On 21st July 1987 the long awaited Guns N‘ Roses debut „Appetite for Destruction“ hit the stores. The LP became a mega seller and sold over 30 million times worldwide.
Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 17th January!
Happy birthday to Mr. Michael Kevin „Mick“ Taylor, who was born on the 17th January 1949 in Welwyn Garden City (later raised in Hatfield, Hertfordshire – UK). Mick became very famous as the second guitarist for The Rolling Stones from 1969 until 1974. During this time the legendary milestons „Let It Bleed“ (1969), „Sticky Fingers“ (1971) and „Exile on Main St.“ (1972) were released.
Mick Taylor started playing guitar at the age of nine and as a teenager he formed various bands – one of these groups was called The Juniors and the Strangers. With this formation he had a television appearance and also a single was released. After the break-up, The Gods were founded, which featured also Ken Hensley (later memeber of Uriah Heep) and the Glascock brothers Brian (drums) and John (bass – he later joined Jethro Tull). In 1966 this very young and encouraging band did the support for the supergroup Cream at the Starlite Ballroom in Wembley. In May 1967 Mick Taylor left the band and joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, replacing guitarist Peter Green, who was going to found Fleetwood Mac.
One year later, when The Rolling Stones fired Brian Jones in June 1969, John Mayall recommended Taylor to frontman Mick Jagger. During the rehearsing sessions, Keith Richards was very impressed and Taylor became a new member of the Stones. On the 5th July 1969, at the legendary free concert in Hyde Park (London), Mick Taylor had his onstage debut – just three days after Brian Jones had died.
Mick Taylor recorded – beside the mentioned master pieces – also the other two Rolling Stones studio albums „Goats Head Soup“ (1973) and „It’s Only Rock ’n Roll“ (1974). And his outstanding playing is also featured on the live LP „Get Yer Ya-Yas Out!“ (1970).
In December 1974, Mick Taylor announced his leaving. One month before, Taylor told Nick Kent from the „NME“ magazine about the upcoming LP „It’s only Rock’n’Roll“, that he had also co-written the tracks „Till the Next Goodbye“ and „Time Waits for No One„, but there were no songwriting credits for Taylor on the sleeve noted:
„I was a bit peeved about not getting credit for a couple of songs, but that wasn’t the whole reason [I left the band]. I guess I just felt like I had enough. I decided to leave and start a group with Jack Bruce. I never really felt, and I don’t know why, but I never felt I was gonna stay with the Stones forever, even right from the beginning“, Taylor in an inteview with Gary James. Before that, there were also some discussions about song credits: „We used to fight and argue all the time. And one of the things I got angry about was that Mick had promised to give me some credit for some of the songs – and he didn’t. I believed I’d contributed enough. Let’s put it this way – without my contribution those songs would not have existed. There’s not many but enough, things like „Sway“ and „Moonlight Mile“ on Sticky Fingers and a couple of others.“ (from an interview with „Mojo“ magazine in 1997).
Welcomt to my Music Diary – today for the 11th December!
Happy birthday to bass player Darryl Jones, who was born on the 11th December 1961 in Chicago! Also called „The Munch“, Darryl started his career as a session man. One of the first recordings he did with Vince Wilburn Jr, who was the nephew of Jazz musician Miles Davis. At that time Miles was looking for a new bass player and so Vince vouched for him. The consequence: Trumpet player Miles Davis mentored Darry Jones and gave him his first touring gig in 1983. Jones‘ bass playing can be heard on the two albums „Decoy“ (1984) and „You’re Under Arrest“ (1985). Over the years Darryl Jones recorded with a lot of great musicians of all genres, like Herbie Hancock, Mike Stern, John Scofield, Bob Dylan, Cher, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Madonna, Eric Clapton and Joan Armatrading.
Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 19th November!
Happy birthday to drummer Matt Sorum, who was born on the 19th Novermber 1960 in Mission Viejo, California! Sorum is well known as the drummer of Guns N‘ Roses, with whom he recorded three studio albums. Before joining the Hardrock legends he worked with The Cult and Y Kant Tori Read (a project fronted by Tori Amos).
In 1990 Slash was looking for a new drummer and a replacement for Steven Adler. The Guns N’Roses guitarst saw Matt playing on the Cult tour, supporting the fourth studio album „Sonic Temple„. Slash was very impressed and asked Sorum, if he would like to join. So soon later he became the new drummer in the Gunners line-up and stayed for seven years. His powerful drumming can be heard on the three LPs „Use Your Illusion I„, „Use Your Illusion II“ (both 1991) and „The Spaghetti Incident?“ (1993).
Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 9th November!
Rolling Stone – Number One (9th November 1967)
On the 9th November 1967, the first issue of the Rolling Stone Magazine was published in San Francisco and sold for 25 Cents. On the cover is a picture of John Lennon, while acting for the film „How I won the War“ (directed by Richard Lester). The moniker „Rolling Stone“ was a compilation of the three things: The famous Muddy Waters song, Bob Dylan’s first Rock’n’Roll record and – of course – The Rolling Stones. The magazine was founded by Jann Wenner, who is still the editor-in-chief, and music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The total circulation in 2012 was over 1.4 millions only for the US market. Over the years the Rolling Stone was also published all over the world and in different languages.
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Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 7th November!
