Unc's Daily Update Archives - 11 Orange 400x100px

February 1 - 10, 2010

These are the scripts Joe Benson used on the air at 95.5 KLOS in Los Angeles. They all received final editing by Jan Benson, without whom the task would have been far too daunting. Remember to give credit where credit is due, and enjoy!

February 1, 2010

Guitarist Mike Campbell of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers is 60.

On this day in 1963, Neil Young, at age 17, performed his first professional date at a country club in Winnipeg, Canada. It didn't go all that well.

On this day in 1964, the British Invasion of America officially began as The Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand" hit #1.

On this day in 1964, Bob Dylan released his classic "The Times They Are A Changin'" album.

On this day in 1965, The Rolling Stones released their legendary "The Rolling Stones Now" album.

On this day in 1967, The Beatles began their official sessions for their classic "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album by laying down the rhythm tracks for the title cut.

On this day in 1969, The Beatles soundtrack album "Yellow Submarine" was released.

On this day in 1970, Van Morrison released his "Moondance" album.

On this day in 1986, John Mellencamp's "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A." entered the Top 40.

On this day in 1988, The Cars officially broke up (or went on deep hiatus, depending on who you talk to).

GRAMMY GRAMMY Recap Recap

Sure it was a big ol' party, but there were actual winners too. Beyoncé won a record six out of the 10 GRAMMYS she was nominated for, Taylor Swift grabbed four and Lady Gaga scored two. Bruce Springsteen won the Best Solo Rock Performance GRAMMY for "Working On A Dream," Green Day's "21st Century Breakdown" won Best Rock Album and Jeff Beck won the Best Rock Instrumental Performance GRAMMY for his stunning version of "A Day in the Life." AC/DC's "War Machine" took the Best Hard Rock Performance GRAMMY and the mighty Judas Priest won the Best Metal Performance GRAMMY for "Dissident Aggressor." The Kings Of Leon snagged the Record Of The Year GRAMMY, Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals GRAMMY and Best Rock Song GRAMMY for their excellent "Use Somebody." Neil Young won his first ever GRAMMY — the Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package award — for his "Archives Vol. I (1963-1972)" (which would have also won the Longest In Production In The History Of The World GRAMMY if there were such a thing).

Ozzy Writes In Front Of You

Of course The Prince of Darkness can read, but who knew he could write so well? Ozzy Osbourne will be signing copies of his autobiography, "I Am Ozzy," at Booksoup in West Hollywood tomorrow and the Barnes & Noble in Huntington Beach on Wednesday.

Emerson, Lake & No Palmer

Remember when last year's Emerson, Lake & Palmer anniversary tour was canceled due to keyboardist Keith Emerson's wrist problem? Evidently he's all better now because he's all set to launch a tour late next month with singer/guitarist Greg Lake — but without drummer Carl Palmer (who is currently working with Asia). Wonder how Carl feels about those other two leaving without him!?

Schon & Son Schon

Just because Journey isn't touring this year doesn't mean guitarist Neal Schon is staying home. Any day now he'll be announcing his first ever solo dates. Starting next month, Neal hit some clubs to gig with a four-piece band that includes his 22-year-old son Miles on guitar.

It was George Bernard Shaw who said: "A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."

It was poet Sam Brown who said: "Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance."

Todd Rocks For Cause

Tonight! Tonight!, 6p - 9p: House Of Blues – Anaheim. Uncle Joe will be hosting the Todd Rocks Benefit Concert, featuring an all-star band including Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell, famed drummer Mark Shulman, Broadway star Jon Abrams and several former students of the Irvine Music Academy. Todd Larsen, founder of the Irvine Music Academy and a 14-year veteran coach in the 2,000+ member Irvine Swim League, was diagnosed with a deadly leukemia last Fall. The Todd Rocks Benefit Concert is the latest in a series of fundraisers that the Orange County community has put together to help out. So join us for some rockin' good music, to have fun and to help a really great cause!

February 2, 2010

Singer extraordinaire Graham Nash is 68.
Bassist Ross Valory of Journey is 61.

On this day in 1978, after four years of playing virtually every club and backyard in Southern California, Van Halen signed their first recording contract. It was at that time that publicists subtracted a couple years from each member's age to make them seem even more astounding.

On this day in 1979, 21-year-old Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious died in New York of a heroin overdose. He was not a hero.

On this day in 1980, the Eagles' song "The Long Run" peaked at #8 on the charts.

