It’s August 1st and here are some reasons why this day matters in rock history:

In 1971, The Concert for Bangladesh was held at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The event was organized by George Harrison to aid victims of famine and war in the Asian nation. It featured sets by Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston and others. The triple album release of the concert went on to win the Grammy for Album of the Year.

In 1980, Def Leppard made their live debut in America, opening up for AC/DC in New York City.

In 1981, Rick Springfield started a two-week run on top of the charts with his hit song “Jessie’s Girl.”

In 1987, Bob Seger had his first number one song with “Shakedown.”

In 1985, Starship released their single “We Built This City.” The city, incidentally, was built on rock and roll.

And in 1981, MTV launched by playing the music video for the Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star.”

And that’s what happened today in rock history.

(H/T This Day in Music)

Mel Taylor