April 5 – April 11th – This Week In Rock!
Trivia Answer:
On April 7, 1975, legendary Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore quits the band and forms a new group that he calls Rainbow.
In Deep Purple, Tommy Bolin replaces Blackmore on guitar.
BORN THIS WEEK IN ROCK
4/6/1917 – Walter Horton (Blues Harmonica Player)
4/7/1915 – Billie Holiday (Jazz Vocalist)
4/7/1938 – Spencer Dryden (Drums, Jefferson Airplane)
4/7/1943 – Mick Abrahams (Guitar, Jethro Tull)
4/7/1946 – Bill Kreutzmann (Drums, Grateful Dead)
4/8/1944 – Keef Hartley (Drums, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Keef Hartley Band)
4/8/1947 – Steve Howe (Guitar, Yes)
4/8/1962 – Izzy Stradlin (Guitar, Guns N’ Roses)
4/8/1963 – Julian Lennon (Rock Singer-Songwriter)
4/9/1945 – Steve Gadd (jazz drummer)
4/9/1932 – Carl Perkins (Rock and Roll Singer-Songwriter)
4/10/1947 – Bunny Livingston (Percussion, Bob Marley & The Wailers)
4/10/1959 – Brian Setzer (singer/guitarist. Stray Cats)
4/11/1987 – Joss Stone (Soul Singer)
DIED THIS WEEK IN ROCK
4/5/1981 – Bob “The Bear” Hite (Lead Vocals, Canned Heat)
4/5/1994 – Kurt Cobain (Lead Vocals & Guitar, Nirvana)
4/5/1998 – Cozy Powell (Drums, The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Black Sabbath)
4/6/2016 Merle Haggard (American country music singer)
4/6/1998 Wendy O. Williams (American singer – Plasmatics)
4/8/2001 – Pedro Depestre Gonzales (violinist – Buena Vista Social Club)
4/8/2001 – Van Stephenson (Country singer-songwriter – Blackhawk)
4/9/1988 – Dave Prater (Vocals, Sam and Dave)
4/9/2009 – Randy Cain (Soul Singer for Delfonics)
4/9/1988 – Brook Benton (Soul Singer)
4/10/2009 – Rocky Hill (Blues musician)
4/10/1958 – Chuck Willis (Blues Singer-Songwriter)
4/11/2006 – June Pointer (Pointer Sisters)
4/11/2017 – J. Geils (guitar, J. Geils Band)
MUSIC RECORDINGS, RELEASES AND TOP OF THE CHARTS
4/6/1966 – The Beatles record “Tomorrow Never Knows”
4/6/1973 – David bowie releases the single “Drive-In Saturday”
4/6/1974 – Piano Man Billy Joel scores his first top 40 hit with the song, well, “Piano Man”
4/8/1977 – The Clash by The Clash is released
4/9/1979 – Supertramp’s Breakfast in America is certified Gold
4/9/1983 – David Bowie hits #1 with “Let’s Dance” featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan
4/10/1973 – Led Zeppelin’s LP Houses Of The Holy is certified gold
4/10/1976 – Peter Frampton hits #1 with Frampton Comes Alive
4/11/1970 – The Beatles’ “Let It Be” hits #1
THIS WEEK IN ROCK HISTORY:
On April 5, 1971, jazz rockers Chicago became the first American rock band to play Carnegie Hall.
On April 6, 1968, Pink Floyd founding vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Syd Barrett tragically is forced to end his tenure with the band due to his deteriorating mental condition from LSD use.
On April 7, 1975, legendary Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore quits the band and forms a new group that he calls Rainbow. In Deep Purple, Tommy Bolin replaces Blackmore on guitar.
On April 7, 2008, Bob Dylan is awarded an honorary Pulitzer Prize for his “profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.” We agree, good lyrics.
On April 7, 1962, Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards, unknown at the time, attended a performance given by Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated at the Ealing Jazz Club. In the venue, they met another young guitarist named Brian Jones. The three would soon begin a band together.
4/8/1994 – The RIAA proclaims that Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” is now the fourth best-selling album in US history, passing the 13 million copies sold mark in that country. If you haven’t heard it, give it a listen, it’s pretty good.
THE STONES PLAY SHANGHAI!
4/8/2006 – The Rolling Stones make their mainland China debut in Shanghai! Setlist opens with “Start Me Up” and the encore was “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Bringin’ all the hits! However, three songs were banned from being played: Brown Sugar, Honky Tonk Women, and Rough Justice. Boo!
4/9/1966 – During a Yardbirds show in Marseilles, France, guitarist Jeff Beck collapses from exhaustion; eleven years later to the day, his former bandmate Jimmy Page causes the end of a Led Zeppelin gig in Chicago when he’s struck down by stomach cramps. No record of former Yard bird Eric Clapton’s having a show-ending medical problem on April 9th.
4/9/1967 – The Doors play before their first large crowd when they appear (along with Jefferson Airplane) in front of 3,000 at a show in Venice, CA. No known complete setlist exists, although Setlist.fm reports that the band played “When the Music’s Over” and “Back Door Man” during the show.
QUEEN PLAYS THEIR FIRST SHOW!
4/9/1973 – Queen plays their first show at London’s Marquee Club.
4/10/1959- Leo Fender patents the successor to his popular “Telecaster” model of electric guitar, this time called the “Stratocaster. “
4/10/1970 – The Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek drags Jim Morrison off the stage after the Dionysian front man asks the audience, “Would you like to see my genitals?” Furthermore, the theater management then quickly cuts power. No word on the audience’s response.
4/10/1970 – Paul McCartney announces the end of The Beatles. In his statement he said, “I have no future plans to record or appear with The Beatles again, or to write any music with John.”
4 / 11 / 1961- New York City gets its first introduction to a young folksinger named Bob Dylan when he makes his live Gotham debut at Gerde’s Folk City, opening for John Lee Hooker and performing a new song entitled “Blowin’ In The Wind.” Mr. Dylan would go on to have a nice career.
4/11/1968 – Janis Joplin makes her television debut when Big Brother and the Holding Company perform on ABC-TV’s variety show Hollywood Palace.
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