This Day in Rock History: April 2

1955:  Elvis Presley, Johnny Horton and Floyd Cramer were featured on the famous Louisiana Hayride broadcast from Shreveport Auditorium.

1955:  We first heard of Pat Boone on this date as his first single, "Two Hearts" debuted on the chart and on the radio.

1955:  Johnny Ace reached double digits as "Pledging My Love" topped the R&B chart for the tenth week.
1964:  The Beatles made it four #1 songs in the UK with "Can't Buy Me Love".  The single scored 2.1 million in advanced copies, still an all-time record.
1964:  The Beach Boys recorded "I Get Around", which would soon become their first #1 song.
1965:  The television show Ready Steady Goes Live! premiered in the UK.
1965:  The Who made their debut on radio on the UK show Joe Loss Pop Show.

1966:  Sonny & Cher, the Turtles, the Mamas and the Papas, Donovan and Jan & Dean all appeared at a charity concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
1966:  SSgt. Barry Sadler spent a fifth week at #1 on the Adult chart with "The Ballad of the Green Berets".

         One of the Mamas & Papas greatest songs...

1965:  "The Ballad of the Green Berets" remained at #1 for the fifth week overall.  The Rolling Stones held on to #2 with "19th Nervous Breakdown" while the Righteous Brothers moved from 8 to 3 with "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration".  Lovin' Spoonful owned #4--"Daydream" while Simon & Garfunkel remained fifth with "Homeward Bound".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Nowhere Man" from the Beatles, the Mamas & Papas maintained with "California Dreamin'", Nancy Sinatra's former #1 "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" fell to #8, Cher moved from 17 to 9 with a solo hit--"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" and Gary Lewis & the Playboys grabbed #10 with "Sure Gonna Miss Her".

1967:  Steve Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group to form Traffic.
1967:  The Rolling Stones had more trouble at their concerts when 154 Austrian fans were arrested after a riot broke out.
1968:  Jimi Hendrix appeared in concert at the Paul Suave Arena in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1969:  Bruce Springsteen and his group Child appeared at the Pandemonium Club in Wanammasa, New Jersey.
1970:  Phil Spector completed final editing and mixing for the Beatles' Let It Be album.


1971:  Ringo Starr released his first solo record "It Don't Come Easy".
1972:  John Lennon and Yoko Ono held a press conference to discuss their side of the story in the Immigration Department's attempt to deport John.
1973:  The Beatles released the double compilation album 1962-1966, commonly known as The Red Album.
1973:  The Beatles released the double compilation album 1967-1970, commonly known as The Blue Album.
1973:  Elton John released the single "Daniel".
1975:  The Bay City Rollers had the #1 UK song with their remake of the Four Seasons' song "Bye Bye Baby".  It would finish the year as the best-selling song.
1977:  Stevie Wonder released "Sir Duke".

1977:  Abba controlled the singles chart with their fifth #1 in the UK, "Knowing Me, Knowing You", a Top 10 song in over 15 countries.
1977:  "Southern Nights" by Glen Campbell racked up a fourth week at #1 on the Adult chart.
1977:  Foreigner's first career single was hot--"Feels Like the First Time" moved from 89 to 70.

Paul McCartney had his 86th career hit, as a member of the Beatles, Wings, and his solo projects...

1977:  Hall & Oates were at #1 with "Rich Girl", holding off Abba's attempt at their first #1 stateside with "Dancing Queen".  Actor David Soul was at #3 with "Don't Give Up On Us" while Thelma Houston continued to edge up with "Don't Leave Me This Way".  The rest of the Top 10: Barbra Streisand's #1 smash "Evergreen" was down to 5, Glen Campbell bounded up from 16-6 with "Southern Nights", 10cc with "The Things We Do For Love", the Eagles vaulted from 17-8 with "Hotel California", Natalie Cole crossed over with "I've Got Love On My Mind" and Wings landed #10 with "Maybe I'm Amazed".

1977:  Fleetwood Mac enjoyed the first week of many at #1 with the landmark album Rumours.  The group began a seven-day tour of the UK at the Odeon in Birmingham, England.
1979:  Bob Seger released the single "Old Time Rock & Roll".
1981:  CBS announced the "Nice Price" promotion of back catalog items.  Early LP's from Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Billy Joel, Abba and Janis Joplin could be picked up for just  £2.99.

1983:  We first heard of an Irish band that would become of the all-time best.  "New Year's Day", U2's first single, debuted on the chart and on the radio.

1983:  Pink Floyd had the top album in the UK with The Final Cut.
1983:  Lionel Richie had one of The Top Adult Contemporary Songs of the 1980's, as "You Are" spent a sixth week at #1.
1983:  "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson enjoyed an eighth week at #1 on the R&B chart.  

"Make Believe" helped make Toto IV one of the great albums of the Rock Era...

