You Can’t Win.net

Today in Rock (Feb 8)

• 1961 - Vince Neil (Motley Crue - vocal) was born.
• 1962 - The Beach Boys record “Surfin’ Safari”.
• 1969 - Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker (both formerly of Cream), Traffic’s Steve Winwood and bassist Rick Grech announce the formation of the short-lived “supergroup” Blind Faith.
• 1977 - Dave “Phoenix” Ferrell (Linkin Park - bass) was born.
• 1978 - The double-A “We Will Rock You” / “We are the Champions” peaks at #4 on the US charts.
• 1980 - David and Angela Bowie divorce after ten years of marriage.
• 1999 - Green Day’s album, “Dookie”, officially sells 1 million copies, tying Pearl Jam’s “Vs” as the top selling alternative rock CD.

Today in Rock (Feb 5)

• 1945 - Bob Marley was born.
• 1949 - Nigel Olsen (Elton John Band - drummer) was born.
• 1962 - Pete Best, the beatles drummer, is ill and the other band members call on Ringo Star to fill in for him.
• 1964 - Duff McKagain (Guns ‘n Roses / Velvet Revolver - bass) was born.
• 1968 - Chris Barron (Spin Doctors - vocals) was born.
• 1969 - The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” goes gold.
• 1973 - Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock” goes gold.
• 1995 - Pearl Jam play the first of two private Seattle shows for fan club members and underprivileged kids.

Today in Rock (Feb 4)

• 1894 - Adolph Sax (inventor of the saxophone) died.
• 1941 - John Steele (Animals - drummer) was born.
• 1948 - Vincent Furnier (Alice Cooper) is born.
• 1951 - Phil Ehart (Kansas - drummer) was born.
• 1970 - Paul McCartney announces that he’s leaving the Beatles.
• 1983 - Karen Caprenter (The Carpenters) died.
• 1998 - Russian officials impound Garbage’s equipment forcing the cancellation of a gig in Estonia. (I guess they weren’t a fan?)
• 2004 - The Halftime Show From Hell – Part II. First, there’s the flap about the overall bad taste and Janet Jackson`s right breast being exposed. Now the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ commander-in-chief weighs in criticizing Kid Rock’s “disgusting use of an American flag as a costume prop” during Super Bowl XXXVIII Halftime Show. Rock wore a poncho fashioned out of a flag during his performance, then threw it into the audience. “The 1.6 million members of the VFW agree that Kid Rock’s stunt was in poor taste and extremely disrespectful,” says the VFW`s Edward S. Banas Sr.
• 2006 - Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee is assaulted at the Shady Bowl Super Party in Detroit. According to reports, a local Hip-Hop artist and his friends beat up Lee after he insulted Detroit’s Kid Rock, who had been engaged to Lee’s ex-wife, Pamela Anderson. (Note: Anderson and Rock married and separated later in the year.)
• 2007 - Billy Joel sings the national anthem at Super Bowl XLI, in Miami Gardens, FL. Stevie Nicks appears on the pre-game show. But the big news is Prince’s halftime performance in the pouring rain. He covers the Foo Fighters’ “Best Of You.” “Having been a massive Prince fan my whole life, I was flattered beyond words,” says the Foo Fighters’ founder Dave Grohl. “What an honor to be covered by one of your heroes!” A TV audience of 90 million watches the show which also includes Prince playing a snippet of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower.” Lynyrd Skynyrd and Country legend Hank Williams Jr. perform together on a special post-Super Bowl episode of CBS’ Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson. The Indy Colts beat the Chicago Bears and the point spread.
• 2008 - NASA beams The Beatles’ “Across the Universe” directly into deep space to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the day The Beatles recorded the song, as well as the 50th anniversary of NASA’s founding. The transmission is aimed at the North Star, Polaris, a mere 431 light years away from Earth.

Today in Rock (Feb 3)

