September 8, 1994 – Aerosmith win Video of the Year for “Cryin’” at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York City.  This marks the first appearance of Alicia Silverstone in a band video, and she goes on to appear in two other Aerosmith videos.  This is also the year when Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley open … Continue reading CDJ Today: September 8 in Classic Rock →

September 2, 1989 – Ozzy Osbourne is charged with threatening to kill his wife Sharon. Sharon later said, “He went to bed. I was reading downstairs. He came down in his underpants, sat on the sofa right opposite me and said, ‘We’ve come to a decision.’ I was like, ‘Yeah’ — sort of sarcastic — … Continue reading CDJ Today: September 2 in Classic Rock →

August 9, 1986 – Queen perform their final concert with Freddie Mercury at the Knebworth Park Festival in England. An audience of 120,000 sees them close out the set with “We Will Rock You”/”We Are The Champions” and “God Save The Queen.” Mercury dies in 1991 of complications related to AIDS. August 9, 2005 – Marc Cohn is shot in … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 9 in Classic Rock →

July 29, 1974 – Neil Peart officially joins Rush, replacing John Rutsey, who leaves the band due to health problems and creative differences.  Peart has to learn the band’s entire live repertoire in only two weeks, as their American debut is on August 11 in Pittsburgh, opening for Manfred Mann and Uriah Heep. July 29, 2015 – The Eagles play their … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 29 in Classic Rock →

July 28, 1973 –  Outdrawing the previous Woodstock concert by almost two to one, more than 600,000 people sardine themselves into the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Raceway for the single-day festival, Summer Jam.  Only three groups play – The Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead and The Band.  One out of every 350 people living in America at the … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 28 in Classic Rock →

July 23, 1994 – Frank Zappa fan John Scialli is rewarded after embarking on a quest to get Zappa recognized in space when a Czech astronomer at The International Astronomical Union names an asteroid in Mars’ orbit after Zappa, who had passed away from cancer the year before. The asteroid (actually a minor planet) is named Zappafrank. The official release says: Discovered … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 23 in Classic Rock →

July 9, 1995 – Jerry Garcia performs his last concert with the Grateful Dead at Chicago’s Soldier Field.  At the time, no one knew this would be Garcia’s last show, even Garcia himself.  Although he’d been clean for several years, Garcia had returned to using drugs to ease some physical ailments.  He died exactly one month later at … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 9 in Classic Rock →

July 5, 1968 – Creedence Clearwater Revival release their self-titled debut album. It goes on to sell one million copies in the U.S. July 5, 1995 – More than 100 Grateful Dead fans are injured, some seriously, at a Missouri campground when a balcony they crowded onto to escape the rain collapses, police say. More than 4,000 Deadheads … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 5 in Classic Rock →

June 17, 1991 – Van Halen release their 9th album, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, also known as F.U.C.K.  Sammy Hagar titles the album, allegedly wanting to push the issue of censorship. The album goes on to sell over 3 million copies in the U.S. June 17, 1997 – Fans riot at an Ozzfest concert in Columbus, Ohio, after Ozzy Osbourne cancels his performance due to throat issues.  The … Continue reading CDJ Today: June 17 in Classic Rock →

June 16, 1967 – The three day Monterey Pop Festival begins and is regarded historically as the start of the “Summer of Love.”  The festival becomes the pre-cursor to Woodstock.  All artists (with the exception of Ravi Shankar) perform for free, with ticket sales donated to charity.  On the first night, the line up is:  The Association, The Paupers, Lou Rawls, … Continue reading CDJ Today: June 16 in Classic Rock →

June 2, 1978 – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers make their American television debut on The Midnight Special. June 2, 1989 – Bill Wyman (52) of the Rolling Stones secretly marries Mandy Smith (19). They had been dating since she was 13 and he was 47.  Just prior to the couple being divorced in 1993, things got even stranger when Wyman’s oldest … Continue reading CDJ Today: June 2 in Classic Rock →

September 11, 2001 – Radio doesn’t play much music today as almost every station airs news feeds regarding the 9/11 tragedy.  The country collectively mourns our dead and injured, and also the loss of our American innocence. September 11, 2003 – Tommy Chong, one-half of the comedy team of Cheech and Chong, is sentenced to nine months in federal … Continue reading CDJ Today: September 11 in Classic Rock →