1983:  Thriller by Michael Jackson was #1 on the album chart for the sixth week.  Frontiers from Journey took second with H2O by Hall & Oates third.  Men At Work's long-running #1 Business As Usual remained in the #4 spot while Styx moved from 10 to 5 with Kilroy Was Here.  The rest of the Top 10:  Rio from Duran Duran, Lionel Richie's self-titled album, the Grammy Award-winning Toto IV was still at #8 after 50 weeks of release, Def Leppard's album Pyromania was #9 and The Distance from Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band fell to #10.

1983:  Al Jarreau's new release was gathering respect as "Mornin'" moved from #73 to #55.
1983:  "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson was #1 for a fifth week.
1984:  Steve Perry, former lead singer of Journey, released his first solo single, "Oh Sherrie".
1984:  Deniece Williams released her single from the "Footloose" Soundtrack, "Let's Hear It for the Boy".
1987:  U2 began a North American tour to promote The Joshua Tree with a concert at the Arizona State Activity Center in Tempe.

1988:  Terence Trent D'Arby took over at #1 on the R&B chart with "Wishing Well".
1988:  Whitney Houston took over at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Where Do Broken Hearts Go".
1990:  Eric Clapton was fined by Walton-on-Thames Magistrate Court after being arrested for speeding at 105 mph.
1990:  Nirvana was busy working on demos of "In Bloom", "Sappy", "Dive", "Lithium", "Pay to Play", "Imodium" and "Polly" at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin.

1991:  Gloria Estefan had the #1 song "Coming Out of the Dark".
 

1991:  Great human being LL Cool J donated a pair of sneakers to every student and teacher at The Thompson Middle School in Dorchester after the school won the "Foot Locker Cool School Video" contest.
1993:  Roberta Flack appeared on the ABC soap opera, Loving.

1994:  Ace of Base had the #1 album with The Sign.
1995:  2Pac began a four-week stay at #1 with the album Me Against the World.
1997:  Joni Mitchell was reunited with Kilauren Gibb, the daughter she had given up for adoption in 1965.
 

1998:  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened a new wing in Cleveland, Ohio.
1998:  Rob Pilatus of the ill-fated Milli Vanilli was found dead in Frankfurt, Germany after taking a deadly dose of drugs and alcohol.

1998:  Metallica debuted the "Poor Re-Touring Me Tour" at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre in Newcastle, Australia.
2001:  Crazy Town was #1 with "Butterfly".
2001:  Mariah Carey signed the most lucrative recording deal in music history, signing with Virgin Records for $80 million, only to be paid off later not to do any more albums for them.

2003:  R. Kelly announced he was recording a tribute to members of the military "Soldier's Heart".  Proceeds of the song went to families of the soldiers.
 

2003:  Edwin Starr, who gave us the timeless classic "War" died at his British home at the age of 61.
2006:  John Lennon's schoolbook containing the 12-year-old's drawing of the Lewis Carroll poem The Walrus and the Carpenter" was auctioned off at the price of $239,733.  That poem was the inspiration for the 1967 hit "I Am the Walrus".

2011:  Richard Patterson, drummer of the Esquires died at the age of 66 after suffering a neurological illness.



Born This Day:
 

1939:  Marvin Gaye was born in Washington, D.C.; died April 1, 1984 when he was shot one day prior to his 45th birthday by his father.
 

1941:  Dr. Demento (real name Barret Eugene Hansen), radio personality and creator of the "Funny Five", was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
 

1941:  Leon Russell was born in Lawton, Oklahoma.
1943:  Glen Dale, guitarist and vocalist with the Fortunes
1946:  Kurt Winter, guitarist and songwriter of the Guess Who; died of kidney failure December 15, 1997.
1952:  Leon Wilkeson, bassist for Lynyrd Skynyrd, was born in Newport, Rhode Island; was found dead in a Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida hotel room on July 27, 2001 after spending many years suffering from chronic liver and lung disease. 
1953:  David Robinson, drummer of the Cars, was born in Woburn, Massachusetts.
 

1956:  Gregory Abbott ("Shake You Down") was born in New York City.
1961:  Keren Jane Woodward of Bananarama was born in Bristol, England.
 

1967:  Greg Camp, songwriter, guitarist and vocalist of Smash Mouth, was born in West Covina, California.
1979:  Jesse Carmichael, keyboardist for Maroon 5, was born in Boulder, Colorado.
1983:  Jasiel A. Robinson (Jung Joc) was born in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Legendary Whisky-A-Go-Go

The Whisky-A-Go-Go on Sunset Boulevard opened on January 11, 1964.  The famous Whisky-A-Go-Go was the place to be in rock's infancy.  Johnny Rivers has the Whisky to thank for his career.  He wasn't a traditional artist in the sense that most of his records were recorded live at the Whisky-A-Go-Go where he often was the resident act.

Rivers was the first star to come out of the club.  The tradition of having a girl in a mini-skirt above the crowd dancing in a cage started fairly early.  The Whisky nearly always had two to three bands playing on a given night, but sometimes they weren't billed.  Local bands would try to get on as the opening act and often they would use that as a springboard to fame.