On the 7th November 1991, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin announced his leaving from Guns N’ Roses. The founding member of the American Hardrock band was replaced by Gilby Clarke, who filled in for the „Use Your Illusion„-worldtour.
Izzy Stradlin, his real name is Jeffrey Dean Isbell, justified his quitting of a combination of Axl Rose’s personal behaviour and the difficulties of being around with the band in general. In an interview with „Rolling Stone„, he later recalled: „Once I quit drugs, I couldn’t help looking around and asking myself, ‚Is this all there is?‘ I was just tired of it; I needed to get out.“
Izzy played his last show with Guns N’Roses on the 31st August 1991 at the Wembley Stadium in London, UK.
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Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 31st October!
On 31st October 1996, guitarist Slash announced that he has left the Hardrock band Guns N‘ Roses.
In his book „Slash“ (2007) he remembers his historic decision:
„After working to make that band all that it could be for the better part of my life, saying good-bye to the institution I helped build was as alien as being launched into space. But once I’d done it, a weight was lifted from my shoulders and the lead was out of my shoes. It was like decompressing after a deepwater dive. The day I made my decision, I woke up early and called the powers that be to deliver the news, and went back to sleep. I don’t remember anything else of theat day aside from the fact that when I woke up again I was refreshed. I felt as if I’d just slept for a week.“
Slash was the lead guitarist in Guns N‘ Roses from June 1985 until October 1996. So after eleven years he was leaving one of the most successful rockbands in the world and started working on his solo career and other projects like Slash’s Snakepit and Velvet Revolver.
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Welcomt to my Music Diary – today for the 3rd October!
Stevie Ray Vaughan (3rd October 1954 – 27th August 1990)
In 1954 Mr. Stephen „Stevie“ Ray Vaughan was born in Dallas, Texas (USA). Also nicknamed as SRV, Vaughan was an American Blues musician. The singer and songwriter is still considered as one of the most influentical guitar players. Or as Allmusic describes him as „a rocking powerhouse of a guitarist who gave blues a burst of momentum in the ’80s, with influence still felt long after his tragic death.“
And Chris Gill of Guitar World commented on Stevie’s unique style: „Stevie Ray Vaughan’s guitar tone was as dry as a San Antonio summer and as sparkling clean as a Dallas debutante, the product of the natural sound of amps with ample clean headroom. However, Vaughan occasionally used pedals to augment his sound, mainly to boost the signal, although he occasionally employed a rotating speaker cabinet and wah pedals for added textural flair.“
Stevie started guitar playing at the age of seven. In 1971 he was dropped out from school and one year later he moved from Dallas to Austin and started his career as a musician. At this time he played with people like Marc Benno (The Nightcrawlers) and Denny Freeman (Cobras). In 1977 SRV founded his own band called „Triple Threat Revue“ – shortly after that drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon joined the group and it was renamed in Double Trouble. Five years later at the famous Montreux Jazz Festival (1982) Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble became much more famous. The album debut „Texas Flood“ was released one year later and charted at No. 38 in the US charts. Before the album „In Step“ was recorded, Stevie Ray Vaughan went into rehab in 1986.
On the 27th August 1990 Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed in a helicopter crash. He died at the age of only 35. SRV earned six Grammy Awards and ten Austin Music Awards and he was inducted posthumously into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2014. The music magazin Rolling Stone ranked him as the twelfth greatest guitarist of all time.
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Welcome back to my Music Diary – today for the 17th September!
On the 17th September 1991 the Guns N‘ Roses double albums „Use Your Illusion I“ and „Use Your Illusion II“ were simultaneously released for retail sale. This marked the largest ship-out in music history in the US.
„Use Your Illusion I“ reached only in Canada the number one in the charts. „Use Your Illusion II“ topped the charts in USA, Australia, New Zealand and in the UK.
The Estonian-American artist Mark Kostabi did the cover art, which is based on Raphael’s frescoes The School of Athens. Originally painted between 1509 and 1510 in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.
Raphael – The School of Athens (Detail)
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Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 15th February!
Michael Bernard „Mike“ Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981)
On the 15th February 1981, an outstanding guitar player passed away: Mr. Michael Bernard „Mike“ Bloomfield died at the age of only 38 years.
Mike Bloomfied was born on the 28th July 1943 in Chicago, Illinois (USA). Already in his teenage years, Mike was addicted to Blues music and early he began to play with local black musicians like Sleepy John Estes, Yank Rachell and Little Brother Montgomery. Among his early supporters, who recognised Mike’s talent, were B. B. King, Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Buddy Guy and Al Kooper, who said about him: „They knew this was not just another white boy; this was someone who truly understood what the blues were all about.“
In 1968, Bloomfield crossed paths with Al Kooper again and they were thinking about, to record a jam album. With Mike’s mates Brooks, Goldberg and with drummer Eddie Hoh, the quintet recorded this legendary album. To complete the sessions, Kooper invited Stephen Stills – and the member of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young added his guitar parts for the LP, which was called „Super Session“ (released in July 1968).
One year later, Bloomfield’s first solo album „It’s Not Killing Me“ hit the stores and he worked with different artists and on several projects. Unfortunately Mike’s heroin addiction grew bigger and bigger and on 15th February 1981 he was found dead in his car. Mike Bloomfield died on an heroin overdors – he was only 38 years old.
On the 7th November 1991, rhythm guitarist 
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