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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Severe Tire Damage: Internet’s 1st Live Band
1993 – “We were using about have the available bandwidth of the Internet. With just us doing really really bad songs.” Russ Haynes, Digital Equipment Corp. Severe Tire Damage was…
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The San Jose Connection: Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham’s Early Years
“It’s pretty darn good to be back in my own specific and very special hood,” she said. “This is where it all started, and I had to take a minute…
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America’s First Rock ‘n’ Roll Riot
And on July 7, 1956, America experienced its first “rock ‘n’ roll riot.” Ain’t that a shame.
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World’s First Radio Station
Doc Herrold launched worlds first radio station in downtown San Jose in 1909. And, coined the term “broadcasting”. His radio station is now KCBS 740 AM.
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Largest Rock Festival in US
Steve Wozniak’s second US Festival in 1983 had total reported attendance at 670,000.
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Reinventing How Music is Consumed
“Steve Jobs totally re-invented how we as artists market, sell and promote our music,” says Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell.
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World’s First DJ was From San Jose
Sybil Herrold became the world’s first DJ in 1912. While working with her husband Charles Herrold who launched the world’s first radio broadcasting station in San Jose in 1909. Her…
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Chuck Berry not Born in San Jose
“Charles Edward Anderson Berry, 18 October 1926, San Jose, California, USA (although Berry states that he was born in St. Louis, Missouri).” The 1930 Census does in fact list him…
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Most Successful Guitar Magazine
San Josean Bud Eastman, launched Guitar Player Magazine in 1967 to the heights of the musical world.
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