Today in rock history: on this date in 2013, the music world lost one of its most influential and highly regarded figures when legendary New York singer and songwriter Lou Reed passed away at the age of 71 of liver disease. The lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of, arguably, the most impactful American rock and roll band of all time, The Velvet Underground, explored dark taboo subjects with his words and music with the band in the 1960s and continued his path as a solo artist starting in the early 1970s. Musically and artistically active right up until his death, Reed and his legacy influenced a slew of punk rock bands, new wave bands, singer/songwriters and so many others. His voice and his presence are still sorely missed but his tremendous catalog of music will remain forever.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1967, late Stone Temple Pilots lead singer, Scott Weiland was born in San Jose, California. After leading STP through several platinum-selling albums throughout the 1990s (including ITS triumphant debut Core, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year), Weiland gained a reputation as one of the most powerful and entertaining rock and roll front men of the decade. Success leading another band, Velvet Revolver, came later and soaring record sales continued. Sadly, Scott passed away at the age of 48 in 2015 and didn’t get to celebrate what would have been his 50th birthday today.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1975, in a totally unprecedented move, both Time and Newsweek, the nation’s leading news publications featured the same person on their individual front covers. Up and coming rocker Bruce Springsteen, riding high in the press after the enormous amount of attention that was shed on him after the release of his breakthrough third album, Born To Run. Bruce granted both magazines interviews to accompany the cover stories but soon, after the magazines hit newsstands, feared that the sudden amount of press he was receiving would be regarded as overwhelming hype. Thankfully, the press helped to enhance Bruce’s introduction to many listeners who weren’t aware of his first two albums (which sold poorly) and helped him cultivate a loyal, rabid fan base that he still retains to this date.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1958, Simon John Charles Le Bon was born in Hertfordshire, England. A child actor and a fan of music, Le Bon became interested in punk rock and new wave music in the 1970s developing a taste for the music of Patti Smith, Lou Reed and Sex Pistols. Simon also grew interested in poetry and started composing poems of his very own. When an up and coming Birmingham, England new wave band hit a bad luck streak keeping a permanent lead singer for their group, Simon LeBon became the missing piece of the Duran Duran equation when he auditioned for the band. Introduced to the band by an ex-girlfriend who worked at the bar where the band rehearsed, LeBon showed up to his audition wearing pink leopard-print pants and carrying his notebook of poems. He landed the gig instantly and the poems served as the basis for the songs that made up the band’s self-titled 1980 debut album. LeBon and Duran Duran became one of the biggest and most successful bands of the 1980s and developed a throng of diehard fans in just about every corner of the globe selling millions of records and embarking on several sold out tours along the way.
