This Date in Rock Music History: April 19

1956: Elvis Presley performed at the Civic Center Music Hall in the Municipal Auditorium in Oklahoma City, Texas.
1956: Clyde McPhatter of the Drifters was released from the U.S. Armed Forces.










1961:  Bobby Lewis released the single "Tossin' And Turnin'" on Beltone Records.  (Note:  one website claims the single was released April 30.  "Tossin' And Turnin'" debuted on the Singles chart on April 24, 1961.  It is physically impossible for a song to be included on the Singles chart if it has not yet been released as a single.)















1961:  Ricky Nelson released the single "Travelin' Man" on Imperial Records.
1965: The movie Teenage Command Performance, featuring the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, the Supremes, the Four Tops, James Brown and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles opened in London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1965: The Beatles released the single "Ticket To Ride" in the United States on Capitol records.
1969: Smile, the group that would later become Queen, appeared at the Revolution Club in London.
1969:  The Isley Brothers took over the top spot on the R&B chart with "It's Your Thing".




 

 

 

 

1969: "Galveston" by Glen Campbell spent a fourth out of six weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

1969:  Blood, Sweat & Tears remained at #1 on the Album chart with their self-titled album.






 

 
         
                                        Steppenwolf's third and final Top 10 song... 


 1969:  "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In", one of The Top 20 Songs of the Rock Era* by the 5th Dimension, was #1 for the second out of six consecutive weeks. Blood, Sweat & Tears would have to settle for #2 because of the competition with "You've Made Me So Very Happy". The rest of the Top 10: The Isley Brothers at #3 with "It's Your Thing", Jerry Butler had #4 with "Only The Strong Survive", Tommy Roe was at 5 with his former #1 "Dizzy", Glen Campbell dropped to 6 with "Galveston", the Cowsills moved "Hair" up to #7, Edwin Starr had song #8 with "Twenty-Five Miles", the Zombies were at position #9 with "Time Of The Season" and Steppenwolf hopped into the Top 10 with "Rock Me".

 

 

 

 

 

1970:  Blues Image released the single "Ride Captain Ride".  (Note:  one website claims the song entered the charts on May 3--nope, it entered the charts on May 8. 
1974: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed at the State Theater in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Only 250 people attended.
1975: Elton John fired bassist Dee Murray and drummer Nigel Olsson.  Bad move.  Elton brought them both back in 1980.
1975: The Stylistics had the #1 album in the U.K. with The Best Of the Stylistics. 
1975: The Captain & Tennille had their first single debut on the chart on this date with "Love Will Keep Us Together".
 1975: Tony Orlando & Dawn had the #1 Adult Contemporary song with "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You).
1975: Led Zeppelin remained at #1 on the Album chart for the fifth week with Physical Graffiti.

                                           Ben E. King with his great new song...


1975: Elton John ruled the charts with "Philadelphia Freedom", followed by B.J. Thomas at #2 with (Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song", Minnie Riperton's "Lovin' You" and Ringo Starr at #4 with "No No Song". The rest of the Top Ten: "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" by Tony Orlando & Dawn moving from 23-5, Ben E King getting a Top 10 song with "Supernatural Thing", Sammy Johns' "Chevy Van" at #7, Barry White coming in at 8 with "What Am I Gonna' Do With You", Hot Chocolate with their first top ten "Emma" and Freddy Fender's "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" at #10.


1980: R.E.M. performed for the first time as a group at the 11:11 Koffee Club in Athens, Georgia before 150 people.
1980: Air Supply was #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for the fourth out of six weeks with "Lost In Love".









 

 
1980: Blondie began a six week run at #1 with "Call Me" from An American Gigolo. Pink Floyd was displaced and dropped to #2 with "Another Brick In The Wall", Christopher Cross's debut "Ride Like The Wind" had reached #3 and Billy Preston & Syreeta's "With You I'm Born Again" moved up to #4. The rest of the Top 10: "Special Lady" from Ray, Goodman & Brown, Air Supply's first hit "Lost In Love" moved from 12-6, Bob Seger entered the top ten with "Fire Lake", the Eagles rose to #8 with "I Can't Tell You Why", the Spinners were at #9 with "Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me Girl" and Michael Jackson remained at #10 with "Off The Wall".

1981:  Joey Scarbury released the single "Theme From 'Greatest American Hero (Believe It Or Not)".  No really, he really did.












1982:  .38 Special released the single "Caught Up In You".







 

1986: George Michael reached #1 in the U.K. with "A Different Corner". He became only the second person (Stevie Wonder was the first) to reach #1 with a song that was written, sung, played, arranged and produced by the same person.

1986:  "Kiss" by Prince was the #1 R&B song for a third week.

1986: Whitney Houston dominated the Album chart, spending a ninth week (out of 14) at #1 with her self-titled debut.

 1986: "Overjoyed" by Stevie Wonder spent a second week atop the Adult Contemporary chart.



 

1988: Sonny Bono was inaugurated as Mayor of Palm Springs.

1993: Saxophonist Steve Douglas, who played on "Da Doo Ron Ron" by the Crystals and  the Ronettes' "Be My Baby", was warming up with Ry Cooder in a recording studio in Hollywood, California, when he collapsed and died at the age of 54 from heart failure.

1997:  "Un-Break My Heart" by Toni Braxton tied the 35-year-old Rock Era record held by Chubby Checker's "The Twist", as it remained in the Top 10 for a 25th week.





