Whether you love it or hate it, Rock & Roll has provided people the world over with an energetic escape from everyday life for what seems like forever now.
Sit back, crank some tunes and jam out to these 45 Rock & Roll Facts.
1. First
Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA was the first CD to be pressed in the United States.
2. Puff, Puff, Pass
Paul McCartney admitted the “you” in the song Got to Get You Into My Life was marijuana.
3. Show Me The Money
Having made $18,000, Jimi Hendrix was the highest paid musician to perform at Woodstock.
4. Irony
The drummer is the only member of ZZ Top without a beard. His name is…. wait for it…. Frank Beard.
5. Moves Like Jagger
Mick Jagger is an experienced ballet dancer with years of lessons under his belt. No wonder this guy just glides across stages.
6. Yellow Brick Road
Though all official sources say it is coincidence, the Pink Floyd album The Dark Side of the Moon lines up perfectly with the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. The rainbow on the album cover further pushes the idea that the two are connected. Conspirators refer to this pairing with names like “Dark Side of the Rainbow”, “The Wizard of Floyd” & “Dark Side of Oz”.
7. Cover Band
The Beatles hold the record for most Rolling Stone magazine covers with more than 30.
8. Under The Sea
The song “Purple Haze” was written by Jimi Hendrix after he had a dream about walking underwater.
9. All Purple Everything
Prince’s song “Purple Rain” is a tribute to Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze”. RIP to the purple rock gods.
10. I Can’t Hear You
U2 front man Bono got his name from a hearing aid store in the centre of Dublin, where he grew up. His previous pseudonyms were "Bonavox of O’Connell Street," "Bonavox," "Bono Vox" and originally “Steinhegvanhuysenolegbangbangbang". Yeah, Bono works just fine.
11. It’s A Sign
The Doors were the first band to ever promote a new album through a billboard ad.
12. The Real King
From Bill Haley to the Dominoes, historians still debate which song kick-started Rock n' Roll. However, many claim that Chuck Berry is the real King of Rock & Roll, not Elvis Presley. Due to racial divide, Presley was hailed and marketed as the king of a genre that was in actuality birthed by Berry. Having recently passed on, Chuck Berry has gained more and more attention for being the originator of the genre.
13. More fake Names
Reginald Kenneth Dwight is Elton John’s real name. To be fair, that is way more marketable.
14. Best Sellers
Despite all the hate they get, Nickelback has sold over 50 million records worldwide.
15. Cheeky Boys
The Sex Pistols started touring under the name SPOT (Sex Pistols On Tour) after they had been banned in the majority of the UK.
16. Dedication
Queen holds the Guinness World Record for longest-running rock group fan club. All other clubs have bit the dust.
17. Step Out From The Shadows
The Eagles were originally the backup band for the singer Linda Ronstadt. I’m guessing you want to search google who Linda is. I’ll wait.
Wikimedia Commons, Steve Alexander
18. All The Credit
Elvis recorded over 600 songs with a total of zero full writing credits. The King does, however, appear as a co-writer on many tracks, though even that's hazy. Elvis' record compant regularly made writers give up 50% of the credit before Elvis would agree to perform the song. Because of this fine print, the star performer could be listed as a writer in the album lining...even if he didn't do much writing at all.
19. Real Mature, Guys
During the Nevermind album release party, every member of Nirvana was thrown out for starting a food fight. These sound like my kind of people.
20. Living The Lifestyle
John Bonham, the drummer for Led Zeppelin, drank 40 shots of the night of his death.
Not good for you. Not good at all!
21. In The News
The song London Calling (the Clash) was given its name from a phrase heard during a show about WWII that aired on BBC. “Good morning America, this is London Calling” was the phrase.
22. What Do You Want To Be
Bob Dylan’s ultimate dream was to be part of Little Richard’s band, according to his school yearbook entry. I’ve always wanted to write for Factinate *cough* gimme a raise *cough*
23. Codename
The term used in the 40’s by the US Air Force for UFOs was Foo Fighters.
24. We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Budget
Metallica spent roughly $400,000 on the music video for The Memory remains.
25. Must Be This Tall To Ride
Led Zeppelin guitarist and founder, Jimmy Page, dated a 14-year-old while on tour with the band.
26. Don’t Drink The Punch
Nine Inch Nails recorded their second studio album, The Downward Spiral, in the same house where followers of Charles Manson took the life of actress Sharon Tate.
27. He Drank The Punch
Jeremy Spencer left the band Fleetwood Mac to join a cult known as Children of God. Hope he saved his money.
28. For The Love Of Your Country
Paul McCartney performed in the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics for a mere $1.57.
29. Bounce Around
Travis Barker drummed for the band The Aquabats under the name “Baron Von Tito” before moving on to Blink 182.
30. Enter The Matrix
Weezer’s first show was opening up for Keanu Reeves’ band Dogstar in 1992. You think that’s a guitar you’re playing now?
31. Break The Mold
The Arctic Monkeys were one of the first bands to make it big from MySpace. Fans would share their music to the point where they built a big following before signing with a record label. Oh MySpace, when times were simple.
32. Cup Size
AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young once worked as a sewing-machine mechanic in a bra factory. He must have been a master at unhooking!
33. Schoolhouse Rock
Lynyrd Skynyrd got its name from a high school teacher, Leonard Skinner. The teacher was notorious for suspending students for having long hair. Not only did they keep their long hair, but they also came up with one of the longest guitar solos. Take that.
34. Talent Runs In The Family
Chip Taylor wrote the song “Wild Thing,” which was later performed by Hendrix. Chip is Angelina Jolie’s uncle.
35. Woof
The song “Black Dog” got its name after a Black Labrador roamed into the studio during a Led Zeppelin recording session. Who let the dogs out?
36. Homewrecker
Eric Clapton wrote the song “Layla” with the intention of stealing George Harrison’s wife.
37. What A Guy
Sharon Osborne’s Pomeranian was once saved from a coyote attack when Ozzy tackled the wild animal and wrestled it until the dog was released. Sadly, in another incident, one of the Osborne family dogs was later slain by a coyote. And we just have to mention the most famous story of Ozzy's animal escapades. While on stage, a fan threw a live bat to Ozzy. He picked it up, thinking it was a rubber replica the band usually used, and bit its head off.
38. Nice And Simple
ABBA got its name by taking the first letter of each band member’s name.
39. Say Cheese
Originally wanting to be a professional photographer, Chuck Berry started performing music so he could afford photography equipment.
40. Pack-A-Day
Axl Rose smoked during a science experiment at UCLA for $8 an hour.
41. Pick Up A Book
The Doors got their band name from the Aldous Huxley book, “The Doors of Perception”.
42. Time Is Money
Jimi Hendrix created the song “Little Wing” in a mere 145 seconds. There’s being in the zone and then there’s having superpowers.
43. Upstaged
Little Richard kicked Jimi Hendrix out of his band in the 50’s. Apparently, Hendrix refused to wear the band uniform and would steal audience’s attention with his eccentric style and guitar skills.
44. If at First You Don't Succeed
A talent manager named Jim Denny told Elvis to “stick to driving a truck because you’ll never make it as a singer” after a catastrophic performance at the Grand Ole Opry. Despite this criticism, the King kept going and made rock n' roll history.
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