• 1943 - Dennis Edwards (Temptations) was born.
• 1947 - David Davies (Kinks) was born.
• 1956 - Lee Renaldo (Sonic Youth - guitar) was born.
• 1957 - Tony Butler (Big Country) was born.
• 1959 - Lol Tolhurst (Cure) was born.
• 1959 - Today is the “day that music died”. Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, and their pilot Roger Peterson are all killed in a plane crash while traveling between gigs for the Winter Dance Party Tour. Buddy Holly booked the flight for his band members. The Big Bopper had come down the flu and band member Waylon Jennings agreed to give him his seat. Buddy Holly commented (in jest) that he oped Waylon’s bus freezes and Jennings commented (again, in jest) “I hope your plane crashes”. The comment haunts Jennings for the rest of his life. Since he had never been on a plane before, Valens flipped a coins (at a dance despite what some movies show) with Tommy Allsup for the remaining seat.
• 1969 - Paul McCartney takes a break from the Beatles and plays drums & backing vocals for the Steve Miller Band’s “My Dark Hour” track.
• 1991 - INXS is named the best international group at the BRIT Awards in London.
• 1992- Nirvana’s “Nevermind” album officially passes 3 million sales. It will go on to sell over 9 million albums.
• 2004 - “The Beatles First U.S. Visit” DVD is out. The film contains Beatles` appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and their debut American concert at the Washington Coliseum. It commemorates the start of Beatlemania (in the U.S.) 40 years earlier.
• 2008 - Alice Cooper and Richard Simmons appear in a Bridgestone Tire commercial that is aired during the Super Bowl. Cooper is dark and menacing but Simmons steals the spot.

Today in Rock (Feb 1)

The YCW update will have to wait until the podcasts are out - I had a user in my offie whining and I got back just as I heard Paul say “worst answer ever”.

• Jan 31, 1946 - Terry Kath was born.
• 1948 - Rick James was born.
• 1968 - Elvis’ only child, Lisa Marie Presley, was born.
• 1954 - Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - guitar) was born.
• 1958 - Elvis has his final recoridng session before entering the Army. “Wear My Ring Around Your Neck” was one of the tracks.
• 1964 - Indiana Governor Matthew Welsh claims the Kingmen’s “Louie, Louie” is pornographic. It’s those unintelligible lyrics. He asks that the record be banned adding that his ears “tingled” when he heard the song.
• 1964 - The Beatles score their first US #1 hit with “I Want to Hold Your Hand”.
• 1967 - The Beatles record the title track to “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”.
• 1969 - Patrick Wilson (Weezer - drummer) was born.
• 1977 - Robert Plant’s battle with tonsolitis forces the band to postpone their North American tour.
• 1988 - The Cars officially disband.
• 2004 - Aerosmith headlines the pre-game show for the football game that cannot be named due to NFL’s legal issues. Kid Rock performed the half-time show.
• 2006 - Green Day drummer Tré Cool, ex-Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke and Alice Cooper perform at a Hurricane Katrina benefit concert in Cerritos, CA. The show is organized by former Eagles guitarist Don Felder.
• 2007 - In a Billboard interview, the Eagles’ Don Henley defends his group’s business partnership (which includes exclusive releases) with Wal-Mart. “They can’t be any more evil than a major record label,” he says.
• 2009 - Journey performs at the pre-game celebration in that football that isn’t allowed to be mentioned.

Today in Rock (Jan 29)

• 1949 - Tamás Erdélyi (a.k.a. Tommy Ramone of the Ramones - drummer) was born.
• 1963 - Eddie Jackson (Queensryche) was born.
• 1967 - A great double billing - The Jimi Hendrix Experience and the Who perform at London’s Saville Theatre.
• 1977 - “Walk This Way” is a Top 10 single. The Aerosmith song is inspired by a line in Mel Brooks’ comedy Young Frankenstein.
• 1991 - Pearl Jam records a demo in a Seattle recording studio paving the way to their deal with Epic Records.
• 2006 - Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry appears on Animal Planet’s Trail MIX. The TV show focuses on “the special bond that some musicians have with horses.”

Today in Rock (Jan 28)

• 1956 - Elvis Presley appears on Stage Show. It`s Presley`s first national T.V. appearance. Program producer, comedian Jackie Gleason, flatly predicts Elvis won’t last.
• 1965 - The Who make their TV debut on Ready Steady, Go. They play “I Can’t Explain” on the British pop program
• 1968 - Jim Morrison (The Doors) gets busted in Vegas on charges of vagrancy and public drunkenness. All because he taunted a security guard.
• 2004 - According to a Guitar World tally of the “100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time” it’s Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi.
• 2006 - Live’s lead guitarist Chad Taylor, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer and rhythm guitarist Adam Kowalczyk are passengers on an airplane that makes an emergency landing at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport following reports of smoke in the cabin. No injuries are reported.
• 2008 - Dave Grohl’s bout with the flu forces the cancellation of the first of two Foo Fighters’ shows. “Anyone who knows this band knows we rarely ever cancel gigs,” writes Grohl on the group’s official site. “Unfortunately, in my current condition, you wouldn’t be getting the show you guys deserve.” The concerts were scheduled for Fayetteville, AR, and Oklahoma City, the following evening.
• 2008 - The reunited Police top Forbes magazine’s list of ’07’s top musical earners, bringing in more than $140 million in U.S. music sales and concert tickets.
• 2009 - Lynyrd Skynyrd pianist Billy Powell dies at his residence in Orange Park, FL. He was 56. Powell, who joined Skynyrd in ’72, survived the band’s tragic ’77 plane crash

