May 17 1966: One of the most famous moments in rock history occurred at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester. A fan, outraged by Bob Dylan’s switch to electric instruments, famously shouted "Judas!" during his set. Dylan retorted, "I don't believe you... you're a liar!" before telling his band to play "f***ing loud." I bet that doesn’t happen at Coldplay gigs.
Everyone knows Bob Dylan went electric on his UK tour, but when he played the ABC Theatre in Edinburgh, local folk purists found a uniquely Scottish way to protest. Instead of just booing, a chunk of the crowd bought harmonicas, sat in the audience, and tried to collectively blow as loudly as possible to drown out Dylan’s electric backing band.
1996 Johnny "Guitar" Watson collapsed and died of a heart attack mid-guitar solo while performing on stage in Yokohama, Japan. His final words spoken into the microphone right before he went down were: "Ain't that a bitch."
1987: A fire (later determined to be arson) destroyed Tom Petty’s home in Encino, California. Petty and his family escaped unharmed, but the event deeply traumatized him and influenced his later songwriting.
May 18 1980: Ian Curtis, the haunting lead singer of Joy Division, tragically passed away at just 23 years old, on the eve of the band's first North American tour.
2017: The rock world lost Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave), who passed away following a performance in Detroit.
May 19 1986: Peter Gabriel released his fifth solo album, So. It remains his most commercially successful work.
1973 Paul Simon released his hit single "Kodachrome." While it was a massive success in the US, the BBC completely banned the song from British radio airwaves. The reason? A strict anti-advertising policy. Because "Kodachrome" was a brand of Kodak film, the BBC ruled the song was technically an unauthorized commercial.
1978 Dire Straits released their debut single, "Sultans of Swing." The track was recorded on a budget of just £120
May 20 1969: Peter Cetera, the singer and bassist for the rock band Chicago, went to a baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. While minding his own business, he was jumped and viciously beaten up by four men who took offense solely to the length of his hair. He required four hours of emergency surgery on his jaw.
May 22 1971: The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers hit #1 in the US. It was the first album released on their own Rolling Stones Records label. This was the exact week the band officially became tax exiles, fleeing the UK for the South of France to escape a 93% super-tax rate. They ended up recording Exile on Main St. in a damp, chaotic villa basement using a mobile recording truck.
May 23 1969: The Who released Tommy in the UK. While not the first concept album, it popularized the "rock opera" format .
