This Date in Rock Music History: April 1

1955:  George Martin became the head A&R man at Parlophone Records, a division of EMI.

1957:  The Everly Brothers released the single "Bye Bye Love".  (Note:  some websites claim the song was released in March.  Unfortunately, there are no credible sources as to the exact date, but our best research indicates it was on April 1.)
1957:  Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers began a two-week run 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.  (Note:  some websites claim the tour was from March 26-July 2.  On March 26, the Beatles performed at the Casbah Club in Liverpool, and didn't arrive in Hamburg until the 27th, according to 'The Beatles Bible'.  According to the source, their last show was July 1 before traveling back to England.)  
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 Brent Town Hall in Wembley Park, with Rod Stewart and the Soul Agents opening for both acts.  (Note:  some websites say the concert was at the Wembley Town Hall.   The building was originally built as Wembley Town Hall, but it became Brent Town Hall when the boroughs of Wembley and Willesden were changed in 1965 to form Brent.  Brent Town Hall has been listed as a Grade II building since 1990.)

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 for two shows at the Scene '67 Theatre inside Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland.  The Fortunes were among the bands supporting the Kinks.
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 and the 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".














1968:  The Rascals released the single "A Beautiful Morning".
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.  Drummer Ringo Starr was the only group member present in the studio, as his drums were recorded as well.  It was the final time that a Beatle was in a recoding session until the Anthology series in the 1990's.







 
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 rock festival in Manatí, Puerto Rico, featured kicked off with Rod Stewart, Alice Cooper, Emerson Lake & Palmer, the Allman Brothers, Dave Brubeck, the J. Geils Band, Brownsville Station, and Dr. John performing over the four-day festival.  It was the first major performance of Billy Joel, who electrified the crowd.  Joel's performance was brought to the attention of Clive Davis, head of Columbia Records, and Billy was signed to Columbia the following year.













                                     "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.  










1974:  Paul McCartney & Wings released one of the great singles of Paul's career--"Band On The Run".  The song was not released in the U.K. until June.






 



1974:  Gordon Lightfoot released the single "Sundown".
1975:  The Bay City Rollers' TV series Shang-A-Lang premiered on ITV in the U.K.













 
1976:  AC/DC made their live U.K. debut at the Red Cow in Hammersmith, London.
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, Tennessee 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 U.K. 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".
1980: 32-year-old Brian Johnson became the lead singer of AC/DC, replacing Bon Scott who had died after a drinking binge.








 
1982:  Toto released the single "Rosanna".














1982:  John Cougar released the single "Hurts So Good" on Riva Records.








 
 
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, the day before his 45th birthday.  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:  Guns N' Roses released the single "Patience".
1989:  Madonna collected her third #1 album in the U.K. 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 U.K. 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".  (Note:  several websites naively report the single being released on April 25.  It debuted on the Singles chart on April 6.  It is physically impossible for a song to be included on the Singles chart if it has not yet been released as a single.)
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, Nova Scotia, 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 overall for a sixth week.  











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.












 
2002: The U.S. National Museum of American History put Louis Armstrong's cornet on display.
2003:  R. Kelly announced he was recording a tribute to members of the military called "Soldier's Heart".  Proceeds of the song went to families of the soldiers.  (Note:  several websites report that the announcement took place on April 2.  As there is a 'Billboard' article on April 1, 2003 regarding the news, that makes the April 2 date impossible.) 
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 in Santa Monica, California.  Atkinson had been a record executive at Columbia, RCA, and MCA, 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; died December 28, 2016 in Los Angeles after suffering a stroke one day after the death of daughter Carrie Fisher.
1934:  Jim Ed Brown of the Browns ("The Three Bells" from 1959) and a solo artist, was born in Sparkman, Arkansas; died June 11, 2015 in Franklin, Tennessee after a long bout with cancer.
1939:  Rudolph Isley of the Isley Brothers was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1942:  Alan Blakely, rhythm guitarist of the Tremeloes ("Silence Is Golden"), was born in Bromley, Kent, England; died of cancer June 10, 1996.  (Note:  some websites claim Blakely was born in Dagenham, Essex, England.  Unfortunately, there are no credible sources for either birthplace, but our best research indicates he was born in Bromley.  Some websites report his death as being on June 1, 1996, but we believe they are missing a digit.) 
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"), was born in Plaistow, Essex, England; died on June 4, 1997 (age 51) after a battle with multiple sclerosis.  (Note:  some websites naively say Lane was born in Plaistow, London.  Plaistow formed part of the county borough of West Ham in Essex until 1965, when it formed the London county borough of Newham.  Lane was born prior to 1965, so he was not born in the county of London, but in the county of Essex.)
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 St. James, Jamaica.
1948:  Simon Cowe, guitarist for Lindisfarne ("Run For Home"), was born in Jesmond Dene, Tyne and Wear, England.
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; died August 5, 1992 in Hidden Hills, California of a heart attack brought on by hardening of the arteries from cocaine use.  (Note:  some websites claim Porcaro died in Canoga Park or Los Angeles; according to the newspaper 'The Los Angeles Times', he died at his home in Hidden Hills.)
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, bass guitarist and mandolinist of Hothouse Flowers, was born in Dublin, Ireland.
1971:  Method Man (real name Clifford Smith) was born in Hempsted, New York.  (Note:  some websites claim Smith was born in Hempsted, Long Island.  Long Island is not a city or a state, so we know that is inaccurate.  Others say he was born in Richmond, New York.  Richmond became a borough in 1898, and it wasn't until 1975 that Staten Island was recognized as the name of the borough.  However, our best research indicates Smith was born in Hempsted.)
1972:  Jesse Tobias, guitarist and songwriters who has worked with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alanis Morissette and Morrissey, was born in Austin, Texas.
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.

