August 24, 1980 – Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Ozzy Osbourne, Budgie, Girl and Tygers of Pan Tang appear on the final day of the Reading Rock Festival in England. August 24, 1990 – Judas Priest are acquitted at their trial in Reno, NV, after having been accused of planting subliminal messages on their album Stained Class, which led two fans to attempt suicide. Rob Halford says, … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 24 in Classic Rock →

August 23, 1967 – Keith Moon starts a new rock star trend – destroying hotels – when he drives a Lincoln Continental into a pool at the Holiday Inn in Flint, MI during his 21st birthday party.  The total damage runs $24,000 in 1967 dollars (about $132,000 today) and the record company buys the “damp” car from its irate … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 23 in Classic Rock →

On August 8, 1969 at approximately 11:35am Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan stopped traffic on Abbey Road in London to capture what has arguably become the most iconic Beatles photograph ever taken. The picture shows the Fab Four striding over the black and white stripes of the pedestrian crossing just outside of the EMI Recording Studios … Continue reading The Beatles Announce ‘Abbey Road’ 50th Anniversary Release →

July 27, 1973 – The self-titled debut by the New York Dolls, produced by Todd Rundgren, is released to critical acclaim and mediocre sales.  However, the album serves as an influential precursor to the developing punk rock scene with such songs as “Personality Crisis,” “Trash,” and “Jet Boy.” July 27, 2010 – Growing Up Twisted, starring Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider, … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 27 in Classic Rock →

July 15, 1998 – Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer narrowly escapes serious injury when his Ferrari convertible catches on fire at a gas station.  He is admitted to the hospital with second-degree burns on his arms and hands.  The Ferrari is destroyed. Classic Rock Birthdays July 15, 1956 – Joe Satriani, guitar (Satriani, Chickenfoot, G3) July 15, 1966 – Jason Bonham, drums (Bonham, Sammy Hagar and The Circle) July … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 15 in Classic Rock →

July 6, 1957 – John Lennon and Paul McCartney meet for the first time at The Woolton Church Parish Fete where The Quarry Men (featuring Lennon) were appearing.  McCartney impresses Lennon by playing Eddie Cochran’s “Twenty Flight Rock” and “Be-Bop-A-Lula” from Gene Vincent.  He also shows Lennon how to tune his guitar, something he’d been paying someone else to … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 6 in Classic Rock →

July 2, 2005 – Live 8 is a string of concerts in 10 cities taking place in the G8 states and in South Africa.  The concerts also coincide with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid.  A TV audience of several hundred million watches the shows which include Pink Floyd, The Who, Deep Purple, Mötley Crüe, U2, Coldplay, Sting, Elton John, Paul … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 2 in Classic Rock →

July 1, 1983 – Bon Jovi signs with Mercury Records, and goes on to sell over 130 million records worldwide.  Initially, they had considered calling themselves “Johnny Electric.” July 1, 1978 – The very first Texxas Jam takes place at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, with Aerosmith, Van Halen, Journey, Ted Nugent, Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush, Heart, Head East, Eddie Money, … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 1 in Classic Rock →

 May 11, 1974 – Led Zeppelin attend an Elvis Presley concert in LA and spend over two hours backstage after the show with Elvis.  Too bad no one recorded that meeting! May 11, 1995 – Five guitar heroes honor Stevie Ray Vaughan in a tribute concert in Austin, TX.  Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Robert Cray and Stevie’s … Continue reading CDJ Today: May 11 in Classic Rock →

April 22, 1976 – Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi debut their Blues Brothers act on Saturday Night Live. They play a cover of “Soul Man” by Sam & Dave, who they used as the basis for their characters. April 22, 1993 – The Who’s Tommy premieres on Broadway where it is performed 899 times until … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 22 in Classic Rock →