January 20, 1982 – Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off a live bat at a show in Des Moines, Iowa, thinking it was a rubber bat thrown on the stage.  In his memoir, he says, “Immediately, though, something felt wrong. Very wrong. For a start, my mouth was instantly full of this warm, gloopy liquid, with the … Continue reading CDJ Today: January 20 in Classic Rock →

January 19, 1994 – The Ninth Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are held in New York City. Inductees include The Animals, The Band, Duane Eddy, The Grateful Dead, Elton John, John Lennon, Bob Marley, and Rod Stewart.  Stewart can’t make it there due to the massive earthquake that hit LA that week, and … Continue reading CDJ Today: January 19 in Classic Rock →

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 →

Now and Then’s eventful journey to fruition took place over five decades and is the product of conversations and collaborations between the four Beatles that go on to this day. The long mythologised John Lennon demo was first worked on in February 1995 by Paul, George and Ringo as part of The Beatles Anthology project … Continue reading The Beatles “Now And Then” Official Video & Short Film →

Sometimes he was known as “the smart one.” Sometimes he was known as The Walrus. On occasion, he was known as Dr. Winston O’Boogie. He was The Beatles’ rhythm guitarist and many considered him the best songwriter of the four. Certainly, his solo career was the most adventurous — even if it was cut short. … Continue reading John Lennon’s 25 Greatest Songs →

Behind the songwriting process with Sir Paul McCartney! Paul McCartney is inviting his fans to listen to his new podcast as he describes his songwriting process for 12 of his most beloved, iconic songs. The new podcast, “McCartney: A Life In Lyrics” will launch this Fall and is a collaboration between McCartney and poet Paul Muldoon, with … Continue reading Paul McCartney Launches New Podcast →

The John Lennon Real Love Award has chosen Graham Nash as their ninth recipient at the 43rd Annual John Lennon Tribute on Saturday, Dec.2 at Town Hall in New York. Previous recipients include Natalie Merchant, Patti Smith, Ani DiFranco, Donovan and Roseanne Cash. The event will take place days before the 43rd anniversary of Lennon’s … Continue reading Graham Nash to Receive John Lennon Real Love Award →

When one goes through the annals of rock and roll history in search of a life well led, it would be hard to find a better example than Ringo Starr. Like all the Beatles, the erstwhile Richard Starkey was born to a working class family in Liverpool.  Unlike John Lennon and Paul McCartney — both … Continue reading 20 Essential Ringo Starr Songs →

According to Paul McCartney recently, artificial intelligence (AI) was used to extract John Lennon’s voice from an old demo to create “the last Beatles record”. McCartney told the BBC that the technology was used to separate the Beatles’ voices from background sounds during the making of Peter Jackson’s 2021 documentary series, The Beatles: Get Back. … Continue reading Artificial John Lennon? →

May 31, 1977 – Beatlemania opens on Broadway.  It runs for a total of 1,006 performances. May 31, 1976 – The Who enter the Guinness Book of World Records for performing the loudest concert in history (at the time) for their show at England’s Charlton Athletic Grounds with 76,000 watts at 120 decibels. Motörhead and Manowar go on to break the record decades later.  The … Continue reading CDJ Today: May 31 in Classic Rock →

May 14, 1988 – Led Zeppelin reunites with John Bonham’s son, Jason, playing drums at Atlantic Records’ 40th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Other featured artists include Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Yes, Foreigner, Genesis, Vanilla Fudge and Crosby, Stills & Nash. May 14, 1957 – Elvis Presley swallows his own porcelain tooth … Continue reading CDJ Today: May 14 in Classic Rock →

May 1, 1967 – Elvis Presley (32) marries Priscilla Beaulieu (21) at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. This was the first marriage for them both and the only time Elvis was officially married.  The cake cost $3200, which at the time was more than the price of an average car.  The only celebrity guest was comedian Redd … Continue reading CDJ Today: May 1 in Classic Rock →