Are you ready to learn some stuff? It’s January 28th and here’s what happened Today in Rock History!
We lost many rock greats today. First, we lost Billy Powell of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 2009 at the age of 56 from a suspected heart attack
Other losses include Tom Verlaine of Television in 2023 at the age of 73, Geoff Nichols of Black Sabbath in 2017 at the age of 68, and Jim Capaldi of Traffic in 2005 at the age of 60 from stomach cancer.
In 2015, Black Sabbath’s bassist Geezer Butler was arrested at the Death Valley National Park in California for assault, public intoxication, and vandalism after a fight broke out at the Corkscrew Saloon.
Dave Buckner left Papa Roach in 2008.
Only one birthday today and it belongs to Dan Spitz of Anthrax! It’s a big day for Anthrax too, as we also saw the release of their album Fistful of Metal in 1984!
Other releases include The J Geils Band’s Love Stinks in 1980, and in 1978, Van Halen released their first single, a cover of The Kinks’ You Really Got Me.
In 1978, a fan requested a signature from Ted Nugent, but not in the way you’d expect. The fan asked the Motor City Madman to carve the singer’s name into their arm with his bowie knife. Nugent obliged and signed.
And finally in 1984, another fan was knocked out after a Motley Crue show in Buffalo, New York after passing comments about Tommy Lee’s girlfriend who recently posed for Penthouse magazine. Who knocked out the guy? Well, it was Tommy Lee of course! Lee didn’t even know that his girlfriend posed for the dirty mag at the time and thought the fan was just being a d***. The Crue’s manager Doug Thaler convinced the fan not to press charges. Speaking of the Crue, it was on this day in 2014 that the band signed a “cessation of touring agreement” which prevented them from touring again after 2015. The band would return to the stage in 2022, to the shock of some.
This has been Today in Rock History! Check back tomorrow for your next rock history lesson!
