Rock 'n' Roll History for
April 1


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1877 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
Thomas Edison devises a telephone design that becomes the basis for his later claim to the invention of the microphone. British-American inventor David Edward Hughes had demonstrated his working device in front of several witnesses some years earlier, and most historians credit him with its invention.

1955 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
Future Beatles' producer, 29-year-old George Martin, became the head of A&R (artists and repertoire) for EMI's Parlophone label. In a career that spanned more than six decades, he is now considered one of the greatest record producers of all time, with 30 number-one singles in the UK and 23 in the US.

1956 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
Elvis shoots a scene from The Rainmaker for his screen test at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. He failed the audition and the film's screenwriter later said that Presley showed the acting ability of "the lead in a high school play."

1957 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
The Everly Brothers release "Bye Bye Love", a song that was rejected by thirty labels before Cadence Records picked it up. The song went to #2 on the US Pop chart, #1 on the Country & Western chart and #1 on the Cashbox Best Sellers list. Although several others have recorded the song, The Everly Brothers version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.

1961 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
The Beatles begin their second string of shows in Hamburg, Germany, where they will play for 92 consecutive nights before wrapping up on July 1st.

1966 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
The Troggs use 45 minutes of spare studio time to record "Wild Thing" at Olympic Sound Studio in London, England. The raw, simple little tune would climb to #2 in the UK and #1 in the US, selling over a million copies by the following June. In 2004, it was ranked at #257 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

1969 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
The Beach Boys launch a lawsuit against Capitol Records for over $600,000 in unpaid royalties and $1.5 million in producer's fees for Brian Wilson. The claim ultimately would be settled, and the band's contract with Capitol Records, which expired on June 30, 1969, was not renewed. The Beach Boys would go on to start their own label, Brothers Records, which would be distributed by Warner / Reprise.

1970 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
Woodstock, the documentary on the Woodstock Festival that took place in August 1969 at Bethel in New York, premieres in Hollywood. It would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

April 1
Only Ringo Starr is present at the final Beatles recording session, where he over dubs percussion tracks for "The Long and Winding Road", "Across The Universe" and "I Me Mine".

April 1
As an April Fool's joke, John Lennon and Yoko Ono issued a statement to the press that they were having dual sex change operations.

April 1
Joni Mitchell released the album "Ladies Of The Canyon", which included the songs "Big Yellow Taxi" (Billboard #24), "Woodstock" and "The Circle Game". The LP would peak at #27 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. Joni would later say that she wrote "Big Yellow Taxi" on her first trip to Hawaii. "I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart... this blight on paradise. That's when I sat down and wrote the song."

1975 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
The Bay City Rollers TV series Shang-A- Lang premiered on ITV in the UK. The half-hour show would run for 20 weeks.

1976 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
John Lennon's father Freddie died of stomach cancer in Brighton General Hospital at the age of 63. Just days before, after being told of his father's condition, John had sent a huge bouquet of flowers with a card that read "With much love from John, Yoko and Sean."

1984 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
44-year-old Marvin Gaye was shot and killed by his father after a heated family argument. Gaye had just received a Grammy for his hit, "Sexual Healing", his first Top 40 single in 5 1/2 years. Remarkably, Gaye's father received only a six-year suspended sentence and five years probation after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Charges of first-degree murder were dropped after doctors discovered Marvin Sr. had a brain tumor which would kill him in October, 1998.

1985 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
David Lee Roth quit Van Halen shortly after releasing his version of The Beach Boys' "California Girls", which featured Carl Wilson on background vocals. Roth's record actually sold slightly better than the original. He was replaced by Sammy Hagar later in the year.

1992 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
Billy Idol pleaded no contest to assault charges after he punched a woman in the face. He was fined and ordered to make public service announcements against alcohol and drug use.

2000 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
Carlos Santana earns his second US #1 single with "Maria, Maria" from his "Supernatural" album. The song also topped the charts in Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Sweden and Switzerland. At the 2000 Grammy Awards, it won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

April 1
While opening for KISS at a concert in Houston, Texas, Ted Nugent makes derogatory remarks about non-English-speaking Americans. His return date slated for next August is canceled.

2004 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
Zombies guitarist Paul Atkinson died of liver and kidney disease at the age of 58. He had been suffering from cancer for some time, and had two liver transplants. The band's biggest hits included "She's Not There", "Tell Her No" and "Time Of The Season".

2009 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
Following in the footsteps of Celine Dion, Cher, Elton John and Bette Midler, Carlos Santana announced that he has been booked to perform about 36 concerts per year at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The show was to be called The Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through the Hits.

2012 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
Madonna achieved her 12th UK #1 album with "MDNA" to overtake Elvis Presley as the solo artist with the most chart-topping albums in Great Britain.

2015 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
John Lennon's first wife, Cynthia, died of cancer at the age of 75. The couple, who met just before Beatlemania swept the music world, divorced in 1968 after Cynthia discovered her husband's affair with Japanese artist Yoko Ono.

2016 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
Aviva Maloney, who played in The Monkees' back-up band for eighteen years, filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Warner Music Group. She claimed she later found out that the reason she was let go was because of her age.

2022 - ClassicBands.com

April 1
C. W. McCall, who topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with "Convoy" in January, 1976, died of cancer at the age of 93. The song was popular at the height of the CB radio craze, sold over two million copies, and was awarded a Gold disc by the RIAA in December 1975. Born William Dale Fries Jr., he also placed twelve more tunes on the Country chart between 1974 and 1978.



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