September 4, 2000 – Greg Allman is arrested in back-to-back incidents in Florida. In the first incident, police clock Allman’s Trans Am at 85 mph in a 45-mph zone.  He is given a ticket for speeding and one for his expired license.  He is then arrested about 4 hours later when his car is seen weaving across the highway. Police say … Continue reading CDJ Today: September 4 in Classic Rock →

August 26, 1990 – Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble perform their last show at Alpine Valley in East Troy, WI. During their encore, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy and Jimmy Vaughan join them onstage.  A few hours later, Stevie Ray Vaughan dies in a helicopter crash. August 26, 1970 – The five-day Isle of Wight festival begins in … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 26 in Classic Rock →

August 24, 1980 – Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Ozzy Osbourne, Budgie, Girl and Tygers of Pan Tang appear on the final day of the Reading Rock Festival in England. August 24, 1990 – Judas Priest are acquitted at their trial in Reno, NV, after having been accused of planting subliminal messages on their album Stained Class, which led two fans to attempt suicide. Rob Halford says, … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 24 in Classic Rock →

August 23, 1967 – Keith Moon starts a new rock star trend – destroying hotels – when he drives a Lincoln Continental into a pool at the Holiday Inn in Flint, MI during his 21st birthday party.  The total damage runs $24,000 in 1967 dollars (about $132,000 today) and the record company buys the “damp” car from its irate … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 23 in Classic Rock →

August 11, 1999 – Kiss receive their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with Gene Simmons sticking out his trademark tongue. Simmons is joined by Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss. The star coincides with a new movie, Detroit Rock City, about four teenagers who embark on a wild adventure to attend a sold-out Kiss concert.  At the time, the … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 11 in Classic Rock →

August 1, 1981 – MTV begins airing music videos with the legendary opening, “Ladies and Gentlemen, Rock & Roll.”  That’s followed by the now familiar power-chord-fueled guitar riff theme. The first ten videos are: The Buggles “Video Killed The Radio Star”, Pat Benatar “You Better Run”, Rod Stewart “She Won’t Dance With Me”, The Who “You Better You Bet”, … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 1 in Classic rock →

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 →

June 6, 1992 – Guns N’ Roses release what is at the time the most expensive video ever made, “November Rain”.  Roughly half of the $1.5 million dollar budget is spent constructing a church in the New Mexico desert for Slash to use as a background for his guitar solo.  Currently, the video has almost 2 … Continue reading CDJ Today: June 6 in Classic Rock →

May 25, 1978 – Keith Moon of the Who, performs for the last time with the band at a secret concert for fan club members at London’s Shepperton Film Studios.  The show was a mini-concert for their career-spanning documentary The Kids Are Alright.  The band had been off the road for nearly two years, and gave a solid but stilted performance.  Keith … Continue reading CDJ Today: May 25 in Classic Rock →

May 23, 1969 – The Who release their fourth album Tommy, which is a double album and is the first album to be billed as a rock opera. It goes on to sell over two million copies in the U.S. May 23, 2010 – Bret Michaels of Poison is announced the winner of The Celebrity Apprentice, season 9.  He wins $250,000 for his charity, the American Diabetes Association. … Continue reading CDJ Today: May 23 in Classic Rock →

May 19, 2000 – Dickey Betts of The Allman Brothers Band is essentially kicked out of the band for “creative differences,” which are allegedly related to drugs and/or alcohol use. May 19, 1979 – Eric Clapton and Patti Boyd throw a reception party two months after their wedding featuring a jam session with Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Ginger Baker, Mick Jagger … Continue reading CDJ Today: May 19 in Classic Rock →

March 18, 1978 – An estimated 350,000 rock fans attend the largest festival of the 70’s, California Jam II in Ontario, California. Performers include Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Foreigner, Santana, Heart, Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush and Rubicon, featuring a young Jack Blades. March 18, 1975 – The Who’s Tommy premieres in New York. March 18, 2002 – The Ramones and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are among those inducted into the … Continue reading CDJ Today: March 18 in Classic Rock →