Is there anyone who hasn't scanned the radio dial on a long road trip and endured noisy static, angry talk shows, and music that disappoints in a desperate search for a classic rock station?
But who knew the classic rock concept was born in Michigan almost 30 years ago?
Fred Jacobs, an Oakland County-based radio consultant, was part of that birth in 1985. He said WMMQ in Charlotte, Michigan, was the first classic rock station, and the format quickly spread across the country.
Jacobs said he was inspired by complaints from listeners who couldn't find the music they had grown up with and loved.
Jacobs said classic rock is not the same as "golden oldies." It is about the golden age of rock – music people will still be listening to in 100 years.
Jacobs said classic rock started with music from the 60s and 70s and musicians like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and Eric Clapton.
But he said it's all about the music of your youth that you never get tired of hearing. And as generations move on, classic rock has added 80s and even more recent music to its roster.
