Rock History

On this day...

2009 – Daughtry hits No.1 on the US album charts on This Day in Rock! — 2009 – Daughtry hits No.1 on the US album charts on This Day in Rock! This is Daughtry’s 2nd release with chart topper ‘Leave This Town’.

2007 – John Lennon’s “granny” sunglasses sold at auction on This Day in Rock! — 2007 – John Lennon’s “granny” sunglasses sold at auction on This Day in Rock! Selling for an undisclosed figure, these glasses were from one of the last Beatles concerts. Lennon [...]

2006 – Pop star Madonna officially opens Arena Squ… — 2006 – Pop star Madonna officially opens Arena Square, a new development next to the recently refurbished Wembley Arena in northwest London. During the opening, she also unveils a bronze [...]

2006 – Drummer Jon Theodore leaves egghead rockers The Mars Volta shortly — 2006 – Drummer Jon Theodore leaves egghead rockers The Mars Volta shortly before the release of their third album Amputechture. He is replaced by Blake Fleming.

2006 – A man dies after being severely beaten by two unidentified assailants in the — 2006 – A man dies after being severely beaten by two unidentified assailants in the moshpit at Korn’s Atlanta concert. The band appeal for witnesses to the attack to help [...]

2005 – Alfred G. Aronowitz, a pioneering rock jour… — 2005 – Alfred G. Aronowitz, a pioneering rock journalist, dies of cancer in Elizabeth, N.J. He is 77. Aronowitz, who went by Al, was a brash, high-living character who paved [...]

2004 – Red Hot Chili Peppers top the UK albums chart with Live at Hyde — 2004 – Red Hot Chili Peppers top the UK albums chart with Live at Hyde Park. Teen band Busted go to No. 1 in the singles chart with their version [...]

2002 – Conductor-composer Andre Previn, 72, and vi… — 2002 – Conductor-composer Andre Previn, 72, and violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, 39, are married. It is Previn’s third marriage and Mutter’s second.

2001 – MTV throws itself one hell of a 20th Birthd… — 2001 – MTV throws itself one hell of a 20th Birthdays party. The celebration, which takes place at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom _ is part concert, part reunion, and part [...]

1998 – U.S. books and music superstore chain Borde… — 1998 – U.S. books and music superstore chain Borders opens its first European outlet with a 40,000-square-foot store on London’s Oxford Street.

1998 – Grammy Award-winning gospel singer Sandra C… — 1998 – Grammy Award-winning gospel singer Sandra Crouch is ordained as pastor of her church, despite a ban on woman ministers by the Church of God in Christ. The singer [...]

1997 – Svyatoslav Richter, who rose to fame in the… — 1997 – Svyatoslav Richter, who rose to fame in the Soviet Union in the 1940s to become one of the 20th century’s leading pianists, dies from a heart attack at [...]

1997 – Ireland’s Supreme Court gives the go-ahead … — 1997 – Ireland’s Supreme Court gives the go-ahead for two U2 Popmart concerts scheduled for August 30 and 31 at Landsdowne Road stadium in Dublin. Earlier in the week, the [...]

1994 – Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley anno… — 1994 – Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley announce that they were married 11 weeks earlier in a private ceremony in the Dominican Republic. Rumors of the marriage between the [...]

1981 – MTV cable channel is launched. The Buggles’… — 1981 – MTV cable channel is launched. The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” is the first music video shown.

1971 – George Harrison’s Bangladesh concert benefi… — 1971 – George Harrison’s Bangladesh concert benefit at Madison Square Garden.

1971 – “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour” is launc… — 1971 – “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour” is launched on CBS-TV with a short summer run followed by three regular seasons.

1960 – Aretha Franklin makes her first secular rec… — 1960 – Aretha Franklin makes her first secular recordings, including “Today I Sing the Blues.”

1959 – Singer Joe Elliott of Def Leppard is born i… — 1959 – Singer Joe Elliott of Def Leppard is born in Sheffield, England. The group’s biggest hit is the No. 1 single “Love Bites” in 1988.

1942 – Jerry Garcia (Jerome John Garcia) of the Gr… — 1942 – Jerry Garcia (Jerome John Garcia) of the Grateful Dead is born in San Francisco. The original group members are part of Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions and later [...]