Journey's rise to mass popularity was still a  couple of years off, but the album the Bay Area band formed by Santana's former manager built around Santana's other guitarist, Neal Schon and keyboard player Gregg Rolie opened 1976 with an album that gave a better indication of what lay ahead for the group than the previous year's self titled debut.

  

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on January 1 include...

 

1942 "Country" Joe McDonald of Country Joe and the Fish born.

1950 Mott The Hoople key board player Morgan Fisher born.

1962 Beatles audition for Decca Records and are rejected. Sign with EMI in June.

1968 Blue Velvets change name to Creedence Clearwater Revival.

1970 Jimi Hendrix debuts Band Of Gypsys and records live album at Fillmore East.

1976 Jimmy Buffett releases Havana Daydreamin'.

1980 Late era Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner born. Replaces KK Dowling in 2010.

1984 Alexis Korner dies of lung cancer.

1985 VH1 debuts.

1986 John Fogerty releases Eye of The Zombie.

1995 Crowd estimated at 2-3 million turns out for Rod Stewart beach front Concert in Rio.

1997 Townes van Zandt dies.

2002 Eric Clapton stages surprise wedding to Melia McEnery during the baptism of couple’s daughter.

2010 James Taylor sings national anthem before Flyers-Bruins NHL game at Fenway Park.

2011 Chuck Berry collapses on stage during a concert in Chicago, returns a short while later and has to leave the stage again.

2018 Ace Frehley performs New York Groove before NHL Winter Classic (Sabres-Rangers) at Citi Field in Queens...