What Happened Today In Music

March 4th

1963 - The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys released 'Surfin' U.S.A.' a song with lyrics by Brian Wilson set to the music of 'Sweet Little Sixteen', written by Chuck Berry. Billboard ranked 'Surfin' U.S.A.' the No. 1 song of 1963. 

1966 - John Lennon

John Lennon's statement that The Beatles were 'more popular than Jesus Christ' was published in The London Evening Standard. His opinions drew no controversy when published in the UK, but when republished in the US a few months later, angry reactions flared up in Christian communities. Extensive protests broke out with some radio stations banning Beatles songs and their records were publicly burned. 

1967 - The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Ruby Tuesday', the group's fourth US No.1 single. 'Lets Spend The Night Together' was the original A side but after radio stations banned the song 'Tuesday' became the A side.

1974 - ABBA

ABBA released 'Waterloo' the first single from their second album and the first single to be credited to the group performing under the name ABBA. It later became the winning entry for Sweden in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest and a No.1 hit in several countries. It reached the US Top 10 and went on to sell nearly six million copies, making it one of the best-selling singles in history.

1978 - Jerry Lee Lewis

The US internal Revenue Service carried out a dawn raid at the home of Jerry Lee Lewis and removed cars worth over £100,000 ($170,000) to pay off his tax debts.

1979 - Randy Jackson

Randy Jackson of The Jackson Five was seriously injured in a car crash breaking both legs and almost died in the emergency room when a nurse inadvertently injects him with methadone.

1982 - Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa's son Dweezil and his daughter Moon Unit formed a band called Fred Zeppelin. Their first single was 'My Mother is a Space Cadet'.

1986 - Howard Greenfield

American songwriter Howard Greenfield died of a brain tumour aged 50. Working out of the famous Brill Building with Neil Sedaka he co-wrote many hits including 'Calendar Girl', 'Breaking Up Is Hard To Do', and 'Crying In The Rain' with Carole King. Also wrote TV theme songs including the theme to 'Bewitched.'

1986 - Richard Manuel

After just completing a two set show with The Band in Winter Park, Florida, 41 year old Richard Manuel of The Band hanged himself from a shower curtain rod in a hotel room in Florida. His band mate, Robbie Robertson honoured his friend with the song, 'Fallen Angel' in 1987.

1993 - Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown became parents when Whitney gave birth to a baby girl, Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown. Bobbi went on to become an reality television and media personality, singer, and actress. Brown died in hospice care on July 26, 2015, at the age of 22 after being found face down in a bathtub in her Georgia home. She was later placed into a medically induced coma.

1994 - Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain was rushed to hospital after overdosing on alcohol and drugs in a Rome hotel during a Nirvana European tour. Cobain had taken 50-60 pills of Rohypnol mixed with champagne; rumours on the internet claimed that Kurt was dead.

1997 - Raymond Edwards

Raymond Edwards American bassist with The Silhouettes died. The doo wop/R&B groups single 'Get A Job' was a No.1 hit on the Billboard R&B singles chart and pop singles chart in 1958. The doo-wop revival group Sha Na Na derived their name from the song's lyrics. 'Get A Job' is included in the soundtracks of the film American Graffiti, Trading Places and Stand By Me. The Silhouettes performed in the 1986 movie Joey.

2001 - Village People

Village People singer Glenn Hughes died of lung cancer aged 50 in his Manhattan apartment in New York. He was the original "Biker" character in the disco group who scored the 1978 UK No.1 & US No.2 single Y.M.C.A.

2002 - Doreen Waddell

Doreen Waddell, singer with Soul II Soul was killed after attempting to run across the A27 in Brighton, England after being caught shoplifting.

2003 - Cliff Richard

A noisy neighbour was banned from playing her music and had her stereo system impounded, after she had played Cliff Richard music too loudly. 23 year-old Sian Davies was fined £1,000 ($1,700) plus court costs after environmental protection officers raided her flat in Porth, Rhondda, Wales and seized 15 amplifiers and speakers, plus 135 CDs and cassette tapes. The disc found in her CD player was the Cliff Richard single, 'Peace in Our Time'. A spokesman for the Cliff Richard Organization said he was delighted to hear of somebody in their early 20s owning one of his many recordings. He added, Cliff would not want anyone to play his music so that it caused a nuisance.

2007 - Take That 

Take That went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Shine', their 10th UK No.1 single. The song was featured in several commercials for the re-launched Morrisons supermarkets in the UK, and went on to win the British single of the year award at the 2008 Brit Awards.

2009 - Britney Spears

Britney Spears kicked off a world tour in New Orleans, her first concert tour for five years. The 27-year-old who dressed as a ringmaster in the show, featured jugglers, acrobats and martial arts dancers.

2012 - Vinyl Sales

According to Nielsen SoundScan in the US, vinyl sales increased 36 percent in 2011 compared to the previous year, concluding that vinyl records where making a big comeback for music fans.

2015 - Daryl Hall and John Oates

Daryl Hall and John Oates were suing cereal maker Early Bird Foods & Co. over the company's use of the name Haulin' Oates for their maple syrup granola bars. The two musicians accused the Brooklyn-based firm of infringing on their trademark with the packet of cereal deliberately creating a phonetic play on the band's well-known name.

