Rock 'n' Roll History for
June 4


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1942 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
Capitol Records opens for business, becoming the first major record label based on the US West coast. The company had been established earlier in the year by singer Johnny Mercer and investor Buddy De Sylva as Liberty Records. It was Capitol's manager, Glenn Wallichs, who invented the art of record promotion by sending free copies of new releases to disc jockeys.

1958 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
Jerry Lee Lewis renews his marriage vows to cousin Myra, since he wasn't actually divorced from his first wife when he married her.

1963 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
Pop Goes The Beatles debuts on the BBC for the first of sixteen episodes. The band had always been a big draw on the network, but this is the first time they get their own show. During the broadcast they sing, take requests, and crack jokes. They also recorded a Rock version of "Pop Goes The Weasel" for the program's theme song.

1966 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
Janis Joplin joins Big Brother & The Holding Company. They would reach #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Piece Of My Heart" in 1968.


1967 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
At The Prime Time Emmy Awards, The Monkees's TV series won two statues for Outstanding Comedy Series (Bert Schneider - producer, and Bob Rafelson - producer) and Outstanding Directorial in Comedy (director - James Frawley).

1970 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young release "Ohio", a song about the senseless tragedy that took place when Ohio National Guard officers shot and killed four students during a protest against the Vietnam War. Eight others were wounded and another was permanently paralyzed. Despite being banned from airplay on several AM stations, the record still rose to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and to the same position on the Cashbox Best Sellers chart. In 2009, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and was named as the 395th Greatest Song of All Time by Rolling Stone in 2010. In 1974, at the end of a criminal investigation, a federal court dropped all charges levied against eight Ohio National Guardsmen for their role in the Kent State students' deaths.

1973 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
Murry Wilson, father of The Beach Boys' Brian, Carl and Dennis, died of a heart attack at the age of 55. Because of earlier differences, Dennis refused to attend the funeral. Brian didn't go either, but not because he was angry at his father. He would later write in his autobiography, "It was just too many things at once, and I was not in the mood to go to my dad's funeral."

June 4
Dunhill Records releases Jimmy Buffett's album, "A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean". The title of the album is a play on the Marty Robbins' 1957, Billboard #2 hit, "A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation". The LP reached #43 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, but did not make the Billboard 200 album chart. Two of Buffett's most popular tunes, "He Went To Paris" and "Why Don't We Get Drunk (And Screw") appear on the album.


1976 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
Columbia Records releases Boz Scaggs' single, "Lowdown", which would climb to #3 on the Hot 100 the following October. Written by Scaggs and future Toto founder David Paitch, the recording also included two other members of that band, drummer Jeff Porcaro and bass player David Hungate. The tune went on to win the 1976 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song, making Scaggs the first White artist to win that prize. (Leo Sayer was the second, taking the trophy the next year for "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing".) "Lowdown" was included on Scagg's album "Silk Degrees", which would peak at #2, selling over five million copies.

1977 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
KC And The Sunshine Band top the Cashbox Best Sellers chart with "I'm Your Boogie Man". In the UK, the record could only manage to climb to #41.

1979 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
U.S. President Jimmy Carter hosted Chuck Berry, who played a concert for the First Family and several hundred guests on the lawns of the White House.

1983 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
The Hollies perform a cover version of The Supremes' "Stop In The Name Of Love" on American Bandstand. Their harmony laden rendition had entered the Billboard Hot 100 a week earlier at #79 and would peak at #29 near the end of July, marking the band's twelfth and final Top 40 entry.

June 4
"Every Breath You Take" by The Police starts a four-week run at #1 in the UK. The song would also top the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cashbox Best Sellers chart. It would be nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and Record of the Year, winning in the first two categories.

1984 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
Bruce Springsteen releases his seventh studio album "Born In The USA", which will top the Billboard Hot 200 chart for seven weeks and spawn seven Top 10 singles, "Dancing In The Dark" (#2), "Cover Me" (#7) "Born In The U.S.A." (#9), "I'm On Fire" (#6), "Glory Days" (#5), "I'm Goin' Down" (#9) and "My Hometown" (#6). The LP went on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide, and 15 million copies in the US alone.


1992 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
The US Postal Service announces the results of a poll conducted to see which picture of Elvis Presley should be used on a commemorative stamp. The young Elvis beats out the Vegas Elvis.

June 4
Smokey Robinson‘s half sister, Rose Ella Jones filed a suit against Smokey claiming she had been cheated out of royalty payments from songs written during the 1980s.

1994 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
Derek "Lek" Leckenby, lead guitarist for Herman's Hermits, died of cancer at the age of 51. Although studio musicians were used on some of the band's recordings, Leckenby played on all their US and UK number one hits and was regarded as a highly accomplished musician.

1997 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
Ronnie Lane of The Small Faces died from multiple sclerosis, 18 years after being diagnosed with the disease. He was 51.

2001 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
Songwriter John Hartford died after a long battle with non-hodgkin's lymphoma at the age of 63. During his career he wrote Glen Campbell's hit "Gentle On My Mind" and recorded a catalog of more than 30 albums, winning Grammy awards in three different decades.

2010 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
Billboard magazine reported that weekly album sales may have hit its lowest point since the early 1970s. According to the RIAA, album shipments in 1973 totaled an average of 7.47 million per week, while last weeks sales totaled 4.98 million units. One industry executive described the situation as "pretty scary."

2012 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
Herb Reed, bass vocalist for The Platters, died at the age of 83. The L.A. quintet scored four number one hits, including "The Great Pretender", "My Prayer", Twilight Time" and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and placed twenty-three songs in the Billboard Top 40.


2013 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
Drummer Joey Covington, who played with Jefferson Airplane from 1970-72 and later in the offshoot band Hot Tuna, died in a car crash in Palm Springs. He was 67 years old.

2015 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
The U.S. Postal Service announced that on August 12th they would issue a brand new Elvis Presley commemorative stamp as part of their music icons series. In 1993, the post office issued the first stamp of Elvis which went on to become the largest selling sticker in the organization's history.

2020 - ClassicBands.com

June 4
Steve Priest, bassist and co-founder of the Glam Rock band Sweet, died at the age of 72. Between 1971 and 1984, the group placed 16 songs on the UK Top 40 and 5 in the US Top 40.



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