Since halloween parties weren’t a thing in 2020 (thanks, Covid), this year seems like the perfect opportunity to go all out with your halloween costume. But a boring, off-the-shelf, out-of-the-box costume is no way to impress. Dig through your closets or make a quick stop at a thrift store and I bet you can pull … Continue reading 10 Best Classic Rock Halloween Costumes and How to Pull Them Off →

Queen drummer Roger Taylor has released a new solo single. “We’re All Just Trying To Get By” features guest vocals by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall and is accompanied by a new lyric video. You can watch and listen to the song in the player below. “I love what she did, I think it really adds … Continue reading Hear Roger Taylor’s New Solo Single “We’re All Just Trying To Get By” →

September 5, 1976 – Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington is injured in a car crash in Jacksonville, FL after he falls asleep at the wheel while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The accident inspires Ronnie Van Zant to write “That Smell” with the lyrics, “Whiskey bottles and brand new cars, oak tree you’re in my … Continue reading CDJ Today: September 5 in Classic Rock →

Freddie Mercury, iconic lead singer of Queen and arguably one of the best rock singers of all time, would have turned 75 on September 5, 2021.  Diagnosed with AIDS in 1987, Mercury kept his declining health a secret until the day before his death on November 24, 1991. Born in Zanzibar, which was a British … Continue reading 8 Great Things You Might Not Know About Freddie Mercury →

August 19, 1972 – The Midnight Special TV show debuts on NBC.  The first airing is a 90-minute special encouraging young people to vote in the upcoming presidential election with War performing “Slippin’ Into Darkness.”  The next year it launches as a regular show with announcer Wolfman Jack. August 19, 2005 – A bronze statue of the late Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 19 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 →

August 3, 1968 – The Newport Pop Festival begins in Costa Mesa, CA.  It is the first concert with more than 100,000 paid attendees.  Performers include The Grateful Dead, Alice Cooper, Canned Heat, Electric Flag, Iron Butterfly, Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Sonny & Cher, Steppenwolf and Tiny Tim.  Admission was $5.50 per day for the … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 3 in Classic Rock →

July 26, 2003 – Nicko McBrain of Iron Maiden is arrested after hitting a parking attendant with his car at the Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, N.Y., where the band is performing that night. McBrain was asked for his backstage credentials by the parking attendant, and when the attendant couldn’t see them clearly he asked to view them again.  Instead, … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 26 in Classic Rock →

July 19, 1986 – Van Halen headline the Texxas Jam at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, preceeded by Dio, Loverboy, Krokus, Keel and Bachman-Turner Overdrive who are joined by Leslie West on “Mississippi Queen. July 19, 1976 – Deep Purple disband at the end of their UK tour. David Coverdale goes on to form Whitesnake, and the classic line up of Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 19 in Classic Rock →

July 2, 2005 – Live 8 is a string of concerts in 10 cities taking place in the G8 states and in South Africa.  The concerts also coincide with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid.  A TV audience of several hundred million watches the shows which include Pink Floyd, The Who, Deep Purple, Mötley Crüe, U2, Coldplay, Sting, Elton John, Paul … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 2 in Classic Rock →

Brian May’s first solo hit, and the unforgettable TV ad it was made for, came from the most unlikely of origins. Originally written for a Ford car television commercial, “Drive By You” was a worldwide hit when it first debuted as a single off May’s 1992 Back To The Light album. First released in November 1991, … Continue reading Brian May Announces Solo Album Reissue, Releases New Video for Classic Single →

June 27, 1994 – Aerosmith become the first major band to release a song, “Head First” (an unused cut from the Get A Grip Sessions), as a free download on the internet.  Download speeds at the time were so slow it took between 60 and 90 minutes to download the track, but ten thousand CompuServe subscribers still … Continue reading CDJ Today: June 27 in Classic Rock →