Today in rock history 31st August

1944 – Roger Dean, English artist is born. Designed album covers for Yes, Atomic Rooster, Uriah Heep, Gentle Giant, Greenslade, Steve Howe, Asia. 1945 – Van Morrison is born in Belfast, Ireland. 1948 - Rudolf Schenker-guitarist for The Scorpions is born 1965 – The Beatles’ current American tour winds up at San Francisco’s Cow Palace. 1967 – Four days after the death of Brian Epstein, the Beatles announce that they will now be handling their own managerial affairs. 1969 – During a North American tour Led Zeppelin appeared at the Texas International Pop Festival in Lewisville. Also on the bill: BB King, The Incredible String Band, Sam & Dave and Janis Joplin. 1974 – Rolling Stone Keith Richards was quoted as saying; ‘I gave up drugs when the doctor told me I had six months to live.’ 1974 – John Lennon testifies that President Richard Nixon tried to have him deported after he joined anti-war demonstrations outside the 1972 Republican National Convention. 1974 – The Rolling Stones release Goat’s Head Soup. It’s not remembered as one of their classics, but goes to No. 1 on the back of the hit single “Angie.” 1976 – A judge says George Harrison is guilty of “unconscious plagiarism.” The melody of his hit “My Sweet Lord” was deemed to be a little too close to the Chiffons’ “He’s So Fine” for comfort. 1991: Metallica’s self-titled album, also known as the Black Album entered the Billboard 200 Album Chart at number one for the first of four weeks on top of the chart. 1995 – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opens in Cleveland. 2003 – Poison vow to carry on with their tour after a fire in a transport trucks destroys their instruments and stage equipment. 2005 – Blondie and Public Enemy perform at a rally to save punk landmark CBGB, whose lease expires today. 2006 – The Times ran a story on the demands of rock stars when on tour. Ozzy Osbourne insists on an eye, ear, nose and throat doctor at each venue. The Beach Boys require a licensed masseur, Meat Loaf a mask and one small tank of oxygen. David Bowie requests that the dressing room temperature is between 14c and 18c and Paul McCartney must have a large arrangement of white Casablanca lilies in his dressing room. Mick Jagger must have an onstage autocue with the lyrics to all the songs, it would also tell him the name of the city in which they were performing. 2006 – Emo pin-ups Panic! at the Disco win Video of the Year at the MTV VMAs for “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.