This Day in Music
On August 12, 1964, The Beatles’ first film A Hard Day’s Night opened in movie theaters across the US. Captured at the height of Beatlemania, the film blurred fiction with reality, with the bandmembers playing themselves. A massive critical and commercial success, A Hard Day’s Night earned two Academy Award nominations and inspired countless films, TV shows, and, decades later, music videos.
Two years later, in 1966, The Beatles performed at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago. It would be the first stop on their final US tour. The Ronettes, Bobby Hebb, Cyrkle, and the Remains were the support acts for the two-show appearance.
In 1989, the Moscow Music Peace Festival began at Russia’s Lenin Stadium. The two-day event was particularly momentous, as it marked the first time that a Soviet-era audience could stand up and dance (previously, they were required to remain seated). Among the performers were Mötley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, Bon Jovi, Skid Row, and The Scorpions.
In 1986, Prince played his first UK concert at London’s Wembley Arena. The three-night residency marked the first stop on the artist’s European Parade Tour.
In 1968, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham played together for the first time during a rehearsal at a studio in London’s West End. Within a month, they would start using the band name Led Zeppelin.
In 2009, guitarist Les Paul (born Lester William Polsfuss) died at the age of 94. In addition to scoring several hits with his wife, Mary Ford, Paul was vital to the development of rock music. The musician not only helped to create one of the first solid-body electric guitars (the Gibson Les Paul, which went on sale in 1952), but he was also an innovator behind the console, credited with the development of multi-track recording and overdubbing.
In 1984, Lionel Richie closed out the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles with a showstopping nine-minute performance of his hit “All Night Long.” The memorable appearance transformed the Commodores alum into a solo sensation across the globe.
In 2012, meanwhile, a cross-generational lineup of British stars performed at the London Olympics’ closing ceremony. The three-hour concert included sets by Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen, the Spice Girls, George Michael, Take That, One Direction, The Who, The Pet Shop Boys, Liam Gallagher, and Ray Davies, among others.
BORN ON AUGUST 12
1927: Porter Wagoner (singer and TV host)
1929: Buck Owens
1949: Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits)
1953: Jerry Speiser (Men At Work)
1954: Pat Metheny
1961: Roy Hay (Culture Club)
1963: Sir Mix-A-Lot
