Rock and Culture Anniversaries

It's humorously titled after his familiar stage introduction, "… on tonsils and sneakers, I'm 'Lonesome' Dave."

The tragedy cast a long shadow on the rock world and, in the days that followed, that shadow only lengthened.

He had Edgar Allan Poe, Pink Floyd and, most of all, partner Eric Woolfson to thank.

‘Ride the Lightning’ track was inspired by vision of the Biblical 10th plague on Egypt.

Anthrax's Scott Ian also joined for the VH1 Classic special 'Matzo and Metal.'

This was one of the few times in the early '80s when Pete Townshend shared a truly great track with the band.

Anyone looking for the match-light moment when they exploded onto the national scene needs to search no further.

This collaboration with John Lennon grew out of worries about becoming a prisoner to celebrity.

Expectations weren't all that high for one of the festival's signature moments.

Chaffing at their country-rock roots, they regrouped to construct a "nasty track with pretty vocals."

Keyboardist "cut the ice" in the studio, allowing the group to ditch the drama and focus on music.

He borrowed drummer Steve Smith for a hit song inspired by his band’s hit “Faithfully.”

Ironically, they struggled mightily while trying to piece together this easygoing song.

His arrival led to critically lauded triumphs like '2112' and multiplatinum smashes like 'Moving Pictures.'

One album and a tour, then it was over.

It’s about a car, perhaps a stripper or both – but this marked the pinnacle of their world dominance.

Even three of the people involved with the original session returned to this song over the years.

He'd been out drinking with friends when the casual evening took a terrible turn.

"We’re all thankful for both of them, but especially for both of them combined."

There were plenty of memorable gigs throughout his too-brief career, but none was more infamous than this one.