March 19, 2024

Today in Rock History

MARCH 19th

Sheryl Crow's "Tuesday Night Music Club" enters the U.S. album survey. It stays on the chart for over a year, peaking at #3. 1994

The Library of Congress announces that The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run" albums are in the Library which digitally stores and saves significant musical works. 2004

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

Guitarist Paul Atkinson has a birthday. The guitarist becomes a founding member The Zombies (“She’s Not There,” “Time Of The Season”). 1946

Guitarist Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big) has a birthday.  He’s from Buffalo, NY.  1953

Ricky Helton Wilson, guitarist and founding member of the B-52s, is born in Athens, Georgia. 1953

Elvis Presley buys the Graceland mansion in Memphis. It's Presley's home for twenty years. He even dies there and is (eventually) laid to rest on the Graceland grounds. 1957

Tailor and Cutter magazine publicly requests that the Rolling Stones wear ties. The Stones dismiss the suggestion continuing to flout their open collars. 1965

"19th Nervous Breakdown" can't make it to #1 in the U.S. The Rolling Stones song is lodged behind Barry Sandler's "The Ballad Of The Green Berets." 1966

The 'concept album' "Aqualung" is released.  The title track becomes Jethro Tull's first Top 10 U.S. hit (#7). 1971

Jefferson Airplane becomes Jefferson Starship. 1974

Singer/drummer Brann Timothy Dailor (Mastodon) is born in Rochester, NY.  1975

The film version of The Who’s “Tommy” opens. It stars The Who’s Roger Daltrey (Tommy), Elton John (Pinball Wizard), Tina Turner (Acid Queen), Eric Clapton (The Preacher) and Ann-Margret (Nora, Tommy’s mother), whose performance earns a Golden Globe award. 1975

“Dressed To Kill” is the third album from KISS.  Produced by Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart, because the label's financial situation does not permit the hiring of a professional producer, the set subsequently goes gold.  1975

Jimmy Eat World drummer Zach Lind has a birthday. 1976

Free guitarist Paul Kossoff dies from undetermined causes at the age of twenty-six on a London-to-New York flight. He had a history of heart disease. 1976

While on tour in Florida, Ozzy Osbourne's plane dive-bombs the tour bus. On one pass the plane clips the bus and goes out of control. The resulting crash kills three, including Ozzy's guitarist supreme, Randy Rhoads. 1982

Vocalist Andrew Wood dies from a heroin overdose.  His passing means the end of Mother Love Bone but the beginning of Pearl Jam. Ex-Love Bone guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament recruit new members with vocalist Eddie Vedder suggesting the name. 1990

Aerosmith, Queen and Steely Dan are inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. 2001

Director Peter Margolis interviews fans of the late Randy Rhoads at the San Bernardino, CA, cemetery where he is buried. The interviews are for a documentary sanctioned by Rhoads' family. Rhoads died 25 years earlier, on this day (see above), at age 25. 2007

The Runaways,” based on the '70s female Punk band, is in theaters. Directed by Floria Sigismondi, the film stars Twilight's Kristen Stewart as guitarist Joan Jett, and Dakota Fanning as frontwoman Cherie Currie. 2010

A graveside memorial marks the 30th anniversary of Randy Rhoads' death (see above). More than 350 friends, family and fans pay their respects. 2012

Anthrax unfurls their Classic Rock covers album, "Anthems." "It was a lot of fun, especially because a lot of those (songs) aren't, I guess, normal for us-although they are because they're songs we all knew," says Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian. The set includes their versions of "Jailbreak" (Thin Lizzy), "Smokin'" (Boston) and "T.N.T." (AC/DC). 2013

“Don't You Wish That We Were Dead,” a documentary about The Damned, premieres at the SXSW Festival in Austin. The film features original members Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, Rat Scabies and Brian James, along with appearances by Motorhead's Lemmy and Offspring's Dexter Holland. 2015

“City Of Lies” is released starring Johnny Depp.  The soundtrack features Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry who contributed five songs to the Brad Furman-directed film.  2021

Neil Young’s posts “Concert Touring Is Broken.” He criticizes Ticketmaster for its long-held monopoly on concert ticket sales - high ticket prices and ticket fees - which have reached up to 30% for some artists.  “Artists have to worry about ripped off fans blaming them for Ticketmaster add-ons and scalpers,” writes Young on his website. 2023