More About Music History On This Day
7 Apr 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 5 and at No.1, 'Let It Be', The Beatles.
7 Apr 1978
The Police released 'Roxanne' as the first single from their debut album Outlandos d'Amour. The song was written from the point of view of a man who falls in love with a prostitute. The title came from the name of the character in the play Cyrano de Bergerac, which Sting saw on an old poster which was hanging in a hotel foyer in Paris, France where the group had been staying. The song failed to chart but when re-released in 1979, peaked at No.12 on the UK Singles Chart.
7 Apr 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.
7 Apr 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'.
7 Apr 1985
Wham! became the first western pop group to perform live in China, when they played at the workers gymnasium in Beijing.
7 Apr 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.
7 Apr 1990
Motley Crue's Tommy Lee was injured when performing a stunt during a concert, falling 20 feet from a lighting rig.
7 Apr 1994
Lee Brilleaux singer, harmonica player and founding member of Dr Feelgood died of throat cancer aged 41. They had the 1979 UK No.9 single 'Milk And Alcohol' and the 1976 UK No.1 live album, Stupidity. In 1976, Brilleaux helped fund Stiff Records one of the driving forces of the 'New Wave' of the mid- to late-1970s, with a loan of 400m.
7 Apr 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).
7 Apr 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.
7 Apr 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 after being convicted of a lewd act.
7 Apr 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).
7 Apr 2001
Paul McCartney bought the four-bedroom Beverly Hills home of Courtney Love for $3.995m. The gated 1930s house had its own swimming pool and 1.5 acres of land.
7 Apr 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.'
7 Apr 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.
7 Apr 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.
7 Apr 2013
Andy Johns, the veteran producer and engineer died at the age of 61. He worked on many classic albums including The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street (1972), Television's Marquee Moon (1977), and a series of albums by Led Zeppelin during the 1970s. His sound is exemplified by Free's album Highway, which he engineered and produced.
7 Apr 2015
The original manuscript of Don McLean's 'American Pie' sold for $1.2m at a New York auction. The 16-page draft had been expected to fetch as much as $1.5m (£1m) at the Christie's sale. McLean said writing the song was 'a mystical trip into his past'. The repeatedly mentioned phrase 'the day the music died' refers to the plane crash in 1959 which killed early rock and roll performers Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens.
7 Apr 2016
American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jimmie Van Zant died in a hospice in Florida after several years of treatment for liver cancer. He began playing guitar and piano as a child, mentored by his cousin Ronnie Van Zant, but largely gave up music until the 1977 plane crash in which Ronnie, the founder and lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd, was killed. He then then took up a career playing Southern rock music.
7 Apr 2016
Bruce Springsteen cancelled a concert in North Carolina, joining business groups in condemning a state law that rolled back protection for gay and transgender people. In a statement Springsteen said, "Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry which is happening as I write is one of them."
7 Apr 2020
US folk and country singer John Prine died aged 73 due to complications from Covid-19. He released his debut album in 1971, and put out 19 studio albums in all. While wider mainstream success eluded him for years, he earned a sizeable following, including some of the 20th century’s greatest songwriters. Bob Dylan said in 2009: “Prine’s stuff is pure Proustian existentialism. Midwestern mind trips to the nth degree. And he writes beautiful songs.”
7 Apr 2020
American guitarist, composer and lyricist Steve Farmer died aged 71. He is best known for his composition with Ted Nugent in 1968, 'Journey to the Center of the Mind', performed by their group The Amboy Dukes.
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 5 and at No.1, 'Let It Be', The Beatles.
7 Apr 1978
The Police released 'Roxanne' as the first single from their debut album Outlandos d'Amour. The song was written from the point of view of a man who falls in love with a prostitute. The title came from the name of the character in the play Cyrano de Bergerac, which Sting saw on an old poster which was hanging in a hotel foyer in Paris, France where the group had been staying. The song failed to chart but when re-released in 1979, peaked at No.12 on the UK Singles Chart.
7 Apr 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.
7 Apr 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'.
7 Apr 1985
Wham! became the first western pop group to perform live in China, when they played at the workers gymnasium in Beijing.
7 Apr 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.
7 Apr 1990
Motley Crue's Tommy Lee was injured when performing a stunt during a concert, falling 20 feet from a lighting rig.
7 Apr 1994
Lee Brilleaux singer, harmonica player and founding member of Dr Feelgood died of throat cancer aged 41. They had the 1979 UK No.9 single 'Milk And Alcohol' and the 1976 UK No.1 live album, Stupidity. In 1976, Brilleaux helped fund Stiff Records one of the driving forces of the 'New Wave' of the mid- to late-1970s, with a loan of 400m.
7 Apr 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).
7 Apr 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.
7 Apr 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 after being convicted of a lewd act.
7 Apr 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).
7 Apr 2001
Paul McCartney bought the four-bedroom Beverly Hills home of Courtney Love for $3.995m. The gated 1930s house had its own swimming pool and 1.5 acres of land.
7 Apr 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.'
7 Apr 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.
7 Apr 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.
7 Apr 2013
Andy Johns, the veteran producer and engineer died at the age of 61. He worked on many classic albums including The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street (1972), Television's Marquee Moon (1977), and a series of albums by Led Zeppelin during the 1970s. His sound is exemplified by Free's album Highway, which he engineered and produced.
7 Apr 2015
The original manuscript of Don McLean's 'American Pie' sold for $1.2m at a New York auction. The 16-page draft had been expected to fetch as much as $1.5m (£1m) at the Christie's sale. McLean said writing the song was 'a mystical trip into his past'. The repeatedly mentioned phrase 'the day the music died' refers to the plane crash in 1959 which killed early rock and roll performers Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens.
7 Apr 2016
American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jimmie Van Zant died in a hospice in Florida after several years of treatment for liver cancer. He began playing guitar and piano as a child, mentored by his cousin Ronnie Van Zant, but largely gave up music until the 1977 plane crash in which Ronnie, the founder and lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd, was killed. He then then took up a career playing Southern rock music.
7 Apr 2016
Bruce Springsteen cancelled a concert in North Carolina, joining business groups in condemning a state law that rolled back protection for gay and transgender people. In a statement Springsteen said, "Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry which is happening as I write is one of them."
7 Apr 2020
US folk and country singer John Prine died aged 73 due to complications from Covid-19. He released his debut album in 1971, and put out 19 studio albums in all. While wider mainstream success eluded him for years, he earned a sizeable following, including some of the 20th century’s greatest songwriters. Bob Dylan said in 2009: “Prine’s stuff is pure Proustian existentialism. Midwestern mind trips to the nth degree. And he writes beautiful songs.”
7 Apr 2020
American guitarist, composer and lyricist Steve Farmer died aged 71. He is best known for his composition with Ted Nugent in 1968, 'Journey to the Center of the Mind', performed by their group The Amboy Dukes.
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