Key Events: January 2023
1-3 Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho donates $10,000 to Buffalo Bills football player Damar Hamlin’s toy drive charity after the athlete suffers cardiac arrest and is hospitalized in critical condition during the team’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
1-3 A California judge dismisses a lawsuit accusing Marilyn Manson of sexual assault and unlawful imprisonment brought by model Ashley Morgan Smithline. The ruling is handed down because Smithline failed to hire legal representation after her attorney withdrew from the case.
1-5 Billy Idol gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “Rebel Yell,” “Cradle Of Love,” “White Wedding” and “Eyes Without A Face” are his signature songs.
1-5 Soulfly announce they have recruited guitarist Mike DeLeon – just prior to the band’s extensive U.S. tour. He replaces Marc Rizzo who left in ’21 due to personal differences. Deleon had been a member of Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals.
1-5 Cage The Elephant vocalist Matt Shultz is arrested for unlawfully having two guns in his possession after “an employee at the Bowery Hotel . . . allegedly saw him carrying a handgun into a ground floor public bathroom.” Shultz makes bail with a hearing in New York City scheduled.
1-6 All That Remains files a lawsuit in United States District Court for the District of Connecticut against Elizabeth Herbert, the widow of the band’s late guitarist Oliver “Oli” Herbert, claiming that she is holding up royalty payments to the group’s surviving members and making overly broad ownership claims of select songs. Of course, she denies the allegations and makes a few of her own.
1-10 Guitarist Jeff Beck (above) dies at age 78. Overshadowed by his fellow Yardbirds guitarists, Eric Clapton (Cream), who came before, and Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), who was briefly in the band in their waning days, Beck was the band’s guitarist during their prime period. He founded the Jeff Beck Group (with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood) and had an extensive and creative solo career.
1-11 “Orbit: Dave Grohl,” a comic book revolving around the Foo Fighters frontman, is released. The book is part of TidalWave Productions’ “Orbit” series, which focuses on “personalities who impact the world.” David Bowie and John Lennon are among those previously profiled in the series.
1-12 Iron Maiden stamps are available from Royal Mail. Eight of the stamps have performance shots with another four featuring Eddie, the band’s mascot. Previously, the Royal Mail has honored The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Queen, David Bowie and Pink Floyd.
1-12 Former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty announces that he has finally acquired a majority interest of the worldwide publishing rights to his song catalog which includes “Proud Mary,” “Down On The Corner,” “Fortunate Son,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Have You Ever Seen The Rain.” Fogerty had sought the publishing rights for decades after those rights were first negotiated away when CCR signed with Fantasy Records in the late ‘60s.
1-12 Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil cancels his solo appearance at RokIsland Fest, set to take place the following week in Key West due to COVID. “I am okay but this thing is really kickin’ my ass,” reports Neil.
1/14 Guitarist Steve Vai is reunited with his “Swiss cheese” guitar which was stolen from a California rehearsal space in ’86. The guitar, the first to receive a “monkey grip” handle and had holes in the body (hence the name), was used during Vai’s time with David Lee Roth (Van Halen). It was found in an attic in Tijuana.
1-16 Eddie Money’s “Two Tickets to Paradise” is the top travel song according to participants in a survey conducted by Global+Rescue, who provide integrated medical, security, travel risk and crisis management services. Over 1,000 current and former Global+Rescue members also put “Already Gone” (The Eagles), “Rocket Man” (Elton John), “Free Bird” (Lynyrd Skynyrd) “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Queen) and “Born to Be Wild” (Steppenwolf) into the Top 25.
1-17 Van Connor, bassist for Screaming Trees dies from an extended illness at the age of 55. “It was pneumonia that got him in the end,” writes bandmate and brother, Gary Lee Conner.
1-18 Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman announces, via Twitter, he’s stepping away from the band for an undetermined period due to mental health conditions that have “rapidly deteriorated over the past several years.” He expects to return to the band at some point.
1-19 David Crosby, the Crosby of Crosby, Stills & Nash (and sometimes Young), dies at the age of 81. The singer-guitarist was also a member of The Byrds and had a decades long solo career. 2023
1-22 Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose sings “November Rain” during the public memorial service at Graceland for Lisa Marie Presley. Elvis Presley’s only child died on 1/12 at the age of 54. 2023
1/23 The reformed Pantera is dropped from the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals in Germany. The decision comes after “intensive conversations” likely due to singer Philip Anselmo’s infamous “white power” incident at a 2016 concert in Hollywood, CA. Foo Fighters are later slated to replace Pantera. 2023
1-25 Queen (#1), Guns N’ Roses (#2) and AC/DC (#3) are the top Classic Rock bands in the world. Liberty Games, the largest amusement supplier to the home market in the U.K. surveyed YouTube play counts in every country over the last 12 months to determine which artist was listened to the most.
