On This Day In Music 11th April
1935 Richard Berry born in Extension, Louisiana. African-American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed with many Los Angeles doo-wop and close harmony groups in the 1950s, including The Flairs and The Robins.He is best known as the composer and original performer of the rock standard “Louie Louie”. The song went on to be a hit for The Kingsmen, becoming one of the most recorded songs of all time.He died of heart failure aged 61 on the 23rd January 1997.
1946 Bob Harris, BBC DJ & TV presenter. (Presented the long running music show ‘The Old Grey Whistle Test”).
1949 Lee Sheridan born in Bristol, England. UK Singer with Brotherhood Of Man.
1952 Rock drummer Terry Ollis (of Hawkwind) is born in Hammersmith, London, England.
1956 Neville Staples born in Manchester, Jamaica. Jamaican Singer. With the Specials, (1981 UK No.1 single ‘Ghost Town’).
1956 Elvis Presley worked with the backing group The Jordanaires for the first time when he recorded the song ‘I Want You, I Need You, I Love You.’
1956 Elvis Presley reached the top spot on the “Billboard” music chart with his first double-sided hit. The disk featured “Heartbreak Hotel” and “I Was The One.” The RCA Victor record stayed at number one for eight weeks. Elvis also made the country and R&B charts, as well.
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.
1957 No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “All Shook Up,” Elvis Presley. Billboard ranks the single as the No. 1 song of 1957, the second year in a row that Elvis has the top single of the year.
1958 Stuart Adamson born in Manchester, England. Vocalist/Guitarist with Big Country, died 16/12/2001, Skids, (1979 UK No.10 single ‘Into The Valley’) Big Country.
1961 Doug Hopkins (lead guitarist, songwriter for the Gin Blossoms) is born in Seattle, Washington, but will be raised in Tempe, Arizona.
1961 Bob Dylan plays for the first time at Gerde’s Folk City in Greenwich Village, opening for John Lee Hooker and performing a new song entitled “Blowin’ In The Wind.”
1962 Elvis Presley’s Follow That Dream movie premieres in Ocala, Florida, near where it was filmed (it opens nationally six weeks later).
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.
1963 The Beatles released their third single “From Me To You/Thank You Girl” on Parlophone in the U.K. It became the group’s first #1 single in Britian. Neither side will be released in the U.S. until a year later. Vee Jay will pair “From Me to You” (#41) with “Please Please Me” (#3) and “Thank You Girl” (#35) with “Do You Want to Know a Secret” (#2).
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.
1964 “Suspicion” by Terry Stafford peaked at #3 on the US singles chart.
1964 “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)” by Betty Everett peaked at #6 on the US singles chart.
1964 “We Love You Beatles” by The Carefrees peaked at #39 on the US singles chart.
1964 “Needles And Pins” by The Searchers peaked at #13 on the US singles chart.
1964 “The Way You Do The Things You Do” by Temptations peaked at #11 on the US singles chart.
1965 Nigel Pulsford born in Newport, Monmouthshire. Lead Guitarist with Bush (1996 US No.1 & UK No.4 album, ‘Razorblade Suitcase’, 1997 UK No.7 single ‘Swallowed’).
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.
1965 How’s this for a lineup: At the annual New Musical Express Poll Winners Concert in London, performers include The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Animals, The Moody Blues, Tom Jones, Them, Donovan, The Seekers and Cilla Black.
1966 Lisa Stansfield born in Rochedale, England. UK singer (1989 UK No.1 & US No.3 single ‘All Around The World’, plus over 12 other UK Top 40 singles).
1966 Buffalo Springfield made their live debut at The Troubadour in Hollywood, California. The folk rock band are renowned both for their music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Buffalo Springfield were among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion.
1966 Frank Sinatra recorded Strangers In The Night on this day. Hal Blaine was the drummer on the record and Glen Campbell played rhythm guitar.
1969 Alt rock singer-songwriter Cerys Matthews (of Catatonia) is born in Swansea, Wales, UK. (1998 UK No.3 single ‘Mulder And Scully’).
1969 The Beatles released the single “Get Back” recorded with Billy Preston)/Don’t Let Me Down in the UK.
1969 “Time Of The Season” single by Zombies was certified Gold by the RIAA
1969 Alt rock singer-songwriter Cerys Matthews (of Catatonia) is born in Swansea, Wales, UK.
1970 Delroy Pearson born in , Islington, London. English singer and a member of the pop group Five Star. Pearson played his part in the group by writing songs and playing instruments on some of the band’s hits (1986 UK No.3 single ‘System Addict’ plus 15 other UK Top 40 singles).
1970 Alt rock bassist Dylan Keefe (of Marcy Playground) is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1970 Peter Green quit Fleetwood Mac while on tour in Germany, to avoid breach of contract he agreed to finish the current tour.
1970 “Easy Come, Easy Go” by Bobby Sherman peaked at #9 on the US singles chart.
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 years. The track was a No.2 hit in the UK.
