April 6

Births

1927: Gerry Mulligan (Jazz Saxophonist)

1937: Merle Haggard (Country Artist)

1952: Udo Dirkschneider (Singer for Accept)

1965: Frank Black (Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV) (Guitarist & Singer for The Pixies & Solo)

Events

1956: Having impressed Paramount Studios with his screen test five days earlier, Elvis Presley is signed to a seven-year, three- picture deal worth nearly half a million dollars.

1956: Capitol Tower, the home of Capitol Records in Hollywood, CA, was dedicated. It was the first circular office tower designed in America. It is 13 stories tall and 92 feet in diameter.

1962: Russia's official newspaper, Pravda, warns Soviet teens of the decadent dangers of the new "twist" dance craze.

1965: The Beach Boys recorded "California Girls".

1966: The first session of what would become The Beatles album 'Revolver' started in the evening at Abbey Road studios London, with the recording of the basic track of 'Tomorrow Never Knows.'

1968: Founding member Syd Barrett, already in a mental downward spiral from LSD abuse, leaves Pink Floyd.

1968: The Beatles Apple Corps Ltd. record company, management and publishing firm, opened their offices in London.

1969: Original bassist Pete Quaife leaves the Kinks.

1971: The Rolling Stones unveil their new custom record label, Rolling Stones Records, which also features the group's new logo, the infamous tongue-and-lips "pop art" drawing created by London graphic artist John Pasche.

1972: The Monkees' Micky Dolenz guest stars as himself in tonight's "Barbara Lost" episode of ABC-TV's My Three Sons.

1971: Carly Simon is introduced to James Taylor backstage after her concert at Los Angeles' famous Troubadour nightclub. Instantly smitten, they would marry in November of 1972.

1974: After initially arguing with his record company about releasing it as a single ("it's the same thing over and over"), Billy Joel gets his first Top 40 hit with "Piano Man."

1974: California's biggest annual rock concert, the California Jam, has its debut in Ontario, CA, featuring performances by The Eagles, Earth Wind and Fire, Seals and Crofts, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and Black Oak Arkansas performing for a crowd of 200,000.

1974: The concert documentary Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones, the first-ever such film with a quadraphonic soundtrack, premieres at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York.

1975: Labelle performs their recent hit, "Lady Marmalade," on CBS-TV's Cher show.

1979: In Beverly Hills, Rod Stewart marries George Hamilton's ex-wife, Alana. The couple would divorce in 1984.

1984: Longtime E Street Band guitarist "Miami" Steve Van Zandt, a/k/a Little Steven, announces he's leaving the group. He will return in 1995.

1987: Roger Waters' lawyers issued a statement that Roger believed himself to be the creative driving force behind Pink Floyd and therefore he would contest the use of the name by anyone else and any former members of Pink Floyd.

1990: Drummer Tommy Lee (Motley Crue) suffered a mild concussion in New Haven, CT. when he fell after swinging from scaffolding above his elevated drum kit.

1991: Ringo Starr guest stars as himself in tonight's "Brush With Greatness" episode of Fox-TV's The Simpsons.

1992: George Harrison performs his first full live solo concert since 1969, appearing in London in a benefit for the Natural Law political party.

1993: Rap grout The Beatnuts release their debut EP “Intoxicated Demons”.

1997: The Michael Jackson short film/theme ride Captain EO is shown for the last time at Disneyland.

1998: Chubby Checker, Lesley Gore, Fabian, and Dick Clark all guest star as themselves in tonight's "Opus One" episode of CBS-TV's Murphy Brown.

1998: Tammy Wynette died after years of medical problems, numerous hospitalizations, approximately 26 major operations and an addiction to large doses of pain medication, Wynette died while sleeping on her couch at age 55. Wynette's doctor from Pennsylvania said she died of a blood clot in her lung.

1998: Wendy O. Williams, former singer of the Punk Rock band The Plasmatics, died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Williams was known for her wild stage theatrics which included blowing up equipment, near nudity and chain-sawing guitars. In January 1981 police in Milwaukee arrested her for simulating sex on stage, later that same year in Cleveland, Ohio Williams was acquitted of an obscenity charge for simulating sex on stage wearing only shaving cream.

1999: Bob Weir and Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead appear at an Al Gore Presidential fundraiser, with Gore's wife, notorious anti-rock crusader Tipper, playing congas.

2003: Linkin Park started a two week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Meteroa’ the bands first US No.1 album.

2004: Niki Sullivan (The Crickets) died suddenly of a heart attack, aged 66, in Sugar Creek, Missouri, near Kansas City; despite his good health and no indications of any illness.

2006: Eminem filed for divorce from his wife Kim less than three months after the couple re-married.