 

 

                                      Newcomers Savage Garden...

1997:  Puff Daddy & Mase had the top song for a fifth week with "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down".  Jewel moved to challenge with the superior song, "You Were Meant for Me" while the Spice Girls were at 3 with "Wannabe".  Other notable songs in the Top 10:  Monica with "For You I Will" at #4, Celine Dion's remake of the Eric Carmen song "All By Myself", Savage Garden with their first Top 10 "I Want You" at #6, Toni Braxton's former #1 "Un-Break My Heart" was still in the Top 10 after 26 weeks of release (25 of them in the Top 10) and Babyface had a hit with one he kept for himself, "Every Time I Close My Eyes".
2002: Layne Staley of Alice and Chains was found dead in his apartment in Seattle, Washington.  The official date of death was determined to be April 5 from heroin and cocaine.

Born This Day:


1928: Alexis Korner, who, if you followed this blog's story about the British Rock Family Tree, you know was a major force behind the birth of rock and roll in Britain as a member of Blues Incorporated, was born in Paris, France; he died of lung cancer in London January 1, 1984.
1942:  Larry Ramos, singer and guitarist with the Association and a member of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, was born in Waimea, Hawai'i; died April 30, 2014 of metastatic melanoma in Clarkston, Washington.




 

 
1942: Alan Price, keyboardist with the Animals, was born in Fatfield, County Durham, England.  (Note:  some websites say Price was born in Fatfield, Washington, County Durham, England, or Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England.  Price was born in the village of Fatfield, in County Durham.  The borough of Washington was not created until 1964, 22 years after Price was born, and the county of Tyne and Wear was not created until 1974, 32 years after Price was born.  Thus, it is impossible that Price could have been born in Washington (a city not yet created) or in Tyne and Wear (a county not yet created.) 
1943: Eve Graham, singer with the New Seekers ("I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing"), was born in Auchterarder, Perth and Kinross, Scotland.

1944: Bernie Worrell, a founding member and keyboardist for Parliament and Funkadelic, was born in Long Branch, New Jersey.

1947: Mark Volman, a founding member of the Turtles and a member of Mothers of Invention, who also worked with Bruce Springsteen and T. Rex, was born in Los Angeles.
1953: Rod Morgenstein, drummer of Winger, was born in New York City.

Prelude to The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*: "All Of Me" by John Legend

We are getting set to present the musical spectacular of your lives, The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, on May 21.  Before that extravaganza begins, however, we chose to feature some of the great songs not in the list.

Here's a recent smash hit for the talented John Legend included in the Prelude*.  We suspect that as older fans of the Rock Era discover the song, and it receives more airplay and sells another million or two, it will gain stature in The Top 500*...

Featured Top Unknown/Underrated Song of the Rock Era*: "End Of The Line" by the Traveling Wilburys

Here's a great song from a great album.  Featuring the combined talents of George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison, the amazing project known as the Traveling Wilburys:

"End Of The Line"

Traveling Wilburys

Written by Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison

Well it's all right, riding around in the breeze
Well it's all right, if you live the life you please
Well it's all right, doing the best you can
Well it's all right, as long as you lend a hand

You can sit around and wait for the phone to ring (End of the Line)
Waiting for someone to tell you everything (End of the Line)
Sit around and wonder what tomorrow will bring (End of the Line)
Maybe a diamond ring

Well it's all right, even if they say you're wrong
Well it's all right, sometimes you gotta be strong
Well it's all right, As long as you got somewhere to lay
Well it's all right, everyday is Judgment Day

Maybe somewhere down the road aways (End of the Line)
You'll think of me, wonder where I am these days (End of the Line)
Maybe somewhere down the road when somebody plays (End of the Line)
Purple haze

Well it's all right, even when push comes to shove
Well it's all right, if you got someone to love
Well it's all right, everything'll work out fine
Well it's all right, we're going to the end of the line

Don't have to be ashamed of the car I drive (End of the Line)
I'm glad to be here, happy to be alive (End of the Line)
It don't matter if you're by my side (End of the Line)
I'm satisfied

Well it's all right, even if you're old and gray
Well it's all right, you still got something to say
Well it's all right, remember to live and let live
Well it's all right, the best you can do is forgive

Well it's all right, riding around in the breeze
Well it's all right, if you live the life you please
Well it's all right, even if the sun don't shine
Well it's all right, we're going to the end of the line

This Date in Rock Music History: April 18

1956:  Elvis Presley performed in two concerts at the Fairgrounds Pavilion in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
1960:  Percy Faith spent a ninth week at #1 with the classic instrumental "The Theme From 'A Summer Place'".  The Brothers Four had #2 with "Greenfields", Paul Anka was at #3 with "Puppy Love", Brenda Lee moved to #4 with "Sweet Nothin's" and Johnny Horton was moving up with "Sink The Bismark".

1964:  The Beatles appeared on the television show The Morecambe and Wise Show in the U.K., performing "I Want To Hold Your Hand", "All My Loving" and "This Boy".  They also took part in comedy sketches with the hosts of the show.
1964:  Meet the Beatles!  was #1 on the Album chart for the 10th week.  Introducing...The Beatles was #2 with Al Hirt's Honey in the Horn third.









