In 1973, 26-year-old singer-songwriter Gram Parsons died of a drug overdose in Joshua Tree, California. Known for his fusion of country, rock, folk, and R&B (what he coined “Cosmic American Music”), Parsons found success as a solo artist, as well as with groups like The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. Although his career was relatively short, Parsons’ influence was monumental, particularly with the development of alt-country in the following decades. In the days following his death, however, the intrigue surrounding Parsons only continued to grow, in what can only be described as rock’n’roll lore. As Parsons’ body was being prepared to be shipped to his family in Louisiana, the artist’s friend and tour manager, Phil Kaufman, intercepted the body at Los Angeles International Airport and, following his friend’s wishes, drove the body back to the desert, where he attempted to cremate it.
In 1970, the inaugural Glastonbury Festival took place in Somerset, England. 15,000 fans attended the event, where they caught performances by T-Rex, Al Stewart, Ian Anderson, and Quintessence.
In 1979, Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) kicked off a series of five star-studded concerts at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Organized primarily by Graham Nash, Jackson Brown, Bonnie Raitt, and John Hall, the concerts were later captured on the triple live album, No Nukes: The Muse Concerts For a Non-Nuclear Future. Bruce Springsteen, who was among the performers, would later release his performance as the 2021 live album, The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concert. Other performers included the Doobie Brothers, James Taylor, Chaka Khan, and Carly Simon.
In 1981, more than ten years after the final Simon & Garfunkel studio album, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunited for a concert in New York’s Central Park. The response was overwhelming, with 500,000 fans reportedly attending the show (the actual number has since been disputed). The 21-song performance was captured in the 1982 live album The Concert in Central Park and aired as a concert film on TV.
In 1993, Pearl Jam released their sophomore album, Vs. Given the massive success of its predecessor – 1991’s Ten – it was no surprise that the rock album set a new record for first-week sales and topped the Billboard 200 for five weeks. Despite the fact that the band declined to release any music videos around the album, they still found success with many of its singles, including the acoustic “Daughter.”
In 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival scored their one and only No.1 hit on the UK pop charts with “Bad Moon Rising.”
In 1998, Robbie Williams scored his first chart-topping hit in the UK with “Millennium.”
BORN ON SEPTEMBER 19
1934: Brian Epstein (Artist Manager)
1940: Bill Medley (The Righteous Brothers)
1943: Cass Elliot (Mamas and the Papas)
1952: Nile Rogers (Producer, Co-Founder of Chic)
1958: Lita Ford (The Runaways)
1963: Jarvis Cocker (Pulp)
1964: Trisha Yearwood
The annual Pumpkin Patch Festival at the Nelson Farm, south of Litchfield, will open on September 27th and will continue weekends – and during the MEA break – through October 26th. There will be some special weekend themes, including Grandparents Weekend Sept. 27th & 28th.
Don Nelson says grandparents will get $1 off of their admission when they bring a grandchild the first weekend. He says Bud & Marlys Larsen will be at the farm on October 4th & 5th with fiddle music; Dairy Industry Day is October 5th; and the final weekend – October 25th and 26th will be Military Appreciation weekend so active military members will get $2 off of admission.
Nelson says the pumpkin crop is pretty good even though the excess rain caused some of them to rot, but they planted more than usual this year. He says the corn maze this year will challenge your mind, and he had to put an electric fence around it this year to keep the deer out.
Nelson says there are 4 trebuchets on the farm – one which launches marbles, one that fires golf balls and two that send different sized pumpkins into the air. He says there are all kinds of other activities, foods and more and you can go to nelsonfarm.com to find more details.
There is more parking at the Nelson Farm this year for the Pumpkin Patch Festival. The farm is 3-and-a-half miles south of Litchfield on County-State-Aid-Highway 1. The Pumpkin Patch Festival is open Saturdays and during the MEA break from 11:01 a.m. to 5:01 p.m. and on Sundays from 12:01-to-5:01 p.m.
The Fallin Into Fun Fest will be taking place tomorrow in Litchfield. Saturday’s big event is from 10-to-3 in the downtown area.
Deana Wheeler from the Chamber office says the Litchfield Visitors Bureau is hoping that it brings lots of people into town. She says there will be a vendor/craft fair in Central Park with food trucks. She says 2nd Street will be closed from Sibley to Ramsey Avenues and there will be a business fair there – along with kid’s activities – including bouncy houses in the grassy area near the Rescue Hall.
Wheeler says Willis Chase will be in that area doing free caricatures. She says Sage, the Art Fox, will also be there doing classes for kids, some sidewalk chalk art and producing a large mural.
Wheeler says the Pumpkin on a Shelf event will be underway at 20 businesses in downtown Litchfield and when you’ve spotted the 20 pumpkins, you can turn in your “passport” for a prize drawing. She says you can also enter the $10 “Fallin’ Into 50/50” raffle for a chance to win a cash prize and you need not be present when the drawing is held at 2 p.m. More volunteers are needed to help with the Fallin’ Into Fun Fest, so if you’re willing to help, call 693-8184.
On September 18, 1970, Jimi Hendrix died tragically at London’s Samarkand Hotel. While the 27-year-old had only been in the spotlight for just four years, his imprint on rock music was mighty. His virtuosic guitar technique would inspire countless musicians, while his hits with The Jimi Hendrix Experience (including “Purple Haze,” “Hey Joe,” and “The Wind Cries Mary,”) continue to endure. A week before his death, Hendrix gave his final interview in his suite at the Cumberland Hotel in London, where he discussed a number of topics with Keith Altham, a journalist for Record Mirror. The duo dove into his thoughts on psychedelic music, his role as a guitar hero, and more, capturing Hendrix’s state of mind shortly before the end of his life.
In 1971, The Who scored their first and only UK No.1 album with Who’s Next. Released in August, the project emerged from the ashes of a scrapped rock opera, Lifehouse, which was slated to be the multimedia follow-up to 1969’s Tommy. Nevertheless, the album went on to become a critical darling and be considered one of The Who’s greatest LPs.
In 1993, Meat Loaf’s hard rock epic Bat Out Of Hell II reached No.1 on the UK album chart, a feat he would repeat five more times over the course of his career. The album was released sixteen years after the artist’s first solo album, Bat Out of Hell.
In 2014, Taylor Swift landed at the top of the US singles chart once again, thanks to the success of her hit, “Shake It Off.” The song was the lead single from 1989, which Swift marketed as her first pop album.
In 1983, KISS took to MTV to appear in public without their iconic makeup for the first time. While the hard rockers pulled off the stunt to promote their new album, Lick It Up, it also tripled the sales of their previous LP, Creatures of the Night.
In 1968, The Beatles recorded 20 takes of “Birthday.” The session had the band recruiting a number of friends and family: Roadie Mal Evans added handclaps, while Yoko Ono and Patti Harrison contributed backing vocals on the track.
BORN ON SEPTEMBER 18
1939: Frankie Avalon
1950: Michael Hossack (The Doobie Brothers)
1952: Dee Dee Ramone
1962: Joanne Catherall (The Human League)
1967: Ricky Bell (New Edition, Bell Biv DeVoe)
1988: Lukas Forchhammer (Lukas Graham)