This Day in Rock History: August 14

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1962: Beatles members Paul McCartney and John Lennon visited Ringo Starr and officially invited him to join the band after they decided to replace their drummer, Pete Best.
• 1993: Freddie Mercury achieved his first solo No. 1 hit two years after his death with a remix of the 1985 song "Living on My Own." The track, which wasn't released in the U.S., topped the U.K. singles chart for two weeks and reached No. 1 in several other countries, including France and Ireland.

Cultural Milestones 

• 1941: American singer, guitarist, and songwriter David Crosby was born. He first achieved success as a member of The Byrds and later formed the iconic folk-rock supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash, which later became Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young when Neil Young joined.
• 1985: Michael Jackson acquired the ATV Music publishing catalog, sensationally outbidding ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono. ATV owned the rights to more than 4,000 songs, including around 250 Beatles tracks written by Lennon and McCartney. While it proved to be a highly lucrative business decision by the King of Pop, it permanently ruined his friendship with McCartney.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1971: The Who released Who's Next, their fifth studio album. It included the hit songs "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Behind Blue Eyes," and it's widely considered to be one of the best rock albums in history.
• 1974: Highly acclaimed rock artist and drummer Neil Peart played his first gig with Rush at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, replacing former member John Rutsey. The concert was part of the group's first U.S tour, and they were the opening act for Manfred Mann and Uriah Heep.