May Eleventh Featured Artist


The Foo Fighters' "Best Of You" is named Rock Video of the Year at the 15th annual Music Video Production Association Awards in Los Angeles. The White Stripes' "My Doorbell" take home the Alternative Video of the Year honor. Smashing Pumpkins receive an honorary Kratz Award for Creative Excellence. 2006

1940's

Blues inspired singer Eric Burdon is born in Walker, Newcastle Upon Tyne (England). Traveling through The Animals, Eric Burdon & The Animals and War, Burdon is one of the most recognizable voices of the British Invasion. 1941

1960's

The Beatles’ "Please Please Me" album knocks Cliff Richard’s "Summer Holiday" from the top of the U.K. album chart. 1963

The Grand Hotel in Brsitol refuses to serve the Rolling Stones because they aren’t wearing jackets or ties. Meanwhile, the relatively clean-cut Beach Boys roll out their #1 single, “I Get Around.” 1964

1970's

The triple album “Woodstock,” commemorating the previous year’s soggy concert, is released. 1970

On national T.V. (“The Dick Cavett Show”) John Lennon claims the government is spying on him and trying to boot him out of the country. Most people dismiss this as “just another Lennon fantasy.” Imagine, twenty years later when it’s discovered that was exactly what the government was doing. The Nixon Administration felt Lennon was a dangerous subversive that had to go. Lennon prevails and gets Green Card. 1972

Steely Dan releases “Ricky, Don’t Lose That Number.” 1974

AC/DC begin their first U.K. tour. They open for Back Street Crawler. 1976

1980's

Influential Reggae musician Bob Marley dies in Miami. 1981

1990's

Ritchie Valens is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, over three decades after his death in the plane crash that also took Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper. Having a good bio movie helped. 1990

Soundgarden’s Matt Cameron fills in for the ailing Jack Irons on Pearl Jam’s tour. The drummer’s first gig is an appearance on Late Night With David Letterman. 1998

2000's

Noel Redding, bassist for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, dies at age 57. 2003

Former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page plays “Whole Lotta Love” before the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. The performance celebrates Warner Music Group’s (WMG) I.P.O. the day before. Even with Page the WMG stock loses ground (and money). Originally, the label asked Linkin’ Park to entertain the financial folks but the group turned them down. 2005

Panic Channel perform songs from their debut "ONe" at the Xbox Live session during the video-game industry's annual E3 conference in Los Angeles. "We're huge gamers," says guitarist Dave Navarro. Guess so. He and his bandmates compete against fans in the Xbox 360 game Project Gotham Racing 3. 2006

Idol chatter? Fuel guitarist Carl Bell and bassist Jeff Abercrombie offer their band's vacant singer position (formerly occupied by Brett Scallions) to ousted American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry. Bell and Abercrombie make their proposal on the syndicated entertainment-news program Extra. Daughtry rejects their offer. Wants to do his own thing. 2006

Godsmack's Sully Erna clarifies his band's position on the Iraq War during CNN's Showbiz Tonight. "By no means has this band ever supported any war for any country," claims Erna. "What we support is our troops." The singer had recently been grilled in a magazine interview over his group allowing one of its songs to be used in a U.S. Navy recruitment ad. 2006

Chris Cornell receives the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award at the third annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert in Los Angeles. The ex- Audioslave/Soundgarden singer is recognized for his support of the organization and for his work in aiding artists recovering from substance abuse. Cornell, Army Of Anyone and the late Vaughan's backing band, Double Trouble, perform. 2007

Founding Rush drummer (from ’68 – ’74) John Rutsey dies at age 55. "Although our paths diverged many years ago, we smile today, thinking back on those exciting times and remembering John's wonderful sense of humor and impeccable timing," reads the message from former Rush bandmates Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. Rutsey, a diabetic, was reluctant to embark on lengthy tours, which led to his decision to leave the band. He was subsequently replaced by Neil Peart. In their note Lee and Lifeson suggest fans donate to a juvenile diabetes charity. 2008

Ozzy Osbourne makes a surprise appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. 9-year-old Yuto Miyazawa, a Japanese guitar prodigy, performs a rendition of Ozzy’s "Crazy Train." "(It’s) the best thing I've seen in my life," says Osbourne. 2009

2010's

The Dead Weather's “Sea Of Cowards,” drops. The sophomore set contains the singles “Gasoline” and “Die By The Drop.” 2010

We Are The Fallen (consisting of former Evanescence members and fronted by American Idol contestant Carly Smithson) release their debut album, “Tear The World Down.” 2010

The National roll out “High Violet.” 2010

“Hot Sauce Committee Part Two,” the eighth studio effort from the Beastie Boys, makes its debut at #1 on Billboard’s Alternative Albums, Rock Albums and Hip-Hop Albums charts. It’s #2 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart (behind Adele's “21”). 2011

Alice Cooper appears in "4-D" concert at the Battersea Power Station in London. The Jägermeister Ice Cold Event features a holographic image of Cooper performing with his original band (Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith and Michael Bruce) in the U.S. "Working with Jägermeister to appear as holograms on the other side of the Atlantic is the ultimate experience - a cutting-edge conjuring trick that celebrates the future and our history,” says Cooper in a statement. 2011

And speaking of London concerts, the three surviving members of Pink Floyd perform together for the first time since ‘05’s Live 8 concert (and for only the second time in 30 years). David Gilmour and Nick Mason join Roger Waters during the latter’s show at the O2 arena. 2011

Rob Zombie and Megadeth tour together for the first time. The month-long tour, which is part of the promotional push for Megadeth's album “TH1RT3EN,” kicks off in Holmdel, NJ. 2012

First Godzilla, now this. Tool, the Deftones and Slash appear at the inaugural Ozzfest Japan near Tokyo. The two-day festival also features Black Sabbath’s first-ever performance in Japan. 2013


(BOBBYORR)