Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon Perform 'History of Rap 4'

Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon Perform 'History of Rap 4'Singer wraps up his 'Late Night' week with new installment of hip-hop medley $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); }); By

Justin Timberlake wrapped his week-long run on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon by joining the host in another installment of "History of Rap" medleys. Beginning with the Sugarhill Gang's "Apache (Jump On It)," with backing by the Roots, the pair touched on the Beastie Boys, 2 Live Crew, Missy Elliot and even Macklemore and Ryan Lewis before dashing out into the audience for a dramatic finale with Eminem's "Lose Yourself."

Last night's performance marked Fallon and Timberlake's fourth foray into rap history, and the pair introduced the segment with a brief debate over its revival. "OK," Timberlake finally agreed, "but this is the last time."

"Until the next time we do this," Fallon said.

Timberlake later continued the medley theme by performing a mix of his own hits, including "Cry Me a River," "Señorita" and "My Love."

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Weekend Rock Question: What Is the Best Live Album in Rock History?

This month, Led Zeppelin are finally releasing a live album of their 2007 reunion concert at London's 02 Arena. They may be one of the greatest live acts in rock history, but the only live album they released during their original run was the soundtrack to The Song Remains the Same.  They've since released How the West Was Won, which drew from two California shows in 1972, but a ridiculous amount of great live content still sits in the vault.

Most great live bands were more generous with their tapes. The Who gave their fans Live at Leeds, James Brown put out Live at the Apollo and the Allman Brothers released At Fillmore East. The list goes on and on.

Now we have a question for you: What is your single favorite live album of all time? It has to be something officially released by the band. No bootlegs. Please only vote once, and only for a single album. 

You can vote here in the comments, on facebook.com/rollingstone or on Twitter using the #weekend rock hashtag.

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Weekend Rock Question: What Is the Best Live Album in Rock History?

This month, Led Zeppelin are finally releasing a live album of their 2007 reunion concert at London's 02 Arena. They may be one of the greatest live acts in rock history, but the only live album they released during their original run was the soundtrack to The Song Remains the Same.  They've since released How the West Was Won, which drew from two California shows in 1972, but a ridiculous amount of great live content still sits in the vault.

Most great live bands were more generous with their tapes. The Who gave their fans Live at Leeds, James Brown put out Live at the Apollo and the Allman Brothers released At Fillmore East. The list goes on and on.

Now we have a question for you: What is your single favorite live album of all time? It has to be something officially released by the band. No bootlegs. Please only vote once, and only for a single album. 

You can vote here in the comments, on facebook.com/rollingstone or on Twitter using the #weekend rock hashtag.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Weekend Rock Question: What Is the Greatest Vocal Performance in Rock History?

John Lennon; Bob Dylan; Tina TurnerJan Persson/Redferns; Evening Standard/Getty Images; GAB Archive/Redferns

An impassioned vocal delivery can elevate a song to amazing heights. Would "Twist and Shout" be as memorable without John Lennon's shredded vocal cord screams? Can you imagine "Like a Rolling Stone" without Bob Dylan's nasal delivery of "How does it feeeeeeel?" A lot of people have sung "River Deep, Mountain High," but nobody hits the notes quite like Tina Turner. 

Now we have a question for you: what is your favorite vocal performance of the rock era? Please vote for a single artist and song. Tracks like "Unchained Melody" have been covered by a lot of people, so specify if you're voting for the Righteous Brothers, Al Green, Sam Cooke, etc. Please only vote once and only for a single song. If we get 9,000 votes for Biz Markie's "Just a Friend," we'll know something's up. 

You can vote here in the comments, on facebook.com/rollingstone or on Twitter using the #weekend rock hashtag. 

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A History of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame No-Shows

Axl Rose and Slash of Guns N' Roses perform in 1985.Marc S Canter/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Axl Rose caused a media firestorm yesterday when he announced that he won't be attending this weekend's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony with Guns N' Roses. "I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia," Rose said in a very long statement. "Please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf."

Despite that request, it looks as though the Hall of Fame will induct Rose anyway and put his name on the wall in Cleveland alongside all the other inductees. "We are sorry Axl will not be able to accept his Induction in person," the Hall of Fame said in a statement. It's like saying you don't want to win an Oscar after getting named Best Director. You are free to not attend the ceremony or accept the statue, but that doesn't mean you didn't win. 

Making matters even stranger, Rose ends his letter by thanking the Hall of Fame. "I'd like to sincerely thank the board for their nomination and their votes for Guns' induction," he wrote. "More importantly, I'd like to thank the fans for being there over the years, making any success we've had possible and for enjoying and supporting Guns N' Roses music. I wish the Hall a great show, congratulations to all the other artists being inducted and to our fans we look forward to seeing you on tour!!

Rose is far from the only Hall of Fame inductee to skip out on the ceremony. Here is a (probably incomplete) history of Rock Hall no-shows:

Diana Ross, 1988
The original lineup of the Supremes has been feuding ever since 1967, when the group changed its name to Diana Ross & the Supremes. Ross, Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong last performed together in March of 1983 at the Motown 25th anniversary concert. In 1986, Mary Wilson published her memoir, Dreamgirls: My Life As A Supreme, which painted a very negative portrait of Ross. The Supremes were inducted two years later into the Hall of Fame, and Ross was a no-show. She claimed it was because she had given birth to her son Ross three months earlier, but many speculated that the feud between Ross and the other members played a role.

Paul McCartney, 1988
Relations between the surviving Beatles were also strained in 1988. Four years earlier, Yoko Ono, George Harrison and Ringo Starr started a royalty dispute with Paul McCartney, who opted to not attend the 1988 ceremony. In perhaps the most notorious speech in Hall of Fame history,  Mike Love addressed McCartney's absence that night when the Beach Boys were inducted. "It's sad that there are other people who aren't here tonight," he said. "People like Paul McCartney who couldn't be here because he's in a lawsuit with Ringo and Yoko. That's why he sent in a telegram to some high-priced attorney in the room." 

Van Morrison, 1993
The induction ceremony in 1993 boasted reunions of the Doors and Cream, as well as a surprising appearance by the extremely reclusive Sly Stone. The three surviving members of Creedence Clearwater Revival showed up, but John Fogerty caused major drama when he refused to perform with them. Van Morrison didn't show, so the Counting Crows performed "Caravan" in his absence. This was months before they released their debut LP, August and Everything After, so the induction ceremony was where many critics and fans first learned of them. 

Jerry Garcia, 1994
The Grateful Dead frontman didn't show up at his induction, reportedly because he was opposed to the whole idea of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The rest of the Dead disagreed, and they brought a cardboard cut-out of the singer onstage. 

Levon Helm, 1994
The 1994 ceremony was full of no-shows. Levon Helm didn't attend the Band's induction due to lingering bitterness towards Robbie Robertson. Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and Robbie Robertson did show up, though, and they performed "The Weight" together. It's the only time Robertson has performed with his former bandmates since The Last Waltz.

Eric Burdon, 1994
Animals frontman Eric Burdon didn't come to his own induction in 1994 because he had a gig booked in Dusseldorf, Germany. He made up for it in 2010, when he performed "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" at the ceremony to honor songwriting team Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.

Rod Stewart, 1994
Two days before the 1994 Hall of Fame inductions, a massive earthquake hit Los Angeles. "Two of my children, Renee and Liam, they were just one and three, they were just terrified," Steward told Rolling Stone in December. "Absolutely terrified. I just couldn't leave them, so I missed it. But I'll be there this time!"

