April 11, 2007 – Richie Sambora and wife, actress Heather Locklear, divorce after 11 years of marriage. April 11, 2014 – Kiss, Nirvana, Linda Ronstadt, Cat Stevens and the E Street Band  are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Kiss is inducted by former Rage Against the Machine guitarist and obsessive Kiss fan Tom Morello.  He closes his speech by saying, … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 11 in Classic Rock →

April 10, 1956 – Leo Fender patents his Stratocaster guitar, which is the follow-up to the popular Telecaster. April 10, 1970 – Doors singer Jim Morrison attempts to flash his junk at a show in Boston.  He is dragged off stage by keyboardist Ray Manzarek as Morrison is already facing charges for a similar event … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 10 in Classic Rock →

April 9, 1997 – Soundgarden breaks up, only to reform 13 years later. April 9, 1973 – Queen makes its debut performance at the Marquee Theater in London. April 9, 1969 – King Crimson makes their live debut at the Speakeasy in London. Classic Rock Birthdays April 9, 1961 – Mark Kelly, keyboards (Marillion)April 9, 1969 – Kevin Martin, vocalist (Candlebox)April … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 9 in Classic Rock →

April 8, 1998 –  Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee is sentenced to at least six months in County Jail after pleading no contest to a felony charge of beating his wife, actress Pamela Anderson Lee. He was released after 90 days for good behavior. Concurrently, he completed a 30-day sentence for beating a security guard at a Crüe concert … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 8 in Classic Rock →

April 7, 1990 – Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee suffers a mild concussion after falling 20 feet from the scaffolding above his elevated drum kit. Tommy was descending as usual on a bungee rope but panicked when he thought his roadie wouldn’t pull the brake in time.  He was turned upside down and smashed heads with a person … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 7 in Classic Rock →

April 6, 1987 – Roger Waters says he will contest the use of the name “Pink Floyd” by anyone else other than himself as he believes he is the creative driving force behind the band. April 6, 1993 – Peter Criss, former drummer for the rock group KISS, settles a libel lawsuit against Star magazine for portraying him as … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 6 in Classic Rock →

April 5, 1985 – Thousands of radio stations play “We Are The World” simultaneously at 10:50 a.m. EST on Good Friday, aimed at helping African famine relief efforts. The song is also played on Muzak (only the 2nd time a voice is heard on the system), on Air Force One where President Ronald Reagan tunes in, … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 5 in Classic Rock →

April 4, 2009 – Flea inducts Metallica into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a moving tribute to the deceased Cliff Burton.  This is the first-ever induction ceremony open to the public.  Jeff Beck is also inducted by his former Yardbird colleague Jimmy Page. April 4, 2015 – Marilyn Manson is sucker-punched at a Denny’s in Alberta, … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 4 in Classic Rock →

April 3, 1967 –  Steve Winwood leaves The Spencer Davis Group to form Traffic. April 3, 2007 – When interviewed by NME in the UK, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones speaks about snorting the ashes of his dead father. He said, “He was cremated and I couldn’t resist grinding him up with a little bit of … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 3 in Classic Rock →

April 2, 1969 – Bruce Springsteen‘s new group Child makes their live debut at the Pandemonium Club in Wanamassa, New Jersey. April 2, 1967 –  A Rolling Stones concert in Vienna, Austria is disrupted when a smoke bomb lands on stage.  The incident leads to a riot with over 150 arrests. April 2, 1999 – After … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 2 in Classic Rock →

April 1, 1985 – David Lee Roth officially leaves Van Halen to start a solo career. Roth later reconsiders and joins Van Halen briefly in 1996 and in 2000, before re-joining permanently in 2006. April 1, 2008 – Scott Weiland officially leaves Velvet Revolver. April 1, 1970  – The Woodstock movie premieres in Hollywood; it eventually grosses $50 million in the United States. April 1, 1976 – Pink Floyd guitarist David … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 1 in Classic Rock →

March 31, 2015 – Van Halen releases their first-ever live album to feature original singer David Lee Roth. Recorded on June 21, 2013 at the famed Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO DOME LIVE IN CONCERT includes 23 songs, spanning all seven of the band’s albums with Roth. March 31, 1992 – Def Leppard releases Adrenalize, their first album after the death of … Continue reading CDJ Today: March 31 in Classic Rock →