Latest articles by Johnny Black
On August 27, 1990, Stevie Ray Vaughan played the gig of his life. Just hours later he was killed when his helicopter crashed in thick fog. This is the inside story of that tragic day
The combination of drugs, guns and a troubled wife meant things wouldn’t end well for the Mountain bassist. Here, insiders and eye-witnesses remember his murder trial
The Doors brought controversy with them when they arrived to play their debut UK gigs, but over two nights at London’s Roundhouse it was their incendiary music that did the talking.
Pink Floyd’s classic line-up reunited only once, to play the historic Live 8 charity concert in 2005. Just don’t ask them to do it again
Jimi at 80 When Jimi Hendrix arrived in London in 1966, he not only blew the minds of fellow rock legends-in-making: he'd help spark a whole new form of electric blues
“This pistol is filled with LSD. I’m gonna squirt the troops and get them all high"
In 1971, Black Sabbath released the monumental Master Of Reality album, inventing heavy metal’s future… and opening the door on an era of cocaine, Quaaludes and dagger-wielding Satanists
From London's east end to some of the biggest stages in the world, Iron Maiden's story started with a three track demo and a sweaty pub gig decked out like an old Western movie...
It was the biggest music battle of the 80s. In the blue corner: Dee Snider, Frank Zappa and John Denver. In the red corner: the US government
In 1982 The Clash's Joe Strummer disappeared without telling his bandmates, his manager or his record label. Then he got drunk and ran a marathon
It was meant to be as monumental as the original Woodstock, but 1972’s Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival went the other way: out-of-control drug abuse, sanitation problems, arson and death
Studio innovations, sonic trickery, songwriting genius and everything including the kitchen sink (well, a bathtub). This is how The Beatles made Revolver and revolutionised rock
Among the many stars of London’s blues scene, one guy outplayed them all – Peter Green. This is the story of his time in The Bluesbreakers, and how Fleetwood Mac were born
As big as Live Aid, with an unfeasibly broad bill of rock, pop and showbiz stars, the Wembley fest commemorated Queen’s late flamboyant frontman and made a little history of its own
With the band falling apart, The Beatles set to work on a new album. More than 50 years after its release, this is the fractious story of Let It Be
Jimi Hendrix’s debut album, Are You Experienced, was pieced together in London in between dazzling live gigs that left the competition reeling. But the end results are still a revelation
Rumours of the David Bowie’s demise proved to be premature when he kicked off 2013 with the shock release of a new album, The Next Day, recorded in complete secrecy
Thirty years on from powering their way into Northern Ireland’s indie rock scene, Therapy? have no intention of mellowing into middle age
When some of the most talented stars of the era met in a small New York club, the on-stage jamming soon turned into a full-on, bottle-breaking brawl between Jimi, Jim and Janis
Bribery. Levitation. Exorcisms. Demons. It's all in a days work for Killing Joke as they record inside the Great Pyramid
Classic Rock talks to Jimi Hendrix's friends, admirers and other musicians about his life and importance
Hear ’n Aid saw the hard-rock community muscling in on the charity single bandwagon. Cue a heavyweight cast, guitar battles and big hair contests
“The glass went straight through my fingers then sliced down and cut the tendons and nerves. It cut an artery as well...”