David Bowie, 1996
David Bowie was in Helsinki, Finland, touring in support of Outside when he entered the Hall of Fame in 1996. Madonna accepted on his behalf, and Marianne Faithful performed "Rebel Rebel." 

Roger Waters, 1996
Roger Waters and Pink Floyd weren't getting along very well in 1996. Two years earlier, the group went on a enormous stadium tour sans Waters and grossed hundreds of millions of dollars. They invited Waters to join them for a performance of Dark Side of the Moon in England towards the end of the tour, but he declined. Waters was still fuming over the fact that the band carried on without him, while his 1987 Radio K.A.O.S. tour played to half-full arenas. They patched things up a few years later – in part because Gilmour had quietly disbanded Floyd by that point – but in 1996, Waters had no interest in sitting in the same ballroom as the rest of Pink Floyd.

Grace Slick, 1996
The Jefferson Airplane frontwoman has a firm belief that "all rock-and-rollers over the age of 50 look stupid and should retire." She briefly toured with a reunited Jefferson Airplane in 1989, but ever since has basically stayed away from the stage. The rest of the Airplane did show up for their induction and played a great set. 

Neil Young, 1997
Reports vary about why exactly Neil Young didn't show up and reunite with Buffalo Springfield at their 1997 induction, but the most likely explanation is that he was fuming over the fact that his bandmates had to shell out big bucks to get their friends and family into the ceremony. Thirteen years later, Young did agree to a Buffalo Springfield reunion, but by that point original members Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin had died. 

Joni Mitchell, 1997
In 1965, a 21-year-old Joni Mitchell gave up a daughter for adoption. Shortly before her 1997 induction into the Hall of Fame, the mother and daughter had a highly emotional reunion and Mitchell skipped the Cleveland ceremony to focus on re-establishing a relationship with her child. Graham Nash accepted on her behalf.

John Deacon, 2001
The Queen bassist largely retired from music when Freddy Mercury died in 1991. He did join his bandmates at a Mercury tribute show in 1992 and again to perform with Elton John in 1997, but since then he's been completely off the radar. He refused to participate in Queen's tour with Paul Rodgers, and he didn't show up at the Hall of Fame induction in 2001. 

The Sex Pistols, 2006
The punk band's open letter said it all: "Next to the SEX-PISTOLS rock and roll and that hall of fame is a piss stain. Your museum. Urine in wine. Were not coming. Were not your monkey and so what? Fame at $25,000 if we paid for a table, or $15000 to squeak up in the gallery, goes to a non-profit organisation [SIC] selling us a load of old famous. Congradulations [SIC]. If you voted for us, hope you noted your reasons. Your anonymous as judges, but your still music industry people. Were not coming. Your not paying attention. Outside the shit-stem is a real SEX PISTOL."

Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, 2007
Van Halen's 2007 induction into the Hall of Fame came at a very bad time for the group. Bassist Michael Anthony was just kicked out of the band, and they were plotting a reunion tour with David Lee Roth – but that couldn't start until Eddie Van Halen went to rehab. There was simply too much drama, and no member of the current Van Halen lineup showed up. Roth was in talks to come, but he wasn't happy that Velvet Revolver were going to perform. In the end, only Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony showed up.

Peter Gabriel, 2010
Genesis fans have been praying for a reunion of the classic Peter Gabriel lineup for the past 30 years. They didn't get it when the group was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010. Gabriel was in rehearsals for an upcoming symphonic tour in England and didn't make the trip overseas. The rest of the band went and watched Phish perform "Watcher of the Skies" and "No Reply at All."

Bjorn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog, 2010
ABBA have reportedly turned down a billion-dollar offer for a reunion tour, so it was no surprise that they didn't all show up to their Hall of Fame induction. Agnetha Fältskog rarely leaves her native Stockholm, and Bjorn Ulvaeus has dealt with health issues in recent years. The Bee Gees inducted ABBA into the Hall of Fame, and Benny Anderson performed "The Winner Takes It All" with Faith Hill. 

Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott, 2010
The classic lineup of the Hollies hasn't toured in decades, but original members Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott have carried on the band's name with new members. They had a gig in Europe at the same time as their 2010 HOF induction and opted not to cancel. Founding members Graham Nash and Allan Clarke played a few Hollies classics with Paul Shaffer and his band, and latter members Terry Clarke burst onto the stage uninvited to join them on "Long Cool Woman." 

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A History of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame No-Shows

Axl Rose and Slash of Guns N' Roses perform in 1985.Marc S Canter/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Axl Rose caused a media firestorm yesterday when he announced that he won't be attending this weekend's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony with Guns N' Roses. "I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia," Rose said in a very long statement. "Please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf."

Despite that request, it looks as though the Hall of Fame will induct Rose anyway and put his name on the wall in Cleveland alongside all the other inductees. "We are sorry Axl will not be able to accept his Induction in person," the Hall of Fame said in a statement. It's like saying you don't want to win an Oscar after getting named Best Director. You are free to not attend the ceremony or accept the statue, but that doesn't mean you didn't win. 

Making matters even stranger, Rose ends his letter by thanking the Hall of Fame. "I'd like to sincerely thank the board for their nomination and their votes for Guns' induction," he wrote. "More importantly, I'd like to thank the fans for being there over the years, making any success we've had possible and for enjoying and supporting Guns N' Roses music. I wish the Hall a great show, congratulations to all the other artists being inducted and to our fans we look forward to seeing you on tour!!

Rose is far from the only Hall of Fame inductee to skip out on the ceremony. Here is a (probably incomplete) history of Rock Hall no-shows:

Diana Ross, 1988
The original lineup of the Supremes has been feuding ever since 1967, when the group changed its name to Diana Ross & the Supremes. Ross, Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong last performed together in March of 1983 at the Motown 25th anniversary concert. In 1986, Mary Wilson published her memoir, Dreamgirls: My Life As A Supreme, which painted a very negative portrait of Ross. The Supremes were inducted two years later into the Hall of Fame, and Ross was a no-show. She claimed it was because she had given birth to her son Ross three months earlier, but many speculated that the feud between Ross and the other members played a role.

Paul McCartney, 1988
Relations between the surviving Beatles were also strained in 1988. Four years earlier, Yoko Ono, George Harrison and Ringo Starr started a royalty dispute with Paul McCartney, who opted to not attend the 1988 ceremony. In perhaps the most notorious speech in Hall of Fame history,  Mike Love addressed McCartney's absence that night when the Beach Boys were inducted. "It's sad that there are other people who aren't here tonight," he said. "People like Paul McCartney who couldn't be here because he's in a lawsuit with Ringo and Yoko. That's why he sent in a telegram to some high-priced attorney in the room." 

Van Morrison, 1993
The induction ceremony in 1993 boasted reunions of the Doors and Cream, as well as a surprising appearance by the extremely reclusive Sly Stone. The three surviving members of Creedence Clearwater Revival showed up, but John Fogerty caused major drama when he refused to perform with them. Van Morrison didn't show, so the Counting Crows performed "Caravan" in his absence. This was months before they released their debut LP, August and Everything After, so the induction ceremony was where many critics and fans first learned of them. 

Jerry Garcia, 1994
The Grateful Dead frontman didn't show up at his induction, reportedly because he was opposed to the whole idea of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The rest of the Dead disagreed, and they brought a cardboard cut-out of the singer onstage. 

