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Today in Rock (August 16)

• 1957 - Tim Farriss (INXS - guitar) was born.
• 1958 - Madonna Louise Ciccone (Madonna) was born.
• 1962 - The beatles fire their original drummer, Pete Best, and quickly replace him with Ringo Starr.
• 1969 - Hippie radical Abbie Hoffman is tossed off the stage by The Who’s guitarist Peter Townshend during the group’s Woodstock set. Hoffman tries to make a political statement to the masses. Townshend, thinking Hoffman is just some crowd crazy, dispenses him.
• 1975 - Peter Gabriel announces that he is leaving Genesis. Many predict the band will not survive long yet Phil Collins as his replacement proves them wrong.
• 1977 - Elvis Presley died.
• 1986 - MTV debuts the rap / rock version of Walk This Way with Run DMC and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. It helps revive Aerosmith’s career.
• 1994 - A New Orleans Municipal Court judge drops public drunkenness and disturbing the peace charges against Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder. The charges stemmed from an incident the previous year.
• 2004 - Guitarist Wes Borland officially rejoins limpbizkit, replacing Mike Smith. According to frontman Fred Durst, who made the announcement online, Smith “wasn`t where we needed him to be mentally.” Borland left bizkit in ’03.
• 2005 - Whitesnake’s concert DVD, The Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues Show Live,” is released. The footage is from a London performance the previous October.

Today in Rock (July 20th.)

• 1940 - “Billboard” publishes their first US weekly pop singles chart with “I’ll Never Smile Again” (Tommy Dorsey) at the #1 spot.
• 1943 - John Lodge (Moody Blues - bass) was born.
• 1947 - Carlos Santana was born.
• 1954 - Jay Jay French (Twisted Sister) was born.
• 1955 - Michael Anthony (Van Halen) was born.
• 1956 - Paul Cook (Sex Pistols) was born.
• 1957 - John Lennon invites Paul McCartney to join the Quarrymen.
• 1958 - Michael McNeil (Simple Minds) was born.
• 1964 - Chris Cornell (Soundgarden - vocal / guitar) was born.
• 1966 - Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam - guitar) was born.
• 1993 - Candlebox release their self-titled debut album including their hits “You” and “Far Behind”.
• 2006 - Pearl Jam plays a benefit for the Northwest Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America in Portland, OR. Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready has been battling Crohn’s disease for about 20 years.
• 2007 - Eric Clapton teams with the Fender Guitar Company to design a limited-edition line of guitars and amplifiers to raise money for the Crossroads Centre, the rehab facility he founded in Antigua. An Eric Clapton Crossroads Stratocaster with ‘57 Twin-Amps sells for $30,000. Without the amp it’s 10-grand less
• 2008 - Paul McCartney performs a free concert in Quebec as part of the Canadian city’s 400th anniversary celebrations.
• 2009 - The announcement is made that Beastie Boys Rapper Adam Yauch (aka MCA) has a cancerous tumor in his parotid salivary gland and lymph node that requires surgery followed by several weeks of localized radiation. “This is something that is very treatable,” says Yauch in a video message. “It’s not anywhere else in my body, so that’s the good news.” As a result, the group cancels all scheduled shows, including All Points West and Lollapalooza festivals.
• 2009 - U2 teams up with The Ireland Funds financial organization to launch an initiative offering music and vocal lessons to Irish youth. The band pledges more than $7 million to the program, which is administered by the Music Network nonprofit group. “The Music Network scheme is really well thought out and [U2 decided] that we . . . should just get behind it,” says guitarist the Edge.
• 2010 - Sheryl Crow issues her seventh album “100 Miles From Memphis.” She gets help from a diverse collection of performers ranging from the Stones’ Keith Richards to pop singer/actor Justin Timberlake. “Summer Day” is the lead single

Today in Rock (July 19)