Legal Maneuvering

After not speaking with his bandmates for many months, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has engaged his attorney to intervene with regards to his future with the Hall Of Fame group. The 61-year-old singer has also asked for a February 9th meeting with all the members of Aerosmith to discuss the future of the band. The legal maneuvering follows months of discussion by Tyler's bandmates that they were — at least temporarily — seeking a new frontman. In perfect legalese, Steven's attorney said, "Steven Tyler does not want lawsuits. We do not want to go in that direction. The direction we want is Aerosmith, with Steven Tyler, touring in Europe, touring Latin America, releasing a new album. This is the direction it's all intended to go."

Plant Will Play

Robert Plant will perform at the Sound & Vision Cancer Research UK benefit show on February 25th. Singer/songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman and the London Oriana Choir will be backing the Led Zeppelin frontman at London's Abbey Road Studios. The 61-year-old rock icon said, "My set will be quite different from anything I've ever done before, as I'll be performing with Beth and a full choir on stage. Cancer is a disease that affects so many people and Sound & Vision is a great way to raise money to fight it." Right so!

We Are The...

With Carlos Santana and Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson already on board, U2's Bono and Lady GaGa were late additions to the recording session for the new version of the benefit classic "We Are The World." Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones are doing the remake to raise funds to help those in need in Haiti. Bono sang on the 1984 Band Aid fundraiser "Do They Know It's Christmas?," but wasn't featured on the USA For Africa charity track from 25 years ago. The world premiere of "We Are The World 25 For Haiti" will air during NBC's coverage of the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver Winter Olympics on Friday, February 12th.

It was Malcolm Forbes who said: "When in doubt, duck."

It was Granville Hicks who said: "A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought to."

Groundhog Heaven

Today is Groundhog Day, and over 15,000 spectators are expected to gather at "Gobbler's Knob" this morning to see the large rodent named Punxsutawney Phil emerge from his/her lair to see its shadow. Legend has it that if P-Phil can see its own shadow on February 2nd, winter will last another six weeks. Expect an early Spring if P-Phil does not see its shadow! Since 1886, P-Phil has seen its shadow 97 times, hasn't seen it 16 times and there are no records for nine years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The whole event, as well as Punxsutawney (a rural community 90 miles northwest of Pittsburgh), were made even more famous worldwide in the movie "Groundhog Day," which starred Bill Murray. Strangely enough, no one has seen Murray's shadow since 1999... but that's another story for another time.

February 3, 2010

Dave Davies, the fist swinging, guitar playing younger brother in The Kinks, is 63.

On this day in 1959, Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens were killed when their small plane crashed in bad weather shortly after take-off from the Mason City, Iowa airfield. They had decided to pay for plane tickets rather than travel by bus to Fargo, North Dakota. At the last minute, Holly's bass player, Waylon Jennings, gave up his seat so that the Big Bopper could make the flight.

On this day in 1968, The Beatles recorded "Lady Madonna" in three takes at Abbey Road Studios in London.

On this day in 2004, saxophonist Cornelius Bumpus, who played with the The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan among many others, died from a heart attack on a commercial flight from New York to California. He was 58.

This weekend, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of Bob Seger and more of Joe's extensive conversation with Bob on over 90 stations. Stream on!

Ozzy Writes In Front Of You

Of course The Prince of Darkness can read, but who knew he could write so well? Ozzy Osbourne will be signing copies of his excellent autobiography, "I Am Ozzy," at the Barnes & Noble in Huntington Beach tonight.

Townshend Speaks

Of course The Who mulled over its decision to play the Super Bowl 44 Halftime Show. But in the process of telling that story to Billboard.com, guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend said, "I think Roger (Daltrey) was doubtful that we should do it this year. We were going to play at Coachella, the New Orleans Jazz Festival, we had all kinds of things planned, so I persuaded Roger we should do the Super Bowl to kick those events off." Pete also says that he feels The Who is carrying a "Baby Boomer" torch this Sunday as they follow in the footsteps of halftime acts like Sir Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones and Tom Petty. But did you notice that he said they were going to play Coachella and the New Orleans Jazz Festival? Thanks for the tip, Pete!

Depp/Richards/Wood

The Brit press is again reporting that actor Johnny Depp is working on a documentary about his hero and friend, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. Depp's friendship with Richards is well known, as well as the fact that Johnny based his popular "Pirates of the Caribbean" character Jack Sparrow on the legendary guitarist. Stay tuned for more crazy details! Meanwhile, in other Stones news, Ronnie Wood is reportedly treating his alcoholism with a medication, taking one tablet everyday to help him cope with withdrawal symptoms as he attempts to reduce his alcohol intake.

