December 6, 1968 – The Rolling Stones release their ninth American studio album Beggars Banquet.  It includes the tracks “Street Fighting Man” and “Sympathy For The Devil.” December 6, 1969 – The Rolling Stones play a free festival at Altamont in California, along with Jefferson Airplane, Santana, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. … Continue reading CDJ Today: December 6 in Classic Rock →

October 28, 2014 – The Allman Brothers Band play their last show together at the Beacon Theater in New York City.  The end came after more than four hours of music – three sets and the perfect encore, “Whipping Post.” October 28, 1997 – R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry announces he is leaving the group after 17 years. Berry now works on … Continue reading CDJ Today: October 28 in Classic Rock →

October 6, 1990 – A Gathering of Tribes, a two-day concert said to be the inspiration behind Lollapalooza, is staged in Mountain View, CA and Costa Mesa, CA by The Cult’s Ian Astbury and promoter Bill Graham. Artists on the bill include Soundgarden, Ice-T, Indigo Girls, Queen Latifah, Joan Baez, Steve Jones, Michelle Shocked, Iggy … Continue reading CDJ Today: October 6 in Classic Rock →

October 4, 1986 – Dan Rather is mugged by two men who repeatedly ask him “Kenneth, what’s the frequency?” The incident later influences the R.E.M. song “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?”  Years later, in 1994, in an attempt to get in contact with someone who might be able to identify the frequency and put an end to the voices … Continue reading CDJ Today: October 4 in Classic Rock →

September 21, 1978 – “Do you remember, the 21st night of September?”  is the first line of Earth, Wind & Fire’s song  “September.”  Song co-writer Allee Willis says the line wasn’t written for any particular reason – it just sounded good. “We went through all the dates: ‘Do you remember the first, the second, the third, the fourth … ‘ … Continue reading CDJ Today: September 21 in Classic Rock →

April 21, 1990 –Van Halen christen the opening night of their Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with a live performance.  Sammy Hagar would eventually buy out the rest of the band due to the club’s early financial failure.  In later years, Cabo Wabo becomes a huge success. April 21, 2005 – Alex Lifeson of Rush pleads no contest to a … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 21 in Classic Rock →

April 19, 2014 – Stephen Pearcy leaves Ratt after performing with them for 30 years. He later rejoins. April 19, 1980 – R.E.M. performs their first concert as R.E.M. at the 11:11 Koffee Club in Athens, GA in front of about 150 people. The show ends around 2AM when police close it down due to the venue being … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 19 in Classic Rock →

April 5, 1980 – R.E.M. play their first-ever gig when they appear at St Mary’s Episcopal Church in Athens, Georgia.  They perform as Twisted Kites, and three weeks later change their name to R.E.M. April 5, 1985 – Thousands of radio stations play “We Are The World” simultaneously at 10:50 a.m. EST on Good Friday, aimed at helping African famine relief … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 5 in Classic Rock →

January 4, 1970 – Keith Moon’s chauffeur and bodyguard is accidentally killed when Moon runs over him trying to escape a band of skinheads at a local pub. Boland was in front of the car fighting off the unruly bar patrons when Moon got behind the wheel of the Bentley, not knowing the crowd had pushed Boland underneath … Continue reading CDJ Today: January 4 in Classic Rock →

It’s hard to believe, but the decade of the 90s began over 30 years ago.  Seriously, where has all the time gone? Labeled as a serious and evolving decade of music, the 90s brought us the influx of grunge, the continuation of mainstream rock heavy hitters, the breakout of multi-platinum alternative releases, and also a … Continue reading Top 20 Best Rock Albums of the ’90s →

R.E.M. have made one of their previously unreleased songs, titled “Fascinating”, available for download for $2 via Bandcamp with all proceeds going to Mercy Corps’ Hurricane Dorian relief and recovery efforts in the Bahamas. R.E.M. planned to include “Fascinating” their 2001 Reveal album before cutting it at the last moment. “It wasn’t that the song … Continue reading R.E.M. Drops Previously Unreleased Song to Raise Funds for Hurricane Relief →