Rock's real secret history, as gleaned from the trivia bits on Comcast Cable's "Music Choice" channels.
New this edition: Fun facts about the Guns 'N Roses, the Cure, Muddy Waters, Seals & Crofts, and more!
1. Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" was never released as a single.
2. Early in his career, the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones performed as Elmo Lewis.
3. Cat Stevens went to Catholic school.
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4. England Dan and John Ford Coley's "Love is the Answer" was written by Todd Rundgren.
5. Barbra Streisand is the best selling female recording artist of all time.
6. Steve Miller was born in Milwaukee.
7. Pure Prairie League released Firin' Up in 1980.
8. John Denver's father was a U.S. Air Force officer.
9. In 1969, Jimmy Buffett moved to Nashville to start his music career.
10. Rare Earth was formed from the ashes of the band the Sunliners.
11. The DeFranco Family was modeled after the Osmonds and sponsored by the publishers of Tiger Beat.
12. "Mandy" was the first in a string of 25 consecutive Top 40 hits for Barry Manilow. 25!
13. The Eagles were formerly backup musicians for Linda Ronstadt.
14. Tony Orlando was a general manager at Columbia Records.
15. Though they started out as a five-piece, the O'Jays enjoyed most of their success as a trio.
16. Bill Withers joined the U.S. Navy when he was 17 and served for nine years.
17. The Spinners were named after the chrome wheels on tenor Bobbie Smith's car.
18. Eric Carmen is a classically trained pianist/guitarist.
19. "Rockestra Theme" by Paul McCartney and Wings won the 1979 Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental.
20. In 1999 Katrina left the Waves to pursue a career as a DJ and a solo artist.
21. Photographs of 2Pac's autopsy were never officially released, though they were leaked on the Internet.
22. Edison's wax cylinder phonograph was patented in 1886.
23. DJ Todd Storz created the "Top 40" in '49 after noting that fans would repeatedly play the same songs on the jukebox.
24. The first Walkman went on sale in July 1979.
25. Ray Charles' favorite dessert was sweet potato pie.
26. Lily Allen sang "Heart of Glass" with Debbie Harry for the Today show last May.
27. Avril Lavigne sang in church choirs, local festivals and county fairs before she secured a record deal.
28. Justin Timberlake inducted the O'Jays into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
29. Huey Lewis briefly attended Cornell University and studied engineering.
30. Ted Nugent claims to be ignorant of drug references in the Amboy Dukes' "Journey to the Center of the Mind." (Nugent is a lifetime member of Drug Abuse Resistance Education; he also played a drug dealer in a 1984 episode of Miami Vice.)
31. Emerson, Lake and Palmer ended their performance at the Isle of Wight festival by shooting cannons on both sides of the stage.
32. Pete Townshend helped design the now ubiquitous 100-watt Marshall amp stack.
33. Neil Young's early band, the Mynah Birds, featured future super freak Rick James.
34. Cream's "Badge" was co-written with George Harrison.
35. Macy Gray performed at President George W. Bush's inauguration in January 2005.
36. John Mellencamp suffered a major heart attack in 1994.
37. Bad Company named themselves after the 1972 Robert Benton film of the same name.
38. Journey's second drummer, Aynsley Dunbar, was a member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention.
39. Elvin Bishop was once jailed for stealing a preacher's jacket from a restaurant.
40. The Compact Disc premiered in England in 1983.
41. Smokey Robinson was born William Robinson.
42. Conway Twitty was awarded the Amusement and Music Operators of America Jukebox Award in 1989.
43. Jim Croce recorded background vocals for television commercials.
44. Carly Simon's father co-founded Simon & Schuster.
45. Though no soundtrack was released, Cat Stevens contributed songs to Harold & Maude.
46. England Dan became a country act after he split with John Ford Coley.
47. Barry White co-produced the 1950s hit "Harlem Shuffle" record by doo-wop duo Bob & Earl.
48. Rush's Geddy Lee was born Geddy Lee Winerib.
49. The Steve Miller Band backed Chuck Berry at the Fillmore.
50. There have been over 20 members of Lynyrd Skynyrd during the band's career.
51. Joe Walsh has provided guitar tracks for Ringo Starr, Richard Marx, Keith Moon and The Simpsons.
52. In 2005 Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page was named an Officer of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.
