This Day in Rock History: October 4

Oct. 4 is overshadowed by the death of one of rock’s greatest voices, Janis Joplin. However, many other notable events took place on this day in rock history. These are some of the most important.

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

Several iconic acts, such as Queen and The Beatles, had important career milestones on this day. These are some of the most significant breakthroughs and pivotal moments in rock that happened on Oct. 4:

• 1963: A teenage Eric Clapton replaced Anthony Topham as The Yardbirds’ lead guitarist. This kick-started Clapton’s career and set him on his way to superstardom, while Topham worked as an interior designer and painter, and also rejoined the band from 2013 to 2015.
• 1963: On the same day when Clapton had a huge career milestone, the Beatles made their first appearance on the popular UK TV show Ready Steady Go! They lip-synced three of their hits at the time, Twist and Shout,” “I’ll Get You,” and “She Loves You.”
• 1969: The Beatles’ eleventh and final studio album, Abbey Road, reached the top spot of the U.K. albums chart, where it spent an unprecedented 17 weeks in total. It returned to the top spot half a century later, in 2019, with its 50th-anniversary expanded edition, marking the longest gap between No. 1 album runs.
• 1969: On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Creedence Clearwater Revival reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart with their third studio album Green River. It was their first U.S. No. 1 album and stayed there for four weeks.
• 1980: Queen started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with their hit song “Another One Bites the Dust.” Written by bass player John Deacon, it became the band’s most successful single ever.

Cultural Milestones

Oct. 4 marks Janis Joplin’s lost battle with addiction but also celebrates the beginnings of one of rock’s most legendary acts. These are the most relevant rock culture moments of the day:

• 1968: Led Zeppelin, then called The New Yardbirds and featuring Jimmy Page, played their first concert in the U.K. at the Mayfair Ballroom in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It followed their Scandinavian tour and would prove to be a pivotal moment in rock history, including future legendary songs such as “Dazed and Confused,” “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” “Communication Breakdown,” and “How Many More Times.”
• 1970: Janis Joplin died of an alleged heroin overdose at the Landmark Motor Hotel in Hollywood, California. She had been working on her Pearl album, which was released posthumously and spent nine weeks at the top spot of the Billboard 200 chart.
• 1996: Van Halen officially announced that Extreme frontman Gary Cherone would be joining them as their new lead singer. He replaced Sammy Hagar, who had been with the band since 1985, and featured on the 1998 Van Halen III album.

Notable Recordings and Performances

Some memorable live performances and album releases took place on Oct. 4. These are some of them:

• 1968: Cream started their US farewell tour with a show at the Alameda County Coliseum Arena in Oakland. It was the first performance from a run of 19 across the US, with their farewell concert taking place on Nov. 28 at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
• 1982: The Smiths played their first-ever show at The Ritz in Manchester, England. They opened for a band called Blue Rondo à la Turk as part of a student music and fashion show called An Evening of Pure Pleasure.
• 1999: Paul McCartney released his eleventh solo studio album, Run Devil Run, via Parlophone Records. It mostly consisted of 1950s rock and roll song covers, alongside three McCartney original compositions.

Despite the tragedy that happened on this day 55 years ago, Oct. 4 still offered rock fans and performers plenty of reasons to celebrate throughout the years. Come back tomorrow to discover the most era-defining moments that happened on that day in rock history.