On This Day(In Music )

April 4th: On this Day


1953, The Stargazers were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Broken Wings.' The first record by any British group to reach No.1. Stargazers' member Fred Dachtler is the father of Clark Datchler of 80’s group Johnny Hates Jazz.

1956, Elvis Presley played the first of two nights in San Diego Arena in San Diego, California. The local Police chief issued a statement saying if Elvis ever returned to the city and performed like he did, he would be arrested for disorderly conduct.

1960, RCA Victor Records announced that it would be release all Pop singles in mono and stereo simultaneously, the first record company to do so. Elvis Presley's single, ‘Stuck on You’ was RCA's first mono / stereo release.

1964, The Beatles held the top five places on the US singles chart, at No. 5 'Please Please Me', No.4 'I Want To Hold Your Hand', No.3, 'Roll Over Beethoven', No.2 'Love Me Do' and at No.1 'Can't Buy Me Love.' They also had another nine singles on the chart, bringing their total to fourteen singles on the Hot 100.

1967, Jimi Hendrix was the special guest on the first edition of the UK BBC-TV's 'Dee Time', along with Kiki Dee and Cat Stevens.

1968, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Joni Mitchell, Al Kooper and Ted Nugent met up for an all night blues, folk and rock session at The New Generation Club, New York after hearing the news of Martin Luther King's assassination.

1970, Brinsley Schwarz’s promotion company sent 133 UK journalists, by plane to New York to see the band supporting Van Morrison at the Fillmore East, at a cost of £120,000 ($204,000). The event turned into a disaster. The group planned to leave a few days before the show to rehearse, but were denied visas on a technicality. They were finally given visas on the morning of the show, and arrived hours before the concert. The plane carrying the journalists developed a mechanical fault, delaying the flight and when the journalists arrived In New York 18 hours later, they were all hung over. Brinsley Schwarz gave a underwhelming live performance, resulting in a flood of scathing reviews.

1970, Crosby Stills Nash & Young went to No.1 on the US album chart with Deja Vu. The first album which saw Neil Young joining Crosby, Stills and Nash featured three US Top 40 singles: 'Teach Your Children', 'Our House' and 'Woodstock.'

1973, The Supremes appeared at the Granada, Tooting, the last date on a 20 date UK tour. The group played two shows at every venue.

1976, The Sex Pistols played the first night of a residency at the El Paradiso club in Soho, London, England.

1981, Bucks Fizz won the Eurovision Song Contest held in Dublin, Ireland with the UK entry 'Making Your Mind Up'.

1981, Styx went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Paradise Theatre'.

1985, The Smiths appeared at The Hippodrome, Bristol, England.

1987, Starship started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Nothin's Gonna Stop Us', taken from the film 'Mannequin', also a No.1 in the UK.

1987, The charity record by Ferry Aid 'Let It Be' was at No.1 on the UK singles chart. The single was recorded in aid of the 1986 Zeebrugge Ferry disaster, which killed almost 200 people. The song featured Paul McCartney, Boy George, Mark Knopfler, Kim Wilde, Nik Kershaw, Kate Bush and others.

1987, U2 entered the US album chart at No.7 with 'The Joshua Tree' making it the highest chart new entry in America for seven years.

1992, Bruce Springsteen scored his third UK No.1 album with 'Human Touch.'

1992, The film soundtrack from 'Wayne's World' started a two-week run at No.1 on the US album chart.

1996, Take That made their final performance on The Ivo Niehe Show on Dutch TV, playing two songs in front of a 250 strong studio audience.

1998, K-Ci & Jojo started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'All My Life.'

1999, The Corrs album 'Talk On Corners' went to No.1 on the UK album chart for the 10th time. They also had the No.2 position with 'Forgiven, Not Forgotten.' Both albums had spent over a year on the chart. Talk on Corners was the UK's biggest selling album of 1998 and the 9th best selling album of 1999.

2003, 50 Cent became the best selling artist in the US so far this year when his latest album 'Get Rich or Die Tryin' sold more than four million copies in two months.

2004, Anastacia was at No.1 on the UK album chart with her self-titled album, ‘Anastasia’, the singers first UK No.1.

2004, Usher was at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Confessions’ the singers second US No.1.

2004, British band McFly scored their first UK No.1 single with '5 Colours In Her Hair' their debut single.

2007, A Swedish couple ran into trouble with authorities after trying to name their baby Metallica. Michael and Karolina Tomaro went to court with the country's National Tax Authority about naming their daughter after the rock band. The six-month-old has been baptised Metallica, but tax officials said the name was "inappropriate". Under Swedish law, both first names and surnames need to win the approval of authorities before they can be used.

2008, Beyonce Knowles married Jay-Z at his New York apartment. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and wife Gwyneth Paltrow and Beyonces former bandmates in Destiny's Child, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams all attended the private ceremony.

2008, Procol Harum singer Gary Brooker won back full royalty rights to the band's worldwide hit, ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’, at London's Court of Appeal. The decision overturned a 2006 ruling that organist Matthew Fisher was entitled to a 40% portion of royalties on the 1967 hit after he argued he had written the song's organ melody. The court ruled there was an "excessive delay" in the claim being made - nearly 40 years after the song was recorded.

April 5th: On this Day


1962, The Beatles performed at the Cavern Club in Liverpool as part of a special night presented by the Beatles' fan club. The Beatles wear their black leather outfits for the first half of the performance, for old time's sake, then change into their new suits for the second half of the show.

1967, Monkees fans walked from London's Marble Arch to the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square to protest Davy Jones' planned call-up. Jones was exempted because he was deemed responsible for supporting his father.

1968, The first date of a twice-nightly UK tour featuring, Amen Corner, Gene Pitney, Status Quo, Simon Dupree & The Big Sound and Don Partridge kicked off at The Odeon Theatre, Lewisham, London.

1972, Elvis Presley kicked of a 15 date US tour at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York.

1975, Minnie Riperton went to No.1 on the US singles chart with the Stevie Wonder produced song 'Loving You' (a No.2 hit in the UK). It was the singers only US chart hit. Riperton died of cancer on 12th July 1979.

1978, Duran Duran made their live debut at The Lecture Theatre, Birmingham Polytechnic.

1980, Genesis scored their first UK No.1 album when 'Duke' went to the top of the charts.

1980, R.E.M. played their first ever gig when they appeared at St Mary's Episcopal Church, Athens, Georgia.