53. On Sept. 6, 2003 Bruce Springsteen played the first concert at Boston's Fenway Park in its 91-year history.
54. Manager Chas Chandler convinced Slade to adopt a skinhead look as a gimmick.
55. Steve Miller was a session musician for Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy and others.
56. Sugarloaf was originally known as Chocolate Hair.
57. The Eagles' Desperado was a concept album about outlaws.
58. Jimi Hendrix was discharged from the Army after being injured during a parachute jump.
59. T. Rex's Marc Bolan was born Marc Feld.
60. Eddie Money was born Eddie Mahoney.
61. Jackson Browne co-wrote the Eagles' hit "Take It Easy."
62. The Rolling Stones' Brian Jones had fathered two illegitimate children by age 16.
63. Stevie Wonder wrote Chaka Khan's "Tell Me Something Good." [Actually written for Khan but recorded with her band, Rufus]
64. Dire Strait's Mark Knopfler wrote the Tina Turner comeback hit "Private Dancer."
65. Styx's Tommy Shaw was once a member of MS Funk.
66. Blue Oyster Cult's iconic hook and cross logo was designed by artist Bill Gawlick.
67. Heminevrin, the drug that killed The Who's Keith Moon, was actually prescribed to combat his alcoholism.
68. Foghat's debut album was largely produced by Dave Edmunds, but includes tracks produced by Todd Rundgren.
69. In 1967, Norman Greenbaum retired from the music industry to run a dairy farm in California.
70. Billy Joel briefly wrote record reviews for Changes magazine.
71. The Clash's Joe Strummer was born John Graham Mellor.
72. Glenn Danzig contributed two songs to the Less Than Zero soundtrack (1987).
73. The Who's Keith Moon died in the same apartment that Mama Cass died in four years earlier.
74. Entertainment Weekly listed Alice Cooper's "School's Out" among its list of "Top 10 Greatest Summer Songs."
75. Queen's Freddie Mercury was born in Zanzibar, Africa.
76. Linda Ronstadt attended Arizona State University.
77. Paul McCartney appeared on the Steve Miller Band's "My Dark Hour" under the alias Paul Ramon.
78. Mott the Hoople's "All The Young Dudes" was written by David Bowie.
79. Buddy Guy suggested to Steve Miller that he call his band the Steve Miller Band.
80. Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant suffered the tragedy of losing his son Karac to a stomach infection in 1977.
81. Deep Purple was originally called Roundabout.
82. Blue Oyster Cult originally went by the name Soft White Underbelly.
83. Kiss' Gene Simmons was born in Haifa, Israel.
84. Bad Company was the first band signed to Led Zeppelin's Swan Song label.
85. Bob Welch appeared on five albums by Fleetwood Mac before leaving the band in 1975.
86. The Beatles' Paul McCartney was born James Paul McCartney.
87. Wal-Mart is the largest music retailer in the U.S.
88. Black Sabbath took their title from the Boris Karloff film of the same name.
89. Before joining Metallica, drummer Lars Ulrich was originally interested in a career as a pro tennis player.
90. In 1990, Billy Joel played the first rock concert in the history of New York's Yankee Stadium.
91. Supertramp turned down Greyhound's request to use "Take The Long Way Home" in bus commercials.
92. Van Morrison was publicly silent between 1974 and 1977.
93. Carole King was part of the Brill Building stable of songwriters in the 60s.
94. Joe Walsh attended Kent State University.
95. Steely Dan alumnus Michael McDonald joined the Doobie Brothers in 1975.
96. Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones was a session musician and appeared on albums by George Harrison.
97. Bachman-Turner Overdrive officially changed their name to BTO in 1978.
98. Gary "Dream Weaver" Wright played keyboards on George Harrison's Cloud Nine.
99. Early in his career, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones performed as Elmo Lewis.
100. The Cars' Benjamin Orr was born Benjamin Orzechowski.
101. The Osmonds earned more Gold records in a single year than any other group in history.
102. Sister Sledge was originally known as Mrs. William's Grandchildren.
103. After Hank Williams' death in 1953, Ray Price inherited his band, the Drifting Cowboys.
104. Journey's Steve Perry was previously a member of Alien Project.
105. Michelle Shocked graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Oral Interpretation of Literature.
106. In 2003, Jay-Z became the first hip-hop star to ever have his own live televised concert special.
107. Before deciding to pursue music, Blues Traveler's John Popper considered a career as a comedian.
108. The Allman Brothers Band formed in Macon, Georgia in 1969.
109. Deep Purple's Jon Lord played keyboards on the Kinks' "You Really Got Me."
110. Manfred Mann was born Manfred Lubowitz.
111. Billy Squier was a member of the Psychedelic Supermarket in 1968.
112. Phil Collins can be seen briefly in the 1964 Beatles film A Hard Day's Night.
113. X's debut album, Los Angeles, was engineered and produced by ex-Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek.
