R&R History 1967-1984...

Today, April 5th 

In Rock History...

1967, Monkees fans walked from London’s Marble Arch to the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square to protest Davy Jones’ planned call-up to the army. Jones was exempted because he was deemed responsible for supporting his father.

1972, Elvis Presley kicked of a 15 date US tour at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York.

1975, Minnie Riperton went to No.1 on the singles chart with the Stevie Wonder produced song ‘Loving You’. It was the singers only chart hit. Riperton died of cancer on July 12th 1979.

1978, Duran Duran made their live debut at The Lecture Theatre, Birmingham Polytechnic.

1980, Genesis scored their first No.1 album when ‘Duke’ went to the top of the charts.

1980, R.E.M. played their first ever gig when they appeared at St Mary’s Episcopal Church, Athens, Georgia.

1981, Canned Heat singer Bob “The Bear” Hite died of a heart attack aged 36. He played at both the 1967 Montery Pop Festival and the 1969 Woodstock Festival.

1984, Marvin Gaye’s funeral took place at The Forest Lawn Cemetery, Los Angeles; Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy and other Motown singers, writers and producers, attended the service.

-Internetfm.com

1985, At 3:50pm GMT, over 5,000 radio stations worldwide aired the charity single by USA for Africa 'We Are The World'. The single went on to be a No.1 in the US & UK, and most Western territories.

1994, Kurt Cobain committed suicide by shooting himself in the head at his home in Seattle. Cobain’s body wasn’t discovered until April 8, by an electrician who had arrived to install a security system, who initially believed that Cobain was asleep, until he saw the shotgun pointing at his chin. A suicide note was found that said, "I haven't felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music, along with really writing . . . for too many years now". A high concentration of heroin and traces of Valium were found in Cobain’s body. His death was officially ruled as suicide by a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.

 -Themusicgates.blogspot.com