This Day in Rock History: October 16
Many memorable events in rock history have taken place on Oct. 16. It’s when Black Sabbath started recording their debut album, Creedence Clearwater Revival decided to call it quits, and…
Many memorable events in rock history have taken place on Oct. 16. It's when Black Sabbath started recording their debut album, Creedence Clearwater Revival decided to call it quits, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their final album. Keep reading to learn more about these and about other memorable rock-related events that happened on this day.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
A legendary band's story was just beginning on one Oct. 16 many years ago, while another's was coming to an end on the same date a few years later. These are the major milestones that happened on this day:
- 1969: Black Sabbath started work on their self-titled debut at London's Regent Studios. Remarkably, they recorded the entire album on that very day in one 12-hour session.
- 1972: Creedence Clearwater Revival announced that they were no longer an active band. They were highly prolific throughout the band's short career, releasing seven albums in only four years before disbanding.
Cultural Milestones
Rock artists and their stories are an integral part of the genre's charm. These are some of the biggest rock culture moments to happen on Oct. 16:
- 1947: Bob Weir, Grateful Dead co-founder, guitarist, and songwriter, was born in San Francisco, California. He played rhythm guitar and handled most of the vocals during his 30-year career with the band.
- 1962: Flea, the bass player for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, was born in Melbourne, Australia. He's a founding member of the band and the only one, alongside frontman Anthony Kiedis, to feature on all their albums.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Oct. 16 is also the anniversary of some awesome albums. These are a couple of them:
- 1968: The Jimi Hendrix Experience released Electric Ladyland, which turned out to be their final album. It was also their most successful, spending two weeks at the top of the Billboard Top LPs chart and reaching double-Platinum status in the U.S.
- 1990: ZZ Top released their 10th studio album, Recycler. It was the last of their synth-influenced string of albums, with the band then returning to their blues roots.
Oct. 16 has seen its share of beginnings, endings, and iconic albums. Come back tomorrow to discover what happened on that day in rock history.
