September 12, 2008 – Metallica release their 9th studio album, Death Magnetic. The album is produced by Rick Rubin and is the band’s first album to feature bassist Robert Trujillo. It goes on to sell over two million copies in the U.S.
September 12, 1966 – The first episode of The Monkees TV show debuts on NBC, preceding I Dream of Jeannie and opposite The Iron Horse (ABC) and Gilligan’s Island (CBS). The series runs for a total of 58 episodes.
September 12, 1989 – Aerosmith release their 10th studio album, Pump. It goes on to sell over seven million copies in the U.S. and features the tracks “Love In An Elevator,” “Janie’s Got A Gun,” “F.I.N.E.,” “What It Takes” and “The Other Side.”
September 12, 1999 – Graham Nash breaks both of his legs in a freak boating accident near his home in Kauai. He had pins inserted in both legs and relied on a wheelchair for several months.
September 12, 1975 – Pink Floyd release their 7th studio album, Wish You Were Here, which goes on to reach number one on the Billboard chart and sells over six million copies in the U.S.
David Gilmour Discusses “Wish You Were Here” with CDJ’s Paul Rappaport
Classic Rock Birthdays
September 12, 1952 – Neil Peart, drums (Rush) (d. 2020)
September 12, 1946 – Dickie Peterson, vocals, bass (Blue Cheer) (d. 2009)
September 12, 1966 – Ben Folds, vocals, keyboards (Ben Folds Five)
September 12, 1956 – Barry Andrews, vocals, keyboards (XTC)
September 12, 1952 – Gerry Beckley, vocals, guitar (America)
Rock Remembrances
September 12, 2003 – Country music icon Johnny Cash dies in Nashville from complications due to diabetes. He was 71. Cash, whose wife June Carter Cash had died just four months previously, recorded five decades of songs in many different genres, including rock, blues, rockabilly, folk, and gospel, and was an influential musical presence in all of those categories. He received numerous awards throughout his lifetime, but stated that his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980 was his greatest professional achievement.
September 12, 2004 – Studio drummer Kenny Buttrey (born Aaron Kenneth Buttrey) dies of cancer at his home in Nashville. He was 59. Buttrey worked with Neil Young (Harvest, After the Gold Rush), Bob Dylan (Blonde on Blonde, Nashville Skyline, John Wesley Harding), Bob Seger, Elvis Presley, Donovan, George Harrison, Joan Baez, Dan Fogelberg, Kris Kristofferson, Jimmy Buffett and Chuck Berry among many others.
September 12, 2013 – Ray Dolby, the sound engineer who invented the noise-reduction system which bears his name, dies of leukemia in San Francisco, California. He was 80. Dolby also helped develop the video tape recorder while at Ampex. Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, said Dolby had “changed the way we listen to music and movies for nearly 50 years” and that Dolby’s “technologies have become an essential part of the creative process for recording artists and filmmakers, ensuring his remarkable legacy for generations to come.” In his will, he bequeathed $52 million to Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge, where he had received his Ph.D. in physics.
