Are you ready to learn some stuff? It’s April 15th and here’s what happened Today in Rock History!
Starting it off today on a sadder note, at just 49-years-old, we lost Joey Ramone in 2001 from lymphoma
Moving onto releases, we have Rock for Light from the Bad Brains in 1983, The Rolling Stone’s Aftermath in 1966, Anvil’s Metal on Metal in 1982 and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Second Helping in 1974
Birthdays include Frankie Poullain of The Darkness, Ben Kasica of Skillet, Ed O’Brien of Radiohead and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys.
In 1996, the rest of Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia’s ashes are scattered in San Francisco near the Golden Gate Bridge. 11 days earlier a portion of his ashes were scattered in the Ganges River in India.
In 1978, proto-punk group Television were forced to postpone a show in England after their equipment truck was involved in a car crash that killed the driver.
In 2014, Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 collapsed in his kitchen and was placed in an induced coma, attributed to his years long alcohol abuse problem. Whibley recovered but had to relearn how to play guitar.
And finally in 1986, cops raided Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra’s apartment to arrest him for distributing “harmful matter” to minors. The “harmful matter” is a poster of genitalia art included in the band’s Frankenchrist album. His court case became a test of the First Amendment and further validated his position that the US government oppresses the poor and outspoken. The case lasted 16 months and ended in a mistrial.
This has been Today in Rock History! Keep on Rocking, keep on Rolling! Check back tomorrow for your next rock history lesson!
