November 17, 1980 – John Lennon releases Double Fantasy. He is shot dead 3 weeks later.  Producer and arranger Jack Douglas, Lennon and Yoko Ono later win a Grammy for Album of the Year. November 17, 1990 – David Crosby breaks his leg, shoulder and ankle after crashing his Harley Davidson motorcycle in LA.  He was not wearing a helmet. November 17, 2003 – Meat … Continue reading CDJ Today: November 17 in Classic Rock →

October 12, 1987 – Dee Snider announces he is leaving Twisted Sister, two days after the Love Is for Suckers tour concludes. Snider reunites with the band ten years later. October 12, 1991 – The Day on the Green festival in Oakland, CA features headliners Metallica, Queensrÿche, Faith No More and Soundgarden. It is the final festival presented by Bill Graham prior to his death. October 12, 2005 … Continue reading CDJ Today: October 12 in Classic Rock →

August 28, 1964 – The Beatles meet Bob Dylan for the first time, after their concert at New York’s Forest Hills Tennis Stadium. He introduces them to marijuana. August 28, 1966 – The Beatles perform at Dodger Stadium in LA  before a crowd of 45,000. Bob Eubanks is the concert’s promoter, a radio DJ who had been staging 100 concerts a year and goes … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 28 in Classic Rock →

August 10, 2012 – During their joint concert in Denver, Kiss and Mötley Crüe announce their donation of $100,000 to a relief fund set up to help the victims of the “Dark Knight” movie shooting that occurred on July 20 in nearby Aurora, Colorado.  Nikki Sixs says, “Following the heartbreaking news of the senseless shootings in Colorado we wanted to do something to … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 10 in Classic Rock →

June 10, 2010 – Slash is tackled by a fan in Milan while playing the classic solo in the middle of “Sweet Child O’ Mine”. He handles it perfectly and even continues the song after changing guitars. He says, “What’d I say? Rowdy crowd for sure. But amazing! The guy who nailed me didn’t take … Continue reading CDJ Today: June 10 in Classic Rock →

February 22, 1989 – For the first time, a Heavy Metal category is introduced at the Grammy Awards. Metallica performs on stage, but the award goes to Jethro Tull.  Yes, the Grammy voters picked Jethro Tull’s Crest of a Knave over Metallica’s And Justice For All.  Tull’s record label tries to make light of the faux pas by placing a Billboard ad that reads, “The flute … Continue reading CDJ Today: February 22 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 →

January 23, 2004 – David Palmer, former keyboardist for Jethro Tull, announces he has had a sex change and is now known as Dee Palmer. Palmer was born with genital ambiguity, assigned male at birth, and said her desire to change sex had been an “open secret” in the music business for many years. She did not have her sex change operation until the … Continue reading CDJ Today: January 23 in Classic Rock →

January 21, 1987 – Twenty-two artists are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 2nd annual awards show, held in New York City.  Keith Richards inducts Aretha Franklin, B.B. King is inducted by Sting, ZZ Top inducts Bo Diddley, Mick Jones of Foreigner inducts Eddie Cochran, Ricky Nelson is posthumously inducted by John Fogerty, and … Continue reading CDJ Today: January 21 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 →

May 2, 1979 – The Who play their first concert without Keith Moon at the Rainbow Theatre in London. The new drummer is Entwistle-endorsed Kenney Jones from Small Faces/Faces. Only 3,000 people fit in the venue, but the backstage area was star-studded, with the Sex Pistols, Phil Collins and Mick Jagger among those in attendance. … Continue reading CDJ Today: May 2 in Classic Rock →

April 23, 2003 – Twisted Sister announce their reformation for their first tour in 16 years.  The following month they kick off the tour on USO military bases in South Korea. April 23, 1963  – Bob Dylan performs his first major solo concert in New York City. Classic Rock Birthdays April 23, 1960 – Steve Clark, guitarist (Def Leppard) … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 23 in Classic Rock →