Not Bad For A Full Moon

Those wacky Kiwis! AC/DC's Saturday night show in New Zealand was thrown into chaos when a total of 50 people were arrested for drunk and disorderly behavior, while six ambulances were called to the venue to deal with alcohol or drug-related issues. But Inspector Mike Coleman downplayed the arrests, insisting the number of rowdies was "not bad, (for) a full moon and a nice hot night." Right so!

It was A.H. Weiler who said: "Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself."

It was Kin Hubbard who said: "Nobody ever forgets where he buried the hatchet."

February 4, 2010

Alice Cooper is a semi-shocking 62.

On this day in 1970, John Lennon and Yoko Ono traded a bag of their cut hair in return for a pair of genuine Muhammad Ali boxing shorts. And you thought the Seventies were boring!

On this day in 1978, Queen's "We Are The Champions" peaked at #4, E.L.O.'s "Turn To Stone" hit #13 and Heart's "Crazy On You" topped out at #62.

On this day in 2001, Jimmy Buffett was kicked out of his court side seats at a Miami Heat/New York Knicks game due to his use of profanity. Unfortunately for Jimmy, that burst of rebellious Rock & Roll-ish behavior didn't help his record sales in the least.

This weekend, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of Bob Seger and more of Joe's extensive conversation with Bob on over 90 stations. Stream on!

Elty Plays With GaGa Again

They obviously had a lot of fun playing with each other! Elton John will once again perform a live duet with Lady GaGa, this time for the AIDS foundation amFAR's benefit gala in New York next Wednesday. The benefit is actually a tribute to John and his partner David Furnish for their contributions to the global struggle against the disease. Perhaps the nattily attired dueling piano players will once again mash up GaGa's "Speechless" and Sir Elty's "Your Song" as they did at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards.

The Return Of Ray

If you missed Ray Davies' choral showcase at the Orpheum Theater last Fall, you'll be glad to hear that The Kinks' frontman is bringing the show back to town. His 17-date U.S. tour will support "The Kinks Choral Collection," an album that reworks some of his band's old material with backing from a full symphonic choir. The jaunt will hit The Grove of Anaheim on March 24th and the Canyon Club in Augora Hills on March 25th. Prepare to be amazed and entertained!

Vultures Second One

Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones has confirmed that Them Crooked Vultures will record their second album "by the end of Summer." With a wry smile Jonesy says that he and his bandmates, Foo Fighters' frontman Dave Grohl and Queens Of The Stone Age's Josh Homme, are "all hard workers. Once we committed to it we worked as hard as a young band would, put the hours in. It's got to be good — we've got reputations to uphold more than anything else." Anything less than good and loud is unacceptable!

A Bad Nikki Book

The unauthorized Nikki Sixx bio, "An Education in Rebellion: The Biography of Nikki Sixx," is being re-released and the Motley Crue bassist is pissed. He calls the book "scummy," is warning fans that he has nothing to do with it and that the authors are trying to ride his coattails. Now you've been warned!

Santana Bonus Round

Santana's multi-gadzillion selling "Supernatural" album is returning as a double-disc reissue on February 16th. Along with a re-mastered version of the original album, the package will contain remixes, instrumental versions and seven previously unreleased tracks, including ones with Dave Matthews and Eric Clapton.

Matt's Latest

Former Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum has teamed up with guitarist Lanny Cordola to form Global Sound Lodge. The band's first song, "Hands Together," features Slash and was written for the Haitian people during their time of need. There are more details at MattSorum.tv.

It was Rita Rudner who said: "When I eventually met Mr. Right, I had no idea that his first name was Always."

It was Plato who said: "The penalty that good men pay for not being interested in politics is to be governed by men worse than themselves."

February 5, 2010

Legendary session drummer Hal Blaine is 81. As the top Los Angeles studio drummer in the Sixties and early Seventies, he played on more than 8,000 different tracks for hundreds and hundreds of different musicians including the Beach Boys, The Byrds and Simon & Garfunkle. It's almost impossible to listen to an oldies radio station for more than 10 minutes without hearing a song with Hal Blaine's drumming.

Cory Wells of Three Dog Night is 68.
Al Kooper, keyboardist for Dylan and Blood, Sweat & Tears, is 66.
Elton John's longtime drummer, Nigel Olsson, is 61.
Original Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagen is 46.

