On this day August 2 in Rock history:

1962 - Aretha Franklin made her professional TV debut on American Bandstand, where she sang "Don't Cry Baby", which will reach #92 on the Hot 100, and "Try A Little Tenderness" which went to #100.

Robert Allen Zimmerman emerged from the Supreme Court building at 111 Centre St. in downtown Manhattan with a new, legal name; Robert Dylan.

1969 - Bob Dylan quietly attends a ten year reunion at Hibbing High School in Hibbing, Minnesota, but leaves after some drunken former classmates try to pick a fight with him. Although he may have returned for some private visits, Dylan never makes another public appearance in his home town.

Dunhill Records releases Three Dog Night's rendition of "Easy To Be Hard". Taken from 1967 Rock musical Hair, the song would climb to #4 on the Hot 100 and was later ranked at #33 on Billboard's Hot 100 songs of 1969.

1972 - Brian Cole, an original member of The Association, died of a heroin overdose at the age of 29. He played bass on the hits "Cherish" (US #1), "Windy" (US #1, UK #53), and "Never My Love" (US #2).

1973 - American Graffiti debuted at the Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland. The film, centered on a group of teenagers growing up on the West Coast of the US in the 1960s, cost just over $700,000 to make, but has garnered an estimated return of well over $200 million in box office receipts and home video sales. The soundtrack album reached #10 in America and has been certified triple Platinum. In 1995, the movie was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

1975 - The Eagles enjoy the second of their five Billboard #1 hits with "One Of These Nights", as the album of the same name led the Top LPs & Tape chart. The single, which featured Don Felder's classic guitar solo, reached #23 in the UK.

1980 - Although the movie Xanadu was a flop at American box offices, the soundtrack sold well and produced Olivia Newton-John's US number one hit "Magic".

Deep Purple scored their third UK #1 album with "Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple", a collection of their greatest hits up to that time.