Rock History

On this day...

2011 – Rob Grill of the Grass Roots Passes Away at age 67 on This Day in Rock! — 2011 – Rob Grill of the Grass Roots Passes Away at age 67 on This Day in Rock!  Rob Grill, the bass player and lead singer of the Grass Roots, passed [...]

2006 – Pamela Anderson tells her Web site that she’s become engaged to Ki… — 2006 – Pamela Anderson tells her Web site that she’s become engaged to Kid Rock – for a second time. “I’m moving on … I feel like I’m finally free [...]

2005 – Funeral services for Luther Vandross are he… — 2005 – Funeral services for Luther Vandross are held at New York’s Riverside Church. The artist died July 1 at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, N.J., two years [...]

2003 – Barry White, the R&B crooner renowned for h… — 2003 – Barry White, the R&B crooner renowned for his deep, erotic baritone, dies at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he had been undergoing dialysis after suffering a [...]

2001 – Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard is se… — 2001 – Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard is sentenced in a Queens, N.Y., courtroom to two to four years in prison after having pleaded guilty to cocaine possession in [...]

1999 – Radney Foster becomes a new dad. The Arista… — 1999 – Radney Foster becomes a new dad. The Arista Austin recording artist and former member of Foster & Lloyd and his wife, Cyndi Hoezle are the parents of baby [...]

1999 – Haroon Shamsher, who with his brother Faroo… — 1999 – Haroon Shamsher, who with his brother Farook, was the mainstay of Joi, a leading British-Asian fusion group and sound system, dies of a heart attack. He is 33. Be [...]

1999 – BBC Radio 1 hip-hop DJ Tim Westwood is shot… — 1999 – BBC Radio 1 hip-hop DJ Tim Westwood is shot in a drive-by shooting in London. He is reported in stable condition the following day. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1998 – The late singer/songwriter Harry Chapin – f… — 1998 – The late singer/songwriter Harry Chapin – famed for donating half his concert proceeds to causes such as hunger relief – continues his humanitarian efforts through the Harry Chapin [...]

1995 – Neil Young forms the Vapor Records label with his manage… — 1995 -  Neil Young forms the Vapor Records label with his manager, Elliot Roberts. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1995 – The oldest known musical instrument in the … — 1995 – The oldest known musical instrument in the world is found in the Indrijca River Valley in Slovenia. The 45,000 year-old relic, a crude wind instrument, is a bear [...]

1995 – Selena’s “Dreaming of You,” a posthumous … — 1995 – Selena’s “Dreaming of You,” a posthumous album by the slain Tejano star, is released. It is the fastest-selling album by a female artist in pop history, with 175,000 [...]

1994 – The Rolling Stones play a secret gig in a Toronto — 1994 – The Rolling Stones play a secret gig in a Toronto nightclub for their fans. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1994 – Singer Dolores O’Riordan of the Cranberries marries Don Burton — 1994 – Singer Dolores O’Riordan of the Cranberries marries Don Burton in Ireland. She scandalizes the press by wearing a see-through wedding dress. O’Riordan asks, “Why would I want to [...]

1992 – Singer Whitney Houston and rapper Bobby Bro… — 1992 – Singer Whitney Houston and rapper Bobby Brown marry at Houston’s mansion in Mendham Township, N.J. Among the guests are Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Gloria Estefan and Dick Clark. Be [...]

1989 – Jefferson Airplane re-form. Paul Kantner, Marty Bali… — 1989 – Jefferson Airplane re-form. Paul Kantner, Marty Balin, and Grace Slick are joined by Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, who left the Airplane to play with Hot Tuna. Be Sociable, [...]

1988 – A California court upholds an earlier decision clearing Ozzy — 1988 – A California court upholds an earlier decision clearing Ozzy Osbourne’s song “Suicide Solution” of being responsible for a teenager taking his own life in 1984. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1988 – Nico – smack-addicted former lead singer with the Velvet Underground — 1988 – Nico – smack-addicted former lead singer with the Velvet Underground and the very model of a doomed diva – dies after falling off her bicycle in Ibiza. Be Sociable, [...]

1988 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Hold on to th… — 1988 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Hold on to the Nights,” Richard Marx. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1981 – “Weird Al” Yankovic makes short work of “I’ll Be Mellow — 1981 – “Weird Al” Yankovic makes short work of “I’ll Be Mellow When I’m Dead” in the studio. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1977 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Looks Like We… — 1977 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Looks Like We Made It,” Barry Manilow. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1975 – At London’s Lyceum Theater, Bob Marley & the Wailers record — 1975 – At London’s Lyceum Theater, Bob Marley & the Wailers record the concert that is featured on their album Live! Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1973 – Jethro Tull sell out three nights at the Los Angeles — 1973 – Jethro Tull sell out three nights at the Los Angeles Forum in one-and-a-half hours. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1972 – Boston Mayor Kevin White helps get Mick Jag… — 1972 – Boston Mayor Kevin White helps get Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones out of jail in Warwick, R.I., so they can make their performance at [...]

1970 – Pink Floyd and Deep Purple play a free concert at Londo… — 1970 – Pink Floyd and Deep Purple play a free concert at London’s Hyde Park that attracts an audience of 20,000. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1969 – Janis Joplin and her Kozmic Blues Band make their first — 1969 – Janis Joplin and her Kozmic Blues Band make their first appearance on The Dick Cavett Show. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1968 – The Grateful Dead release Anthem of the Sun. Their — 1968 – The Grateful Dead release Anthem of the Sun. Their second album fails to chart. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1966 – Bobby Fuller of the Bobby Fuller Four (“I Fought the Law — 1966 – Bobby Fuller of the Bobby Fuller Four (“I Fought the Law”) dies at age 23. His body is discovered in a parked car in Hollywood and is later [...]

1964 – The Rolling Stones get their first U.K. No. 1 with “It’s All Over Now.” — 1964 – The Rolling Stones get their first U.K. No. 1 with “It’s All Over Now.” Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1963 – In the studio, the Beatles start recording “‘Til There Was… — 1963 – In the studio, the Beatles start recording “‘Til There Was You,” “You Really Got a Hold on Me,” and “Money (That’s What I Want).” Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1960 – It’s reported that Elvis has taken out a mortgage on Graceland — 1960 – It’s reported that Elvis has taken out a mortgage on Graceland for $164,000. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1960 – Hank Ballard & the Midnighters release “The Twist — 1960 – Hank Ballard & the Midnighters release “The Twist,” the original version of the song Chubby Checker later built a career on. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1953 – Truck driver Elvis Presley makes his first recording… — 1953 – Truck driver Elvis Presley makes his first recording. “My Happiness” is pressed on acetate as a gift for his mother. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1950 – Golden Earring drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk is born — 1950 – Golden Earring drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk is born in the Hague, Netherlands. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1941 – Martha Reeves, who with the Vandellas was “Dancing — 1941 – Martha Reeves, who with the Vandellas was “Dancing in the Street,” is born in Detroit. Be Sociable, Share! [...]

1939 – Singer Dion (Dion DiMucci) is born in the B… — 1939 – Singer Dion (Dion DiMucci) is born in the Bronx, N.Y. He records with the Belmonts until 1960. They have two top five hits: “A Teenager in Love” and [...]

1929 – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – one of rock’s original showmen — 1929 – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – one of rock’s original showmen – is allegedly born on this date in Cleveland. Be Sociable, Share! [...]