Rock 'n' Roll History for
March 28


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1958 - ClassicBands.com

March 28
Eddie Cochran records "Summertime Blues" at Gold Star Recording Studios in Hollywood, California. Along with all the guitar parts, he also added the hand clapping to the track, while Connie 'Guybo' Smith played the electric bass and Earl Palmer sat in on drums. Originally released as the B-side to "Love Again", the song peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 29th, 1958, and #18 on the UK Singles Chart. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and was ranked #73 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

1964 - ClassicBands.com

March 28
Wax figures of The Beatles are unveiled at Madame Tussauds Museum in London. The statues were later loaned out to the group for the cover photo of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".

March 28
Jan And Dean's double sided hit, "Dead Man's Curve" / "New Girl in School" enters the US chart where it will rise to #8.

1966 - ClassicBands.com

March 28
London Records releases The Rolling Stones' compilation album, "Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass)". The LP focused on songs issued from 1964 and 1965, along with two new tunes: the recent "19th Nervous Breakdown" and the re-recorded "Time Is on My Side" with a guitar intro. The album reached #3 on the Billboard 200 during a 99 week stay and went on to sell over two million copies. A UK version was released on November 4, 1966 by Decca Records and hit #4 on the UK Albums Chart.

March 28
The debut album by Nancy Sinatra, "Boots" was released on Reprise Records. Produced by Lee Hazlewood, the LP would peak at #5 on the Billboard 200 chart on the strength of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. The disc would be certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000 copies in November of the same year. Although not credited, Nancy was backed by members of The Wrecking Crew.

1967 - ClassicBands.com

March 28
Van Morrison records "Brown Eyed Girl", which will enter the Billboard chart next August and rise to #10. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007. Because of the contract he signed with Bang Records which made him liable for virtually all recording expenses, Morrison has said that he has never received any royalties for writing or recording the song.

1970 - ClassicBands.com

March 28
John Lennon's "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)" hits its peak position of #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song would maintain that position for three weeks.

March 28
A Detroit band called Frijid Pink sees their cover version of The Animals' 1964 hit "House Of The Rising Sun" peak at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 during an eleven week run in the Top 40. The Michigan group's rendition actually sold over seven and half million records worldwide, while the British rocker's #1 hit sold about 750,000.

1971 - ClassicBands.com

March 28
Ed Sullivan took to the stage for the last time as the host of America's most popular variety show. The program's twenty-three year run on CBS would come to an end a few days later when producer Bob Precht got a call from CBS president Bob Wood, advising him that the show would not be back for another season. Sullivan did not take the news well, reportedly saying, "Well I'll be a son of a bitch... after all I've done for the network over the years." More than any other venue, Sullivan's show provided a springboard to stardom for many Rock 'n' Roll acts of the day, introducing Elvis Presley, The Beatles and many, many more to America. Comedian Alan King may have summed it up best when he earlier quipped, "Ed does nothing. But he does it better than anyone else on television."

1972 - ClassicBands.com

March 28
Grand Funk fires manager Terry Knight, who promptly sues them. After nearly two years of litigation the band ultimately won their separation from Knight, but at heavy financial cost.

1982 - ClassicBands.com

March 28
David Crosby of The Byrds and CSNY is arrested in San Diego for possession of drugs and a gun. When asked why he carried the gun, his reply was two words: "John Lennon."

1985 - ClassicBands.com

March 28
6,000 radio stations in the US and Canada simultaneously played "We Are the World", the fund raising song for African famine relief recorded by 45 superstar performers. Sales of the single, album, video and related merchandise initially raised more than $38 million US.

1996 - ClassicBands.com

March 28
Phil Collins announced he was leaving Genesis after twenty-five years. He joined the band as drummer after the departure of John Mayhew in 1970 and became lead singer when Peter Gabriel left five years later.

2000 - ClassicBands.com

March 28
Jimmy Page won an undisclosed amount in a lawsuit against the British publication, Ministry Magazine, which had claimed that the guitarist watched his drummer, John Bonham, die. Bonham had choked on his own vomit while sleeping and the magazine alleged that Page stood close by and cast a death spell while dressed in Satanic robes. The magazine also apologized and offered to pay Page's legal bills. The money awarded to Page was donated to the Action for Brazil's Children Trust.

2003 - ClassicBands.com

March 28
Rusty Draper, a Country and Pop singer who placed five songs in the Top 40 of the Billboard Top 100 chart between 1955 and 1957, died of pneumonia at the age of 80. Two of his hits, "The Shifting, Whispering Sands" and "Freight Train" cracked the Top 5. He continued to have minor hits on the Country chart through the 1960s and was one of the hosts of NBC's short-lived 1966 daytime TV series Swingin' Country.

2013 - ClassicBands.com

March 28
Country star Charlie Daniels was recovering after having a pacemaker implanted to regulate his heart rate. The 76-year-old "Devil Went Down To Georgia" singer was slated to resume his current tour in just a couple of weeks.



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