VH1 Classic turns October into "Rocktober" this year when the channel, now in 43 million homes, begins rolling out its most aggressive primetime slate of new series, specials and movies featuring Elton John, AC/DC with Bon Scott, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Judas Priest, The Police, Tom Petty and Def Leppard. The network for classic music lovers will begin debuting its new series on Monday, October 2 with the premiere of "Classic Albums" followed by new series, stunts and specials throughout the fall including "Old School Hip Hop," "BBC Crown Jewels," "Class Of...," "Rock & Roll Picture Show," "Pop Up Video" and "Classic In Concert."
VH1 Classic will premiere the extended two-hour "UK Music Hall of Fame 2006 Induction Ceremony" on Thursday, November 23 at 8:00 PM/ET. This year's line-up features live performances from and special tributes to artists such as Brian Wilson, Led Zeppelin, Rod Stewart, British soul sensation Joss Stone, R&B legend Patti LaBelle and Wolfmother. Also this fall VH1 Classic will premiere new installments of its hit concert series "Decades Rock Live" honoring legendary artists including The Pretenders (October 20) with more acts to come.
"Classic Albums" Premieres October 2
VH1 Classic's premiere series "Classic Albums" tells the story behind the making of one of rock music's most seminal albums. The series will make its U.S. debut on Monday, October 2 at 8:00 PM/ET with "Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." Additional episodes will debut each night that week including "Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland," "Def Leppard: Hysteria," "Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon" and "Judas Priest: British Steel." The series moves to its regular Tuesday night slot on October 10.
"Old School Hip Hop" Premieres October 9
VH1 Classic presents an all-new special series "Old School Hip Hop," in honor of the upcoming "VH1 Hip Hop Honors" airing on VH1 on October 17. The 5-hour music video-based special will look at the history of the hip hop phenomenon. "Old School Hip Hop" will premiere on Monday, October 9 - Friday, October 13 at 9:00 PM/ET with additional episodes airing throughout the fall.
"BBC Crown Jewels" Premieres October 16
Under the banner "BBC Crown Jewels," VH1 Classic will premiere rare performances from the BBC archives never-before-seen in the U.S. including episodes of the legendary anthology series "The Old Grey Whistle Test." Beginning on Monday, October 16 at 10:00 PM/ET, VH1 Classic will roll out exclusive concerts from such acts as AC/DC featuring the original frontman Bon Scott. Additional concert performances from Rod Stewart, The Police, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Tom Petty will premiere each night of that week before moving to its Thursday night home. Glenn Tilbrook from the beloved UK band Squeeze will host the series.
"Class Of..." Premieres October 23
VH1 Classic's "Class Of..." will premiere on Monday, October 23 (TIME TBD) beginning with the "Class Of 1977." The "Class Of ... " music video franchise highlights a specific year of classic artists who all "graduated" into our memories that year. Additional episodes covering the years of 1981, 1984, 1988 and 1992 will air throughout that week.
"VH1 Classic Rock Docs." Premieres November 13
The "VH1 Classic Rock Docs" franchise will premiere on Monday, November 13 (TIME TBD). Throughout the week, VH1-produced documentaries "Heavy: The Story of Metal," "U.S. vs. John Lennon," "My Generation: Who's Still Who" will make their VH1 Classic debut as well as acquired docs including "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey," "No Direction Home" and a variety of vintage documentary titles such as "Woodstock," "Last Waltz," "Imagine: John Lennon," "U2: Rattle and Hum" "Jimi Hendrix," "Janis," "Year of the Horse" and much more.
"Pop Up Video" Premieres November 27
The pop culture series, "Pop Up Video" is coming back! VH1 Classic will be re-airing episodes of the vintage VH1 hit series revealing intimate (and sometimes embarrassing) info about the artists and the making of their most popular music videos through an "info-nugget," a graphic factoid bubble that "pops" onto the screen. "Pop Up Video" will premiere Monday, November 27 - Friday, December 1 (TIME TBD).
Popular VH1 Classic franchises including "Classic In Concert" and "Rock and Roll Picture Show" also return in the fall. "Classic In Concert" will showcase live, full-concert performances from some of the greatest names in rock, pop & soul. "Rock and Roll Picture Show" will make its primetime debut with the popular favorites including "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "Rocky Horror Picture Show," "This Is Spinal Tap," "24-Hour Party People" and "Rock Star."
To learn more about these series and other VH1 Classic series and specials please visit http://www.vh1classic.com/.
