April 15

Births

1894: Bessie Smith (Jazz & Blues Singer)

1933: Roy Clark (Country Singer & Guitarist)

1940: Clarence Satchell (Drummer for The Ohio Players)

1944: Dave Edmunds (Guitarist for Rockpile & Solo)

1965: Linda Perry (Singer / Songwriter for 4 Non Blondes)

1966: Samantha Fox (Pop Singer)

1967: Frankie Poullian (Bass for The Darkness)

1968: Ed O'Brien (Guitarist for Radiohead)

1980: Patrick Carney (Drummer for The Black Keys)

1982: Seth Rogan (Comedian)

Events

1956: Mitch Miller and DJ Alan Freed appear, along with two psychiatrists, on Eric Sevareid's television program CBS Sunday News to discuss the "potentially negative effects of Rock 'n' Roll on teenagers."

1958: Buddy Holly has his guitar, a Fender Stratocaster, stolen from the Crickets' station wagon while the group stops to have lunch before a concert in St. Louis, MO.

1964: After a long day of filming for their first movie, which is still titled Beatlemania!, The Beatles relax as Ringo Starr declares, oddly, that it's been "a hard day's night." John immediately begins writing the song of the same name on the back of an old greeting card; it will eventually become the title track for the film.

1966: Buffalo Springfield make their live debut, opening for the Byrds at the Orange County Showgrounds in San Bernardino, CA.

1971: At tonight's Oscar ceremonies in Los Angeles, The Beatles are awarded their one and only statuette, in the category of Original Song Score, for the title track to the film Let It Be.

1972: Roberta Flack started a six week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face'.

1978: The band Television were forced to postpone their gig at Bristol's Colston Hall after the 40 foot truck carrying their equipment was involved in a crash killing the driver.

1982: While riding his motorcycle in his native Long Island, New York (presumably not in the rain), Billy Joel slams into a moving car, breaking his wrist and requiring a month of hospitalization.

1989: Roy Orbison's comeback single, "You Got It," produced by Jeff Lynne, becomes his last big hit as it reaches the US Top Ten four months after his death from a heart attack.

1992: Queen reunites for a tribute charity concert dedicated to their fallen former leader, vocalist Freddie Mercury, who'd passed away from AIDS some six months earlier. Robert Plant, David Bowie, Elton John, Guns N' Roses, George Michael, Annie Lennox, Paul Young, Ian Hunter and Roger Daltrey, among others, show up to sing Freddie's and their own hits.

1995: Montell Jordan started a seven week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'This Is How We Do It”.

1996: The remainder of Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia's ashes are scattered near the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco; a week earlier, a portion had been scattered into India's Ganges river.

1996: Milli Vanilli singer Rob Pilatus was jailed for 90 days by a Los Angeles judge for three violent attacks and parole violation.

1999: The body of Tammy Wynette was exhumed from her grave in an attempt to settle a dispute over how the country music legend died. A new autopsy was conducted on her a week after three of her daughters filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her doctor and her husband and manager, George Richey, claiming they were responsible for her death 12 months ago. Richey said he had requested the autopsy because of the allegations made against him.

2001: Punk pioneer Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Ross Hyman) singer of The Ramones died after losing a long battle with lymphatic cancer aged 49.

2003: Beyonce was sued by the Wilhemina Artist Agency who claimed she hadn't paid them the commission for her L'Oral ads. The agency claimed the singer refused to pass on the 10 percent of the $1m deal that was brokered by the agency.

2008: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed this day as ‘Mariah Carey day’ in Los Angeles, California.