114. John Denver moved to Los Angeles when he was 20 to pursue a career in music.
115. Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones was born John Baldwin.
116. Joe Cocker provided the theme songs for 9 1/2 Weeks, Bull Durham, and An Innocent Man.
117. Amy Winehouse cites Ray Charles as a major influence.
118. Green Day was nominated for the International Album of the Year at the 2005 Juno Awards.
119. Anne Murray taught physical education at a high school in Summerside, Prince Edward Island.
120. Jimmy Cliff recorded a duet with Elvis Costello for the soundtrack to Club Paradise.
121. LeAnn Rimes started singing before age 2.
122. Boz Scaggs was born William Royce Scaggs.
123. Kid Rock's real name is Robert James Ritchie.
124. Lita Ford started playing guitar at age 11.
125. John Mellencamp studied Broadcast Journalism at Vincennes University.
126. Elvis Costello's "Accidents Will Happen" was influenced by a Dusty Springfield song.
127. Amy Winehouse founded a group called Sweet 'n' Sour at age 10.
128. An estimated 14,000 people attended the wedding of Hank Williams and Billie Jean Eshliman.
129. The Who released one single under the name The High Numbers.
130. Barry Manilow worked in the CBS mailroom while attending college.
131. Meat Loaf earned his nickname in childhood due to his size.
132. Rod Stewart was a member of the Jeff Beck Group.
133. Tammy Wynette moved to Nashville with no job and three small children in 1966.
134. Before his rap career, Biggie had dreams of becoming a dentist or a graphic artist.
135. Rush formed as Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, and John Rutsey.
136. Grand Funk Railroad's Mel Schacher was previously a member of ? and the Mysterians.
137. Nilsson was one of the hundreds of musicians who tried out for the Monkees.
138. A teacher once told Violent Femmes bassist Brian Ritchie he had no talent whatsoever.
139. Sept. 3, 1988 marked Triumph's last performance with all the band's original members.
140. Kelly Clarkson's middle name is Brianne.
141. Acclaimed NY artist Jean-Michel Basquiat made an appearance in Blondie's "Rapture" video.
142. Bruce Springsteen achieved his seventh No. 1 album with Devils & Dust in 2005.
143. Duran Duran were joined onstage by Lou Reed at New York City show in 1987.
144. Cream's Jack Bruce was previously a member of Manfred Mann.
145. The Spinners sang in the "Philly Soul" style even though they were from Detroit.
146. Kool & the Gang's George Brown took on a paper route in order to buy his first set of drums.
147. Aerosmith's Joe Perry was born Anthony Joseph Perry.
148. Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" reached No. 9 on Billboard's pop singles chart in 1979.
