Time to take a look back into this day in rock history: August 14
1958
Gladys Presley passes away at a Memphis hospital just a short time after Elvis pays her a visit. Two days later at the funeral, Elvis was so overcome at the loss that he couldn’t even stand and had to be supported by friends. Hundreds of fans show up at the funeral home and near Graceland to pay their respects.
1961
The “Queen of Rockabilly” and a future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Wanda Jackson charts with “Right or Wrong”. When the Hall asked for some of her stage costumes, Jackson explained that she traveled with her mother who recycled costumes from each tour.
1966
Beatles play Cleveland Stadium! Reeling from Lennon’s remark about Christianity, WIXY 1260 owners Norm Wain, Joe Zingale and Bob Weiss scramble to sell tickets to to the Beatles show they are sponsoring. They travel to nearby cities where the Beatles will not be touring in hopes of selling the 80,000 seats guaranteed to Beatle management. Wain travels to New York and after a meeting with the band and Brian Epstein is relieved to hear they will not hold him to the guarantee in light of recent publicity. They still manage to sell 20,000 tickets despite the Cleveland Catholic Diocese objecting to the concert. Like their 1964 show in the city, the concert is halted by police for unruliness before the Beatles return to finish the set.
poster available for purchase on rawsugarstudio.com
1971
Canton hosts Procol Harum and the up and coming Humble Pie, the group Steve Marriott formed after leaving the Small Faces. Humble Pie would soon be playing to much bigger audiences, including the Akron Rubber Bowl, after the success of “I Don’t Need No Doctor”.
poster available for purchase on rawsugarstudio.com
1985
He did what!? Michael Jackson wins control of the Beatles’ ATV Music Publishing catalog by outbidding Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono. The 250 songs cost Jackson $47.5 million, and he made that move after McCartney suggested he invest in music publishing. Yoko reportedly withdrew from the deal for “astrological reasons”, though McCartney eventually gets some control over his music decades later.
2017
Hundreds of items of Elvis memorabilia area auctioned at Graceland. All are from third party collectors including costumes, contracts and posters among other items. Bids come from around the globe.
