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Today In Music History: A "Revolution" To Sell Shoes

July 28, 2014

Beatles Revolution
Revolution from The Beatles
Album Cover Art

History Highlight:

Today in 1987, the surviving members of The Beatles and Yoko Ono sued Nike and Capitol Records over the use of "Revolution" in a sneaker commercial. Yoko was eventually won over, and said, "John's songs should not be part of a cult of glorified martyrdom. They should be enjoyed by kids today. This ad is a way to communicate John's song to them, to make it a part of their lives instead of a relic of the distance past."

Also, Today In:

1957 - Jerry Lee Lewis made his TV debut on The Steve Allen Show.

1970 - The Australian western film Ned Kelly opened on this day; it marked Mick Jagger's acting debut.

1973 - More than 600,000 turned out to see the Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band and others in concert at Watkin's Glen, New York, in one of the largest festivals of all time.

1995 - It was determined that Jimi Hendrix's name, likeness, image and music became the exclusive property of the Hendrix estate in Seattle after years of legal wrangling.

2001 - As the world media buzzed and speculated on the health of the reclusive George Harrison, he continued to keep popping up on various new projects, playing guitar on Bill Wyman, E.L.O. and Jim Capaldi records.