1964:  The Beatles had #1 and #2 on the chart with "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Twist And Shout", respectively.  Terry Stafford remained at #3 with Suspicion while Louis Armstrong had a surprise hit with "Hello, Dolly!".  The rest of the Top Ten:  "Do You Want To Know A Secret" by the Beatles, which moved from 14-5, "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)" by Betty Everett at #6, "Glad All Over" from the Dave Clark Five at #7, "She Loves You" by the Beatles dropping to #8, "Don't Let The Rain Come Down" by the Serendipity Singers and Jan & Dean steered into the Top 10 with "Dead Man's Curve".





1964:  Louis Armstrong spent a fourth out of nine consecutive weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Hello, Dolly!"
1968:  Pink Floyd played the first of two nights at the Piper Club in Rome, Italy.









1969:  Lulu married Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees at Gerrards Cross in Buckinhamshire, England.
1970:  Santana headlined a show for the first of two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London that also included Taj Mahal and It's A Beautiful Day.
1970:  Steel Mill, with leader Bruce Springsteen, appeared at the Main Gym at Ocean County College in New Jersey.  Tickets were $2.
1970:  "ABC" by the Jackson 5 was the #1 R&B song for a third week. 







                                                  Edison Lighthouse... 

  1970:  "Let It Be" spent a second week at #1 for the Beatles, followed closely by "ABC" from the Jackson 5 and "Spirit In The Sky" by Norman Greenbaum.  The remainder of the Top Ten--"Instant Karma" by John Ono Lennon at #4, "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" by Edison Lighthouse, the classic former #1 "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel at #6, "Come And Get It" from Badfinger, the Friends of Distinction at #8 with "Love Or Let Me Be Lonely", the Guess Who moving from 15-9 with "American Woman" and the Supremes at #10 with "Up The Ladder To The Roof".
1970:  "Let It Be" also was #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.




                                      "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright"...

  1970:  The number one album for the seventh week in a row (out of an eventual 10) was Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel.
1971:  The Jackson 5, Bill Cosby and Danny Thomas were guests on Diana Ross's television special Diana on ABC.
1972:  The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards were at #1 in the U.K. with "Amazing Grace".
1973:  The Neil Young movie Journey Through the Past debuted at the Dallas Film Festival.
1981:  Yes announced they were splitting up after 13 years.  They would reunite two years later and score their biggest hit in 1984 with "Owner Of A Lonely Heart".





1981:  Smokey Robinson remained at #1 on the R&B chart for a third week with "Being with You".
1981:  "Kiss On My List" by Hall & Oates topped the charts once again with the former #1 "Rapture" from Blondie at #2 and Sheena Easton's first hit "Morning Train coming in at #3.  The rest of the Top Ten had Grover Washington Jr. with Bill Withers on vocals on the song "Just The Two Of Us" at #4, John Lennon falling to #5 with "Woman", Juice Newton's first hit "Angel Of The Morning" moving from 12-6, Steve Winwood's big comeback song "While You See A Chance" at #7, Smokey Robinson's "Being With You" moving from 14-8, Styx at 9 with "The Best Of Times" and the Police remaining at #10 with "Don't Stand So Close To Me".





          Juice reached the top of the AC chart...


1981:  "Angel Of The Morning" by Juice Newton was #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for a second week.









                    "Red Barchetta", one of the top tracks on Rush's new album...

  1981:  REO Speedwagon scored the first #1 album of their career with Hi Infidelity.  Styx slipped with Paradise Theater, creating the opening.  Steve Winwood was third with Arc of a Diver, swapping spots with Rush's Moving Pictures, while the great Winelight album from Grover Washington, Jr. was #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Face Dances, the new Who album, the Police remained in the #7 position with Zenyatta Mondatta, Eric Clapton edged up with Another Ticket, Double Fantasy from the late John Lennon and "The Jazz Singer" Soundtrack from Neil Diamond remained at #10.
1984:  Michael Jackson went in for surgery in a Los Angeles hospital after his hair caught on fire during the filming of his Pepsi commercial on January 27.
1985:  Wham! became the first Western group to release an album (Make It Big) in China.
1987:  U2 played the second of five concerts at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on their Joshua Tree tour.

                         Crowded House had a hot song with this one...


1987:  Aretha Franklin and George Michael teamed for a #1 song "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)".  Starship's former #1 "Nothing's Gonna' Stop Us Now" was at 2 with the great Crowded House song "Don't Dream It's Over" moving into the #3 slot.  Prince had #4 with "Sign 'O' The Times" and Lou Gramm's "Midnight Blue" was at #5.







 
1987:  Starship owned #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Nothing's Gonna' Stop Us Now".











1988:  Holland/Dozier/Holland (Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland), responsible for dozens of Motown hits, were inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.  The famous trio wrote "Baby Love", "Stop!  In The Name Of Love", "Where Did Our Love Go", "Back In My Arms Again", "I Hear A Symphony","Come See About Me", "My World Is Empty Without You", "I Hear A Symphony", "You Keep Me Hangin' On", "Love Is Here And Now You're Gone", "Reflections", and "You Can't Hurry Love" for the Supremes, "I Can't Help Myself", "Bernadette", and "Reach Out I'll Be There" for the Four Tops, "Heat Wave" for Martha and the Vandellas, and many, many others.
1992:  "Tears In Heaven" by Eric Clapton reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1992:  Def Leppard debuted at #1 on the Album chart with Adrenalize.
1992:  Annie Lennox had the #1 album in the U.K. with Diva.
1995:  Tony McCarroll received a phone call telling him he was being fired as drummer of Oasis.  