1981, Canned Heat singer Bob "The Bear" Hite died of a heart attack aged 36. (1970 UK No.2 & US No.26 single 'Let's Work Together'). Played at both the 1967 Montery Pop Festival and the 1969 Woodstock Festival.

1983, Danny Rapp, leader of 50's group Danny and the Juniors committed suicide in a hotel in Arizona by shooting himself. (1958 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'At The Hop').

1984, Marvin Gaye's funeral took place at The Forest Lawn Cemetery, Los Angeles; Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy and other Motown singers, writers and producers, attended the service.

1985, At 3:50pm GMT, over 5,000 radio stations worldwide aired the charity single by USA for Africa 'We Are The World'. The single went on to be a No.1 in the US & UK, and most Western territories.

1985, UK Channel 4 music show The Tube aired a two-hour end of series special featuring UB40, Alison Moyet, Style Council, The Pogues, Spandau Ballet, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Bronski Beat.

1994, Kurt Cobain committed suicide by shooting himself in the head at his home in Seattle. Cobain’s body wasn’t discovered until April 8, by an electrician who had arrived to install a security system, who initially believed that Cobain was asleep, until he saw the shotgun pointing at his chin. A suicide note was found that said, "I haven't felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music, along with really writing . . . for too many years now". A high concentration of heroin and traces of Valium were found in Cobain’s body. His death was officially ruled as suicide by a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.

1995, Jimi Hendrix's one-time girlfriend Monika Dannerman committed suicide, two days after losing a court battle with another of the guitarist's ex-lovers.

1997, The Chemical Brothers went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Block Rockin Beats.' Taken from their second album Dig Your Own Hole the song won a Grammy award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

1998, British drummer Cozy Powell was killed when his car smashed into crash barriers on a motorway in Bristol, England. Powell had worked with Whitesnake, ELP, Black Sabbath, Rainbow and the ELP spin-off Emerson, Lake, & Powell. Plus sessions with Donovan, Roger Daltrey, Jack Bruce, Jeff Beck, Gary Moore and Brian May.

1998, The Spice Girls performed their first ever-live UK concert when they appeared in front of a 9,000 strong audience in Glasgow, Scotland.

2003, Paul McCartney kicked off the UK leg of his 'Back In The World Tour' at Hallam FM Arena a year after it began in America. The set included 22 Beatles songs.

2006, Marion "Suge" Knight staved off receivership by seeking bankruptcy protection for himself and his music label, Death Row Records. The record producer had been ordered to pay more than $100m (£57m) to a former associate who said she had helped start the record label in 1989. Lawyers for Mr Knight said he did not have the money to pay the judgement, and was forced to seek federal protection. The label helped launch the careers of rappers such as Snoop Doggy Dogg.

2006, Gene Pitney was found dead aged 65 in his bed in a Cardiff hotel. The American singer was on a UK tour and had shown no signs of illness. Pitney helped the Rolling Stones break the American market with his endorsement of the band. Jagger and Richards wrote his hit That Girl Belongs to Yesterday which became the Stones duo's first composition to reach the American charts. He scored the 1962 US No.4 single 'Only Love Can Break A Heart'. and 1967 solo UK No.5 & 1989 UK No.1 single with Marc Almond 'Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart', plus over 15 other US & UK Top 40 hits.

2007, Former Kiss guitarist Mark St. John died from an apparent brain hemorrhage at the age of 51. St. John was Kiss' third official guitarist, having replaced Vinnie Vincent in 1984 and appeared on the album ‘Animalize’.

2008, Apple's iTunes overtook supermarket group Wal-Mart to become the largest music retailer in the US. Market research firm NPD said iTunes surpassed Wal-Mart in January and February if 12 downloads are considered equal to the sale of one CD album. iTunes had sold more than four billion songs since its launch in 2003.

2008, Danity Kane were at No.1 on the US album chart with their second album ‘Welcome To The Dollhouse.’

2008, Lady GaGa started a four week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘The Fame’ the American singers debut album.

April 7th: On this Day


1956, The CBS Radio Network premiered the first regularly scheduled national broadcast rock & roll show, Alan Freed's 'Rock 'n' Roll Dance Party.'

1958, The Alan Freed’s Big Beat Show played two shows at the Memorial Hall in Canton, Ohio, featuring, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Frankie Lymon, The Diamonds, Billy Ford, Danny & The Juniors,
The Chantels, Larry Williams, Screaming Jay Hawkins, The Pastels and Buddy Holly and the Crickets.

1962, Shelley Fabares started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Johnny Angel'. It only reached No.41 on the UK chart.

1962, While at Ealing Jazz Club, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards met Brian Jones for the first time. Jones was calling himself Elmo Lewis and was playing guitar with Paul Jones.

1962, The Beatles played at the Casbah Coffee Club, Liverpool without George Harrison who was ill. This was the group’s last performance before leaving for their third extended engagement in Hamburg, West Germany.

1963, The Beatles appeared at The Savoy Ballroom, Portsmouth, England.

1966, Working at Abbey Road studio’s in London, The Beatles recorded overdubs on the new John Lennon song ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ and the new Paul McCartney song ‘Got to Get You Into My Life’ for the forthcoming Revolver album.

1967, Pink Floyd played at the Floral Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

1968, At the end of a North American tour, The Who played at the CNE Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario.

1970, On this week's US Top 5 singles chart; No.5, 'Bridge Over Trouble Water' by Simon and Garfunkel, No.4, 'Spirit In The Sky', Norman Greenbaum', No.3, 'Instant Karma' by John Lennon, No.2, 'ABC' The Jackson Five and at No.1, 'Let It Be', The Beatles.

1972, Grateful Dead appeared at The Empire Pool, London, England, tickets cost £1.

1973, Diana Ross started a two-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Lady Sings The Blues.'

1973, Vicki Lawrence started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia.'

1975, Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore quit Deep Purple to form his own band Rainbow. Tommy Bolin replaced Blackmore.

1979, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Cheap Trick, The Boomtown Rats and Ted Nugent all appeared at the California Music Festival.

1979, Siouxsie And The Banshees played a charity gig for MENCAP, but after crowd trouble were latter faced with a £2,000 bill for seat damage.

1979, The Doobie Brothers went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Minute By Minute', the group's only US chart topper.

1981, Producer and manager, Kit Lambert died of a cerebral hemorrhage after falling down a flight of stairs at his mother's home in London, England. Lambert managed The Who from 1964-1967 and produced the 'Tommy' album. Also produced Arthur Brown's 1968 hit 'Fire'.

1981, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off their first full-scale tour in Hamburg, Germany. This was Springsteen's first tour outside North America, which would take in 10 countries.

