4 MAY
In Music History
1961 The Jarmels record "A Little Bit Of Soap."
1960 Bobby Rydell takes American Bandstand viewers on a tour of his Philadelphia home.
1959 Country singer Randy Travis is born Randy Bruce Traywick in Marshville, North Carolina. It takes while for him to get a record deal, but when he does, he's off to the races, with 15 #1 Country hits from 1986-1994.
1957 Alan Freed's Rock and Roll Revue debuts on ABC; the show is an attempt to replicate the success of their own hit American Bandstand. The first show features performances from The Clovers, The Del-Vikings, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Sal Mineo, and Guy Mitchell.
1956 Lonnie Donegan quits the popular Chris Barber Jazz Band to form a skiffle group.
1951 Mick Mars, founder and lead guitarist of Motley Crue, is born Robert Alan Deal in Terre Haute, Indiana. Visually, he blends into the scenery, but his riffs and solos create a sonic boom that helps define their sound.
1951 Jackie Jackson of The Jacksons is born Sigmund Esco Jackson in Gary, Indiana.
1951 Bruce Day (bass player for Santana, Pablo Cruise) is born.
1949 Zal Cleminson (guitarist for The Sensational Alex Harvey Band) is born Alistair Macdonald Cleminson in Glasgow, Scotland.
1949 Country singer-songwriter Stella Parton is born in Sevierville, Tennesee, to a family that includes older sister Dolly Parton.
1946 Perry Como's "Prisoner Of Love" hits #1 in America.
1945 Georg Wadenius (lead guitarist for Blood, Sweat & Tears) is born in Stockholm, Sweden.
1944 '60s pop singer Peggy Santiglia (of The Angels, Dusk) is born in Belleville, New Jersey.
1941 Motown songwriter Nick Ashford (Ashford & Simpson) is born in Fairfield, South Carolina.
1941 Singer and violinist David LaFlamme (of It's a Beautiful Day) is born Gary Posie in New Britain, Connecticut.
Four Dead In Ohio
1970Later memorialized in the Neil Young song "Ohio," the Ohio National Guard fires on protesters at Kent State University, killing four students, two of whom weren't even protesting. This shameful event in American history leads to the formation of Devo, as Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale are both on campus and horrified by the events.
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Featured Events
2012 Adam Yauch (aka MCA of the Beastie Boys) dies of cancer at age 47 in New York City.
1999 Former In Living Color Fly Girl Jennifer Lopez issues her first single, "If You Had My Love." The song lands at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Lopez the first artist to top the chart with a debut single since Britney Spears did the same with "...Baby One More Time" four months earlier.More
1990 David Bowie's ex-wife Angela goes on The Joan Rivers Show and says that she once walked in on Bowie and Mick Jagger naked in bed. Angela signed a gag order when she divorced Bowie that kept her from talking for 10 years, and was taking advantage of the opportunity.
1982 Under the leadership of chairman Elton John, who has invested heavily in the team, the Watford Football Club is promoted to the First Division of English football with a win over Wrexham. The team was in the lowly Fourth Division when Elton took over as chairman in 1976.
1974 The Sting soundtrack, featuring Marvin Hamlisch's adaptations of Scott Joplin's ragtime piano tunes, hits #1 in America, where it stays for five weeks.
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1974 Grand Funk's cover of "The Loco-Motion" hits #1 in America. It's the second time the song has topped the chart: Little Eva's original went to #1 in 1962.
1959 The very first Grammy Awards are held in Los Angeles, with Record of the Year going to Domenico Modugno's "Nel Blu, Dipinto di Blu (Volare)" and Henry Mancini's The Music From Peter Gunn soundtrack winning Album of the Year. The Champs' "Tequila," for some reason, takes home Best Rhythm and Blues Performance.
1937 Surf rock guitarist Dick Dale is born Richard Anthony Monsour in Boston, Massachusetts.
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