Music History

B.J. Thomas was at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart with the song “I Just Can't Help Believing”.

“Make It with You” reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for one week. It was Bread’s first and only single to reach the top of the U.S. chart; in the United Kingdom, it reached No. 5. The song was written by singer David Gates. It was later recorded by, among others, The Supremes, Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind & Fire, Dusty Springfield, Andy Williams, and Marc Cohn.

The fifth studio album “Cosmo's Factory” began a nine-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, later known as the Billboard 200, and also reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Finland, Canada, and Norway. The album contained the hits “Up Around the Bend” (#4 U.S.), “Lookin' Out My Back Door” (#23 U.S.), and “Who'll Stop the Rain” (#2 U.S.). The title “Cosmo's Factory” came from the warehouse in Berkeley where the group rehearsed; John Fogerty insisted on rehearsing almost every day, and drummer Doug “Cosmo” Clifford therefore began calling the place “the factory”.

Derek & the Dominos began recording their first and only studio album, “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs”. Eric Clapton was a member of the group and, in an effort to remain low-profile, tried to downplay his involvement in the band.

Derek and the Dominos performed at the Van Dike club in Plymouth, England.

Elton John signed a recording contract as a solo artist with Uni Records, a division of MCA Records.

It was announced that Elvis Presley would undertake his first U.S. tour since the mid-1950s.

On August 22, 1970, Elvis Presley performed two shows at the International Hotel in Las Vegas during his third Las Vegas season, which ran from August 10 to September 8, 1970. The evening show began at 8:30 p.m. and the midnight show at midnight; both had a capacity of 2,200 spectators. The setlist was not provided. The song “Runaway” was recorded during the evening show and later released on the album “Elvis On Stage”, while according to the source no recording was made of the midnight show.

After leaving The Animals the previous year, Eric Burdon returned to the charts with his new group War and the song “Spill the Wine”, which reached No. 3. Burdon separated from War in 1971, while the group later continued successfully without him and recorded further hits, including “The World Is a Ghetto” (#9), “The Cisco Kid” (#12), “Gypsy Man” (#8), “Why Can't We Be Friends?” (#6), “Low Rider” (#7) and “Summer” (#7).

The Moody Blues began a three-week run at No. 1 on the British album chart with their sixth studio album, “A Question of Balance”. In the U.S., the album peaked at No. 3.

Elvis Presley performed an evening and midnight show at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. The evening show began at 8:15 p.m. and the midnight show at midnight; both had a capacity of 2,200. The source provides setlists for both performances and mentions the recording “Ferocious In Vegas”.

Emerson, Lake And Palmer made their debut at Plymouth Guild Hall in Plymouth, England. It was their first performance ever and also their only warm-up show before the Isle of Wight Festival six days later, where approximately 600,000 people saw them. They were paid approximately £400 for their first concert. During their career, the trio sold more than forty million records and placed ten albums on the Billboard chart and the same number in the UK.

Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground performed together for the final time at the Max's Kansas City club in New York. The performance and other concerts at the club were recorded by Brigid Polk, an associate of Andy Warhol, on a monophonic cassette recorder. The recordings were later released on the album “Live at Max's Kansas City”. Reed subsequently worked for his father for two years for $40 a week before signing a solo contract.

Elvis Presley performed at the International Hotel in Las Vegas in the evening show at 8:30 p.m. and again at midnight, in both cases before approximately 2,200 people. The evening program included performances by Darlene Love, The Osmonds and Ed Ames, while the midnight show included „That's All Right“, „Tiger Man“, „Polk Salad Annie“ and „Suspicious Minds“.

The Who performed at Civic Hall in Wolverhampton, England, and John Sebastian of The Lovin’ Spoonful joined them on stage, as he was Townshend's guest at the time.

A party was held in New York to celebrate the official opening of Electric Ladyland Studios.

Then little-known 23-year-old Elton John performed his first live concert in the United States at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, California. He appeared alongside singer and songwriter David Ackles and began his 17-concert US tour; according to one source, Neil Diamond introduced him to the audience. Among those in attendance were Don Henley, Quincy Jones and Leon Russell. Elton John performed songs including “Border Song”, “Your Song”, “Take Me to the Pilot” and a cover of The Rolling Stones' “Honky Tonk Women”. The concert received enthusiastic reviews and significantly boosted his career in America.

Elvis Presley performed an evening concert at 8:30 p.m. and a midnight concert at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. Both had a capacity of approximately 2,200 spectators; the source does not provide the setlist.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer performed live for the first time at The Guildhall in Plymouth, England. Keith Emerson had previously been a member of The Nice, Greg Lake had been in King Crimson and Carl Palmer was the drummer of Atomic Rooster. Four days later they played to a much larger audience at the Isle of Wight Festival.

A celebration of the official opening of Electric Ladyland Studios was held in New York. Jimi Hendrix had opened the studio. He died a few months later, but the studio continued operating and was later used for recordings by John Lennon, AC/DC, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa and Guns N’ Roses, among others.

Country singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jo Dee Marie Messina was born in Framingham, Massachusetts. At 19 she moved to Nashville, and in 1996 she scored her first hit with “Heads Carolina, Tails California”. In 2022 the song gained a new life when Cole Swindell referenced it in his song “She Had Me At Heads Carolina”.