1984, A record 40 British acts appeared on the US top 100 singles chart.

1985, Wham! became the first western pop group to perform live in China, when they played at the workers gymnasium in Beijing.

1988, During a European tour, Alice Cooper accidentally hung himself in a rehearsal when a safety rope snapped; he dangled for several seconds before a roadie saved him.

1990, Bonnie Raitt started a three-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Nick Of Time.'

1990, Motley Crue's Tommy Lee was injured when performing a stunt during a concert, falling 20 feet from a lighting rig.

1990, Taylor Dayne went to No.1 on the US singles chart with the Diane Warren song 'Love Will Lead You Back', a No.69 hit in the UK.

1990, The Carpenters started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Only Yesterday'; The LP went back to the top at the end of April 1990 for a further five weeks.

1994, Lee Brilleaux singer and harmonica player with Dr Feelgood died of throat cancer. Had the 1979 UK No.9 single 'Milk And Alcohol', 1976 UK No.1 live album, 'Stupidity'.

1994, Courtney Love was arrested on drugs and theft charges after a reported overdose. At this time, Love was unaware that her husband Kurt Cobain was dead at their home, (his body wasn’t discovered until April 8, by an electrician who had arrived to install a security system at their house).

1994, US soul singer Percy Sledge pleaded guilty to tax evasion after he failed to report $260,000 in income earned between 1987 and 1989. He was sentenced to serve six months in a halfway house.

1996, Take That went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their 'Greatest Hits' album.

1997, Oasis singer Liam Gallagher married actress Patsy Kensit at Marylebone Registry office, London. They divorced three years later.

1998, George Michael was arrested at The Will Rogers Memorial Park for committing a sex act in a public toilet. He was arrested by undercover Beverly Hills police officer Marcelo Rodriguez. Michael later said; "I was followed into the restroom and this cop - well, I didn't know he was a cop at the time obviously – started playing this game. I think it's called ‘I'll show you mine, you show me yours, and then when you show me yours, I'm gonna nick you!" The singer was later fined $810 (£500) after being convicted of a "lewd act."

2000, Heinz, bass player and singer with The Tornadoes died aged 57. The group had the Joe Meek produced 1962 UK & US No.1 single 'Telstar', making them the first UK group to score a US No.1 single. Heinz had the 1963 solo hit 'Just Like Eddie', a tribute to Eddie Cochran, (which featured future Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore).

2001, Paul McCartney bought the four-bedroom Beverly Hills home of Courtney Love for $3.995m. The gated 1930's house had it's own swimming pool and 1.5 acres of land.

2002, UK Pop Idol runner-up Gareth Gates was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with his version of 'Unchained Melody.' Making Gates the seventh act to have a Top 40 hit with the song. Jennifer Lopez was at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Ain't It Funny.' And Celine Dion had the UK & US No.1 album 'A New Day Has Come.'

2003, Avril Lavigne dominated Canada's national music awards the Junos, winning four prizes including best single, album and new artist. Shania Twain who hosted the show won three awards. Best group went to Sum 41.

2008, Feist won five prizes, including album of the year at the Junos, Canada's top music awards. The Canadian singer-songwriter won single of the year for '1234', album and pop album for The Reminder, as well as artist and songwriter of the year.

2008, Panic At The Disco were at No.1 on the Australian album chart with their second album ‘Pretty. Odd.’

April 9th: On this Day


1956, Gene Vincent recorded the classic rock 'n roll song 'Be Bop-A-Lula', which went on to be a US & UK Top 20 hit in this year.

1963, The Beatles appeared live on the ITV show Tuesday Rendezvous, miming ‘From Me to You’ and ‘Please Please Me’ (during the closing credits). In the evening The Beatles played live at the Gaumont State Cinema, Kilburn, London.

1965, The Rolling Stones appeared on UK TV show Ready Steady Go!

1966, 'Blue Turns To Grey', a song written by Jagger and Richards gave Cliff Richard a No.15 UK hit.

1966, Jeff Beck collapsed on stage during a Yardbirds gig in Marseilles, France.

1966, The Righteous Brothers started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'You're My Soul And Inspiration', a No.15 hit in the UK.

1967, The Doors and The Jefferson Airplane appeared at Cheetah, Santa Monica Pier, Venice, California. This was the largest show The Doors had played to date with a crowd of over 3,000

1968, Gene Pitney supported by Status Quo appeared at The Odeon in Glasgow, Scotland.

1970, Pink Floyd kicked off their second North American tour at The Fillmore East, Manhattan, New York City.

1973, Newly signed to EMI Records, Queen played a showcase gig for their new record label at the Marquee Club, London.

1974, Terry Jacks was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Seasons In The Sun.' Jacks became the first Canadian to score a No.1 since Paul Anka in 1957. The song (written in French by Belgian, Jacques Brel), had English lyrics by poet Rod McKuen.

1974, The Jackson 5 played the first of 15 shows at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.

1976, American folk singer songwriter Phil Ochs, hung himself at his sisters home in Queens, New York. Wrote 'There But A Fortune', a hit for Joan Baez.

1977, Abba went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Dancing Queen', the group's 7th US Top 40 hit and first No.1. Also a No.1 in the UK in 1976.

1981, On this week's UK Indie album chart, No.5, Crass, 'Stations Of The Crass', No.4, Toyah, 'Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!' No.3, Joy Division, 'Closer', No.2, Adam and the Ants, 'Dirk Wears White Sox', No.1, Theatre Of Hate, 'He Who Dares Wins.'

1983, David Bowie was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the title track from his latest album 'Let's Dance', his fourth UK No.1 and featuring blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. A US No.1 hit, it was Bowie’s first single to reach number one on both sides of the Atlantic.

1988, Dave Prater of soul duo Sam & Dave was killed when his car left the road and hit a tree in Syracuse, Georgia, on his way to his mother's house in Ocilla. He was 50. Recorded for Stax Records from 1965 - 1968, hits included 'Soul Man' and 'Hold On, I'm Coming.'

1988, American singer and songwriter Brook Benton died aged 56. Scored over 20 US top 40 singles, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, he scored hits such as ‘It's Just A Matter Of Time’ and ‘Endlessly’, and made a comeback in 1974 when he had the No.4 hit 'Rainy Night In Georgia.'

1988, Pet Shop Boys started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Heart', the duo's fourth UK No.1.

1988, Billy Ocean started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car', a No.3 hit in the UK.

1989, Rolling Stone Bill Wyman announced his forthcoming marriage to 19-year old Mandy Smith. He revealed the couple had been dating for six years.

