Rockers
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) have contributed to an 11-county Bay Area movement that created a legacy of groundbreaking music and technological innovation spanning every imaginable genre.
These stories provide a glimpse into Silicon Valley's rich cultural fabric — moments where creativity, collaboration, and innovation flourish across rock, punk, mariachi, blues, jazz, hip-hop, EDM, classical, Taiko, video game music, and countless other genres — shaping both the local community and the global music industry.
We're continuously curating and sharing stories that illustrate the depth of this legacy, highlighting the individuals, events, and innovations that define San Jose Rocks' mission. As we grow with the help of contributors from across the Valley, we'll expand our collection to ensure every city's unique musical heritage is represented, celebrating San Jose's and Silicon Valley's unparalleled contributions to music and technology across all genres, and inspiring today's and tomorrow's musicians and innovators.
Smash Mouth
San Jose’s sonic sensation, crafting catchy anthems, and igniting the ’90s music scene with their infectious blend of rock and pop, achieving unparalleled success and enduring acclaim.
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December People
Meet another local innovation in rock music. Meet Campbell, CA’s Robert Berry and December People. Holiday music will never be the same.
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Laurie Roberts, Goddess of the Airwaves.
On June 19, 2021, a group of Laurie Roberts’ friends came together at Pruneyard Cinemas in Campbell, CA to celebrate the life of a person who left San Jose and the Bay Area a better place than when she arrived.
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John Tristao
John Tristao has reached rarified air encountered by few others in rock ‘n’ roll. He was the frontman for Creedence Clearwater Revisited. Before being tapped by Creedence, Tristao had logged many years with San Jose hitmakers People! and West Coast…
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Paul Kanter
As a founding member and integral element of Jefferson Airplane, San Francisco’s first great rock ‘n’ roll band-then as the main cog in Jefferson Starship, the aggregation spawned in the mid-’70s when the Airplane rolled into the hangar for the…
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Santa Clara County Fairgrounds
The most star-studded shows ever presented at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds must have been the pair of Northern California Folk-Rock Festivals of 1968 and 1969. The musical glories of Woodstock and the Monterey Pop Festival are indisputable!
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Larry Norman
In 2001 The Gospel Music Association recognized Norman-with over 50 albums in his career dossier-for his pioneering efforts in the field of Christian Rock and inducted him into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
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Syndicate of Sound
If any one song summed up the swaggering teenage spirit of 1966-the year revered by rock historians as the fountain head of what is now called “garage rock”, it was “Little Girl” by the Syndicate of Sound – hitting #8…
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Papa Doo Run Run
As the British Invasion reached a fever pitch in 1965, every American garage band seemed intent on emulating the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds or the Kinks. And four kids from Cupertino who would one day become Papa Doo Run Run…
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