• 1944 - Clarence White (Byrds) was born.
• 1947 - Bernie Leadon (Eagles - guitar) was born.
• 1947 - Brian May (Queen - guitar etc..) was born.
• 1948 - Keith Godchaux (Grateful Dead) was born.
• 1952 - Alan Collins (Lynyrd Skynyrd) was born.
• 1965 - “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones is certified gold by the US record industry (RIAA).
• 1973 - Clarence White (Byrds) was stuke and killed by a drunk driver while loading equipment after a gig.
• 1980 - Billy Joel gets his first #1 hit with “It’s Still Rock & Roll”.
• 1991 - Drummer Steven Alder sues his former bandmates claiming they forced him to use heroin, then bounced him from the group when he tried to kick the habit.
• 2006 - Bon Jovi is interviewed and gives an in-stuido performance on Larry King Live.
• 2007 - Queen guitarist Brian May is awarded an honorary fellowship from England’s Liverpool John Moores University. “It is a very nice birthday party for me and wonderful to be recognized,” says May on his 60th birthday (see above). The honor notes his contributions to astronomy.

As a tribute to the greatest guitar player ever (IMO) here is Brian May performing his “Brighton Rock guitar solo” at Wembley Stadum. (It’s roughly 10 minutes long). It’s well worth it.

Today in Rock (July 15)

• 1952 - Jeff Carlisi (.38 SPecial - guitar) was born.
• 1956 - Joe Satriani was born.
• 1956 - Marc Bell (a.k.a. Marky Ramone - The Ramones - drums) was born.
• 1973 - Citing exhaustion, Ray Davies quits the Kinks. He’s back a week later.
• 1986 - Columbia Records dumps Johnny Cash after 28 years. Cash hitches up with Polygram and later American for an artistically rewarding period in his lengthy career.
• 1995 - Neil Young releases “Mirror Ball” featuring Pearl Jam as the backing band.
• 2003 - Bruce Springsteen (with the E Street Band) plays the first of ten shows at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. 55,000 attend opening night.

Today in Rock (July 14)

• 1967 - The Who start their first US tour as an opening act for Herman’s Hermits.
• 1973 - Clarence White (Byrds - guitar) died in a car accident (he was hit by a drunk driver).
• 1987 - Steve Miller gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• 1998 - Garbage is nominated for 8 awards at the 15th annual MTV Music Awards. Sadly they don’t receive any.
• 2004 - Former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and his wife, Jimena, introduce a new geography teaching resource called “Streets of Brazil” in London. The CD-ROM provides U.K. students with information about the plight of homeless or needy Brazilian children. Jimena is the founder of Action For Brazil`s Children Trust and her husband is a patron of the charity organization.
• 2006 - Alice Cooper makes a cameo appearance on the USA network detective series Monk. Coop plays himself in an episode titled “Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike.” “I’m a suspect in it and it is a very funny episode,” says Cooper.
• 2007 - Genesis give a free concert in Rome at the ancient Circo Massimo Hippodrome. The show is the last stop on the European leg of the band’s Turn It On Again reunion tour.
• 2009 - Queen + Paul Rodgers release “Live In Ukraine,” a DVD/2-CD set has audio/video performances from the band’s ‘08, concert in Kharkov, Ukraine. Attended by more than 350,000 the concert supported the AntiAids Foundation.
• 2009 - The Doors DVD documentary, From The Outside, is in stores. Among the friends and family interviewed is Jim Morrison’s one-time girlfriend (and wife if you believe in occult weddings) Patricia Kennealy-Morrison. “It was probably the best interview anyone has ever gotten out of me,” says Kennealy-Morrison. “I got to talk about Jim as an artist-hero and also as a flawed, brave, tragic person.”

