October 4 Rock And Roll History

We've got trivia about your favorite classic hits right here.

On this day in 1961, Bob Dylan played a debut at Carnegie Hall to an audience of 53 people, most of which were his friends. He made $20 from the performance.

In 1968, Led Zeppelin appeared at the Mayfair Ballroom in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, for the first night of their U.K. club tour. They were credited as The Yardbirds featuring Jimmy Page, and were supported by Terry Reid's fantasia. This club was a regular venue for rising acts. Before it was torn down in 2000, banks like Pink Floyd, Mott the Hoople, and AC/DC performed there.

In 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Green River" ran at the top of the U.S. album chart for a month, thus becoming the group's first #1 album. The LP also had two of the band's biggest hits "Bad Moon Rising" and "Green River," and in 2003 it was ranked at #95 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

In 1975 on this day, Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" went to #1 on the U.K. chart. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," which was included on the album as a tribute to former member Syd Barrett, also went to #1 in the U.S. To get the shot for the album's cover, which depicts two men shaking hands while one of their suits is on fire, stuntman Ronnie Rondell wore a fire-retardant suit under a business suit. During the shoot, the wind was blowing in the wrong direction, and the flames from his suit singed off Rondell's mustache. The two switched places, and the image was reversed later.

In 1980, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac presented the University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band with a Platinum record for their collaboration on "Tusk." 

Also in 1980, Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" started their three-week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart.

And in 2007, The Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang tour set a new record for the top grossing tour of all time. The tour ran from late 2005 to August 2007 and earned the band £247m, (the equivalent of $437m). The Stones played 113 shows to over 3.5 million people. Prior to this, the highest grossing tour was U2's Vertigo tour, which took place from 2005-2006.