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Today in Boston ROCK: May 19

Welcome to another edition of Today in Boston ROCK, where I, Adam 12, spotlight Very Important Days In Rock History. May 19th is one. 1945 May 19, 1945: Peter Dennis…

Joey Ramone, 1977

Joey Ramone (1951-2001), singer with US punk band the Ramones, on stage during a live concert performance by the band, with drummer Tommy Ramone in the background behind his drumkit,…

Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Welcome to another edition of Today in Boston ROCK, where I, Adam 12, spotlight Very Important Days In Rock History. May 19th is one.

1945

May 19, 1945: Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend is born in West London. The Who has always been the sum of its parts, and Pete Townshend is arguable the biggest part of the whole. Fittingly, the band was at TD Garden just last night. So Pete got to wake up in Boston on his 77th birthday.

1949

May 19, 1949: John Michael "Dusty" Hill is born in Dallas, TX. Had he not passed away last summer, Dusty Hill would have turned 73 today. The show must go on, however, and ZZ Top is still on the road, coming to town this summer.

1951

May 19, 1951: Jeffrey Ross Hyman is born in Queens, NY. The man who would become Joey Ramone and front the Ramones for over two decades is the very definition of an icon. I was lucky enough to see him in the flesh for the band's last-ever Boston show in 1996.

1954

May 19, 1954: Phillip Hugh Norman Witschke Rudzevecuis is born in Melbourne. Phil Rudd has played drums for AC/DC over three stints since 1974. And his birthday gives us the perfect opportunity to revisit the band's legendary 1978 Boston gig.

adam12Writer
Adam 12 is the Program Director of Boston's ROCK 92.9, heard weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. He's been flexing his encyclopedic rock knowledge in New England for over 2 decades, both on-air and online, at WBCN, WFNX, Boston.com, and indie617. At ROCK 92.9, he keeps you in the know on the big stories from the Boston music scene and writes about great places to eat, drink (beer), and to spend time outdoors in and around Boston.