Today in rock history 1st May

1956 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Heartbreak Hotel,” Elvis Presley. The song is Presley’s first No. 1 single. 1957 – Steve Farris, Mr Mister, is born 1966 – The Beatles play their last show for a paying audience in Britain at the NME Poll Winners’ Party. 1966 – Born on this day, Johnny Colt, The Black Crowes. 1968 – Born on this day, D’arcy Wretsky-Brown, bass, Smashing Pumpkins, 1969 – Jimi Hendrix is busted for narcotics possession at Toronto Airport. He is released on $10,000 bail. 1969 – Neil Young releases Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. 1969 – Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash videotape a special to appear on ABC. They play Dylan’s “I Threw It All Away,” “Living the Blues,” and “Girl From the North Country.” 1970 – In New York, Bob Dylan records with George Harrison. The two mess around on the Beatles’ “Yesterday,” Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” and “Da Doo Ron Ron.” 1973 – Bachman-Turner Overdrive release their self-titled debut album. 1975 – In one of their best-ever publicity stunts, the Rolling Stones announce their Tour of the Americas by playing “Brown Sugar” on the back of a flatbed truck driving down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. 1977 – The Clash begin their first tour of England at London’s Roxy. 1984 – Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac files for bankruptcy. 1993 – Supermodel Naomi Campbell announces her engagement to U2 bassist Adam Clayton. 1998 – Columbia Records presents Jeff Buckley’s posthumous set, “Sketches for `My Sweetheart, The Drunk,’” in its entirety during an online listening session. 1999 – An exhibition of Paul McCartney’s paintings, including a portrait of David Bowie, opens in Siegen, Germany. 2000 - Neil Young was sued for $1.8 million by Jimmy McDonough, a writer who claimed that Young had blocked the publication of an authorized biography that he spent several years working on. 2001 – “Touring Band 2000,” the first full-length DVD featuring Pearl Jam, is released. The three-hour disc features 28 live songs filmed in various cities during the band’s 2000 U.S. tour. 2005 – Nine Inch Nails close the Coachella Festival in California. Other performers during the day included New Order, The Bravery and Mos Def. 2005 – Bruce Springsteen’s Devils & Dust tops the U.K. album chart in its first week of release. 2005 – Matchbox 20 singer Rob Thomas went to No.1 on the US album chart with his first solo album ‘Something To Be.’ T 2009 – A Queen fan won a private two-hour guitar lesson with Brian May after bidding more than £7,500 at a charity auction in London. The auction was held in support of the Action for Brazil’s Children Trust, of which May is a patron.

Today in rock history April 30th

1948 - Wayne Kramer-guitarist for MC5 born today. 1965 – The Kinks begin their first U.K. tour. 1970 – Twiggs Lyndon, road manager with the Allman Brothers, is arrested on charges of murder after stabbing a club manager over alleged breach of contract. 1976 – The alleged date of a great Keith Moon story. The Who drummer reportedly pays several New York cab drivers $100 each. All they have to do is block either end of the block of his hotel. He then proceeds to empty his hotel room of its contents onto the empty street below. 1977 – Led Zeppelin play the Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich. The audience of 77,229 sets a new record for attendance at a single-act concert. 1980 – The film “McVicar,” starring Roger Daltrey and Adam Faith, premieres. 1983 – The original Manfred Mann, reunites for a London concert. 1983 - Muddy Waters dies 1988 – Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon drops out of the Billboard 200 chart for the first time in 725 weeks. It would be back. 1999 – Darrell Sweet, the drummer for Scottish rock group Nazareth, suffers a fatal heart attack as the band arrives at an amphitheater in New Albany, Ind., to begin the second leg of its U.S. tour. He is 51. 2002 - The Who’s Roger Daltrey made a guest appearance on the 100th episode of That 70’s Show as music teacher Mr. Wilkinson 2003 – AC/DC wannabes The Datsuns win Album of the Year, Export Gold Best Group, Outstanding International Achievement and Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the New Zealand Music Awards. 2004 – Courtney Love enters a formal plea of “not guilty” to two charges of felony drug possession in Los Angeles after turning up an hour late for her court appearance. 2005 – The Dave Matthews Band agreed to pay $200,000 (£105,000) after their tour bus dumped human waste on a boatload of tourists in Chicago in August 2004. 2008 – A giant inflatable pig which floated away during a Roger Waters concert was recovered in tatters in California. Two families from La Quinta who found what was left of the inflatable, decided to share four life tickets to the Coachella festival that were offered as part of the reward.

