Welcome to another edition of Today in Boston ROCK, where I, Adam 12, spotlight Very Important Days In Rock History. March 23rd is one.

• 1944

  March 23, 1944: Richard Theodore Otcasek is born in Baltimore, MD. As a teen, he moved to Ohio, where he befriended a certain Benjamin Orr. The two relocated to Boston in the early 1970s, where they would eventually form The Cars. Ric Ocasek has been ever-present in my musical journey, from his work with The Cars to his production work with bands I love like Weezer, Guided By Voices, and Bad Brains. I wrote a bit about it when he passed back in 2019.

  Everybody Loved Ric Ocasek and So Did I

• 1968

  March 23, 1968: Damon Albarn is born in East London. You know him as the frontman and founding member of Britpop band Blur, as well as one of the main creative forces behind Gorillaz. I interviewed him about the latter back in 2010. We were so young!

  

• 1979

  March 23, 1979: Van Halen releases their second studio album, the aptly-titled Van Halen II. I wrote about it for the 40-ish anniversary a few years back.

  ‘Van Halen II’ Turns 40 (+1)

• 1983

  March 23, 1983: ZZ Top releases Eliminator. It’s not often a legacy act’s eighth studio release is their biggest, but such is the case with this album: 20 million copies sold to date. And that’s no surprise, with signature songs like “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs” in the mix. But what about “TV Dinners?” Remember the video for that one?

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