It's a brand new week and the first of a brand new month with lots to catch up on in "This Week in Rock." Everything from Oh No Wendy O, to Love + Marriage = Divorce, to "I Love You. You Love Me. We're A Great Big Fa-Muh-Lee."
2010 – Slash of GNR fame released his first solo album. He cleverly called it "Slash" and it cut through to number 3 on the charts.
1998 - Wendy O. Williams died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Her destructive stage antics with the Plasmatics during the late 70s New York punk scene were the stuff of legend. Have you ever seen a car chain-sawed in half on stage at a concert? You might have at a Plasmatic's show.
1979 - Rod Stewart married Alana Hamilton. They would have two kids, (Kimberly and Sean), but divorced five years later. She and Rod remain close and it's not uncommon for Rod, his exes, and current spouse to all hang out together. That's healthy. More power to them all.
1971 - Carly Simon met James Taylor after her show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. Like Rod and Alana from above, it was marriage, two kids then divorce but I don't believe their relationship is as shall we say chummy.
1975 - Elton John's “Philadelphia Freedom” was the number one song in the USA. It had very little to do with our nation's approaching bicentennial a year later and everything to do with his affection for the sport of tennis and his dear friend Billie Jean King's affiliation with the Philadelphia Freedoms tennis team.
1974 - Long before "social distancing" was a thing, 200,000 fans attended The California Jam concert. The diverse line-up included The Eagles, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Earth, Wind & Fire, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Black Oak Arkansas and Seals & Crofts.
1968 – Syd Barrett officially left Pink Floyd due to his suffering from psychiatric disorders compounded by drug use. You've got to wonder what could have been had he stayed. Would there have been room for David Gilmour and would they have become the band we know today. I guess we will never know.
Happy Birthdays going to: PBS kids' show "Barney & Friends (1992), Broadway's Tony Awards (1947) Teflon (1938), and the first modern Olympic Games (1896). If you've made it all the way to here, you deserve a medal. Thanks for reading. Check back in a day or so for more of "This Week In Rock."