Here is just a small sampling of the acts who played at the Whisky in the late 60's and early 70's: Rascals                                                                Jimi Hendrix Grass Roots                                                        Cream Beau Brummels                                                    Jackie Wilson Gentrys                                                                Them Buffalo Springfield                                                Youngbloods Doors                                                                  Animals Johnny Rivers                                                       Steppenwolf Turtles                                                                  Hollies Chamber Brothers                                                Linda Ronstadt Jefferson Airplane                                                 Golden Earring Outsiders                                                              Fleetwood Mac Iron Butterfly                                                        James Gang Smoky Robinson & the Miracles                           Bread Little Anthony & the Imperials                               Grand Funk Railroad Gladys Knight & the Pips                                       Kinks Temptations                                                           Boz Scaggs Four Tops                                                              Beach Boys Little Richard                                                         War Ventures                                                                Bob Seger Led Zeppelin                                                         Steve Miller Band Chicago Transit Authority                                       Alice Cooper Blood, Sweat & Tears                                            Traffic Spencer Davis Group                                             Canned Heat Three Dog Night                                                     Lynyrd Skynyrd Aerosmith                                                               Steely Dan Bachman-Turner Overdrive                                     Foghat Stevie Wonder                                                        Looking Glass Little Feat                                                               Spirit Labelle                                                                   Ten Years After Black Sabbath                                                        Yes Ted Nugent                                                            Uriah Heap Allman Brothers Band                                             Blues Image The Who                                                                Neil Diamond

The Whisky continued to host live acts, although these days there are simply thousands of other venues for groups to play at.  In the 70's groups such as the Runaways, Quiet Riot, Van Halen, the Ramones, Blondie, Elvis Costello and the Police played at the club.

Once the first wave of punk rock stars petered out, the famous Whisky began to have hard times and closed its doors in 1982.  But it reopened in 1986 as a place that could be rented by bands.  However, most of the booths disappeared and patrons were required to stand throughout the performances.  Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Motley Crue and the Red Hot Chili Peppers played at the Whisky in the 80's.  When the grunge-rock style took over in the 90's, the Whisky was the site for Soundgarden, Nirvana, and others.

The club is still open on the Sunset Strip with music nightly.

Discography: Metallica

1983:  Kill 'Em All (#120)
1984:  Ride the Lightning (#100)
1986:  Master of Puppets (#29)
1988:  ...And Justice For All (#6)
1991:  Metallica (#1)
1996:  Load (#1)
1997:  Reload (#1)
1998:  Garage, Inc. (#2)
2003:  St. Anger (#1)
2008:  Death Magnetic (#1)

Live Albums:
1993:  Live ****:  Binge & Purge (#26)
1999:  S&M (#2)
2009:  Orgullo, Pasion y Gloria:  Tres Noches en la Ciudad de Mexico
2010:  The Big 4 Live from Sofia, Bulgaria

Video Albums:
1987:  Cliff 'Em All
1989:  2 of 1
1992:  A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica
1993:  Live ****:  Binge & Purge
1998:  Cunning Stunts
1999:  S&M
2001:  Classic Albums:  Metallica - Metallica
2006:  The Videos:  1989-2004
2009:  Francais Pour Une Nuit
          Orgullo, Pasion y Gloria:  Tres Noches en la Ciudad de Mexico
2010:  The Big 4 Live from Sofia, Bulgaria

Compilations:
1990:  The Good, the Bad and the Live (Box Set)
2004:  Metallica:  Vinyl Box Set
2009:  The Metallica Collection (Box Set)

This Day in Rock History: April 1

1955:  George Martin became the head A&R man at Parlophone Records, a division of EMI.
1956:  Elvis Presley had a screen test at Paramount Studios in Hollywood for the role of Jimmy Curry in The Rainmaker.
1957:  The Everly Brothers released "Bye Bye Love".
1957:  Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers appeared live in concert at the London Palladium
 

1961:  The hard-working Beatles kicked off 92 straight shows at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg, Germany.  The foursome played for seven hours a night on weekdays and eight hours on weekends.  
1963:  Fats Domino switched recording labels, signing with ABC-Paramount.
1964:  John Lennon was reunited with his father after 17 years.
1965:  The Who recorded a show at a Manchester, England television studio for an appearance on the television show Top of the Pops.  The group then played a concert supporting Donovan at the Town Hall in Wembley, with Rod Stewart and the Soul Agents opening for both acts.
 

1966:  David Bowie's first single, "Do Anything You Say" was released.
1966:  The Troggs recorded "Wild Thing" at Regent Sound Studio in London.

1967:  The world first heard of this great San Francisco band on this date as their first single, "Somebody to Love" debuted on the chart.  Jefferson Airplane.
1967:  The Kinks were in concert at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland.
1967:  There was a new #1 song on the Easy Listening chart--"Somethin' Stupid", by father and daughter team Frank & Nancy Sinatra.

1967:  Simon & Garfunkel had a hot new song, as "At the Zoo" moved from #58 to #34.

            The Five Americans reached the Top 10...

