Welcome to another edition of Today in Boston ROCK, where I, Adam 12, spotlight Very Important Days In Rock History. May 16th is one.
1946
May 16, 1946: Roger Earl is born in London. He is the drummer of Foghat and the only member to feature in every lineup of the band. I interviewed him back in 2019!
1965
May 16, 1965: Krist Anthony Novoselic is born in Compton, CA. At the age of six, his parents moved to Aberdeen, WA where he would meet a young fellow by the name of Kurt Cobain and start a band called Nirvana. One time, he threw his bass guitar in the air and didn’t quite catch it.
1970
May 16, 1970: The Who releases Live at Leeds, arguably the greatest live rock album of all time.
2010
May 16, 2010: Ronnie James Dio succumbs to stomach cancer. From Elf to Rainbow to Black Sabbath to Heaven & Hell, his metal legacy is unimpeachable. But I love him most for his solo work.
Today in Boston ROCK: May 12
1950
May 12, 1950: William Haislip Squier is born in Wellesley, MA. Yes, Billy Squier gone down in infamy for being snookered into one of the cheesiest rock videos of all-time. But let’s focus on his legacy as a chart-topping ’80s rock juggernaut.
1961
May 12, 1961: William Henry Duffy is born in Manchester, England. Billy Duffy‘s guitar work in The Cult is criminally underrated, and you can witness the magic firsthand when The Cult comes to Boston in July. Enter to win tickets here.
I'm not saying The Cult are underrated, I'm just saying they don't get the respect they deserve. They put out consistently great records from the mid-'80s thru the early-'90s that were drowned out by the hair metal noise of that era. Revisit their discography & see (or hear).
— Adam 12 (@adamxii) May 10, 20221972
May 12, 1972: The Rolling Stones release Exile on Main St. We took a deep-dive into the classic to celebrate it’s 50th anniversary.
1992
May 12, 1992: The Black Crowes release The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. Their sophomore album is a standout in that it contains the greatest song in the band’s entire catalog.
1998
May 12, 1998: Lenny Kravitz releases his fifth album, aptly titled Five. Crazy to think that, over 1998 and 1999, the album yielded six singles and netted Lenny two Grammys. All while alternative radio was pumping out pop-punk, nu-metal, rap-rock and techno. An impressive feat.