Today in Rock (July 12)

• 1943 - Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac - keyboard / singer) was born.
• 1949 - John Wetton (Asia - bass) was born.
• 1950 - Eric Carr (Kiss - drummer) was born.
• 1962 - Dan Murphy (Soul Asylum - guitar) was born.
• 1962 - The Rolling Stones play their first gig at London’s Marquee Club. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Brian Jones are there. But on bass and drums are Dick Taylor and Mick Avory respectively, rather than eventual Stones Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts. Also, Ian Stewart is on piano.
• 1963 - Alan Duval (UB40) was born.
• 1979 - Chicago Rock DJ Steve Dahl’s “disco demolition” promotion is held between games of a Chicago White Sox double-header at Comiskey Park. Disco records are blown up in center field. The damage to the field and the riot that followed cause the second game to be cancelled with Chicago forfeiting.
• 1986 - Bob Seger releases “Like a Rock”. Despite the fact that it didn’t break the top 10 it receives longevity though Chevy truck commercials.
• 1996 - Johnathan Melvoil (Oasis - keyboard) ODs on heroin. Co-band member Jimmy Chamberlain was with him at the time and was charged with posession. He was later kicked out of the band and entered rehab. He rejoined the group later on.
• 1997 - Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers - singer) is seriously injured in a motorcycle accident when a car attempted a U-turn directly in front of him.
• 2000 - A statue of John Lennon is unveiled in Trafalgar Square (London).
• 2001 - Metallica and Napster settle their copyright dispute. Unfortunately, it comes too late to help either party. Metallica’s lawsuit disillusions fans and Napster ceases being what it was.
• 2004 - Nearly four decades after their major hit “I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night,” two former members of the Electric Prunes, vocalist James Lowe and bassist Mark Tulin, file separate suites against their record label and music publisher claiming $1 million in owed royalties.
• 2007 - The E Street Band’s Steven Van Zandt is named the head of an advisory group to decide what music appears in the Rock Band video game (from Harmonix). The Who, Metallica, Black Sabbath, David Bowie, Rush, Bon Jovi, Mountain and Blue Oyster Cult are included.
• 2007 - The Rolling Stones are paid $5.5 million (or $67,500 per minute) to perform a 14 song set at a private Deutsche Bank party for top-level employees held at the National Art Museum of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain.
• 2008 - Bon Jovi performs a free concert in New York’s Central Park as one of the events staged in conjunction with Major League Baseball’s ‘08 All-Star Game. All-Star Concert in Central Park tickets are distributed at several local ballparks, including the soon to be razed Yankee Stadium. Also, Three Days Grace play a special show at NY’s Roseland Ballroom as part of the festivities. Fans who spend $50 or more on MLB merchandise at branches of the Modell’s sporting-goods chain receive two passes to the concert on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Today in Rock (June 23)

• 1962 - Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth - drummer) was born.
• 1975 - Alice Cooper takes a tumble from the stage in Vancouver suffering six broken ribs and other injuries.
• 1984 - “The Reflex” (Duran Duran) begins a two week run at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Meanwhile, Van Halen release their hot single “Panama.”
• 1990 - Actor Gary Busey pays $242,000 for a Buddy Holly guitar. The actor played Holly in the film “The Buddy Holly Story.”
• 1995 - CBS anchorman Dan Rather shows up at a R.E.M. soundcheck at Madison Square Garden to perform “What’s The Frequency Kenneth?” A couple years earlier Rather was mugged. While his attackers were pummeling him they demanded “What’s the frequency Kenneth?” Right, it makes no sense. R.E.M. then writes a song referencing the incident.
• 1995 - Drummer Andy White makes his debut with Oasis at the Glastonbury Festival. He replaces the band’s original drummer, Tony McCarroll, who was fired two months earlier.
• 2004 - Singer John Kay is added to the Canadian Walk Of Fame. Kay was actually born in East Germany and immigrated to Canada. He joined Sparrow, which took him to L.A., where he became one of the founders of Steppenwolf.
• 2007 - “No matter what we get out of this, I know, we’ll never forget.” 1,800 guitarists in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany, set a world record for a mass guitar performance of Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water.” This effort breaks the mark set just three weeks earlier in Kansas City, KS, when over 1,600 played the riff.

Today in Rock (June 17.)