1967:  The Turtles remained atop the chart with "Happy Together".  The Mamas & Papas held steady with "Dedicated to the One I Love" with former #1 "Penny Lane" from the Beatles in third.  Herman's Hermits were back with "There's a Kind of Hush" and there was a lot of chart activity with songs dropping as the Four Tops moved from 18-5 with "Bernadette".  The rest of the Top 10:  "This Is My Song" from Petula Clark, Buffalo Springfield remained at #7 with "For What It's Worth", although most stations had it higher, the Beatles had their 48th hit in four years with "Strawberry Fields Forever", Frank Sinatra & daughter Nancy moved to #9 with "Somethin' Stupid" and the Five Americans had a big hit on their hands with "Western Union".
 

1967:  The Monkees spent their 21st consecutive week at #1 on the album chart, 13 with their self-titled debut and 8 with More of the Monkees.  That was a Rock Era record, but the group was far from done.
1968:  Tommy James & the Shondells released the single "Mony Mony".
1969:  The Beach Boys sued their record label, Capitol, for $2 million in unpaid royalties.  The group also announced that they were starting their own Brothers Records label.
1970:  Musicians recorded the orchestral scores for the Beatles' songs "The Long and Winding Road" and "Across the Universe" that would be included on the Let It Be album.
 

1970:  The movie Woodstock premiered in Hollywood.
1970:  Over one million postal ticket applications were sent to Earls Court in London for the forthcoming series of six European concerts by the Rolling Stones.
1971:  Led Zeppelin performed in concert for the BBC Radio show Rock Hour at London's Paris Theater.  The group performed songs from their forthcoming fourth album.

1972:  Dr. Hook debuted on the chart with their first single, "Sylvia's Mother".
1972:  Mar Y Sol, a three-day festival in Puerto Rico, featured Rod Stewart, Alice Cooper, Emerson Lake & Palmer, the Allman Brothers and Dr. John.

                                         "Melissa"...

1972:  The Allman Brothers Band entered the Top 10 with one of their biggest career albums--Eat a Peach.
1972:  Roberta Flack wasted no time reaching #1 on the Adult chart with "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face".
1972:  America remained at #1 with "A Horse with No Name" as Neil Young continued at #2 with "Heart of Gold.  
1975:  The Bay City Rollers' TV series Shang-A-Lang premiered on ITV in the UK.
 

1976:  AC/DC made their live UK debut at the Red Cow in Hammersmith, London.
1976:  "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffett was released.
1976:  Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour's house was broken into and guitars valued at over £7,000 were stolen. 
 

1977:  Elvis Presley was admitted to a hospital in Memphis following fatigue and intestinal flu.  He was confined to a hospital bed for six days.
1978:  The Philadelphia Fury soccer team, owned by Paul Simon, Peter Frampton, James Taylor and others, made their debut.
1978:  The #1 song in the UK was "Denis" by Blondie.
1978: Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway rose to #1 on the R&B chart with "The Closer I Get to You".

           Clapton with one of his biggest career hits...

1978:  The Soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever" prevailed for an 11th week at #1 on the album chart.  Eric Clapton's Slowhand provided the closest competition, but it was way behind.  The great Billy Joel album The Stranger was still third after 26 weeks with Barry Manilow's Even Now in the #4 spot.  The rest of the Top 10:  Aja from Steely Dan, George Benson with Weekend in L.A., Jackson Browne slipped with Running On Empty, Kansas moved to #8 with Point of Know Return, Queen's News of the World slipped and Styx finished the list with The Grand Illusion.

   Paul Davis's song was about as durable as they come.

1978:  "Night Fever" by the Bee Gees was #1 for a third week.  The group had now been at #1 in 10 of the last 15 weeks, and songs written by the group (they also wrote "Love Is Thicker Than Water" for Andy Gibb) had been #1 for 12 of 15 weeks.  Their previous #1--"Stayin' Alive" was second, followed by Eric Clapton's "Lay Down Sally" and Barry Manilow with "Can't Smile Without You".  Two other songs written by the Bee Gees, "Emotion" by Samantha Sang and "If I Can't Have You" from Yvonne Elliman, were next.  The rest of the Top 10:  "I Go Crazy" by Paul Davis was still in the Top 10 after 32 weeks, Andy Gibb's song mentioned above, Jay Ferguson with "Thunder Island" and Kansas moved in with "Dust in the Wind".
1979:  The Who released the album The Kids Are Alright.
 

1983:  Kirk Hammett joined Metallica.
 

1984:  One of the most shocking moments in rock history--Marvin Gaye was shot dead by his father at his parent's home in Los Angeles.  Gaye had tried to intervene in a squabble his parents were having over misplaced documents, but was killed by the gun Gaye had given his father just four months before.  Marvin Gaye, Sr. pleaded guilty to manslaughter after first-degree murder charges had been dropped due to the discovery that he had a brain tumor.
1985:  David Lee Roth quit Van Halen.
1989:  Madonna collected her third #1 album in the UK with Like A Prayer.
1989:  The Fine Young Cannibals had the only new Top 10 album--The Raw & the Cooked.
 

