![NEW YORK (May 19, 2009) Joan Jett, lead singer of Joan Jett and the Black Hearts, prepares to board a Navy helicopter en route to the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) for a tour of the ship during Fleet Week New York City 2009. Approximately 3,000 Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen will participate in the 22nd commemoration of Fleet Week New York. - By U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Laurie Wood [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://media1.cltampa.com/cltampa/imager/u/original/12020484/us_navy_090519_n_9013w_001_joan_jett_lead_singer_of_joan_je.png)
Today in rock history: on this date in 1958, rocker Joan Jett was born in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. Growing up in Rockville, Maryland and getting her first electric guitar at age 14, Joan later moved to California with her family were she was able to begin a life dedicated to rock and roll. Born Joan Marie Larkin, Jett adopted her now infamous stage name and formed the all-female hard rock band The Runaways who were instrumental in the rise of the role of women in rock and roll.
The band acquired a cult following around the world but never quite made it big in the U.S. Jett would go solo after the demise of the band and would become one of the most successful female rock and roll artists of all time. Her 1982 hit “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (originally recorded by British pop band The Arrows in 1975) held the no. 1 spot on Billboard’s pop singles chart for seven straight weeks and made Joan Jett a bone fide rock star all around the world.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1985, the very first Farm Aid benefit concert took place in Champaign, Illinois. The fund-raising event was organized by Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson in order to raise funds for American farmers around the country who’d suffered great losses and were trying to survive making a living as debts piled up around them. Suggested by Bob Dylan who’d commented at the Live Aid benefit early that year that American farmers deserved to be helped, the star-studded all day introductory Farm Aid concert occurred at the Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois before 80,000 fans. Performers at the event included Bon Jovi, Johnny Cash, X, Lou Reed, Brian Setzer, Loretta Lynn and Joni Mitchell along with the three organizers of the event who also performed. The all-day concerts have taken place annually since the very first one occurred in 1985, raised millions of dollars for farmers, and paid for food, expenses and legal help for farmers across the country ever since.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1969, The Band released its second album, the self-titled gem that’s often referred to as “The Brown Album,” a nod to the brown colored cover that features a solemn black and white photo of the group on the cover. As the follow up to their monumental 1968 debut album, Music From Big Pink, the group, mostly made up of Canadian natives, proved that their first outing was no fluke. An album that’s often credited for helping create and define a genre that’s now regarded as “Americana,” the roots rock, blues and country influenced tunes on this phenomenal record are all magnificent. Including classics like “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Up On Cripple Creek” and “The Unfaithful Servant,” this superb record is often referred to as the best and the most consistent release by the group who once served as Bob Dylan’s backing band. The album cracked the Top 10 on Billboard Magazine’s pop albums chart in 1970 and remains a highly regarded album by fans and critics alike. In 2009, the album was preserved into the National Recording Registry because the album was regarded as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and reflects life in the United States.”
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Gabe's daily rock history
Today in rock history: on this date in 1979, British new wave and electronic music pioneer Gary Numan, while at the height of his popularity in his native England, simultaneously claimed the no. 1 spot on the U.K. singles and albums charts with his smash hit “Cars” and the album it hails from, The Pleasure Principle. Recently breaking away from his punkish/new wave band Tubeway Army, Numan made a huge smash as a solo artist as evidenced by these two massive successes in England. “Cars” was also a hit all around the world and proved to be Numan’s highest charting single here in the United States where it climbed as high as no. 9 on Billboard’s Hot 100 pop singles chart.
