This Day in History: 2024-09-28

SEPTEMBER 28^th

A song inspired by John Lennon’s son Julian, and written predominantly by Paul McCartney, the seven minute-plus ballad “Hey Jude” is the #1 song in the U.S. It has a nine-week run at the top becoming The Beatles best-selling single. 1968

Creed’s “Human Clay” is released. 1999

The band’s second studio effort contains the hit tracks “Higher” and “With Arms Wide Open.”

Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day) makes his Broadway debut in “American Idiot,” the musical that he co-authored. Armstrong plays the role of St. Jimmy for a six-day run at St. James Theatre in New York. Tony Vincent who was cast as St. Jimmy left the production to deal with family matters. 2010

Soundgarden’s ‘best of’ compilation “Telephantasm,” drops. The set goes platinum (1-million units) in a matter of days.  2010

The set includes “Fell On Black Days,” Black Hole Sun” and “Spoonman.”

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

Steppenwolf bassist Nick St. Nicholas is born in Plon, Germany with the name Klaus Karl Kassbaum. He is the band’s second bassist (replacing Rushton Moreve).  1945

Original Iron Butterfly guitarist Danny Weis is born in Huntington Park, CA. A founding member, he leaves the group after their debut album, “Heavy,” is recorded. 1948

Dokken guitarist George Lynch enters the world. 1955

Kenneth Robert Wilson, better known by his stage name Ginger Fish, is born. The drummer plays with Marilyn Manson (’95 – ’11) before joining Rob Zombie. 1966

Janis Joplin announces her departure from Big Brother & The Holding Company.  Joplin joined the psychedelic San Francisco band in ’66. “It took her about a year to really learn how to sing with an electric band,” states Big Brother guitarist Sam Andrew. Joplin recorded two albums with the group (one was “Cheap Thrills”). 1968

War’s “Spill The Wine” goes gold. Eric Burdon (formerly fronting The Animals) provides the free-form vocals. 1970

Fistful Of Mercy’s Joseph Arthur is born in Akron, OH. The singer-songwriter is also an acclaimed painter and designer. 1971

“Bad Company’s self-titled debut, featuring “Can’t Get Enough,” is #1 on the Billboard 200.  1974

Black Sabbath release their 8th studio album, “Never Say Die!” It is the last to feature Ozzy Osbourne until his return in ’13.  1978

Blondie, with Debbie Harry, releases “Eat To The Beat.” Containing the track “Dreaming,” Blondie’s fourth album is later certified platinum (1-million sales). 1979

Imagine Dragons drummer Daniel Platzman has a birthday. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Film Scoring from the Berklee College of Music. 1986

“Welcome To The Jungle” is the second single (following “It’s So Easy”) from Guns N’ Roses’ debut studio album, “Appetite For Destruction.” A Top 10 hit (#7) the song is later named “the greatest Hard Rock song of all time” by VH1. 1987

During a show in Moscow, AC/DC vocalist Brian Johnson tells the audience, “Opera and ballet did not cut the ice in the Cold War years. They used to exchange opera and ballet companies and circuses, but it takes Rock and Roll to make no more Cold War.” 1991

A stretch of Tennessee State Route 19, near Nutbush, is officially named for Tina Turner, who was born and raised there. 2002

A heart condition lands Nine Inch Nails drummer Jerome Dillon in the hospital for the second time in a month.  He rejoins the band a few days later for an L.A. performance but he soon has to leave the tour. 2005

Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello is one of 400 people arrested for unlawful assembly, blocking the main entrance road to the Los Angeles International Airport. The protest takes place during a march to raise awareness about the rights of immigrant hotel workers. He is released from police custody the next morning. 2006

Lucy Vodden, a classmate of John Lennon’s son Julian, dies at age 46 after a long battle with lupus. Julian brought home a drawing he made of her and showed it to his father, saying it was a picture of his friend “Lucy in the sky with diamonds.” 2009

Original Alice In Chains bassist Mike Starr is arrested in L.A. on a drug charge. Starr, who left Alice In Chains in ’93, is reportedly held with bail set at $100,000. 2009

Labatt Brewing produce a limited-edition Metallica beer. The black cans show lightning bolts, a tribute to the album “Ride The Lightning.” 2015

Corey Taylor (Slipknot/Stone Sour) speaks in defense of National Football League (NFL) players who take a knee during the National Anthem, to protest police brutality. “First of all, this is America. You’ve got the right to protest; it is right in the goddamn Constitution,” says Taylor.  “This is a peaceful protest. It is not disrespecting the troops, no matter how much you try to twist it that way.”  2017

Machine Head’s Robb Flynn announces that both guitarist Phil Demmel and drummer Dave McClain have quit the band.  2018

Stairway to more litigation.  A federal appeals court decides unanimously to overturn a jury’s decision that Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven” was not lifted from the Spirit song “Taurus,” written by the band’s guitarist Randy California (Wolfe).  Over two years earlier a jury in L.A. ruled in Led Zeppelin’s favor.  2018

Guitarist/actor Stevie Van Zandt (Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band) publishes his memoir, “Unrequited Infatuations.”  2021

Five Finger Death Punch’s “Times Like These,” from the “AfterLife” album. is the band’s nineth straight (thirteenth overall) #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart.  That’s a record.  2022

The documentary “Dio: Dreamers Never Die” is in theaters worldwide for the first of two exclusive showings (the second is October 2^nd).  Ronnie James Dio (Dio, Black Sabbath, Elf) passed away from cancer in ’10.  2022

Concord Records tells the Wall Street Journal that it has purchased the Genesis catalog, the band’s vocalist/drummer Phil Collins’ solo releases (including the song “In The Air Tonight”) and Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford’s Mike & The Mechanics tracks.  The sale is reportedly in the neighborhood of $300 million.  2022