The #41 Guitarist of the Rock Era: Mick Ronson

Up next, this extremely talented lead guitarist was a major part of David Bowie's sound in his formative years:

#41:  Mick Ronson, David Bowie, solo

28 years as an active guitarist
(guitar solo on "Width of a Circle"

Michael "Mick" Ronson was born May 26, 1946 in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.  He was a songwriter, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer best known for his work with David Bowie.

Ronson was classically trained to play piano, recorder, violin, and later, the harmonium.  He had desires to be a cellist but changed to guitar after discovering the music of Duane Eddy.  Ronson joined his first group, the Mariners, in 1963 at age 17.  Another group from Hull, the Crestas, recruited Ronson and the Crestas began to make regular appearances at local halls.


In 1965, Ronson moved to London, eventually joining the group the Voice.  But after a few dates, Ronson returned from a weekend in Hull to find his gear piled up at his home and a note explaining that the rest of the group had gone to The Bahamas.  Ronson played briefly with a soul group called the Wanted before returning to Hull.  In 1966, Ronson joined the Rats, the top local band at the time.  The Rats drew well in their hometown but trips to London and Paris did not go so well.


In March, 1970, Ronson played guitar on the track "Madman Across the Water" while Elton John was recording for his album Tumbleweed Connection.  The song featuring Ronson, however, was not included on the original release of the album but rather can be found on the 1992 compilation, Rare Masters.

Ronson was contacted to become a member of a new David Bowie backing band called the Hype.  Two days later, Ronson made his debut with Bowie on John Peel's national BBC Radio 1 show.  In April, the band began recording the album The Man Who Sold the World.  After Bowie's bass guitarist left, Ronson and Bowie took over the arrangements for the album Hunky Dory.  The backing band became known as the Spiders From Mars, which was to be the title of Bowie's next album.  Ronson provided string arrangements, lead guitar, and various instrumentation on the album, called The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.  Ronson's work on the album would be a great influence for punk rock musicians later in the Rock Era.

In 1972, Ronson arranged the strings and brass for a song on the album All the Young Dudes for Mott the Hoople, and co-produced Lou Reed's album Transformer.  Mick also contributed guitar and vocals and arranged the string ensemble for Pure Prairie League's breakthrough album Bustin' Out.  Ronson played on Bowie's Aladdin Sane album in 1973 and the covers album Pin Ups in 1973.


Ronson recorded with Morrissey and played guitar for Van Morrison on tour.  After leaving Bowie in 1973, Ronson released three solo albums, his best being his debut--Slaughter on 10th Avenue.  


Mick had a short stint with Mott the Hoople and then began a long-time collaborator with the former leader of the group, Ian Hunter.  He played guitar on the album Ian Hunter and toured as the Hunter Ronson Band.  In 1980, the pair released the live album Welcome to the Club.


Ronson played guitar on John Mellencamp's breakthrough album American Fool, most notably on "Jack & Diane".  He also played guitar for David Cassidy and Roger Daltrey, among others.


In 1990, Ronson joined Hunter again on the album Yui Orta, then played guitar on "I Feel Free", a song originally recorded by Cream that Ronson and Bowie had played live 20 years earlier, that is on Bowie's 1993 album Black Tie White Noise.


Ronson's skills were in demand by many artists, including Elton John, John Mellencamp, Morrissey, Benny Mardones.  Mick was also a member of Bob Dylan's "Rolling Thunder Revue" live band and contributed guitar and arrangements to Roger McGuinn's 1976 solo album Cardiff Rose.


