Today in rock history: on this date in 1970, the final Beatles album, Let It Be, was released. Coming a short time after the band had publicly announced its breakup, the release, although highly anticipated, this was a bittersweet one for fans of the band. Featuring the hit singles "The Long and Winding Road" as well as the title track, the album was another huge success for the band as all their previous ones had been, peaking at the no. 1 spot on the Billboard album charts. The album was produced by legendary producer and arranger Phil Spector and features contributions from songwriter and keyboardist Billy Preston who, at the time, was being referred to as the "fifth Beatle" for the musical accompaniment he was providing the band at the time.
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On this date in 1965, the filming of the promotional film for Bob Dylan’s "Subterranean Homesick Blues" took place at the side of the Savoy Hotel in London, England. In the short film, Dylan flips through a stack of large cue cards that reference lyrics and phrases from the song itself. Appearing in the background while Dylan silently scrolls through the cards while the song plays were poet Allen Ginsberg and folk singer Bob Neuwirth. The original clip was actually the opening segment of director D. A. Pennebaker's film, "Don't Look Back", a documentary on Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of England.
Born on this date in 1911 in Hazlehurst, Mississippi: Blues legend, Robert Johnson. Johnson passed away at the age of 27 but left behind a musical legacy that has influenced countless musicians, writers and artists.
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This article appears in May 4-11, 2017.