While recording the album “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs”, producer Tom Dowd took Eric Clapton and his group to a concert by The Allman Brothers Band, where Clapton heard Duane Allman play in person for the first time. After the concert, an immediate bond developed between Clapton and Allman, and Allman was invited to the studio to record with the new group Derek & the Dominos. After an all-night jam, Allman asked Clapton if he could visit the recording sessions, and Clapton agreed on the condition that Allman would also participate in the recording. During the following ten days, Allman contributed to most of the album's songs, making it the result of their collaboration.

Elvis Presley performed an evening concert followed by a second midnight concert at the International Hotel in Las Vegas as part of his “That's the Way It Is” engagement.

A warning was issued in Las Vegas that Elvis Presley would be kidnapped during the night, so security measures at the hotel were increased.

The five-day Isle of Wight Festival began in England and ran from August 26 to 30, with the main program featuring the biggest stars taking place during the final three days. Performers included Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Donovan, Jethro Tull, Miles Davis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Doors, The Who, Spirit, The Moody Blues, Chicago, Procol Harum, Sly and the Family Stone and Free. For Jimi Hendrix, it was his final concert appearance in the United Kingdom. A weekend ticket cost £3.

In New York City, an official celebration was held for the opening of Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village, a studio complex founded by Jimi Hendrix. The studio took a year to build and cost one million dollars. Guests included Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ron Wood and the then little-known Patti Smith. Artists who later recorded there included Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, AC/DC, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa and Guns N' Roses. Hendrix subsequently traveled to London to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival and died before he could return to the studio to record.

Jimi Hendrix performed his final concert in the United Kingdom at the Isle of Wight Festival, less than a month before his death.

The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, Florida.

Led by Betty Friedan, the new feminist movement in the US organized a nationwide Women's Strike for Equality.

Elvis Presley performed an evening concert at the International Hotel in Las Vegas at 8:15 p.m., followed by a midnight concert.

Howl, Andy Roberts’ Everyone, Supertramp and The Groundhogs were among the artists who performed at the Reading Festival at Afton Down on the Isle of Wight.

The second day of the Isle of Wight Festival was notable mainly for the absence of major stars. However, emerging Supertramp also performed, whose debut album had been released only four weeks earlier.

Jimi Hendrix made his final studio recording when he recorded “Slow Blues” at Electric Lady Studios in New York.

The sci-fi musical “Toomorrow”, starring newcomer Olivia Newton-John as a pop singer whose group is abducted by aliens, premiered in cinemas. The film was intended to promote the group of the same name, but flopped and directed Newton-John toward a solo career.

British-American musician, bassist and songwriter Tony Kanal was born in London to Indian parents. He became known as a member of No Doubt, who had the 1997 UK No. 1 single “Don't Speak”, while the album “Tragic Kingdom” sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. He dated the band's singer Gwen Stefani for approximately seven years; their breakup inspired the song “Don't Speak”, and they subsequently remained friends and bandmates.

During a four-week engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, a security employee received a threatening phone call saying that Elvis Presley would be shot during his final performance. The caller demanded $50,000 in exchange for the name of the potential assassin. Later, a meal card with a damaged image of Elvis’s face and a drawn gun pointing at his heart was found in Elvis’s hotel mail. Elvis performed his final show without incident.

On the third day of the Isle of Wight Festival at Afton Down, performers included Procol Harum, Rory Gallagher's Taste, Chicago, Family, Cactus, and Tony Joe White. Mungo Jerry were listed in the program and on the posters but refused to perform because of the major delay in the schedule, which meant they would not go on until the early hours of the morning. A ticket for the main days of the festival cost £3.

Magic Juan of Projecto Uno was born.

The Allman Brothers Band performed in Pensacola, Florida.

The Velvet Underground’s album “Loaded” was released.

Anne Murray's "Snowbird" reached No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart.

Black Sabbath released the title track from their second studio album "Paranoid" as a single. The song reached No. 1 in Denmark and West Germany, No. 4 in the UK, and No. 61 in the US.

R&B singer Carl Martin of the group Shai was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. He is known for the 1992 hit "If I Ever Fall in Love".

Edwin Starr's "War", written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for three weeks. It reached No. 3 in the UK and became his only US No. 1 hit. The song was later nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance but lost to B. B. King's "The Thrill Is Gone". According to Starr, the song was not specifically about the Vietnam War but concerned gang violence and other domestic conflicts.

Elvis Presley performed at the International Hotel in Las Vegas before an audience of 2,200. During the evening, he gave an 8:30 p.m. concert as well as a midnight concert.

Elvis Presley's single "I've Lost You/The Next Step Is Love" reached No. 32 on the US chart.

Grand Funk Railroad, David Allan Coe, and The Third Power performed at The Warehouse club in New Orleans, Louisiana.

On the fourth day of the five-day Isle of Wight Festival at Afton Down, performers included Miles Davis, The Doors, The Who, Joni Mitchell, Ten Years After, Sly & the Family Stone, Cat Mother, Free, John Sebastian, Mungo Jerry, and Spirit. During her performance, Joni Mitchell was interrupted by a hippie named Yogi Joe, who had to be removed by security. Emerson, Lake & Palmer gave only their second live performance here.

Led Zeppelin, Iron Butterfly, Chilliwack, The Youngbloods, and The Ides of March performed at the Man-Pop Festival in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

The fifth and final day of the Isle of Wight Festival was held at Afton Down. Performers included Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez, Jethro Tull, Leonard Cohen, The Moody Blues and Richie Havens.