January 3, 1967 – Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys declares himself a conscientious objector and refuses to be sworn in after receiving an induction notice from the US Army, leading to his indictment and criminal prosecution for draft evasion. Finally, in September 1971, the judge agreed to a plan that allowed Wilson to perform community service by … Continue reading CDJ Today: January 3 in Classic Rock →

December 28, 1968 – The Miami Pop Festival takes place near Miami, FL and attracts over 100,000 people over its three-day run.  Featured acts include The Amboy Dukes, Canned Heat, the Grateful Dead, Iron Butterfly, Steppenwolf, Fleetwood Mac, Procol Harum, The Turtles, Joni Mitchell, Three Dog Night and the Grass Roots. December 28, 1998 – Ronnie Hammond of The Atlanta Rhythm … Continue reading CDJ Today: December 28 in Classic Rock →

December 21, 1970 – Elvis Presley meets with President Richard Nixon at The White House to volunteer his services in fighting the war on drugs. Elvis had written a letter to President Nixon asking to be made a “Federal Agent at Large” for the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. No such position actually existed, but Nixon, wanting desperately … Continue reading CDJ Today: December 21 in Classic Rock →

December 7, 2000 – The 31st annual Kennedy Center Honors salutes Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who.  Also feted are Morgan Freeman, George Jones, Barbra Streisand and Twyla Tharp.  Rob Thomas, Dave Grohl and Chris Cornell honor them with a live performance. December 7, 1984 – Foreigner release their fifth studio album Agent Provocateur. It goes on to sell three million copies in … Continue reading CDJ Today: December 7 in Classic Rock →

A brand new documentary about Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson is nearing completion after nearly three-years of production that has largely flown under-the-radar. Though Wilson life has been examined in countless articles, books, movies and documentaries, nearly all of them focus on either the 1960s and the height of Beach Boys fame or the difficult … Continue reading Beach Boys Legend Brian Wilson the Subject of a New Documentary →

December 4, 2012 – Randy Blythe, the frontman of Lamb of God, is charged with the death of a 19-year-old fan at a concert in Prague in 2010 after he pushed him off the stage. The fan, Daniel Nosek, hits his head when he falls to the concrete floor and dies of his injuries 2 weeks later. Blythe is later acquitted, … Continue reading CDJ Today: December 4 in Classic Rock →

November 19, 2001 – Scott Weiland of The Stone Temple Pilots is arrested on one count of domestic battery after a fight with his wife at the Hard Rock Hotel.  Weiland argued with his wife over a prescription he was going to have filled. The couple’s 18-month-old son was also in the room. “He wanted to leave the room … Continue reading CDJ Today: November 19 in Classic Rock →

November 16, 2014 – Bono of U2 has a “high energy bicycle accident” in New York’s Central Park. The singer suffers numerous serious injuries, including a “facial fracture involving the orbit of his eye,” three separate fractures of his left shoulder blade and a fracture of his left humerus bone in his upper arm. The latter injury … Continue reading CDJ Today: November 16 in Classic Rock →

November 14, 1983 –  Michael Jackson’s 14-minute film Thriller debuts to a private audience at the Metro Crest Theater in Los Angeles. Directed by John Landis, the short film will become the most popular video in MTV history when the network begins airing it in December. Many of Jackson’s famous friends show up at the premiere, … Continue reading CDJ Today: November 14 in Classic Rock →

A fascinating new rock documentary debuted at the 2018 LA Film Festival last week. Echo in the Canyon examines the birth of the Laurel Canyon music scene and the iconic music and artists – such as The Byrds,The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield and The Mamas and the Papas – that developed there.  Incidentally this was … Continue reading Rock Doc ‘Echo In the Canyon’ Premieres at L.A. Film Festival →