This Day in Rock History: August 26

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1968: At over seven minutes in length, “Hey Jude” became the longest song ever to reach the top of the U.K. singles chart. It also reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 about a month later, on Sept. 28, and stayed there for nine consecutive weeks — longer than any other Beatles song.
• 1970: Jimi Hendrix accomplished his dream of opening his own recording facility, Electric Lady Studios, in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Previously a nightclub, the venue was converted into a professional, state-of-the-art recording studio. Many fellow musicians attended the grand opening, including Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood, and Patti Smith. Sadly, Hendrix didn’t get to enjoy his creation for long, as he passed away only a month later.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1970: The third Isle of Wight Festival opened in England. Taking place over five days, it was considered to be the largest ever music festival at that time, drawing even more people than the previous year’s Woodstock festival in New York. Around 600,000 people are thought to have attended, and looking at the artist lineup, it’s easy to see why. Some of the performing acts included Jimi Hendrix, Rory Gallagher, The Moody Blues, The Who, Free, Ten Years After, Jethro Tull, Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis, The Doors, and many others.
• 2007: The Rolling Stones finish up their A Bigger Bang world tour with a show at the O2 Arena in London. The tour ran for two years and included 147 performances. It grossed more than half a billion dollars, making it the highest-grossing tour ever at that time. This record was surpassed a few years later by U2.