| 69 | years ago | 1957 | The head of the Catholic archdiocese of Chicago (the largest in the world), Samuel Cardinal Strich, bans rock & roll from Catholic schools and “recreations” in his district. He cites the “tribal rhythms” and “encouragement to behave in a hedonistic manner.” Chicago record sellers report no drop in sales of hedonism-encouraging records. |
| 61 | years ago | 1965 | Motown Records releases the Miracles' Ooo Baby Baby. It goes to #13 on the Hot 100. On the same day, the Rolling Stones appear on Shindig! and perform Suzie Q. Also on the show are Freddie & the Dreamers, Little Eva and Jay and the Americans. |
| 60 | years ago | 1966 | In Los Angeles, singer-guitarist Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay form Buffalo Springfield. About a year later the group's self-titled album is released and it would yield the biggest hit For What it's Worth. |
| 60 | years ago | 1966 | The Rolling Stones enter RCA's Hollywood Studios in Los Angeles to record tracks for the album, Aftermath. |
| 59 | years ago | 1967 | In Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, the Animals refuse to play a scheduled concert unless they are paid in advance. Over 3,000 youths in the audience riot; causing $5,000 in damages. |
| 59 | years ago | 1967 | The new Jeff Beck Group, featuring Rod Stewart, bass player Ron Wood and drummer Aynsley Dunbar, makes its stage debut in London. |
| 54 | years ago | 1972 | Paul Gadd, a.k.a. Gary Glitter, has the first of his three #1 U.K. hits, Rock and Roll Part 2. The song makes it to #7 in the U.S. later in the year. |
| 54 | years ago | 1972 | Harry Nilsson receives a gold record for Nilsson Schmilsson, the best selling album of his career. The LP contains three hits: Without You, Jump into the Fire and Coconut. |
| 53 | years ago | 1973 | The Grammy Awards for 1972 are announced during ceremonies at the Tennessee Theatre in Nashville. Among the winners are The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Album of the Year is The Concert for Bangla Desh and America is named Best New Artist. |
| 46 | years ago | 1980 | The auction house Sotheby Park-Bernet in London auctions off a Rivera Hotel, Las Vegas paper napkin signed by Elvis Presley for 500 pounds. Also auctioned off are four American dollar bills signed by The Beatles for £220 and a batch of Rolling Stones letters and autographs, also for £220. |
| 44 | years ago | 1982 | The re-formed Mammas and the Pappas, with original members John Phillips and Denny Doherty joined by Phillips' daughter Mackenzie and Spanky McFarlane of Spanky and Our Gang, play the first show of their brief reunion tour. Although Mama Cass Elliot has been dead for almost ten years, they do not change the lyrics to Creeque Alley which goes “No one's getting fat except Mama Cass. |
| 32 | years ago | 1994 | Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain lapses into a coma in Italy after taking a combination of valium and champagne. |
| 31 | years ago | 1995 | R.E.M.'s drummer Bill Berry undergoes surgery to halt bleeding from a brain aneurysm. |
| 22 | years ago | 2004 | Elton John says he supports same-sex marriage, but has no plans to marry his longtime partner David Furnish. His comments come less than a week after former TV talk show host Rosie O'Donnell married her longtime girlfriend, Kelli Carpenter in San Francisco, a city which has issued marriage licenses and solemnized marriages for thousands of same-sex couples in the past month, despite objections and court challenges from the State of California. |
| 20 | years ago | 2006 | The 86-year-old dean of American folk music, Pete Seeger, says Bruce Springsteen called him a week ago to say he would release an album entitled We Shall Overcome/The Seeger Sessions on April 25th, a week before Pete's 87th birthday. Pete says, “Bruce is a great guy and it’s a great honor for him to have recorded some songs that he learned from me.” |
| 20 | years ago | 2006 | A federal judge orders Rod Stewart to pay a Las Vegas casino more than $3 million for a cancelled show in December of 2000. Rod had kept a $2 million advance he was paid by the Rio despite the cancellation. |
| 17 | years ago | 2009 | Britney Spear’s Circus tour, her first in five years, kicks off in New Orleans. The album was released on her 27th birthday, the preceding December 2. |