149. Midnight Oil's Peter Garrett is seven feet tall.
150. Concrete Blonde called themselves Dream 6 before signing to I.R.S. in 1985.
151. Warrant's Erik Turner enjoys spending his spare time with his family and playing golf.
152. Twisted Sister's Dee Snider sang in a classical choir until he was 19.
153. The Oak Ridge Boys were among the first to bring long hair and beards to country music in the late '60s.
154. In 1998 Mel Tillis was a spokesman for the Stuttering Foundation of America.
155. In 1891 Columbia became the first to release a full catalogue of cylinders and phonographs.
156. Roxy Music's self-titled debut was recorded in 19 days.
157. Michael Johnson toured as a member of the Mitchell Trio, which included John Denver.
158. John Entwistle and Pete Townshend of the Who met in high school.
159. The Bellamy Brothers were originally known as Jericho.
160. Teena Marie had a small part in TV's The Beverly Hillbillies at age 8.
161. The "roots-rock" subgenre came into being the mid 80s partly as a counter movement to New Wave.
162. Chicago formed in Chicago, IL on Feb. 15, 1967.
163. Roxette's Per Gessle covered a Swedish version of Bob Dylan's Farval Angelina.
164. Wham! disbanded in 1985.
165. Lightnin' Hopkins' first instrument was a cigar-box guitar with chicken-wire guitar strings.
166. Ratt's Warren Demartini played with Whitesnake on their 1994 tour.
167. In 1976, Ibanez was forced to stop producing guitar copies due to a lawsuit.
168. A child prodigy, Ronnie Milsap was proficient at both violin and piano.
169. Yes' first major performance was at London's Speakeasy Club in 1968.
170. The first Gold record was awarded to Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" in 1941.
171. Carrie Underwood majored in Mass Communications at Northeastern State University.
172. Fergie had a role in the 2006 film Poseidon.
173. Hank Snow discovered Elvis Presley and took him on tour as his opening act.
174. Corey Hart is best known for the 1984 smash hit "Sunglasses at Night."
175. Mariah Carey released her self-titled debut in 1990.
176. Bobby Brown married pop star Whitney Houston in 1992.
177. The BBC Big Band won the British Jazz Award for Best Big Band in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, and 2001.