1989:  The Bangles went to #1 in the U.S., the UK and Australia with "Eternal Flame", their second career #1.  "Stand" by R.E.M. shot up from 14 to 8.
1991:  Mariah Carey released the single "I Don't Wanna' Cry".
1992:  Jimmy Buffett's daughter Sarah Delaney was born in Nashville, Tennessee.
1993:  Carole King, David Crosby, Kenny Loggins, Phish, and Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart played a benefit concert in Portland, Oregon to save the forests.
1993:  Willie Nelson's tour bus crashed into a car in Riverdale, Canada, killing the car driver.
1995:  Montell Jordan had the new #1 song on the R&B chart with "This Is How We Do It".
1995:  Madonna's "Take a Bow" was #1 for a sixth week.  
1996:  Mariah Carey released the single "Always Be My Baby".

2000:  Santana's "Maria Maria" took over the #1 spot in the U.S. where it would stay for nine weeks.
2001:  Spice Girl Mel B was advised to sell her Buckinghamshire mansion because she couldn't afford to keep it.
2002:  Paul McCartney opened his "Driving USA" tour at the Oakland Arena in California.
 

2002:  Sum 41 opened a national concert tour in Philadelphia.
2003:  Pearl Jam was in concert at Denver's Pepsi Center.  Eddie Vedder took a George W. Bush mask and impaled it with his mike stand to the crowd's delight.
2004:  Paul Atkinson, guitarist with the Zombies, died at age 58 of liver and kidney disease.  Atkinson had been a record executive at Columbia at RCA, helping sign acts such as ABBA, Bruce Hornsby, Mr. Mister and Judas Priest.
2006:  Former R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry joined members of the group onstage at Georgia Theatre in Athens to play "Country Feedback".
2007:  Modest Mouse had the #1 album with We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.


Born This Day:
 

1932:  Debbie Reynolds was born in El Paso, Texas.
1934:  Jim Ed Brown of the Browns ("The Three Bells" from 1959) and a solo artist, was born in Sparkman, Arkansas.
1939:  Rudolph Isley of the Isley Brothers was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1942:  Alan Blakeley of the Tremeloes ("Silence Is Golden") was born in Bromley, Kent, England; died June 10, 1996.
1942:  Phil Margo, singer and drummer of the Tokens ("The Lion Sleeps Tonight"), producer of Tony Orlando & Dawn, the Chiffons and the Happenings, and science fiction author, was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1942:  Danny Brooks, bass singer of the Dovells ("You Can't Sit Down") 
1945:  John Barbata, drummer of the Turtles, Jefferson Airplane/Starship and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and also a session guitarist for Eric Clapton, was born in Passaic, New Jersey.
 

1946:  Ronnie Lane, co-founder, vocalist and bassist with Small Faces ("Itchycoo Park"), died on June 4, 1997 (age 51) after a battle with multiple sclerosis.
1947:  Robin Scott (known as "M" on the hit "Pop Muzik" in 1979) was born in Croydon, London.
1948:  Jimmy Cliff, singer (remake of "I Can See Clearly Now") and songwriter (Cat Stevens' "Wild World"), was born in the Somerton District of St. James, Jamaica.
1948:  Simon Cowe, guitarist for Lindisfarne ("Run For Home")
1952:  Billy Currie, songwriter and keyboardist for Ultravox, was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.
 

1954:  Jeff Porcaro, drummer for Toto, was born in Hartford, Connecticut.
1961:  Mark White, guitar and keyboardist for ABC, was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England.
 

1961:  Susan Boyle, singer who caught the world by storm after her appearance on Britain's Got Talent, was born in Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland.  Susan's album I Dreamed a Dream was released shortly afterwards.
1965:  Peter O'Toole of Hothouse Flowers
1971:  Method Man (real name Clifford Smith) was born in Staten Island, New York.
1972:  Jesse Tobias, musician who has worked with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alanis Morissette and Morrissey.
1981:  Hannah Louise Spearitt, vocalist for S Club 7, was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England.
1986:  Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum was born in Nashville, Tennessee.

First Hits

Some acts jump right out of the gate with a killer song as their debut.  I was thinking of America's debut "A Horse With No Name" and wondered what the first hits (first release that most people heard) of some other acts were.  I was struck by how many superstars gave us classics with their first release.

Abba:  "Waterloo"

Paula Abdul:  "Straight Up"

America:  "A Horse With No Name"

Animals:  "The House of the Rising Sun"

Beatles:  "I Want To Hold Your Hand"

Pat Benatar:  "Heartbreaker"

Bon Jovi:  "You Give Love a Bad Name"

Boston:  "More Than A Feeling

Carpenters:  "Close To You"

Chicago:  "Make Me Smile"

Petula Clark:  "Downtown"

Creedence Clearwater Revival:  "Suzie Q"

Deep Purple:  "Hush"

Def Leppard:  "Photograph"

Doobie Brothers:  "Listen To the Music"

Doors:  "Light My Fire"

Eagles:  "Take It Easy"

Everly Brothers:  "Bye Bye Love"

5th Dimension:  "Up, Up and Away"

Foreigner:  "Feels Like the First Time"

4 Seasons:  "Sherry"

Jefferson Airplane:  "Somebody To Love"

