Tom Constanten was born on March 19, 1944, in Long Branch, New Jersey. He is best known as the keyboardist for the Grateful Dead from 1968 to 1970. In 1994, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the other founding members of the band.
Here are some key moments in rock music history that happened on March 19:
1958: The teenage duo Tom and Jerry released their third single, “Our Song.” They later split up and reformed as Simon & Garfunkel.
1962: Bob Dylan released his debut self-titled album through Columbia Records. Produced by John H. Hammond, it helped kickstart Dylan’s career, even though it didn’t get much attention at first.
1988: Kurt Cobain and his band played their first show under the name Nirvana at the Community World Theater in Tacoma, Washington. This name would become iconic.
Cultural milestones on March 19 include:
1946: Paul Atkinson, guitarist and co-founder of The Zombies, was born. He later became an A&R executive and signed ABBA to CBS’s UK label.
1982: Randy Rhoads, guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, died in a plane crash. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
1988: Michael Jackson began building his ranch, naming it Neverland after the fictional place in Peter Pan.
2001: Several artists, including Michael Jackson and Paul Simon, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Notable recordings from March 19 include:
1971: Jethro Tull released their successful album, Aqualung.
1975: Led Zeppelin played two sold-out shows at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada.
1975: KISS released their third album, Dressed to Kill.
