1960: On this day, 17-year-old art student Keith Richards bumps into an old school chum at a London train station. His friend, Mick Jagger is carrying a batch of R&B albums under his arm. Deciding to renew their friendship (and listen to the albums) the two will soon form their first group: Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys.
1964: One of the most historic concerts ever took place on this day. The Teenage Music International Show (later known as TAMI) went on stage at the California Civic Center in Santa Barbara. Look at this line-up: Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, James Brown, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Jan & Dean, Lesley Gore, Gerry & the Pacemakers, and Billy J. Kramer!
Even more incredible, the tickets for the show were FREE – distributed to local area school kids. The event was shown on a closed-circuit basis at movie theaters around the country.
A complete recording of the show was finally made available on DVD a few years back and is well worth checking out. James Brown’s performance is regarded as the best of his that was ever captured on film or video. If you look closely, you’ll also see a teenaged Teri Garr as one of the “go-go” dancers backing up the bands.
