On September 25, 1980, Led Zeppelin’s hard-partying drummer, John Bonham, died at the age of 32. Regarded as one of the greatest drummers of all time, Bonham was known for his epic velocity, power, and versatility as a percussionist. A founding member of Led Zeppelin, the self-taught drummer influenced countless artists, including Dave Grohl, Neil Peart, Tommy Lee, and Chad Smith. After Bonham’s death, Led Zeppelin chose to call it quits to honor their bandmate, rather than find a new drummer. In a press release, they explained, “We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were.”
In 1990, 21-year-old drummer Dave Grohl auditioned for Nirvana and was instantly given the job. Frontman Kurt Cobain first met the drummer when he was touring with the band Scream. In an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, sound engineer Craig Montgomery recalled the moment. “Kurt said, ‘That’s the kind of drummer we need.’ Dave had an energy that was hard to miss…He seemed like a good fit for what they were doing.”
In 1964, The Temptations began recording their enduring soul hit, “My Girl,” at Motown’s “Hitsville USA” studios. Written and produced by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Ronald White, the song became the Temptations’ first US No.1 single.
In 1982, Queen made their one and only appearance on Saturday Night Live, performing “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Under Pressure.” Famously, singer Freddie Mercury blew out his voice earlier in the day and barely recovered in time for the show.
In 1993, Nirvana scored their first No.1 album in the UK with In Utero. The band’s third and final album also topped the charts in the US.
In 2017, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performed what would be their final show at the Hollywood Bowl. The concert, which concluded the band’s 40th-anniversary reunion tour, ended with “American Girl.” Petty passed away a week later at 66.
BORN ON SEPTEMBER 25
1930: Shel Silverstein (Poet, Songwriter)
1946: Bryan MacLean (Love)
1955: Zucchero
1968: Will Smith
1969: Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Guitarist)
1980: T.I.
1983: Donald Glover (Childish Gambino)
Highway 22 will be detoured from Litchfield to Eden Valley beginning October 6th, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Through traffic will be routed to Highway 24, Meeker County Road 34, and Highway 55 so that crews can replace a culvert just north of 355th Street. The project is expected to be completed by October 17th, depending on weather and other unforeseeable circumstances.
Dragon Week is being observed this week in the Litchfield School District. The week, which traditionally is better-known as homecoming, has included all kinds of daily activities and special sporting events.
Superintendent Susan Burris says there was a volleyball game Tuesday night and there will be swimming this evening and a football game Friday night. She says the coronation is tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 and a dance is scheduled for Saturday evening.
Burris says the Litchfield School Board met on Monday evening and heard a report about the MCA scores from District Assessment Coordinator Steph Hansen, and overall, the results were positive with Litchfield students above the state average in most categories. She says the Board approved of the preliminary levy which will decrease slightly from the previous year and the final levy will be adopted in December.
Burris says the Litchfield School Board approved of a piece of equipment for the Career & Tech Ed Department. She says it will provide students with hands-on learning and they will be able to sell items that they produce with proceeds going back into the program’s fund much like the profits that were made when the construction technology students would build a house each year.
Burris says she provided enrollment information to the Litchfield School Board Monday evening which showed the District gaining 11 students this month compared to last May. She says she also thanked the school board members for their time and service and the LEA provided a light meal for them prior to their meeting.
