Category: Live Performances

T. Rex is widely known as being one of the pioneering acts of the 1970’s Glam Rock scene.  The band gained a cult following in the mid 70’s with the release of hits “Jeepster”, “Get It On”, “Ride a White Swan”, “20th Century Boy”, “Children of the Revolution”, “Hot Love”, “Telegram Sam”, and “Metal Guru”.  Their outrageous costumes and flamboyant stage antics defined the Glam Rock image and set them apart from their contemporaries.  On January 22, 1975, T. Rex appeared on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert to perform “Jeepster”, “Back Street Boogie”, “Stacey Groove/ Do You Remember”, and “Get It On”.

Formed in 1967 by frontman Marc Bolan, the band performed and recorded 4 albums under the name Tyrannosaurus Rex, before shortening it to simply T. Rex after the suggestion was made by a fellow producer.  T. Rex went on to produce 11 albums in total before disbanding following the death of Marc Bolan in 1977 from a car accident.

T. Rex has significantly influenced many artists and indie bands over the years.  Both David Bowie and The Who have referenced Marc Bolan and T. Rex in lyrics, and numerous bands have cited T. Rex as a major inspiration for their image and musical direction.

This coming Sunday, October 2^nd, marks the 38^th anniversary of the appearances of both The Allman Brothers Band and The Marshall Tucker Band on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.   Each performed a 20-minute set with some of their biggest hits to a sea of southern rock fans.  As labelmates aboard Capricorn Records, the two bands distinguished themselves early on with their unique sounds that came from fusing country rock with a bit of jazz and blues.  Both bands reached considerable success in the 1970s, releasing multiple Gold and Platinum records during the peak of their careers.

With slide guitars and piano solos, The Allman Brothers performed a memorable 5 song set that included classics “Done Somebody Wrong”, “Southbound”, “Midnight Rider”, “Ain’t Wastin Time No More”, and “Skatesboro Blues.”  Despite the recent loss of bassist Berry Oakley and guitarist Duane Allman, who both coincidentally died in motorcycle accidents in the previous two years, the band still came out in full force and gave a home run performance.

The Marshall Tucker Band performed an outdoor show that included “Take The Highway”, “Can’t You See”, and “Ramblin’.”  The band had their own particular mixture of instrumentation that, along with traditional vocals guitar, bass, and drums, utilized tambourine, flute, and finger picking guitar.  During their performance of “Can’t You See”, fans rose from their seats and clapped along to the rocking tune.

The Allman Brothers Band and The Marshall Tucker Band made for a memorable night of southern rock n roll on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.

This past week in 2007, Black Sabbath front man Ozzy Osbourne was honored as recipient of the first star on the Birmingham Walk of Fame.  Much like its Hollywood counterpart, the British rendition celebrates world-renowned natives that have performed at one of Birmingham’s major venues and made valuable contributions to the entertainment, sports, and business industries.  Osbourne’s star was placed on Broad Street’s canal bridge.  Toni Iommi, the lead guitarist and only constant member of Black Sabbath, was honored as well in November of the following year.  On February 19^th, 1979, Black Sabbath appeared on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert to perform “Never Say Die.”  “Never Say Die” was their last single with Osbourne before his initial departure from the band.

While performing under the name “Earth”, the band caught a late screening of the 1963 horror film Black Sabbath across the street from their rehearsal space.  Inspired by the menacing material and a vision bassist Geezer Butler had of a dark silhouette lurking over the foot of his bed, the band began work on a new song of the same name.  Leaning heavily on the tritone octave gave their work a darker edge, opposed to the trend of more pop driven tunes that were being produced in the current music industry.    The band changed their name to Black Sabbath in August of 1969 and recorded their debut self titled album the following year, it has since been certified platinum by the RIAA.

Black Sabbath is widely considered one of the most influential heavy metal bands in music history and has sold more than 100 million records worldwide.  Metallica band members James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich inducted the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 after eleven years of eligibility.  Metallica is one of the many successful bands that have cited Black Sabbath as a major influence on their work.  Others include Guns N’ Roses and Alice in Chains.  Sabbath was also a seminal force in sparking the grunge revolution in Seattle during the early 90’s.