It’s April 20th and here are some reasons why this day matters in rock history:

In 1968, Deep Purple made their live debut in Tastrup, Denmark.

In 1992, A Concert for Life took place at London’s Wembley Stadium as a tribute to Queen singer Freddie Mercury and for AIDS awareness. Performers included Elton John, Roger Daltrey, Tony Iommi, David Bowie, James Hetfield, Robert Plant, Axl Rose, Slash and many others.

In 1993, Aerosmith released their 11th and most successful album, Get A Grip.

In 1991, Steve Marriott from the Small Faces and Humble Pie died in a fire at his home in Essex, England at age 44.

In 1987, Rhode Island police arrested a teen accused of biting the head off of a gerbil in tribute to his hero, Ozzy Osbourne.

And in 2002, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic asked a Seattle court to prove Courtney Love was mentally stable and help resolve a dispute over who owned the rights to Nirvana’s recordings. The pair called Love “irrational, mercurial, self-centered, unmanageable, inconsistent and unpredictable” and said a contract was invalid because Courtney was stoned when she signed it.

And that’s what happened today in rock history.

(H/T This Day in Music)

Ken Dashow