Billy Joel:  "Piano Man"

Elton John:  "Your Song"

Mamas & Papas:  "California Dreamin'"

Barry Manilow:  "Mandy"

McGuire Sisters:  "Sincerely"

Don McLean:  "American Pie"

Steve Miller:  "The Joker"

Elvis Presley:  "Heartbreak Hotel"

Rascals:  "Good Lovin'"

REO Speedwagon:  "Keep On Loving You"

Righteous Brothers:  "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"

Roxette:  "The Look"

Del Shannon:  "Runaway"

Simon & Garfunkel:  "The Sounds Of Silence"

Percy Sledge:  "When A Man Loves A Woman"

Sonny & Cher:  "I've Got You Babe"

Steppenwolf:  "Born To Be Wild"

Rod Stewart:  "Maggie May"

James Taylor:  "Fire and Rain"

Three Dog Night:  "One"

Zager & Evans:  "In the Year 2525"

The Top New Acts of the Seventies

These acts all enjoyed their first hits in the 70's:


Eagles
Chicago
Paul McCartney & Wings
Rod Stewart
Bob Seger
Steve Miller
Billy Joel
Foreigner
Journey
Doobie Brothers

The 10 Best Albums of 1976

(as opposed to the top-selling albums)
These are in no particular order.

               Frampton Comes Alive by Peter Frampton

                                  Boston by Boston

Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder 

                          Night Moves by Bob Seger  

  

Fly Like An Eagle by Steve Miller Band 

Hotel California by the Eagles 

 

Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs 

A New World Record by Electric Light Orchestra 

 

Breezin' by George Benson 

Arrival by Abba 

Songs on Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd

Side One:
1.  "Speak to Me"
2.  "Breathe"
3.  "On the Run"
4.  "Time"
5.  "The Great Gig in the Sky"


Side Two:
1.  "Money"
2.  "Us and Them"
3.  "Any Colour You Like"
4.  "Brain Damage"
5.  "Eclipse"

Discography: Guns N' Roses

1987:  Appetite for Destruction (#1)
1988:  G N' R Lies (#2)
1991:  Use Your Illusion I (#2)
           Use Your Illusion II (#1)
1993:  The Spaghetti Incident? (#4)
2008:  Chinese Democracy (#3)

Live Albums:
1999:  Live Era '87-'93

Video Albums:
1992:  Use Your Illusion World Tour - 1992 In Tokyo I
           Use Your Illusion World Tour - 1992 In Tokyo II
1993:  Don't Cry Making ******* Videos - Part I
           November Rain Making ******* Videos - Part II
1994:  The Making of Estranged - Part IV of the Trilogy!!!
1998:  Welcome to the Videos

Compilations:
1998:  Use Your Illusion
2004:  Greatest Hits (#3)

Discography: America

1971:  America (#1)
1972:  Homecoming (#9)
1973:  Hat Trick (#28)
1974:  Holiday (#3)
1975:  Hearts (#4)
1976:  Hideaway (#11)
1977:  Harbor (#21)
1979:  Silent Letter (#110)
1980:  Alibi (#142)
1982:  View From the Ground (#41)
1983:  Your Move (#81)
1984:  Perspective (#185)
1994:  Hourglass
1998:  Human Nature
2002:  Holiday Harmony
2007:  Here & Now

Live Albums:
1977:  Live (#127)
1985:  In Concert
2002:  The Grand Cayman Concert
2008:  Live In Concert:  Wildwood Springs

Compilations:
1976:  History:  America's Greatest Hits (#3)
1991:  Encore:  More Greatest Hits
2000:  Highway:  30 Years of America
2001:  The Complete Greatest Hits (#152)
           The Definitive America

This Date in Rock History: March 31

 

1949:  The 45 rpm single record was first introduced by RCA Victor, one year after the LP record was introduced by Columbia.  Both provided better sound quality and longer playing time than the 78 rpm that had been the standard.
1956:  Brenda Lee made her television debut on Ozark Jambouree on ABC.
1957:  Elvis Presley played two concerts at the Olympia in Detroit before 24,000 fans.
 

1958:  Chuck Berry released "Johnny B. Goode".  
1958:  "Tequila" by the Champs took over at #1 on the R&B chart.
1959:  The Jimmie Rodgers Show debuted on NBC-TV.
1960:  Lonnie Donegan debuted at #1 on the UK singles chart with "My Old Man's a Dustman".

          Roy Orbison with one of his biggest career hits...

1962:  Connie Francis hit #1 in the U.S. with "Dont' Break the Heart That Loves You".  Bruce Channel gave way with "Hey! Baby" while Shelley Fabares was up nicely from 11 to 3 with "Johnny Angel".  Roy Orbison was up to 4 with "Dream Baby" while Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen dropped with the former #2 hit "Midnight In Moscow".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Slow Twistin'" from Chubby Checker, Don & Juan with "What's Your Name", the Sensations fell with "Let Me In", Elvis Presley registered his 28th Top 10 hit and 54th overall in hist seven years with "Good Luck Charm", which moved from 14-9 and Sam Cooke had #10--"Twistin' the Night Away".
 

