January 19: Janis Joplin (1943) and Dolly Parton’s birthdays 1946. It’s also the birthday of Phil Everly 1939 and Robert Palmer 1949. I wonder what Janis would have been like if she was still alive?
In 1980, Pink Floyd’s The Wall hit No. 1 on the US charts, beginning a 15-week reign. On this same day in 1993, the "classic" lineup of Fleetwood Mac reunited to perform "Don’t Stop" at Bill Clinton’s inaugural ball.
January 20 is the birthday of Paul Stanley of KISS who turns 74 today. It’s also the birthday of Ian Hill, the founding bassist of Judas Priest born in 1951.
In 1982, Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat during a concert in Des Moines, Iowa. He later claimed he thought it was a rubber toy. We’ve all done it.
In 1978, Johnny Rotten was officially fired from the Sex Pistols, effectively ending the band's initial run just days after their disastrous final US show at Winterland.
January 22 is Steve Perry’s birthday. He was born in 1949. In 1968, Aretha Franklin released "Lady Soul," an album that probably bridged the gap between R&B and rock audiences.
On January 23, 1986, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held its very first induction ceremony. The inaugural class included Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Little Richard.
Terry Kath, the founding guitarist of Chicago died tragically in a gun accident on this day in 1978. He was playing with what he thought was an unloaded gun at a roadie's house.
On 25th January In 1970, John Lennon wrote, recorded, and mixed "Instant Karma!" all in a single day, famously stating, "I wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch, and we’re putting it out for dinner."
January 20 1975 Blood on the Tracks was released. I think it’s his finest. It was widely seen as Dylan’s "divorce album," though he spent years denying it, claiming it was inspired by the short stories of Anton Chekhov.
In 1971 Grace Slick and Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane had a daughter today. In a peak-1970s hippy move, they initially named her god (with a lowercase 'g') before eventually changing it to China Kantner. She works in addiction recovery now, as you might expect.
In 1970 the Ourimbah Rock Festival, Australia’s first, finished up today.
