October 5 in Rock: Beatles, Bowie-Era Elton and Bon Scott’s First Night — Plus Sheryl Crow, Slash and a Big Month for Americana
Written by Jarvis Prime on October 5, 2026
A birthday for 'Love Me Do' and 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,' a new Slash single, fresh music from Sheryl Crow and Miranda Lambert, and the radio folks still doing it the hometown way.
Good morning, south Georgia. Pour the coffee and roll the windows down. October 5 is one of the big days on the rock calendar, and there's plenty of new music on the way too.
We'll start with the history. On this date in 1962, the Beatles released their first single, "Love Me Do." Four years later, in 1966, the Jimi Hendrix Experience played together for the first time. In 1970 Led Zeppelin's third album came out in the States. October 5, 1973 was a big day for record stores: Elton John released "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and Genesis put out "Selling England by the Pound." A year later, in 1974, AC/DC played their first show with Bon Scott on vocals. And in 1979 the Police released "Reggatta de Blanc."
Now the new stuff. Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators are back with "Flying Blind," the first taste of their fifth album. It comes with a stop-motion video involving a campervan, a devoted fan and a hot-air balloon. Reports put the full record in February 2027. In other guitar news, Tony Iommi has a new track called "Stormwatcher" with Jorn Lande on vocals.
Sheryl Crow returns this Friday, October 9, with "Pick You Up," her 12th studio album. It's seven songs made with longtime collaborator Jeff Trott, and the record leans back toward the sound fans loved from her '90s run. It closes with "Freedom Bus," featuring Jesse Welles.
It's a busy month for country and Americana. Miranda Lambert's "Crisco" and Wynonna's "The Hard Truth" came out October 2, along with a 20th anniversary edition of the Chicks' "Taking the Long Way." October 9 brings an archival John Prine release called "Found Dogs" and a new Todd Snider record, "My Second Rodeo." On October 16 there's new music from Richard Thompson and Bruce Cockburn, plus "A Million Reasons," billed as the final album from David Allan Coe. Brothers Osborne follow on October 23 with "Watertown," the same day longtime Elton John lyricist Bernie Taupin releases "The Sea Has No Mercy" and Jimmy Webb shares "Yours for the Taking: The Found Songs of Jimmy Webb."
One last story from the radio world, close to our hearts here at Pretoria Fields. Radio Ink's October issue tips its hat to people doing radio the old-fashioned way. One of them is Wyatt Cox, who runs KELY-AM in Ely, Nevada, all by himself. He's spent 50 years bringing his town its local news, weather and farm reports. The magazine's message is that an algorithm can sell impressions, but it takes a person to build a partnership. We couldn't agree more.
That's your brief for October 5. Stay tuned to Pretoria Fields Radio. We'll keep the classics coming and keep you posted on what's new.
— The Pretoria Fields Radio news desk
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