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CDJ Today: February 24 in Classic Rock

George Thorogood
February 24, 1975 – Led Zeppelin release their sixth album Physical Graffiti. It’s a double album featuring 8 new songs, and songs left over from their previous albums Led Zeppelin III, Led Zeppelin IV and Houses Of The Holy. Featuring an intricate die-cut cover of a New York City brownstone, the album goes on to sell over 8 million copies in the U.S.
February 24, 1988 – Alice Cooper announces he is running for Governor of the state of Arizona as a member of the “Wild” party. He is looking to replace impeached governor Evan Mecham. Cooper’s slogan: “A troubled man for troubled times.”
February 24, 1992 – Kurt Cobain marries Courtney Love in Waikiki, Hawaii on a cliff. Kurt wears pajamas and Courtney wears a green dress that once belonged to the actress Frances Farmer. At the time, she is pregnant with their daughter, who will be named Francis.
February 24, 1998 – Elton John becomes Sir Elton Hercules John, when he receives a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to music and charity.
February 24, 1993 – Eric Clapton wins six Grammy Awards including Album of the Year for Unplugged, and Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Tears in Heaven.” Unplugged sells 26 million copies.
February 24, 1956 – Police in Cleveland shut down a rock concert under an obscure law that prohibits people under 18 from dancing in public without a guardian.
12 Rock & Roll Romances That Inspired the Music
Classic Rock Birthdays
February 24, 1950 – George Thorogood, vocals, guitar (George Thorogood and the Destroyers)
February 24, 1947 – Lonnie Turner, bass (Steve Miller Band) (d. 2013)
February 24, 1944 – Nicky Hopkins, session keyboard player (The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck Group, Steve Miller Band, Jefferson Airplane, The Who) (d. 1994)
February 24, 1942 – Paul Jones (born Paul Pond), vocals, harmonica (Manfred Mann)
February 24, 1974 – Noah “Wuv” Bernardo Jr., drums, guitar, vocals (P.O.D.)
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CDJ Today: February 23 in Classic Rock

Carlos Santana
February 23, 2000 – Carlos Santana ties Michael Jackson‘s 1983 record for the most Grammys won in a single year, including Album of the Year for his album Supernatural, and Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Smooth,” his collaboration with Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20. Supernatural sells 30 million records worldwide.
Classic Rock Birthdays
February 23, 1952 – Brad Whitford, guitar (Aerosmith)
February 23, 1964 – John Norum, guitar, vocals (Europe)
February 23, 1944 – Johnny Winter, guitar, vocals (d. 2014)
February 23, 1946 – Rusty Young (born Norman Russell Young), guitar, vocals (Poco)
February 23, 1948 – Steve Priest, bass, vocals (Sweet) (d.2020)
February 23, 1955 – Howard Jones, vocals, keyboards
Rock Remembrances
February 23, 2003 – Howie Epstein dies of complications from drug use in New Mexico. He was 47. Epstein was the longtime bassist in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and also collaborated with many other artists including Bob Dylan, Carlene Carter (to whom he was engaged for many years), Johnny Cash, John Hiatt, Stevie Nicks, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, John Prine, Linda Ronstadt, Del Shannon and Warren Zevon. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Heartbreakers in 2002.
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CDJ Today: February 22 in Classic Rock

Jethro Tull. Credit: Simon Fowler
February 22, 1989 – For the first time, a Heavy Metal category is introduced at the Grammy Awards. Metallica performs on stage, but the award goes to Jethro Tull. Yes, the Grammy voters picked Jethro Tull’s Crest of a Knave over Metallica’s And Justice For All. Tull’s record label tries to make light of the faux pas by placing a Billboard ad that reads, “The flute is a heavy, metal instrument.”
February 22, 2006 – Kid Rock sues Red Light – the same company that distributed the Paris Hilton sex video – accusing the firm of violating his trademark and privacy rights by distributing footage featuring himself and Creed’s Scott Stapp having sex with four women. Distribution of the videotape is later halted.
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Classic Rock Birthdays
February 22, 1973 – Scott Phillips (born Thomas Scott Phillips), drums (Creed, Alter Bridge)
February 22, 1961 – Akira Takasaki, guitar (Loudness)
Rock Remembrances
February 22, 1987 – Andy Warhol dies from complications after a gall bladder operation. He was 58. Warhol was afraid of hospitals and had put off having the needed surgery. His family later sued for malpractice and won an undisclosed settlement. Warhol was the founder of the Pop Art movement, produced and managed The Velvet Underground, designed the The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers album cover and influenced countless artists, including Devo and David Bowie. During the 60s, he produced paintings of iconic American objects such as Campbell’s Soup Cans, Coca-Cola bottles and celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley. His most expensive painting sold for $105.4 million in 2013. Warhol donated his entire estate to The Andy Warhol Foundation, which remains one of the largest grant-giving organizations for the visual arts in the U.S.
February 22, 1994 – “Papa” John Creach dies of congestive heart failure. He was 76. Creach was a blues violinist who played with Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship and also recorded a number of solo albums. He was also a frequent guest at Grateful Dead and Charlie Daniels Band concerts up until his death.
Top 10 Classic Rock Album Covers
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CDJ Today: February 21 in Classic Rock

Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads
February 21, 1990 – Paul McCartney is honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 32nd annual Grammy Awards. This award is for his solo work; he later receives the same award in 2014 for his work with the Beatles.
February 21, 2016 – A four-inch lock of John Lennon‘s hair sells for $35,000 at an auction in Dallas, Texas. A German hairdresser kept a piece of his hair after giving him a trim before the star began filming the 1967 dark comedy How I Won the War.
Classic Rock Birthdays
February 21, 1949 – Jerry Harrison, keyboards, guitar, vocals (Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers, Talking Heads)
February 21, 1943 – David Geffen, founder of Asylum and Geffen record labels and co-founder of DreamWorks studio
February 21, 1951 – Vince Welnick, keyboards (The Tubes, the Grateful Dead) (d. 2006)
February 21, 1963 – Ranking Roger (born Roger Charley), vocals (The English Beat, General Public) (d. 2019)
February 21, 1948 – Paul Newton, bass, vocals (Uriah Heep)
Rock Remembrances
February 21, 2019 – Peter Tork (born Peter Halsten Thorkelson), keyboardist and bassist of The Monkees), dies of adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare, slow-growing form of head and neck cancer. He was 77. Tork got his job on the show after his friend Stephen Stills’ recommendation; he was the oldest member of the group.
February 21, 1982 – DJ Murray The K (born Murray Kaufman) dies of cancer. He was 60. Murray was one of the very first DJs to play a Beatles record on the radio in the U.S. During the early days of Beatlemania, he frequently referred to himself as “the Fifth Beatle,” and was in fact friends with all of the members. Throughout his New York radio career, Kaufman also produced many legendary multi-racial rock ‘n’ roll shows each year at the Brooklyn Fox Theater.
February 21, 2014 – Sarah Jones, 27, a crew member on the set of the Gregg Allman biopic “Midnight Rider,” is killed when a freight train strikes her. Seven others are injured in the accident after the train rumbled over a trestle where a dream sequence was being filmed on the tracks on the first day of production. The director, Randall Miller, is later convicted of felony involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespassing and receives a ten-year sentence. He was released in March 2016 after serving only one year of his term. Allman sued the producers to halt filming.
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CDJ Today: February 20 in Classic Rock

Jimi Hendrix performing at Woodstock, 1969.
February 20, 1991 – Bob Dylan and John Lennon receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 33rd Grammy Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Aerosmith win their first Grammy for Best Rock Performance for “Janie’s Got A Gun” and perform “Come Together” as part of the tribute to Lennon.
February 20, 1976 – All four members of Kiss implant their footprints on the pavement outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
February 20, 1960 –Jimi Hendrix makes his first stage appearance in the basement of a Seattle synagogue. Allegedly he was fired between sets due to his antics.
February 20, 1982 – Pat Benatar marries her guitarist Neil Giraldo on the Hawaiian island of Maui. It was Benatar’s second marriage, and Giraldo himself had just gotten out of a relationship with famous Exorcist actress Linda Blair.
Classic Rock Birthdays
February 20, 1946 – J. Geils (born John Warren Geils Jr.), guitar (The J. Geils Band) (d. 2017).
February 20, 1967 – Kurt Cobain, guitar, vocals with Nirvana who had the 1991 hit ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. (d. 1994)
February 20, 1950 – Walter Becker, bass, guitar, vocals, (Steely Dan) (d. 2017)
February 20, 1951 – Randy California (born Randy Craig Wolfe), vocals, guitar (Spirit) (d. 1997)
February 20, 1955 – Jon Brant, bass (Cheap Trick)
February 20, 1960 – Kee Marcello (born Kjell Hilding Löfbom) guitar (Europe)
February 20, 1953 – Poison Ivy Rorschach (born Kristy Wallace), guitar, vocals (The Cramps)
February 20, 1948 – Billy Zoom (born Tyson Kindell), guitar (X)
February 20, 1964 – Terry Ilous, vocals (XYZ, Great White)
Rock Remembrances
February 20, 2003 – 100 people die after pyrotechnics ignite The Station nightclub during a gig by Great White in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Foam soundproofing material at the edge of the stage was ignited and the blaze spread quickly in the wooden building as fans all tried to escape through the same front exit. Two of the four exits had been chained shut, and a bouncer initially forbade patrons from using the stage door, creating a bottleneck at the front door. 230 fans were also injured; many of them seriously with burns. Great White guitarist Ty Longley was one of the people killed in the accident as he reportedly returned to the burning building to retrieve his guitar.
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CDJ Today: February 19 in Classic Rock