Today in Rock (Jan 27)

• 1919 - David Seville (The Chipmunks) was born.
• 1945 - Nich Mason (Pink Floyd - drummer) was born.
• 1951 - Seth Justman (J Geils Band) was born.
• 1968 - Mike Patton (Faith No More - vocals) was born.
• 1976 - David Bowie sues his former agent, attorney Michael Lippman, for charging too much and withholding funds.
• 1976 - Queen starts a 4 month tour of the USA, Japan, and Australia. The tour starts in Waterbury, CT.
• 2004 - The Offspring closes out the 2004 edition of the ESPN Winter X Games with a free outdoor concert in Aspen, Colorado.
• 2005 - U2’s Bono joins British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Microsoft chairman Bill Gates at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland to address the issue of poverty in Africa. “(I) encourage people to do the right thing on the global stage,” says Bono.
• 2009 - Paul McCartney’s “Amoeba’s Secret” vinyl EP, recorded in ’07 at L.A.’s Amoeba Music store, is released.
• 2009 - The “2009 Grammy Nominees” album is out with tracks by Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant (with Bluegrass star Alison Krauss) and Radiohead. A portion of the proceeds from the 20-song collection benefit the MusiCares and Grammy foundations.

Today in Rock (Jan 25)

• 1954 - Richard Finch (KC and the Sunshine Band) was born.
• 1958 - Elvis’ “Jailhouse Rock” becomes the first single to debut at #1 on the UK pop chart.
• 1958 - Gary Tibbs (Roxy Music / Adam and the Ants - bass) was born.
• 1960 - Andy Cox (Beast / Fine Young Cannibals) was born.
• 1968 - David Gilmour plays his first show with Pink Floyd at Southampton University. He replaced Syd Barrett.
• 1969 - Creedence Clearwater Revivial relases their “Born on the Bayou”.
• 1988 - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ debut album finally goes gold, 12 years after it’s release.
• 1991 - Payl McCartney records an acoustic session for MTV’s unplugged series.
• 2006 - Motley Crew are given a star on Hollywood’s walk of fame.

Today in Rock (Jan 19)

• 1943 - Janis Joplin was born.
• 1945 - Rod Evans (Deep Purple - vocals) was born.
• 1949 - Robert Palmer was born.
• 1957 - Mickey Virtue (UB40) was born.
• 1963 - The Beatles appear on Thank Your Lucky Stars where they perform “Please Please Me.” It’s their first national U.K. TV appearance.
• 1976 - The Beatles are offered $30 million for one show by U.S. promoter Bill Sargent. Solo sets are OK but the group has to play together for a minimum of 20 minutes. The Beatles decline.
• 1986 - Bruce Springsteen makes a surprise appearance at a benefit for laid off 3M workers in Asbury Park, NJ. He sings a handful of songs including “My Hometown.”
• 1993 - The 52nd Presidential Gala, honoring president-elect Bill Clinton, features a reunited Fleetwood Mac (their “Don’t Stop” was Clinton’s campaign song). Little Richard and Chuck Berry also perform.
• 1994 - John Lennon, the Animals, The Band, the Grateful Dead, Rod Stewart and Elton John are inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Paul McCartney inducts his former Beatle bandmate. “I’m the number one John Lennon fan,” says Big Mac. The Band perform “The Weight.” It’s the first time guitarist/vocalist Robbie Robertson has played with the group in 15 years.
• 2003 - Original members Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger revive the Doors with former Police drummer Stewart Copeland and Cult vocalist Ian Astbury - filling in for Jim Morrison. The new line-up debuts in Las Vegas. Due to a dispute with original drummer John Densmore and the Jim Morrison estate over the use of the Doors’ name, the group later bills itself as The Doors of the 21st Century before settling on Riders On The Storm.
• 2006 - Bryan Adams plays a benefit show in Karachi to aid relief efforts following the earthquake that ravaged Pakistan the previous October. Adams is the first Western Rock star in Pakistan since the commencement of the “war on terror.”
• 2008 - A historical marker honoring Janis Joplin is unveiled outside the late singer’s childhood home in Port Arthur, TX. Joplin, who died of a drug overdose at age 27 in October ‘70, would have turned 65 on this day (see above).