August 27, 1989 – Izzy Stradlin of Guns N’ Roses loses his “patience” on a US Airways flight from Indianapolis to Los Angeles and pees in the galley after being annoyed that the lavatory was occupied. His publicist explains that, “Relieving himself in the galley was just his way of expressing himself.” After being sentenced to a year of probation for the incident, Stradlin decides to get sober and returns to his mother’s home in Indiana, where he detoxes from drugs and alcohol. He currently is not a member of the reformed band.
August 27, 1995 – Neil Young headlines the final night of the three-day Reading Festival in the U.K. with Pearl Jam as his backing band. Other acts on the bill include Soundgarden and Pavement.
August 27, 1991 – Pearl Jam release their debut album Ten which goes on to sell over 13 million copies. There are three Top 10 singles: “Alive,” “Even Flow,” and “Jeremy.”
Top 20 Best Rock Albums of the ’90s
Classic Rock Birthdays
August 27, 1953 – Alex Lifeson (born Aleksandar Živojinović), guitar (Rush)
August 27, 1944 – Tim Bogert (born John Voorhis Bogert III), bass, vocals (Vanilla Fudge, Cactus) (d. 2021)
August 27, 1956 – Glen Matlock, bass (Sex Pistols)
August 27, 1951 – Kevin Kavanaugh, keyboards (Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes) (d. 2011)
August 27, 1942 – Daryl Dragon, keyboards (Captain & Tennille) (d. 2019)
10 Questionable Classic Rock Song Choices in TV Commercials
Rock Remembrances
August 27, 1990 – Stevie Ray Vaughan, guitar legend, is killed when the helicopter he is flying in hits a manmade ski slope outside of Alpine Valley, WI in dense fog. He was 35. Vaughan, along with three members of Eric Clapton’s entourage (agent Bobby Brooks, bodyguard Nigel Browne, and assistant tour manager Colin Smythe) were all killed instantly, as was the pilot, Jeff Brown. Vaughan credited Lonnie Mack as his biggest influence, but he himself has influenced scores of guitarists, both amateur and professional. He is ranked in the Top 10 on virtually every “Best Guitar Player Ever” list. In 1993, a memorial statue of Vaughan was unveiled and was the first public monument of a musician in Austin. He was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside his band Double Trouble in 2015, where his brother Jimmie accepted his award.
August 27, 1967 – Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, dies of an overdose of Carbitrol, a sleeping pill. He was 32. His death was ruled accidental, as he had been taking sleeping pills for years for his insomnia. Paul McCartney summarized the importance of Epstein by saying, “If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian.” In 1970, John Lennon said that Epstein’s death marked the beginning of the end for the group: “I knew that we were in trouble then … I thought, ‘We’ve f***in’ had it now'”. Epstein also managed several other artists including Gerry & The Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, and The Fourmost.
