Featured Stories
San Jose Rocks celebrates how Santa Clara County’s 15 cities (Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga, and Sunnyvale) were a part of an 11-county Bay Area movement that created a legacy of groundbreaking music and technological innovation. These interconnected stories provide a glimpse into Silicon Valey’s rich cultural fabric — moments where creativity, collaboration, and innovation flourish — is shaping the local community as well as the global music industry.
Here, we share the stories that illustrate the depth of this legacy, highlighting the individuals, events, and innovations that define San Jose Rocks’ mission to celebrate San Jose’s and Silicon Valley’s unparalleled contributions to music and technology, and inspiring today’s and tomorrow’s musicians and innovators.
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ATTENTION FANS OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD, SAN JOSE HISTORY AND GROOVY STUFF IN GENERAL
We want to do something very cool. But we need your help. This is the 60th anniversary year of the Grateful Dead, the Bay Area’s foremost musical export. On December 4, 1965, the band’s first performance took place in a Victorian house that once stood on the current footprint of San Jose City Hall. On…
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The Doobie Brothers House: Where another legendary Bay Area band found their sound (285 S. 12th St.)
In the early 1970s, San Jose wasn’t the sprawling tech hub it is today. It was a smaller, quieter city—a place where orchards dotted the landscape and creativity thrived in unexpected corners. Among these corners was a house at 285 South 12th Street, in the historic Naglee Park neighborhood. Unassuming from the outside, this house became…
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San Jose: The Birthplace of Broadcasting and a Catalyst for Global Music Innovation (50 W. San Fernando St.)
The Bay Area’s revolution in sound proves that innovation knows no borders. In 1909, Charles “Doc” Herrold built the world’s first radio broadcasting station in downtown San Jose. Known then as “San Jose Calling,” this pioneering station later evolved into what we now know as KCBS in San Francisco—a perfect example of how the region’s…
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The Offstage: A crucial hub connecting folk and psychedelic scenes across the Bay Area (490 S. 1st St.)
While the intimate Offstage venue in downtown San Jose played a pivotal role in bridging folk and psychedelic movements in the South Bay, it was part of a vast, interconnected network of small clubs and coffeehouses that nurtured the Bay Area’s vibrant folk music scene. These venues provided welcoming spaces for emerging artists to hone…
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San Jose State University: A Crucible for Music, Culture, and Innovation.
San Jose State University (SJSU) has played a pivotal role in shaping the Bay Area’s musical and cultural identity. Its contributions extend far beyond chance meetings of future rock stars in its halls, as it was part of a broader network of Bay Area campuses that served as crucibles for musical innovation and social change. From UC Berkeley’s…
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The Palomar Ballroom: Site of the first rock ‘n’ roll riot in 1957. (North of Hotel de Anza)
The 1957 riot at San Jose’s Palomar Ballroom during a rock ‘n’ roll show featuring Fats Domino marked a pivotal moment in Bay Area music history. Sparked by the overwhelming excitement of fans, the riot underscored the explosive cultural power of rock ‘n’ roll as it swept the nation. This moment reflected the growing tensions between youth eager to…
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