Welcome to On this Day for the 7th April lets kick it off with….
1956, when 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 Diamond’s, Bill Ford, Danny & The Juniors, The Chantels, Larry Williams, Screaming Jay Hawkins, The Pastels and Buddy Holly and the Crickets.
1962, while at Ealing Jazz Club, in Ealing, West Londo, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards met Brian Jones for tge first time. Jones was calling himself Elmo Lewis and was playing guitar with singer Paul Jones, who was preforming under his real name of P. P. Pond.
Also in 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.
1966, working at Abbey Road studios 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.
In 1970, On this week’s US Top 5 singles chart;
No.5, ‘Bridge Over Trouble Water’ – Simon & Garfunkel.
No.4, ‘Spirit In The Sky’- Norman Greenbaum
No.3, ‘Instant Karma!’ – John Lennon
No.2, ‘ABC’ – The Jackson Five
No.1, ‘Let It Be’ – The Beatles
1973, Diana Ross started a two-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Lady Sings The Blues’.
1979, Aerosmith, VanHalen, Cheap Trick, The Boomtown Rats and Ted Nugent all appeared at the California Music Festival. Siouxsie and The Banshees played a charity gig for MENCAP, but after crowd trouble were later faced with a £2,000 bill for seat damage. The Doobie Brothers went 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’.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off their firts full-scale tour in Hamburg, Germany. This was Springsteen’s first tour outside North America, which would take in 10 countries.
1985, Wham! became the first western pop group to preform live in China, whenthey played at the workers gymnasium in Beijing.
1988, During a European tour, Alice Cooper accidentally hung himself in a rehearsal when the safety rope snapped; he dangled for several seconds before a roadie saved him.
1990, Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee was injured when performing a stunt during a concert, falling 20 feet from a lighting rig. 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. The Carpenters started a rwo-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, 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 Waves’ of the mid-to-late 1970s, with a loan from singer-songwriter John Hiatt.
Courtnet 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 untill April 8, by an electrician who had arrived to install a security system at their house).
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.
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 her 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 going to nick you!” The singer was later fined $810 (£500) after being convicted of a “Lewd act.”
2000, Heinz base player and singer with The Tornadoes died age 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 brought the four-bedroom Beverly Hills home of Courtney Love for $3.995m. The gated 1930’s house had its own swimming pool and 1.5 acres of land.
2002, UK pop ldol 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.
2013, Andy Johns, the veteran producer and engineer who worked on classic albums by Led Zeppelin, (Led Zeppelin II and all albums through to physical Graffiti), the Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers, Exile On Main Street, Jimi Hendrix, Van Halen and many others, he died at the age of 61.
2015, The original manuscript of Don McLean’s American Pie sold for $1.2m (£806,000) 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”.
Well thats a wrap for this week’s ‘On This Day’ be sure to check back same time next week.
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