Calendar Search Results: i was at
October 15, 1971 Rick Nelson (formerly Ricky) plays the "Rock & Roll Spectacular" concert at Madison Square Garden. When he plays some newer songs, the hit-hungry audience boos. Nelson writes the song "Garden Party" about the experience, and it becomes a hit, reviving his career.More
August 28, 1971 John Denver's first hit, "Take Me Home Country Roads," peaks at #2 on the Hot 100, held back by the Bee Gees' "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?" Denver's song, which endures as a singalong favorite, is about West Virgina, but he had never been there - the lyric was inspired by postcards his co-writer Bill Danoff received from a friend who lived in that state.
August 1, 1971 George Harrison hosts the Concert For Bangladesh, the first major charity concert and the precursor to Live Aid. Guests include Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston and Ringo Starr.More
July 3, 1971 Jim Morrison of The Doors is found dead in a bathtub in a Paris apartment at age 27. No autopsy is performed, and while drugs are suspected, the official cause is listed as "heart attack induced by respiratory problems."More
June 19, 1971 Carole King's album Tapestry hits #1 in the US, where it stays for 15 weeks.More
June 1, 1971 The two-room shack in Tupelo, Mississippi, where Elvis Presley was born is opened to the public as a tourist attraction.
May 2, 1971 It's day two of the Mayday protests, as demonstrators fed up with the war in Vietnam try to shut down the US government by blocking off streets and bridges in Washington, DC. Thousands of arrests are made, many to bystanders who have nothing to do with the protest. At the foot of the Washington Monument, where much of the action is taking place, Jonathan Edwards performs his new song, "Sunshine." As the arrests continue, he plays the song over and over, "because there's no better song for the soundtrack of that movie."
March 26, 1971 The Rolling Stones' lips and tongue logo appears for the first time when it is used on VIP passes for their show at the Marquee Club in London.More
February 27, 1971 Janis Joplin's album Pearl hits #1 in the US, where it stays for nine weeks. Joplin died of a heroin overdose three months before the album was released.More
February 10, 1971 Carole King releases Tapestry, a singer-songwriter landmark that becomes one of the most successful and influential albums ever made.More
January 2, 1971 George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, his first album released after the breakup of The Beatles, begins a seven-week run at the top of the US albums chart.More
December 21, 1970 Music and politics collide when Elvis Presley meets President Richard Nixon at the White House. A famous photo of the two shaking hands horrifies many Elvis fans.More
November 21, 1970 The Partridge Family's "I Think I Love You" hits #1 for the first of three weeks. It's the first single from the group, which was created for the TV series The Partridge Family. David Cassidy, the breakout star of the show, is the lead singer on the track and he really does sing, unlike all the other cast members except Shirley Jones, who sings backup.
November 18, 1970 After 13 years of marriage, Jerry Lee Lewis divorces Myra Gale Brown, the daughter of his bass-player cousin who was just 13 when they wed. She later claims that they spent just three nights together during their marriage. Lewis takes up abstinence and sobriety, but abandons that lifestyle after a few months.
October 12, 1970 Jesus Christ Superstar opens on Broadway, telling the story of the last seven days in the life of Jesus.More
October 4, 1970 Janis Joplin is found dead at the Landmark Hotel in Los Angeles after a heroin overdose. She was just 27.More
September 18, 1970 Jimi Hendrix is found dead in his basement. He had taken nine pills of the barbiturate Vesparax, that along with alcohol, caused a fatal overdose.More
August 25, 1970 The little-known 23-year-old singer Elton John plays his first live show in the United States, co-headlining with the singer/songwriter David Ackles at The Troubadour in West Hollywood. The show gets rave reviews, giving him a huge career boost in America.More
July 4, 1970 Casey Kasem debuts the radio show American Top 40, where he counts down the Billboard hits (the #1 song: "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" by Three Dog Night). He hosts the show until 2004, when Ryan Seacrest takes over.More
June 27, 1970 The group Smile change their name to Queen and perform for the first time under that moniker.More
June 21, 1970 Art Garfunkel makes his acting debut in the movie Catch-22. Paul Simon was also slated for a role in the film, but was dropped, leading to a rift that broke up Simon & Garfunkel.
May 16, 1970 The Who release their acclaimed album Live At Leeds in America. It was recorded three months earlier at the University of Leeds in England.
May 4, 1970 Later memorialized in the Neil Young song "Ohio," the Ohio National Guard fires on protesters at Kent State University, killing four students, two of whom weren't even protesting. This shameful event in American history leads to the formation of Devo, as Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale are both on campus and horrified by the events.More
April 10, 1970 In publicity materials released to promote his first solo album, McCartney, Paul McCartney indicates that he's done with The Beatles. Paul's comments in the press release are considered official confirmation that the band has broken up.More
January 31, 1970 Slim Harpo, a blues singer who was an influence on The Rolling Stones and many other acts, dies at age 46.
January 26, 1970 The Simon & Garfunkel album Bridge Over Troubled Water is released, with the title track simultaneously issued as a single.More
January 4, 1970 The Who's Keith Moon accidentally runs over his chauffeur, Neil Boland, killing him. Apparently, Moon's car was under attack from some unruly teenagers, and when Boland jumped out to get them to move, Moon, in a panic, got behind the wheel to drive the car away himself. Unfortunately, the crowd had since pushed Boland under the car.
December 15, 1969 John Lennon and Yoko Ono launch the "War Is Over" campaign with billboards declaring peace around the world.More
December 6, 1969 Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye," the ultimate "see ya later" song, hits #1 in America.More
November 7, 1969 After Life magazine tracks down Paul McCartney at his farm in Scotland, they put him on the cover with his family, dispelling the "Paul is dead" rumors with the headline, "Paul Is Still With Us."More
©2026 Songfacts®, LLC