Tony Iommi performs with Heaven and Hell in Chicago in 2009. CC by SA 3.0. Credit: Adam Bielawki
February 19, 1982 – Ozzy Osbourne is arrested in San Antonio for urinating on the Alamo Cenotaph, a 60-foot high statue erected in 1939 to honor the 189 Texans who died there. The Cenotaph is adjacent to the mission, in the Alamo Plaza. At the time of his arrest, Osbourne is wearing Sharon’s dress.
February 19, 1995 – Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe marries Baywatch actress Pamela Anderson in Cancun, Mexico. Anderson walks down the aisle in a skimpy white bikini and Tommy Lee wears white Bermuda shorts and no shirt or shoes. The couple divorce in 1998.
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Classic Rock Birthdays
February 19, 1948 – Tony Iommi, guitar (Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell)
February 19, 1964 – Doug Aldrich, guitar, vocals (Whitesnake, Dio)
February 19, 1954 – Francis Buchholz, bass (Scorpions)
February 19, 1948 – Mark Andes, bass, guitar (Canned Heat, Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne, Firefall)
February 19, 1946 – Paul Dean, guitar (Loverboy)
February 19, 1946 – Pierre van der Linden, drums (Focus)
February 19, 1950 – Andy Powell, guitar, vocals (Wishbone Ash)
February 19, 1954 – Jamie West-Oram, guitar (The Fixx)
February 19, 1956 – Dave Wakeling, vocals, guitar (The Beat, English Beat, General Public)
February 19, 1949 – Eddie Hardin, piano (Spencer Davis Group) (d. 2015)
Original Names of Famous Classic Rock Bands
Rock Remembrances
February 19, 1980 – Bon Scott (born Ronald Belford Scott), dies of acute alcohol poisoning in London while sleeping in a friend’s car. He was 33. Scott, AC/DC‘s lead singer, recorded six albums with the band before his untimely demise. Back in Black, his final record with the band, has remained a top 5 worldwide seller, selling over 50 million copies. He is also consistently ranked as one of the top 5 rock vocalists of all time.
February 19, 2009 – Kelly Groucutt (born Michael William Groucutt) dies of a heart attack in England. He was 63. Groucutt is best known for being the bassist and co-lead vocalist for Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). Groucutt left the band in 1983, unhappy with royalty payments during his tenure.
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CDJ Today: February 18 in Classic Rock

The cover for Kiss’ debut album, released this day in 1974
February 18, 1974 – Kiss release their self-titled debut album on Casablanca Records. Warner Bros. dissolved their deal with the record label after the band refused to remove their makeup. The album initially sold only 75,000 copies, although now it is certified Gold.
February 18, 1969 – Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees marries pop star Lulu in Buckinghamshire, England. He was 19; she was 20. They would divorce in 1973.
Classic Rock Birthdays
February 18, 1947 – Dennis DeYoung, vocals, keyboards (Styx)
February 18, 1953 – Robbie Bachman, drums (Bachman-Turner Overdrive)
February 18, 1948 – Keith Knudsen, drums (The Doobie Brothers) (d. 2005)
February 18, 1934 – Skip Battin (born Clyde Battin), bass, vocals (The Byrds, New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Flying Burrito Brothers) (d. 2003)
February 18, 1933 – Yoko Ono, vocals (Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon)
February 18, 1939 – Bobby Hart (born Robert Luke Harshen), vocals, songwriter
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Rock Remembrances
February 18, 1995 – Bob Stinson dies of drug abuse, which results in organ failure. He was 35. Stinson was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of Minnesota band The Replacements. Stinson was forced out of the band by Paul Westerberg, because he didn’t agree with the pop direction of the band. He also had major substance abuse problems, which contributed to his departure.
February 18, 2013 – Kevin Ayers dies in his sleep in France. He was 68. Ayers was a founding member of the pioneering psychedelic band Soft Machine in the mid-1960s, and worked with many artists, including Brian Eno, Syd Barrett, John Cale, Elton John, Andy Summers and Nico. Critics have said, “Kevin Ayers and Syd Barrett were the two most important people in British pop music. Everything that came after came from them.”
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CDJ Today: February 17 in Classic Rock