On this day in 1972, Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold" entered the charts.

Rocking The Super Bowl

Sunday's Super Bowl XLIV in Miami is going to rock! Oh sure you've got the Indianapolis Colts playing the New Orleans Saints, but The Who is doing the halftime show! Guitarist Pete Townshend says, "We're kinda doing a mash-up of stuff. A bit of 'Baba O'Riley,' a bit of 'Pinball Wizard,' a bit of the close of 'Tommy,' a bit of 'Who Are You,' and a bit of 'Won't Get Fooled Again.' It works — it's quite a saga. A lot of the stuff that we do has that kind of celebratory vibe about it — we've always tried to make music that allows the audience to go a bit wild if they want to. Hopefully it will hit the spot." As long as it's loud enough, you know it will!

Dio/Sab LPs Redux

The release of the deluxe expanded editions of the classic Black Sabbath (with singer Ronnie James Dio) albums has been set for April 5th. The re-issues include "Heaven and Hell," "Mob Rules" and "Live Evil." The 67-year-old Dio is currently waging a battle with stomach cancer. Confident of his recovery, the band — now christened Heaven & Hell instead of Black Sabbath — is scheduling Summer concert dates.

Neil's New One

During his acceptance speech for the MusiCares Person of the Year Award last Saturday, Neil Young let it slip that he's recording a new album. His exact words were, "I've already written four or five songs and I don't want to stop... and I hope to be able to continue for a really long time." The next night Young took home his first ever GRAMMY Award at the 52nd annual GRAMMY Awards. He shared the Best Art Direction On A Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package award with art directors Gary Burden and Jenice Heo for the "Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972)" box set.

It was Red Skelton who said: "All men make mistakes, but married men find out about them sooner."

It was Stephen Covey who said: "If we keep doing what we're doing, we're going to keep getting what we're getting."

Super Bowl Urban Legends

The great http://snopes.com website, which verifies or debunks urban legends, has focused on Super Bowl legends. So which of these do you think are true or false?

1. Sewage systems have overloaded due to the tremendous number of toilets being flushed simultaneously at halftime.

2. Two-thirds of all avocados sold in the U.S. are bought within three weeks of Super Bowl Sunday.

3. Super Bowl Sunday is a good time to visit Disneyland, because the park is virtually deserted.

Sorry — none of them are true! Now enjoy the game!

February 6, 2010

Reggae god Bob Marley would have been 65.
Uber-drummer Simon Phillips, who's worked with The Who and Toto, is 53.
Axl Rose of Guns & Roses is a crazy 48.

On this day in 1965, legendary concert promoter Bill Graham presented his first show when he rented out the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco for $60. The show, a benefit concert for the city's mime troupe, featured the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, who were anything but mimes.

On this day in 1965, "All Day And All Of The Night" by The Kinks peaked at #7 on the charts.

On this day in 1968, The Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour" album hit #1 in the States.

On this day in 1982, Van Halen's cover of Roy Orbison's classic "Pretty Woman" entered the charts as The Rolling Stones' "Waiting On A Friend" peaked at #13 and the J. Geils Band hit #1 with the song "Centerfold."

On this day in 1988, Bruce Springsteen's "Tunnel Of Love" peaked at #9 on the singles chart.

On this day in 1998, Beach Boy Carl Wilson died of cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 51.

February 7, 2010

KISS fan Garth Brooks is 48 and very rich.
Original Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan is also 48 (and not nearly as rich as Garth).

On this day in 1894, Antoine Sax, inventor of the saxophone, died in Paris at the age of 79.

On this day in 1964, The Beatles landed at New York's Kennedy Airport to make their first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was already #1 on the charts, and thousands of screaming fans greeted them at the airport as the first wave of Beatlemania swept across America. Life as we knew it would never be the same.

On this day in 1970, Badfinger's song "Come and Get It" entered the U.S. charts.

On this day in 1970, Joe Cocker's cover of "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" peaked at #30.

On this day in 1980, Pink Floyd played the first live performance ever of their "Wall" album at the Los Angeles Sport Arena. The extremely ambitious multi-media production actually featured a wall built between the band and audience during the first half. The debut performance was stopped briefly near the halfway point when fireworks set fire to the stage curtains. The entire presentation proved so expensive to stage, it was only performed 29 times in L.A., New York and Europe.

On this day in 1981, The Police's "Don't Stand So Close To Me" entered the U.S. Top 40.

On this day in 2000, Foghat singer/guitarist "Lonesome" Dave Peverett succumbed to cancer at the age of 57.

