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 →

September 9, 1992 – The 9th annual MTV Video Music Awards do not disappoint.  Van Halen wins Video of the Year for “Right Now,” Howard Stern appears as “Fartman,” and Krist Novoselic gets clocked by his own guitar after he throws it up in the air and misses the catch.  He says, “I was fine, but I … Continue reading CDJ Today: September 9 in Classic Rock →

August 31, 2012 – Eddie Van Halen undergoes emergency surgery for “a severe bout of diverticulitis” causing Van Halen to reschedule a tour of Japan slated for November. August 31, 1976 – George Harrison is found guilty of “subconscious plagiarism” when Bright Tunes Music Corporation sues him, claiming that he plagiarized “He’s So Fine” by The Chiffons for his song “My Sweet Lord.” The case … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 31 in Classic Rock →

August 29, 1980 – Eddie Van Halen meets his future wife Valerie Bertinelli for the first time at a Van Halen concert in Shreveport, LA. Her brother had dragged her to the show, even though she didn’t want to go. They would marry eight months later. August 29, 1977 – Three men are arrested and charged with trying to steal Elvis Presley’s body … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 29 in Classic Rock →

August 10, 2012 – During their joint concert in Denver, Kiss and Mötley Crüe announce their donation of $100,000 to a relief fund set up to help the victims of the “Dark Knight” movie shooting that occurred on July 20 in nearby Aurora, Colorado.  Nikki Sixs says, “Following the heartbreaking news of the senseless shootings in Colorado we wanted to do something to … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 10 in Classic Rock →

July 20, 1986 – Van Halen manager Ed Leffler is beaten up at a Dallas hotel by an unknown assailant. July 20, 1975 – The Born To Run tour kicks off at The Palace Theatre in Providence, RI.  This is also the live debut of Steven Van Zandt (Little Steven) as a member of Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band. July 20, 1999 – The Ramones make their … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 20 in Classic Rock →

July 19, 1986 – Van Halen headline the Texxas Jam at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, preceeded by Dio, Loverboy, Krokus, Keel and Bachman-Turner Overdrive who are joined by Leslie West on “Mississippi Queen. July 19, 1976 – Deep Purple disband at the end of their UK tour. David Coverdale goes on to form Whitesnake, and the classic line up of Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 19 in Classic Rock →

July 13, 1984 – For the first and only time, Eddie Van Halen performs “Beat It” live in concert with Michael Jackson, at The Jacksons concert at Texas Stadium in Dallas. Jackson screams, “You got it, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie!” July 13, 1984 – The Live Aid concerts take place in London’s Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia’s JFK Stadium.  The concerts are … Continue reading CDJ Today: July 13 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 26, 1996 – Van Halen announce that Sammy Hagar is leaving the band and that David Lee Roth will again become the lead singer.  Hagar reunites with the Van Halen brothers for a 2004 tour that is quite successful, but once again, the two factions split. June 26, 1973 – Keith Richards and his girlfriend Anita Pallenberg are arrested on drug and gun … Continue reading CDJ Today: June 26 in Classic Rock →