Today in rock history 9th February

1964 – The Beatles make their American TV debut live on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” 1970 – The No. 1 LP in the U.K. today is Led Zeppelin II. 1972 – Paul McCartney plays the first date of an English hit-and-run tour with his new group Wings. The band performs an unannounced concert at Nottingham University. Wings then proceed to travel around the country in a bus, asking the social secretaries of universities they visit if they can play their hall that evening. 1973 – Max Yasgur the owner of the Woodstock farm where the 1969 festival was held died of a heart attack aged 53. 1981 – Rock `n’ roll pioneer Bill Haley of the Comets dies of a heart attack at his home in Harlingen, Texas. 1986 – Pete Townshend, Chrissie Hynde and The Communards played a charity show at London’s Albert Hall for the victims of a volcanic eruption in Colombia 1990 – Nirvana set out on a short west coast tour opening for Dinosaur Jr. at the Pine Street Theater, Portland, Oregon. 1992 – Touring Australia and New Zealand for the first and only time Nirvana appeared at the Logan Campbell Center in Auckland, New Zealand. 1997 – Brian Connolly singer with the 1970’s Glam rock group Sweet died of kidney and liver failure aged 47. 1999 – Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, his Roswell Records label, EMI Entertainment World and EMI Virgin Songs file suit against Miramax in California, accusing the Disneyowned indie of unauthorized use of the Foo Fighters’ hit “Big Me” in trailers for the film Rounders. 2005 – The Who’s Roger Daltrey is made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace. 2009 – Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant took home five prizes for his collaboration with bluegrass singer Alison Krauss at this years Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles. 2012 – Paul McCartney debuts his new songs live on an iTunes stream