On This Day in Rock: March 30
In 1963, The Chiffons started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘He’s So Fine’, which was a No.16 UK hit. In 1971 George Harrison was taken to court accused of copying the song on his 1970 ‘My Sweet Lord’ and ordered to pay $587,000 (£345,000) to the writers.
In 1967, during an appearance by Jimi Hendrix on Top Of The Pops a technician put on the backing track of Alan Price’s ‘Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear’, to which Hendrix responded ‘I don’t know the words to this one man.’
In 2000, Rolling Stone Mick Jagger made a nostalgic visit to his old school. He opened the new arts centre that had been named after him at Dartford Grammar. The singer said he had spent the worst years of his life at the school.
And born on this day in 1945, Eric Clapton… guitarist, singer, songwriter who has been a member of The Roosters, Casey Jones and the Engineers, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Cream who had the 1967 UK No.11 single ‘I Feel Free’. Then formed Derek and the Dominoes who had the 1972 UK No.7 single ‘Layla’. As a solo artist Clapton scored the 1974 US No.1 single ‘I Shot The Sheriff’ and the 1992 UK No.5 & US No.25 single ‘Tears in Heaven’.