Today in Rock History – 20th OCTOBER:

BIRTHDAYS
1890: Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton
1925: Tom Dowd (Record producer)
1945: Ric Lee (Ten Years After)
1950: Tom Petty
1951: Alan Greenwood (Foreigner)
1958: Mark King (Level 42)
1964: David Ryan (The Lemonheads)
1978: Paul Wilson (Snow Patrol)

EVENTS
1977: Ronnie Van Zant [aged 29], Steve Gaines [27] & sister Cassie [29], along with manager Dean Kilpatrick & two pilots were all killed when Lynyrd Skynyrd’s rented plane ran out of fuel and crashed into a swamp in Gillsburg, Missouri. The other members of the band were all seriously injured.
1992: Iron Maiden played their first ever concert in New Zealand, at Logan Campbell Centre, Auckland. I was there and met them after the show.
2007: Death of Paul Raven of Killing Joke [aged 46].
2015: Death of singer / guitarist, Cory Wells of Three Dog Night [aged 74].

Maiden New Zealand on the ‘Fear of the Dark’ World Tour: Steve Harris and I, backstage after the very loud Iron Maiden concert at LCC, Auckland on 20th October, 1992. People say we look like brothers ~ I’ll take that! 🙂