This Day in Rock History: March 1
March 1 is a truly special day in the rock calendar, with huge names like Queen, Pink Floyd, and Elton John celebrating major career moments. We’ll cover all of these,…
March 1 is a truly special day in the rock calendar, with huge names like Queen, Pink Floyd, and Elton John celebrating major career moments. We'll cover all of these, and all other rock-related events that happened today, on today's review of this day in rock history.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Two of the biggest names in music history had important career milestones on this day. They are:
- 1968: Elton John released his debut single, "I've Been Loving You," via Phillips Records. It was fully written by Elton, but he credited the lyrics to his longtime songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin, in an effort to help him earn his first publishing royalties.
- 1975: The Eagles' song "Best of My Love" reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It was the band's first of five No. 1 singles and also topped the charts in Canada.
Cultural Milestones
One of the most iconic frontmen and one of the most popular bands in music history share a birthday. They are:
- 1944: The Who frontman Roger Daltrey was born in East Acton, London, England. He met future Who bandmembers Pete Townshend and John Entwistle while they were still in school and went on to sell over 100 million records worldwide.
- 1971: Bass player John Deacon officially joined Queen, marking the formation of the band's final lineup consisting of him, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, and Roger Taylor. They had been playing with different temporary bassists until then, and their first show in their classic lineup was a few months later, on July 2, at Surrey College, UK.
Notable Recordings and Performances
March 1 is also the anniversary of one of the most popular albums of all time, and we also remember Nirvana's last-ever show.
- 1973: Pink Floyd released The Dark Side of the Moon album via Capitol Records in the US and Harvest Records in the UK. It was revolutionary both from the musical standpoint and as a concept album tackling complex issues like mental health, conflict, and the passing of time, and has sold over 45 million copies worldwide since.
- 1994: Unbeknownst to anyone in the crowd or on stage, Nirvana played their final ever concert, at Terminal Einz in Munich, Germany. The 80-minute show was attended by around 3,000 fans as part of the band's European tour to promote their In Utero album, but was marred by technical issues and Kurt Cobain's obvious health struggles.
From the early debuts of legends like Elton and Queen to Nirvana's final farewell, these are the March 1 events that helped shape rock's trajectory. Visit us again tomorrow to discover the most important things that happened on that day in rock history.