1991, Record producer Martin Hannett died. He worked with many Manchester acts including The Smiths, New Order, Joy Division, Happy Mondays, Magazine as well as U2 and The Psychedelic Furs.

1993, Take That released 'It Only Takes A Minute', in the US, along with a Take That breakfast cereal box.

1994, Pantera entered the US album chart at No.1 with 'Far Beyond Driven'.

1994, R. Kelly started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Bump N' Grind', his first US No.1, a No.8 hit in the UK.

1994, Take That scored their fourth UK No.1 single with the Gary Barlow penned single 'Everything Changes' the fifth single from the band's second album Everything Changes.

1997, Songwriter Mae Boren Axton died aged 82 after drowning in her bath at her home in Hendersonville, Tennessee after an apparent heart attack. Known as the 'Queen Mother of Nashville' she wrote over 200 songs including a co-writing credit on the Elvis Presley hit 'Heartbreak Hotel'. Mother of country singer, songwriter Hoyt Axton.

2000, Craig David went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Fill Me In'. At 18 years 11 months he became the youngest UK male solo artist to write and sing a UK No.1.

2000, Moby started a five-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Play'. The album went on to spend 81 weeks on the chart.

2000, NSYNC started a seven week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘No Strings Attached’ the Boybands first US No.1.

2003, Paul McCartney played his first Manchester show in 24 years when he appeared at the MEN Arena as part of the UK leg on the 'Back In The World Tour 2003.'

2004, A man was arrested for allegedly stalking Avril Lavigne. James Speedy, 30, from Seattle, Washington, was arrested after police searched his home, he was later released on $5,000 bail. Mr Speedy had been under investigation since last summer for allegedly sending harassing letters and e-mails to the 19-year-old singer. He was later charged with stalking the singer.

2006, Former Smiths singer Morrissey went to No.1 on the UK album chart with his 8th solo album 'Ringleader Of The Tormentors.'

2007, Country and western singer Tanya Tucker was sued by her manicurist for $300,000 (£150,000) over claims the star's dog attacked and injured her. Danielle Hobbs stated in court papers that she was bitten by Bella at the singer's Nashville home and also claimed that the alleged attack, had left her with painful and disfiguring scars on her leg. She stated that Tucker's assistant told her the dogs were "just babies" and said "they will not hurt you".

2009, Randy Cain, a founding member of US soul group The Delfonics died at his home in Maple Shade, New Jersey at the age of 63. The Philadelphia group, whose hits include 'La-La (Means I Love You)', won an R&B Grammy in 1970 for their song 'Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time'. The chorus of 'Ready or Not' by The Fugees sampled The Delfonics' 1969 hit 'Ready Or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love)'.

2009, Bay City Rollers manager Tam Paton died in the bath at his Edinburgh home of a suspected heart attack. The 70-year-old, who had suffered two previous heart attacks and a stroke in recent years, was found dead in his luxury mansion. Paton had made millions through the success of the band in the 1970s, but was a far more controversial figure in recent years. He was convicted of sex offences against two boys aged 16 and 17 in 1982, and was convicted of drug dealing in 2004 after £26,000 worth of cannabis was found at his home, but was cleared on appeal.

April 11th: On this Day


1954, Doris Day was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Secret Love'. The song featured in the film, Calamity Jane, and won the Best Song Oscar for 1953.

1956, Travelling from Amarillo to Nashville, the plane that Elvis Presley was flying on developed engine trouble and was forced to make an emergency landing. The incident created a fear of flying for Presley.

1961, Bob Dylan played his first live gig in New York City at Gerde's Folk City, opening for John Lee Hooker.

1963, Gerry And The Pacemakers were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'How Do You Do It'' The group's first of three UK No.1's.

1964, The Beatles set a new chart record when they had 14 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. The songs ranged from ‘Can't Buy Me Love’ at No.1 to ‘Love Me Do’ at No. 81.

1965, Performing at the New Musical Express poll winners concert, at London's Wembley Empire Pool, England, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Tom Jones, Freddie and the Dreamers, The Animals, The Kinks, Herman's Hermits, Moody Blues, Them, Cilla Black, The Seekers and Donovan.

1967, During a 18-date European tour The Rolling Stones played two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France.

1970, Peter Green quit Fleetwood Mac while on tour in Germany, to avoid breach of contract he agreed to finish the current tour.

1970, The Beatles started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Let It Be'. It became the group's 19th US No.1 in 6 year's. The track was a No.2 hit in the UK.

1973, The Beach Boys appeared at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia. The Beach Boys were at a very low ebb in popularity in America and this show proved a financial disaster for the promoter, with less than 3,000 tickets sold for the 16,000 capacity venue. Opening act was Mothers Finest and middle of the bill was Bruce Springsteen who played a 60-minute set.

1976, During a tour of Australia, Queen appeared at the Entertainments Centre in Perth.

1977, Alice Cooper played to an audience of 40,000 in Sydney, Australia, the largest crowd to attend a rock concert in the country's history. After the show Cooper was placed under house arrest at his hotel until he posted a bond for $59,632. That amount was the sum that a promoter claimed to have paid Cooper for a 1975 Australia tour he never made. The two settled when it was found that the promoter did not fulfill his part of the agreement either.

1981, Eddie Van Halen married actress Valerie Bertinelli, co-star of the 1980's television hit, One Day at a Time. The two had met eight months earlier when Bertinelli's brother took her to a Van Halen concert in Shreveport, Louisiana.

1981, Hall and Oates started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Kiss On My List', the duo's second US No.1, a No.33 hit in the UK.

1986, Dave Clark's musical 'Time' opened at London's Dominion Theatre, starring Cliff Richard.

1988, Cher won an Academy Award for best actress for her work in 'Moonstruck.'

1991, Paula Abdul held a press conference in Hollywood to deny allegations that backing vocalist Yvete Marine had sung un-credited lead parts on Paula's 'Forever Your Girl' LP.

1992, Def Leppard scored their second UK No.1 album with 'Adrenalize' the follow-up to the multi million selling 'Hysteria' album.

1992, Pearl Jam appeared on US TV show Saturday Night Live from New York City.

1994, Oasis released their first single 'Supersonic'; it peaked at No.31 on the UK charts.

1999, Former Eastenders actress Martine McCutcheon started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with her debut release 'Perfect Moment'.

