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 outside … Continue reading CDJ Today: November 10 in Classic Rock →

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. October 19, 1977 – Lynyrd Skynyrd play their last show together in Greenville, South Carolina, prior to the plane crash that would kill three of their members. Nazareth is the opening act.  This was the … Continue reading CDJ Today: October 19 in Classic Rock →

October 18, 1974 – The Rolling Stones release It’s Only Rock N’ Roll, their 14th studio album. The album goes platinum, and features guest stars Kenney Jones, David Bowie, Billy Preston and Ian Stewart. 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 … Continue reading CDJ Today: October 18 in Classic Rock →

“Leave Virginia Alone,” the lead single and another previously unreleased song from Tom Petty’s Wildflowers & All The Rest was released this week. The song is accompanied by a video directed by Mark Seliger and Adria Petty. You can watch and listen to the song and video in the player below. Tom Petty wrote “Leave … Continue reading Watch and hear the Previously Unreleased Tom Petty Song “Leave Virginia Alone” →

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 →

Tom Petty’s family has released a new track from the late rock star. The original demo version of “You Don’t Know How It Feels” was recorded in Petty’s home studio and features slightly different lyrics than the final version heard on his 1994 solo album, Wildflowers. Hear it in the player below. “You Don’t Know … Continue reading Hear Tom Petty’s Original Demo Version of ‘You Don’t Know How It Feels’ →

The holidays are just around the corner and many of you are going to try to channel your inner rock star and ask Santa for an acoustic guitar.  I mean – how hard can it be, right?  Well, here’s a quick guide of songs to try first – maybe you’ll even stick with it! 10 … Continue reading Top 10 Easiest Rock Songs to Learn on Guitar →

June 2, 1978 – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers make their American television debut on The Midnight Special. June 2, 1989 – Bill Wyman (52) of the Rolling Stones secretly marries Mandy Smith (19). They had been dating since she was 13 and he was 47.  Just prior to the couple being divorced in 1993, things got even stranger when Wyman’s oldest … Continue reading CDJ Today: June 2 in Classic Rock →

May 17, 1963 – The first Monterey Folk Festival takes place over three days in Monterey, California. The festival features Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Peter Paul and Mary and Jerry Garcia.  It is the precursor to the infamous 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. May 17, 1987 – Tom Petty and his family barely escape a fire that engulfs their home in Encino, CA and destroys everything.  It is … Continue reading CDJ Today: May 17 in Classic Rock →