This Day In Rock History

This Day In Rock History: January 20th



1947 George Grantham (drummer for Poco) is born in Cordell, Oklahoma.

1948 Mel Pritchard (drummer for Barclay James Harvest) is born in Oldham, Lancashire, England.

1952 Judas Priest bass player Ian Hill is born in West Bromwich, England.

1952 Paul Stanley of Kiss is born Stanley Harvey Eisen in Queens, New York.

1967 The Rolling Stones release Between The Buttons.

1975 Bob Dylan releases Blood on the Tracks, which contains the tracks "Tangled Up In Blue" and "Idiot Wind."

source: calendarsongfacts

This Day In Rock History: January 20th


2018

Jim Rodford, bassist and founding member of the band Argent, died at his home in St. Albans, England at the age of 76. During his career he was also a member of The Kinks for eighteen years starting in 1979 and a further eighteen years with The Zombies beginning in the late '90s.

source: classicbands

This Day In Rock History: January 21st


1983, The Allman Brothers Band bassist Lamar Williams died of lung cancer age 34. He joined the band in 1972 after the death of original bassist Berry Oakley. His doctors believed that the disease was derived from exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam service. Opposed to the war and to killing in general, Williams went AWOL frequently and wandered around the jungles of South Vietnam, occasionally returning to various units. He was given an honorable discharge in 1970.

1984, Soul singer Jackie Wilson died aged 49. Wilson suffered a massive heart attack while playing a Dick Clark show at the Latin Casino in New Jersey on September 29, 1975, falling head-first to the stage while singing 'Lonely Teardrops', and had remained in a coma until his death 8 years later. His 1957 single Reet Petite became a posthumous No.1 when re-issued in 1987 due in part to a new animated video made for the song, featuring a clay model of Wilson. Van Morrison wrote 'Jackie Wilson Said' which was covered by Dexy's Midnight Runners.

source: thisdayinmusic

This Day In Rock History: January 21st


1982 - B.B. King donated his entire record collection to the University of Mississippi's Center for the Study of Southern Culture. The collection included about 20,000 rare blues records.

source: onthisday

This Day In Rock History: January 21st


1938 Notorious radio personality Wolfman Jack is born Robert Weston Smith in Brooklyn, New York. In the 1960s he blasts rock 'n roll to the masses from a high-powered border blaster signal at XERF-AM in Mexico.

1941 Richie Havens is born in Brooklyn, New York. His music career takes off when he performs as the opening act at Woodstock in 1969.

1979 Lynyrd Skynyrd reunite at the Volunteer Jam in Nashville, Tennessee. This is the first time the band have played since the 1977 plane crash that killed three of their members. Lynyrd Skynyrd perform an instrumental version of "Free Bird" alongside The Charlie Daniels Band.

source: calendarsongfacts

This Day In Rock History: January 22nd


1960, Born on this day, Michael Hutchence, vocals, INXS, (1988 UK No.2 & US No.1 single 'Need You Tonight'). 1987 album 'Kick' has sold over 10m copies in the US alone and features four Top 10 singles; 'Need You Tonight,' 'Devil Inside', 'New Sensation,' and 'Never Tear Us Apart.' Hutchence was found dead in his hotel suite in Sydney on 22nd Nov 1997 age 37. Hutchence body was found naked behind the door to his room, he had apparently hanged himself.

2017, English bass guitar player Pete Overend Watts and founding member of the 1970s rock band, Mott the Hoople died from throat cancer aged 69. Watts helped start the Buddies with guitarist Mick Ralphs, a band that evolved into Mott the Hoople after periods in which it was known as the Doc Thomas Group, the Shakedown Sound, then Silence. They became Mott the Hoople after Ian Hunter joined in 1969. Watts continued with Dale Griffin, Morgan Fisher and Ray Major in the Mott successor British Lions. He later became a record producer, producing albums for artists including Hanoi Rocks and Dumb Blondes.

source: thisdayinmusic

This Day In Rock History: January 23rd


1990, Allen Collins guitarist from Lynyrd Skynyrd died of pneumonia after being ill for several months. Collins who was one of the founding members also co-wrote most of the band's songs (including Free Bird), with late front man Ronnie Van Zant. He survived a plane crash in 1977 that killed two other band members. Collins was behind the wheel in a car accident in 1986 that killed his girlfriend and left him paralyzed from the waist down. He later pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter as well as driving under the influence of alcohol.

2016, Scottish musician Jimmy Bain died aged 68 while in his cabin on Def Leppard's "Hysteria on the High Seas" cruise. The cause of death was determined to be lung cancer. Bain was best known for playing bass guitar in the bands Rainbow and Dio, he also worked with Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, co-writing on his solo albums as well as Ian Hunter, Gary Moore and John Cale.


source: thisdayinmusic

This Day In Rock History: January 23rd


1950 Danny Federici (organist, accordionist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band) is born in Flemington, New Jersey.

1950 Bill Cunningham (original bass guitarist/keyboardist for The Box Tops) is born in Memphis, Tennessee.

1953 Robin Zander (lead singer of Cheap Trick) is born in Beloit, Wisconsin.

1959 6,000 teenagers attend the first night of the ill-fated Winter Dance Party with Buddy Holly at the Million Dollar Ballroom in Milwaukee (despite temperatures of 17 below and 13 inches of snow).

source: calendarsongfacts

This Day In Rock History: January 24th


1941, Born on this day, Neil Diamond, singer, songwriter. Had the 1970 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'Cracklin' Rose' plus over 30 other US & 10 UK Top 40 singles. Wrote 'I'm A Believer', the No.1 for The Monkees. Many acts from Elvis Presley, Lulu and Deep Purple have all covered his songs. With his 2008 album ‘Home Before Dark’ Diamond became the oldest artist to have a US number one, the record was previously held by Bob Dylan in 2006 with ‘Modern Times’.

1947, Born on this day, American singer, songwriter Warren Zevon. During the early 1970s, Zevon toured regularly with the Everly Brothers as keyboard player, band leader, and musical coordinator. During his career recorded over 15 solo albums. He is best known for his 1978 single 'Werewolves Of London' taken from his third studio album Excitable Boy. Zevon died on September 7th 2003 aged 56.

1949, Born on this day, John Belushi, actor and singer who played Joliet 'Jake' Blues in The Blues Brothers who had the 1990 UK No.12 single 'Everybody Needs Somebody To Love'. Belushi died of a drug overdose on 5th March 1982.

source: thisdayinmusic

This Day In Rock History: January 24th


1969: Jethro Tull played its first U.S. concert in New York City as the opening act for Led Zeppelin.

1995: Van Halen released their “Balance” LP. It was the last album recorded with lead singer Sammy Hagar.

source: noiseaddicts