April 22, 1976 – Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi debut their Blues Brothers act on Saturday Night Live. They play a cover of “Soul Man” by Sam & Dave, who they used as the basis for their characters. April 22, 1993 – The Who’s Tommy premieres on Broadway where it is performed 899 times until … Continue reading CDJ Today: April 22 in Classic Rock →

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 →

Pete Townshend has released a brand new single and video. Hear “Can’t Outrun The Truth” now in the player below. The video for “Can’t Outrun The Truth” features Townshend performing acoustic guitar, lap steel and violin, interspersed with scenes of dancer Seirian Griffiths portraying a young man during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.   The track … Continue reading Pete Townshend Releases New Single and Video ‘Can’t Outrun the Truth’ →

January 13, 2003 – Pete Townshend of The Who is arrested on suspicion of downloading child porn. Police officers impound seven computers, but after a four-month investigation, he is cleared of all charges. He claimed he was doing research while writing his autobiography and says he was sexually abused as a child himself. January 13, 1968 – Johnny Cash plays two … Continue reading CDJ Today: January 13 in Classic Rock →

Roughly a thousand years ago, the elite class in Ireland began taking surnames that began with O’ — O’Sullivan, O’Brien, O’Connor —with the O’ translating to “grandson of.” Before we approach the complexities of “Baba O’Riley,” one of The Who’s — and, indeed, all of rock music’s — most lasting songs, it bears explaining the … Continue reading Classic Rock Landmarks: Baba O’Riley →

Tenacious D are back and honoring The Who with a new medley that includes some of the band’s best songs. Titled simply “The Who Medley”, the track includes such hits as “Pinball Wizard”, “There’s A Doctor” and “Go To The Mirror”. You can watch and listen in the player below. “The Who Medley” is out … Continue reading Watch: Tenacious D Release ‘The Who Medley’, Raise Funds for Gun Safety Organization →

At 12:01 AM on August 1, 1981, a truly groundbreaking change happened in the music industry when the fledgling cable network dubbed MTV signed onto the airwaves for the first time. Although the channel is now mostly devoid of actual music videos, MTV ushered in the dawn of the music video age, and created overnight … Continue reading 25 Interesting Facts About the Launch of MTV →

It’s rare that a live album becomes a driving force in a band’s career, but these rock albums all generated either hits, sales, or artistic recognition that changed the arc of the bands’ popularity and influence. In several cases, the bands/artists had not even been well-known in the U.S. prior to their live releases.  Although … Continue reading 12 Most Influential Live Classic Rock Albums of All Time →

To our generation the music meant everything.  We didn’t have computers, smartphones, and tons of cable TV shows to entertain us.  The music took center stage and the messages from that music helped shape our lives.  It is a generation of music lovers who not only knew the hits but who were also familiar with … Continue reading Remembering Leslie West →

Since 1959, all the way back when Domenico Modugno swept the Record of the Year and Song of the Year categories with “Nel Blu Dipinto Blu (Volare)” (in Italian no less!), the Recording Academy has awarded more than 8,000 Grammy Awards to a wide variety of artists.  The Beatles were the first rock band to … Continue reading You Won’t Believe This List of Rock Artists Who Have Never Won a Grammy →

Sometimes a band will throw around hundreds of name ideas before they finally find the right one that all members can agree on. And in some cases, like with U2 or Styx, it might just be the idea they hate the least. Previously we revealed the original names of 18 famous classic rock bands from … Continue reading Original Names of Famous Classic Rock Bands – Part Two (J-Z) →

If you are a true Who fan, you’re going to love this band’s first new release in thirteen years, titled WHO — despite Pete Townshend’s opening cynical lyric, “I don’t care/I know you’re gonna hate this song.” I’ve wanted to write about this album since I first heard it in early November of last year.  … Continue reading WHO? Yes, And You’re Going Love It! →