Today in Rock History – April 3

Are you ready to learn some stuff? It’s April 3rd and here’s what happened Today in Rock History!

Starting off with birthdays, we have Mike Ness of Social Distortion and Sebastian Bach of Skid Row

Its also Jamie Hewlett’s birthday. Hewlett’s a comic book artist and is the co-creator of Gorillaz.

Its ALSO Sam Kiszka of Greta Van Fleet’s birthday today

We lost Bob Burns of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 2015. Burns was Skynyrd’s original drummer who played on their first albums, but after a mental breakdown on a European tour he left the band in 1974. He disappeared from the public eye altogether and only made a few public appearances before his death, including performances to promote Freebird: the Movie and when Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Speaking of Skynyrd, on this day in 1973, the band recorded two of their biggest hits for their first album (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd): Tuesday’s Gone and Free Bird.

In 1994, Pearl Jam offers to broadcast their concert the Fox Theatre in Atlanta for free on radio stations across the country. About 300 stations accept the offer and goes so well, the band does similar broadcasts over the next few years.

In 1998, Lollapalooza is cancelled due to many key Alternative acts declining to headline the festival. It return as a touring festival in 2003 and then became a festival season mainstay in America at Grant Park in Chicago in 2005. It has also expanded to other countries as well, including Germany, India, and Argentina

In 1995, the RealAudio Player is introduced. The player would allow users to stream audio on the internet for the first time. It would also be used by artists to post songs on their websites.

In 1969, Jim Morrison of The Doors turns himself in to the FBI in L.A. Morrison was charged on six counts of lewd behavior and public exposure during a Doors gig in Miami a month prior. He was released on $2,000 bail.

And finally in 2007, Keith Richards denies the comments he made in an interview with NME magazine that he snorted his late father’s ashes. His manager stated the remarks were made ‘in jest’. The NME interviewer was convinced that Richards wasn’t joking saying, ‘He did seem to be quite honest about it. There were too many details for him to be making it up.’

This has been Today in Rock History! Keep on Rocking, keep on Rolling! Check back tomorrow for your next rock history lesson!