November 10, 2002 – On the Simpsons episode “How I Spent My Strummer Vacation,” Homer spends a week at a Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp run by big name recording artists including Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Lenny Kravitz, and Brian Setzer.  The first rule of the camp: There are no rules! Second rule: No … Continue reading CDJ Today: November 10 in Classic Rock →

With her cover of Tom Petty’s “Luna” set as the newest single to be released from her recent solo album Immortal, Ann Wilson of Heart will serve as a guest DJ on SiriusXM’s Tom Petty Radio channel. Wilson will play her track alongside some of her favorite Petty songs such as “Room at the Top” … Continue reading Ann Wilson to Guest DJ on SiriusXM’s Tom Petty Radio →

October 20, 1977 – It’s one of the saddest days in rock history as Lynyrd Skynyrd loses three of their band members when their plane crashes in a swamp near Gillsburg, Mississippi.  Singer/songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist/vocalist Steve Gaines, his sister, vocalist Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray … Continue reading CDJ Today: October 20 in Classic Rock →

October 19, 1979 – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers release their breakthrough album Damn the Torpedoes.  It goes on to sell two million copies in the U.S. Backstage Access: Crowd Spontaneously Pays Tribute to Tom Petty at College Football Game October 19, 1977 – Lynyrd Skynyrd play their last show together in Greenville, South Carolina, prior to the plane crash that would … Continue reading CDJ Today: October 19 in Classic Rock →

October 18, 1974 – Al Green’s ex-girlfriend bursts into his bathroom and pours a pot of boiling grits in the tub, burning him badly, before going to the next room and killing herself with his gun. It leaves Green with severe burns that require months of hospitalization, and also spurs him to focus his career on Gospel music and preaching … Continue reading CDJ Today: October 18 in Classic Rock →

Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the passing of Tom Petty.  For those of us in the rock community, it’s been a difficult few years as several icons from David Bowie to Glenn Frey to Prince have departed this earth.  But this is nothing new in rock ‘n roll.  Our stars have been dying … Continue reading Why Dead Rock Stars Get More Popular Over Time →

A fascinating new rock documentary debuted at the 2018 LA Film Festival last week. Echo in the Canyon examines the birth of the Laurel Canyon music scene and the iconic music and artists – such as The Byrds,The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield and The Mamas and the Papas – that developed there.  Incidentally this was … Continue reading Rock Doc ‘Echo In the Canyon’ Premieres at L.A. Film Festival →

In just over a week, Tom Petty’s estate will release a comprehensive new box-set titled An American Treasure featuring four CDs worth of previously unreleased and hard-to-find Petty music. The career-spanning 60-track collection includes both live and studio recordings compiled by Petty’s daughter Adria, wife Dana and former collaborators including Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and Mike … Continue reading Hear the New Tom Petty Song “Gainesville” →

Ann Wilson’s poignant new album Immortal was released Friday after months of anticipation. Fittingly titled, the album features 10 musically diverse tracks that pay homage to some of the singer’s favorite artists, all of whom have passed away in recent years but whose musical legacy lives on (the full track listing is below). “I didn’t … Continue reading Ann Wilson’s New Album ‘Immortal’ Out Now →

September 7, 1968 – Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham make their live debut as Led Zeppelin (but are billed as The Yardbirds) at Gladsaxe Teen Club in a suburb on the outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark. Around 1,200 people attend the show. The band is later billed as “The New Yardbirds,” before choosing the … Continue reading CDJ Today: September 7 in Classic Rock →