Today in rock history 29th April

1935 – Otis Rush, one of the most intense and inventive guitarists of the post-War Chicago blues renaissance, is born in Philadelphia, Miss. Aerosmith, Eric Clapton, and Fleetwood Mac have covered his songs. 1938 - Klaus Voormann-bassist for Manfred Mann is born today. 1967 – Jimi Hendrix, The Walker Brothers, Engelbert Humperdink and Cat Stevens played two shows at Bournemouth Winter Gardens, England. 1968 – The musical “Hair” opens at the Biltmore Theater on Broadway. 1976 – Bruce Springsteen tries to climb over the fence at Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate in an attempt to see Presley. He is escorted off the premises by guards. 1980 – Black Sabbath begin their first tour with Ronnie James Dio as the singer. 1987 – A high school in South Beloit, Ill., moves up the time of its graduation ceremony to accommodate a Jovi Bon concert that the majority of its students are due to attend. 1988 – Eric Clapton and Patti Boyd, about whom he wrote “Layla” and “Wonderful Tonight,” file for divorce. 1993 – One of rock’n’roll’s preeminent guitarists and producers, Mick Ronson, 46, dies of cancer of the liver in London. Ronson, aside from his solo credits, is probably best known for his guitar work with David Bowie and with Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue. 1993 – Gilby Clarke of Guns N’ Roses breaks his hand in a motorcycle accident, leading to the cancellation of several live dates. 1998 – Steven Tyler sustains a knee injury at Aerosmith’s concert in Anchorage, Alaska. The injury is bad enough to require surgery and force the band to postpone the 14 remaining dates of its North American tour. 1999 – It is announced that drummer Tommy Lee has quit Motley Crue to devote time to his new band and family, following his reunion with Pamela Anderson Lee. Lee’s new band is called Methods of Mayhem. 2003 – A $5 million lawsuit against former Creedence Clearwater Revival leader John Fogerty was dismissed after a personal-injury lawyer claimed that he suffered hearing loss in his left ear from attending a Fogerty concert. The Judge said the plaintiff assumed the risk of hearing damage when he attended the concert in 1997. 2003 – Jack Osbourne, son of Ozzy, enters the Las Encinas rehab clinic in Pasadena. He had been suffering from insomnia and depression following the success of the The Osbournes TV show. 2003 – Pearl Jam buy a 1,400 square-mile area of rainforest in Madagascar to compensate for the 5,700 tons of greenhouse gas emissions they estimate their current North American tour with incur. 2003 – Great White play their first gig since a fire at one of their Rhode Island shows killed 100 people. The concert is to establish a scholarship fund for the son of Great White guitarist Ty Longley, who died in the fire. 2007 – Avril Lavigne was at No.1 on the US album chart with her third album ‘The Best Damn Thing’, also a No.1 on the UK chart. 2010 - As the June 15 release date approaches for Ozzy Osbourne's Scream - his first album in three years and 10th studio album overall–the album cover artwork and full track listing are revealed. 2010 – Rockers The Who fear they’ve taken their final bow – because they’re struggling to stage shows with Pete Townshend’s hearing problems. The 64 year old has suffered from partial deafness and tinnitus for many years.

Today in rock history 28th April

1945 – John Wolters, drums, Dr Hook, is born 1953 – Bassist, Guitarist & Vocalist Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth is born 1968 - Daisy Berkowitz, Marilyn Manson, is born 1973 – Pink Floyd’s album ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ goes to No.1 on the US chart on This Day in Rock. It spent a record breaking 741 weeks on the top 100 album charts selling over 20 million copies world-wide. 1978: Cheap Trick began a two night stand at the Budokan Arena in Tokyo where the concerts were recorded. Cheap Trick At Budokan was released the following year & went on to sell three million copies in the U.S. alone. 1981 – Steve Currie, T-Rex was killed in a car crash returning to his home near Vale de Parra, Algarve, Portugal. He was 33 years old. 1982 – The California State Assembly consumer-protection-committee, CSACPC, heard testimony from “experts” who claimed that when ‘Stairway To Heaven’ was played backward, contained the words: “I sing because I live with Satan. The Lord turns me off, there’s no escaping it. Here’s to my sweet Satan, whose power is Satan. He will give you 666. I live for Satan.” 1983 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Beat It,” Michael Jackson. Eddie Van Halen plays lead guitar on the tune. 1990 – Guns N’ Roses leader Axl Rose marries Erin Everly. 1999 – Shock rocker Marilyn Manson cuts short his concert in Des Moines, Iowa and abruptly walks off stage when he realizes someone stuck a large yellow “smiley face” on one of his stage props. The resulting rowdiness ends in 23 arrests. 2002 - Motley Crue singer Vince Neil allegedly attacked record producer Michael Schuman outside of the Rainbow Bar and Grill in West Hollywood, CA. Neil later pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of battery. 2005 – A concert by Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society in Boise, Idaho, is cancelled after the metal guitarist allegedly does some redecorating on the venue interior with a baseball bat. 2009 – The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that a TV commercial starring Iggy Pop believed to be misleading. Iggy exclaimed in the spot that he carried an insurance policy with Swiftcover claiming that the company carried musicians at the time of the ad. They did not.

