Nowadays Olive Can't Even Write

In 2008, a piece of paper with the handwritten lyrics for the John Lennon-penned " Give Peace a Chance " sold for $790,000 at auction after being estimated to be worth about $400,000 or so. Credit: Christie's/The Canadian Press The owner, author Gail Renard was given the lyrics when she was sixteen years old by Lennon during he and Yoko Ono's bed-in against the Vietnam War at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Canada. Renard was with them for all eight days, helping to keep fans and press controlled and looking after Ono's five-year-old daughter, Kyoko. She also had a hand in the first recording for the song, among many other guests, including Timothy Leary, Tommy Smothers, Petula Clark, and Alan Ginsberg.  She credits Lennon for kicking off her career, with one of her first paid submissions being an interview they had set up.  If you are interested in learning more about her eight day experience, she talks in-depth about it in her book, titled John Lennon: Gi...

Today serves as a very important day for Badfinger fans, as it not only marks the birthday of former frontman Pete Ham, but the day that the blue plaque outside of the High Street Train Station in Swansea, Wales was erected in his honor. This comes three days after the anniversary of his death. Credit: Fin Costello Ham was born in 1947 in Swansea, and formed his first band, The Panthers, around the age of 14. This group ended up going through various names and lineups through the years, and eventually became The Iveys, which eventually turned into Badfinger after they  released their single, " Come and Get It ." They would also sign with Apple Records before the release of their debut album as The Iveys, Maybe Tomorrow . Just three days before his 28th birthday in 1975, he took his own life in his following major financial troubles with Badfinger. He received a call from the US the previous night notifying him that his money had disappeared. With no way to cope with the major...

On this day in 1971, The Rolling Stones released their 9th UK and 11th US studio album, titled  Sticky Fingers , on their newly founded label, Rolling Stones Records.  Photo courtesy of Wikipedia. Cover by Andy Warhol Recordings technically began in December 1969 at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama, less than a month after the release of their 8th UK and 10th US studio album Let it Bleed . Some of the leftover tracks that were held over from the former, which included " You Gotta Move ", " Brown Sugar ", and " Wild Horses " were originally cut in March and later became the first tracks to be completed. Most of the album's recording was done in the summer and autumn of 1970 and took place at a mobile studio in Stargroves, a manor and estate that was owned by Mick Jagger at the time. The cover was conceived by pop artist Andy Warhol, photographed by Billy Name, and designed by Craig Braun. It sparked some debate as to whose crotch is actu...

Anniversaries: Pioneering Rock, Blues, and Country Guitarist Lonnie Mack Dead at 74 (2016) Credit: Alligator Records Mack, who is credited with launching the "era of modern rock guitar", died of natural causes in a hospital near his home in rural Tennessee. By bringing the guitar to the forefront of his work, he influenced then-future rock musicians to incorporate a lead guitar into their work. AC/DC Drummer Phil Rudd Pleads Guilty Following Alleged Threat to Kill (2015) Rudd plead guilty to a charge of a threat to kill, as well as charges for possession of marijuana and meth. He was reportedly unhappy about the launch party for his solo album, Head Job,  and offered an associate significant payment to have one of many employees he fired "taken out". This payment would include $153,000 ( £ 100,000), a motorcycle, and either one of his cars or a house. Doris Richards, Mother of Rolling Stone Keith Richards Loses Battle with Cancer at 91 (2007) Doris Richards, who bou...

Small Faces and Humble Pie founder was found dead in his Arkesden cottage following a fire that had begun in the middle of the night. Credit: Evening Standard/Getty Images Marriott and his wife, Toni Poulton were flying back to England from the US after Marriott recorded some songs meant for a future album with Peter Frampton.  They met up with a friend upon arrival and had dinner at Marriott's favorite Restaurant, The Straw Hat, located in Sawbridgeworth, and were supposed to stay at their friend's house overnight. The couple ended up arguing upstairs in bed until Poulton fell asleep, and she later awoke to find that her husband had called for a taxi and headed back to their cottage.  At 6:30 AM the following morning, a passing motorist noticed that the cottage roof was engulfed in flames. Four fire engines had to be called to the scene before the fire was put out, and Marriott was unfortunately beyond saving. Officer Keith Dunatis, who pulled his body out of the fire, s ays:...

