Rock & Roll Never Dies, LLC

09/08/2026

Also on September 7: On this day in 1968, The Doors played The Roundhouse in London.

https://youtu.be/jJPB9LwPx4o
(Photo by Ethan Russell)

The Los Angeles ensemble wasn’t particularly known for having a robust continental following, but this showcase gig at the prestigious venue hoped to remedy that. It was filmed as part of a documentary titled The Doors are Open, which included much offstage footage.

Unlikely rumor has it that Jim Morrison was invited to a Beatles recording session during this visit a few weeks later, being present when the group laid down takes of “Happiness is a Warm Gun” - possibly even contributing backing vocals. While the timing coincides, short of a (warm) smoking gun piece of evidence surfacing, it cannot be substantiated.

09/08/2026

09/08/2026

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Buddy Holly
⠀
Buddy Holly (Charles Hardin Holley) (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959) was one of the architects of rock and roll, a singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose influence became immeasurably greater than his tragically short career. With his Fender Stratocaster, distinctive vocal phrasing, and deceptively simple but inventive guitar work, Holly helped establish the singer-songwriter-guitarist model that countless rock musicians would follow.
⠀
With the Crickets and under his own name, Holly created an extraordinary run of recordings including That'll Be the Day, Peggy Sue, Oh, Boy!, Maybe Baby, Rave On, and Not Fade Away. He also pioneered a self-contained band approach in which musicians wrote, arranged, and performed their own material — an important blueprint for the rock groups that emerged during the following decade.
⠀
Holly was only 22 when he died in the February 3, 1959 plane crash that also claimed Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. Today, on the 90th anniversary of his birth, we celebrate a true rock and roll pioneer whose influence can still be heard generations later.

09/08/2026

On This Day in 1987, Pink Floyd Released A Momentary Lapse of Reason

On September 7, 1987, Pink Floyd released A Momentary Lapse of Reason in the UK, with the US release following just one day later, on September 8. Together, the two dates launched a dramatically different chapter in the history of one of rock’s most influential bands on both sides of the Atlantic.

With Roger Waters gone, David Gilmour became the dominant creative force, and his guitar provided some of the album’s defining moments. “Learning to Fly” introduced the new era, “On the Turning Away” built toward a soaring Gilmour solo, and the monumental “Sorrow” featured some of his most atmospheric and powerful guitar work of the decade.

Produced by Gilmour and Bob Ezrin, the album reached #3 in both Britain and America. More importantly, A Momentary Lapse of Reason proved that Pink Floyd could continue after Waters and launched an enormous world tour that introduced this new incarnation of the band to millions of fans.

09/08/2026

On This Day in 1968, Led Zeppelin Played Their First Concert Together

On September 7, 1968, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham played their first-ever concert together at Egegaard School in Gladsaxe, Denmark. They were still billed as The Yardbirds — soon to become known as The New Yardbirds — but the four musicians onstage were the band the world would soon know as Led Zeppelin.

They had rehearsed together for only around 15 hours before heading to Scandinavia. Their early repertoire already included material such as “Train Kept A-Rollin’,” “Dazed and Confused,” “I Can’t Quit You Baby,” “You Shook Me,” “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” and “How Many More Times” — songs that revealed the extraordinary chemistry between Page’s guitar, Plant’s voice, Jones’ musicianship and Bonham’s devastating power.

Later that same day they played another show in Brøndby. Within weeks they would enter Olympic Studios to record their debut album. September 7, 1968 was the day one of the most influential and powerful lineups in rock history first stepped onto a concert stage together.

09/08/2026

RIP Warren Zevon — Passed Away on This Day in 2003
⠀
Warren Zevon (Warren William Zevon) (January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was one of American rock's most distinctive singer-songwriters, admired for combining sharp intelligence, black humor, vivid characters, and an often unsettling awareness of mortality. A gifted pianist, guitarist, arranger, and composer, he earned enormous respect from fellow musicians even when commercial success never fully reflected the quality of his catalogue.
⠀
Zevon's breakthrough album, Excitable Boy, produced enduring songs including Werewolves of London, Lawyers, Guns and Money, and the title track. Across albums such as Warren Zevon, The Envoy, Sentimental Hygiene, and Life'll Kill Ya, he created a body of work filled with unforgettable stories and characters. His songs were championed and recorded by artists including Linda Ronstadt, while Jackson Browne played an important role in bringing his early work to wider attention.
⠀
After being diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2002, Zevon recorded one final album, The Wind, surrounded by friends and collaborators. He died on September 7, 2003, at the age of 56. Today, 23 years after his passing, we remember an extraordinary songwriter whose work remains unlike anyone else's.

09/07/2026

Remembering The Who's legendary drummer Keith Moon, who died today in 1978. "It's never been the same since Keith died," frontman Roger Daltrey recently said. "I can't pretend it has."

📸 George Wilkes/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

09/07/2026

RIP Keith Moon — Passed Away on This Day in 1978
⠀
Keith Moon (Keith John Moon) (August 23, 1946 – September 7, 1978) was the explosive drummer of The Who and one of the most original and influential musicians ever to sit behind a drum kit. Rather than simply keeping time, Moon treated the drums almost as a lead instrument, filling The Who's music with rolling toms, dramatic fills, sudden accents, and an extraordinary sense of controlled chaos.
⠀
From My Generation and I Can See for Miles to Tommy, Who's Next, and Quadrophenia, his playing became inseparable from the band's sound. Performances such as Won't Get Fooled Again, Bargain, and The Real Me captured the combination of power, instinct, and unpredictability that made Moon unlike virtually any other rock drummer. His final album with The Who was Who Are You, released only weeks before his death.
⠀
Keith died in London on September 7, 1978, from an accidental overdose of Heminevrin, a medication prescribed to help him combat alcohol dependence. He was only 32. Today, 48 years after his passing, we remember a drummer whose approach to the instrument permanently changed rock music.

09/06/2026

On This Day in 1968, Eric Clapton Recorded His Legendary Guitar Solo for The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”

On September 6, 1968, Eric Clapton joined The Beatles at EMI Studios in London to contribute the extraordinary lead guitar heard on George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” creating one of the most celebrated guest guitar performances in rock history.

Harrison personally invited his close friend to play on the song. Clapton initially hesitated because outside guitarists simply didn’t appear on Beatles records, but George persuaded him. Playing Harrison’s Gibson Les Paul “Lucy,” Clapton delivered a beautifully expressive lead part that perfectly answered the emotion in Harrison’s vocal and composition.

Clapton was never credited on the original White Album sleeve, yet his contribution became legendary. His presence also changed the atmosphere in the studio, with Harrison later recalling that the other Beatles became more focused with a guest in the room. The result was a remarkable meeting between George Harrison, Eric Clapton and The Beatles — and one of the most unforgettable guitar performances of the 1960s.