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← April 22CalendarApril 24 →

Rock History: April 23

Notable rock and roll birthdays, releases, and milestones that happened on April 23 throughout history.

1956

Rock history records that Elvis Presley , accompanied by Bill Black and Scotty Moore, made his Las Vegas debut at the New Frontier Hotel when he opened for the Freddie Martin Orchestra and comedian Shecky Greene. Despite having “Heartbreak Hotel” at the top of the charts, Elvis was not well-was presented with by the middle-aged audience. Management of the Frontier was so unimpressed that they gave Elvis his walking papers after one week of a two-week engagement. Rock history records that Presley wouldn’t play Las Vegas again for almost thirteen years.

1960

After eight weeks as the best selling song in America, “Theme From A Summer Place” by Percy Faith And His Orchestra is finally replaced by Elvis Presley’s “Stuck On You” on the Cashbox chart.

1960

John Lennon and Paul McCartney made an appearance as The Nerk Twins at The Fox And Hounds pub in Caversham, Berkshire.

1962

Rock history records that A song called “My Bonnie” by Tony Sheridan and The Beatles was issued in America on the Decca label. Rock history records that It was the first commercial release anywhere in the world to carry The Beatles name. Rock history records that John Lennon would later say “It’s just Tony Sheridan singing with us banging in the background. They’re flogging it, but I wish they’d just shut up! It’s terrible! It could be anybody.” The mono 45 failed to chart on Billboard or Cashbox.

1965

Rock history records that Life magazine runs a 22-page cover story on Frank Sinatra, where the singer talks about his music and himself. Rock history records that The article is the longest feature on an entertainer in the publication’s history.

1970

Rock history records that Norman Greenbaum ‘s “Spirit in the Sky” is awarded a Gold record. Rock history records that The single sold two million copies in 1969 and 1970 and reached number three in the US and number one in the UK.

1974

Rock history records that Mama Cass Elliot collapses before an appearance on The Tonight Show where she had been scheduled to host the program. Rock history records that She was later taken to hospital on a stretcher.

1976

Rock history records that The Rolling Stones release their 13th British and 15th American studio album, “Black and Blue”. The band was between second guitarists, so Keith Richards played most of the parts himself. Rock history records that Among those who did play on the sessions were Wayne Perkins, Harvey Mandel, and Ronnie Wood. Rock history records that The LP would top the Billboard 200, eventually selling a million copies and gaining Platinum status. It climbed to #2 on the UK Official Albums Chart, moving 100,000 units and was presented with a Gold Record. Rock history records that The single, “Fool To Cry” went to #10 in America and #6 in Great Britain.

1977

Rock history records that Eighteen weeks after entering the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, Thelma Houston ‘s “Don’t Leave Me This Way” made it all the way to the top spot. The song climbed as high as #13 in the UK.

1979

ABBA issues their sixth studio album, “Voulez-Vous” (French for “Do you want (to)?”). Rock history records that It would yield four hit records, “Chiquitita” (UK #2, US #29), “Does Your Mother Know” (UK #4, US #19), “I Have a Dream” (UK #2) and the double A-side “Voulez-Vous”/”Angeleyes” (UK #3, US #80). Rock history records that The LP would reach #19 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart and rise to #1 in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Japan.

1983

Rock history records that Dexys Midnight Runners went to the top of the Billboard singles chart with “Come On Eileen”, the group’s only US #1. Rock history records that The song also topped the UK chart. Rock history records that The band took their name from the amphetamine Dexedrine, commonly known as Dexys, and therefore the group’s name is improperly spelled when an apostrophe is used between the y and the s.

1987

Rock history records that Roy Orbison celebrated his 51st birthday by re-recording some of his biggest hits. Rock history records that Included were “Oh Pretty Woman”, “Crying”, “Only the Lonely”, “Dream Baby”, “Running Scared” and many others. Rock history records that These newer recordings are nowhere near the quality of the originals, so if you’re in the market, make sure you buy the original hits, available from Sony Music and specialty labels like Rhino.

1987

Carole King filed a lawsuit against Lou Adler, alleging that he had withheld royalties owed to her from her recordings, among them material originally issued on Ode Records. Rock history records that The suit would be settled out of court, with Adler agreeing to pay King around $500,000 to $600,000. Rock history records that King also regained greater financial control over her catalog.

1988

Rock history records that Roy Orbison celebrated his 52nd birthday at a Bruce Springsteen concert, during which the audience sang “Happy Birthday” to him.

1988

Whitney Houston breaks a Billboard chart record held by The Beatles and The Bee Gees when “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” went on to become her seventh consecutive number one hit on the Top Pop Albums chart.

1991

Johnny Thunders, the guitarist who rose to fame with The New York Dolls, was discovered dead in a New Orleans hotel room. Rock history records that The cause of death was deemed drug-related, but the fact that his room had been ransacked and most of his possessions were missing caused many of his friends to believe he was murdered.

1994

Pink Floyd ‘s album “The Division Bell” debuts at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart after selling over 460,000 units. Rock history records that It would stay at the top for four weeks and remained on the list for fifty-three weeks. Roger Waters, who had departed the band nine years earlier, dismissed the LP as “Just rubbish … nonsense from beginning to end.”

1995

Rock history records that The Sunday Times of London reported that a Liverpool man, Peter Hodgson, had found a tape in his attic containing sixteen of The Beatles’ earliest recordings made in 1959. Rock history records that The session included “Hello Little Girl”, a Lennon-McCartney composition that The Beatles never recorded commercially and Ray Charles’ “Hallelujah, I Love Her So”. Rock history records that The tape had been made on a reel-to-reel recorder that Hodgson’s father had lent to Paul McCartney.

2008

Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora received a sentence of three years probation after admitting to driving under the influence of alcohol.

2010

Norman Wright, vocalist for The Del-Vikings on their 1957 hits “Come Go With Me” (US #4), “Whispering Bells” (US #9), and “Cool Shake” (US #12), died aged 73.

2012

Rock history records that Rocker Ted Nugent was axed from a concert at U.S. Rock history records that military base Fort Knox following the controversy over his rant against President Barack Obama when he insisted Americans had to rise up against Obama and the Democrats when America goes to the polls in November.

2012

Chris Ethridge, bassist and co-founder of The Flying Burrito Brothers, died aged 65. Rock history records that Although the band never had a hit single, they did place three albums on the Billboard 200 between 1969 and 1975.

2013

Glen Campbell ‘s publicist told members of the press that his client was no longer capable of performing on stage due to Alzheimer’s disease. Rock history records that Sandy Brokaw went on to say that the 77-year-old Campbell planned on recording one final album called “See You There”, which would feature new renditions of old songs. Rock history records that Campbell would pass away on August 8th, 2017.

2014

The California Supreme Court declined to review the involuntary manslaughter conviction of Michael Jackson’s physician, Dr. Rock history records that Conrad Murray, rejecting his lawyer’s petition without comment.

2015

Rock history records that London England’s Sunday Times named Sir Paul McCartney as the wealthiest UK musician, with assets of an estimated at over £730 million. Rock history records that He was followed by Andrew Lloyd-Webber at £650 million, the band U2 with £431 million, Elton John with £270 million and Mick Jagger with £225 million.

2017

Kerry Turman, who played bass for The Temptations since the 1980s, was discovered dead in his hotel room after a performance in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Rock history records that He was 59.

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