Levon Helm, 1994
The 1994 ceremony was full of no-shows. Levon Helm didn't attend the Band's induction due to lingering bitterness towards Robbie Robertson. Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and Robbie Robertson did show up, though, and they performed "The Weight" together. It's the only time Robertson has performed with his former bandmates since The Last Waltz.

Eric Burdon, 1994
Animals frontman Eric Burdon didn't come to his own induction in 1994 because he had a gig booked in Dusseldorf, Germany. He made up for it in 2010, when he performed "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" at the ceremony to honor songwriting team Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.

Rod Stewart, 1994
Two days before the 1994 Hall of Fame inductions, a massive earthquake hit Los Angeles. "Two of my children, Renee and Liam, they were just one and three, they were just terrified," Steward told Rolling Stone in December. "Absolutely terrified. I just couldn't leave them, so I missed it. But I'll be there this time!"

David Bowie, 1996
David Bowie was in Helsinki, Finland, touring in support of Outside when he entered the Hall of Fame in 1996. Madonna accepted on his behalf, and Marianne Faithful performed "Rebel Rebel." 

Roger Waters, 1996
Roger Waters and Pink Floyd weren't getting along very well in 1996. Two years earlier, the group went on a enormous stadium tour sans Waters and grossed hundreds of millions of dollars. They invited Waters to join them for a performance of Dark Side of the Moon in England towards the end of the tour, but he declined. Waters was still fuming over the fact that the band carried on without him, while his 1987 Radio K.A.O.S. tour played to half-full arenas. They patched things up a few years later – in part because Gilmour had quietly disbanded Floyd by that point – but in 1996, Waters had no interest in sitting in the same ballroom as the rest of Pink Floyd.

Grace Slick, 1996
The Jefferson Airplane frontwoman has a firm belief that "all rock-and-rollers over the age of 50 look stupid and should retire." She briefly toured with a reunited Jefferson Airplane in 1989, but ever since has basically stayed away from the stage. The rest of the Airplane did show up for their induction and played a great set. 

Neil Young, 1997
Reports vary about why exactly Neil Young didn't show up and reunite with Buffalo Springfield at their 1997 induction, but the most likely explanation is that he was fuming over the fact that his bandmates had to shell out big bucks to get their friends and family into the ceremony. Thirteen years later, Young did agree to a Buffalo Springfield reunion, but by that point original members Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin had died. 

Joni Mitchell, 1997
In 1965, a 21-year-old Joni Mitchell gave up a daughter for adoption. Shortly before her 1997 induction into the Hall of Fame, the mother and daughter had a highly emotional reunion and Mitchell skipped the Cleveland ceremony to focus on re-establishing a relationship with her child. Graham Nash accepted on her behalf.

John Deacon, 2001
The Queen bassist largely retired from music when Freddy Mercury died in 1991. He did join his bandmates at a Mercury tribute show in 1992 and again to perform with Elton John in 1997, but since then he's been completely off the radar. He refused to participate in Queen's tour with Paul Rodgers, and he didn't show up at the Hall of Fame induction in 2001. 

The Sex Pistols, 2006
The punk band's open letter said it all: "Next to the SEX-PISTOLS rock and roll and that hall of fame is a piss stain. Your museum. Urine in wine. Were not coming. Were not your monkey and so what? Fame at $25,000 if we paid for a table, or $15000 to squeak up in the gallery, goes to a non-profit organisation [SIC] selling us a load of old famous. Congradulations [SIC]. If you voted for us, hope you noted your reasons. Your anonymous as judges, but your still music industry people. Were not coming. Your not paying attention. Outside the shit-stem is a real SEX PISTOL."

Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, 2007
Van Halen's 2007 induction into the Hall of Fame came at a very bad time for the group. Bassist Michael Anthony was just kicked out of the band, and they were plotting a reunion tour with David Lee Roth – but that couldn't start until Eddie Van Halen went to rehab. There was simply too much drama, and no member of the current Van Halen lineup showed up. Roth was in talks to come, but he wasn't happy that Velvet Revolver were going to perform. In the end, only Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony showed up.

Peter Gabriel, 2010
Genesis fans have been praying for a reunion of the classic Peter Gabriel lineup for the past 30 years. They didn't get it when the group was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010. Gabriel was in rehearsals for an upcoming symphonic tour in England and didn't make the trip overseas. The rest of the band went and watched Phish perform "Watcher of the Skies" and "No Reply at All."

Bjorn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog, 2010
ABBA have reportedly turned down a billion-dollar offer for a reunion tour, so it was no surprise that they didn't all show up to their Hall of Fame induction. Agnetha Fältskog rarely leaves her native Stockholm, and Bjorn Ulvaeus has dealt with health issues in recent years. The Bee Gees inducted ABBA into the Hall of Fame, and Benny Anderson performed "The Winner Takes It All" with Faith Hill. 

Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott, 2010
The classic lineup of the Hollies hasn't toured in decades, but original members Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott have carried on the band's name with new members. They had a gig in Europe at the same time as their 2010 HOF induction and opted not to cancel. Founding members Graham Nash and Allan Clarke played a few Hollies classics with Paul Shaffer and his band, and latter members Terry Clarke burst onto the stage uninvited to join them on "Long Cool Woman." 

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Week in Rock History: Whitney Houston Sets a Billboard Record

This week in rock history, Pink Floyd released their debut single, Led Zeppelin ran into some trouble with the von Zeppelin family, Janet Jackson launched her Rhythm Nation World Tour, Whitney Houston’s signature song set a Billboard record and President Obama gave Stevie Wonder the highest honor in American pop music.

February 27, 1967: Pink Floyd release their first single
Before they floated a pig over Battersea Station and constructed The Wall, Pink Floyd made a curious debut. Their first single, "Arnold Layne," was a messy, psychedelic preamble to their great career – and if the lyrics were any indication, it seemed to concern a roving transvestite underwear thief pillaging their native Cambridge, England.

The single cracked the U.K. Top 20 and the Netherlands Top 30, giving the group their first shot of fame – one of the many drugs that singer-guitarist Syd Barrett would soon come to endorse. In 1968, he was replaced by his school friend David Gilmour for all concert duties and was fired from the band two months later.

February 28, 1970: Led Zeppelin performs under a different name in Copenhagen after the von Zeppelin family complains
When Led Zeppelin embarked on their 1970 European tour, they met very vocal opposition from one woman in Copenhagen, Denmark: Countess Eva von Zeppelin. She was a granddaughter of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, creator of the hydrogen-filled airships; she objected to the alleged "shrieking" that the rock greats produced using her family’s name and didn’t want the band stopping by Copenhagen that year.

It wasn’t the first time von Zeppelin had butted heads with the famous rockers. She'd previously tried to block a television airing of the group in 1969. The show was taped anyway, and the band reached out to her afterward. After a cordial meeting backstage, all seemed well, until von Zeppelin spotted the cover art of Led Zep’s 1969 debut album, which featured a shot of the Hindenburg in flames. "We calmed her down, but on leaving the studio, she saw our LP cover of an airship in flames and she exploded," recalled guitarist Jimmy Page to Melody Maker. "I had to run and hide. She just blew her top."

The band mollified von Zeppelin during their 1970 tour. For the first and only night of their career, they performed as the Nobs. After that, von Zeppelin never threatened legal action against the band again.

Funny, the von Aerosmith family never raised an eyebrow.