1996:  Bernard Edwards, bassist and producer of Chic, died at age 43 of pneumonia in a Tokyo hotel room during a tour of Japan.  Edwards also produced for Diana Ross, Rod Stewart, Air Supply, ABC, Sister Sledge, Power Station, Johnny Mathis and Debbie Harry.
1998:  The "Titanic" Soundtrack was a gigantic hit, remaining at #1 on the Album chart for the 13th week.
2003:  KiSS and Aerosmith announced a concert tour together.





2003:  A star was unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Etta James.
2004:  Guns N' Roses had the #1 U.K. album with their Greatest Hits package.
2004:  Jessica Simpson, Gladys Knight, Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry of Blondie, Patti Labelle, Ashanti, Kylie Minogue and Joss Stone starred in VH1's Divas Live at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
2005:  Reebok pulled a television ad featuring 50 Cent after a mother whose son was shot dead complained that the ad glamorized gun crime.  What is truly sad is that Reebok had no clue that they shouldn't be featuring the rapper in an ad in the first place.
2006:  Sir Elton John donated clothes to a specially created shop, Elton's Closet, at the Rockefeller Center in New York City for a five-day sale that brought in $700,000 for Elton's AIDS charity.

2009:  The Black Eyed Peas began a run of 12 weeks at the top with "Boom Boom Pow".  Hmmm...wonder how it would have done against "Light My Fire", "American Pie", "Stairway To Heaven", "Ode To Billie Joe", or "Hey Jude".  Would it have even made the Top 10 in earlier days?

2011:  The Top Five songs--Katy Perry's "E.T.", Rihanna at #2 with "S&M", the Black Eyed Peas had #3 with "Just Can't Get Enough", Cee-Lo Green was at #4 with "Forget You" and Lady Gaga had song #5 "Born This Way".









Dick Clark, the famous host of American Bandstand, creator of the American Music Awards, and host for Rockin' New Year's Eve for many years, died of a massive heart attack in Santa Monica, California at age 82 after entering a hospital the night before for an outpatient procedure.  (Note:  some websites claim Clark died in Los Angeles, but the correct place of death is Santa Monica, according to the newspaper 'The New York Times'.)

Born This Day:
1901:  Al Lewis, songwriter of "Blueberry Hill", was born in New York City; died April 4, 1967 in New York City.
1935:  Paul Rothchild, producer of albums such as L.A. Woman for the Doors and Pearl for Janis Joplin, was born in Brooklyn, New York; died of lung cancer in Los Angeles March 30, 1995. 
1939:  Glen D. Hardin, pianist, songwriter and arranger of Elvis Presley, John Denver and Ricky Nelson among others and a member of the Crickets after Buddy Holly died, was born in Wellington, Texas.  (Note:  several websites report that Hardin was born in Hollis, Oklahoma.  Unfortunately, there are no credible sources for either place, but our best research indicates Hardin was born in Wellington.)
1942:  Mike Vickers, guitarist, flautist and saxophonist of Manfred Mann, was born in Southampton, Hampshire, England.

1946:  Skip Spence, guitarist of Quicksilver Messenger Service, a founding member of Moby Grape and a drummer for Jefferson Starship on one album, was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada; died of lung cancer in Santa Cruz, California April 16, 1999.
1946:  Lennie Baker, saxophonist with Danny & the Juniors and vocalist and saxophone player of Sha Na Na, was born in Whitman, Massachusetts.  (Note:  some websites report that Lenny Baker of Sha Na Na was born on this date.  There was no such member of the group; the correct spelling of his name is Lennie.)
1958:  Les Pattinson, bassist and co-songwriter of Echo and the Bunnymen ("The Cutter"), was born in  Ormskirk, Lancashire, England.  (Note:  'Allmusic.com and a few other websites report that Pattinson was born in Ormskirk, Merseyside, England.  Ormskirk is not included in the county of Merseyside--it is in Lancashire.  Even if it were, the county of Merseyside was not created until April 1, 1974, long after Pattinson was born.)
1962:  Shirley Holliman, backing vocalist of Wham!, was born in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England.  (Note:  some websites report Holliman was born in Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire, England.  'Allmusic.com' reports that Holliman was born in Watford.  Bushey Heath is a neighborhood, not a city, and will never be listed on an official birth certificate.  According to 'OVGuide', Holliman was born on a council estate in Bushey, a town near Watford.) 
1970:  Greg Eklund, drummer for Everclear, was born in Jacksonville, Florida.
1974:  Mark Tremonti, lead guitarist of Creed, was born in Detroit, Michigan.

Prelude to The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*: Diana Ross with "Touch Me In The Morning"

Here's one of several songs that was a solid member of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* from the time it came out until just recently.  It is a featured part of our special Prelude*...

This Date in Rock Music History: April 17

1960: While touring in the U.K., 21-year-old Eddie Cochran was killed when the taxi he was taking crashed into a lamp post in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England.  Cochran died at a hospital in Bath, Somerset, England.  Singer Gene Vincent was also seriously injured but survived the crash.
1961:  Ray Charles landed the #1 R&B song with "One Mint Julep".
1961: "Blue Moon" was #1 for the second week in a row for the Marcels.  Del Shannon's classic "Runaway" was making its move at #2. The rest of the Top Five: "Mother-In-Law" by Ernie K-Doe was #3, Floyd Cramer had #4 with "On The Rebound" and Clarence Henry was at 5 with "But I Do".
1962: Tony Bennett began recording his first song, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams".  (Note:  some websites claim he recorded the song on this date, as if he completed it in one day.  Bennett finished the song on April 20, according to the book 'All the Things You Are:  The Life of Tony Bennett' by David Evanier.)
1964: Van Morrison and Them made their first public appearance at the Maritime Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1965: Bob Dylan's first album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan topped the U.K. Album charts.
1965:  Roger Miller dominated the Easy Listening chart for a 10th week with "King Of The Road".

