Today in Headbanger History

February 2, 2003 – Phil Spector is charged with murder after police find Lana Clarkson dead from a gunshot wound in his home in Alhambra, CA. He is later sentenced to the maximum sentence of 19 years to life for the murder of the actress, and dies in prison. February 2, 1976 – Genesis release A Trick Of The Tail, their seventh […]

February 1, 2009 – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the halftime show during Super Bowl XLIII between the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Tampa, Florida.  Songs include “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” “Born to Run,” “Working on a Dream” and “Glory Days.” February 1, 1985 – Glenn Frey of the Eagles makes his acting debut in an episode […]

January 31, 1959 – Robert Zimmerman, 17, (later known as Bob Dylan) sees Buddy Holly perform at the Duluth Armory in Minnesota. Dylan later said, “Buddy Holly’s songs were much more simplified [than Chuck Berry’s songs], but what I got out of Buddy was that you can take influences from anywhere. Like his ‘That’ll Be The Day.’ […]

January 30, 1973 – Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss make their first appearance as Kiss at the Popcorn Club in Queens, New York.  They had recently changed their name from Wicked Lester.  The band was paid $50 for the show, and less than 10 people were in the audience. January 30, 1969 […]

January 29, 1986 – Allen Collins, guitarist from Lynyrd Skynyrd, crashes his car, paralyzing him from the waist down and killing his girlfriend Debra Jean Watts. Collins, who was drunk at the time, addressed fans at every Skynyrd concert as part of his plea bargain.  He gave an explanation of why he could not perform, citing the […]

January 28, 2015 – Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath is arrested at the Corkscrew Saloon in Death Valley, California and charged with misdemeanor assault, public intoxication and vandalism.  He later tweeted, “Thx for your messages & support following the unfortunate altercation that occurred.”  He was cited and released the next day. January 28, 1984 – Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe punches […]

January 27, 1980 – AC/DC play their last show, a makeup date on the Highway To Hell tour, with lead singer Bon Scott.  The show is held at the Gaumont theater in Southampton, England.  Scott would die on February 19. January 27, 1997 – At the 24th annual American Music Awards, Pat Boone and Alice Cooper present Mötley Crüe the award […]

January 26, 1977 – Peter Green, former Fleetwood Mac guitarist, is committed to a mental hospital after threatening a delivery boy with an air rifle when he tried to deliver his royalty check to him.  Green became the ultimate acid casualty and spent years in mental hospitals and clinics undergoing electroconvulsive therapy. He gave away much of his money and […]