March 1, 1990: Janet Jackson kicks off her Rhythm Nation tour
Janet Jackson’s first concert tour was an enormous affair: a nine-month international series through the United States, Asia, Europe and South America. It launched on March 1, 1990 at Miami Arena in Florida and continued uninterrupted through November.

The Rhythm Nation stage spectacle, which supported her 1989 album Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, also included some impressive theatrical elements: a live panther, astounding visuals, elaborate street-meets-technical choreography. Over two million people attended the shows and Jackson grossed over $25 million in sales. The ambitious tour cemented Jackson’s reputation as a tremendous R&B up-and-comer, one whose promise was on par with her brother Michael’s. It remains one of the most commercially successful debut tours in history.

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Week in Rock History: Whitney Houston Sets a Billboard Record

This week in rock history, Pink Floyd released their debut single, Led Zeppelin ran into some trouble with the von Zeppelin family, Janet Jackson launched her Rhythm Nation World Tour, Whitney Houston’s signature song set a Billboard record and President Obama gave Stevie Wonder the highest honor in American pop music.

February 27, 1967: Pink Floyd release their first single
Before they floated a pig over Battersea Station and constructed The Wall, Pink Floyd made a curious debut. Their first single, "Arnold Layne," was a messy, psychedelic preamble to their great career – and if the lyrics were any indication, it seemed to concern a roving transvestite underwear thief pillaging their native Cambridge, England.

The single cracked the U.K. Top 20 and the Netherlands Top 30, giving the group their first shot of fame – one of the many drugs that singer-guitarist Syd Barrett would soon come to endorse. In 1968, he was replaced by his school friend David Gilmour for all concert duties and was fired from the band two months later.

February 28, 1970: Led Zeppelin performs under a different name in Copenhagen after the von Zeppelin family complains
When Led Zeppelin embarked on their 1970 European tour, they met very vocal opposition from one woman in Copenhagen, Denmark: Countess Eva von Zeppelin. She was a granddaughter of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, creator of the hydrogen-filled airships; she objected to the alleged "shrieking" that the rock greats produced using her family’s name and didn’t want the band stopping by Copenhagen that year.

It wasn’t the first time von Zeppelin had butted heads with the famous rockers. She'd previously tried to block a television airing of the group in 1969. The show was taped anyway, and the band reached out to her afterward. After a cordial meeting backstage, all seemed well, until von Zeppelin spotted the cover art of Led Zep’s 1969 debut album, which featured a shot of the Hindenburg in flames. "We calmed her down, but on leaving the studio, she saw our LP cover of an airship in flames and she exploded," recalled guitarist Jimmy Page to Melody Maker. "I had to run and hide. She just blew her top."

The band mollified von Zeppelin during their 1970 tour. For the first and only night of their career, they performed as the Nobs. After that, von Zeppelin never threatened legal action against the band again.

Funny, the von Aerosmith family never raised an eyebrow.

March 1, 1990: Janet Jackson kicks off her Rhythm Nation tour
Janet Jackson’s first concert tour was an enormous affair: a nine-month international series through the United States, Asia, Europe and South America. It launched on March 1, 1990 at Miami Arena in Florida and continued uninterrupted through November.

The Rhythm Nation stage spectacle, which supported her 1989 album Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, also included some impressive theatrical elements: a live panther, astounding visuals, elaborate street-meets-technical choreography. Over two million people attended the shows and Jackson grossed over $25 million in sales. The ambitious tour cemented Jackson’s reputation as a tremendous R&B up-and-comer, one whose promise was on par with her brother Michael’s. It remains one of the most commercially successful debut tours in history.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Week in Rock History: Brian Wilson Performs the World Premiere of 'Smile'

Brian Wilson Presents "Smile" World Premiere Performance at Royal Festival Hall in London.

February 22, 1976: Florence Ballard of the Supremes dies
Talented, tragic Florence Ballard never got her due. As a founding member of the Motown sensations the Supremes, Ballard had the indisputable knock-out voice of the group; recording legend has it that she was made to stand almost 20 feet away from her microphone when she sang, just to save others' ears from her powerful pipes.

As the Supremes began to take off, Motown Records CEO Berry Gordy decided to pivot the group around the pleasant, less dramatic Diana Ross, and she became the lead singer (whereas she had often demurred to Ballard in the past). Ballard and Gordy butted heads constantly, and he fired her from the group in 1967. Ballard attempted a solo career that never ignited, and unsuccessfully sued Motown for unpaid royalties in 1971, but she lived out her last days on welfare with her children in Detroit. She died of cardiac arrest and coronary thrombosis in 1976, at age 32. Her story was later thinly fictionalized in the musical Dreamgirls.

 February 20, 1991: Bob Dylan receives the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys and delivers a perplexing speech
Thirty years (and one month) after Robert Zimmerman arrived in Greenwich Village, New York, and changed the world's folk landscape, he was bestowed with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1991 Grammy Awards. During the ceremony, he sang his vitriolic song "Masters of War" (from 1963's The Freewheeling Bob Dylan), a pointed protest of the Gulf War, and was then presented the award by Jack Nicholson as his esteemed musical peers applauded wildly.

His speech was cryptic, to say the least. In accepting his industry's highest honor, he said (in entirety): "Well, my daddy, he didn't leave me much, you know he was a very simple man, but what he did tell me was this, he did say: 'Son,' he said. He say, 'You know it's possible to become so defiled in this world that your own father and mother will abandon you. And if that happens, God will always believe in your ability to mend your ways.'"

Then he snatched the trophy and exited the stage. The words were later identified by Dylan biographer Seth Rogovoy as a loose paraphrase of Psalm 27; its faithful recitation traditionally precedes Yom Kippur.

February 19, 1996: Björk attacks a reporter in Bangkok
Until her paparazzi smack-down in 1996 – a prescient move in pop culture, like so much of her music – Björk was widely perceived as a sort of benevolent, wildly eccentric art sprite. The musician had been a star in her native Iceland for much of her life, first with the electro-pop group the Sugarcubes and then through her haunting, nuanced solo fare.

In 1996, though, Björk showed a ferocious side to the media when reporters converged upon her at Bangkok International Airport. She had just completed a long flight with her son, Sindri, and later claimed that reporters had pestered him with intrusive questions. However, the reporter whom Björk assaulted had merely told her, "Welcome to Bangkok," after which the singer jumped on her and knocked her to the ground.

Björk later insisted that the reporter, Julie Kaufman, had been harassing the singer and her family for days. She apologized to Kaufman, though, and no charges were filed.

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Week in Rock History: Brian Wilson Performs the World Premiere of 'Smile'

Brian Wilson Presents "Smile" World Premiere Performance at Royal Festival Hall in London.

February 22, 1976: Florence Ballard of the Supremes dies
Talented, tragic Florence Ballard never got her due. As a founding member of the Motown sensations the Supremes, Ballard had the indisputable knock-out voice of the group; recording legend has it that she was made to stand almost 20 feet away from her microphone when she sang, just to save others' ears from her powerful pipes.

As the Supremes began to take off, Motown Records CEO Berry Gordy decided to pivot the group around the pleasant, less dramatic Diana Ross, and she became the lead singer (whereas she had often demurred to Ballard in the past). Ballard and Gordy butted heads constantly, and he fired her from the group in 1967. Ballard attempted a solo career that never ignited, and unsuccessfully sued Motown for unpaid royalties in 1971, but she lived out her last days on welfare with her children in Detroit. She died of cardiac arrest and coronary thrombosis in 1976, at age 32. Her story was later thinly fictionalized in the musical Dreamgirls.

