RockinTown

Today in Rock History

 SEPTEMBER 29^th

Rush delivers their million selling live double album “All The World’s A Stage.” 1976

Alice In Chains release their sophomore album, “Dirt.”  It peaks at #6 on the Billboard album chart and sells over 5-million copies worldwide.  1992

“Core,” the debut album from Stone Temple Pilots, arrives.  The album peaks at #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart and is subsequently certified eight times platinum by the RIAA. 1992

Alice In Chains release their comeback album, "Black Gives Way To Blue." Produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush), the set features singer William DuVall (replacing the late Lane Staley). It's the band's first album in nearly 14 years. 2009

Breaking Benjamin release their fourth album "Dear Agony." The lead single "I Will Not Bow," is featured in the Bruce Willis sci-fi thriller “Surrogates.” 2009

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

"The Killer" Jerry Lee Lewis is born in Ferriday, LA. 1935

Closer to home. Grand Funk Railroad's Mark Farner is born in Flint, MI. Injury spells the end of Farner's high school football career. While laid up he starts playing the guitar. 1948

Mike Pinera, guitarist for Blues Image ("Ride Captain Ride") and the Iron Butterfly (on the group's "Metamorphosis" album) has a birthday. He’s from Tampa, FL.  1948

Bob Dylan gets his first press notice. The New York Times music critic says Dylan is "a cross between a choir boy and a beatnik." 1961

Primus bassist, Les Claypool, is born in Richmond, CA. 1963

The Rolling Stones, one of the most successful touring acts of all time, begin their first ever British trek opening for the Everly Brothers and Bo Diddley. 1963

Guitarist Alex Skolnick is born. The Testament guitarist is from Berkeley, CA.  1968

We’re comin' to your town. Grand Funk Railroad own the #1 spot on the pop chart with "American Band." 1973

As part of his birthday celebration Jerry Lee Lewis attempts to shoot a bottle out bass player Norman Owens hand. Other versions of the story state Lewis was attempting to shoot a bottle in the distance or holes into his office door. Take your pick. Lewis plants two slugs in Owens' chest. Fortunately, Owens recovers (and sues). Lewis is charged with discharging a firearm within city limits. 1976

Billy Joel’s fifth album, “The Stranger,” arrives.  It contains a couple of his best-known ballads (“Just The Way You Are” and “She’s Always A Woman”) but also includes the uptempo “Movin’ Out” and “Only The Good Die Young.” 1977

The Cars ballad "Drive," with bassist Benjamin Orr singing, peaks at #3. 1984

Paramore lead guitarist, Josh Farro, has a birthday. 1987

On a motorcycle trip from L.A. to the Grand Canyon, Bruce Springsteen stops in bar in Prescott, AZ. Overhearing a waitress’ dire financial situation Springsteen latter mails her a check for $100,000. 1989

MTV premieres the video for Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." The clip and song have an enormous impact defining the burgeoning Grunge movement. 1991

Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee is charged with attacking a photographer outside an L.A. club when the fellow tries to take a picture of Lee and then-wife Pamela Anderson. 1996

The Clinton White House awards Don Henley of The Eagles a National Medal of the Humanities for his environmental preservation work on the Walden Woods Project and as a supporter of the Thoreau Institute.  1997

Bono calls on Europe and the United States to commit more resources to stemming poverty and AIDS in Africa. He addresses the annual conference of the U.K.'s governing Labour Party. "This is not about charity, this is about justice," says U2's vocalist. 2004

Travis Barker checks out of the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta, GA. The former Blink 182 drummer spent nine days in the facility being treated for severe burns he sustained in the South Carolina plane crash that killed four and seriously injured his musical partner DJ AM. "My biggest fear ever is to be involved in a plane crash, so when that happened... well, I'm just thankful to be alive," states Barker. 2008

On Josh Farro's birthday, Paramore drop their third album, "Brand New Eyes” which debuts at #2 on the Billboard 200, selling 175,000 copies in the first week.  2009

Melissa Etheridge plays an in-flight concert for cancer survivors to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. "I think I've joined some kind of mile-high club," jokes Etheridge, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in '04 (she is in remission). "Raising awareness and raising funds for research: Those are two things that matter to me," adds Etheridge. The concert is part of Hard Rock Hotel's PINKTOBER month. 2009

R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" is the #1 song that makes men cry according to a poll by UK's PRS For Music. 2010

Scientists at Goldsmiths University claim Queen's "We Are The Champions" is the catchiest song ever written. They conducted research to find out what makes a great sing-along song. The criteria was based on four key elements: Long and detailed musical phrases, multiple pitch changes in a song's 'hook', male vocalists, and voices making a noticeable vocal effort. 2011

Jack White (white Stripes) takes part in a special NYC benefit concert for the National Recording Preservation Foundation, a non-profit organization working in conjunction with the Library of Congress to "help preserve America's recorded sound history." 2013

The final episode of Breaking Bad, which tells the fate of suburban meth maker Walter White, features Badfinger's '71 hit "Baby Blue." Streaming of the song on Spotify rises 9,000%. Rhapsody, Slacker, AOL Radio, VidZone, Rdio, and Xbox Music report streams are up over 20,000%. One week earlier, Badfinger sold only 200 albums. 2013

Neil Young appears at the Global Festival in New York's Central Park. "We're joining forces up here for you," says Young. Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) and Dan Auerbach (Black Keys) join Young for a 10-minute rendition of "Rockin' In The Free World." 60,000 plus attend the event that raises money and awareness for global poverty. 2013

The '62 contract that officially bound The Beatles and manager Brian Epstein sells at auction for $553,121 as part of a Sotheby's exhibition in London. Technically it's the group's second contract with Epstein, but the first to include Ringo Starr, who had recently replaced Pete Best on drums. 2015

Ratt guitarist Warren DeMartini files a suit in Los Angeles Superior Court to prevent Ratt drummer Bobby Blotzer's band from performing as Ratt. "(He is) trying to take over the band and pawn himself and a cast of substitutes off as the genuine article," claims DeMartini's lawsuit. 2015

Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Ringo Starr, Elvis Costello and Peter Gabriel are among the artists in the "We Are Not Afraid" video, a global campaign aimed at raising funds for the refugee crisis and victims of religious and political violence.  2016

Deftones partner with San Diego's Belching Beaver Brewery to present Phantom Bride IPA, an India Pale Ale with hops handpicked by frontman Chino Moreno. 2016

Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crüe) partners with the Los Angeles Times in an op-ed taking on America's opioid epidemic from a recovering addict's perspective.  The bassist, clean for 16 years, has advocated for addicts for over a decade.  2017

Ghost cancels shows in Jacksonville and Tampa as Hurricane Idalia hits Florida’s Gulf Coast. In addition to damage caused by high winds there is also extensive flooding.