This Day in Music
On this day in music – August 1, 1971 – George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh took place at New York’s Madison Square Garden. While star-studded benefit concerts would become a common occurrence over the next decade, The Concert for Bangladesh marked the very first event of its kind. Organized by the Beatles alum, alongside Ravi Shankar, the event raised funds and awareness for victims of famine and war in the South Asian country. Over two shows, 40,000 attendees enjoyed a supergroup of players, including Leon Russell, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Billy Preston, members of Badfinger, and Harrison’s former bandmate, Ringo Starr. Recordings of the concert would top the UK chart the following year and earn Harrison a Grammy Award.
Two years earlier, in 1969, the Atlantic City Pop festival kicked off in New Jersey, just two weeks before Woodstock. Taking place at the Atlantic City Race Track, the three-day event featured performances from some of music’s biggest names, including Creedence Clearwater Revival, Little Richard, Janis Joplin, Santana, The Byrds, The Mothers of Invention, Joe Cocker, Procol Harum, and Joni Mitchell, who abruptly ended her set after three songs. Allegedly, she was frustrated at the crowd’s lack of attention.
On this day in 1963, the very first edition of Beatles Monthly was published. The fan zine would continue until 1969, following the breakup of the Fab Four, with 77 total editions and a peak circulation of more than 350,000 copies per month.
In 1970, the cult classic Performance premiered in London. The stylish movie, filmed during the height of the swinging sixties, starred Rolling Stones frontman, Mick Jagger, as well as “it girl” Anita Pallenberg, the longtime romantic partner of Keith Richards.
In 1971, Sonny and Cher’s variety show, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, premiered on CBS. The show, which featured a mixture of musical performances, banter between the (soon-to-be-former) couple, and sketch comedy, would be hugely popular in the US throughout its run.
Finally, on this day in music in 1987, teenagers across Europe rejoiced as MTV Europe premiered on the continent. The first video? Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing,” which includes the ironic (and iconic) lyric, “I want my MTV.”
BORN ON AUGUST 1
1942: Jerry Garcia (The Grateful Dead)
1959: Joe Elliot (Def Leppard)
1960: Chuck D
1963: Coolio
1964: Adam Duritz (Counting Crows)
1968: Dan Donegan (Disturbed)
1981: Ashley Parker (O-Town)
