Today in Rock History – 6th DECEMBER:

BIRTHDAYS
1920: Dave Brubeck
1943: Keith Hopkins a.k.a. Keith West
1947: Miroslav Vitous (Weather Report)
1947: Kim Simmonds (Savoy Brown / Foghat)
1955: Rick Buckler (The Jam)
1956: William Randall “Randy” Rhoads (Quiet Riot / Ozzy Osbourne Band)
1956: Peter Buck (R.E.M.)
1962: Ben Watt (Everything But The Girl)
1968: Davey Rimmer (Uriah Heep)

EVENTS
1969: Meredith Hunter was killed by Hells Angels at a Rolling Stones concert in Altamont, California.
1969: Led Zeppelin debuted on the US singles chart with “Whole Lotta Love”, which made it to No.4.
1975: Space Waltz played a concert at Regent Theatre, Dunedin. I was there and met them after the show. Alastair Riddell gave me one of his guitar strings still in it’s packet, which he autographed. About 30 years later, I met him again, at a birthday party of mutual friend.

1988: Death of singer / songwriter, Roy Orbison [aged 52].
2017: Death of singer / songwriter, Jean-Philippe Léo Smet a.k.a. Johnny Hallyday [aged 74].
2018: Death of singer / songwriter / guitarist Pete Shelley of The Buzzcocks [aged 63].

2022: Death of drummer Brian Duffy a.k.a. Jet Black of The Stranglers [aged 84].

Born on this day in 1956, Randy Rhoads was an incredibly gifted guitar player, whose life came to a very tragic, premature end on 19th of March, 1982. He was only 25, when the light plane he was a passenger in crashed, whilst on the ‘Diary of a Madman’ tour with Ozzy Osbourne. Back in the day, when I heard that Randy had died, I painted this picture of him, as a tribute.