Pick a Day

Music History Events: Recordings

April 23, 1995 The Sunday Times of London breaks the story that a welder in Liverpool named Peter Hodgson found a reel of Beatles material in his attic. The recordings turn out to be legit, as Hodgson's father had loaned the recorder to Paul McCartney. After hearing the recordings, McCartney buys the reel and uses some of it on the Anthology collection. Songs include the Lennon/McCartney original "Hello Little Girl" and the Ray Charles cover "Hallelujah, I Love Her So."

August 25, 1994 Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin reunite in a London studio to record the concert that becomes the MTV special Unledded.

November 18, 1993 Nirvana records an MTV Unplugged concert in New York. The show is shot in one take - imperfections and all - and is aired one month later.More

January 16, 1992 Eric Clapton goes acoustic, recording Eric Clapton Unplugged for MTV. The album wins six Grammy Awards, including Record Of The Year.

July 2, 1990 Tesla records their album Five Man Acoustical Jam live at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia. Their cover of "Signs" becomes a surprise hit and catalyzes an acoustic rock trend, with MTV's Unplugged series delving into more rock acts soon after.

January 28, 1985 With the stars in town for the American Music Awards, "We Are The World" is recorded in Los Angeles, with cameras rolling for the video.More

May 8, 1981 Lionel Richie and Diana Ross meet at a Reno, Nevada recording studio at 3:30 a.m., where they record vocals for "Endless Love," needed quickly so it can be inserted into the film of the same name. Richie flew in from Los Angeles; Ross drove up after her concert in Lake Tahoe. The song becomes one of the biggest hits of the decade.

April 23, 1981 Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, who are in Germany appearing at different festivals, join Johnny Cash on stage in Stuttgart for a performance that is recorded and released as the album The Survivors. The trio toured together back in 1957.

June 4, 1979 Fleetwood Mac record the USC Trojan Marching Band at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for use in their song "Tusk," the title track to their first album since Rumours. A film crew captures the action (including Stevie Nicks deftly twirling a baton) which is made into the video for the song.More

January 13, 1978 The Police start recording their debut album, Outlandos d'Amour. Their budget is just £1,500, which drummer Stewart Copeland borrowed from his brother, entertainment executive Miles Copeland III.

November 29, 1975 Neil Young records "Like a Hurricane" at the Broken Arrow Ranch in Woodside, California. The song is released a couple years later on American Stars 'n Bars. It remains a fan favorite and concert staple for the remainder of Young's career.

May 16, 1975 Kiss play the Cobo Arena, Detroit, recording it for some of their live album Alive!, their first Gold album. In September, Bob Seger records two concerts at Cobo for Live Bullet, his first Gold album.

May 6, 1973 Paul Simon begins his first tour as a solo artist, performing at Music Hall in Boston at a show that is recorded for his album Live Rhymin'.

January 13, 1973 Eric Clapton returns to the stage for the first time in about 18 months, playing the first of two all-star shows at the Rainbow Theater in London. Recorded as Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert, it also features Pete Townshend (of The Who); Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Ric Grech and Rebop Kwaku Baah (of Traffic); and Ronnie Wood (of Faces). Townshend helped set up the shows to get Clapton out of his drug-induced depression. A highlight of both shows is Clapton performing on "Layla."

March 12, 1971 The Allman Brothers Band play the first of two shows recorded for their seminal album Live At The Fillmore East.More

October 1, 1970 Janis Joplin makes her last recordings, singing "Mercedes Benz," which is included on her posthumous Pearl album a capella. She also records a goofy version of "Happy Trails" as a birthday present for John Lennon. Joplin dies three days later.

August 22, 1970 Derek & the Dominos begin recording their famous album, Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs. The band features Eric Clapton, who in an attempt to lay low, downplays his involvement.

February 14, 1970 After failing to get a suitable recording during their US tour, The Who play a standout show to 2,000 boisterous fans at Leeds University in England that becomes their classic album Live at Leeds.

January 26, 1970 John Lennon writes and records "Instant Karma" all in one day, calling in Phil Spector to produce the song.

November 27, 1969 The Rolling Stones record Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! at New York City's Madison Square Garden. In the audience is Jimi Hendrix, celebrating his 27th (and last) birthday.

November 26, 1969 John Lennon works on a Beatles song for the last time when he mixes "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" at Abbey Road Studios. The song is used as the B-side of their "Let It Be" single.

November 20, 1969 James Brown drags his road-weary band into King Studios in Cincinnati, where Clyde Stubblefield starts banging out a drum pattern. Brown makes it the basis of a song, which he calls "Funky Drummer." It's just a minor hit, but becomes one of the most samples songs in hip-hop.

June 1, 1969 John Lennon and Yoko Ono record "Give Peace A Chance" to close out their "bed-in" in Montreal.More

April 1, 1969 After playing on hits for the likes of Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, four session musicians start Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, where they record The Staple Singers, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart and The Rolling Stones.More

March 9, 1969 Wiggen sisters Dorothy, Helen, Betty, and Rachel record Philosophy of the World as The Shaggs. Numerous music critics and historians consider it the worst album ever recorded, but years later both Frank Zappa and Kurt Cobain call it one of their favorites ever made.More

January 13, 1968 Johnny Cash plays two shows for inmates at Folsom Prison in California. Unlike his previous prison concerts, they are recorded and packaged into his acclaimed live album At Folsom Prison.More

August 16, 1967 After playing a midnight show at the Tropicana in Las Vegas, Louis Armstrong heads to United Recording Studios, where he records "What a Wonderful World" in a session that ends around 6 a.m.

January 24, 1967 Aretha Franklin records her first Top 10 pop hit, "(I Never Loved A Man) The Way That I Love You," at a tumultuous session at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama where her husband gets into an altercation with one of the musicians.More

April 16, 1964 Needing one more song for his album, Dean Martin records "Everybody Loves Somebody," which his friend Frank Sinatra recorded in 1948 and several other singers tried in the '50s. Martin's version is the first to hit, and it hits big, knocking The Beatles off the top spot in August.

April 2, 1964 It's a big day for The Beach Boys, who record their first #1 hit, "I Get Around," and also fire their manager, Murry Wilson, who happens to be the father of three of the band members, including leader Brian Wilson, who feels his dad is hindering their progress with unwelcome critiques at their recording sessions.