1962:  The Beatles ventured to the South of England, appearing at the Subscription Rooms in Stroud.  The Rebel Rousers joined them in a concert that would cost 5 schillings, or about 70 cents.
1964:  The Beatles filmed a "live" television performance for use in the movie A Hard Day's Night.  The songs  that made it to the film were "I Should Have Known Better", "She Loves You", "And I Love Her" and "Tell Me Why".
1966:  The Elvis Presley movie Frankie and Johnnie premiered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
 

1967:  Jimi Hendrix stunned fans at the Astoria in London, England when he set his guitar on fire.  It was the first of many times Hendrix would pull the stunt.  
1968:  Bobby Sherman starred in an episode of The F.B.I. on ABC-TV.
1969:  The Guess Who released the single "These Eyes".
1973:  Donny Osmond had the #1 song in the UK with his remake of the Johnny Mathis song "The Twelfth of Never".
1973:  Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell had the top album with Dueling Banjos.

1973:  "Sing" rose to #1 on the Adult chart, giving the Carpenters their seventh #1 on that chart in four years, and the ninth song to reach either #1 or #2 during that time.
1973:  Gladys Knight & the Pips celebrated a third week at #1 on the R&B chart with "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye").

               Gladys & the Pips with another smash...

1973: Roberta Flack returned to #1 for a fifth week with "Killing Me Softly with His Song".  Deodato was one step away with his great instrumental "Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)".  Gladys Knight & the Pips edged up with "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)" with previous #1 "Love Train" by the O'Jays stopping off at #4.  The Four Tops moved up with their 32nd career hit--"Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)".  The rest of the Top 10:  The new song from the Stylistics, "Break Up to Make Up", Edward Bear dropped with "Last Song", the Carpenters moved into the list with "Sing" and Vicki Lawrence moved from 16 to 10 with "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia".
1975:  America released the single "Sister Golden Hair".
1975:  Grand Funk released the single "Bad Time".
1976:  The Brotherhood of Man owned the top song in the UK with "Save Your Kisses For Me".
1977:  An Elvis Presley concert in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was postponed after Elvis did not return from intermission. 
1979:  Sister Sledge had the new #1 on the R&B chart with "He's the Greatest Dancer".
1979:  "Crazy Love"  by Poco was on its way to becoming one of The Top Adult Contemporary Songs of the 1970's, as it led the way for a fourth straight week.

1979:  For the fifth week, the great album Spirits Having Flown by the Bee Gees was #1.  It held off some good albums, too, including Minute By Minute from the Doobie Brothers and the self-titled Dire Straits album.
1979:  The new song from Peaches & Herb, "Reunited", jumped from #66 to 26 on this date.

                   "Sultans of Swing" defined "cool".

1979:  "Tragedy" from the Bee Gees remained at #1 giving the trio a total of 19 weeks at #1 in the last three years for five different chart-toppers.  "I Will Survive" from Gloria Gaynor sat poised to take over while the Grammy Award winner from the Doobie Brothers, "What a Fool Believes" was third.  Donna Summer combined with Brooklyn Dreams for song #4--"Heaven Knows".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Shake Your Groove Thing" from Peaches & Herb, Dire Straits' first single, "Sultans of Swing", was sixth, Rod Stewart's former #1 "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?", Amii Stewart roared from 15 to 8 with "Knock On Wood", Bobby Caldwell with "What You Won't Do for Love" and Melissa Manchester had her first Top 10 with "Don't Cry Out Loud".
1980:  Ambrosia released the single "Biggest Part of Me".
 

1982:  Toto released the single "Rosanna".
1982:  The Doobie Brothers announced they were breaking up.
1983:  Eddy Grant released "Electric Avenue".
1983:  Rockwell ruled for a fifth week on the R&B chart with "Somebody's Watching Me".
1983:  Pink Floyd released The Final Cut, their last album with Roger Waters.

1984:  Kenny Loggins danced into the #1 spot with "Footloose", leaping over Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me".  Van Halen's reign was over with "Jump", the Eurythmics were up to 4 with "Here Comes the Rain Again" and newcomer Cyndi Lauper fell with "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". The rest of the Top 10:  "I Want a New Drug" from Huey Lewis & the News, which was much higher in most markets, Phil Collins had a smash in "Against All Odds", which moved from 12-7, the Pointer Sisters with "Automatic", Hall & Oates were stuck at 9 with "Adult Education" and Culture Club had another Top 10 with "Miss Me Blind".

  Only Michael Jackson topped Van Halen on this date.

1984:  With each week it remained #1, Thriller by Michael Jackson extended the Rock Era record and made it tougher that another album will ever beat it.  On this date, the count had reached 35 weeks at #1.  1984 from Van Halen was second, followed by the great "Footloose" Soundtrack.  Colour By Numbers from Culture Club was next, with Can't Slow Down by Lionel Richie and Sports from Huey Lewis & the News behind.  The rest of the Top 10:  Learning to Crawl from the Pretenders, Touch by the Eurythmics, the Police were still in it after 40 weeks with Synchronicity and Cyndi Lauper edged into the Top 10 with She's So Unusual.
1986:  Simply Red released the single "Holding Back the Years".
 