2001, Robbie Williams raised £165,000 at a charity auction with the money going to his old school in Stoke to build a performing arts block. The items sold were Robbie's personal possessions, including a toilet from a stage show, a Union Jack bikini, Tiger's head briefs, a Millennium jet pack and the hand written lyrics to 'Angels' which sold for £27,000.

2006, A member of Eminem's rap collective D12 was killed in a nightclub shooting in Detroit after an argument broke out at the CCC nightclub. Proof, (real name Deshaun Holton), was shot at a club on Eight Mile Road, made famous in Eminem's autobiographical film 8 Mile. Holton was a longtime friend of Eminem and was the rappers best man at his wedding in January of this year.

2006, June Pointer, the youngest of the four Pointer Sisters who went from teenage Gospel singers to the top of the Pop charts with such hits as 'Fire', 'Slow Hand' and 'I'm So Excited', died of cancer at the age of 52.

April 13th: On this Day


1956, The UK Top 20 became The Top 30 for the first time. Winifred Atwell was at No.1 with 'Poor People Of Paris' an instrumental version of a French song.

1962, The Beatles made their third trip to Germany for a 48-night residency at The Star Club, Hamburg. During the seven week run The Beatles had only one day off.

1965, The Beatles record the song 'Help!' during an evening recording session at Abbey Road in London.

1966, During a four month world tour, Bob Dylan appeared at Sydney Stadium in Sydney Australia, the first of seven shows in Australia.

1967, Nancy and Frank Sinatra were at UK No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Somethin' Stupid', (making them the only father and daughter to have a US No.1 single as a team).

1968, Bobby Goldsboro started a five week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Honey', it made No.2 on the UK chart and also No.2 when re- issued in 1975.

1970, Genesis appeared at Friars, Aylesbury, England. Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks and band received £10 for the gig.

1971, The Rolling Stones released 'Brown Sugar' the first record on their own label, Rolling Stones Records, which introduces the infamous licking- tongue and lips logo.

1974, Elton John went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Bennie And The Jets', his second US No.1, it made No.37 in the UK.

1974, Paul McCartney's 'Band On The Run', went to No.1 on the US album charts. McCartney's third US No.1, which went on to sell over 6 million copies world-wide

1979, Five days into Van Halen's latest tour, David Lee Roth collapsed from exhaustion on stage at Spokane Coliseumin, Washington.

1980, The musical Grease closed after 3883 performances in New York City, having grossed over $8 million.

1982, David Crosby was arrested when police found him preparing cocaine backstage in his dressing room before a show in Dallas.

1985, USA for Africa started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'We Are The World.'

1990, Madonna kicked off her 57-date Blond Ambition World Tour when she played the first of three nights at Chiba Marine Stadium in Tokyo, Japan.

1991, Londonbeat went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I've Been Thinking About You', a No.2 hit in the UK.

1993, The first ‘Aerosmith Day’ was observed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts after the band were given their very own holiday.

1995, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony started a two week run on the US album chart with 'E 1999 Eternal.'

1996, Rage Against The Machine appeared on NBC's Saturday Night Live. Their two-song performance was cut to one song when the band attempted to hang inverted American flags from their amplifiers.

1997, The Notorious B.I.G. was at No.1 on the US album charts with 'Life After Death.'

2002, Thieves broke in to a house in Bexhill, Sussex and stole a hi-fi system and several CD's. They left albums by Madonna, Robbie Williams and Oasis but took the owners entire Showaddywaddy collection.

2003, The Beatles Apple Corp company was listed as Britain's fastest profit-growth firm with an annual profit growth of 194%.

2003, Madonna struck back at web sites who were offering illegal downloads of her new album, ‘American Life’ by flooding file-sharing networks with decoy files. When the files were opened they were greeted by the voice of Madonna asking, "What the f**k do you think you're doing?" The latest Madonna album has been kept under tight wraps to avoid piracy, with promotional copies being held back from journalists until just before the official release. 


2007, Julian Lennon sold a “significant” stake of his share in the songs his father John wrote for The Beatles to US music publishing company Primary Wave. The firm would now receive payments when any Lennon compositions were sold on CD, performed live or played on the radio. The company who were about to market Julian Lennon's new music project, declined to reveal how much the deal was worth.

2008, Producer and drummer Clifford Davies, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his home in Atlanta, aged 59. Davies had worked with Ted Nugent from 1979-1982. It was reported that Davies was "extremely distraught" over outstanding medical bills.

2008, Madonna feat Justin Timberlake started a four week at No.1 on the UK singles chart with '4 Minutes', her 13th UK No.1, taken from her eleventh studio album Hard Candy.

2009, 68-year-old US music producer Phil Spector was convicted of murdering actress Lana Clarkson, after a five-month retrial. He had pleaded not guilty to the second degree murder of 40-year-old Ms Clarkson, who was shot in the mouth at Spector's home in Los Angeles. During the five-month retrial, five female acquaintances testified that Spector had threatened them at gunpoint in incidents dating back to the 1970s. An earlier trial was abandoned in 2007 after a jury failed to reach a unanimous decision. Spector was remanded in custody until sentencing on 29 May 09.

2009, Procol Harum's ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ was the most played song in public places in the past 75 years, according to a chart compiled for BBC Radio 2. Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was at number two followed by 'All I Have To Do Is Dream' by the Everly Brothers. Wet Wet Wet's 1994 hit, 'Love Is All Around', was at number four followed by Bryan Adams's 1991 hit '(Everything I Do), I Do It For You.'

April 14th: On this Day


1953, Lita Roza was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with '(How Much) Is That Doggie In Window.' The 27 year old singer was the NME readers' Top Female artist of 1953 and with this single became the first British female singer to top the UK singles Chart, (and the first Liverpudlian to do so).

1963, The Rolling Stones played at The Crawdaddy Club, Richmond. All four members of The Beatles were in the audience.

1964, The King Bees, (featuring a young David Bowie, then David Jones), played at a wedding reception at the Jack Of Clubs in London.

1966, The Spencer Davis Group were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Somebody Help Me', the group's second UK No.1.

1966, Roy Orbison, The Walker Brothers and Lulu all appeared at The Colston Hall, Bristol, England.

1967, David Bowie's novelty record 'The Laughing Gnome' was released in the UK.

1967, A riot broke out at Warsaw's Palace Of Culture as The Rolling Stones made their first appearance in an Iron curtain Country; police used tear gas in a battle with 2,000 fans.

1967, Polydor Records released the Bee Gees 'New York mining Disaster 1941' It was released with a promotional slogan announcing 'The most significant talent since The Beatles'. The record became a Top 20 hit in the UK and US.

