What Happened Today In Music

April 18th

1964 - The Beatles

The Beatles appeared on the UK TV comedy program The Morecambe and Wise Show, playing ‘This Boy’, ‘All My Loving’, and ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ and also participate in comedy sketches with Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise. The Beatles also held the UK and US No.1 position on this day with 'Can't Buy Me Love'.

1970 - Bruce Springsteen

Steel Mill, (featuring Bruce Springsteen) played in the Main Gym at Ocean County College in New Jersey. Tickets cost $2.00.

1975 - Bay City Rollers

Four Bay City Rollers fans were taken to hospital and 35 others required on site treatment after they attempted to swim across a lake to meet their heroes. The group were making an appearance at a BBC Radio 1 fun day at Mallory Park. 

1984 - Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson underwent surgery in a Los Angeles hospital to repair damage done after his hair caught fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial.

1985 - Wham!

Wham! Became the first-ever Western pop act to have an album released in China.

1987 - Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin and George Michael started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I Knew You Were Waiting' also a No.1 in the UK. Aretha Franklin set a record for the artist with the longest gap between US No.1 singles, it had been 19 years, 10 months from her last hit 'Respect' in June 1967.

1992 - Def Leppard

Def Leppard started a five-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Adrenalize.'

1992 - Annie Lennox

Annie Lennox went to No.1 on the UK album chart with her debut solo release 'Diva.'

1995 - Tony McCarrol

Oasis drummer Tony McCarrol was told by phone that he was being sacked from the group. McCarrol sued the Manchester group for millions in unpaid royalties and in 1996 Oasis agreed to pay him a one-off sum of £550,000 ($935,000).

1996 - Bernard Edwards

Bernard Edwards bass guitarist and producer from Chic, died of pneumonia in a Tokyo Hotel room while touring Japan. Also worked with ABC, Power Station, Sister Sledge, Sheila and B. Devotion, Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, Debbie Harry, Air Supply, and Rod Stewart. 

2004 - Eamon

R&B singer from New York Eamon started a four week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Fuck It, (I Don't Want You Back)' his debut single. The song earned a listing on the Guinness World Record for "the most expletives in a No.1 song", with 33.

2005 - 50 Cent

Reebok pulled a UK TV ad featuring 50 Cent after a mother whose son was shot dead complained it glamorised gun crime. Lucy Cope, from London went to the Advertising Standards Authority about the campaign featuring the US rapper. The ASA had been investigating 54 other complaints from viewers over a reference to the rapper having been shot nine times.

2006 - Elton John

A sale of clothes belonging to Sir Elton John raised more than $700,000 (£395,000) for the singer's Aids charity. Over 10,000 pieces were sold during a five-day sale in New York City at the specially-created shop, Elton's Closet, at New York's Rockefeller Centre.

2006 - U2

A line from U2's 1992 hit 'One' was voted the UK's favourite song lyric after in a poll of 13,000 people by music channel VH1. The line "One life, with each other, sisters, brothers" came top. The Smiths lyric "So you go, and you stand on your own, and you leave on your own, and you go home, and you cry, and you want to die" from the song 'How Soon is Now' came second in the poll, followed by "I feel stupid and contagious, here we are now, entertain us", from Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' which was voted into third place.

2012 - The Beatles

An original and extremely rare 1963 mono copy of The Beatles‘Please Please Me’ album, signed by the Fab Four, sold on an eBay auction for nearly $25,000. Paul McCartney and John Lennon both signed their names with “love” in royal blue ink whereas George Harrison and Ringo Starr signed their names in midnight blue ink. The autographs were signed in May of 1963.

2013 - Storm Thorgerson

Storm Thorgerson, whose album cover artwork includes Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon died aged 69. A childhood friend of the founding members of the band, he became their designer-in-chief. His credits also include albums by Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel and Muse. In 2003, Thorgerson suffered a stroke, from which he recovered. He was later diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer, which he battled for several years.

2015 - Green Day

Green Day was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a part of the 2015 class, in their first year of eligibility.

2017 - Prince

Numerous opioid painkillers were found at US singer Prince's home shortly after his death last year, unsealed court documents show. Some of the pills discovered at Prince's Paisley Park estate in Minnesota had prescriptions in the name of his friend and bodyguard. But the documents do not offer evidence about the source of the fentanyl that killed the singer on 21 April 2016.

Born Today In Music

April 18th

1935 - Paul A. Rothchild

Paul A. Rothchild, American record producer, worked with The Doors, 'Break on Through (To the Other Side)', 'Light My Fire', 'People Are Strange'), Janis Joplin, (No.1 album Pearl and her only No.1 single, 'Me and Bobby McGee'). Crosby, Stills, & Nash, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Love. Rothchild died March 30, 1995.

1939 - Glen D.Hardin

Glen D.Hardin, from American rock and roll band The Crickets, who had the 1957 US No.1 single 'That'll Be The Day', the 1959 UK No.1 single 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore' plus over 15 other UK Top 40 singles.

1942 - Mike Vickers

Mike Vickers, British musician who came to prominence as guitarist, flautist and saxophonist with Manfred Mann, who had the 1964 UK & US No.1 single 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy'.

1944 - Skip Spence

Skip Spence, Canadian-born American musician and singer-songwriter. He was co-founder of Moby Grape, in an early line-up of Quicksilver Messenger Service, and was the drummer on Jefferson Airplane's debut album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off. He died on 16th April 1999.

1958 - Andy Kyriacou

Andy Kyriacou, from British pop band Modern Romance who had the 1982 UK No.4 single 'Best Years Of Our Lives' and a string of UK hits.

1958 - Les Pattinson

English musician Les Pattinson, best known for being a member of Echo & the Bunnymen who had the 1983 UK No.8 single 'The Cutter' and the single 'The Killing Moon'.

1962 - Shirley Holliman

Shirlie Holliman, English singer, who sang with Wham! on their 1982 UK No.3 single 'Young Guns, (Go For It') and was a member of Pepsi & Shirlie. She is married to Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet.

1964 - Bez

Mark 'Bez' Berry, with English alternative rock band Happy Mondays who had the 1990 UK No.5 single 'Step On' and the 1990 hit Kinky Afro'. And with Black Grape had the 1995 UK No.8 single 'In The Name Of The Father'.

1970 - Greg Eklund

Greg Eklund, drummer from American rock band Everclear. The band found success with their first three albums Sparkle and Fade, So Much for the Afterglow, and Songs from an American Movie Vol. One:

1974 - Mark Tremonti

Mark Tremonti, lead guitarist from American rock band Creed, who had the 2001 US No.1 & UK No.13 single 'With Arms Wide Open' and the 2002 US No.1 album, Weathered.