 February 20, 1991: Bob Dylan receives the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys and delivers a perplexing speech
Thirty years (and one month) after Robert Zimmerman arrived in Greenwich Village, New York, and changed the world's folk landscape, he was bestowed with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1991 Grammy Awards. During the ceremony, he sang his vitriolic song "Masters of War" (from 1963's The Freewheeling Bob Dylan), a pointed protest of the Gulf War, and was then presented the award by Jack Nicholson as his esteemed musical peers applauded wildly.

His speech was cryptic, to say the least. In accepting his industry's highest honor, he said (in entirety): "Well, my daddy, he didn't leave me much, you know he was a very simple man, but what he did tell me was this, he did say: 'Son,' he said. He say, 'You know it's possible to become so defiled in this world that your own father and mother will abandon you. And if that happens, God will always believe in your ability to mend your ways.'"

Then he snatched the trophy and exited the stage. The words were later identified by Dylan biographer Seth Rogovoy as a loose paraphrase of Psalm 27; its faithful recitation traditionally precedes Yom Kippur.

February 19, 1996: Björk attacks a reporter in Bangkok
Until her paparazzi smack-down in 1996 – a prescient move in pop culture, like so much of her music – Björk was widely perceived as a sort of benevolent, wildly eccentric art sprite. The musician had been a star in her native Iceland for much of her life, first with the electro-pop group the Sugarcubes and then through her haunting, nuanced solo fare.

In 1996, though, Björk showed a ferocious side to the media when reporters converged upon her at Bangkok International Airport. She had just completed a long flight with her son, Sindri, and later claimed that reporters had pestered him with intrusive questions. However, the reporter whom Björk assaulted had merely told her, "Welcome to Bangkok," after which the singer jumped on her and knocked her to the ground.

Björk later insisted that the reporter, Julie Kaufman, had been harassing the singer and her family for days. She apologized to Kaufman, though, and no charges were filed.

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The Band Perry On Being Part of History With Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell and Kimberly Perry of The Band Perry.Neil H Kitson/Redferns and Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

The Band Perry have never been to the Grammy Awards before, but the Best New Artist nominees' initial appearance on the show will be a memorable one. "This is our first Grammys ever, so to be here as nominees and also performers was huge, that was level one. But to be part of truly a historic moment with Glen Campbell, we didn’t have to think twice," Kimberly Perry told Rolling Stone at Grammy rehearsals.

Kimberly is not overstating it when she calls the band's performance with Campbell historic. The country icon has made public his battle with Alzheimer's disease and has said both his current studio album and tour will be his last. And for the three Perry siblings – Kimberly, Reid and Neil – sharing the Grammy stage with him brings their music full circle in many respects.

"Our dad actually introduced us to Glen’s music. They were our first radio," Kimberly says. The Band Perry's proud parents are in L.A. this week, but they were not on hand when their musical children first rehearsed the medley of their own "Gentle On My Mind" and Campbell's  "Rhinestone Cowboy." "When we rehearsed this week on Tuesday, our parents could not stay in the room because they were bawling. They were crying their eyes out, they were so excited," Kimberly says.

The Perry siblings have felt right at home on stage with Campbell and his band. "It’s sometimes nerve-wracking whenever artists perform with another person’s band, another artists’ band, but it feels so good up there, you can tell they’ve been performing together for years and years," Reid Perry says. "And they’re a family band too, he has three or four of his kids backing him up. And of course we’re a family band too, so it’s kind of like a front porch jam up," Kimberly adds.

The trio are also tremendously excited about seeing Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen Sunday night – Kimberly calls McCartney "my favorite songwriter ever, hands down." Unfortunately they were not able to attend the MusiCares tribute to McCartney because they are spending the weekend on tour with Brad Paisley.

To the Perry siblings, that's just life. "Last year we were home about 20 days and the year before that about the same. So we’re busy, but we love it," Reid says. "We're a blue-collar act," Kimberly adds. "And I really feel one reason why we’re here on Sunday is because of all the hard work, and we’ve traveled as a family for the last decade. So it’s good to finally have that road lead here today."

To that end, the group is already hard at work on the follow-up to their self-titled debut. "I would say we’re probably two thirds of the way done," Kimberly says.  They've already given fans a little preview of the new material, including the songs "Jimmy" and "It Burns For You," though most people haven't figured that out.

"We even play some of the new stuff live to kind of get an actual reaction from it. Not just what we think it’s gonna be like, but we can actually see what real people are thinking about it," Reid says. Don't they worry about the new tracks ending up on You Tube? "We kind of sneak it in. We roll from one song to the next without announcing it’s a new song, so so far it’s a clean sweep on You Tube," Kimberly says.

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The Band Perry On Being Part of History With Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell and Kimberly Perry of The Band Perry.Neil H Kitson/Redferns and Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

The Band Perry have never been to the Grammy Awards before, but the Best New Artist nominees' initial appearance on the show will be a memorable one. "This is our first Grammys ever, so to be here as nominees and also performers was huge, that was level one. But to be part of truly a historic moment with Glen Campbell, we didn’t have to think twice," Kimberly Perry told Rolling Stone at Grammy rehearsals.

Kimberly is not overstating it when she calls the band's performance with Campbell historic. The country icon has made public his battle with Alzheimer's disease and has said both his current studio album and tour will be his last. And for the three Perry siblings – Kimberly, Reid and Neil – sharing the Grammy stage with him brings their music full circle in many respects.

"Our dad actually introduced us to Glen’s music. They were our first radio," Kimberly says. The Band Perry's proud parents are in L.A. this week, but they were not on hand when their musical children first rehearsed the medley of their own "Gentle On My Mind" and Campbell's  "Rhinestone Cowboy." "When we rehearsed this week on Tuesday, our parents could not stay in the room because they were bawling. They were crying their eyes out, they were so excited," Kimberly says.

The Perry siblings have felt right at home on stage with Campbell and his band. "It’s sometimes nerve-wracking whenever artists perform with another person’s band, another artists’ band, but it feels so good up there, you can tell they’ve been performing together for years and years," Reid Perry says. "And they’re a family band too, he has three or four of his kids backing him up. And of course we’re a family band too, so it’s kind of like a front porch jam up," Kimberly adds.

The trio are also tremendously excited about seeing Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen Sunday night – Kimberly calls McCartney "my favorite songwriter ever, hands down." Unfortunately they were not able to attend the MusiCares tribute to McCartney because they are spending the weekend on tour with Brad Paisley.

To the Perry siblings, that's just life. "Last year we were home about 20 days and the year before that about the same. So we’re busy, but we love it," Reid says. "We're a blue-collar act," Kimberly adds. "And I really feel one reason why we’re here on Sunday is because of all the hard work, and we’ve traveled as a family for the last decade. So it’s good to finally have that road lead here today."

To that end, the group is already hard at work on the follow-up to their self-titled debut. "I would say we’re probably two thirds of the way done," Kimberly says.  They've already given fans a little preview of the new material, including the songs "Jimmy" and "It Burns For You," though most people haven't figured that out.

"We even play some of the new stuff live to kind of get an actual reaction from it. Not just what we think it’s gonna be like, but we can actually see what real people are thinking about it," Reid says. Don't they worry about the new tracks ending up on You Tube? "We kind of sneak it in. We roll from one song to the next without announcing it’s a new song, so so far it’s a clean sweep on You Tube," Kimberly says.