1968, Phil Spector married Ronettes singer Veronica Bennett. The couple divorced n 1973 with Bennett citing several instances of alleged cruelty.

1969, The recording of 'The Ballad Of John and Yoko' took place, with just two Beatles, Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Paul played bass, drums and piano with John on guitars and lead vocals. The song was banned from many radio stations as being blasphemous. On some stations, the word 'Christ' was edited in backwards to avoid the ban.

1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival made their live UK debut when they played the first of two nights at The Royal Albert Hall, London.

1971, The Illinois Crime Commission issued a list of 'drug-oriented records' including 'White Rabbit' by Jefferson Airplane, 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' by Procol Harum and The Beatles 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.'

1973, Led Zeppelin started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Houses Of The Holy', also a No.1 in the US. The young girl featured on the cover of the album climbing naked up Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland is Samantha Gates who was 6 years old at the time of the photo shoot.

1975, After rumour's that Jimmy Page, Steve Marriott, Jeff Beck and Chris Spedding would replace Mick Taylor as guitarist in The Rolling Stones, a press release confirmed that Ron Wood would be joining the band for their forthcoming American tour.

1975, Art Garfunkel started a six week run at No.1 in the UK with the theme from the film 'Watership Down', 'Bright Eyes' which went on to become the biggest selling single of the year. Written by Wombles voice Mike Batt.

1976, Eric Faulkner of The Bay City Rollers reportedly came close to death after taking a drug overdose at their manager's house while in a state of exhaustion.

1976, Motown Records and Stevie Wonder announced the largest contract renewal to date, worth $13 million.

1978, Joy Division played at the 'Stiff Test -Chiswick Challenge', at Raffters in Manchester, England. Future managers Rob Gretton and then journalist Tony Wilson saw the band for the first time.

1979, The Doobie Brothers went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'What A Fool Believes', the group's second US No.1, it made No.31 in the UK.

1980, Gary Numan released 'The Touring Principle', the first long-form rock video to be made commercially available in the UK.

1983, The Pretenders bass player Pete Farndon died from a drug overdose. He was sacked from the group on June 14th 1982, (two days before Pretenders guitarist James Honeyman-Scott was found dead of heart failure). Farndon was in the midst of forming a new band with former Clash drummer Topper Headon when he died.

1983, Tears For Fears appeared at the De Montfort Hall, Leicester. Spandau Ballet appeared at The Royal Albert Hall, London.

1990, Madonna scored her seventh UK No.1 single with 'Vogue', also a US No.1 hit. Taken from her soundtrack album I'm Breathless (Music from and Inspired by the film Dick Tracy).

1990, Tommy Page went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I'll Be Your Everything', his only hit in the UK reaching No.53.

1993, Paul McCartney kicked off a 24-date North American tour at the Sam Boys Silver Bowl in Las Vegas.

1994, Kurt Cobain was cremated at the Bleitz Funeral Home, Seattle. The death certificate listed Cobain's occupation as Poet/Musician and his type of business as Punk Rock.

1995, American actor, writer and folk singer Burl Ives died of cancer aged 85. Had hits with 'Funny Way Of Laughing', 'The Blue Tail Fly' and 'Little Bitty Tear', won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1958 film The Big Country.

1998, Welsh singer Dorothy Squires died of lung cancer aged 83, in Llwynypia Hospital, Rhondda, Wales. (1953 UK No.12 single 'I'm Walking Behind You'). Once married to English actor Roger Moore

1999, UK singer, songwriter and actor Anthony Newley died of cancer. Scored 12 UK Top 40 singles from 1959-1962 including the No.1 single 'Why.' Won the 1963 Grammy Award for Song of the Year for "What Kind of Fool Am I?" Married to the actress Joan Collins from 1963 to 1971.

2001, Sean Puffy Combs, (P. Diddy), was arrested in Miami for riding a scooter in South Beach on a suspended driver's license. He was released 20 minutes later after signing a promise to appear in court.

2002, Ashanti started a ten week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Foolish' and on the same day started a three week run at No.1 on the US album chart with her self-titled album.

2003, A man was arrested accused of making up a Bjork concert then selling tickets. Alex Conate allegedly sold tickets worth $14,000 at $40 each after persuading a San Diego nightclub owner that Bjork had agreed to play there. He was accused of taking the money and moving to Hawaii, where he was arrested.

2008, k.d. Lang went to No.1 on the Australian album chart with her 10th album ‘Watershed.’

2009, A planned auction of nearly 1,400 items from the former home of Michael Jackson was cancelled. A public preview of the collection had already begun in Los Angeles and the exhibition of Jackson's possessions would stay open until the end of next week. A last-minute settlement meant Jackson's belongings would now be returned to him. In response, he had dropped a lawsuit against Juliens Auctions.

2009, Former Beatle George Harrison was honoured with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. Sir Paul McCartney attended the unveiling outside the landmark Capitol Records building, joining Harrison's widow Olivia and son Dhani. Eric Idle, Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and musician Tom Petty also attended the ceremony.

April 16th: On this Day


1955, Elvis Presley (with Scotty Moore and Bill Black), performed at the Jamboree at the Sportatorium in Dallas, Texas. Also on the bill, Sonny James, Hank Locklin, Charline Arthur, tickets were $.60 for adults, $.30 for children.

1956, Buddy Holly's first single 'Blue Days, Black Nights', was released.

1964, The Rolling Stones first album was released in the UK, it went to No.1 two weeks later and stayed on the chart for 40 weeks, with 11 weeks at No.1.

1964, The Beatles filmed the "chase scenes" for A Hard Days Night with actors dressed as policemen in the Notting Hill Gate area of London. In the evening they recorded the title track for the film, ‘A Hard Day's Night’ at Abbey Road. John and Paul had the title first, and had to write a song to order, completing the track in nine takes.

1967, Cream appeared at the 'Daily Express Record Star Show' at The Empire Pool, Wembley, England.

1969, Desmond Dekker and the Aces were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Israelites', making Dekker the first Jamaican artist to have an UK No.1 single.

1969, Elektra Records dropped Detroit's MC5 from their label after the band took out an advertisement in a local paper that included the company logo and said; "f**k Hudsons." The band were protesting at the Michigan department store's refusal to stock their albums.

1970, Led Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love' was certified Gold in the US after selling over a million copies. The single had peaked at No. 4 on the US singles chart.

1972, The Electric Light Orchestra made their debut at The Fox and Greyhound in Croydon, London.

