This Day in Rock History: October 26

Cultural Milestones

• 1961: Bob Dylan signed his first major recording contract with Columbia Records. He was only 20 years old at the time and was performing at coffee houses in New York City's Greenwich Village when record executive John Hammond discovered him and offered him this chance.
• 1965: The four Beatles members received their Member of the Order of the British Empire medals from Queen Elizabeth II. The award wasn't without controversy, as some of the more traditional past MBE recipients protested the idea of a pop-rock group receiving such an honor.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1968: The two-day San Francisco Pop Festival was held at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in California. The list of performers included rock legends such as Iron Butterfly, Deep Purple, Procol Harum, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and The Animals.
• 1970: Elton John released "Your Song" in the United States as a double A-side with "Take Me to the Pilot." The former was a much bigger hit and was Elton's breakthrough in the States.
• 1981: Queen and David Bowie released "Under Pressure," having recorded it during a session at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, a month before. It was Queen's second U.K. No. 1 single and Bowie's third.
• 1981: On the same day of the same year, Iron Maiden performed its first show with new frontman Bruce Dickinson, in Bologna, Italy. He replaced outgoing frontman Paul Di'Anno and is still the band's lead singer to this day.