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Week in Rock History: The Beatles Land in New York

The Beatles arrive at JFK airport in New York from London for their first tour of the United States.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

This week in rock history, the Beatles arrived in New York, Bill Haley passed away, the Clash began recording their studio debut, Sonny Bono declared his candidacy for mayor and Phil Spector was in a major car crash.

February 7, 1964: The Beatles land in New York
Beatlemania had a modest start: Pan Am Yankee Clipper flight 101, departing from London's Heathrow Airport for New York's John F. Kennedy Airport. However, its arrival was met with 3,000 hysterically screaming fans, many of them in tears, in one of the most iconic moments in rock & roll history.

The Beatles, all in their early 20s, were in New York to make their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, although they stopped for a now-famous press conference at Kennedy Airport. (When asked about the current campaign in Detroit to "stamp out the Beatles," Paul McCartney replied, "We're bringing out a Stamp Out Detroit campaign.") Though they had just scored their first major radio hit in the United States with "I Want to Hold Your Hand," their American reception still shocked the band. Little did they know that their arrival at JFK was only the beginning.

February 9, 1981: Bill Haley dies
Bill Haley, the unlikely singer behind "Rock Around the Clock," was a major international force between 1954 and 1957. In that time, accompanied by his band the Comets, he sold approximately 60 million records and appeared in the earliest teen-oriented rock movies.

Haley, a native of Highland Park, Michigan, was the first significant American rock artist to tour Europe, a move that would greatly motivate the Beatles and Elvis (the latter of whom would eclipse his homeland success overseas in the late Fifties). Though the Comets disbanded in 1962, "Rock Around the Clock" is still considered one of the most influential rock standards of all time.

Haley died in his sleep in Harlingen, Texas, at age 55. He had been battling alcoholism for some time. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union named an asteroid "79896 Billhaley" to mark the 25th anniversary of the musician's death.

February 10, 1977: The Clash begin recording their debut album
In the Clash's earliest days, the band had one righteous muse: Mick Jones' grandmother. The matriarch of the singer-guitarist's family attended the band's earliest shows at some of the scruffiest locales in London and lent her apartment to the band. It was in her flat that the group masterminded much of their eponymous studio debut.

The 1977 record was a quick hit. The lyrics, written almost entirely by Jones and Joe Strummer, were bristling with streetwise intelligence, and the histrionic guitars shaped much of punk to follow. The album was not released that year in the United States, though, as CBS Records decided the content was unsuitable for radio. The U.S. release came two years later, after the Clash's follow-up studio album, Give 'Em Enough Rope.

The Clash, and Mick's grandmother, currently enjoy several placements in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums list. The Clash rings in at Number 77.

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Week in Rock History: The Beatles Land in New York

The Beatles arrive at JFK airport in New York from London for their first tour of the United States.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

This week in rock history, the Beatles arrived in New York, Bill Haley passed away, the Clash began recording their studio debut, Sonny Bono declared his candidacy for mayor and Phil Spector was in a major car crash.

February 7, 1964: The Beatles land in New York
Beatlemania had a modest start: Pan Am Yankee Clipper flight 101, departing from London's Heathrow Airport for New York's John F. Kennedy Airport. However, its arrival was met with 3,000 hysterically screaming fans, many of them in tears, in one of the most iconic moments in rock & roll history.

The Beatles, all in their early 20s, were in New York to make their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, although they stopped for a now-famous press conference at Kennedy Airport. (When asked about the current campaign in Detroit to "stamp out the Beatles," Paul McCartney replied, "We're bringing out a Stamp Out Detroit campaign.") Though they had just scored their first major radio hit in the United States with "I Want to Hold Your Hand," their American reception still shocked the band. Little did they know that their arrival at JFK was only the beginning.

February 9, 1981: Bill Haley dies
Bill Haley, the unlikely singer behind "Rock Around the Clock," was a major international force between 1954 and 1957. In that time, accompanied by his band the Comets, he sold approximately 60 million records and appeared in the earliest teen-oriented rock movies.

Haley, a native of Highland Park, Michigan, was the first significant American rock artist to tour Europe, a move that would greatly motivate the Beatles and Elvis (the latter of whom would eclipse his homeland success overseas in the late Fifties). Though the Comets disbanded in 1962, "Rock Around the Clock" is still considered one of the most influential rock standards of all time.

Haley died in his sleep in Harlingen, Texas, at age 55. He had been battling alcoholism for some time. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union named an asteroid "79896 Billhaley" to mark the 25th anniversary of the musician's death.

February 10, 1977: The Clash begin recording their debut album
In the Clash's earliest days, the band had one righteous muse: Mick Jones' grandmother. The matriarch of the singer-guitarist's family attended the band's earliest shows at some of the scruffiest locales in London and lent her apartment to the band. It was in her flat that the group masterminded much of their eponymous studio debut.

The 1977 record was a quick hit. The lyrics, written almost entirely by Jones and Joe Strummer, were bristling with streetwise intelligence, and the histrionic guitars shaped much of punk to follow. The album was not released that year in the United States, though, as CBS Records decided the content was unsuitable for radio. The U.S. release came two years later, after the Clash's follow-up studio album, Give 'Em Enough Rope.

The Clash, and Mick's grandmother, currently enjoy several placements in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums list. The Clash rings in at Number 77.

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Week in Rock History: Janet Jackson Has a Wardrobe Malfunction

Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's 'wardrobe malfunction' during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show.

This week in rock history, Buddy Holly's plane crashed, Karen Carpenter passed away, Paul Simon's infamous musical opened on Broadway, Janet Jackson had one hell of a "wardrobe malfunction" and R. Kelly pleaded not guilty to child pornography.

February 3, 1959: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper are killed in a plane crash
Three of the most talented voices in rock & roll were snuffed at once on "the day the music died," as Don McLean's "American Pie" later mourned it.

Up-and-coming musical talents Holly, Valens and the Bopper (born J.P. Richardson) were performing on the Winter Dance Party joint tour through the Midwest when they accepted a last-minute gig at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. After the gig, Holly was dismayed that he had no time to do his laundry, so he suggested chartering a plane to their next stop of Moorhead, Minnesota. He made flight arrangements with his bandmates, Tommy Allsup and Waylon Jennings, but neither of the backing musicians made the flight. The Big Bopper had come down with the flu and asked to take Jennings' seat on the aircraft, and Ritchie Valens flipped a coin with Allsup for the last spot and won it. 

The small Cessna aircraft crashed near rural Clear Lake, Iowa not long after takeoff, due to poor weather and pilot Roger Peterson's spatial disorientation. The tragedy was an enormous blow to rock & roll, then still in its infancy. Yet although all three musicians only knew mainstream success for a short time (Holly for less than two years), their influence lingered. Holly's rockabilly beats and guitar handiwork, in particular, would soon greatly influence the Beatles, Cream, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan.

February 4, 1983: Karen Carpenter dies from anorexia
Beautiful, troubled Karen Carpenter was a true pop romantic. As one-half of the Seventies group the Carpenters (with her brother Richard), she anchored the band's greatest love ballads as a lithe lead singer ("We've Only Just Begun," "(They Long to Be) Close to You") and as an impressive drummer.

