DJ Fred’s Rock N’ Roll Factoids For January 5th [VIDEOS]

They threw this rocker in the slammer for going berserk! 

It was this day in 1968 that Jimi Hendrix had ingested far too much drink and god knows what else when he destroyed his hotel room in Stockholm, Sweden.  The Swedes being the sedate and even tempered race that they are threw the future rock and roll hall of famer in jail for twenty-four hours to mellow out. The Goteberg Hotel still stands today, so Jimi didn't throw too much of a fit.

This day back in 1969, Led Zeppelin played the first of four nights at  the Whisky A Go-Go in Los Angeles.  Alice Cooper was the opening act.  Zep was billed as "Led Zeppelin, featuring Jimmy Page of the Yardbirds."

In 1973 on this day Bruce Springsteen released his debut album.  Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. sold just 25,000 copies in its first year if release.  It's my favorite album by The Boss, and it features Blinded By The Light, Spirit In The Night and It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City!

Prince made his live debut on this night in 1979 at the Capri Theatre in Minneapolis.  Record executives in the audience that night passed on the artist because they thought that he needed more time to develop his music.  It didn't take much time.

In 1988 the singer and former TV variety host who went on to become a U.S. Congressman died in a skiing accident in Lake Tahoe.  Sonny Bono was 62.

In 2004 Ray Davies of the Kinks was shot was running after a couple of thugs who had just stolen his girlfriend's purse.  Davies and his woman were vacationing in New Orleans when two men came out of the darkness with a gun. Luckily enough, the foolish rocker was not injured that badly and the cops eventually caught the thieves.

Sam Phillips, the founder of Sun Records was born on this day in 1923.  Phillips record label had a whole bunch of early rock n' rollers under contract including Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis.  Yeah, he was there when it happened!  Here was there for the birth of rock n' roll!  Phillips died in July of 2003.