Today in rock history 23rd September

Wednesday September 23rd

1947 – Neal Smith, drummer with Alice Cooper, is born in Akron, Ohio.

1949 – Bruce Springsteen is born in Freehold, N.J.

1959 – Songwriter Martin Page is born in Southampton, England. If you’ve heard Starship’s “We Built This City” or Heart’s “These Dreams,” you know his work.

1960 – In Hamburg, the young Beatles with Stu Sutcliffe cut versions of “Fever,” “Summertime,” and “September Song.”

1968 – The Beatles record 45 takes of “Happiness Is a Warm Gun.”

1969 – In today’s issue of Illinois’ Northern Star newspaper, a journalist rounds up the clues that point to the death of Paul McCartney. They include a mumble that sounds like “I buried Paul” in the fade to “Strawberry Fields Forever” and numerous things to do with walruses.

1972 – Mott the Hoople release their single “All the Young Dudes.” Not so much a comeback single as life support system, the song was written for them by David Bowie to encourage the band to stay together.

1978 – Foreigner release their second album, Double Vision.

1980 – David Bowie opens in the title role of “The Elephant Man” on Broadway.

1997 – Elektra Entertainment releases “The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne,” the first-ever anthology of the singer/songwriter’s work.

1997 – The Rolling Stones’ Bridges to Babylon Tour opens in Chicago. Opening acts for the North American tour, include Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews Band, Smashing Pumpkins, Jamiroquai, Blues Traveler and Foo Fighters.

2006 – Neil Young was named artist of the year at the Americana Honors and Awards at the fifth annual event in Nashville, Tennessee. The 60-year-old singer-songwriter released the protest album Living With War this year.