October 25, 1968 – The New Yardbirds make their first performance under their new name Led Zeppelin at a gig at Surrey University in England.
October 25, 2011 – Steven Tyler of Aerosmith falls in his hotel bathroom at The Bourbon Hotel in Asuncion, Paraguay. He receives stitches for cuts on his face and has emergency dental work after losing two of his teeth. Promoters cite dehydration and gastrointestinal problems as the causes of the incident. Aerosmith makes up their scheduled concert the following evening.
October 25, 1966 – Jeff Healey, only 7 months old, has his right eye surgically removed due to a form of cancer of the eyes called retinoblastoma. Subsequently, his left eye has to be removed four months later. Sadly, the Canadian guitarist died of lung cancer at the age of 41.
October 25, 1986 – Mark Knopfler, lead singer and guitarist of Dire Straits, breaks his collarbone in a car accident after slamming into a concrete wall during a celebrity car race before the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide, Australia.
October 25, 1964 – The Rolling Stones appear for the first time on The Ed Sullivan Show performing Chuck Berry’s “Around And Around” and “Time Is On My Side.” The appearance helps generate over a million dollars in ticket sales for the band’s fall concert tour, but also brings the ire of conservative adults who don’t care for the band’s unkempt appearance. One of the many Western Union telegrams received by the show the following week read, “Should be ashamed of yourself putting on such trash as The Rolling Stones.”
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Classic Rock Birthdays
October 25, 1947 – Glenn Tipton, guitar (Judas Priest)
October 25, 1955 – Matthias Jabs, guitar (Scorpions)
October 25, 1961 – Chad Smith, drums (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
October 25, 1963 – John Levén, bass, vocals (Europe)
October 25, 1944 – Jon Anderson, vocals (Yes)
October 25, 1959 – Christine Amphlett, vocals (The Divinyls) (d. 2013)
October 25, 1943 – Roy Lynes, keyboards (Status Quo)
October 25, 1957 – Robbie McIntosh, guitar (The Pretenders, Paul McCartney)
October 25, 1951 – Richard Lloyd, guitar, vocals (Television)
October 25, 1941 – Helen Reddy, vocals (d. 2020)
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Rock Remembrances
October 25, 2014 – Jack Bruce, best known as the bassist in Cream, dies of liver disease. He was 71. Bruce played bass, sang and was the principal songwriter in Cream. Rolling Stone magazine readers selected him as the eighth greatest bass guitarist of all time. “Most musicians would have a very hard time distinguishing themselves if they wound up in a band with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker,” the magazine said at the time, “but Jack Bruce was so gifted on the bass that he did it with ease.”
