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...

David Bowie Makes His TV Debut with The Manish Boys (1965) Bowie, who was 18 years old at the time, made his TV debut with The Manish Boys, which was the second band that he recorded with early in his career. They were a short-lived blues outfit that liked to implement elements of folk and soul who appeared on Gadzooks! It's All Happening where they were set to play their only single, a cover of Bobby Bland's "I Pity the Fool" .  Small Faces Splits Up Following Steve Marriott Departure (1969) Source: Chris Walter/WireImage Active from 1965 to 1969, Small Faces called it quits following the departure of their co-founder and frontman, Steve Marriott. He left in favor of forming Humble Pie, which also featured Peter Frampton, Jerry Shirley, and Greg Ridley. Grateful Dead Keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan Dead at Age 27 (1973) McKernan, co-founder and keyboardist of Grateful Dead, was found dead by his landlady following a gastrointestinal hemorrhage caused by c...

March 6th, 2023 - This article holds nothing new, but it certainly comes with some interesting anniversaries. Check them out here! News/Anniversaries: David Bowie Releases "The Prettiest Star"  in the UK (1970) The single, which was released as a follow-up single to "Space Oddity" , features Marc Bolan of T-Rex on guitar. Although it was positively received by critics, it sold under 800 copies. David Crosby Arrested in New York for Possession of an Illegal Weapon and Marijuana (2004) Source: Michael Ochs Archives Crosby, who had been staying in a hotel near Times Square, was arrested for criminal possession of a weapon and marijuana (of course) after accidentally leaving his bag behind. An employee had discovered the gun while looking for identification, which resulted in the musician receiving a warm welcome back from police officers when he returned for his forgotten luggage. Guitarist Alvin Lee Passes Away Following Heart Surgery Complications (2013) Blues rock g...

Hey, readers! After a nasty bout with the flu, I am now back with another list. Nothing new today, but there are a couple of interesting anniversaries. Check them out below! The Monkees Announce Decision to Drop Session Musicians (1967) Source: Keystone Features/Getty Images Rather than using session musicians, The Monkees decided they would use their own recordings from this point forward. They had been wanting a chance to record their own written material for some time, but were not initially given a chance. The Beatles Release Double A-Side Single "Strawberry Fields Forever"/"Penny Lane" (1967) The Beatles released the John Lennon-penned " Strawberry Fields Forever " and the Paul McCartney-penned " Penny Lane ", which served as a turning point from their usual poppy sound to a more psychedelic sound, as well as a sort of ode to both members' childhoods. " Strawberry Fields Forever " is also my all-time favorite Beatles song. Elec...

 February 7 carries a fair amount of news with it, mainly based around birthdays and important anniversaries. Check them out here! The Beatles Release "Please Please Me"  in the US (1963) & Arrive in the US for the First Time (1964) Source: @FlyPanAm on Twitter "Please Please Me"  became the first Beatles single to be released to the US a month after its UK counterpart. It had been rejected by various American record companies before being picked up by Vee-Jay Records.  The following year, The Beatles made their first appearance in the States. Their flight, Pan Am flight 101, was greeted by over 5,000 fans as it arrived at JFK Airport in Queens, New York. The Stooges Release Raw Power (1973) Raw Power  was the Stooges' third studio album, which contains one of their most well-known songs, "Search and Destroy" . Although it was originally mixed by vocalist Iggy Pop, it had to be remixed by David Bowie due to Pop's lack of regard for overall qual...

Today brings lots of news, mostly in the form of birthdays and music releases, with a couple of other interesting bits. Check them out below! The Rolling Stones Releases "19th Nervous Breakdown"  (1966) "19th Nervous Breakdown", which was penned by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards during a US tour spanning from October to December, reached no.2 on both the US and UK charts and topped the NME charts. It was the 5th best-selling single in the UK that year. Fleetwood Mac Releases hit single  "Rhiannon"  (1976) and album  Rumours ( 1977) "Rhiannon" was  based off of a novel called Triad by Mary Bartlet Leader. The main character, Branwen, becomes possessed by a another woman known as Rhiannon. The following year, Rumours was released on the same day, boasting hit singles such as "Go Your Own Way" , "Don't Stop" , and "You Make Loving Fun ". Karen Carpenter Passes Away at Age 32 (1983) Source: Tim Graham/Getty Images F...

January 30, 2022 - Today seems to be a rather loaded day for the music world, and holds a lot of great news, as well as a cool part of music history! Celebrating the Late Marty Balin on His Birthday (1942) Martyn Jerel Buchwald, known professionally as Marty Balin, was a co-founding member of Jefferson Airplane, and later, a member of Jefferson Starship. Balin would have been 81 years old as of today. Celebrating the Late Steve Marriott on His Birthday (1947) Source: Andrew Maclear/Redferns Stephen Peter Marriott, was the co-founder of both Small Faces and Humble Pie, and has been recognized by artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Perry, Clem Burke, and Paul Stanley as one of the best vocalists ever. Marriott died far too young at the age of 44, and would have been 76 today. Phil Collins Celebrates His 72nd Birthday (1951) David Philip Charles Collins, known as the drummer and (eventual) lead singer of Genesis, celebrates his birthday today. He learned to play the drums at age five, an...

Due to the fact that there is a lot to cover, news today shall be kept brief. January 28th seems to be kind of a terrible day for the rock music community, as there are five significant deaths highlighted below, but unfortunately, no other news. Jim Capaldi (August 2, 1944 - January 28, 2005) Nicola James Capaldi was known as the drummer and co-founder of Traffic. He passed away at age 60 due to stomach cancer. Paul Kantner (March 17, 1941 - January 28, 2016) Paul Lorin Kantner was the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and vocalist of Jefferson Airplane. He passed away at age 74 due to multiple organ failures and septic shock following a heart attack he had a few days prior.  Source: Morton Beebe/Corbis Signe Toly Anderson (September 15, 1941 - January 28, 2016) Anderson, another founding member of Jefferson Airplane, passed away at age 74 due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) just a few hours after Kantner. She was the vocalist on their first album, J efferson Airplane T...