                                Freddie & the Dreamers topped the charts...


1965: Freddie & the Dreamers owned #1 with "I'm Telling You Now", followed by the Supremes' former #1 "Stop! In The Name Of Love" and "Game Of Love" by Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders. The rest of the Top Ten: "I Know A Place" from Petula Clark at #4, Jr. Walker & the All Stars at 5 with "Shotgun", Herman's Hermits coming in at #6 with "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat", the Kinks had #7 with "Tired Of Waiting For You", "Nowhere To Run" by Martha & the Vandellas, "The Clapping Song" from Shirley Ellis at #9 and the Moody Blues' first top ten hit "Go Now" at #10.








1967:  The Music Explosion released the single "Little Bit O' Soul" on Laurie Records.







 

1969: The Band played for the first time by themselves apart from Bob Dylan with the first of three shows at the Winterland Auditorium in San Francisco.
1970: Paul McCartney played every instrument on his first solo album McCartney.
1971:  Marvin Gaye remained at #1 on the R&B chart for a fourth week amidst stiff competition with "What's Going On".






1971:  We had the good fortune to be introduced to great talents on this date.  With her first career single, Carly Simon debuted on the chart with "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be".
1971:  Although most would not come to know him until several years later, Boz Scaggs debuted with his first career single, "We Were Always Sweethearts".
1971: All four ex-Beatles had solo singles on the Singles chart--Paul McCartney with "Another Day", John Lennon had "Power To The People", George Harrison with the classic "My Sweet Lord" and Ringo Starr had "It Don't Come Easy".







1971: "Joy To The World" by Three Dog Night first hit #1 on this date; they would monopolize the top spot for six weeks in a row. Marvin Gaye had #2 with his socially-conscious "What's Going On" and the former #1 "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me" by the Temptations fell to #3. The rest of the Top Ten: "She's A Lady" from Tom Jones, Paul McCartney's double sided hit "Another Day"/"Oh Woman Oh Why" was at #5, the rapid mover (16-6) "Put Your Hand In The Hand" by Ocean, Janis Joplin was at 7 with her former #1 written by Bob Dylan, "Me And Bobby McGee", #8 was "Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted" by the Partridge Family, the Carpenters had #9 with "For All We Know" and Brewer & Shipley was at 10 with "One Toke Over The Line".









1972:  Neil Diamond released the single "Song Sung Blue".










1972:  Elton John released the single "Rocket Man".  (Note:  some websites report the release as being April 14 and other various dates.  According to the book 'His Song:  The Musical Journey of Elton John' by Elizabeth J. Rosenthal, EJ released "Rocket Man" in the United States on April 17.)
1973: Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon was certified gold in the U.S.  The album has now gone over 15 million in sales.
1974: Guitarist Vinnie Taylor (real name Chris Donald) of Sha Na Na was found dead in his hotel room in Charlottesville, Virginia from drugs at age 25.  (Note:  some websites report that "Taylor tied at age 24-25."  He was 25, according to United Press International.) 
1975: Elvis Presley bought a Convair 880 Jet from Delta Airlines for $250,000, when he named Lisa Marie.
1976: John Denver had another #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Looking For Space".
1976:  "Disco Lady" by Johnnie Taylor spent a sixth week at the top of the R&B chart.





1976:  A new group first appeared on the chart and the groundbreaking fact about them was that they were led by women--unheard of in the Rock Era to that point.  Music Directors at radio stations didn't quite have the ears to be able to recognize talent right away, and the song stalled at #36, making Heart's first single one of Inside the Rock Era's Top Unknown/Underrated Songs*.











                         The Commodores moved to #5 with "Sweet Love"...


1976: Johnnie Taylor was at #1 with "Disco Lady', followed by the Bellamy Brothers ("Let Your Love Flow") and Maxine Nightingale ("Right Back Where We Started From"). The remainder of the Top Ten: "Boogie Fever" by the Sylvers was song #4, the Commodores had their first big hit with "Sweet Love", "Only Sixteen" from Dr. Hook remained at #6, former Lovin' Spoonful leader John Sebastian moved into the Top Ten with "Welcome Back", Peter Frampton was at #8 with "Show Me The Way", Queen had song #9 with the classic "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Elvin Bishop climbed into the top ten with "Fooled Around And Fell In Love".
1977: The Police appeared at the Roundhouse in London, England.

1980:  lead singer Ronnie James Dio performed with Black Sabbath for the first time at the Stadhalle in Aurich, Germany.  (Note:  Some websites report that Dio performed with Black Sabbath for the first time on April 29, 1980.  There are two problems with this.  First, the scheduled April 29 show at the Guildhall in Portsmouth, England was canceled, as you can tell from the picture above.  Second, Dio made his debut with the group  at the Stadhalle in Aurich, Germany on April 17.  This information is courtesy of the official Black Sabbath website.)
1982: Bucks Fizz topped the U.K. Singles chart with "My Camera Never Lies".
1982:  Stevie Wonder had the top R&B song for the ninth straight week with "That Girl".
1982:  Vangelis had the #1 Adult Contemporary song with "Chariots Of Fire".






