Pink Floyd was out with its 10th studio album on this day in 1977 in the UK. Its US release would come on February 12th. With four songs, two of them multi-part and the pair that weren't 17 minutes and 10 minutes in length, the release was challenging to radio stations, but Floyd's stature made airplay certain.

On January 23, 1976 The Kinks released Schoolboys In Disgrace and David Bowie put out Station To Station and Elvis Costello's Trust hit record stores on this day in 1981, and John Mellencamp released Freedom today in 2007.

Rockers born on January 23 include Patrick Simmons of the Doobie Brothers (1950), the late Danny Federici of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band (1950-2008) and Cheap Trick's Robin Zander (1953).

Chicago guitarist Terry Kath accidentally shot himself and died on this day in 1978 while showing off with one of his guns in the home of one of the band's roadies. Allen Collins of Lynyrd Skynyrd died of pneumonia on January 23, 1990. Collins had been partially paralyzed in a car crash four years earlier that killed his girlfriend.

The Allman Brothers Band played Saturday Night Live on this night in 1982.