1971 Oliver “Ollie” Riedel, bassist, Rammstein.
1972 Whigfield (Sannie Charlotte Carlson) born in Denmark. Danish Singer who had a hit in 1997 with “Sexy Eyes”
1973 Bobby Goldsboro recorded “Summer The First Time”.
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. Elvis Presley performed twice in the Omni and a plaque was placed on an interior wall to that effect after his death.
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.
1978 Tom Thacker, guitar, vocals, Sum 41. (2001 UK No 13 single ‘In Too Deep’, 2001 UK No. 7 album ‘All Killer No Filler’).
1978 “Champagne Jam” album by Atlanta Rhythm Section was certified Gold by the RIAA. Containing ‘Imaginary Lover’.
1978 Aretha Franklin marries her second husband, actor Glynn Turman, in New York City. The Four Tops sing Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” at the ceremony.
1979 Rock drummer and vocalist Sebastien Grainger (of Death from Above 1979) is born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
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.
1981 “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” by The Police peaked at #10 on the US singles chart.
1981 “Don’t Stop The Music” by Yardbrough & Peoples peaked at #19 on the US singles chart
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.
1987 Joss Stone, (Joscelyn Eve Stoker) born in Dover, Kent. UK soul singer who rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist. Her multi-platinum Mind Body & Soul, topped the UK Albums Chart for one week and spawned the top ten hit ‘You Had Me’. Stone also joined the supergroup SuperHeavy which was formed by Mick Jagger together with Dave Stewart and Damian Marley (the youngest son of Bob Marley).
1987 “Let’s Go!” by Wang Chung peaked at #9 on the US singles chart.
1988 the best original song Oscar went to “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” from the movie “Dirty Dancing.”
1988 Cher won an Academy Award for best actress for her work in ‘Moonstruck.’
1989 “Building The Perfect Beast” album by Don Henley was certified Multi Platinum 2.00 by the RIAA. Also including ‘The Boys Of Summer’ & ‘All She Wants To Do Is Dance’.
1990 Elton John plays at the funeral for Ryan White, an 18 year old who contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion. Michael Jacksonalso attends the funeral and later dedicates the song “Gone Too Soon” to White.
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 “Human Touch” by Bruce Springsteen peaked at #16 on the US singles chart.
1992 “I Can’t Dance” by Genesis peaked at #7 on the US singles chart.
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’ which peaked at No.31 on the UK charts. However, over time it has amassed sales of over 215,000, making it their 13th biggest selling single ever in the UK. ‘Supersonic’ was also the band’s first single to chart in the United States, where it peaked at No. 11 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
1997 Reprising the Beatles famous rooftop concert, Paul McCartney plays two songs from his upcoming album Flaming Pie from the top of a building he owns in London.
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.
2003 Little Eva – US singer who had a No.1 hit in 1962 with ‘Locomotion’, died aged 57.
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.
2011 Chicago blues musician Lacy Gibson dies at age 74 of a heart attack.
2013 Malawi accused Madonna of “bullying state officials” after she reportedly complained about her treatment on a visit to the country. Madonna – who has adopted two Malawian-born children had recently visited 10 primary schools funded by her charity. Madonna’s manager accused Malawi’s government of having a “grudge” against the singer’s charity, Raising Malawi.
2013 Sir Paul McCartney topped the Sunday Times Rich List of musicians with the £680m fortune he shares with his wife Nancy Shevell. Sir Paul, whose American heiress wife is said to be worth £150m, has topped each list since 1989 when he was worth an estimated £80m. Andrew Lloyd Webber was second, with £620m, while Irish rock band U2 were third, with £520m. Adele topped the list for young music millionaires in Britain and Ireland with an estimated fortune of £30m.
2014 Jesse Winchester dies at age 69 of bladder cancer. He was one of the major singer-songwriters of the “country rock” movement in the early ’70s, blessed with an amazing voice but still better known for his songwriting, which resulted in several hits for other “outlaw” country artists.
2014 Nirvana were enlisted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, alongside the likes of KISS and Beatles manager Brian Epstein. REM’s Michael Stipe inducted the group, saying: “Nirvana tapped into a voice that was yearning to be heard. Nirvana were kicking against the mainstream. They spoke truth and a lot of people listened.”
2014 American musician and songwriter Jesse Winchester died aged 69. To avoid the Vietnam War draft he moved to Canada in 1967, where he began his career as a solo artist. His best known songs include “Yankee Lady”, “The Brand New Tennessee Waltz”, “Mississippi, You’re on My Mind”, “A Showman’s Life”, and “Biloxi”.
2017 J Geils, American guitarist, with The J. Geils Band died aged 71. With the J. Geils Band he had the 1982 US No.1 & UK No.3 single ‘Centerfold’, which was taken from their US No.1 1981 album Freeze Frame.
2017 British musician Toby Smith died aged 46. He was most famous for being the keyboardist and co-songwriter for Jamiroquai from 1992 until his departure in 2002. He was music producer and manager for The Hoosiers and in 2013, Smith co-produced Matt Cardle’s third album Porcelain.