December 1985. Holman and her daughter had front row seats less than 10 feet (3 meters) from a wall of speakers. The case was settled out of court when the band's insurance company paid Holman over $30,000.
1989
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June 17
Ringo Starr announces that he will tour again as Ringo And The All-Starr Band. Members of the group include Clarence Clemons, Joe Walsh, Dr. John, Billy Preston and The Band's Levon Helm and Rick Danko.
1995
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June 17
Rod Stewart sets an attendance record at Wembley Stadium in London when 83,000 fans attend his concert. The record would stand until 2009, when U2 draws 88,000 on their 360 tour.
1997
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June 17
Ozzy Osbourne canceled his solo set and his reunion with Black Sabbath, scheduled for an Ozzfest tour stop at the Polaris Amphitheatre near Columbus, Ohio. Osbourne claimed he had lost his voice. Other groups on the bill performed as scheduled but disappointed fans set fires and damaged the outdoor facility. Twenty-three people were arrested and three were slightly hurt. Osbourne and Black Sabbath played a make-up date two weeks later.
1999
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June 17
British shock-rocker David 'Screaming Lord' Sutch was found dead at his London home after he apparently hanged himself. He was 58.
2007
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June 17
62 year old Rod Stewart married his girlfriend of nearly seven years, 36 year old Penny Lancaster in a small town just outside the Italian Riviera resort of Portofino. The couple, whose son was a year and half old, were wed during a private ceremony attended by a small gathering of family and friends.
June 17
The Traveling Wilburys' "Collection" rose to the top of the UK album chart. The Wilburys consisted of George Harrison, (Nelson Wilbury), Jeff Lynne, (Otis Wilbury), Roy Orbison, (Lefty Wilbury), Tom Petty, (Charlie T. Wilbury Jr.) and Bob Dylan, (Lucky Wilbury).
2009
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June 17
60-year-old Billy Joel and his third wife, 27-year-old Katie Lee Joel announced that were splitting up after nearly five years of marriage. Joel's nine-year union with model Christie Brinkley ended in 1994. His nine-year marriage to Elizabeth Weber, for whom he wrote "Just The Way You Are", ended in 1982. It's believed that Billy had a prenuptial agreement to protect the millions his many hits have earned.
2015
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June 17
In an interview with Forbes magazine, former Cream drummer Ginger Baker had some unkind words for Led Zeppelin. "Jimmy's [Page] a good player, I don't think Led Zeppelin filled the void that Cream left, but they made a lot of money." About Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, Baker said that he wasn't "anywhere near what I am. He wasn't a musician." Baker also lashed out at the entire genre of Heavy Metal, saying "I loathe and detest Heavy Metal. I think it is an abortion."
2016
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June 17
In an event which could only be described as "surprising," 1980s Pop star Rick Astley scored his first U.K. #1 LP in 29 years with the album "50". The effort marked Astley's first studio album since 2005's "Portrait", which reached #26.
2017
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June 17
After a nearly three year delay, a 2.5 acre piece of land called Jimi Hendrix Park opened in Seattle's Central district. Within walking distance from the legendary guitarist's childhood home, the park features plaques detailing Hendrix's life and Hendrix-inspired sculptures.
June 17
An 50th anniversary edition of The Beatle's "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" LP returned to the Top Ten of the Billboard 200 chart when it came in at #3.
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