Rock 'n' Roll History for
June 6


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1960 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
In a dispute over money. The Platters' lead singer Tony Williams leaves the group to embark on a solo career. He sang lead on Platters classics such as "Only You" (#5 in 1955), "The Great Pretender" (#1 in 1956), "My Prayer" (#1 in 1956), "Twilight Time" (#1 in 1958) and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" (#1 in 1959) , but was unable to crack the Top 40 on his own.

June 6
Roy Orbison's "Only the Lonely" was released in the US where it would go on to reach #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK, it would top the chart next October.

June 6
Bing Crosby was presented with a Platinum disc to commemorate his 200 millionth record sold. The sales figures were a combined total of 2,600 recorded singles and 125 albums. Crosby's global lifetime sales on 179 labels in 28 countries totaled 400 million records.

June 6
The Silver Beetles and Gerry And The Pacemakers appear together at the Grosvenor Ballroom in Liscard, Wallasey, England. They are billed as "Jive and Rock specialists."

1962 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
After an unsuccessful audition for Decca Records, The Beatles perform for producer George Martin at EMI Records in London. Martin was later quoted as saying, "They were pretty awful. I understand why other record companies turned them down," but signed them to a contract the following month. John, Paul, George and Pete Best were each paid £7.10 ($12.07) for the session.

1964 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
The Dixie Cups became the first American group to top the Billboard chart in 1964 when "Chapel of Love" went to number one. Up until then, the year had been dominated by The Beatles and US solo performers. The song reached #22 in the UK.

1969 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
Rod Stewart, lead singer of The Jeff Beck Group, signs a solo recording contract with Mercury Records. He would score three major hits on that label with "Maggie May" (#1 in 1971), followed by "(I Know) I'm Losing You" (#24 in 1971), and "You Wear It Well" (#13 in 1972), before moving to Warner Bros. Records in 1976.

June 6
Elton John's first album, "Empty Sky", is released in the UK and initially sells around 4,000 copies. It was not issued in the United States until January 1975, with different cover art, well after John's fame had been established internationally. It then climbed to #6 on the Billboard 200 chart.

1970 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
With tongue firmly in cheek, Eric Clapton tells the UK's Melody Maker magazine that he intends to vote for guitarist B.B. King in the upcoming British election.

1971 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
John Lennon and Yoko Ono joined Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention on stage at the Fillmore East in New York, where they played a few numbers together. Some of that performance would show up on Lennon's 1972 album, "Some Time in New York City".

1973 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
Barry White's "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby" is certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000. The song would peak at #3 on the Hot 100 two weeks later.

1982 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
Stevie Wonder, Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Tom Petty, Linda Ronstadt, Dan Fogelberg and Crosby, Stills And Nash perform at the We Have A Dream anti-nuclear concert at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

1987 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
After being criticized by church members for his "worldliness," Michael Jackson announced that he was breaking all ties with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Jackson was raised in that religion and in years past would don disguises and go door to door with the Watchtower message in cities where he was performing.

June 6
Kim Wilde took the Holland-Dozier-Holland classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On" to the top of the Billboard Pop chart. It was the third time that the song made it into the Top Ten, following the original version by The Supremes, (#1 in 1966) and a remake by Vanilla Fudge, (#6 in 1968).

1993 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
A re-formed Velvet Underground played at Wembley Arena, London. As a result of a successful European tour, a series of US tour dates were proposed and possibly even some new studio recordings. Unfortunately, before any of that could occur, John Cale and Lou Reed fell out again, breaking up the band once more.

June 6
The stage version of The Who's Rock Opera, Tommy, wins five trophies at the annual Tony Awards in New York City. The show will run until 1995 for a total of 899 performances.

2000 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
Alice Cooper caused a stir when a song from his album, "Brutal Planet" contained a tune called "Wicked Young Man". The track describes an adolescent with "a pocket full of bullets and a blueprint of the school", clearly a reference to the April 29, 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.

2001 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
Twenty of Elton John's automobiles sold at auction for $2.75 million. Elton said he, "doesn't have time to drive them anymore." The most expensive was a '93 Jaguar that sold for over $330,000.

2002 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
Robbin Crosby, guitarist for the L.A. group Ratt, died after a long illness, two months prior to his 43rd birthday. The band reached the Billboard Top 40 twice with "Round And Round" (#12 in 1984) and "Lay It Down" (#40 in 1985),

2003 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
Dave Rowberry, the keyboardist who joined The Animals in May of 1965, passed away of an apparent heart attack, one month shy of his 63rd birthday. He played on several major hits, including "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place", "It's My Life" and "Don't Bring Me Down", but despite his contributions to the band's success, he was not included when they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1994.

June 6
A judge in London, England ruled that Rap lyrics should be treated as a foreign language after admitting that he was unsure of the meaning of 'shizzle my nizzle' and 'mish mish man'. The court battle was over a copyright issue between the Ant'ill Mob and the Heartless Crew, who had used the lyrics on a remix.

2005 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
After hearing fourteen weeks of testimony, the jury in the Michael Jackson child molestation case began deliberations. One week later they would return a verdict of not guilty on all charges.

2006 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
Billy Preston, the keyboardist who had a series of hit singles in the 1970s, including "Will It Go 'Round In Circles" (#1 in 1973) and "Nothing From Nothing" (#1 in 1974), passed away at the age of 59. Billy was the only backing musician to ever be credited on a Beatles single when his name appeared on "Get Back".

2010 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
Marvin Isley, bass player for the legendary funk band The Isley Brothers, died of undisclosed causes at the age of 56. After he joined the group in 1973, the band continued to chart throughout the '70s with hit songs like "Fight the Power" (#4 in 1975) and "For The Love Of You" (#22 in 1975).

2015 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
Singer Ronnie Gilbert, a member of the influential 1950s Folk group The Weavers, passed away at the age of 88. At the height of their popularity the quartet sold millions of records and are most often remembered for "On Top Of Old Smoky", "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine", "The Wreck Of The John B" and "Rock Island Line".

2017 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
The site of the 1969 Woodstock music festival was officially recognized for its place in history when Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that Bethel Woods Center for the Arts had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

June 6
A week after topping the UK chart, the 50th anniversary edition of The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" rose to #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

2019 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
Dr. John, the six-time Grammy winner who scored a #9 hit on the Hot 100 in 1973 with "Right Place Wrong Time", suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 77. The New Orleans pianist, singer-songwriter and producer's real name was Mac Rebennack.

2022 - ClassicBands.com

June 6
Jim Seals, of the Soft Rock duo Seals And Crofts, passed away at the age of 80. Along with his partner Darrell "Dash" Crofts, Seals enjoyed eight Billboard Top 40 hits between 1972 and 1978, including "Summer Breeze", "Diamond Girl", and "Get Closer", all of which reached #6.



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