This Week in Music History
August 27, 1988 – George Michael has his eighth No. 1 single of the 80’s with song ‘Monkey’. That’s a record only beaten by Michael Jackson.
August 28, 1970 – During a four-week engagement at The International Hotel in Las Vegas, a security guard at the hotel received a phone call in which he was told Elvis Presley would be shot during his last show. The person demanded $50,000 to reveal the name of the potential killer. The threats were taken very seriously and thankfully Elvis played his last show without any incident.
August 29, 1990 – Elton John checked into a rehab center in Chicago to receive treatment for bulimia, alcoholism, and drugs.
August 31, 1990 – Jackson Browne, Stevie Wonder and Bonnie Raitt sang ‘Amazing Grace’ at a memorial service for guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan who had been killed in a helicopter crash 4 days earlier. According to a witness, there was reportedly haze and fog of varying intensity with patches of low clouds. Despite the conditions, the pilot was instructed to fly over a 1000-foot ski hill. Vaughan, along with three members of Eric Clapton’s entourage, boarded the third of the four helicopters. At about 12:50 am the helicopter departed from an elevation of about 850 feet, veered to the left and crashed into the hill. All of the passengers, including the pilot, Jeff Brown, were killed instantly.
September 1, 1967 – Boz Scaggs returns from Europe to join The Steve Miller Band. They had originally played together in their teenage years, but Scaggs had left to record a solo album in Europe. His stay with the Steve Miller Band was short lived, appearing on ‘Children of the Future’ and ‘Sailor’, but eventually choosing to go solo for good.
September 2, 1972 – Brownsville Station, Canned Heat, The Eagles, and Foghat are just a few of the acts set to play over the next three days at the Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival. It was held on Bull Island near Griffin, Indiana and over 200,000 fans attended. Promoters had only planned for 50,000 and many bands withdrew from playing as the event slowly transitioned into anarchy. In the end, three people had drowned in the Wabash River and the stage was burned down on the last day by the remaining few fans.