This Day in Rock History: July 21

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1958: Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" was released as a single in the U.S. Not only was the song a hit at the time, reaching No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it's also gained popularity many times since, thanks to covers by famous bands such as The Who, The Beach Boys, and T. Rex.
• 1973: Jim Croce's "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It spent a total of two weeks at the top, and Billboard named it the No. 2 song of 1973.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1967: Jimi Hendrix and his band The Jimi Hendrix Experience played their first of three consecutive gigs at the Cafe Au Go Go in New York City. At one point during this run, they were joined on stage by Eric Clapton.
• 1969: The Beatles started recording John Lennon's composition, "Come Together," at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London. The song would go on to reach the top of the charts in many countries, including the U.S. and Australia.
• 1987: Guns N' Roses released their debut album, Appetite for Destruction. Although it would eventually reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and is now seen as a quintessential rock album, it took about a year for the public and critics to catch on. The single "Sweet Child o' Mine" and its video kick-started Guns N' Roses' popularity, and Appetite for Destruction eventually became one of the bestselling albums of all time.
• 1990: Roger Waters held an unforgettable show in Berlin to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall just eight months earlier. The former Pink Floyd member and songwriter was joined by a lineup of fellow musicians that included Cyndi Lauper, Bryan Adams, Sinead O'Connor, and Van Morrison.
• 1994: British band Oasis played their first ever show on American soil at New York City's Wetlands Preserve nightclub. Although the band never really got big in the U.S., it was still a pivotal moment in their history.