“Steppenwolf The Second” goes gold. The album contains the major hit “Magic Carpet Ride.” 1969
“A Day At The Races” gets to #5 in the U.S. The Queen album was a chart-topper in their native England. 1977
“Jar Of Flies,” the third studio EP by Alice In Chains, is #1 on the Billboard 200. Featuring “No Excuses,” it’s the first EP to top the chart. 1994
Former Flyleaf vocalist and songwriter, Lacey Sturm, rolls out her debut solo album, “Life Screams.” 2016
She also becomes the first solo female to top the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart.
Tennessee’s State House Republicans pass a resolution honoring the Grammy achievements of Paramore, (Best Rock Album) but fail to recognize Tennessee African American resident Allison Russell (Best American Roots Performance for “Eve Was Black”). Days later, Paramore frontwoman Haley Williams calls the decision “blatant racism” and says the band will not accept ‘any acknowledgment or honor from the TN House’ until Russell is also recognized. 2024
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The Doors’ keyboardist, Raymond (Ray) Daniel Manzarek, is born in Chicago. 1939
Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett enters the world. 1950
Michael McDonald is born in St. Louis. Though McDonald was in Steely Dan he’s best known as the singer for the Doobie Brothers (during their most commercially successful period). 1952
The Beatles play Carnegie Hall. A New York Times review claims the frenzied audience put on the show and The Beatles merely accompanied them. 1964
Reed Mullin, drummer and founding member Corrosion Of Conformity starts his life. He’s from Raleigh, NC. 1966
“19th Nervous Breakdown” is released in the U.S. The Rolling Stones song can’t make it to #1 because it gets lodged behind Barry Sandler’s “The Ballad Of The Green Berets.” 1966
The law raids Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards’ house where they find “various substances of suspicious nature.” Richards’ legal troubles along with the drug related arrests of Mick Jagger and Brian Jones nearly tanks the Stones. It’s a miracle the group survives, though it’s not surprising Brian doesn’t. 1967
Ben Thatcher, drummer for the duo Royal Blood (with Mike Kerr), has a birthday. 1988
Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Don Henley (The Eagles) perform at Rainforest Foundation benefit held at Hollywood’s China Club. The event raises $1 million. 1990
Smashing Pumpkins’ single “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” is a certified gold record. 1996
Stairway to a Grammy Award. Led Zeppelin receive the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Jerry Lee Lewis and Janis Joplin are also honored. The awards are handed out the day before the L.A. Grammy ceremony. 2005
Heaven & Hell, which essentially started as Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio rather than Ozzy Osbourne, becomes less Sabbath-oriented when it’s announced that veteran drummer Vinny Appice has replaced Bill Ward. “We didn’t feel as if it was going quite right from Bill’s side and our side,” says guitarist Tony Iommi. “There’s no bad vibes or nothing; it’s no breakup or anything like that.” 2007
The Stand Up For A Cure concert series supporting New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center kicks off with a Bon Jovi performance at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom. Profits benefit the facility’s research programs and patient support. The show is dedicated to guitarist Richie Sambora’s father who passed away from lung cancer in ’07. 2008
Limp Bizkit announce that they have reunited, with all five original members, to tour and record an album. “We decided we were more disgusted and bored with the state of heavy popular music than we were with each other,” reads a statement from singer Fred Durst and guitarist Wes Borland. 2009
The Foo Fighters win big at the 54th annual Grammy Awards. “White Limo” wins the trophy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance. “Walk” is awarded a Grammy for Best Rock Song and for Best Rock Performance while “Wasting Light” is honored as the Best Rock Album. 2012
Sam Andrew, guitarist and a founding member of Big Brother And The Holding Company, passes away following complications from open-heart surgery. The band served as Janis Joplin’s launching pad. For the classic album “Cheap Thrills,” Andrew composed “Combination Of The Two” which he sang with Joplin. He was 73. 2015
AC/DC Bourbon & Cola rolls out. A portion of proceeds go to the band’s Let There Be Rock Fund that benefits Australian musicians. 2016
Metallica perform “Moth Into Flame” with Lady Gaga at the 59th a Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in L.A. James Hetfield’s microphone fails during the first verse, forcing him to share Gaga’s mic. Later, Megadeth pick up the Best Metal Performance trophy for the title track from their “Dystopia” album. It is the group’s first win after twelve nominations. Also, Cage The Elephant win the Best Rock Album honor with “Tell Me I’m Pretty.” 2017
A leap, from an onstage speaker column, results in a broken heel for Palaye Royale guitarist Sebastian Danzig. Despite the injury the band’s tour continues. 2022
Paul Stanley (KISS), Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Paul Stanley, Joan Jett and Gary Clark Jr. appear in a Super Bowl commercial for Workday, a human resources company famous for creating “Rock stars” in the workplace. The musicians use humor to admonish the company for tossing around the term “Rock star.” Also, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl recognizes Canada for all the innovations that originated in that country including (ad sponsor) Crown Royal whisky. 2023
“Steppenwolf The Second” goes gold. The album contains the major hit “Magic Carpet Ride.” 1969
Former Flyleaf vocalist and songwriter, Lacey Sturm, rolls out her debut solo album, “Life Screams.” 2016
