April 14, 1975 – Former Faces guitarist Ronnie Wood gets a coveted Rolling Stones gig, replacing Mick Taylor.  Other rumored replacements for the position are Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Steve Marriott and Chris Spedding. April 14, 2009 – George Harrison is honored posthumously with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in front of the Capitol Records building.  In attendance … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 14 in Classic Rock →

One of the coolest things that happened working closely with so many great musicians while I was at Columbia Records was talking music with them and especially talking guitar with all the great players I met. The most fascinating thing was the discovery that at the end of the day, after all the fame, all … Continue reading Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll – Now At The Met in New York! WOW!! →

March 29, 1975 – Led Zeppelin becomes the first band in history to have six albums on the Billboard chart at once: Physical Graffiti (#1), Led Zeppelin IV, House of the Holy, Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin and Led Zeppelin III. The 10 Best Selling Rock Bands of All Time in U.S. Sales March 29, 1979 – Supertramp release … Continue reading CDJ Today: March 29 in Classic Rock →

March 28, 1973 – Led Zeppelin release Houses Of The Holy, their 5th studio album.  The album goes on to sell over 11 million copies, and features some of their most famous songs including “The Song Remains The Same,” “D’yer Maker” and “Dancing Days.” March 28, 1992 – Ozzy Osbourne invites the first two rows of the audience on stage … Continue reading CDJ Today: March 28 in Classic Rock →

March 16, 1992 – A Metallica show at the Orlando Arena goes horribly wrong when fans dangle an usher by his ankles from the balcony.  Luckily, he was pulled to safety. The band paid $38,000 to repair and clean damaged seats after the rowdy concert. But, everyone ended up happy (well, maybe not the dangling usher) when it was revealed … Continue reading CDJ Today: March 16 in Classic Rock →

March 10, 2003 – AC/DC are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler.  The band went on to play “Highway To Hell” and then performed “You Shook Me All Night Long” with Tyler. [watch below] March 10, 1984 – Ian Gillan leaves Black Sabbath after a year with the band. He later says, … Continue reading CDJ Today: March 10 in Classic Rock →

February 24, 1975 – Led Zeppelin release their sixth album Physical Graffiti. It’s a double album featuring 8 new songs, and songs left over from their previous albums Led Zeppelin III, Led Zeppelin IV and Houses Of The Holy.  Featuring an intricate die-cut cover of a New York City brownstone, the album goes on to sell over 8 million copies in the … Continue reading CDJ Today: February 24 in Classic Rock →

February 13, 1970 – Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut album is released in the U.K., although it doesn’t come out in the U.S. until June.  The album was recorded in just 12 hours, and has since been credited as one of the most influential albums of all time in heavy metal music. The 10 Most Essential Classic Rock Albums … Continue reading CDJ Today: February 13 in Classic Rock →

February 11, 1992 – Vince Neil is fired from Mötley Crüe. The band release a statement saying he’s leaving because his longtime hobby, car racing, has “become a priority” in his life. Neil counters by saying the split was prompted by the band’s desire to go in a bluesier direction. “We had been rehearsing for a few months but … Continue reading CDJ Today: February 11 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 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 →