1972, Pink Floyd appeared at the Township Auditorium, Columbia, South Carolina, USA. A typical set list on this the Dark Side of The Moon tour was: The Dark Side of the Moon (entire album), One of These Days, Careful with that Axe Eugene, Echoes, Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun.

1973, During his Ziggy Stardust World tour, David Bowie appeared at the Kobe, Kobe Kokusai Kaikan, Japan.

1976, Aerosmith played at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, the first date on their 76 date North American Rocks Tour.

1977, David Soul one half of TV cop show "Starsky & Hutch", went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Don't Give Up On Us', his only US hit. Also No.1 in the UK.

1983, Bonnie Tyler went to No.1 on the UK chart with her debut album and only chart topper 'Faster Than The Speed Of Night.'

1985, During the North American leg of their Unforgettable Fire tour U2 played the first of three nights at The Centrum, in Worcester, Massachusetts.
1990, Nirvana appeared at Lee’s Palace in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

1993, David Lee Roth was arrested in New York's Washington Square Park for allegedly buying a $10 bag of marijuana.

1993, Paul McCartney headlined a concert at the Hollywood Bowl to celebrate 'Earth Day' along with Ringo Starr, Don Henley and Steve Miller. McCartney had last performed there as a member of the Beatles in 1965.

1994, Bonnie Raitt went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Longing In Their Hearts.'

1994, Prince had his first UK No.1 with 'The Most Beautiful Girl In The World', (his 37th single release). It was his first release since changing his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol.

1996, Kiss appeared in full make-up at the 38th Grammy Awards, where they announced a reunion tour. It would mark the first time all four members had appeared together in over fifteen years.

1997, Mark Morrison was convicted with threatening a police officer with an illegal 23,000-volt electric stun gun. The singer left Maryebone Magistrates' Court in tears after being warned he was likely to be sent to prison.

1998, Janet Jackson played the first night on her third world tour at The Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Support acts on her Velvet Rope Tour included Usher, N Sync and Boyz II Men.

1999, Skip Spence, an original member of Jefferson Airplane and founding member of Moby Grape, died of lung cancer in a San Francisco hospital aged 52. He had battled schizophrenia and alcoholism.

2000, German eurohouse group Fragma went to No. 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Toca's Miracle.'

2003, 52 year-old soul singer Luther Vandross was admitted to a New York hospital after suffering a stroke.

2003, Jerry Lee Lewis filed for divorce from his sixth wife, Kerrie McCarver Lewis. The 67-year-old singer married Kerrie in 1984 who was the president of Lewis Enterprises Inc. fan club.

2005, OK Computer by Radiohead was voted the best album of all time in a poll by UK TV station Channel 4. U2 were in second place with The Joshua Tree and Nirvana in third with Nevermind.

2006, The Streets went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living

April 18th: On this Day


1953, Frankie Laine was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'I Believe.' The single stayed at No.1 for nine weeks. Laine holds the record for most (non-consecutive) weeks at No.1 than any other single in three chart runs with a total of 18 weeks.

1956, Elvis Presley played 2 shows at the Fairgrounds Pavilion in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

1964, The Beatles appeared on the UK TV comedy program The Morecambe and Wise Show, playing ‘This Boy’, ‘All My Loving’, and ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ and also participate in comedy sketches with Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise. The Beatles also held the UK and US No.1 position on this day with 'Can't Buy Me Love'.

1968, During a European tour, Pink Floyd played 2 shows at the Piper Club, in Rome, Italy.

1969, Lulu married Bee Gee Maurice Gibb, Brother Barry was the best man. The couple split in 1973.

1970, Santana, Taj Mahal and It's A Beautiful Day all appeared at London's Royal Albert Hall.

1970, Steel Mill, (featuring Bruce Springsteen) played in the Main Gym at Ocean County College in New Jersey. Tickets cost $2.00.

1972, The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Amazing Grace.' The single enjoyed a five-week run at No.1.

1975, Four Bay City Rollers fans were taken to hospital and 35 others required on site treatment after they attempted to swim across a lake to meet their heroes. The group were making an appearance at a BBC Radio 1 fun day at Mallory Park.

1981, This years Eurovision Song contest winners Bucks Fizz were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their first No.1 single 'Making Your Mind Up.'

1984, Michael Jackson underwent surgery in a Los Angeles hospital to repair damage done after his hair caught fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial.

1985, Wham! Became the first-ever Western pop act to have an album released in China.

1987, Aretha Franklin and George Michael started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I Knew You Were Waiting' also a No.1 in the UK. Aretha Franklin set a record for the artist with the longest gap between US No.1 singles, it had been 19 years, 10 months from her last hit 'Respect' in June 1967.

1987, On the first leg of their Joshua Tree tour, U2 played the second of five nights at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in California.

1992, Def Leppard started a five-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Adrenalize.'

1992, Annie Lennox went to No.1 on the UK album chart with her debut solo release 'Diva.'

1992, Right Said Fred had their first and only UK No.1 single with 'Deeply Dippy' ('I'm Too Sexy' and 'Don't Talk Just Kiss' both made the Top 3).

1995, Oasis drummer Tony McCarrol was told by phone that he was being sacked from the group. McCarrol sued the Manchester group for millions in unpaid royalties and in 1996 Oasis agreed to pay him a one-off sum of £550,000 ($935,000).

1996, Bernard Edwards bass guitarist and producer from Chic, died of pneumonia in a Tokyo Hotel room while touring Japan. Also worked with ABC, Power Station, Sister Sledge, Sheila and B. Devotion, Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, Debbie Harry, Air Supply, and Rod Stewart.

1999, Catatonia scored their second UK No.1 album with 'Equally Cursed And Blessed' the group also had their two other albums in the top 40.

2000, Four Monkee look-alikes were signed to play the 60's pop legends in a TV movie about the group's meteoric rise. The film called 'Daydream Believers' was set to start filming in Toronto.

2003, It was reported that the British share of the most played tracks on UK radio had fallen from 60% to 30% in the past five years. The chart from 2002 had only three UK acts in the Top 10, Sugababes, Blue and Liberty X. The most played single from 2002 was Kylie Minogue's 'Love At First Sight' which had a total of 48,486 plays on UK stations

2004, Guns N' Roses were at No.1 on the UK album chart with their 'Greatest Hits.'

2004, R&B singer from New York Eamon started a four week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'f**k It, (I Don’t Want You Back)' his debut single. The song earned a listing on the Guinness World Record for "the most expletives in a No.1 song", with 33.

