Rock Hard Times: Rock News. Got it right here.

Today In Rock History

April 25th . . . 1918 - Legendary jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald is born in Newport News, VA . . . 1923 - Blues guitarist Albert King is born . . . 1933 - Jerry Leiber is born in Baltimore. With Mike Stoller, he’s written witty rock hits like “Yakety Yak” and “Jailhouse Rock” . . . 1945 - Bjorn Ulvaeus of Abba is born in Gothenburg, Sweden . . . 1945 - Stu Cook (Creedence Clearwater Revival) is born this day . . . 1950 - Steve Ferrone, drummer with the Average White Band and Eric Clapton, is born in Brighton, England . . . 1956 - Elvis Presley reaches top of US chart with Heartbreak Hotel, his first No. 1 . . . 1961 - Elvis Presley makes his last stage appearance for nearly eight years at Bloch Arena in Hawaii . . . 1964 - The Beatles have an amazing 14 singles on the American chart . . . 1967 - The Beatles perform “All You Need Is Love” during a global satellite broadcast . . . 1974 - Jim Morrison’s widow, Pam, dies in Hollywood at the age of 27. Police suspect heroin use may have played a part in her death . . . 1977 - Elvis Presley makes his last-known recordings during a live concert at the Saginaw (Mich.) Civic Center . . . 1981 - Wings break up after Denny Laine leaves the band. Paul McCartney says he will carry on as a solo artist . . . 1987 - Crowded House had their biggest U.S. hit when “Don’t Dream It’s Over” peaked at #2; U2 replace Beastie Boys at top of US LP chart with The Joshua Tree . . . 1990 - The Fender Stratocaster on which Jimi Hendrix played “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock sells at a London auction for $295,000 . . . 1994 - The Eagles played the first of two shows where they recorded their ‘Hell Freezes Over’ album . . . 1994 - A judge sentences Beastie Boy Adam Horowitz to 200 hours’ community service after he beats up a TV cameraman during River Phoenix’s funeral . . . 1994 - A judge determines that Michael Bolton’s “Love Is a Wonderful Thing” sounds a little too similar to the Isley Brothers’ “Love Is a Wonderful Thing.” Ya think? . . . 1997 - Warren Haynes and Allen Woody quit the Allman Brothers Band to tend to their careers as Gov’t Mule . . . 1999 - Funk star Roger Troutman, 47, dies in a hospital in Dayton, Ohio, after being shot several times . . . 2000 - Eric Clapton is reunited on a TV stage in London with his former Derek & the Dominos keyboard player Bobby Whitlock, for their first performance together in 29 years . . . 2002 - Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, the effervescent, sometimes volatile rapping member of the Grammy-winning R&B trio TLC, is killed in a car crash in Honduras . . . 2003 - The late jazz great Nina Simone is laid to rest in Carry-Le-Rouet, France . . . 2004 - Piano man Billy Joel drives his car into a house in Long Island. Nobody is seriously injured. It’s his third car crash in two years . . . 2007 - American singer Bobby “Boris” Pickett died of leukemia at the age of 69. He scored the Halloween anthem ‘The Monster Mash’ in 1962 . . .

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Rock News. Got it right here.

Iron Maiden are celebrating the start of their world tour and in advance of the release of 'The Final Frontier' by making the album track "El Dorado" available as a free download for all their fans. Frontman Bruce Dickinson says, "'El Dorado' is a preview of the forthcoming studio album. As we will be including it in the set of our Final Frontier World Tour (which opens in Dallas on June 9th) we thought it would be great to thank all our fans and get them into The Final Frontier mood by giving them this song up front of the tour and album release." Get it here.

Ryan Adams has revealed that he has written 11 new songs inspired by his recent trip to Ronnie James Dio's funeral. "11 new solo tunes came out of nowhere," Adams said. "Day after Dio's funeral they just fell out. Soft mellow acoustic jams- lots of New Orleans scenery and vibe from the trip." more

Rage Against the Machine mocked music mogul Simon Cowell with an animated skit at their free concert in London on Sunday, June 6, which was arranged to celebrate their chart victory over the reality TV show judge last year. The crowd giggled and booed as a cartoon Cowell was beamed onto the overhead screens at the concert, welcoming the band onstage with the words: "I am the supernova! If Rage had entered X Factor, they wouldn't have got past boot camp." more

Bon Jovi have defended their ticket-pricing system ahead of the band's upcoming London residency after they were accused of overcharging fans - insisting the huge costs are only for special packages. The "Livin' on a Prayer" hitmakers are making the British capital their home while they play several gigs at the O2 arena, starting from Monday, June 7. more

Arcade Fire made their live comeback last night (June 7) - playing the first of two intimate shows to 1,200 people at the ornate Granada Theatre, in Sherbrooke, Quebec. more

As fans await the new album from Ozzy Osbourne, Scream, due on June 22, three tracks from the record will be available for the Rock Band video game on June 15. more

Paramore have debuted a music video in support of their latest single "Careful". It contains the band's live performance scenes from several different concerts which are mashed up with footage from rehearsal, studio and photo shoot sessions. more

Snow Patrol have announced that they will release a new album next year. more

Marple TV have posted the second part of their interview with the late Ronnie James Dio. Check it out here.

Quiet Riot is part of Legacy Recordings' brand-new Setlist series of live collections which will be available at all physical and digital retail outlets starting July 13. more

The Farmers Classic will come to a rocking close the day after the 2010 champions are crowned when the LA Tennis Center plays host to KLOS Rocking The Net Starring Bret Michaels, to benefit the Southern California Tennis Association (SCTA) on Monday, August 2nd. more

Green Day release their Green Day: Rock Band video game this week and Billie Joe Armstrong tells MTV News that he is impressed how the game has introduced younger fans to songs they may not have heard.