June 21, 1985 – Mötley Crüe release their third studio album Theatre of Pain which goes on to sell over four million copies in the U.S. and spawns the hits “Home Sweet Home” and the remake “Smokin’ In The Boys Room.” June 21, 1975 – Ritchie Blackmore leaves Deep Purple to form Rainbow. Blackmore says, “I wasn’t interested in the direction they were going. I thought … Continue reading CDJ Today: June 21 in Classic Rock →

May 21, 1966 – Bruce Springsteen and his band The Castiles perform at Freehold Regional High School in New Jersey.  All the band members are juniors at the school. May 21, 2008 – Steven Tyler of Aerosmith checks into a rehab clinic in Pasadena, CA to recover from surgeries that repaired damage to his feet. May 21, 1983 – Def Leppard make their only … Continue reading CDJ Today: May 21 in Classic Rock →

May 10, 2006 – Great White tour manager Daniel Biechele is sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter after The Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island in February 2003.  Biechele, 29, could have gotten as much as 10 years behind bars, but served less than half of his four-year sentence.  Many … Continue reading CDJ Today: May 10 in Classic Rock →

April 20, 1971 – Five friends at San Rafael High School in California coin the term “4:20” as a euphemism for smoking pot so they could talk about their “activity” in front of their parents. April 20th becomes a popular day to spark one up, as does 4:20 pm… every day. April 20, 2011 – K.K. Downing, guitarist … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 20 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 →

March 26, 1971 – For the first time, the iconic Rolling Stones‘ Lips & Tongue logo is unveiled on VIP passes for their concert at the Marquee Club in London. March 26, 1980 – Van Halen release their third album, Women and Children First, which goes on to sell three million copies in the U.S. March 26, 1966 – The Strangeurs, featuring … Continue reading CDJ Today: March 26 in Classic Rock →

March 19, 2001 – Aerosmith, Queen, and Steely Dan are among those inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. Kid Rock inducts Aerosmith, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters inducts Queen,and Moby inducts Steely Dan. March 19, 1974 – Jefferson Airplane reform and become Jefferson Starship. They later drop the Jefferson and become Starship in 1984.  The new/old members include Paul Kantner, … Continue reading CDJ Today: March 19 in Classic Rock →

February 23, 2000 – Carlos Santana ties Michael Jackson‘s 1983 record for the most Grammys won in a single year, including Album of the Year for his album Supernatural, and Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Smooth,” his collaboration with Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20.  Supernatural sells 30 million records worldwide. Classic Rock Birthdays February 23, 1952 – Brad … Continue reading CDJ Today: February 23 in Classic Rock →

January 24, 1981 – Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler runs into a tree on his motorcycle, tearing open his heel.  The accident leaves him hospitalized for two months, and recovering for almost a year. January 24, 1995 – Van Halen release their tenth studio album Balance, which is their final album with Sammy Hagar. The album reaches #1 on the Billboard 200 … Continue reading CDJ Today: January 24 in Classic Rock →

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 … Continue reading CDJ Today: September 12 in Classic Rock →

September 10, 1975 – Kiss release their first live album Alive!, a double-disc set culled from songs on their first three studio albums. There is debate as to how much over-dubbing was used.  The album is certified Gold. September 10, 2006 – Metallica guest star on the season premiere of The Simpsons’ 18th season on an episode called “The Mook, the Chef, the Wife … Continue reading CDJ Today: September 10 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. Top 20 Classic Rock Drummers Still Drumming Classic Rock Birthdays July 15, 1956 – Joe Satriani, guitar (Satriani, Chickenfoot, G3) July 15, 1966 – Jason … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 15 in Classic Rock →