September 6th
1975 “Red Octopus” is #1 on the Billboard 200.
The second album by Jefferson Starship (a Jefferson Airplane spin-off),It spends four non-consecutive weeks at the top. Marty Balin’s “Miracles” is the standout track.
1997 “The Dance,” with Fleetwood Mac’s most successful line-up, tops the Billboard 200.
The live album revisits the band’s hits and popular album tracks.
2018 Alice In Chains “Rainier Fog” debuts at #1.
It tops Billboard‘s Top Rock Albums, Alternative Albums and Hard Rock Albums charts peaks at #12 on the Billboard 200.
MORE TODAY IN ROCK…
1944 Roger Waters, Pink Floyd’s bassist-singer, is born in Surrey, England. He helps launch the group in ’65.
1967 Alice In Chains’ William DuVall, starts his life. He is the late Layne Staley’s replacement in the group.
1968 Eric Clapton records the guitar solo for George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” The song appears on The Beatles “White Album.”
1970 The last Jimi Hendrix concert. It’s at the “Love & Peace Festival” at Fehmarn, Germany.
1971 Late singer Dolores O’Riordan (The Cranberries) is born.
1989 Originally banned (or just not played because of its anti-commercialism message) by MTV, Neil Young’s “This Note`s For You” wins the MTV Best Video Award.
1990 Former Creedence Clearwater Revival rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty dies at age 48.
1994 Session keyboardist extraordinaire Nicky Hopkins passes away. Among his more notable sessions was playing piano on the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy For The Devil.
2007 Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx speaks at the 18th annual National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month luncheon in Washington, DC. He discusses his struggle with drug abuse which led to writing of his memoir, “The Heroin Diaries: A Year In The Life Of A Shattered Rock Star.”
2011 PJ Harvey becomes the first artist to win the prestigious Mercury Prize for a second time. Harvey is honored for her album “Let England Shake.” She also won the prize in ’01 for “Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea.” The Mercury Prize is given each year to an English or Irish artist.
2012 Coldplay takes home the Best Rock Video trophy for “Paradise” at the MTV Video Music Awards.
2012 Lawyers for R.E.M. issue a cease-and-desist letter to FOX News, ordering the network to discontinue its use of their ’91 track “Losing My Religion” as a music bed during its coverage of the Democratic National Convention. A rep for FOX News claims the song’s use was “in full accordance with its license agreements with all appropriate parties.”
2013 Proceeds from Fall Out Boy’s show at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, MA, go to the victims of April’s Boston Marathon bombing. “We’d like to send our thoughts and prayers to the victims and everyone affected,” reads a band statement.
2015 “Janis: Little Girl Blue,” with Chan Marshall (Cat Power) reading Janis Joplin’s personal letters, debuts at the Venice Film Festival.
2017 Kid Rock delivers a heated political speech during his concert in Grand Rapids, MI. He’s against “deadbeat dads” and those who “take a knee” during the national anthem and concludes with “If ‘Kid Rock for Senate’ has got folks in disarray, wait ’til they hear ‘Kid Rock for President of the U.S.A.!’”
2018 Blink-182 announces the cancellation of their fall tour dates because drummer Travis Barker remains unable to perform due to blood clots in his arms.
2021 Metallica and Carhartt, the workwear brand, announce that they raised $377,000 from online sales over the Labor Day weekend for the Metallica Scholars workforce education program, which connects students to hands-on learning and provides support to 23 schools via the American Association of Community Colleges.
2022 “Cheap Trick: This Band Has No Past” is available. The title is a bit of a joke since the book chronicles the band’s history.
2023 A baby grand piano that once belonged to Queen’s Freddie Mercury sells for over £1.74 million ($2.2 million) at a Sotheby’s auction. The piano was used to complete the band’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
2023 Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation introduces a limited-edition guitar-shaped ice cream bar – dark chocolate and creamy vanilla – in partnership with Enlighted, an ice cream products company. A portion of the proceeds from each purchase helps fund the All Within My Hands mission of supporting local food banks.
2024 Oscar-winning lyricist Will Jennings dies at his home in Tyler, TX. He co-wrote Eric Clapton’s “Tears In Heaven,” Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love” and the Joe Cocker/Jennifer Warnes hit “Up Where We Belong.”