1986:  O'Kelly Isley of the Isley Brothers died at age 48 of a heart attack.
1987:  Prince released Sign O' the Times.
1989:  Guns N' Roses released the single "Patience".

1990:  Cher appeared in concert at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.  Her Heart of Stone tour would gross over $70 million.
1990:  David Bowie hit #1 on the UK album chart with Changes Bowie.
1990:  Snap! had their first #1 UK song with "The Power".

                    The title from Bolton's album...

1990:  Paula Abdul completed a nine-week run at #1 on the album chart with Forever Your Girl, and all this after 89 weeks of release.  Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 and Grammy winner Nick of Time from Bonnie Raitt provided competition, with Soul Provider by Michael Bolton in fourth.

Collins was one of the most consistent artists of the period.

1990:  "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles was #1 again with Taylor Dayne giving pursuit with "Love Will Lead You Back".  Phil Collins was at 3 with his 11th consecutive Top 10 song--"I Wish It Would Rain Down".  Tommy Page moved to 4 with "I'll Be Your Everything" and Lisa Stansfield continued to climb with "All Around the World".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Don't Wanna' Fall in Love" moved from 12 to 6 for Jane Child, Janet Jackson's former #1 "Escapade", Madonna was running out of steam with "Keep It Together", Technotronic had "Get Up!  (Before the Night Is Over)" and Luther Vandross was back with "Here and Now".  
1995:  Mexican-American singer Selena was murdered at age 23 by the president of her fan club.
1998:  The First Celebration of Female Artists Awards show took place at the Grosvenor House in London.
1998:  The video Good Times was released.  It was the only movie starring Sonny & Cher and was filmed in 1967.
2001:  Mr. Acker Bilk ("Strangers on the Shore") received the  Member of the Order of the British Empire medal for services to the music industry from Queen Elizabeth.
2002:  Barry Gibb bought his childhood home in Keppel Road, Chorlton, Manchester.

2002:  Celine Dion began the first of four weeks at the top of the UK album chart with A New Day Has Come.
2003:  The Radiohead album Hail to the Thief appeared online three months before it was due.  Guitarist Johnny Greenwood denied that the album title referred to U.S. President George W. Bush.
2003:  Toni Braxton gave birth to her second child, son Diezel Ky Braxton.
2004:  Guitarist Jesse Colburn, ex-boyfriend of Avril Lavigne, left her band to pursue other opportunities.  Craig Wood, bassist for Canada's Gob, replaced him.
 

2004:  Confessions by Usher soars to #1 on the album chart after selling 1 million copies in its first week.
2004:  Ozzy Osbourne confirmed that he was reforming Black Sabbath for a concert tour in the summer.
2005:  Marion "Suge" Knight, a rap record company boss, was ordered by the courts to pay $107 million to a woman who the court found had helped found the Death Row label in 1989 but was pushed out by Knight.


Born This Day:
1934:  Shirley Jones, singer with the Partridge Family and actress, was born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania.
1934:  John D. Loudermilk, who wrote "Tobacco Road" and "Indian Reservation", was born in Durham, North Carolina.
 

1935:  Herb Alpert, trumpet and vocals as leader of the 
Tijuana Brass and solo performer.  Alpert co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss out of his garage, later signing the Carpenters, Supertramp, Bryan Adams and the Police to name a few, was born in Los Angeles.
1942:  Hugh McCracken, guitarist, harmonica player, arranger and producer who worked with Billy Joel, Hall & Oates, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, the Four Seasons, Aretha Franklin, Kenny Loggins, John Lennon, James Taylor, Roberta Flack, Bob Dylan, the Monkees, Gordon Lightfoot, Steely Dan and B.B. King, among others, was born in New York City; died March 28, 2013 of leukemia.
 

1944:  Mick Ralphs, guitarist for Mott the Hoople and Bad Company, was born in Herefordshire, England. 

1944:  Rodney Bainbridge, bassist for the Fortunes ("You've Got Your Troubles"), was born in Leicester, England; died January 10, 2008.
1946:  Al Nichol of the Turtles
1947:  Al Goodman, bass singer of the Moments ("Love On a Two-Way Street"), later renamed Ray, Goodman & Brown ("Special Lady"from 1980), was born in Jackson, Mississippi; died of heart failure on July 27, 2010.
1947:  Jon Poulos of the Buckinghams; died March 26, 1980.
1948:  Thiis Van Leer, lead singer, organist and flautist for Focus ("Hocus Pocus), was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
1953:  Sean Hooper of Huey Lewis and the News
1954:  Tony Brock of the Babys and Tubes
 

1955:  Angus Young, lead guitarist for AC/DC, was born in Glasgow, Scotland.
1958:  Pat McGlynn, rhythm guitarist of the Bay City Rollers, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
1978:  Marvin Bernard (Tony Yayo), rapper with G-Unit and solo performer, was born in New York City.