2019 - Keith Flint

Keith Flint, singer and dancer with English electronic dance group The Prodigy was found dead at his home in Essex, England age 49. The Prodigy scored the 1996 UK No.1 & US No. 30 single 'Firestarter' and the 1997 UK & US No.1 album 'The Fat Of The Land'. He owned a motorcycle race team, Team Traction Control, which won three Isle of Man TT races in 2015 and competed in the British Supersport Championship running Yamaha YZF-R6 motorcycles.

2020 - Barbara Martin

American singer, Barbara Martin died age 76. She is best known as one of the original members of Motown group The Supremes. She left the group in the early spring of 1962.

Born Today In Music

March 4th

1925 - Paul Mauriat

Paul Mauriat, French, conductor, arranger, (1968 US No.1 single chart 'Love Is Blue', a No.12 hit in the UK).

1936 - Eric Allandale

Eric Allandale, from British soul band The Foundations who scored the 1967 UK No.1 single 'Baby Now That I've Found You' and the 1969 US No.3 single 'Build Me Up A Buttercup'. The group was the first multi-racial group to have a No.1 hit in the UK in the 1960s.

1944 - Bobby Womack

Bobby Womack, American singer-songwriter and musician who started his career as the lead singer of the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist. Womack was a prolific songwriter who wrote and originally recorded the Rolling Stones' first UK No. 1 hit, 'It's All Over Now'. Womack died at his home in Tarzana, California at age 70 on June 27, 2014. 

1944 - Michael Wilson

Michael Wilson, from British pop/rock group, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, who scored the 1968 UK No.1 single 'Legend Of Xanadu'.

1946 - Red Stripe

Red Stripe, singer from British a cappella vocal group The Flying Pickets who had the 1983 UK No.1 single with their version of Yazoo's track 'Only You', the UK Christmas No.1 of 83. The name "Flying Pickets" refers to mobile strikers who travel in order to join a picket, reflecting the group's radical socialist political views.

1948 - Chris Squire

Chris Squire, bassist and founding member of Yes and solo, (1983 UK No.28 & 1984 US No.1 single 'Owner Of A Lonely Heart'). He was the only member to appear on each of their 21 studio albums, released from 1969 to 2014. Squire died on 27th June 2015 from acute erythroid leukemia.

1948 - Shakin' Stevens

Shakin' Stevens, (Michael Barratt), Welsh singer. In the UK Stevens has charted 33 Top 40 hit singles including four chart-topping hits; 'This Ole House', 'Green Door', 'Oh Julie', and 'Merry Christmas Everyone'. The former milkman became the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s. 

1951 - Chris Rea

British rock and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist, Chris Rea, who had the 1989 UK No.10 single 'The Road To Hell'. His 1989 UK No.1 album Road To Hell spent 76 weeks on the chart. In America he is best known for the 1978 hit song 'Fool (If You Think It's Over)'. His band The Beautiful Losers received the Melody Maker Best Newcomers award in 1975.

1952 - Pete Haycock

Pete Haycock, from British blues rock group Climax Blues Band, who had the 1977 US No.3 & 1976 UK No.10 single 'Couldn't Get It Right'.

1953 - Emilio Estefan

Cuban-American musician and producer Emilio Estefan who with Miami Sound Machine had the 1984 UK No.6 single 'Dr Beat', 1989 US No.1 single 'Don't Wanna Loose You'.

1954 - St Clair I. Palmer

St Clair I. Palmer, from British soul group Sweet Sensation who scored the 1974 UK No.1 and US No.14 single 'Sad Sweet Dreamer'.

1955 - Boon Gould

English musician Boon Gould guitarist with Level 42, who had the 1986 UK No.3 & US No.12 single 'Lessons In Love' & 19 other UK Top 40 hits. He died on 30 April 2019 age 64. 

1963 - Jason Newsted

Jason Newsted, American bassist with Metallica. He joined Metallica in 1986 after Cliff Burton's death, Newsted remained a member until 2001. Before Metallica he was a member of Flotsam and Jetsam. After Metallica he has been involved with Echobrain, Ozzy Osbourne, Voivod, and led the band Newsted from 2012 to 2014. 

1965 - Richard March

Richard March, bassist from English alternative rock band, Pop Will Eat Itself who scored the 1991 UK No.15 single 'X Y & Zee' and the 1993 top ten hit, 'Get The Girl! Kill The Baddies!' He formed Bentley Rhythm Ace in mid 90s.

1966 - Patrick Hannan

Patrick Hannan drummer with English alternative rock band The Sundays. Their first album, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, was released in 1990 and was a UK Top 5 hit along with the single 'Here's Where the Story Ends'.

1967 - Evan Dando

American musician Evan Dando from alternative rock band The Lemonheads. A cover of Simon And Garfunkel's 'Mrs. Robinson', became one of the band's most successful single in the early 90s. It's a Shame About Ray the groups fifth album released in 1992 was a critics favourite.

1968 - Patsy Kensit

Patsy Kensit, actress, who appeared in the 1986 film Absolute Beginners and was the singer in Eighth Wonder who had the 1988 UK No.7 single 'I'm Not Scared'. Once married to Simple Mindssinger Jim Kerr and married Oasis singer Liam Gallagher in 1997. The couple split in 2000.

1971 - Feargal Lawlor

Feargal Lawlor, drummer, with Irish rock band The Cranberries who had the 1994 UK No.14 single 'Linger'. The bands 1993 album Everybody Else Is Doing It So Why Can’t We spent 86 weeks on the UK chart.