178. Pearl Jam released their debut Ten in 1991.
179. Styx's Ricky Phillips also played bass for Bad English and the Babys.
180. Bearsville Studio in Woodstock, NY is one of the last remaining analog-only facilities.
181. Emmylou Harris' third marriage was to singer-songwriter Paul Kennerley.
182. LaBelle formed in 1961 as Patti Labelle and the Blue Belles.
183. Isaac Hayes has said that he was never completely comfortable with his biblical nickname, "Black Moses."
184. In 2003, the list price of a Fender American Stratocaster was $1,177.99.
185. Nirvana formed in Aberdeen, WA in 1987.
186. In 1989 Richard Marx toured with Tina Turner in Germany.
187. Michael Sembello's wife accidentally sent "Maniac" to the producers of Flashdance and they loved it.
189. Otis Redding was the father of four children.
190. LeAnn Rimes made her stage debut as Tiny Time in A Christmas Carol at age 7.
191. Bluegrass has always been ensemble music.
192. Kenny Rogers was named the "Favorite Singer of All Time" in a 1986 national poll.
193. Phillips introduced the first compact audio cassette in 1963.
194. Whitney Houston is Dionne Warwick's cousin.
195. As producer, David Bowie was responsible for the often debated "thin" sound of the Stooges' Raw Power
196. After graduating college Sheryl Crow became a music teacher for children with special needs in St. Louis.
197. In 2002 Virgin Record paid Mariah Carey $28 million to split with the label.
198. Danger Mouse of Gnarls Barkley used to make his own records under the name Pelican City.
199. The Andy Williams Christmas Album hit No. 1 on the Billboard pop albums chart in 1963.
200. Bruce Springsteen's first band was the Castiles.
201. Da Brat's government name is Shawntae Harris.
202. Barbara Mandrell has hosted The Tonight Show and The People's Choice Awards.
203. After the Cadillacs joined with the Blue Notes, drummer Teddy Pendergrass became their lead singer.
204. The Stylistics maintained a strong following in Britain after their American popularity had faded.
205. White Lion's Mike Tramp cites The Sopranos and Seinfeld as his favorite television shows.
206. Billy Idol lived in Long Island, NY from age 3 to age 7.
207. Patti Smith dropped out of Glassboro State Teacher's College.
208. Matt Sharp and Patrick Wilson formed the Rentals during Weezer's 1995 hiatus.
209. Dolly Parton recorded for Fred Foster's Monument Records from 1965-67.
210. According to Billboard magazine, Boys II Men was the best selling R&B group of the 20th century.
211. Music copyrights end 70 years after the original artist's death.
212. The first Walkman went on sale in July 1979.
213. Ronnie James Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne as the singer for Black Sabbath in 1979.
214. Edgar Winter invented the keyboard body strap, a harness that allowed him to wear his instrument like a guitar.
215. Daft Punk got their name when a music critic dismissed their first single as "daft punk".
216. Moby was a producer on Brintey Spears' In The Zone (2003).
217. Jim Reeves studied speech and drama at the University of Texas for six weeks and dropped out.
218. Gold status indicates that the artist has arrived at 500,000 in sales.
219. Sabian cymbals are available in approximately 120 countries.
220. Halloween was formed in Hamburg, Germany by members of the bands Ironfist and Powerfool.
221. Bob Dylan, Jewel, Emmylou Harris, Don Henley, and Paula Abdul have all covered songs by John Hiatt.
222. Linkin Park's original name was Hybrid Theory.
223. Michael Bolton collaborated with Bob Dylan on the song "Steel Bars."
224. Over 40 channels to choose from.
225. Puddle of Mudd won four Billboard Music Awards in Dec. 2002.
226. Rush formed in the summer of 1968.
227. Jeff Beck replaced Eric Clapton as lead guitarist for the Yardbirds in 1965.
228. Kelly Clarkson has two tattoos, a Japanese symbol on her neck and a cross.
229. You are listening to Music Choice.
230. Modern pop music can be traced back to the 1950s when some early rockers began to change their sound.
231. Howard Jones learned to play piano at age 7.
232. Dawn reunited with Tony Orlando in 1988.
233. Hot Butter's "Popcorn" was written by Gershon Kingsley.
234. Hot Butter is best known for the hit "Popcorn."
235. Sly Stone was born Sylvester Stewart.
236. Eddy Grant had a heart attack in his 20s, causing him to retire to his home studio.
237. EMI records began as a merger of Columbia and Gramophone Company in 1931.
238. Marvin Gaye was honorably discharged from the US Air Force in 1957.
239. Jon Secada has sold over 20 million albums.
240. Bryan Adams appeared as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live in 1985 with Harry Anderson hosting.
241. Louisiana blues music was influenced by French, Spanish, African American, Creole and Cajun inhabitants.
242. The Contours were brought to Motown by member Hubert Johnson's cousin, Jackie WIlson.
243. Tony Bennett got his first break opening for singer Pearl Bailey.
244. Philadelphia's Thomas M. Pierce Elementary School named their computer library after Jill Scott.
245. C-Murder's government name is Corey Miller.
246. Donna Fargo was born Yvonne Vaughn.
247. Justin Timberlake's favorite singer is Donnie Hathaway.
248. Egypt Central bassist Joey Chicago is from Wheaton, IL.
249. Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard's pop singles chart in 1979.
250. Duran Duran opened for Blondie on their 1982 tour.
251. Pleasure (Pretty Ricky) told Music Choice he is unique and no adjectives can describe him.
252. George Clinton attributes his ideas for extraordinary costumes and wild concerts to his LSD experimentation.
253. During the 1940s and '50s many jazz artists toured Europe, where racial tensions were far less pronounced.
254. After winning her first competition at age 5, LeAnn Rimes told her parents she wanted to be a star.
255. Lil Mama attended Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn.
256. The Kooks have toured with the Thrills.
257. The Smiths' Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke sued Steven Morrissey and Johnny Marr for unfair earnings distributions.
258. David Bowie formed a mime troupe called the Feathers in 1969.
259. Thelonious Monk was born Oct 10, 1917 in Rocky Mount, NC.
260. Roger Greenway of Brotherhood of Man was also lead singer of the Fortunes.
261. Nas attended Russell Simmons' first Hip Hop Youth Summit, which introduced an anti-drug campaign.
262. Cal Smith worked as a truck driver and horse breaker.
263. Sour Records was one of the first jungle labels to attract a mainstream following.
264. Pop started as a mostly singles medium that was influenced by the beat and style of rock and roll.
265. Chicago's Savoy Ballroom opend its doors on Nov. 23, 1927.
266. The Bellamy Brothers started their annual Snake, Rattle and Roll benefit concerts in 1989.
267. Morris Day's debut solo album was Color of Success.
268. Fear Factory's cover of Gary Numan's "Cars" gave them their first Top Ten song.
269. As a jingle singer, Janie Fricke's voice was on commercials of Coca-Cola, 7-Up and Red Lobster.
270. The Scorpions toured the US with Iron Maiden in 1982.
271. Macy Gray has a degree in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California.
272. Did you know that Parker Brothers marketed the first Nerf foam ball?
273. KISS' "Detroit Rock City" peaked at No. 7 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart in 1976.
274. Snow's biggest hit was 1993's "The Informer."
275. In 1961, Jimmie Rodgers became the first person inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
276. Chamillionaire calls himself "The Truth From Texas" and "Houston's Hardest Artist."
277. Earth, Wind and Fire covered the Beatles' "Got To Get You Into My Life" in 1978.
278. Lionel Richie won a Grammy in 1985 for his part in "We Are The World."
279. The name Guns 'N Roses came from two members' former band names: L.A. Guns and Hollywood Roses.
280. The Cure contributed a version of "Purple Haze" to the Hendrix tribute album Stone Free.
281. Seals & Crofts released five Gold albums for Warner Bros. between '72 and '76.
282. In 1958, Muddy Waters shocked Europe with his electric guitar blues.
283. "Moon River" by Henry Mancini was one of the best-sellers of the '60s.
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Barack Obama picks Chuck Hagel as his running mate: 1 percent. Remember, he's picking his presumptive heir.