                                The Go-Go's were gaining serious attention...

1982: "I Love Rock 'N Roll", Joan Jett's musical declaration, spent a fifth out of seven weeks at #1. The Go-Go's remained at #2 with "We Got The Beat", Vangelis was at 3 with "Chariots Of Fire" and the J. Geils Band had another Top 10 with "Freeze Frame". The rest of the Top Ten: Olivia Newton John had #5 with "Make A Move On Me", Rick Springfield remained at 6 with "Don't Talk To Strangers", Huey Lewis & the News climbed to #7 with their debut hit "Do You Believe In Love", Bertie Higgins moved "Key Largo" to #8, Journey's "Open Arms", one of the top #2 songs in history (6 weeks there) was on its way down at #9 and Stevie Wonder had the 10th spot with "That Girl".

1982: Vangelis topped the Album charts with Chariots of Fire; he also had the #1 Adult Contemporary song for the third week in a row with the title song from his album and the movie.
1983: Felix Pappalardi, bass player and producer of Mountain ,was shot dead by his wife during a fight in Manhattan, New York. He had also produced the Cream albums Disraeli Gears and Wheels of Fire and albums by Hot Tuna and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Pappalardi was 43.
1987: Carlton Barrett, drummer and percussionist for Bob Marley and the Wailers, was shot dead outside his house in Kingston, Jamaica and died at age 36. Barrett invented the one-drop rhythm, a style of percussive drumming.
1992: The "Bodyguard Soundtrack" was the #1 album on this date, one of 20 weeks it ruled the Album charts.
1993: Former Bangles lead singer Susanna Hoffs married M. Jay Roach in Los Angeles.  Men around the world were heartbroken.
1993: David Bowie hit #1 in the U.K. with his album Black Tie White Noise.
1993:  Silk had the #1 R&B song for a sixth week with "Freak Me".
1993: Informer spent a sixth week at #1 with "Informer", followed by Silk's "Freak Me". Dr. Dre had the third most popular song with "Nuthin' But A "G" Thang", Whitney Houston was at #4 with "I Have Nothing" and Jade came in at 5 with "Don't Walk Away".
1994: Pink Floyd began four weeks at the top of the U.K. Album chart with The Division Bell.


1998: Linda McCartney died from cancer at the age of 57 in Tucson, Arizona. She had married Paul in 1969 and was a member of Wings.  (Note:  some websites still insist on printing that Linda died in Santa Barbara, California.  The family initially issued a press release saying she died in Santa Barbara to divert the press and give them privacy.  The official website for Linda, the newspaper 'The New York Times', and numerous other credible sources state that Linda died in Tucson.) 
2001: The late Joey Ramone, singer-songwriter and vocalist of the Ramones, was buried in Lyndhurst, New Jersey following a private service in Queens, New York.
2004: Usher spent the second of nine weeks at #1 on the Album chart with Confessions.

2008: Danny Federici, keyboardist for Bruce Springsteen in the E Street Band, died from melanoma in New York City at age 58.


Born This Day:

1934: Rock promoter Don Kirshner, who helped break Carole King, Neil Diamond, the Monkees, Neil Sedaka and Bobby Darin, was born in the Bronx; Kirshner died of heart failure in Boca Raton, Florida on January 17, 2011
1943: Roy Estrada, bassist for the Frank Zappa Band, Little Feat, Mothers of Invention, and Captain Beefheart, was born in Santa Ana, California.
1948: Jan Hammer, keyboardist for Jeff Beck and Santana and solo performer on the "Miami Vice Theme", as born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic).
1954: Michael Sembello, singer and guitarist ("Maniac"), was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1964: James Keenan, singer, songwriter, and producer of Tool and A Perfect Circle, was born in Ravenna, Ohio.  (Note:  some websites claim James was born in Akron, but according to his official website, he was born in Ravenna.)

1967: Liz Phair, songwriter and award-winning artist, was born in New Haven, Connecticut.  (Note:  some websites claim Liz was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.  While no credible sources exist for either place, our best research tells us she was born in New Haven.)
1967: Matt Chamberlain, one of the most prolific session drummers in the Rock Era, and also a producer and engineer, was born in San Pedro, California; Chamberlain has played for Elton John, Pearl Jam, Christina Aguilera, David Bowie, John Mayer, Kanye West, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Williams and many others.
1970: Redman (real name Reginald Noble) was born in Newark, New Jersey.

1974: Victoria Beckham (Adams), formerly of the Spice Girls and a solo performer, was born in Harlow, Essex, England.

This Date in Rock Music History: April 16

1955:  Elvis Presley appeared at the Big D Jamboree at the Sportatorium in Dallas Texas.
1956:  Buddy Holly released his first single, "Blue Days, Black Nights".
1963:  The Beatles made their television debut on BBC-TV's The 625 Show.
1964:  Dean Martin recorded "Everybody Loves Somebody".
1964:  The Rolling Stones released their debut album in the U.K.

