Today in rock history 4th August

1940 – Born on this day, Larry Knechtel, guitar, Keyboards, Bread 1963 – The Beatles appeared at the Queen’s Theatre in Blackpool. So many fans crowded around the theatre, blocking every entrance, that The Beatles had to go through a construction area, up and across some scaffolding to the roof of the theatre, from where they were lowered through a trap door. 1965 – Bob Dylan completes recording Highway 61 Revisited after laying down “Desolation Row” and “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues.” 1966 – Several American radio stations pull Beatles records from their playlists following John Lennon’s “more popular than Jesus” comment. 1968 – The two day Newport Pop Festival took place in California with Canned Heat, Sonny & Cher, Steppenwolf, The Byrds, The Grateful Dead, Tiny Tim, Iron Butterfly and Jefferson Airplane. Over 100,000 fans attended the festival. 1970 – After falling asleep on a woman’s porch in Los Angeles, Jim Morrison is arrested for public drunkenness. 1975 - Rainbow released their debut album Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow 1975 – Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant and his family are hospitalized after a car crash on the Greek island of Rhodes. 1979 – Led Zeppelin play to 120,000 people at Knebworth Park in England. It’s their first concert in the U.K. in four years. 1979 – Some 20,000 people attend a benefit in Inglewood, Calif., for the family of the late Lowell George. Among those paying tribute to the Little Feat frontman are Linda Ronstadt, Michael McDonald, and Jackson Browne. 1980 – Pink Floyd kick off five nights of the Wall tour at London’s Earls Court. During the ambitious show, a giant wall is built across the stage between the band and the audience. 1980 – John Lennon began recording what would become his final album ‘Double Fantasy’ at The Hit Factory, New York. 1984 – Genesis drummer and solo artist Phil Collins marries Jill Tavelman. At the reception, Collins “jams” with Eric Clapton and Robert Plant. 1990 - Billy Idol peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Cradle of Love” which was Idol’s last top forty single in the U.S. 2002 – Bruce Springsteen scored his fifth UK No.1 album with ‘The Rising’, also No.1 in the US. 2003 – Jack White posts graphic video footage of his hand operation on the White Stripes’ Web site. The guitarist had to have three screws implanted to set the bones in his hand after a July car accident. 2003 – Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic announces on the Eyes Adrift Web site that he’s quitting the music business, although he will continue to play music with his band. 2012 – Marshall Tucker Band guitarist Stuart Swanlund died in his sleep at home in Chicago.