2005, Reebok pulled a UK TV ad featuring 50 Cent after a mother whose son was shot dead complained it glamorised gun crime. Lucy Cope, from London went to the Advertising Standards Authority about the campaign featuring the US rapper. The ASA had been investigating 54 other complaints from viewers over a reference to the rapper having been shot nine times.

2006, A sale of clothes belonging to Sir Elton John raised more than $700,000 (£395,000) for the singer's Aids charity. Over 10,000 pieces were sold during a five-day sale in New York City at the specially-created shop, Elton's Closet, at New York's Rockefeller Centre.

2006, A line from U2's 1992 hit ‘One’ was voted the UK's favourite song lyric after in a poll of 13,000 people by music channel VH1. The line "One life, with each other, sisters, brothers" came top. The Smiths lyric “So you go, and you stand on your own, and you leave on your own, and you go home, and you cry, and you want to die" from the song ‘How Soon is Now?’ came second in the poll, followed by "I feel stupid and contagious, here we are now, entertain us", from Nirvana's ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ which was voted into third place.

2009, The Black Eyes Peas started a 12 week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Boom Boom Pow’. The single was knocked off the No.1 position by the bands next single ‘I Gotta Feeling’.

2009, Keith Urban went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Defying Gravity’, the Australian singers fifth studio album.

April 20th: On this Day


1957, Elvis Presley started an eight week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'All Shook Up.' It went on to be the biggest single of 1957 selling over 2 million copies.

1959, Goldband Records released 'Puppy Love' by a 13-year old Dolly Parton in the US, a song that was recorded two years earlier when she was just eleven years old. The song didn't chart, (later to be a hit for Donny Osmond).

1966, During a 12 hour session at Abbey Road studios in London The Beatles worked on a new John Lennon song ‘And Your Bird Can Sing’’, and a new George Harrison song ‘Taxman’.

1967, During a UK tour, Pink Floyd appeared at the Queen's Hall in Barnstable, England.

1968, Deep Purple made their live debut in Tastrup, Denmark.

1968, Apple Music ran advertisements soliciting tapes from unknown artists, offering financial grants as part of a deal to release records on the Apple label. Artists such as Badfinger, James Taylor, Mary Hopkin, Jackie Lomax, David Peel and Elephant's Memory were signed up.

1969, Session drummer Benny Benjamin died. One of 'The Funk Brothers' played on many Tamla Motown hits including, The Four Tops, Temptations, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and Stevie Wonder. The film 'Standing In The Shadows Of Motown' released in 2003 features his work.

1970, The New York Times reported that Catholic and Protestant youth group's had adopted The Beatles 'Yellow Submarine' as a religious symbol.

1970, Traffic, Mott The Hoople, If and Bronco all appeared at The Roundhouse, London, tickets, 25 shillings.

1974, MFSB and the Three Degrees started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'TSOP, (The Sound Of Philadelphia), a No.22 hit in the UK.

1979, Lighting director Billy Duffy was killed in an accident during a Kate Bush concert in Southampton, England. 21-year old Duffy fell twenty feet through an open trap door on the stage. Kate Bush held a benefit concert on 12th May with Peter Gabriel and Steve Harley at London's Hammersmith Odeon for his family.

1981, John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas was jailed for five years after pleading guilty to drug possession charges; the sentence was suspended after 30 days. Phillips started touring the US lecturing against the dangers of taking drugs.

1985, The charity record 'We Are The World' by USA For Africa was at No.1 on the UK singles chart. The US artists' answer to Band Aid had an all-star cast including Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Daryl Hall, Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, Kim Carnes, Ray Charles, Billy Joel and Paul Simon plus the composer's of the track, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie.

1990, Janet Jackson was bestowed with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame at the start of 'Janet Jackson week' in Los Angeles.

1991, Steve Marriott leader of Small Faces and Humble Pie, died in a fire at his home in Essex. His work became a major influence for many 90's bands. Small Faces had the 1967 UK No.3 & US No.16 single 'Itchycoo Park', plus 1968 No.1 UK album 'Ogden's Nut Gone Flake', Humble Pie, 1969 UK No.4 single 'Natural Born Bugie'. As a child actor he played parts in Dixon of Dock Green and The Artful Dodger in Oliver.

1991, Wilson Phillips scored their third US No.1 single with 'You're In Love', a No.29 hit in the UK.

1992, 'A Concert For Life' took place at Wembley Stadium as a tribute to Queen singer Freddie Mercury and for aids awareness. Acts appearing included; Elton John, Roger Daltrey, Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), David Bowie, Mick Ronson, James Hetfield, George Michael, Seal, Paul Young, Annie Lennox, Lisa Stansfield, Robert Plant, Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, Axl Rose and Slash.

1993, Aerosmith released the album ‘Get a Grip’, which became their first album to debut at No.1. It went on to sell 7 million copies in a 2-year timespan in the United States alone and sold 20 million copies worldwide as well as winning the band two Grammy awards.

1995, Oasis supported by The Verve appeared at The Bataclan Club, Paris, France.

1996, English R&B singer Mark Morrison had his first UK No.1 single when 'Return Of The Mack' started a two-week run at the top of the charts. A No.2 hit in the US, the beat was sampled from Tom Tom Club's 'Genius of Love.'

1997, The Chemical Brothers went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their album 'Dig Your Own Hole.'

1997, Michael Jackson attended an unveiling of a wax statue of himself at the Grevin Museum of Wax in Paris, France. Jackson provided one of his own outfits to dress the figure.

2000, Robert Plant appeared at Disney's Theatre of the Stars in Orlando, Florida to leave his handprints outside the theatre.

2001, A memorial concert for former Small Faces and Humble Pie front man Steve Marriott took place at the London Astoria with Peter Frampton, Midge Ure, Chris Farlowe and Humble Pie.

2002, American singer Alan Dale died. During the 50's he had his own US TV & radio show, had the 1955 US No.7 single 'Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White.'

2002, In the dispute over who owned the rights to Nirvana's recordings former members Dave Grohl and Kirst Novoselic asked a Seattle Court to prove that Courtney Love was mentally stable. They told the court that Love was 'irrational, mercurial, self-centered, unmanageable, inconsistent and unpredictable.' They also claimed a contract was invalid because Love was 'stoned' at the time.

2003, Godsmack were at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Faceless.’

2006, Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty was arrested in east London on suspicion of drugs possession only hours after a court appearance. Doherty had earlier admitted to seven charges of possessing drugs when he appeared before magistrates in east London. He was given a community order with two years supervision and 18 months drug rehabilitation and was also banned from driving for six months.

2008, The Kooks went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their second album ‘Konk.’