In the early days of rock and roll, a band would get signed, write some catchy songs, record the catchy songs, then work with the label to pick the singles to release and hit the road. Here’s the skinny; if you want to make money in the early days, you’ve got to have a song on the radio that small town radio stations play, and be at the concert hall of America to increase record sales and t-shirt revenues. No one liked being on the road, but it was the only way to make any money.
When hitting the road, the headliner would need a moderately popular band to open for them; the only requirements of that opening band would be that they behaved, and would never be more poplar that the headliner. This was not always the case. Here are a few odd ‘opening acts’ that we look back and wonder what they were thinking…
‘The Who’ once toured with The Herman’s Hermits as their opening act. Jimi Hendrix spent a few months playing before the Monkees as their opening act. Joe Walsh was signed at the opening act for the Beach Boys in the 60s.
At the Schaefer Music Festival in Central Park, New York City in the early 70s, both Brewer and Shipley and Anne Murray opened up for headliner Bruce Springsteen. Bob Seger opened up for Black Sabbath in 1976 (months before his Silver Bullet Live LP).
—
Photo credit: Legacy Recordings