Rickey Medlocke of Lynyrd Skynyrd. CC BY 2.0. Credit: Janet Dancer.
February 17, 1975 – AC/DC release their debut album High Voltage. The album, released only in Australia, was re-released internationally with a new cover and track listing.
February 17, 1989 – David Coverdale marries actress Tawny Kitaen, star of 5 Whitesnake videos including “Here I Go Again,” “Is This Love” and “Still of the Night.” The couple divorce in 1991.
February 17, 1988 – Bryan Tucker, a 12-year-old boy in Florida, douses himself with rubbing alcohol and sets himself on fire in an attempt to imitate a scene from Mötley Crüe‘s “Live Wire” video. Mötley Crüe issue a statement saying their stunts should not be tried at home.
Classic Rock Birthdays
February 17, 1972 – Taylor Hawkins (born Oliver Taylor Hawkins), drums (Foo Fighters)
February 17, 1950 – Rickey Medlocke, guitar, vocals (Blackfoot, Lynyrd Skynyrd)
February 17, 1972 – Billie Joe Armstrong, vocals, guitar (Green Day)
Rock Remembrances
February 17, 2014 – Bob Casale, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist of Devo, dies of heart failure in Los Angeles. He was 61. Devo consisted of two sets of brothers – Bob and Gerald Casale and Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, plus drummer Alan Myers.
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New Documentary Explores the Culture of Hard Rock: Watch the trailer

Long Live Rock… Celebrate The Chaos will premiere in a global virtual event on March 11th
A new documentary that explores the culture of hard rock music will premiere in a worldwide virtual event next month. Long Live Rock… Celebrate the Chaos features intimate interviews with the likes of Lars Ulrich (Metallica), Rob Zombie, Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses), Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society), Ed Kowalczyk (Live) and more, as they discuss the hard rock genre and the special relationship they have with their audiences.
You can watch the trailer in the player below.
“Long Live Rock is a celebration of the chaos that makes this music and its fans the most passionate in the world,” said the film’s director Jonathan McHugh in a statement.
According to a synopsis, the film gives viewers “a front row seat to what makes hard rock fans want to crowd surf, mix it up in the mosh pit or just throw all caution to the wind by participating in the ultimate community mayhem of the ‘Wall of Death.'” It follows some of the genre’s most passionate fans – pre-COVID – as they drop everything to commune with their rock family at music festivals across the U.S. – or wherever the road takes them.
Long Live Rock… Celebrate the Chaos will premiere in a global virtual event on March 11th. The screening will be followed by a conversation with the filmmakers and special guests. Tickets are available on the film’s website.
Long Live Rock… Celebrate The Chaos Trailer
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CDJ Today: February 16 in Classic Rock

Duran Duran in 1982
February 16, 2005 – Kid Rock is arrested for allegedly punching a DJ at a strip club in Nashville, Tennessee. He was released after posting a $3,000 bond on a charge of simple assault, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.
Classic Rock Birthdays
February 16, 1965 – Dave Lombardo, drums (Slayer)
February 16, 1935 – Sonny Bono (born Salvatore Phillip Bono), vocals (Sonny & Cher) (d. 1997)
February 16, 1961 – Andy Taylor, guitar (Duran Duran)
Rock Remembrances
February 16, 2013 – Tony Sheridan (born Anthony Esmond Sheridan McGinnity) dies in Hamburg after undergoing heart surgery. He was 72. Sheridan, an early collaborator with the Beatles, was one of only two non-Beatles (the other being Billy Preston) to receive label performance credit on a record with the group. As a session musician, he recorded with Eddie Cochran, Cliff Richard, Conway Twitty and many others.
February 16, 2004 – Doris Troy (born Doris Elaine Higginsen) dies from emphysema at her home in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was 67. Discovered by James Brown, Troy was a session singer who sang on Pink Floyd‘s Dark Side Of The Moon and was signed to the Beatles Apple Records label. She also sang backup vocals with The Rolling Stones, Humble Pie, George Harrison, Dusty Springfield, and Carly Simon. Her only U.S. solo hit was “Just One Look,” co-written with Dionne Warwick.
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Long Live Rock… Celebrate The Chaos Trailer

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