Ronson played "All the Young Dudes" and "Heroes" for the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992 and his final recorded session was for a group called the Wildhearts for their 1993 album Earth vs. the Wildhearts.

Ronson died of liver cancer April 29, 1993 at the age of 46.

Heaven and Huh had only been partially completed before Ronson's death and was released posthumously.  Mellencamp, Bowie, Chrissie Hynde and Martin Chambers of the Pretenders, Joe Elliott of Def Leppard and Ian Hunter all helped with the album.


The Mick Ronson Memorial Stage was constructed in Queens Gardens in his hometown of Hull.  There is also a street named after him on Bilton Grange Estate, not far from where he lived.


Ronson used a 1968 Gibson Les Paul Custom "Black Beauty" throughout his career with Bowie and afterwards.  At some point in the 1980's, Ronson switched to a rosewood fretboard Fender Telecaster.  Mick used Marshall 200 amplifiers and also owned one of the first Mesa-Boogie amps.    Ronson used a Crybaby Wah Pedal and a Sola Sound Tone Blender.

Ronson had the speed, the technique and a melodic sense.  He is The #41 Guitarist of the Rock Era*...

This Date in Rock Music 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, singing "Jambalaya".
1957:  Elvis Presley played two concerts at Olympia Stadium 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.  It went on to become one of The Top 10 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*.
1959:  The Jimmie Rodgers Show debuted on NBC-TV.
1960:  Lonnie Donegan debuted at #1 on the U.K. 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 "Don't 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 just 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 at the Scale Theatre for use in the movie A Hard Day's Night.  The songs  that made it to the film were "I Should Have Known Better", "And I Love Her", "She Loves You", 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 poured lighter fluid on his Stratocaster guitar, smashed it, and set it on fire.  Hendrix suffered hand burns, not to mention the burns to his ego, but 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"), which wound up as one of The Top 10 R&B Songs of the 70's*.







                                            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 jumped from 16 to 10 with "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia".
1976:  Led Zeppelin released the album Presence.  (Note:  some websites report that the album was released on April 5.  The correct date is March 31, according to the band's official website as well as the book 'Icons of Rock:  Velvet Underground; the Grateful Dead, and Led Zeppelin' by Scott Schinder and Andy Schwwartz.) 
1976:  The Brotherhood of Man owned the top song in the U.K. 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".
1982:  The Doobie Brothers announced they were breaking up after a farewell tour.
1983:  U2 appeared on the BBC-TV show Top of the Pops performing "Two Hearts Beat As One".  (Note:  several websites incorrectly list the date as April 1.  According to the book 'U2:  Into the Heart:  The Stories Behind Every Song' by Niall Stokes, U2 recorded the show on March 30 for broadcast on March 31.)1983:  Rockwell ruled for a fifth week on the R&B chart with "Somebody's Watching Me".










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:  Heart released the single "Nothin' At All".  (Note:  one website naively lists the date of release as April 13.  "Nothin' At All" debuted on the charts on April 19.  It is physically impossible for a song to be included on the Singles chart if it has yet to be released as a single.)








 
1986:  O'Kelly Isley of the Isley Brothers died at age 48 of a heart attack in Alpine, New Jersey.
1987:  Prince released the album Sign O' the Times on on his own Paisley Records.










1990:  Cher began the North American leg of her tour 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 U.K. Album chart with Changes Bowie.
1990:  Snap! had their first #1 U.K. 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".
1992: Bruce Springsteen released both Human Touch and Lucky Town albums on the same day
1995:  Mexican-American singer Selena was murdered at age 23 by the president of her fan club in Corpus Christi, Texas.
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 U.K. 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 soared 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, trumpeter, vocalist and 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.  Alpert 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 Glen Ridge, New Jersey; died March 28, 2013 of leukemia in New York City.  (Note:  some websites claim McCracken was born in New York City; he was born in Glen Ridge, according to the newspaper 'The New York Times'.)





 
1944:  Mick Ralphs, guitarist for Mott the Hoople and Bad Company, was born in Hereford, 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 was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
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 26, 2010.  (Note:  some websites say Goodman died on July 27--he died on July 26, according to the newspaper 'The New York Times'.)
1947:  Jon Poulos, drummer of the Buckinghams, was born in Chicago, Illinois; died March 26, 1980 in Chicago.
1948:  Thijs Van Leer, lead singer, organist and flautist for Focus ("Hocus Pocus), was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
1953:  Sean Hopper, keyboardist of Huey Lewis and the News, was born in San Francisco, California.
1954:  Tony Brock of the Babys and Tubes was born in Poole, Dorset, England.



 
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:  Tony Yayo (real name Marvin Bernard), rapper with G-Unit and solo performer, was born in Queens, New York.