February 8, 2010

James Dean would have been 79.
Vince Neil of Motley Crue is 49.

On this day in 1958, the Quarrymen, featuring John Lennon and Paul McCartney, performed at Wilson Hall in Garston, England. It was there that Paul introduced John to a young guitarist named George Harrison.

On this day in 1975, Queen released the single "Killer Queen."

On this day in 1986, Robert Palmer released his song "Addicted To Love."

On this day in 2005, drummer Keith Knudsen of the Doobie Brothers died of pneumonia at the age of 56 — far too young.

The Starr's Star

Beloved Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, Chris Carter's guest on yesterday's Breakfast With The Beatles on KLOS, is getting his own "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7pm tonight. The unveiling ceremony — the first nighttime unveiling — will take place in front of the Capitol Records Building on Vine Street near stars for his bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison. The event will include a performance from members of the Los Angeles Unified School Districts' All District High School Honor Marching Band, who will offer up a special musical salute to honor the rock legend.

The Who Do The Bowl

The Who rocked their halftime performance at last night's Super Bowl XLIV in Miami — but the sound mix was one of the worst in Super Bowl history. Still, Pete Townshend's windmill guitar technique and Roger Daltrey's vocal chords were in great shape, the rest of the regular Who touring band (who no doubt thundered in the stadium) were right on, and the huge stage and lighting were like nothing we've seen before. But where did CBS find that sound mixer?!?

Bruce Wants No Part Of It

Bruce Springsteen says he was not involved in nor was he consulted on a lawsuit against a Manhattan bar for playing his songs. Word is that the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) was solely responsible for the copyright infringement suit against Connolly's Pub & Restaurant for failing to pay royalty fees when a band played two Springsteen songs in August 2008. The Boss is listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, which demands licensing fees from the bar, but Bruce wants no part of it. Oh those wacky lawyers!

Covering The Stairway

If you heard that adventurist R&B singer Mary J. Blige gathered together Blink-182's drummer Travis Barker, Michael Jackson's touring guitarist Orianthi, guitar god Steve Vai and "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson on bass, what do you suppose she was going to record? If you guessed Led Zeppelin's seminal 1971 song "Stairway to Heaven." you'd be right! Producer Ron Fair explained that, "Robert Plant's high-pitched blues thing is right in step with Mary's vocal range, and she brings the soul music to it, which is what Plant was going for in the first place." Blige does have experience covering rock classics, having recorded a cover of U2's "One" on her 2005 "The Breakthrough" album. The all-star cover of "Stairway to Heaven" will appear as a bonus track on the overseas release of her latest album, "Stronger With Each Tear."

It was Will Rogers who said: "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

It was Voltaire who said: "Every man is guilty of all the good he didn't do."

Amazing Post Super Bowl Factoids

1. Only 30% of us can flair our nostrils.

2. 75% of us store our dollar bills in rigid order with singles leading up to higher denominations.

3. 90% of us believe in divine retribution, but only 10% believe in the 10 Commandments.

4. 47% of us drink straight from the carton when no one else is looking.

5. The average American bra size today is 36C, whereas 10 years ago it was 34B.

6. 85% of American women wear the wrong bra size.

7. Four out of five of us sing in the car, though it's unknown how many actually sing in tune.

February 9, 2010

On this day in 1964, in a defining TV moment, The Beatles appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show." A record audience of 73 million people tuned in to watch the Fab Four's debut American performance. The band performed "All My Loving," "Till There Was You," "She Loves You," "I Saw Her Standing There," and their current #1 single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand." George Harrison played despite suffering from a bad case of the flu. Also on that night's show were singer Georgia Brown and the cast of "Oliver!," which included future-Monkee Davy Jones.

On this day in 1974, Paul McCartney's "Jet" broke into the Top 40 singles chart.

Have Attorney/Still In The Band

All it took was a little old letter from frontman Steven Tyler's attorney to confirm that Tyler is still a part of Aerosmith. Sure he announced a two-year hiatus from the band to pursue a solo career last Fall, leaving guitarist Joe Perry and the rest of the Hall Of Fame band to look for another singer. And the lawyer's letter only came after Steven entered drug rehab for a pain killer problem. After the letter arrived (or was served), Joe Perry immediately announced that, "Steven hasn't quit the band, nor have we sacked him... We're taking the attitude that he's going on a vacation from Aerosmith... How long will he be away? He says it'll be two years, but I believe he'll be back a lot sooner." And yes, they're still looking for a new singer because they want to do what bands do: play.

