SEPTEMBER 3 | TODAY IN ROCK HISTORY: US Festival, The Rolling Stones, Donovan
The Rolling Stones Release “Angie”
On September 3, 1973, The Rolling Stones released Angie as a single from their album Goats Head Soup. The song, a tender ballad led by Keith Richards’ acoustic guitar and Mick Jagger’s mournful vocals, stood out from the Stones’ usual hard-driving rock style.
Rumors immediately swirled about the inspiration behind the track. Many speculated that it was written about David Bowie’s then-wife, Angie Barnett. Others suggested it referenced Keith Richards’ newborn daughter, Dandelion Angela. Richards himself has long denied those rumors, insisting the name was chosen at random and the song wasn’t about anyone in particular.
Regardless of its origins, Angie struck a chord with listeners. It shot to No. 1 in the United States and topped charts around the world. Its stripped-down arrangement and heartfelt lyrics offered a different side of the Stones, proving that their artistry went far beyond blues riffs and rock swagger. More than five decades later, it remains one of the band’s most enduring and emotional ballads.
The First US Festival Launches
Fast forward to September 3, 1982: the first US Festival began in San Bernardino, California, and it was unlike anything the music world had seen before. Sponsored by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, the three-day festival was envisioned as a “Woodstock for the ’80s,” combining cutting-edge technology with massive live performances.
The lineup was staggering, featuring headliners like The Police, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Fleetwood Mac, Talking Heads, The Ramones, and many more. Wozniak spent millions of his own money to bring the festival to life, emphasizing a vision of community, music, and the future.
Though plagued by logistical challenges and financial losses, the US Festival was groundbreaking in scope. It featured massive video screens, pioneering sound systems, and an eclectic mix of artists that reflected the diversity of early 1980s music—from new wave to classic rock to punk. The event drew nearly 400,000 attendees over the weekend, proving that large-scale festivals were still possible in a post-Woodstock era.
The US Festival would return in 1983 with a similarly ambitious lineup, but both events lost money, and Wozniak eventually bowed out of the concert business. Still, the festivals left an important legacy as precursors to today’s global mega-festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury.
Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman” Hits No. 1
On September 3, 1966, Donovan’s psychedelic folk-rock anthem Sunshine Superman reached No. 1 on the U.S. charts. The single marked a major turning point for the Scottish singer-songwriter, helping him transition from folk troubadour to pioneer of the psychedelic sound that would dominate the late 1960s.
The song, recorded in December 1965, featured contributions from future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page on guitar and John Paul Jones on bass and arrangements, who were then working as top London session musicians. Their work gave the track a distinctive, forward-looking sound, blending folk roots with a rock sensibility.
Lyrically, Sunshine Superman captured the optimism, mysticism, and experimentation of the era. Its psychedelic imagery and sitar-influenced textures tapped into the countercultural spirit of the time. The song’s success paved the way for Donovan’s subsequent hits, including Mellow Yellow and Hurdy_Gurdy_Man.
Today, Sunshine Superman is recognized as one of the earliest and most influential psychedelic pop hits, a bridge between the folk revival of the early ’60s and the technicolor explosion that followed.
Three Weird September 3 Rock Factoids
1968: The Beatles Nearly Recorded a Song About a Maharishi
On September 3, 1968, The Beatles were deep into the recording sessions for what would become The Beatles, better known as the White Album. Among the stranger ideas circulating during this period was the band’s continued fascination with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the spiritual teacher whose relationship with the group had recently fallen apart. The Beatles had traveled to India to study Transcendental Meditation with him earlier that year, only to leave amid controversy. Their brief obsession with the Maharishi became one of the strangest chapters of Beatlemania, blending rock stardom, spirituality, celebrity culture, and accusations that were never fully resolved.
1974: Keith Moon Destroyed Another Hotel Room
On September 3, 1974, Keith Moon continued living up to his reputation as rock’s most destructive drummer when another hotel incident added to his growing mythology. Moon’s legendary appetite for alcohol, drugs, cars, explosives, and general chaos had already resulted in a long trail of damaged hotel rooms and furious managers. By this point, The Who drummer had turned destruction into part of his public persona, creating the bizarre situation where a smashed hotel room could become almost as recognizable a part of the band’s history as one of its concerts.
1985: Ozzy Osbourne Was Accused of Trying to Kill Himself With a Guitar
On September 3, 1985, Ozzy Osbourne became the subject of one of the more bizarre stories in heavy-metal mythology when reports circulated about an incident involving a guitar and an apparent suicide attempt. The story became tangled in the sensationalized Ozzy mythology that surrounded him during the 1980s, when stories about his behavior routinely blurred the line between fact, exaggeration, and rock-and-roll folklore. Osbourne’s reputation had become so extreme that almost any outrageous story attached to him seemed believable, demonstrating how completely the Prince of Darkness had become a character larger than reality itself.
final note
September 3 highlights the versatility, ambition, and innovation that have fueled rock music across decades. The Rolling Stones proved they could balance gritty rock with tender balladry when “Angie” soared to the top of the charts in 1973. In 1982, the US Festival redefined what a large-scale music event could be, blending technology, variety, and massive crowds in a way that pointed toward the future. And in 1966, Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman” became a psychedelic landmark, aided by the talents of musicians who would go on to form Led Zeppelin.
Each of these moments represents a different facet of rock: intimacy, spectacle, and innovation. Together, they remind us why rock history continues to resonate—not just as entertainment, but as a chronicle of cultural shifts and creative risk-taking.
