September 1, 1998 – Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan is charged with assault and battery for allegedly hitting a security guard in the head with a microphone during a concert at Pine Knob in Michigan. “I’ve seen everything at Pine Knob, but I’ve never seen it where the lead singer bends over and hits someone,” says the local sheriff. September 1, … Continue reading CDJ Today: September 1 in Classic Rock →

July 4, 1982 – Ozzy Osbourne marries Sharon Arden, the daughter of music business manager Don Arden. July 4, 1973 – Slade drummer Don Powell is badly injured in a car crash in which his fiancé is killed. He breaks both of his ankles and five of his ribs and is unconscious for six days after surgeons drill into his skull to … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 4 in Classic Rock →

June 26, 1996 – Van Halen announce that Sammy Hagar is leaving the band and that David Lee Roth will again become the lead singer.  Hagar reunites with the Van Halen brothers for a 2004 tour that is quite successful, but once again, the two factions split. June 26, 1973 – Keith Richards and his girlfriend Anita Pallenberg are arrested on drug and gun … Continue reading CDJ Today: June 26 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 →

December 22, 1987 – Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue is pronounced “dead on arrival” in an ambulance when his heart stops beating for two minutes. Sixx is given two shots of adrenaline in his chest, which revives him. In his book, The Heroin Diaries, Sixx says, “I ripped out my tubes and staggered in just my leather pants … Continue reading CDJ Today: December 22 in Classic Rock →

November 16, 1988 – Stephen Love, The Beach Boys‘ former business manager, is convicted of embezzling $906,000 from the band and is sentenced to five years probation and ordered to make $86,000 in restitution. Love is the younger brother of Beach Boys lead singer Mike Love and a cousin of group members Brian Wilson and Carl Wilson. November 16, … Continue reading CDJ Today: November 16 in Classic Rock →

May 30, 1992 – Paul Simon marries Edie Brickell in a private civil ceremony at their home in Montauk, NY. May 30, 1971 – Over 30 fans are hospitalized suffering from intense hallucinations after a Grateful Dead concert at the Winterland Auditorium in San Francisco, CA. The band had encouraged the crowd to drink apple juice that was allegedly spiked with … Continue reading CDJ Today: May 30 in Classic Rock →

Have you voted yet?  If not, maybe you need some musical inspiration to either fill out that absentee ballot or go cast it in person. Here are ten handpicked songs to inspire, anger, motivate and delight you. GO VOTE! And now, in alphabetical order by song title: 01 “…And Justice For All” – Metallica (1988) Of course, … Continue reading 10 Classic Rock Songs That Will Inspire You To Vote →

Some of these classic rock cover songs are so good that most people have no idea they’re not the originals. Bob Dylan is the writer of two of the most well-known covers, with the other songs coming from a variety of artists who recorded them in the 1950s through the 1980s.  10 Billy Idol – … Continue reading Top 10 Classic Rock Cover Songs →

Rock artists have always been socially conscious, and their fans have generally been supportive of their causes. But sometimes, the fans get it all wrong and misconstrue the meaning of the song, as evidenced by the protest song that came in at #1. 10 Peter Gabriel – “Biko” (1980) Apartheid This tribute to Steve Biko, … Continue reading Top 10 Best Protest Songs →

I want to let you know a bit about Sandy Pearlman, not only because he was a good friend and I enjoyed so many great times with him, but also because he was one of the world’s greatest characters. It’s taken a moment for me to put this together because his passing really hit me … Continue reading The Passing Of Sandy Pearlman – One Of The Most Eccentric Characters Of All Time →

A new documentary on British punk band The Damned will premiere March 18th at SXSW. Directed by Wes Orshoski, the film features Mick Jones (The Clash), Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), and Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses) as well as interviews with Nick Mason (Pink Floyd) and Buzz Osbourne (The Melvins), among others. Watch the trailer … Continue reading Watch the Trailer for The Damned Documentary Featuring Chrissie Hynde, Nick Mason, Mick Jones →