Although she was widely beloved for her glamorous exterior (not to mention high-profile romances with Steve Martin and Tony Danza), Carpenter privately suffered from anorexia. She battled it for years before dying at age 32 from cardiac irregularities associated with the disease. Her death shocked the public and moved several public figures to come forward to discuss their own eating disorders. Carpenter's family created a charity, the Carpenter Family Foundation, to research anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders. Her musical legacy endures as well: in 2008, Rolling Stone readers voted her one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

 

January 29, 1998: Paul Simon's musical The Capeman opens on Broadway
Paul Simon's stab at Broadway was an ambitious endeavor: an examination of the life of the Puerto Rican gang leader Salvador Agron, scored with a combination of Latin, soul and gospel music. It cost over $10 million to produce (an anomaly in Broadway culture at the time) and earned some negative press right off the bat when Simon gave interviews in which he criticized theater music as stagnant. He claimed he would reinvent the genre with his co-writer, the celebrated poet Derek Walcott.

Unfortunately, The Capeman closed after a dismal run of just 68 performances. The production received Tony Award nominations on the musical front – Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations, in particular – but it was detested by theater critics. The New York Times lamented that it was "unparalleled in its wholesale squandering of illustrious talents." Simon's accompanying studio album, Songs from the Capeman, fared better with the public. In 2010, The Capeman was restaged by the Brooklyn Academy of Music with the musical components intact, yet almost none of the original staging.

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Week in Rock History: Janet Jackson Has a Wardrobe Malfunction

Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's 'wardrobe malfunction' during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show.

This week in rock history, Buddy Holly's plane crashed, Karen Carpenter passed away, Paul Simon's infamous musical opened on Broadway, Janet Jackson had one hell of a "wardrobe malfunction" and R. Kelly pleaded not guilty to child pornography.

February 3, 1959: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper are killed in a plane crash
Three of the most talented voices in rock & roll were snuffed at once on "the day the music died," as Don McLean's "American Pie" later mourned it.

Up-and-coming musical talents Holly, Valens and the Bopper (born J.P. Richardson) were performing on the Winter Dance Party joint tour through the Midwest when they accepted a last-minute gig at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. After the gig, Holly was dismayed that he had no time to do his laundry, so he suggested chartering a plane to their next stop of Moorhead, Minnesota. He made flight arrangements with his bandmates, Tommy Allsup and Waylon Jennings, but neither of the backing musicians made the flight. The Big Bopper had come down with the flu and asked to take Jennings' seat on the aircraft, and Ritchie Valens flipped a coin with Allsup for the last spot and won it. 

The small Cessna aircraft crashed near rural Clear Lake, Iowa not long after takeoff, due to poor weather and pilot Roger Peterson's spatial disorientation. The tragedy was an enormous blow to rock & roll, then still in its infancy. Yet although all three musicians only knew mainstream success for a short time (Holly for less than two years), their influence lingered. Holly's rockabilly beats and guitar handiwork, in particular, would soon greatly influence the Beatles, Cream, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan.

February 4, 1983: Karen Carpenter dies from anorexia
Beautiful, troubled Karen Carpenter was a true pop romantic. As one-half of the Seventies group the Carpenters (with her brother Richard), she anchored the band's greatest love ballads as a lithe lead singer ("We've Only Just Begun," "(They Long to Be) Close to You") and as an impressive drummer.

Although she was widely beloved for her glamorous exterior (not to mention high-profile romances with Steve Martin and Tony Danza), Carpenter privately suffered from anorexia. She battled it for years before dying at age 32 from cardiac irregularities associated with the disease. Her death shocked the public and moved several public figures to come forward to discuss their own eating disorders. Carpenter's family created a charity, the Carpenter Family Foundation, to research anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders. Her musical legacy endures as well: in 2008, Rolling Stone readers voted her one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

 

January 29, 1998: Paul Simon's musical The Capeman opens on Broadway
Paul Simon's stab at Broadway was an ambitious endeavor: an examination of the life of the Puerto Rican gang leader Salvador Agron, scored with a combination of Latin, soul and gospel music. It cost over $10 million to produce (an anomaly in Broadway culture at the time) and earned some negative press right off the bat when Simon gave interviews in which he criticized theater music as stagnant. He claimed he would reinvent the genre with his co-writer, the celebrated poet Derek Walcott.

Unfortunately, The Capeman closed after a dismal run of just 68 performances. The production received Tony Award nominations on the musical front – Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations, in particular – but it was detested by theater critics. The New York Times lamented that it was "unparalleled in its wholesale squandering of illustrious talents." Simon's accompanying studio album, Songs from the Capeman, fared better with the public. In 2010, The Capeman was restaged by the Brooklyn Academy of Music with the musical components intact, yet almost none of the original staging.

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Week in Rock History: Superstars Record 'We Are the World'

Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie

This week in rock history, the Apollo Theater reopened, John Lennon knocked out "Instant Karma" in one day, Grace Slick and Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane gave birth to a daughter named god, superstars gathered to record "We Are the World" and Ray Charles sang "America the Beautiful" at the Super Bowl.

January 26, 1934: The revitalized Apollo Theater opens
One of the most esteemed venues in rock & roll, the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York, started as a much different kind of entertainment hall in the 1910s: a burlesque club that did not allow African-American performers or audience members. When the city cracked down on burlesque dancing in the early 1930s, the Apollo was one of the main casualties. The gorgeous neo-classical hall went dark for one year until original owner Sidney Cohen reopened it with a keen focus on variety shows and the flourishing black community of its neighborhood.

In that format, the Apollo would go on to influence the course of popular music for decades, both through its integrated audiences and its performances. A popular draw were the weekly Amateur Nights (where a teenaged Ella Fitzgerald shone), and the Apollo was a major factor in the Harlem Renaissance preceding World War II, which profoundly shaped jazz and R&B. The Apollo can claim Billie Holiday, James Brown, Buddy Holly, Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, Lauryn Hill, the Jackson 5, Aretha Franklin and scores of other artists as discoveries; the theater was a home to all of them before they scored superstardom. (The Apollo could also claim President Obama on this list, should he decide to pursue a singing career after last week's tribute to Al Green.) In 1983, the Apollo received New York state and city landmark status.

January 27, 1970: John Lennon writes, records and mixes "Instant Karma!" in one day
John Lennon's third single as a solo artist was fittingly named: he completed it in an astounding one day, from writing to mixing, and shipped it to record stores ten days later. As he told the press, "I wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch, and we're putting it out for dinner."

Perhaps owing to its quick preparation, "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)" has a ramshackle joy to it, especially in the group chorus. Where did Lennon find such angelic voices? At the Hatchett Club pub in London: he snared a group of barflies to sing his hook – accompanied by Yoko Ono, George Harrison and Beatles collaborator Billy Preston – and finished mixing immediately afterward with the track's producer, Phil Spector.

Lennon's inspired track scaled the charts fast, reaching Number Three on Billboard charts – two spots below the Beatles' "Let It Be," shortly before the band broke up.

January 25, 1971: Grace Slick and Paul Kantner give birth to a daughter, reportedly named god
Grace Slick's daughter with her Jefferson Airplane bandmate Paul Kantner now goes by the name China Wing Kantner, but for a few moments after her birth, the baby had a different name entirely: god (yes, with intentional lower-case initial). The story has since become rock legend (and certainly puts a child named Apple into perspective), but it is false. Despite widespread reports that the musicians named the child with the heavenly name, it was really a sarcastic joke that snowballed.

