October 23rd

On October 23...

1956, Dwight Yoakam, famous country singer, was born.

1962, Stevie Wonder, then 12-years-old, recorded his first single entitled, "Thank You For Loving Me All The Way."

1963, The Beatles headed to Stockholm, Sweden to begin their first foreign tour.

1966, The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded their first single "Hey Joe" at De Lane Lea Studios in London.

1976, Led Zeppelin made their debut on American television on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert.

1989, Nirvana performed at Newcastle's Riverside Club in England, their first show in Europe.

1993, Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" was his first song to reach No. 1 on the UK charts and stayed at the spot for seven weeks.

1993, English band Take That's second album Everything Changes was their first to reach No. 1 on the UK charts.

1995, Def Leppard scored a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing three gigs in three continents in only 24 hours; Tangier, London, and Vancouver.

It Might Get Loud

My dad put on the movie It Might Get Loud and it is very interesting so far.

The movie is a documentary that looks at the music careers of Jimmy Page, Jack White, and  The Edge.  We are really only watching it for Jimmy Page because he's an inspiration to me and my dad.  Page didn't want to just play music, so he separated himself from that for a little bit and went to art school.  He, of course, returned to music as a session guitarist, but realized that he was playing pieces by other musicians so it prevented him from showing off his creativity.  He started writing and performing in bands The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin.

While Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton are considered some of the best, I think Jimmy Page is the best.  He did things that were never done before.  He basically created the double-neck guitar - he had it made for himself for "Stairway to Heaven" in 1971.  He can play seventeen instruments (yes, you read the correctly).  He taught himself how to play guitar from listening to records.  He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice; first with The Yardbirds and second with Led Zeppelin.  I could literally go on for hours about this rock legend, but I know you have things to do so I won't.

[Video:  YouTube.com]

Give thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!  I am thankful for a lot of things: my family, my friends, my house, my school, and of course music.  There are many classic artists I am thankful for (in no particular order):

1. The Beatles - They revolutionized rock music
2. The Rolling Stones - They ARE rock music
3. Buddy Holly - He created rock music
4. Beethoven - His music changed the way we see some music
5. Michael Jackson - He's the "King of Pop"
6. Elvis Presley - He's the "King"
7. Bruce Springsteen - He's the "Boss"
8. Queen - One of the most relevant bands of all time
9. Elton John - His lyrics are incomparable
10. Led Zeppelin - A lot of singers covered their songs
11. Bob Dylan - Was an idol for a lot of singers
12. Frank Sinatra - He owns New York