1964:  The "chase scenes" for the movie A Hard Day's Night were filmed with actors dressed as policemen in the Notting Hill Gate section of London.  The Beatles also recorded the title song at EMI Studios in London.  (Note:  several websites report that the song was recorded at Abbey Road Studios.  EMI Studios were not renamed Abbey Road until 1970 and thus Abbey Road Studios did not exist at the time.)
1965:  The Hollies opened their first tour of America at the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre in New York.  (Note:  several websites report that the concert was at the Paramount Theater (misspelling "Theatre")  The official name of the facility was the Paramount Theatre.)






                           "When I Was Young", from the Animals' compilation...

1966:  Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass owned three of the Top 10 albums, including #1 Going Places.  The Brass were also ranked #3 with their former #1 Whipped Cream & Other Delights and #6 with South of the Border.  The great Soundtrack to "The Sound of Music" was still in the Top 10 after 57 weeks of release.  The rest of the Top 10:  Ballads of the Green Berets from SSgt Barry Sadler, Boots from Nancy Sinatra at #5, the Best of the Animals checked in at #7, Al Martino placed Spanish Eyes at #8, Boise, Idaho's Paul Revere & the Raiders were #9 with Just Like Us!  and the Dave Clark Five's Greatest Hits entered the Top 10.



 
                  The good-time 60's, courtesy of the Lovin' Spoonful... 

  1966:  The Righteous Brothers were at #1 for the second of three weeks with "(You're My) Soul And Inspiration", beating out "Daydream" by the Lovin' Spoonful.  The rest of the Top Ten:  "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" by Cher at #3, "Secret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers, "Time Won't Let Me" by the Outsiders, which rose from 11-5, the Rolling Stones fell with "19th Nervous Breakdown", SSgt. Barry Sadler had song #7 with the former #1 "The Ballad Of The Green Berets", B.J. Thomas was at 8 with "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", the Young Rascals entered the Top Ten with "Good Lovin'" and Paul Revere & the Raiders moved from 18-10 with "Kicks".
1966:  The Mamas and the Papas jumped from #79 to #34 on the singles chart with "Monday Monday".
1969:  Desmond Dekker and the Aces climbed to #1 in the U.K. with "Israelites".






1971:  Ringo Starr released the single "It Don't Come Easy".  It was released April 9 in the United States.















1972:  ELO made their concert debut at the Fox and Greyhound Pub in Croydon, London.
1973:  Paul McCartney starred in his first TV show as a solo performer in James Paul McCartney on ABC.
1974:  Queen played in America for the first time at Regis College in Denver, Colorado.
1976:  Aerosmith performed in St. Louis at the Kiel Auditorium, the premiere of a 76-date tour.








 
                                       "Victim of Love" from the Eagles...


1977:  Hotel California continued to hold off Fleetwood Mac's Rumours for the #1 album.  The list contained some great albums, including Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life at #3, the debut from Boston at #7 and Fly Like An Eagle from the Steve Miller Band at #10.








1977:  Jennifer Warnes had her first big hit with the #1 Adult Contemporary song on this date 34 years ago, "Right Time Of The Night".
1977:  Actor David Soul rose to #1 with "Don't Give Up On Us".  Thelma Houston was edging towards the top with "Don't Leave Me This Way" and Glen Campbell had #3 with "Southern Nights".  The remainder of the Top Ten--the Eagles were soaring to the top of the charts with "Hotel California", 10cc had #5 with "The Things We Do For Love", Abba fell from #1 to #6 with "Dancing Queen", Natalie Cole was at 7 with "I've Got Love On My Mind", Barbra Streisand was at #8 with "Evergreen", Atlanta Rhythm Section had song #9 with "So In To You" and Hall & Oates fell to #10 with "Rich Girl".
1979:  Anne Murray and her husband celebrated the birth of daughter Dawn.




 
                    San Francisco's Greg Kihn was at #4...

1983:  "Billie Jean" spent a seventh final week at #1 for Michael Jackson, with "Come On Eileen" from Dexy's Midnight Runners close at hand and Styx moving into the #3 slot with "Mr. Roboto".  The Greg Kihn Band had a big hit at #4 with "Jeopardy", followed by another Michael Jackson song, "Beat It", at #5.  The rest of the Top Ten:  Duran Duran at 6 with "Hungry Like The Wolf", Hall & Oates coming in at 7 with "One On One", Journey's big hit "Separate Ways" at #8, After the Fire moving into the Top 10 with "Der Kommissar" and "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" by Culture Club at #10.
1983:  Stephen Bishop topped the Adult Contemporary chart for the first of two weeks with "It Might Be You".






1983:  Bonnie Tyler had the #1 album in the U.K. with Faster Than the Speed of Night.









1984:  Huey Lewis & the News released the single "The Heart Of Rock & Roll".
1985:  U2 played the first of three concerts at the Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts.
1988:  The "Dirty Dancing" Soundtrack topped the Album chart for a seventh week, holding off Michael Jackson's Bad while Faith by George Michael was third.
1988:  Whitney Houston's "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" prevailed for the third week atop the Adult Contemporary chart.
1988:  Billy Ocean cruised to #1 on the R&B chart with "Get Outta' My Dreams, Get Into My Car".






                 INXS was making a move...


1988:  Billy Ocean was #1 again with "Get Outta' My Dreams, Get Into My Car", while INXS found themselves at #2 with "Devil Inside" and Houston was at #3 with "Where Do Broken Hearts Go".  The rest of the Top Five:  "Man In The Mirror", the former #1 from Michael Jackson, was song #4 and Terence Trent D'Arby had #5 with "Wishing Well".