As Slick relates in her autobiography, Someone to Love?:

"As I held my newborn baby in my arms, a Spanish nurse came into my hospital room to attend to antiseptics and linens. She was holding a framed certificate that looked like a high school diploma, and she said, 'We give these to all the new mothers. You see, it says where she was born, what time, and the name of the baby goes here.' She pointed to an empty line in the document. 'What is your baby's name?' she asked.

I noticed a crucifix around her neck and spontaneously said, 'god. We spell it with a small 'g' because we want her to be humble.'"

It was only a few hours after my baby had arrived, I was holding the miracle of birth in my arms, and I was already messing with somebody's head. The nurse asked me to repeat what I'd said. I obliged her. After hearing it a second time, deciding that the blasphemy was real, she haltingly entered 'god' on the parchment, probably expecting to go through life repeating novenas for her participation in this profanity. When she was through filling in the irreverent name, she ran to the telephone to call Herb Caen, the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper columnist."

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Week in Rock History: Ozzy Osbourne Bites the Head Off a Bleedin' Bat

Ozzy Osbourne performs at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, Wisconsin, in 1982.

This week in rock history, Lesley Gore played a Batvillain, Jimi Hendrix recorded one of rock's greatest covers, the Beatles' White Album was played in the Manson Family's Sharon Tate murder trial, Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a live bat and Tom Waits won a lawsuit against a snack manufacturer.

January 19, 1967: Lesley Gore appears on an episode of Batman as Catwoman's sidekick, Pussycat
Teen queen Lesley Gore conquered the charts at 16 years old with her very first single, the 1963 pop classic "It's My Party," and she followed it up with a landmark feminist anthem, 1964's "You Don't Own Me." As she continued to release hits well into the late 1960s, she also enjoyed an interesting diversion: playing a villain on Batman.

In 1967, the pop star appeared as Pussycat, an underling to Catwoman, on two episodes of the hit television series. In between thwarting the caped crusader's latest do-goodery, she lip-synched two songs, "Maybe Now" and her last chart hit, "California Nights." It was an interesting crossover moment between feminine teen idolatry and television, especially in the age of the Monkees and Beatlemania.

After the 1960s, Gore turned much of her attention to gay and lesbian rights advocacy, including her return to television as the host of the PBS documentary program In the Life.

January 21, 1968: Jimi Hendrix records "All Along the Watchtower"
Deemed the greatest cover song of all time by Rolling Stone readers, Jimi Hendrix's volcanic take on Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" was no easy feat. Recorded over several days at Olympic Studios in London, the sessions were so drawn-out and dissatisfying that Hendrix's bassist, Noel Redding, quit midway.

Hendrix was manic about "All Along the Watchtower." Blown away by a tape of Dylan's original (reportedly given to him by publicist Michael Goldstein), he recorded dozens of psychedelic guitar parts and experimental chord variations in January, only to overdub them that summer while in New York. He would also later do the same to the bass part; that's him playing the final, funky line in the released cut of the song.

However, Hendrix's tunnel vision paid off. "He found things that other people wouldn't think of finding in there," said Dylan to The Fort-Lauderdale Sun Sentinel in 1995.  "He probably improved upon it by the spaces he was using. I took license with the song from his version, actually, and continue to do it to this day."

January 19, 1971: Prosecutors for the Sharon Tate murder trial play the Beatles' White Album in the courtroom to determine if it incited Charles Manson and his followers to violence
Once a struggling folk musician who reedily sang misanthropic odes called "People Say I'm No Good" and "Don't Do Anything Illegal," Charles Manson established himself as the leader of the murderous Manson Family cult in the late 1960s. He told his followers that a race war was underway, and he displayed his proof in an unexpected form: the Beatles' White Album.

Manson claimed that the album "spoke" to him, especially the raucous jam "Helter Skelter" and the garbled harmonies of "Piggies" (he claimed it would be the establishment who received the song's "damned good whacking"). Manson incited his cult to murder the couple Leno and Rosemary LaBianca and actress Sharon Tate in 1969 (the latter married to director Roman Polanski and pregnant). His "Helter Skelter" apocalypse theory was tested by lawyers in the ensuing murder trial, and Manson and his associates eventually received lifetime prison sentences (some reduced from death sentences due to a shift in California state law). Manson and numerous members of his "family" remain behind bars.

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Week in Rock History: Ozzy Osbourne Bites the Head Off a Bleedin' Bat

Ozzy Osbourne performs at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, Wisconsin, in 1982.

This week in rock history, Lesley Gore played a Batvillain, Jimi Hendrix recorded one of rock's greatest covers, the Beatles' White Album was played in the Manson Family's Sharon Tate murder trial, Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a live bat and Tom Waits won a lawsuit against a snack manufacturer.

January 19, 1967: Lesley Gore appears on an episode of Batman as Catwoman's sidekick, Pussycat
Teen queen Lesley Gore conquered the charts at 16 years old with her very first single, the 1963 pop classic "It's My Party," and she followed it up with a landmark feminist anthem, 1964's "You Don't Own Me." As she continued to release hits well into the late 1960s, she also enjoyed an interesting diversion: playing a villain on Batman.

In 1967, the pop star appeared as Pussycat, an underling to Catwoman, on two episodes of the hit television series. In between thwarting the caped crusader's latest do-goodery, she lip-synched two songs, "Maybe Now" and her last chart hit, "California Nights." It was an interesting crossover moment between feminine teen idolatry and television, especially in the age of the Monkees and Beatlemania.

After the 1960s, Gore turned much of her attention to gay and lesbian rights advocacy, including her return to television as the host of the PBS documentary program In the Life.

January 21, 1968: Jimi Hendrix records "All Along the Watchtower"
Deemed the greatest cover song of all time by Rolling Stone readers, Jimi Hendrix's volcanic take on Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" was no easy feat. Recorded over several days at Olympic Studios in London, the sessions were so drawn-out and dissatisfying that Hendrix's bassist, Noel Redding, quit midway.

Hendrix was manic about "All Along the Watchtower." Blown away by a tape of Dylan's original (reportedly given to him by publicist Michael Goldstein), he recorded dozens of psychedelic guitar parts and experimental chord variations in January, only to overdub them that summer while in New York. He would also later do the same to the bass part; that's him playing the final, funky line in the released cut of the song.

However, Hendrix's tunnel vision paid off. "He found things that other people wouldn't think of finding in there," said Dylan to The Fort-Lauderdale Sun Sentinel in 1995.  "He probably improved upon it by the spaces he was using. I took license with the song from his version, actually, and continue to do it to this day."

January 19, 1971: Prosecutors for the Sharon Tate murder trial play the Beatles' White Album in the courtroom to determine if it incited Charles Manson and his followers to violence
Once a struggling folk musician who reedily sang misanthropic odes called "People Say I'm No Good" and "Don't Do Anything Illegal," Charles Manson established himself as the leader of the murderous Manson Family cult in the late 1960s. He told his followers that a race war was underway, and he displayed his proof in an unexpected form: the Beatles' White Album.

Manson claimed that the album "spoke" to him, especially the raucous jam "Helter Skelter" and the garbled harmonies of "Piggies" (he claimed it would be the establishment who received the song's "damned good whacking"). Manson incited his cult to murder the couple Leno and Rosemary LaBianca and actress Sharon Tate in 1969 (the latter married to director Roman Polanski and pregnant). His "Helter Skelter" apocalypse theory was tested by lawyers in the ensuing murder trial, and Manson and his associates eventually received lifetime prison sentences (some reduced from death sentences due to a shift in California state law). Manson and numerous members of his "family" remain behind bars.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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