In this excerpt from Fillmore East: The Venue That Changed Rock Music Forever, drummer Corky Laing of Mountain — the thunderous band with guitarist Leslie West and bassist Felix Pappalardi — recalls meeting Jimi Hendrix at Fillmore East’s 1970 New Year’s Eve show.

'Rock Quiz: 1000 Questions Classic Rock Challenge!' Book Excerpt

Here are the stories behind the songs that describe characteristics - gluttony, greed, etc. - that we should be New Year's resolutions to end but probably won't

New Year’s Eve was always an important night for promoter and impresario Bill Graham. It was celebrated in grand style at San Francisco’s Fillmore West and New York’s Fillmore East. In this excerpt from the book Fillmore East: The Venue That Changed Rock Music Forever, we look back at Dec. 31, 1968, when the Chambers Brothers headlined the show at the East Village hall.

Bill Graham left an indelible mark on the rock music industry with his Fillmore East and West concert halls, eclectic show lineups, and mega-sized concerts he staged until his death in 1991 in a helicopter crash. Country Joe McDonald was a mainstay of Graham’s San Francisco and New York City venues as the leader of Country Joe & the Fish and as a solo performer. McDonald was one of the musicians chosen by Graham for the star-studded closing of Fillmore East on June 27, 1971.

“Back in Black” is the title cut of AC/DC’s 1980 album, one of the best-selling LPs in history. “Back in Black” is a tribute to lead singer Bon Scott, who died suddenly in February 1980 at age 33. The song was primarily written by Brian Johnson, Scott’s replacement, and credited to co-writers Angus and Malcolm Young. In 1981, “Back in Black” reached №37.

At 23 seconds long, “Her Majesty” is the shortest tune in the Beatles catalog. Written by Paul McCartney, the song was intended to fit between “Mean Mr. Mustard” and “Polythene Pam” in the Abbey Road medley.

America was part of the ’70s laid-back West Coast sound that included the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt. Written by Bunnell, “A Horse with No Name” was released in 1972 and became a №1 hit. In the Wall Street Journal, Bunnell explained how the folk-rock tune, originally called “Desert Song,” was written while living in London.

Sisters Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson are the basis of Heart, whose 1986 “These Dreams” became the band’s first №1 hit. With music by Martin Page and lyrics by Bernie Taupin, who was taking time off from working with Elton John, “These Dreams” was turned down by Stevie Nicks and Kim Carnes before it was offered to Heart.

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Murray the K presented the last of his package shows for nine days beginning March 25, 1967, at the RKO 58th Street theater at 154 East 58th Street in Manhattan. Billed as “Music in the Fifth Dimension,” the headliners were Mitch Ryder and Wilson Pickett. “Direct from England” were two bands making their American debuts: The Who and Cream, who were billed as “The Cream.”

“Lil’ Red Riding Hood” was the second Top 10 hit for Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, their follow-up to “Wooly Bully.” The 1966 novelty tune, written by Ron Blackwell, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Lil’ Red Riding Hood” is a takeoff on the Charles Perrault fairy tale. Sam, the wolf in sheep’s clothing, doesn’t think Red Riding Hood should “go walkin’ in these spooky ol’ woods alone.”

An Evening with Groucho compiles performances by Groucho Marx at Carnegie Hall in New York, Stephens Auditorium at Iowa State University in Ames, and Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco. Equal parts comedy and music, the 1972 double album featured anecdotes about Groucho’s family and highlights of his career on stage, film, and TV.

Pacific Gas & Electric formed in Los Angeles in 1967 and was named after the West Coast power company, which forced the band to change its name to PG&E in 1971. The New York Times at the time called them “among the best and most underexposed talent in the country.” PG&E’s acclaimed performance at the 1968 Miami Pop Festival earned them a contract with Columbia Records.

In early 1966, Sledge recorded “When a Man Loves a Woman” with some of the area’s finest musicians: Junior Lowe (bass), Spooner Oldham (organ), Roger Hawkins (drums), and Jimmy Johnson (lead guitar). The band was borrowed from Rick Hall’s FAME Studios, where the Muscle Shoals Sound was born.

Some groups work together for years, honing and refining their sound until they develop a formula that yields a hit record. Then there are the Traveling Wilburys, a happy accident that brought together five superstars in April 1988: George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison. The Wilburys produced two albums; the first, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, led off with their biggest hit, “Handle with Care.”

“She Works Hard for the Money” is the title track of Donna Summer’s 1983 album. Released as the lead single, it was a №1 R&B hit that year. Summer wrote the song with producer Michael Omartian. Its inspiration came after the February 1983 Grammy Awards ceremony when Summer attended a party at Chasen’s restaurant in West Hollywood. Summer and manager Susan Muneo encountered an exhausted restroom attendant named Onetta Johnson.

“Bread and Butter” was a №2 hit in 1964 for the Newbeats: lead singer Larry Henley and brothers Dean and Mark Mathis. The group formed in Shreveport, LA, and was signed by Hickory Records on the strength of a demo of “Bread and Butter.”

Wilson’s high-pitched sound effects were inspired by Yoko Ono. “All of us really loved her, so it was definitely an inspiration when Cindy did her vocal part and some of the background parts,” Pierson told A.V. Club.

“Probably the thing that they had to twist my arm the hardest to do,” Cassidy told Lost 45s, “was ‘Doesn’t Somebody Want to Be Wanted.’