• 1956 - Paul Young (Mike & the Mechanic - vocals) was born.
• 1965 - The Kinks launch their first USA tour in New York.
• 1980 - Led Zeppelin launches a 3 week tour of Europe. It ends up being their last.
• 1997 - Attempting to cash-in the hype surrounding the 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death (just two months away), RCA issues a 100 track compilation titled, “Platinum: A Life In Music.” The set features early recordings, live tracks, out-takes and demos. The sound you hear is the scraping of the bottom of the barrel.
• 2005 - U2 receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 30th annual Nordoff-Robbins Silver Clef Awards in London. There’s also a memorabilia auction that raises $600,000 for the U.K.-based Nordoff-Robbins Therapy charity.
• 2005 - Oasis, with opening act Jet, roll out a North American tour
• 2008 - A basketball injury forces Weezer drummer Patrick Wilson to sit out the first stop on the band’s Hootenanny Tour. He needs surgery to fix his knee.
• 2008 - “Around the World Live,” a four-DVD set with footage from ‘90s Deep Purple concerts in India, South Korea, Australia and an ’02 show in England is in stores. There are also band member interviews and a previously unreleased group documentary.

You Can’t Win has been won!!

Today’s caller, Jeff from Port St Lucie won You Can’t Win. At first they called him wrong until he explained his answer (interchanges = entrance / exit set)

Here are the six questions:

Today in Rock (June 16)

• 1967 - The Monterey Pop Festival begins. The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin (with Big Brother & the Holding Company) make their first major appearances. Also on the bill are, the Byrds, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Eric Burdon & the Animals and Buffalo Springfield. Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones attends and introduces Jimi Hendrix. The Animals even record a song about the event, aptly titled “Monterey.”
• 1970 - Woodstock Ventures, the company that provided the financial support for the original Woodstock festival announces they lost more than $1.2 million. They hope an album with Woodstock performances and souvenirs will get them to the break even point.
• 1975 - Former Beatle John Lennon sues the U.S. government charging it with “selective prosecution.” Seen as a dangerous radical whose immigration efforts must be halted, the U.S. government hit Lennon with various deportation actions.
• 1977 - “Beatlemania” a celebration of The Beatles’ music opens on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre.
• 1982 - James Honeyman-Scott (Pretenders) died.
• 1982 - Donny Van Zant (.38 Special) is arrested in Tulsa for drinking on stage.
• 1994 - Kristen Pfaff (Hole) died.
• 1995 - Pearl Jam begins touring without Ticketmaster. Feeling the concert ticket company’s surcharges are out of line the group uses a mail-order ticket service.
• 1996 - The second day of the Tibetan Freedom Concerts in San Francisco has Beck, Rage Against The Machine and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
• 2004 - The Newark Museum hosts “Springsteen: Troubadour of the Highway.” Featuring over 60 photos, the exhibit examines Springsteen`s “use of cars and highways as motifs in his music and in related visual imagery.”
• 2004 - A number of Led Zeppelin items go on the block at the Rock Legends auction to benefit the ABC Trust charity, which serves disadvantaged youth in Brazil. The organization was founded in 1998 by guitarist Jimmy Page`s wife, Jimena Gomez-Paratcha
• 2006 - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Radiohead and Beck perform at the fifth annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, TN.
• 2006 - Def Leppard are proclaimed Sheffield Legends by their hometown of Sheffield, England. A star is unveiled outside the town hall. “Def Leppard . . . have been great ambassadors for the city wherever they have performed throughout the world,” says Sheffield Council leader Jan Wilson.
• 2006 - Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne are recognized for their contributions to the music world by the U.K.-based Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy organization, which aids ailing children and adults. The couple are presented with a trophy at the annual Silver Clef Lunch in London. Also, the Eagles receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.
• 2007 - Peter Frampton performs prior to the start of the Meijer 300 auto race in Sparta, KY. “To be involved in such a tremendous racing event so close to home is definitely an honor,” says Frampton, who’s the race’s Grand Marshall. “I’ve always wanted to say, ‘Gentlemen, start your engines!’