THIS WEEK IN 1970

September 9^th – Elvis Presley begins his first concert tour since 1958 in Phoenix, Arizona, at The Veterans Memorial Coliseum

September 10^th – The Chevrolet Vega is introduced.  (I had a 1972 GT model!  Went thru four engines on that car … all covered by warranty.  Not Chevy’s finest moment!)   

And, the very next day, the Ford Pinto is introduced.  (Ditto in the quality area!)

September 11^th – Jimi Hendrix gives what will turn out to be his last interview in his suite at the Cumberland Hotel in London.  Journalist Keith Altham of the British weekly music newspaper “Record Mirror” had the honor.  During the interview, Hendrix confirmed that his bassist, Billy Cox, was leaving the band due to exhaustion … and admitted that he, too, was suffering from this condition.

September 13^th – Elvis Presley has a hard time singing the lyrics to “In The Ghetto” at a performance at Curtis Hixon Hall in Tampa, Florida.  In fact, he gets the giggles so bad that he has to stop the show until he can regain control of himself.  This would become a semi-regular occurrence as the years went by, most famously for his falling-apart version of “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” which was eventually released commercially by RCA Records.

Also on this date, the first New York City Marathon begins