Today in rock history: on this date in 2002, the world mourned as The Clash's lead singer, co-songwriter and spokesman Joe Strummer died as a result of a heart attack. At age 50, Strummer had already amassed an impressive body of work both with The Clash. A string of impressive solo albums earned him a warm reception by rock journalists as well as by longtime Clash fans. Sadly, The Clash was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in January 2003, a month after Joe's surprising and untimely death. A memorial fund was created in the memory of the charismatic lead singer to offer support for musicians and musical projects around the globe. The Joe Strummer Foundation (once called Strummerville) focuses on the importance of empowerment through music, a concept that was near and dear to Joe Strummer throughout his existence.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1962, "Telstar," the space-age pop instrumental track from British band The Tornadoes became the first record by an English pop band to ever top the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Produced and written by ace record producer Joe Meek, the song was named after the Telstar communication satellite that was sent into orbit in the summer of 1962. "Telstar" remained on American singles charts for a total of 16 weeks and held the No. 1 spot for three of those weeks.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1948, Rick Nielsen was born in Elmhurst, Illinois. As the founder, chief songwriter and lead guitarist of the great American rock band Cheap Trick, Nielsen is responsible for composing some of the greatest and catchiest pop/hard-rock songs of the rock era. Dating back to the band's outstanding 1977 self-titled album, Nielsen and Cheap Trick have remained a popular and essential band through recognition they've received in pop culture circles, radio airplay and a string of great albums. Breaking through with its phenomenal live concert album from 1979, Cheap Trick At Budokan and remaining an exciting and always entertaining live act, Nielsen and his fellow founding members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 after a long-standing campaign by hardcore fans to have them recognized by the hallowed hall.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1988, what was intended to be a farewell concert by The Smiths wound up becoming lead singer Morrissey's first ever solo concert. The show was held at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall in Wolverhampton, England. It was announced in advance that admission for the concert at the 3,000 seat hall would be free for any fans wearing a Smiths or Morrissey shirt. It was reported that more than 20,000 fans queued up for days outside in hopes of getting in to see this historic event but sadly, many were turned away and chaos ensued. The show's short set list consisted of a mixture of Smiths songs and solo material from Morrissey's newly spawned solo career with an emphasis placed on Smiths material that had never been performed live before.
This article appears in Dec 21-28, 2017.