Today in rock history: On this date in 1990, Florida rap act 2 Live Crew's album As Nasty As They Wanna Be is declared nationally obscene by a federal judge in South Florida. The record was deemed to violate community obscenity standards in three Florida counties — Broward, Palm Beach and Dade — and sales of the record to minors were strictly prohibited. Once the record was banned and deemed obscene, sales naturally skyrocketed and the album, which featured the hit single "Me So Horny," went on to sell over 2 million copies.
Today in rock history: On this date 1936, Levi Stubbs, the strong, forceful lead vocalist for legendary Motown Records singing group The Four Tops was born in Detroit, Michigan. One of the most successful and best-selling acts on the record label's roster, the group, which signed with Motown in 1963, enjoyed a string of huge hits including "Baby I Need Your Loving," "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)," "It's the Same Old Song," "Reach Out I'll Be There," "Standing in the Shadows of Love" and "Bernadette" among many others. All of those classics featured the soaring, commanding vocal talents of Stubbs, who was undoubtedly one of the best singers of his era despite rarely getting recognized for his amazing skills. Stubbs also served as the voice of Audrey II, the plant in the 1986 film version of Little Shop of Horrors. Sadly, Stubbs passed away at age 72 in 2008 but continued to perform right up until near his death.
PHIL'S COLLEN
Q&A: Phil Collen talks Def Leppard, rediscovering guitar and keeping up with Satriani on the G3 tour
Today in rock history: On this date in 1979, teenage hard rock band Def Leppard performed a show at Crooke's Workingman's Club in its hometown of Sheffield, England. The band played songs it had written up until that point as well as covers of songs by some of the bands that influenced them, like Irish rockers Thin Lizzy. The band then signed to a major label recording contract and released its first album the following year. By 1983, Def Leppard had become one of the biggest and most successful rock bands in the world and continued to rise in popularity with each successive release and world tour.
TODAY IN ROCK HISTORY
The Beatles, Bob Dylan and weed
Today in rock history: On this date in 1962, The Beatles recorded the very first of many sessions the band would conduct at the famed Abbey Road studios. The young band recorded four songs during that session, with one of those tracks being "Love Me Do," which would soon go on to be a major hit single. It's reported that the four band members received a total payment of £7 (which equates to about $12 U.S. dollars) for their efforts.