1990:  Simple Minds, Tracy Chapman, Peter Gabriel and Lou Reed performed in London's Wembley Stadium in a celebration of Nelson Mandela's release from prison.
1993:  David Lee Roth was arrested in New York City's Washington Square Park for buying drugs.
1993:  Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Don Henley and Steve Miller played at the Hollywood Bowl in California to celebrate Earth Day.
1993:  Billy Burnette announced that he was leaving Fleetwood Mac.
1994:  Harry Connick, Jr. married Jill Goodacre in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1994:  Bonnie Raitt topped the Album chart with Longing In Their Hearts.
1995:  Bob Seger and his wife celebrated the birth of their first daughter, Samantha Char.
1995: Following the successful operation of Bill Berry for a brain aneurysm, R.E.M. announced they would resume their worldwide tour.  (Note:  some websites report that R.E.M. made the announcement on April 17.  According to 'MTV', R.E.M. announced the news on April 16.)




1996:  KISS appeared at the 38th Grammy Awards and announced a reunion tour after 15 years apart.
1996:  Judy Collins married Louis Nelson, the designer of the Korean War Memorial.
1998:  Janet Jackson began a world tour at the Ahoy in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.  Opening acts on the tour included Usher, N Sync and Boyz II Men.
1999:  Skip Spence, a founding member of both Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape, died of lung cancer in Santa Cruz, California at age 52.  (Note:  some websites claim Spence died in San Francisco but the correct place of death is Santa Cruz, according to the book 'Got a Revolution!:  The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane' by Jeff Tamarkin and other credible sources.)2003:  Luther Vandross was admitted to a New York City hospital after suffering a stroke at age 52.
2008:  Barbra Streisand donated $5 million to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
2011:  The Florida State House of Representatives declared it "Jimmy Buffett Day".


Born This Day:
1920:  Ed Townsend, who co-wrote "Let's Get It On" with Marvin Gaye, and also wrote for the Impressions, was born in Fayetteville, Tennessee; died of a heart attack in San Bernardino, California August 13, 2003.

1924:  Henry Mancini was born in Cleveland, Ohio; died of pancreatic and liver cancer in Beverly Hills, California on June 14, 1994.  (Note:  some websites report Mancini died in Los Angeles, but according to the newspaper 'The Los Angeles Times', Mancini died in Beverly Hills.)
1924:  Rudy Pompilli, saxophone player with Bill Haley and the Comets, was born in Chester, Pennsylvania; died of lung cancer from second-hand smoke in Brookhaven, Pennsylvania on February 5, 1976.  (Note:  some websites using old material insist Pompilli was born in 1926, but new research in 2006 discovered Rudy was born in 1924, as verified by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.)
1929:  Roy Hamilton, who had a hit with his version of "Unchained Melody", was born in Leesburg, Georgia; died July 20, 1969 after suffering a stroke in New Rochelle, New York.
1930:  Herbie Mann was born in Brooklyn, New York; died July 1, 2003 of prostate cancer in Pecos, New Mexico.  (Note:  some websites claim Mann died in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but the correct place of death is Pecos, according to the newspaper 'The New York Times'.)
1933:  Perry Botkin, Jr. ("Nadia's Theme" from 1976) was born in New York City.

1935:  Bobby Vinton was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.  (Note:  some websites report that Vinton was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  According to the book "Billboard Book of Number One Hits' by Fred Bronson and the newspaper 'The Los Angeles Times', Bobby was born in Canonsburg.)

1939:  Dusty Springfield was born in London; died of breast cancer in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England on  March 2, 1999.
1943:  Dave Peverett, guitarist and vocalist with Savoy Brown and Foghat, was born in Dullwich; died of cancer February 7, 2000 in Orlando, Florida.  (Note:  some websites claim Peverett was born on April 10 (one misspells his name Pevertt), and some say he was born in 1950 or 1951.  Some websites report that he was born in London.  The official website of Foghat, as well as the newspaper 'The Orlando Sentinel' reports that Dave was born on April 16, 1943 in Dullwich and raised in London.  There is no place in England named Dullwich--the name of the area is Dulwich in South London.  The newspaper 'The New York Times' confirms that Dave was born in Dulwich and raised in London.)

1947:  Gerry Rafferty of Stealer's Wheel and an impressive solo performer, was born in Paisley, Scotland; died January 4, 2011 at the age of 63 from liver failure in London after a lifetime of alcoholism.
1951:  John Bentley, bassist with Squeeze ("Tempted"), was born in London.
1953:  Peter Garrett, lead singer of Midnight Oil and currently the Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth in Australia, was born in Sydney.  
1959:  Stephen Singleton, saxophonist of ABC ("The Look Of Love", "Poison Arrow" and "Be Near Me"), was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England.
1963:  Jimmy Osmond was born in Canoga Park, California.
1964:  Dave Pirner, singer and guitarist of Soul Asylum ("Runaway Train"), was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

1971:  Selena Quintanilla-Perez (Serena) was born in Lake Jackson, Texas, murdered in Corpus Christi, Texas on March 31, 1995.
1979:  Akon (real name Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Bongo Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam ) was born in St. Louis, Missouri.  (Note:  some websites claim Akon was born in Senegal; he was born in St. Louis, according to 'MTV' and the book 'Lady Gaga Superstar' by Jean-Pierre Hombach.)