This Day in Rock History: October 29
This day in rock history is marked by tragedy, as the world lost Duane Allman, 54 years ago due to a motorcycle accident. Fans still have reasons to celebrate, though,…
This day in rock history is marked by tragedy, as the world lost Duane Allman, 54 years ago due to a motorcycle accident. Fans still have reasons to celebrate, though, with this day also seeing the birth of Peter Green and the release of Deep Purple Mk II's reunion album. Keep reading to discover what else happened in the world of rock on Oct. 29.
Cultural Milestones
Oct. 29 has been a pretty eventful day for rock fans through the years, though sadly not just for positive reasons. Standout cultural moments include:
- 1944: Moody Blues and Wings co-founder Denny Laine was born in Tyseley, Birmingham, England. He started out playing guitar in the Moody Blues before his friendship with Paul McCartney led him to join Wings in 1971.
- 1946: Peter Green was born in Bethnal Green, London, England. As the founder and guitarist of Fleetwood Mac, he recorded blues classics such as "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)," "Black Magic Woman," and "Oh Well," which cemented his stature as one of the most influential British blues guitarists of all time.
- 1971: Duane Allman died following a motorcycle accident, aged just 24. The Allman Brothers Band decided to continue without him and released the successful album Eat a Peach just a year later.
- 1983: Pink Floyd album The Dark Side of the Moon made history when it marked its 491st week on the Billboard 200, surpassing Johnny Mathis's Johnny's Greatest Hits to become the longest-charting album in U.S. history. It stayed on the chart until 1988, by which time it had spent an astonishing 741 weeks there in total.
Notable Recordings and Performances
A legendary song and a long-awaited reunion album were both released on this day:
- 1965: The Who released "My Generation" in the UK. Although it narrowly failed to reach No. 1 on the singles chart, it's widely seen as one of the most famous and influential rock songs of all time.
- 1984: Deep Purple released their 11th studio album, Perfect Strangers, via Polydor Records. It was the band's first album in nine years and saw a return of the iconic Mark II line-up, consisting of Ian Gillan, Richie Blackmore, Ian Paice, Jon Lord, and Roger Glover.
From historic tragedies to amazing milestones, Oct. 29 has seen plenty of important events over the past decades. Come back tomorrow to find out what happened on that day in rock history.