Whither Bad Co.

Of course you've been wondering about Bad Company's sporadic reunion touring! Well the three original guys — vocalist Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs and drummer Simon Kirke — will do eight shows in the U.K. in April. And yes, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry's side gig — The Joe Perry Project — will open those Brit shows. But will they all return Stateside for us to enjoy the pairing?

Ozzy's Selling 'Em

Sure Ozzy Osbourne's new autobiography, "I Am Ozzy," has gotten some rave reviews. But did anyone think he'd land in second place on the "New York Times Hardcover Non-fiction Best Seller List?" Way to go Prince Of Darkness!

Yoko Adds Another

You kind of figured that Yoko Ono and her new Plastic Ono Band would sell out their upcoming performances at Brooklyn Academy of Music's Gilman Opera House, but did you think they'd sell tickets to a "dress rehearsal" show? That rehearsal show next Monday will feature Ono and her core band along with Sean Lennon, Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Bette Midler and members of Sonic Youth, among others.

It was Oscar Wilde who said: "Seriousness is the only refuge of the shallow."

It was Napoleon Bonaparte who said: "Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever."

February 10, 2010

Psychedelic folk singer Donovan is 64.

On this day in 1973, Steely Dan's "Do It Again" peaked at #6 on the pop singles chart.

On this day in 1978, Van Halen released their self-titled debut album, which eventually sold over 6 million copies.

On this day in 1979, Dire Straits released the single "Sultans of Swing."

On this day in 1987, Roger Waters dropped his lawsuit against his former Pink Floyd bandmates over the use of the band's name. In return, they agreed to pay him some heavy royalties.

On this day in 1990, Aerosmith's "Janie's Got A Gun" peaked at #4 on the pop singles chart.

On this day in 1997, Sweet's singer, Brian Connolly, died in England of kidney failure at the age of 52.

This weekend, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of U2 as well as conversation with Bono, The Edge, Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois on over 90 stations. Stream on!

Playing The White House

A special edition of PBS' "In Performance," "The White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement," will be recorded tonight for broadcast tomorrow. In honor of Black History Month, the concert will feature some of America's most socially conscious musicians including Bob Dylan, Smokey Robinson and John Mellencamp, who will be joined by Joan Baez for a rendition of "If I Had A Hammer." It should be noted that Baez and Dylan performed together almost 50 years ago to the day during the famous 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. — the same march at which Dr. Martin Luther King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Do you think they'll do that again?

Oh, They'll Be Loud

Great news if you'd like to see The Who with their sound mixed the way it's supposed to be, ie. not the crappy Super Bowl TV mix. They'll perform their entire 1973 "Quadrophenia album (and it's a double!) on the last of 10 shows for Roger Daltrey's key charity, Teenage Cancer Trust. Other headliners playing earlier in the run at the Royal Albert Hall will include the bodacious Them Crooked Vultures, featuring Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, head Foo Fighter Dave Grohl and Queens Of The Stone Age's Josh Homme. Hard to say if they'll be louder than The Who, but it'll be fun!

Big Bonnaroos For You

John Fogerty and Jeff Beck have confirmed performances at this year's Bonnaroo Festival, June 10th through the 13th in Manchester, Tennessee. Both Paul Simon and The Who have been rumored to be headliners at the huge jam band festival as well.

The Sons (And One Eagle Dad)

Word is that Eagle Glenn Frey and his son Deacon will be joining Ziggy Marley (son of Bob Marley) at a benefit show for Haiti on Saturday the 20th at the House Of Blues on Sunset.

It was Coach John Wooden who said: "Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."

It was James Bovard who said: "Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner."

NHRA Winternationals

This Weekend! Big time thrills and excitement on Saturday as yer Uncle Joe drag races against KLOS listener Raul Walker in front of 50,000 race fans at the 50th Anniversary NHRA Kragen/O'Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals Drag Races at the Auto Club Raceway in Pomona! The winner of that duel will then race 10-time NHRA Pro Stock Champion Bob Glidden! Unc's Saturday Meet & Greet will include a 10am walk down memory lane at the "Golden 50 Corral" featuring 50 of the coolest cars in Winternationals history, followed by an autograph session with legendary Champions like "Big Daddy" Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney and Joe Amato! The next day, before he races his Uncle Joe's Super Gas Corvette, Randy Balough will be joining J.B. for the Sunday morning Meet & Greet! See you there!