Today we're remembering the one-and-only Linda Louise McCartney (formerly Eastman), who we lost on this day 25 years ago following a three year battle with Breast Cancer. She was 56 at the time of her death. Credit: Manchester Daily Express/Getty Images McCartney's most famous work came from her career as a photographer, which begun in the mid-1960s after working as an editor and receptionist for  Town & Country  magazine. She was romantically involved with photographer David Dalton at the time, and would study how he did his work until she was able to set up her own shoots. Within a few years, she began to become a regular at the Fillmore East, a music venue located in New York City, where she was dubbed the unofficial house photographer. She would receive more and more assignments to photograph entertainers and musicians, which included The Animals, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Eric Clapton, Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Neil Young, Simo...

On April 12, 1990, the Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center (located at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts) announced that it would be naming Asteroids 4147, 4148, 4149, and 4150 to Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr respectively. All four of them are between 5 and 10 diameters, and were discovered in 1983 and 1984 by Brian A. Skiff and Dr. Edward L.G. Bowell. Both worked in the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona at the time. Credit: Apple Corps Ltd. "My colleague and I have been fans of the Beatles for 25 years or so, ever since their early days. We thought this would be an unusual distinction for them." Bowell says. He then goes on to add, "It is customary to name asteroids after distinguished scientists or Greek and Roman goddesses, but times are changing, and we think it is a fun thing to honor some other people we like and who we think have done nice things in the world." The two astronomers had discovered a...

Ah, Buffalo Springfield - there's not too many times in a year where I write on this band, but when I do get the chance, it's only fitting I celebrate them! Today marks 57 years since their very first gig. Let's look back on what led up to it. Credit: CBS/Getty Images Stephen Stills and Neil Young met in 1965 at Thunder Bay, Ontario-based club The Fourth Dimension while they were still with The Company (which was a spin-off of the Au Go Go Singers) and The Squires respectively. The Company, however, broke up at the end of the tour they were on at the time, and after an unsuccessful audition to join The Monkees, Stills was told by record producer Barry Friedman that work would be available as long as he assembled a band. He invited former Au Go Go Singers alumn Richie Furay and former Squires bassist Ken Koblun, who ended up leaving rather quickly in favor of joining 3's A Crowd. In 1966, Young met bassist Bruce Palmer, who was playing for The Mynah Birds at the time. Th...

Credit: Michael Putland/Getty Images On this day in 2012, organizers for the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony contacted The Who's Manager, Bill Curbishley, asking if the band's late drummer, Keith Moon, could perform.  "I emailed back saying Keith now resides in Golders Green crematorium, having lived up to The Who's anthemic line 'I hope I die before I get old.'"Curbishley then adds, "If they have a round table, some glasses and candles, we might contact him." Moon had been dead for 34 years at this point. He died in September of 1978 following an accidental overdose on Heminevrin, a prescription drug used to help those recovering from alcoholism. Artists who were alive enough to perform that night included Duran Duran, Stereophonics, Snow Patrol, and Paolo Nutini, who represented the four nations of the United Kingdom. There was also a flypast performed over Hyde Park where the concert was taking place as well as the Olympic Stadium perfor...

Anniversaries: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Brian Jones Meet for the First Time (1962) Credit: Mark and Colleen Hayward/Getty Images The three then-future members of The Rolling Stones met at Ealing Jazz Club in West London. Jones was still using the moniker of Elmo Lewis at the time and was working as a guitarist for Paul Jones, who was performing under his real name, P.P. Pond. The Rolling Stones officially formed that same year. Alice Cooper Accidentally Hangs Himself in Near-Fatal Rehearsal (1988) During a rehearsal on his European tour in 1988, Vincent Furnier, known professionally as Alice Cooper, accidentally hanged himself when a safety rope snapped. He reportedly dangled there for a few seconds before one of his roadies saved him. Veteran Music Producer and Engineer Andy Johns Dead at 61 (2013) Johns, who had been active as a producer since the '60s, has worked with many artists and bands including Free, Humble Pie, Blodwyn Pig, Jack Bruce, The Rolling Stones, Led Zepp...