Rock Talk – Geddy Lee

Part 1 1. Rush – The spirit of radio 2. Rush – Closer to the heart 3. Rush – Jacob’s ladder 4. Rush – New world man 5. Rush – Limelight Part 2 1. Rush – Fly by night 2. Rush – Tom Sawyer 3. Rush – A passage to Bangkok 4. Rush – YYZ 5. Rush – Time stand still

Timesweep 29th April

Part 1 Back to 1982 1. Genesis – Paperlate 2. Rick Springfield – Don’t talk to strangers 3. The Scorpions – No one like you 4. Peter Gabriel – Shock the monkey 5. Iron Maiden – Hallowed be thy name Part 2 1. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – I love rock & roll 2. Judas Priest – You got another thing coming 3. Donald Fagen – I.G.Y. 4. Rainbow – Stone cold 5. John Mellencamp – Hurts so good 6. Van Halen – Oh pretty woman Part 3 Birthdays 1. Black Crowes – Hard to handle 2. Steppenwolf – Magic carpet ride 3. Foreigner – That was yesterday 4. Sex Pistols – Pretty vacant Part 4 1. S.A.H.B. – Boston tea party 2. Motley Crue – Dr Feelgood 3. Santana – Black magic woman 4. Green Day – When I come around Part 5 1. Black Sabbath – N.I.B. 2. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – Hollywood nights 3. Hootie & The Blowfish – I only wanna be with you 4. Def Leppard – When love and hate collides Part 6 This week in rock history 1. Bachman Turner Overdrive – Let it ride 2. The Who – The acid queen 3. Aerosmith – Living on the edge Part 7 1. Jimi Hendrix Experience – Wind cries Mary 2. Crosby Stills Nash & Young – Ohio 3. David Bowie – The Jean Genie 4. Rolling Stones – Satisfaction Part 8 1. Foreigner – Feels like the first time 2. John Mellencamp – Hurts so good 3. Pink Floyd – Money Part 9 Playing games 1. Foreigner – Head games 2. Kansas – Play the game tonight 3. 3. The Ramones – What’s your game 4. Queen – Play the game Part 10 1. The Scorpions – Passion rules the game 2. Alan Parsons Project – Games people play 3. Yes – Your move/All good people Part 11 1. Crosby Stills & Nash – War games 2. Peter Gabriel – Games without frontiers 3. John Lennon – Mind games 4. Little River Band – Playing to win 5. Journey – Don’t stop believing

Brit Rock 29th April

1. ACDC – Rock or bust 2. ACDC – Thunderstruck 3. The Eagles – The last resort 4. Aerosmith – What it takes 5. Bruce Springsteen – Tougher than the rest 6. David Bowie – Starman 7. Dion – King of the New York streets 8. Little Richard – Lucille 9. The Kinks – Lola 10. Poco – Call it love 11. Paul McCartney & Wings – Nineteen hundred and eight five 12. Bachman Turner Overdrive – You ain’t seen nothing yet 13. Free – A little bit of love 14. Black Sabbath – Neon knights 15. Motorhead – Ace of spades 16. Pete Townshend – Let my love open the door 17. ACDC – Back in black 18. Judas Priest – Living after midnight 19. Ozzy Osbourne- Crazy train 20. The Scorpions – The zoo 21. Rush – The spirit of radio 22. The Pretenders – Stop your sobbing 23. Pat Benetar – Hit me with your best shot 24. Bon Jovi - Lay your hands on me 25. Lovin’ Spoonful – Darling be home soon 26. Del Amitri – Kiss this thing goodbye It’s an hour of acoustic rock for hour three 1. Foo Fighters – Times like these 2. Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking ball 3. Fairport Convention – Meet on the ledge 4. Lindisfarne – Lady Eleanor 5. Cat Stevens – Lady D’arbanville 6. Extreme – More than words 7. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Our house 8. Johnny Cash – One 9. U2 – All I want is you 10. Rory Gallagher – Wheels within wheels 11. David Bowie – Life on Mars 12. Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians – Circle 13. The Waterboys – Fisherman’s blues